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Re: Accies .V. St Johnstone - Match Thread

PostPosted: Tue May 08, 2018 10:32 pm
by TerracingTomas
I enjoyed Dougie’s goal but that’s about it. It’s been a pretty awful finish to the season and I’ll be glad to see the back of it. At least we go to Motherwell with more or less the monkey off our backs. For me it’s always been the defence that’s let us down and I would love to see what little resources we’ve got aimed in this direction.

Re: Accies .V. St Johnstone - Match Thread

PostPosted: Tue May 08, 2018 10:50 pm
by porcupine
TerracingTomas wrote:I enjoyed Dougie’s goal but that’s about it. It’s been a pretty awful finish to the season and I’ll be glad to see the back of it. At least we go to Motherwell with more or less the monkey off our backs. For me it’s always been the defence that’s let us down and I would love to see what little resources we’ve got aimed in this direction.


Never a truer word spoken, TT. Despite MC's career as a defender, he has never managed to produce a settled competent defence for a couple of seasons, at least. This year we have leaked goals on almost very game, and which put us down there in the dog-fight. I suggest that MC looks at the total lost at home in particular, 35, YES 35 at home, plus another 30 lost away. 65 lost is the worst of all the SPL teams by far. We were just lucky to have scored more goals that our relegation rivals this season otherwise it would have been the automatic drop.

If that doesn't prove TT's point to others, the what would?

Re: Accies .V. St Johnstone - Match Thread

PostPosted: Tue May 08, 2018 10:54 pm
by YeOldeHamiltonian
Once again we looked short in midfield due to the formation Canning played.

Eight defeats out of the last nine is dreadful as is Canning's inability the last two seasons in particular to have a decent defence.

This needs to change as we can't carry on with this comedy defending.

Re: Accies .V. St Johnstone - Match Thread

PostPosted: Tue May 08, 2018 11:07 pm
by accies1874
We've stayed up - that's all that matters.

It hasn't really been enjoyable since December, but I think folk should realise just how incredible staying up is given how low morale was in February.

Picking up 10 points in 2018 has been dreadful, and hopefully the patchwork job can be ironed out.

Looking back on this season, we'll fondly remember trips to Easter Road, Ibrox and Fir Park; the rest will be erased from memory, other than the league position.

Re: Accies .V. St Johnstone - Match Thread

PostPosted: Tue May 08, 2018 11:39 pm
by Yummy Fur
porcupine wrote:
TerracingTomas wrote:I enjoyed Dougie’s goal but that’s about it. It’s been a pretty awful finish to the season and I’ll be glad to see the back of it. At least we go to Motherwell with more or less the monkey off our backs. For me it’s always been the defence that’s let us down and I would love to see what little resources we’ve got aimed in this direction.


Never a truer word spoken, TT. Despite MC's career as a defender, he has never managed to produce a settled competent defence for a couple of seasons, at least. This year we have leaked goals on almost very game, and which put us down there in the dog-fight. I suggest that MC looks at the total lost at home in particular, 35, YES 35 at home, plus another 30 lost away. 65 lost is the worst of all the SPL teams by far. We were just lucky to have scored more goals that our relegation rivals this season otherwise it would have been the automatic drop.

If that doesn't prove TT's point to others, the what would?


So a leaky defence is Canning's fault but being the top scorers in the bottom 6 is just luck?

Tonight was certainly our last few games in a nutshell if not our entire season - another narrow 1 goal loss in a game where we probably worth at least a point and another couple of defensive mistakes / bad decisions leading to soft goals.

Positives - Templeton's determination to play on despite being barely able to walk, Miller's cameo showing promise and maybe even a player to get us off our seats next season.

Negatives - more poor defending, Redmond flattering to deceive again, 3 strikers tried and not one getting a shot away in 90 minutes, Jenkins, Lyon, finishing with 3 central defenders on the pitch and Jenkins.

Despite the anti-climax, we are staying up and despite the critics what an achievement - 5 seasons in the top league, amazing! This season Canning has had everything thrown at him and still kept us up - starting the season without a striker, our best defender (Devlin) not kicking a ball, our best midfielder (Crawford) barely kicking a ball, £1m fraud, cost cutting, a terrible January transfer window, losing Docherty, losing McKinnon at the same time for 3 months, the Sarris debacle, our only right back walking out after the window had shut, etc................. - it hasn't always been pretty and I think Canning can be tactically naive at times but to keep that squad together and united despite all that has been remarkable.

It's going to be a tough but exciting pre-season with a real challenge to build a squad, however let's enjoy upsetting the odds again and maybe every Accies fan can have a think about the small part they can play in trying to restore a feel good factor to a club who get a lot wrong but a whole lot more right.

Re: Accies .V. St Johnstone - Match Thread

PostPosted: Tue May 08, 2018 11:44 pm
by Willie Wastle
Yummy Fur wrote:So a leaky defence is Canning's fault but being the top scorers in the bottom 6 is just luck?

Tonight was certainly our last few games in a nutshell if not our entire season - another narrow 1 goal loss in a game where we probably worth at least a point and another couple of defensive mistakes / bad decisions leading to soft goals.

Positives - Templeton's determination to play on despite being barely able to walk, Miller's cameo showing promise and maybe even a player to get us off our seats next season.

Negatives - more poor defending, Redmond flattering to deceive again, 3 strikers tried and not one getting a shot away in 90 minutes, Jenkins, Lyon, finishing with 3 central defenders on the pitch and Jenkins.

Despite the anti-climax, we are staying up and despite the critics what an achievement - 5 seasons in the top league, amazing! This season Canning has had everything thrown at him and still kept us up - starting the season without a striker, our best defender (Devlin) not kicking a ball, our best midfielder (Crawford) barely kicking a ball, £1m fraud, cost cutting, a terrible January transfer window, losing Docherty, losing McKinnon at the same time for 3 months, the Sarris debacle, our only right back walking out after the window had shut, etc................. - it hasn't always been pretty and I think Canning can be tactically naive at times but to keep that squad together and united despite all that has been remarkable.

It's going to be a tough but exciting pre-season with a real challenge to build a squad, however let's enjoy upsetting the odds again and maybe every Accies fan can have a think about the small part they can play in trying to restore a feel good factor to a club who get a lot wrong but a whole lot more right.

Excellent post.

Martin Canning deserves enormous credit for keeping us up despite all our problems this season.

These are the greatest years of supporting Accies I have ever know - and I've been supporting since the seventies.

Re: Accies .V. St Johnstone - Match Thread

PostPosted: Tue May 08, 2018 11:46 pm
by accies1874
Yummy Fur wrote:
porcupine wrote:
TerracingTomas wrote:I enjoyed Dougie’s goal but that’s about it. It’s been a pretty awful finish to the season and I’ll be glad to see the back of it. At least we go to Motherwell with more or less the monkey off our backs. For me it’s always been the defence that’s let us down and I would love to see what little resources we’ve got aimed in this direction.


Never a truer word spoken, TT. Despite MC's career as a defender, he has never managed to produce a settled competent defence for a couple of seasons, at least. This year we have leaked goals on almost very game, and which put us down there in the dog-fight. I suggest that MC looks at the total lost at home in particular, 35, YES 35 at home, plus another 30 lost away. 65 lost is the worst of all the SPL teams by far. We were just lucky to have scored more goals that our relegation rivals this season otherwise it would have been the automatic drop.

If that doesn't prove TT's point to others, the what would?


So a leaky defence is Canning's fault but being the top scorers in the bottom 6 is just luck?

Tonight was certainly our last few games in a nutshell if not our entire season - another narrow 1 goal loss in a game where we probably worth at least a point and another couple of defensive mistakes / bad decisions leading to soft goals.

Positives - Templeton's determination to play on despite being barely able to walk, Miller's cameo showing promise and maybe even a player to get us off our seats next season.

Negatives - more poor defending, Redmond flattering to deceive again, 3 strikers tried and not one getting a shot away in 90 minutes, Jenkins, Lyon, finishing with 3 central defenders on the pitch and Jenkins.

Despite the anti-climax, we are staying up and despite the critics what an achievement - 5 seasons in the top league, amazing! This season Canning has had everything thrown at him and still kept us up - starting the season without a striker, our best defender (Devlin) not kicking a ball, our best midfielder (Crawford) barely kicking a ball, £1m fraud, cost cutting, a terrible January transfer window, losing Docherty, losing McKinnon at the same time for 3 months, the Sarris debacle, our only right back walking out after the window had shut, etc................. - it hasn't always been pretty and I think Canning can be tactically naive at times but to keep that squad together and united despite all that has been remarkable.

It's going to be a tough but exciting pre-season with a real challenge to build a squad, however let's enjoy upsetting the odds again and maybe every Accies fan can have a think about the small part they can play in trying to restore a feel good factor to a club who get a lot wrong but a whole lot more right.

Given the defeat tonight, I don't think it's quite settled in for most people. Saturday should be a party.

Re: Accies .V. St Johnstone - Match Thread

PostPosted: Tue May 08, 2018 11:53 pm
by porcupine
I recognised that for us to stay up is yet another massive achievement. I also was aware that we were only one goal less than Kilmarnock in Goals Scored this season, so had we had a better defensive record, well, a top six place could have been a possibility!

Despite moans about our strikers, we HAVE scored more than most of the division, but it is clear than whatever else happens we need to bed-in a solid defence during the close season, and have this established as a matter of priority.

Just has a thought... wonder what Mark McLaughlin and Chris Swailes are doing for next season. :D :D :D

Re: Accies .V. St Johnstone - Match Thread

PostPosted: Wed May 09, 2018 1:56 am
by Rojano
The bottom line is that if canning takes the flak then he also takes the plaudits. He wouldnt be my choice as manager and id have been o happy t see him go at any point in the last four years and still would , however you just cant argue with his ability in keeping us up and fashioning top table teams from scraps , particularly when we have injuries and suspensions.
Well done one and all..

Re: Accies .V. St Johnstone - Match Thread

PostPosted: Wed May 09, 2018 7:23 am
by accies1874
Look at last night's starting eleven. That team shouldn't be anywhere near the top flight, and Templeton is probably the only one that would get in another team.
Canning keeping that squad up is miraculous.

Re: Accies .V. St Johnstone - Match Thread

PostPosted: Wed May 09, 2018 7:24 am
by Euan
Yummy Fur wrote:This season Canning has had everything thrown at him and still kept us up - starting the season without a striker, our best defender (Devlin) not kicking a ball, our best midfielder (Crawford) barely kicking a ball, £1m fraud, cost cutting, a terrible January transfer window, losing Docherty, losing McKinnon at the same time for 3 months, the Sarris debacle, our only right back walking out after the window had shut, etc................. - it hasn't always been pretty and I think Canning can be tactically naive at times but to keep that squad together and united despite all that has been remarkable.


You forgot the main sponsor going bust!

Here’s hoping the effect of the fraud is over and that having stayed up, we’ll see financial stability and some money coming back into the Club.

Martin Canning, the players and background team deserves enormous credit for getting us over the line in such difficult circumstances.

The directors too, but with the acknowledgment that they should never have allowed the fraud to occur in the first place.

Re: Accies .V. St Johnstone - Match Thread

PostPosted: Wed May 09, 2018 8:40 am
by Swift Frank
On a common theme I also want the defence sorted pronto.Just think where we'd be in the table if we had a miserly back line like Motherwell have.
We have absolutely no problems at the other end of the pitch so the defence is the obvious priority.

Re: Accies .V. St Johnstone - Match Thread

PostPosted: Wed May 09, 2018 9:29 am
by Willie Wastle
accies1874 wrote:Look at last night's starting eleven. That team shouldn't be anywhere near the top flight, and Templeton is probably the only one that would get in another team.
Canning keeping that squad up is miraculous.

Agreed, but harsh to pick just Temps.

MacKinnon would add steel to any bottom six team, and could have made the crucial difference to Partick or County.

Woods is the peer of any SPL keeper.

If he can get back to the form of the first half of last season, Crawford could could grace the midfield of most SPL teams.

And over this season, Skondras and Docherty also impressed. And young Want and Ferguson came through.

But you're right about the rest - top end of the Championship at best. Canning's done an amazing job. Another manager might have got more out of the squad, but equally they might have taken us down. There aren't that many Steve Clarke's available. Ross County tried changing managers and look what happened to them!

Re: Accies .V. St Johnstone - Match Thread

PostPosted: Wed May 09, 2018 10:47 am
by aldoaccie
I too have been critical of MC, but as I pointed out to my 12 year old daughter last night, he's kept us in the SPFL. Again.

Credit where it's due as, through all that's been thrown at him and the team this seasons, we've done it.

It's not all that long ago that we watched Dylan Kerr score at Dumbarton to clinch a draw and promotion to the old 2nd Division, so let's not forget where we once were....

Re: Accies .V. St Johnstone - Match Thread

PostPosted: Wed May 09, 2018 11:24 am
by Willie Wastle
Just watched the highlights. Why would Danny dive when clean through on the keeper? Defender comes across the back of him, hands in the air to claim no contact, but obscuring the ref's view.

I can't tell from the camera angle whether it definitely was a pen, but I'm certain the ref can't see that it's definitely a dive.

Re: Accies .V. St Johnstone - Match Thread

PostPosted: Wed May 09, 2018 1:13 pm
by YeOldeHamiltonian
Watching the highlights and that was a deliberate handball at 0-0 just after half-time by the St.Johnstone player.