Accies World

Your comments please...

I'll go with, glimpses of great play... muddled with feckless defending from set pieces and crosses.

Hoping for the 3-5-2 again, I thought it was much more effective, just need to make sure our CB's are fit enough. I'm hoping Brophyy an D'Acol can start to show some chemistry, D'Acol has provided some great assists so far and can hold the ball up well, need someone making penetrating runs on goal to help him though.

2-1 ACCIES

Lack of full backs will likely force us into 3/5 at the back which is ok; but it limits options to change perhaps later in the game. Unlike last week I think the strikers need to be more aware and 1 has to be quicker to come slightly deeper at points to help the team - as well they need to provide a bit of a product from playing 2 of them.

Again we will need big efforts from the midfield trio of Ali, Gregg and Daz; and I don't think Longridge can merit a game at any point if other options are available.

I see this as a very winnable game, but shocked to learn from Twitter how bad our home record v ICT is - apparently we've lost our last six home games to them? (But we've lost only once in 11 league visits to them.)

Something to build on from last week - let's hope we can beat that hoodoo.

I expect a high scoring game today. The main thing that sets us apart from every other team in the league (apart from the league leaders) is that we have scored in every game in the league so far. ICT are scoring well, and both defences seem suspect. So, roll on another 7 goal classic.

1-0 HT. We've been here before. Gulp!

Why is this still happening? As soon as Want came on, it was obvious that they were equalising.

Because we have a loser for a manager, and a board who lack the backbone to remove him because they see the club sitting above 11th as a success.

Whilst it may be true that that is the case, a team with a defender as a manager should not have dropped 14 points from winning positions through the first 8 games of the season. That is criminal, and will more than likely come back to bite us in the arse in May.

A real sore one to take - we dominated the game and they just lumped the ball up. We didn't take our chances when at our best and its always dangerous having a single goal lead. Not sure it led to the goal but we had no reason to go to 5 at the back and no reason to bring on Want who is really not ready for this level - different if we were bringing on an experienced CB.

McMann did really well as did Seaborne, Daz, Ali and Gregg - no real failures but Longridge runs about into great positions but does nothing in the final third.

Defo competitive in this league at the moment and injuries could be kinder but if we don't pick up points when playing well it leaves a worry for when our form dips.

Used to be 1st goal's the winner in the SPFL.

We're going to regret losing so many points from winning positions.

I thought at the time Canning did the right thing putting on another defender - in retrospect he weakened the midfield, giving ICT space to score the goal. But it was a good strike and, hey, at least we didn't lose...

Never once saw Alwx Neil defend a one Goal Lead!
two home wins in 2016 or something equally as poor!

Canning is not a Manager!

Well, that was a bit of a let-down!

That was a very strange substitution. Why bring Want on, change formation etc??
It wasn't to stem the tide of constant ICT attacks.....they were rubbish.

In fact, all that promoted was sitting further back and inviting them onto us. Again, we got the ultimate penalty, concession of an equaliser.

I thought most of the team performed very well in first half but, as a consequence of sitting deeper in 2nd half, a few players dropped their levels.

Seabourne was best for me but Sarris and McMann also performed well. Docherty has kicked on and looks more confident as a result of his Scotland 21's call up.
D'Acol, his goal aside, remains under par. I'm sorry but he doesn't look fit enough to engage in the pressing game that MC seems to employ until we get the lead....then stops it!!

Crawford, Longridge and Imrie all regularly run past him to hassle and harry defenders and gk.

Two points dropped.....again.

If we were sitting with 14 pts, you couldn't argue....leads lost v Killie, St J and now ICT have cost us 7 pts.....I hope we don't rue this profligacy....

H9crx wrote:Never once saw Alwx Neil defend a one Goal Lead!
two home wins in 2016 or something equally as poor!

Canning is not a Manager!

Alex Neil's team certainly didn't defend a lead in the mid-week game. Not going to games means you probably 'don't see' a lot of things.

I know it is the case that no one is allowed to question Alex's time as manager due to a hugely successful half season in the top flight. However, play offs apart the promotion season was not a constant success of results and free flowing football and included a significant number of poor results against 'smaller teams' (e.g. Alloa, Cowdenbeath, Dumbarton, Airdrie).

It became academic after the legendary Easter Road match and the results of his team in the premier league; but that season saw the best and most settled squad finish second to an average Dundee team; and was a team which bottled it against the giants of Dumbarton, Livingston and Cowdenbeath in the run in.

Canning has us competitive in the league - which many stated absolutely would not be the case (not that they feared that possibility but that it was a certainty); and we are scoring goals which again many said would not the case.

Also his team was undefeated at home in the league.

H9crx wrote:Also his team was undefeated at home in the league.

For Accies ?

Four home league games (and during the same period, a home last 16 League Cup tie), and we score first in all of them. We lead for long periods in all these games, and never concede more than two goals in any one game. We play decent passing football for most of these games, press our opponents, create plenty of chances, and usually (not always) look the better side.

Yet we've failed to score a second goal in any of these games. We've only kept one clean sheet, and only won one game. Twice teams have come back to snatch a draw, and twice we've lost 2-1 from a 1-0 lead. Five points won from a possible 12 (and cup elimination).

It's a poor return, frankly.

There are two ways of looking at this. Either, as really? puts it, we'll come to rue these dropped points - even worse, the cumulative effect could be demoralising and send us into a downward spiral. Or, and this is the rosy view, we're building a new team, and once all the bits fall into place (like D'Acol starting to get goals) we'll convert these draw/losses into wins and climb the table. The classic pessimistic view is likely to prevail on here, but I'll reserve judgement for now.

If we lose Crawford in January, then I can see us REALLY ruing these dropped points.

How about we stick two up top when one up and try and get the win. Let's never defend a one goal advantage again.

If we draw or get beat so be it better trying to win. Much rather that that than sitting in deep and getting a draw or beat.

H9crx wrote:How about we stick two up top when one up and try and get the win. Let's never defend a one goal advantage again.

If we draw or get beat so be it better trying to win. Much rather that that than sitting in deep and getting a draw or beat.

But that's not what's been happening.

We haven't shut up shop after scoring in any game I've seen. We've continued to play the same game, created chances, but just failed to score. There have been moments when we've almost scored, almost taken a 2-0 lead, which you know would have secured the win, but it's just not happened. We seem to lack a killer instinct. And there have been spells when we've tried two up top, but it hasn't made a difference.

Nearly 2 years of Canning and the numbers are visibly down. You can drop these season ticket prices to buttons, however if you're going to keep producing these kinds of results, it's hard to swallow.
We are the dominant team, totally in control, could easily go on and score a 2nd, however Canning then chooses to weaken our midfield and hold a deeper line with an additional defender *Who shouldn't be in our team at this stage in his career*
After the game he said he didn't feel it was tactics, despite the interviewer hinting this. It seems that EVERYONE outwith the HAFC board can see that Canning is not fit for purpose. We are forever punching above our weight, we do however have a group of talented individuals who take commands from someone that doesn't have bottle.
It's also costing me a fortune having to bribe my nephew to come to games, as he is sick of seeing no wins too!