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Missing midfield


Gambo

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We have lacked a midfield for a long long time.

 

How do we rectify that for the remaining games as it has to be sorted.

 

Irving - Young, still learning and cant control a game.

Clare - offers nothing, says it all when his best games have been from right back.

Damour - just awful

Naismith - we know he can do it but since getting armband he has been poor.

Walker - lack of fight, bit part player.

Sibbick - may be the one, but a lot of hope to put on someones shoulders after only a couple of games

Langer - not featured much, but hasnt been great.

Bozniac- scored a couple of goals but offers not much else, especially from dead balls.

Meshino - not getting any run of games but does not look answer

Donis - As meshino

Moore - does not give enough

McDonald/Cochrane/C.Smith could they be worse than above.

 

Michael Smith is about our only decent midfielder and he is a defender.

 

We dont have a midfield.

 

 

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3 minutes ago, Gambo said:

We have lacked a midfield for a long long time.

 

How do we rectify that for the remaining games as it has to be sorted.

 

Irving - Young, still learning and cant control a game.

Clare - offers nothing, says it all when his best games have been from right back.

Damour - just awful

Naismith - we know he can do it but since getting armband he has been poor.

Walker - lack of fight, bit part player.

Sibbick - may be the one, but a lot of hope to put on someones shoulders after only a couple of games

Langer - not featured much, but hasnt been great.

Bozniac- scored a couple of goals but offers not much else, especially from dead balls.

Meshino - not getting any run of games but does not look answer

Donis - As meshino

Moore - does not give enough

McDonald/Cochrane/C.Smith could they be worse than above.

 

Michael Smith is about our only decent midfielder and he is a defender.

 

We dont have a midfield.

 

 

Nailed it. 

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gowestjambo

The Engine Room of the team has been neglected for years by Levein.

 

Unfortunately Stendel has been unable to sign better players than the dross we have.

 

Both Culpable for not realising this is where games are won and lost.

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We are were we are because we have zero quality in there and the options we do have seriously lack balance. 

 

 

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It’s been pretty obvious for a while we are the worst team in the league. How many of these players would you want in the team next year? 

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54 minutes ago, Gambo said:

We have lacked a midfield for a long long time.

 

How do we rectify that for the remaining games as it has to be sorted.

 

Irving - Young, still learning and cant control a game.

Clare - offers nothing, says it all when his best games have been from right back.

Damour - just awful

Naismith - we know he can do it but since getting armband he has been poor.

Walker - lack of fight, bit part player.

Sibbick - may be the one, but a lot of hope to put on someones shoulders after only a couple of games

Langer - not featured much, but hasnt been great.

Bozniac- scored a couple of goals but offers not much else, especially from dead balls.

Meshino - not getting any run of games but does not look answer

Donis - As meshino

Moore - does not give enough

McDonald/Cochrane/C.Smith could they be worse than above.

 

Michael Smith is about our only decent midfielder and he is a defender.

 

We dont have a midfield.

 

 

I don’t expect him to control matches but I was surprised Irving never started tonight?

 

Ive said it a few times now over other threads but I felt it was a game too far v Motherwell for the Boz/Damour set up. Very limited, littered with mistakes and aimless play. I thought he’d have slotted Irving in to at least give us football brain in there.  

 

 

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Totally agree midfield is sorely lacking. Me and the old man have been saying it for years. Levein never seemed to think it was a concern, bizarelly. Said on here a few weeks back that Irving was our best midfielder by a mile, I certainly haven't changed my opinion. 

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Big John Colquhoun

Thought Sibbick and Irving might have complemented each other well but injury hasn’t allowed....story our season(s).

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Weakened Offender
1 hour ago, gowestjambo said:

The Engine Room of the team has been neglected for years by Levein.

 

Unfortunately Stendel has been unable to sign better players than the dross we have.

 

Both Culpable for not realising this is where games are won and lost.

 

Worth remembering that Stendel signed a guy in January who hadn't played a first team match anywhere and said he'd control matches in the SPL. 

 

A guy who Stendel told to look for a new club in January is ahead of him now. 

Edited by Weakened Offender
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1 hour ago, Gambo said:

We have lacked a midfield for a long long time.

 

How do we rectify that for the remaining games as it has to be sorted.

 

Irving - Young, still learning and cant control a game.

Clare - offers nothing, says it all when his best games have been from right back.

Damour - just awful

Naismith - we know he can do it but since getting armband he has been poor.

Walker - lack of fight, bit part player.

Sibbick - may be the one, but a lot of hope to put on someones shoulders after only a couple of games

Langer - not featured much, but hasnt been great.

Bozniac- scored a couple of goals but offers not much else, especially from dead balls.

Meshino - not getting any run of games but does not look answer

Donis - As meshino

Moore - does not give enough

McDonald/Cochrane/C.Smith could they be worse than above.

 

Michael Smith is about our only decent midfielder and he is a defender.

 

We dont have a midfield.

 

 

Was thinking the same thing.    Major issue is a piss poor midfield,   been years since me had a good midfield.   Double whammy is CL left us with no competent keeper and little cover 8n central defence.   What a position to be in. 

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27 minutes ago, flem said:

Does Sibbick exist? Starting to thing he was a figment of my imagination. 

Think he could make a real difference...... So unlucky that he picked up a virus.   Like what I see and I think he offers much more than the duo we had to put up with this evening. 

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The last decent midfield we had was Buaben and Gomis, since then we have had dozens of bang average players who make no impact on the game, don't dominate possession and create nothing.

 

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Kirky Jambo

It was so painfully obvious we needed a decent central midfielder in summer and even more so in January.

 

i emailed someone at the club in January to ask if we were looking at anyone and their answer was that we were relying on Irving to be that player.

 

should have put money on us going down there and then 

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2 hours ago, gowestjambo said:

The Engine Room of the team has been neglected for years by Levein.

 

Unfortunately Stendel has been unable to sign better players than the dross we have.

 

Both Culpable for not realising this is where games are won and lost.

The engine room was not neglected by Levein, he signed a midfielder on a four  year deal to run the midfield but the guy would struggle in the Scottish championship. 

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Our midfield is so bad we have reverted to playing it long from the back. We should have kept a hold of Berra as that is his distribution all day but he could at least be relied upon to dominate in the air. 8 games to go get Irvine on the pitch from the start with Sibbick beside him an get back to passing the ball. 

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Worrying that our best hopes in midfield are a young laddie who couldnt get a game for Falkirk and a player who has played a game and a half.

 

 

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Would be willing to give Langer another shot, nothing to lose at this point. 

 

I'm really just hoping that Peter Haring and Sibbick are gonna magically appear on the team sheet at some point 

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While I don't disagree entirely with the OP it was only a week ago that our midfield dominated a Hibs midfield which included Scott Allen.  I think the issue is we don't have a midfield that can mix it with the so called lesser teams, so basically we lack fight.   Where's Neil Berry when you need him!!

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The Internet
42 minutes ago, jambopilms said:

Our midfield has got worse year on year since we got promoted 

 

Everything has got worse year on year since we got promoted. 

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been here before
1 minute ago, i8hibsh said:

Damour is especially shite.  He would not even do well next season in the championship.

 

The missing fan proffering opinion on a missing midfield he never sees due to his choice of missing games.

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Cruickie's Moustache

As per my post re Halkett, what are our options?

 

The only thing I can see is punting Damour.  Gives the ball away (as per last nights goal), gives away silly fouls, always going to be carded.

I know he is young but at least when Irving came on you could see him wanting to take control and trying to play with a bit of a football brain.

Pinged one into the left corner early after he came on. Realised it was too long and  skidded out of the park on the wet surface. 

Next time he changes tact, undercuts it with a bit of backspin and it held up enough for Hickey or Moore to at least play it.

Found the man with most of his passes and very rarely did he just lump it up the park.

 

Unless Uche is on the park we have Boyce at 6' and Washington and Naismith at 5'8", so the ball needs played into feet. 

 

I think Naismith needs to stop trying to be all things to all people and drop in behind the strikers as a link between Irving and the front men. 

Have Bozanic do all the running, tackling, ball winning in the middle etc as he has an engine . Work the best we can with  Clare and Moore in the wide areas.

 

Other than that we are stuck with what we have!!

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11 hours ago, gowestjambo said:

The Engine Room of the team has been neglected for years by Levein.

 

Unfortunately Stendel has been unable to sign better players than the dross we have.

 

Both Culpable for not realising this is where games are won and lost.

Nailed it here and I've said it elsewhere. This and the farcical goalkeeping situation looks like it will relegate us. There is no connect between defence and attack and, if balls lost upfront no buffer for defence. 

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Can anyone please shed some light on Harry Cochranes situation. Is he unfit? Not rated by stendel? Doesn’t want to play? Not seen anyone who seems to know, really bizarre we’re crying out for a creating midfielder who’ll go forward 

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Scott980612
4 minutes ago, maroon said:

Can anyone please shed some light on Harry Cochranes situation. Is he unfit? Not rated by stendel? Doesn’t want to play? Not seen anyone who seems to know, really bizarre we’re crying out for a creating midfielder who’ll go forward 

If he’s fit, he surely must be worth putting in the first team squad   
Connor Smith aswell,  

 
Seems a bit of a strange scenario as him

and McDonald were recalled straight away from Dunfermline , McDonald got 29 minutes at Parkhead of all places then not seen since. 

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Scottie Wanshot.
13 hours ago, McCrae said:

It’s been pretty obvious for a while we are the worst team in the league. How many of these players would you want in the team next year? 

3. Smith , Hicky,  Bobby.   but we need to sign a quality goal keeper for next season.

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Guys like Damour, Clare and Bozanic look deceptively decent in the bigger games because the likes of the Old firm and Aberdeen don't sit-in and these guys therefore get quite a lot of space to play into. When they need to break teams down though they are well and truly found out. If we get relegated no doubt most of these guys will be away - but the irony is that the championship is probably their level.  

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Things have not been right in MF since Haring got injured.  That was brought into focus in the cup final when we were still in the game until he went off injured.

Sibbick looked as though he could do the job against Rangers but he too became unavailable through illness.  The fates are against us!

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It should have been ten
On 11/03/2020 at 22:24, lsimp77 said:

Remember folk saying we wouldn't miss Djoum. lol.


Remember when he only put a good performance in when he could be arsed. 
 

 

 

Edited by It should have been ten
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upgotheheads
On 11/03/2020 at 22:27, gowestjambo said:

The Engine Room of the team has been neglected for years by Levein.

 

Unfortunately Stendel has been unable to sign better players than the dross we have.

 

Both Culpable for not realising this is where games are won and lost.

Haring has been a terrible loss, Sibick looked like he would fill that roll and he's also unfit so we've had no luck but essentially you're right. Players like Bozanic were signed unseen while decent Scottish midfielders have been ignored. Cochrane might still be a player and Connor is still very young and looks a prospect. However The player who I think has a serious chance of making it is Irving.

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On 11/03/2020 at 22:44, Dannie Boy said:

We’ve not had a midfield for about 18 months. 

Levein didn't need one.

 

Ball played across the back 4, then Berra launches it forward.

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1 minute ago, Yoda said:

Levein didn't need one.

 

Ball played across the back 4, then Berra launches it forward.

If Halkett had chosen that option in the last two games we might not be bottom of the league.

I think we probably miss Berra more than his critics will admit.

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1 minute ago, JamboAl said:

If Halkett had chosen that option in the last two games we might not be bottom of the league.

I think we probably miss Berra more than his critics will admit.

I agree with you and wasn't criticising Berra. Our midfield has been so poor, no one shows for the ball.  We don't have anyone that can collect it and drive forward.

 

Halkett and Hickey both need to learn to stop farting about with the ball and hoof it when required.

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On 11/03/2020 at 21:56, Gambo said:

We have lacked a midfield for a long long time.

 

How do we rectify that for the remaining games as it has to be sorted.

 

Irving - Young, still learning and cant control a game.

Clare - offers nothing, says it all when his best games have been from right back.

Damour - just awful

Naismith - we know he can do it but since getting armband he has been poor.

Walker - lack of fight, bit part player.

Sibbick - may be the one, but a lot of hope to put on someones shoulders after only a couple of games

Langer - not featured much, but hasnt been great.

Bozniac- scored a couple of goals but offers not much else, especially from dead balls.

Meshino - not getting any run of games but does not look answer

Donis - As meshino

Moore - does not give enough

McDonald/Cochrane/C.Smith could they be worse than above.

 

Michael Smith is about our only decent midfielder and he is a defender.

 

We dont have a midfield.

 

 

I think Levein must have purposefully left space in midfield for a youngster or 2 to fill - there is no other reason why he would identify lack of creativity as the problem then spend the summer chasing Glenn Whelan! I also wonder if bringing back Walker was to teach the youngsters that the grass is not always greener? As Walker was past his best a year before he left us the last time!!!

 

Doesn't appear that the youngsters have been quite good enough to cement a place in the team though...

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I've been saying this for years also.

The lack of a couple of creative midfielders is absolutely baffling.

As others have said, the midfield is the engine room of the team.

Why we haven't addressed this I don't know.

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Smith&Weston

To think we let Olly Lee got out on loan with some of these imposters.  Central midfield a big problem as can’t control the game.  Peter Haring been a massive miss this season.

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Lee, for all his limitations looked to move the ball forward. As did Haring. Boz has energy and the odd goal but we’ve missed those two IMO

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Would assume Lee didn't want to come back, no way would he have cared enough to give his all every week. 

 

Having said that would a disinterested Olly Lee have done more than Langer and Sibbick thus far? Probably 

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WaikatoJambo

We've hardly had a midfielder let alone a midfield since the championship season.  Kitchen couldn't create anything and liked a good pass back to defence, Djoum you could toss a coin to see if he was going to be any good or posted missing; I remember thinking the Greek Tzoulis looked good for five minutes but he couldn't care less.  Haring was promising but now crocked indefinitely.  A few of the kids have had good games but you can't rely on them all season.  Other than that it has been a merry go round of hopeless charlatans for the last 4-5 years.  

 

Levein mark one thought that "you have to play a certain style to do well in this league" and he stuck rigidly to that philosophy in his second spell pulling the strings, ie hoof it to the big man (regardless of whether or not they can jump).  Midfield has been an afterthought in recruitment.

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How many different midfielders in the past 4 years? 30 or so?

 

**** me. What a dark dark period in our history.

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On 11/03/2020 at 21:56, Gambo said:

We have lacked a midfield for a long long time.

 

How do we rectify that for the remaining games as it has to be sorted.

 

Irving - Young, still learning and cant control a game.

Clare - offers nothing, says it all when his best games have been from right back.

Damour - just awful

Naismith - we know he can do it but since getting armband he has been poor.

Walker - lack of fight, bit part player.

Sibbick - may be the one, but a lot of hope to put on someones shoulders after only a couple of games

Langer - not featured much, but hasnt been great.

Bozniac- scored a couple of goals but offers not much else, especially from dead balls.

Meshino - not getting any run of games but does not look answer

Donis - As meshino

Moore - does not give enough

McDonald/Cochrane/C.Smith could they be worse than above.

 

Michael Smith is about our only decent midfielder and he is a defender.

 

We dont have a midfield.

 

 

Peter Haring injured caused biggest problem as he was only ball winner and consistent passer of ball and then of course we made that brilliant decision to let Djoum go I know he could be inconsistent but when he was on he was good and he could put in a tackle..  I would like to see more of Langer as his passing is precise but at moment looks off pace of SP League

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