***Official Dunfermline Athletic v Heart of Midlothian match thread ***

[Billy Hoyle]

23 minutes ago, Pasquale for King said:

You forgot to add they missed two sitters. We were well beaten there I’m afraid, Crawford got the better of him and as he’s just said Neilson panicked and changed the formation 3 or 4 times with no real effect. 
We’ve been poor apart from a couple of games this season. 

First half against Dundee and the second half and et against Hibs. Other than that we have been bang average in my opinion. Too many players in our team think they are better than they are. 
So much sloppy play tonight. Simple passing, control, goalies kick outs in first half. Tippy tippy side to side football. Nowhere near good enough. 

[Anything2]

2 minutes ago, Pasquale for King said:

He will go back to a smaller team in 2022, a real weak link that goes unnoticed unless you really watch him. It was pointed out to me after last season and you begin to really notice it.  

For me he has been a liability from day one. Too slow physically and mentally. 

[GinRummy]

Just now, Boris5115 said:

Sorry but the boy is absolutely rank and that is being fair. Totally agree about Boyce he is too tippy tappy. 

Boyce and Naismith aren’t all nice flicks and extra passes when we are playing Rangers or Hibs. They need a boot up the ring and reminded of where they are. They’re not there to look like maradonna. Knuckle under and get the job done. 

[Ex member of the SaS]

Here's a radical though, ok maybe too out field for Robbie but how about we pass the ball to our own players and maybe try shooting from the edge of the box instead of trying to walk the ball into the net. Boyce and Naismith trying fancy flicks instead of taking control and shooting.

[DS98]

Not been this pissed off after a Hearts game in a long time.
 

That performance screamed of Sevco the last time we were in this league. The players looked like they thought it was just a case of turning up. Strolling about the park thinking they don’t need to give 100% because they’re the better team on paper. Well it never turned out well for Sevco and won’t for us unless there’s a culture change. 

[The Treasurer]

PSG the clear favourites for the French league lost to Monaco tonight. Doesn't excuse our performance but shit happens

[Smith's right boot]

Just now, S Form said:

The trouble is opposition teams know exactly how to play against us. They just sit back and watch us move the ball from side to side before running out of ideas. God knows why our coaching team has never worked this out. It’s vital to have people who can run at and beat opposition players. Watch the game on Tuesday - it will go exactly the same as tonight, East Fife, Arbroath and on and on...

 

Only works if we don't score, 1 or both of the headers go in that hit the bar and that game plan is truely ****ed. 

[Pasquale for King]

2 minutes ago, Madjambo21 said:

Thought the changing of formation got us back on the front foot to be fair.

We gave up chances chasing the game.

 

Do worry that we are slow in midfield and Boyce still struggling to score from open play.

 

Next is alloa at home so I would expect 3 points. If we drop points there then I would be worried but keep faith in Robbie he will win the league, just not as convincingly as the last time (better balance in team last time)

The change left us with Halliday and Smith crossing the ball, not their strong points and with 3 chs we gave up more chances. 
Boyce needs a fast partner to play behind and find space, he misses lots of chances, he and Naismith want to play in the same area. 
It’s not like this defeat hasn’t been coming, this is just the same performance we’ve produced in practically every game bar the Dundee one. 

[jambopilms]

We've now seen Dunfermline, east Fife, Arbroath and ICT play better football, with more pace and urgency than us. 

There is still a bad smell from last season.

[Seymour M Hersh]

1 minute ago, The Treasurer said:

PSG the clear favourites for the French league lost to Monaco tonight. Doesn't excuse our performance but shit happens

 

Were they not 3-0 up at one point? 

[Riccarton3]

**** right off

[Thomaso]

1 minute ago, Smith's right boot said:

 

 

I said we won't get another striker that adds anything to the squad who is happy to play 3rd or 4th choice and very few teams carry more than 2 or 3 senior strikers. 

 

 

 

 

We needed to bring in a decent striker because right now Boyce and Wighton should be the 3rd and 4th choice!!

[Billy Hoyle]

1 minute ago, The Treasurer said:

PSG the clear favourites for the French league lost to Monaco tonight. Doesn't excuse our performance but shit happens

Your right it doesn’t. 

[Seymour M Hersh]

Just now, jambopilms said:

We've now seen Dunfermline, east Fife, Arbroath and ICT play better football, with more pace and urgency than us. 

There is still a bad smell from last season.

 

The stink is this season and this season alone. 

[DS98]

10 minutes ago, Last Laff said:

That’s totally unfair.  Halliday worked his socks off he’s not 100% yet but is clearly giving everything.

 

I suggest a mix of youth and experience before the game and I wouldn’t have played Boyce or Smith.  Frear does look utter pap though as does the Romanian huddy.

 

It will come good this season and that’s from someone who would have kept Stendel and changed the whole philosophy of the club.   Pay good money for experience and do the minimum for mild success seems the motto.  That’s not good enough when you look at the potential. 

I couldn’t give a s*** if Halliday gave everything. That’s the minimum required! He was Dunfermline's best player tonight! He’s been an absolute ghost in every game he’s played. Honking.

Edited November 20, 2020 by DS98

[Pasquale for King]

1 minute ago, Anything2 said:

For me he has been a liability from day one. Too slow physically and mentally. 

Definitely, being top scorer last season took attention away from his poor play, nobody really looked comfortable playing beside him. I’m all for moaning but it has to positive encouragement as Naismith does, not just whinging as Halkett does. Not nearly good enough. 

[upgotheheads]

4 minutes ago, chrystaf said:

Make no mistake, Dunfermline fully deserved their win.

 

They were quicker, more direct and stronger on the ball whilst were short of pace (Michael Smith excepted) in the tackle exemplified by the number of fouls and yellow cards given out.

 

We strolled about as if we had given right to win this match.  But our casual passing which was not always accurate was  not the approach needed against a stronger and more committed team. 

 

And forget the ones that hit the bar and the free kicks that went narrowly past, otherwise that’s just papering over the cracks.  Boyce is missing more chances than he is converting and Whittaker stuck so close to Naisy so he couldn’t influence the game.

 

And why did we wait until we were two down to assert a bit of urgency.  Even then our efforts lacked coordination and  were more in hope than decisiveness with slack passing and hopeful punts into the middle (apart from the goal) more often than not allowing them to break.  Indeed we were closer to conceding a third that getting an equaliser.

 

Apart from the Dundee game (okay and the semi) we have been  less than convincing.   Robbie needs to hammer into them that this will be no walk in the park.

 

Very fair summation. This isn't the first game this season when we haven't looked up for it. Arbroath was exactly the same and we were lucky to get three points there. If this game doesn't act as a wake-up call then we might be looking at a playoff place, at best.

[Jimw44]

I'm not convinced by Boyce.  He misses so many good chances.  Nice link up play  but not impressed by his finishing 

[Thomaso]

2 minutes ago, The Treasurer said:

PSG the clear favourites for the French league lost to Monaco tonight. Doesn't excuse our performance but shit happens

Oh right that makes me feel so much better.....

[Ex member of the SaS]

How many times did we push forward and not a single player in the box? There is something fundamentally wrong with this team. We have three " strikers " on the park. Naismith was in our half more than their box, Wighton was out on the wing and Boyce was nowhere when beeded.

[feej]

Our midfield is the main problem, so pedestrian, there is no energy or bite in there, we need a ball carrier, too much side ways or backwards passing, Dunfermline midfield chased and closed down and we couldn't cope.

Frear and Roberts are utter shite, get them out the door in January. Dunno what is going on with Boyce, we need a pacey striker to run the channels up beside him.

[Pasquale for King]

1 minute ago, jambopilms said:

We've now seen Dunfermline, east Fife, Arbroath and ICT play better football, with more pace and urgency than us. 

There is still a bad smell from last season.

Absolutely, will take a while to get rid of it as the contracts given out rot away slowly. 

[jambopilms]

1 minute ago, Seymour M Hersh said:

 

The stink is this season and this season alone. 

It's not though is it. Naismith, Halket, Walker, Boyce still putting in half arsed performance week after week.

[ToadKiller Dog]

Robbies Dundee United had a good few away games like this during his time .

 

We need to be better as we all said teams will up the level of performance against us ,and we will face the same tactics week in week out .

 

Worrying is not one of our supposed outfield better players look anywhere near top form.

 

Edited November 20, 2020 by ToadKiller Dog

[Pasquale for King]

5 minutes ago, Billy Hoyle said:

First half against Dundee and the second half and et against Hibs. Other than that we have been bang average in my opinion. Too many players in our team think they are better than they are. 
So much sloppy play tonight. Simple passing, control, goalies kick outs in first half. Tippy tippy side to side football. Nowhere near good enough. 

Spot on 

[haj]

Weirdly I don’t feel pissed off after that. To a man it was a poor performance. Naismith looks like he’s reached the end of the road. But we’re not going to win every game and i’m very confident that over the course we’ll drop less points against the others than Dunfermline or anyone else for that matter.

[S Form]

3 minutes ago, Smith's right boot said:

 

Only works if we don't score, 1 or both of the headers go in that hit the bar and that game plan is truely ****ed. 

Trouble is we lack the urgency to score. Our ‘style’ is ‘Can’t be arsed’.

[Madjambo21]

1 minute ago, Pasquale for King said:

The change left us with Halliday and Smith crossing the ball, not their strong points and with 3 chs we gave up more chances. 
Boyce needs a fast partner to play behind and find space, he misses lots of chances, he and Naismith want to play in the same area. 
It’s not like this defeat hasn’t been coming, this is just the same performance we’ve produced in practically every game bar the Dundee one. 

Agree with it doesn't seem to work with Boyce and Naismith.

Naismith needs to be a penalty box striker now, he slows the game down in midfield and can't run.

 

Against Alloa we should have Ginnelly back to give us some pace.

If Robert's plays he has to stay wide and run at defenders and not drift inside

[chrystaf]

10 minutes ago, Malinga the Swinga said:

That was a strange one. Keep going and he had clear shot or the defender would have fouled him. 

Totally agree, but that summed up the night. Also, much as I'm an admirer of Wighton, I wish he would also take the ball on himself instead of always passing, albeit accurately.

I'm yet to be convinced that either are strikers in the true sense of the word.

[Pasquale for King]

8 minutes ago, BigAlim said:

Halkett was so poor last season, the guy should have stuck to being a striker

Definitely. He might turn into a DM if he’s going to make it with a team of our size. 

[Sertse]

5 minutes ago, Seymour M Hersh said:

That's was as bad as any Levein or Stendel team. Utterly woeful. Players throughout the team to slow over the ground, slow feet with the ball and slow of thought. Abject performance. If Robbie thinks this lot will coast the league he's having a giraffe. 

Don't feel it's entirely fair saying 'Stendel team' as if it's a bad thing, he was handed the worst team we've had in recent memory but still managed to skelp the hobos and beat rangers twice. Guy never got a chance to actually build the team he wanted.

Although that's probably a conversation for a different thread.

[Smith's right boot]

7 minutes ago, Last Laff said:

He will want to be playing first team football and when he sees the likes of Frear and Roberts come in why would he trust the club is the best place to give him that platform? 

 

Frear and Roberts aren't anywhere near his position. 

[Debut 4]

It may be he case that Dunfermline won’t play as well again or get as good a result this season but you need to isolate tonight’s game and look at the difference.  
 

They smothered Hearts with desire and energy and we frankly didn’t fancy it.  In possession, they had McInroy who fought like lion to get that space for the opener, wtf are our players doing?  Laboured, slow, unimaginative shite, scared to move with the ball from the place they receive it....Olly Lee!  Ffs.

 

You need to put energy and be aware of what levels of work , in and out of possession,  you need to give.  

 

 

[J.T.F.Robertson]

2 minutes ago, jambopilms said:

We've now seen Dunfermline, east Fife, Arbroath and ICT play better football, with more pace and urgency than us. 

There is still a bad smell from last season.

 

Don't know about the better football bit but we do everything at tortoise pace. Been like that for years now, it's all so fekin predictable.

[Last Laff]

1 minute ago, Smith's right boot said:

 

Frear and Roberts aren't anywhere near his position. 

He’s still sitting watch them get a chance while shite because signed by the manager while he doesn’t get his. 

[Seymour M Hersh]

1 minute ago, Sertse said:

Don't feel it's entirely fair saying 'Stendel team' as if it's a bad thing, he was handed the worst team we've had in recent memory but still managed to skelp the hobos and beat rangers twice. Guy never got a chance to actually build the team he wanted.

Although that's probably a conversation for a different thread.

 

I agree re Stendel and I wish he'd stayed tbh. However the point was more the abuse the team got for poor results under both previous managers. 

[topsport]

Team were weak as a whole tonight. Let’s hope they get the boot up the erse they deserve and can lift their levels. 
 

Other teams will go all out against us as supposed favourites. 
pedestrian pace isn’t going to cut it 

one off defeat hopefully 🙏 

 

[Riccarton3]

I could  see problems when our players could not get turned round to face the right way time and again. Harried and harassed. How could have scored 5 times with gilt edged chances. 

 

Time for hysteria. And this is the place. Honey, I'm home

[Pasquale for King]

Just now, Madjambo21 said:

Agree with it doesn't seem to work with Boyce and Naismith.

Naismith needs to be a penalty box striker now, he slows the game down in midfield and can't run.

 

Against Alloa we should have Ginnelly back to give us some pace.

If Robert's plays he has to stay wide and run at defenders and not drift inside

They were both great against Dundee, we need that type of performance from them. Not sure how we do that and get the best out of Naismith/Boyce/Wighton through the middle. 

[graygo]

12 minutes ago, girvanjambo said:

I have another, Popescu won't play for Romania. 

 

Elliott Frear won't play for England.

 

This is an easy game 

[Smith's right boot]

19 minutes ago, Gambo said:

We will win the league. We should having the budget of rest of league put together.

We should be paying in better performances.

 

Yes, we should more often than not. 

I'll judged that after maybe 10/12 league games. 

 

Atm we've won 8 and lost 1. 

 

We require improvement. 

 

The same can be said for almost every club in the world in that regard tho. 

 

Football isn't played on a balance sheet either, if Celtic beat us 10- 0 I wouldn't be happy and accept that, even although they have over 10 times our budget. 

 

If we don't win the league then there will be major concerns, if we do then the job is done. 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 20, 2020 by Smith's right boot

[Pasquale for King]

2 minutes ago, Debut 4 said:

It may be he case that Dunfermline won’t play as well again or get as good a result this season but you need to isolate tonight’s game and look at the difference.  
 

They smothered Hearts with desire and energy and we frankly didn’t fancy it.  In possession, they had McInroy who fought like lion to get that space for the opener, wtf are our players doing?  Laboured, slow, unimaginative shite, scared to move with the ball from the place they receive it....Olly Lee!  Ffs.

 

You need to put energy and be aware of what levels of work , in and out of possession,  you need to give.  

 

 

It looks like they’ve played that way all season with one draw and 8 wins, unless they get injuries and probably suspensions as they like to mix it they won’t be easy to overhaul. 

[LeftBack]

Just now, MCW1976 said:

 

Yer right! It was perfectly okay. Why the heck are we moaning?

 

Maybe you'd feel safer watching Hearts women? 

Ha! Very good. 

[Last Laff]

1 minute ago, Debut 4 said:

It may be he case that Dunfermline won’t play as well again or get as good a result this season but you need to isolate tonight’s game and look at the difference.  
 

They smothered Hearts with desire and energy and we frankly didn’t fancy it.  In possession, they had McInroy who fought like lion to get that space for the opener, wtf are our players doing?  Laboured, slow, unimaginative shite, scared to move with the ball from the place they receive it....Olly Lee!  Ffs.

 

You need to put energy and be aware of what levels of work , in and out of possession,  you need to give.  

 

 

That’s exactly what was said about Arbroath.

 

The players now better be ready for the above every single game because there now the reality of every team that see us as a scalp and cup final.  Something that wasn’t the case last time down.   It took Nelson over half a year to get Dundee Utd side into the side that won the league last time and that was also a lot to do with Shankland, he’s not got the time this time.  We should have went for Nesbit for his energy and finishing.  

[MR INCREDIBLE]

Moore was one of the few positives from last season... How he can't get a game ahead of Frear is unbelievable. 

[Paulp74]

20 minutes ago, Gambo said:

We will win the league. We should having the budget of rest of league put together.

We should be paying in better performances.

That what was said last season - we wont get relegated with our budget! 

[Seymour M Hersh]

1 minute ago, Debut 4 said:

It may be he case that Dunfermline won’t play as well again or get as good a result this season but you need to isolate tonight’s game and look at the difference.  
 

They smothered Hearts with desire and energy and we frankly didn’t fancy it.  In possession, they had McInroy who fought like lion to get that space for the opener, wtf are our players doing?  Laboured, slow, unimaginative shite, scared to move with the ball from the place they receive it....Olly Lee!  Ffs.

 

You need to put energy and be aware of what levels of work , in and out of possession,  you need to give.  

 

 

 

Every team we play is going to be up for it. We have to match that desire and frankly, on tonights showing, it aint going to happen.  Oddly I was thinking earlier that one of the pluses for us in 2014 was the fact sevco and the vermin were in the league. That meant the smaller teams would get fired up for those two potential scalps. Not so easy to do for them several times in pretty short order. This time it's us, and don't forget as much as we hate them for their self interest they probably hate us for a perceived sense of entitlement. 

[graygo]

6 minutes ago, Ex member of the SaS said:

Yes I have made a point and I suspect you are one of the clowns who laughed. It's you that needs to get a grip if you think tonight's performance was good enough

Tonight's performance wasn't good enough, no I didn't laugh at your prediction and no you haven't made a point.

I make that a 3-0 loss for you. 🤡

[S Form]

5 minutes ago, J.T.F.Robertson said:

 

Don't know about the better football bit but we do everything at tortoise pace. Been like that for years now, it's all so fekin predictable.

So true. Why the feck has Robbie not addressed this?

[Madjambo21]

1 minute ago, Pasquale for King said:

They were both great against Dundee, we need that type of performance from them. Not sure how we do that and get the best out of Naismith/Boyce/Wighton through the middle. 

Maybe time to drop Naismith and have 2 wingers.

Harring fit is a must for me even though he has looked rusty when playing.

Boyce and Wighton up top.

 

Never easy being a Jambo but it makes the good times so much better HHGH👍😁