The Calm it down signal

BoyInRoyalBlue

BoyInRoyalBlue

Well-Known Member
Just a little point on yesterday, and this group of players really.

Twice yesterday, we went to break quickly, Once McCausland had space in front of him and the other Diomande had broken free in midfield, we were 1-0 up on both occasions.

Twice , Dessers just didn't move and both he and Tav told the players to Calm it down/Slow it down, and we went back, once to Tav and Once to Souttar, when there was no need to do it.

The players need to have a ruthless streak, it is bordering on Lazy to just slow it down and go back when you should be chasing a second.

It was a good, and needed win yesterday, but we could have broken and been out of sight IMO far before the time we got the second , and better teams than Hearts punish you.

Anyway, into the bastards in the final.
 
There's definitely a ruthlessness missing from our team.
We've seen it sparingly but nowhere near as consistent as it should be for a team who wants to sweep all before it.

It's one of the reasons why we have been struggling against the scum, in particular, in recent seasons.
 
CLMGC said:
There's definitely a ruthlessness missing from our team.
We've seen it sparingly but nowhere near as consistent as it should be for a team who wants to sweep all before it.

It's one of the reasons why we have been struggling against the scum, in particular, in recent seasons.
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Spot on. Strong evidence that if you go for that Celtic defence, you’ll get goals.

That’s the only way to beating them on May 11th.
 
Sometimes moments in games need managed. Don't think there's any need to accuse players of being lazy because they kept the ball and didn't overcommit forward.

They can't win sometimes. Last week we had people criticising the "leaders" for not slowing the game down when Ross County were going for us a bit. We managed the game well, rode a bit of Hearts pressure and got through to the final without any drama.

I'd love us to be more aggressive but all top teams manage games at times.
 
cooprfc said:
Sometimes moments in games need managed. Don't think there's any need to accuse players of being lazy because they kept the ball and didn't overcommit forward.

They can't win sometimes. Last week we had people criticising the "leaders" for not slowing the game down when Ross County were going for us a bit. We managed the game well, rode a bit of Hearts pressure and got through to the final without any drama.

I'd love us to be more aggressive but all top teams manage games at times.
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The Laziness comment comes from a clear 2 v 2 on the right side and instead of wanting to make the run into the channel the striker stands still and tells the winger to calm it down who goes back to Tavernier, within seconds Hearts are back in shape and were switching between Souttar , Balogun and Diomande.

It is lazy, Make the run, have the runners from behind and you have a chance to attack with numbers and the opposition out of shape.

Contradicting myself slightly, is that generally its one of the only criticisms of Dessers I usually don't have, as he does work his arse off and never gives up.
 
BoyInRoyalBlue said:
The Laziness comment comes from a clear 2 v 2 on the right side and instead of wanting to make the run into the channel the striker stands still and tells the winger to calm it down who goes back to Tavernier, within seconds Hearts are back in shape and were switching between Souttar , Balogun and Diomande.

It is lazy, Make the run, have the runners from behind and you have a chance to attack with numbers and the opposition out of shape.

Contradicting myself slightly, is that generally its one of the only criticisms of Dessers I usually don't have, as he does work his arse off and never gives up.
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Occasionally indovidual players will be lazy or perhaps need a slight breather. Will definitely give you that.

I don't think managing the game by not overcomitting at certain times in a cup tie you're winning is laziness though. Sometimes it is better to just keep the ball and keep the other team running after it and taking the sting out the game especially if under a bit of pressure or the other team have their tails up.

Need to also remember late on in a cup tie Hearts will start to gamble men forward. It's not always a great idea to throw men forward when they are cheating a wee bit and poised to exploit the space you leave if you turn it over.
 
georgedoors said:
I like mcausland he's the only right sided player who doesn't wait to pass it off to tavernier for him to cross. Altho mcausland hasn't really been in form of late ,but looked to be improving yesterday.
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Probably get another ban for this Mcausland is a wasted jersey. Can’t tackle can’t win headers as he keeps turning his back on the ball and never takes anyone on. Not saying he hasn’t got some talent but I believe he will be another Alex Lowry flatters got talent but nowhere near good enough.
 
Clement alluded to knowing the cause of our injuries - a poor pre-season. It could well be that we're paying the price fitness-wise of the same poor pre-season, and the players have to manage it in game accordingly.
 
rabbie73 said:
Probably get another ban for this Mcausland is a wasted jersey. Can’t tackle can’t win headers as he keeps turning his back on the ball and never takes anyone on. Not saying he hasn’t got some talent but I believe he will be another Alex Lowry flatters got talent but nowhere near good enough.
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I think he's a good outball and seldom loses the ball. Some of his decision-making is rash but that comes with young players and you only cut out the rash decisions with game time.
 
Something has shaken our confidence whether it be the tim first half or benfica at home but we arent playing with the same conviction and confidence we had 4 or so weeks ago.
The players need built back up and yesterday was a good start but it also shows the fragility of our bottle
 
Far too often, and not just this season, when we go 1 up we take the foot off the gas - drives me mad when we should be pushing for another goal.
 
BoyInRoyalBlue said:
Just a little point on yesterday, and this group of players really.

Twice yesterday, we went to break quickly, Once McCausland had space in front of him and the other Diomande had broken free in midfield, we were 1-0 up on both occasions.

Twice , Dessers just didn't move and both he and Tav told the players to Calm it down/Slow it down, and we went back, once to Tav and Once to Souttar, when there was no need to do it.

The players need to have a ruthless streak, it is bordering on Lazy to just slow it down and go back when you should be chasing a second.

It was a good, and needed win yesterday, but we could have broken and been out of sight IMO far before the time we got the second , and better teams than Hearts punish you.

Anyway, into the bastards in the final.
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Is it part of the game plan to try not to be exposed to the counter attack?
 
The fact we've been punished ruthlessly on the counter since about the Hibs game I think shows the manager is drilling this into players - at least in the short term. Don't be wreckless searching for another when you've got the back door to keep locked.
 
cooprfc said:
Sometimes moments in games need managed. Don't think there's any need to accuse players of being lazy because they kept the ball and didn't overcommit forward.

They can't win sometimes. Last week we had people criticising the "leaders" for not slowing the game down when Ross County were going for us a bit. We managed the game well, rode a bit of Hearts pressure and got through to the final without any drama.

I'd love us to be more aggressive but all top teams manage games at times.
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Clement made that point after the game, that we didn't manage the game as we should have late on, so it sounds like he's with Tav & Dessers on that one.
 
Clement was regularly remonstrating from the side to slow it down, appearing to instruct to push less.

It was quite obvious from the South Stand - whether this is being mindful of injuries, fitness or game management, only time will tell when he has a full preseason with his own players.

There was certainly no desire to push for more.
 
jft1840 said:
Is it part of the game plan to try not to be exposed to the counter attack?
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We were the ones on the counter attack.

It was our attacking players in control.

we had a 2v2 On the right, its a minor point, but its systematic of our attitude of slowing it down vs going for the throat

In complete contrast to Hearts at home.
 
While I get your frustration OP, at times the game needs to be managed, Hearts had a couple of decent spells in the game where they should have scored if not for the brilliance of Butland and also a last gasp interception from Cantwell of all people.

I want to see us flying forward and taking 3 and 4 off of teams, but considering the ball kept breaking down when we tried to force the game I think it proved right to be a bit more methodical in our approach.
 
JW1988 said:
While I get your frustration OP, at times the game needs to be managed, Hearts had a couple of decent spells in the game where they should have scored if not for the brilliance of Butland and also a last gasp interception from Cantwell of all people.

I want to see us flying forward and taking 3 and 4 off of teams, but considering the ball kept breaking down when we tried to force the game I think it proved right to be a bit more methodical in our approach.
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Big Phil on one of the post match interviews said he wasn’t totally happy about the basketball type game that occurred in the closing stages.he said he wants to see more control from us and not get over excited chasing another goal.
 
stefanovitch said:
Far too often, and not just this season, when we go 1 up we take the foot off the gas - drives me mad when we should be pushing for another goal.
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It's something we will need to sort out asap as goal difference is not an impossibility in deciding this league so we'll need to outscore them in that regard over the next few games.

While 3 points is always the most important thing, we really need to be turning 1 or 2 goal victories into 3 or 4 - both for goal difference and for killing games off.
 
BoyInRoyalBlue said:
Just a little point on yesterday, and this group of players really.

Twice yesterday, we went to break quickly, Once McCausland had space in front of him and the other Diomande had broken free in midfield, we were 1-0 up on both occasions.

Twice , Dessers just didn't move and both he and Tav told the players to Calm it down/Slow it down, and we went back, once to Tav and Once to Souttar, when there was no need to do it.

The players need to have a ruthless streak, it is bordering on Lazy to just slow it down and go back when you should be chasing a second.

It was a good, and needed win yesterday, but we could have broken and been out of sight IMO far before the time we got the second , and better teams than Hearts punish you.

Anyway, into the bastards in the final.
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Dessers does a lot of running ffs he is not lazy in fact we were ahead so perhaps unnecessary waste of energy going gung ho was the right way to control at that time?

I agree that should have been done against the likes of R County and Dundee! Against Celtic we definitely need high intensity and high press for full game!

I think they called it right with Hearts behind they have to come out and leave gaps however our passing has to improve as does our finishing!
 
I don’t remember the specifics but I do know that Clement has said he doesn’t want basketball style games. We need to pick the right moment to trigger a full scale breakaway attack.
 
georgedoors said:
I like mcausland he's the only right sided player who doesn't wait to pass it off to tavernier for him to cross. Altho mcausland hasn't really been in form of late ,but looked to be improving yesterday.
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I thought he only improved when Hearts tired, prior to that he was pretty anonymous.
 
cooprfc said:
Sometimes moments in games need managed. Don't think there's any need to accuse players of being lazy because they kept the ball and didn't overcommit forward.

They can't win sometimes. Last week we had people criticising the "leaders" for not slowing the game down when Ross County were going for us a bit. We managed the game well, rode a bit of Hearts pressure and got through to the final without any drama.

I'd love us to be more aggressive but all top teams manage games at times.
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I haven't been on here for a few days and had to check yesterday's reuslt to ensure I didn't dream we had won. I did have a few pints to be fair.

I genuinely don't know what's wrong with some people, they literally can't enjoy anything. Everything, even a good win to get through to another final, is met with moans and greetin faced wee lassies obsessing over every little thing.

Just enjoy the win for goodness sake.
 
rabbie73 said:
Probably get another ban for this Mcausland is a wasted jersey. Can’t tackle can’t win headers as he keeps turning his back on the ball and never takes anyone on. Not saying he hasn’t got some talent but I believe he will be another Alex Lowry flatters got talent but nowhere near good enough.
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He doesn't often take people on by going round the outside if that's what you mean. He regularly, like almost every time, takes people on by cutting inside then driving towards goal.
 
There was a point yesterday in the 1st half lundstrum had the ball sterling and matondo were both free just over the half way line and he decides to just knock it back to Souttar wound me right up. We keep letting teams get back into their formation
 
moondance said:
There’s a slowness to our whole game. Every corner, throw-in or free kick takes far too long. This happens even when we are chasing the game.

It drives me mad.
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When we do race to take a quick throw in it invariably leads to the ball either going back the way or across the park, never forward.
 
BoyInRoyalBlue said:
Just a little point on yesterday, and this group of players really.

Twice yesterday, we went to break quickly, Once McCausland had space in front of him and the other Diomande had broken free in midfield, we were 1-0 up on both occasions.

Twice , Dessers just didn't move and both he and Tav told the players to Calm it down/Slow it down, and we went back, once to Tav and Once to Souttar, when there was no need to do it.

The players need to have a ruthless streak, it is bordering on Lazy to just slow it down and go back when you should be chasing a second.

It was a good, and needed win yesterday, but we could have broken and been out of sight IMO far before the time we got the second , and better teams than Hearts punish you.

Anyway, into the bastards in the final.
Click to expand...

While I agree with the ruthlessness point, there also no point trying to rush the game and lose the ball when out numbered and lose possession for the sake of looking busy.

Dessers was isolate a bit due to the Matondo not being upto much at all and the rest of the midfield playing deeper due to Lundstram. Having watched Clement’s Brugge if he gets the right players from Koppen, they’ll be no need to worry about it.
 
Consider how much of an impact Cortes made and he was here 5minutes. Head down, ball at feet, move, cut inside / go wide / have a fucking shot. We’ve missed him big time. Thats the way they should all be playing.
 
georgedoors said:
I like mcausland he's the only right sided player who doesn't wait to pass it off to tavernier for him to cross. Altho mcausland hasn't really been in form of late ,but looked to be improving yesterday.
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I like Ross too and remember he’s had an injury. Am I right in saying our form was pretty good while Ross was holding down that position? There seemed to be a time when he suddenly started getting criticism and for me that probably affected his confidence and form. Hopefully a fully confident Ross would run the line more as that’s a frustration but I think he’s possibly the best of our wide players at looking and finding a team mate in the box with a quick clever pass.

The ‘safe’ play and not taking opportunities to take the attacking option is also so frustrating. One up, we should up the pace and go for the second, instead we sort of breathed a satisfied sigh and became a bit cautious yesterday. Hopefully it’s purely down to confidence.
Todd Cantwell is the one who will take the risk at times although he could do it more. John Lundstrum plays wee flicky, nothing passes that also frustrate. We suffer when he doesn’t seem to want to drive us forward and slows things.
I think mentality is a massive part. The boys MUST back themselves and have belief. There is absolutely no reason ability wise not to. We are totally capable of winning every remaining match but we must believe that we can.
Celtic have pushed the ‘strong’ narrative these last few weeks. But it’s mostly just a mindset.
 
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CLMGC said:
There's definitely a ruthlessness missing from our team.
We've seen it sparingly but nowhere near as consistent as it should be for a team who wants to sweep all before it.

It's one of the reasons why we have been struggling against the scum, in particular, in recent seasons.
Click to expand...
Something we need to change given the goal difference factor
 
Going through a bad spell so just wants a controlled easy win instead of giving the ball away when breaking with everyone out of position and losing silly goals.

Quite a lot of the games during 55 were like that.
 
rabbie73 said:
Probably get another ban for this Mcausland is a wasted jersey. Can’t tackle can’t win headers as he keeps turning his back on the ball and never takes anyone on. Not saying he hasn’t got some talent but I believe he will be another Alex Lowry flatters got talent but nowhere near good enough.
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He made an excellent tackle in the first half yesterday when they tried to break away won possession back and got us on the move again. He doesn't win many headers because he's not the tallest but he offers a different threat coming inside and running at defences with his pace. He could do more on the outside but his size goes against him on that front but it's his first year of senior football and still learning the game.

As a squad player moving forward McCausland will be absolutely fine for us.
 
I agree we need to be more ruthless but it really depends on the situation on the game. At 2-0 we gave the ball away a couple of times and they had a great chance, so Clement was right to tell the players to calm the game.
 
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