big dawg
Posts: 665
Joined: 29/4/2010 From: the house on the rock
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Qwerty Norris quote:
ORIGINAL: big dawg the last two havent been particularly hard....we should have been able to finish second in the last one and it shouldnt be beyond our reach in this one either. Defence is shocking...why he gave Kenneth a game and left McManus on the bench is anyones guess. Fair enough McManus has been pish for about a year but there's no way Kenneth is goin to start in the next two games so he shouldn't have had him starting. Away to Sweden is hardly a game to bleed a young centre half (and an untried defence for that matter) anyway. Broadband is pish and shouldnt be near a scotland shirt (need Hutton to be fit and playin first team football somewhere) and what anyone sees in Berra is a mystery. Never rated him at Hearts, dont rate him now. Webster and McManus will likely be the first choice centre pairing until Caldwell gets fit. Left back is a problem too. Wallace looks like he could do a job but needs a wee bit more experience. I'm guessin we'll line up in Lithuania like this McGregor Whittaker McManus Webster Hutton Fletcher Robson Dorrans (if fit) Brown McFadden Miller I'd have Fletcher and Brown holding, Dorrans in front, Robson and McFadden on either flank (despite being a leftie, I've always liked Mcfadden cutting in from the right)...anyhoo, if we cant get 6 points from these first two games then we should just pack it in. As for the SPL, early days, but apparently thats the best Killie have played at Greyskull for a few years. The Mothers next at home, hopefully we'll get 3 points and get off and running. Home games will be crucial for us this year, especially against the likes of 'Well. From what I gather Levein doesn't rate McManus, and in all honesty given the performances he's conjured up in the past couple of seasons for Celtic, Boro and Scotland - I think it's an opinion justified. Personally I think he's a type that works alongside an experienced centre half (i.e. Davie Weir in Paris) but when he's given the role to guide the younger / less experienced guy alongside him he's consistently all at sea. But anyhow, I don't think we can disguise the fact that Sweden was both an alarming performance and result and naturally because of it we'll be going into the Lithuania / Liechtenstein doubleheader with baited breath. I have a lot of time for Levein - both because of his time as a player and manager for Hearts - but one of my biggest worries regarding him is that he's a manager that takes time to get things right. Whilst he did great work at both Hearts & Dundee United, it took him over a year in both jobs to get things absolutely right and given the successes and failures of international management are defined by short term margins every time - I'm concerned he'll either not get the required time to get things right or fail to adapt to the expectations we demand. Whether it was the fault of Levein or the SFA, I also reckon we've made a huge mistake in not arranging more friendlies in the run-up to this qualifying campaign. Two friendlies before the real deal with a new manager with new ideas was to me, nowhere near enough preparation and that was evident in the performance in Sweden by a group of players who looked like a bunch of strangers having no idea what they were required to do. With the world cup last summer we missed a golden opportunity to test ourselves against decent sides requiring warm up matches and had we arranged a couple in May / June - I reckon we would be going into the game in Kaunas far better prepared, and hell, maybe even confident, rather than nervous which it'll no doubt be. As for the SPL, it looks like more of the same really. Given the people they've brought in over the past week you'd suspect the In Firm will again be ahead of the rest - who finishes 1st will by in large be decided by how Lennon deals with his inexperience as a manager and whether Rangers can stay clear of injuries to key players. I think those between 3rd and 8th will be pretty tight as there's very little to separate the likes of Hearts, Hibs, Dundee United, Motherwell, Aberdeen & St. Johnstone - although I'd be seriously disappointed if Hearts don't make the top six. My gut feeling tells me that Caley Thistle will be okay this term but I reckon Hamilton, Killie & St. Mirren will be in for a long hard season. yeah but mcmanus is the best of a bad bunch unfortunately....who are the real alternatives?
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I can believe things that are true and I can believe things that aren't true and I can believe things where nobody knows if they're true or not Gamertag - SqualorVic
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