19 Apr 2026 19:51:34
We all remember Big Ange yelling, 'Stop passing it back! '
I can't believe MON condones this frustrating passage of play. Yes, there are times when it's necessary, but why do you reckon we still consistently play this way?
{Ed007's Note - I'm putting it on the players, we've seen it under so many managers it seems to be ingrained in some of their psyches. CalMac is stinking up this team BIG time right now but he's not the only guilty party.}
19 Apr 2026 20:42:19
Ange's teams did it with purpose. We would pass the ball between CBs and GK and then when teams pressed us we would have an overload in midfield due to inverted full backs and we would pass it forward and launch an attack.
{Ed007's Note - Then we got Rodgers "horseshoe"...
19 Apr 2026 21:05:20
MON needs to tell Calmac to trust his defenders and stay further forward. Every time our CBs have the ball, he runs back towards them bringing the opposition press with him. We inevitably end up trying to pass our way out through a very congested half and most of our opponents chances come from our own resultant mistakes.
Also, if we're persevering with 2 wingers, get them to take on their full backs now and again. Promising breaks often result in wingers turning back and the ball ends up back at the feet of our goalie!
Finally, well done Tony Ralston, tried to pass forward whenever he could, defended well and a cracker of a goal. Considering how little action he's recently had, very solid performance.
19 Apr 2026 21:29:52
To me, it’s fear, easy option, failure to take responsibility, take your pick. Ultimately it on the manager, if they don’t do what they’re told, they get subbed or not picked. Don’t they discuss this in training? JF did more in 10 minutes than Yang and Tounetki did in 70. Even that moron Hutton stated that opportunities to go forward were ignored for the easy pointless pass the buck backwards.
How many times did we go from edge of their box to our Kamikaze goalkeeper in less than 3 passes? This has become a common thread through recent years and unfortunately accepted as the norm. Said before, if wingers can’t do their job, we’d be better playing without them and play extra midfielders and have fullbacks bombing forward. But something needs to change.
19 Apr 2026 22:57:33
The horseshoe could be a hard watch.
20 Apr 2026 00:48:27
McGregor can only play with the game in front of him. He does not have the ability to turn with the ball, to "feel" whether the player on him is to the left or the right, i. e., if he's left then turn right, and vice versa.
His positional play and awareness of those around him is awful. In short, he has never been a defensive midfield player and is really only there because we have nobody else. We need a specialist in that role.
I agree, if the wingers are not doing what is required, then they are of no use. With Tierney and Johnson (when fit) , I don't think we need wingers.
However, we have to go with what we've got and it is not really an appropriate time to get radical and make big changes. MON knows that - see Nancy for the evidence!
20 Apr 2026 08:41:18
It is lack of confidence. I know its been a while but some of our players are still stuck in mad French man mode.
They have no confidence to move the ball forward quickly or make a forward pass, in case it goes to the opposition and the crowd gets on their backs.
Ange, BR and MON have all said, they tell the players to move it forward and not side to side.
The first half of normal and extra time yesterday, the team demonstrated what they can do, moving the ball quicker and closing the opposition down.
Yet we have the 2nd half of normal time play during every game. We get a lead and the players choke, where in the past we would go for the jugular but now we panic and start to fall back and our passing game goes to pot.
Sad to say, I agree with many on here about our captain, he no longer drives us forward, he slows play down and starts the sideways and backwards passing.
He is the one who should drive us forward but doesn't, so imo he needs replacing with someone who will.
We just do not have the quality of centre backs who can play the ball forward to the front line or find a pass to the midfield.
Trusty is the worst, how many times this season has he put the keeper under pressure with a pass or our left back.
He is so one footed and has poor awareness of where he should be when teams push forward against us.
Their first goal yesterday, that was his ball to win all day. He just doesn't have that real grit and physicality needed at times.
Scales would have won the ball, although he is not good enough if we need to improve.
What yesterday did demonstrate is that if Maeda is in the mood, he is still dangerous, if fit Iheanacho can score goals and when our wingers attack defenders and get to the byline, we are a dangerous team.
However this season we have not demonstrated any of the above regularly enough.
We are heading towards the biggest close season in our modern history imo but do the club have what is needed to make the changes needed to push us forward to where we should be or will they choose the cheaper, easier options.
Time will tell but I for one am concerned. Get this wrong and we could be in serious trouble for seasons to come.