When i first started this diary thing i wasnt sure what i was really going to say and i kind of hoped that what with our great start to the season it would be a chance to write positive things and record good memories. After Wednesdays debacle i find myself unsure, i even left this post an extra day as i could have easily written it yesterday but didnt want to spout all sorts of venomous vitriol about the Quarter final game. But as it happens i feel the same today so may as well give it both barrels. The game ended three one as it happens.
After the game while walking back to my car i looked forward to the first person to utter the famous phrase "we were shoote but there not much better" because sadly that statement is a load of meaningless bollocks, especially said after last nights display, i decided to go into the pub to wait for the traffic to calm down (i use this as an excuse, i could easily used; wanted to see end of Arsenal game or fancied a can of juice, however none of thats true i was basically spoiling for an arguement) someone did utter that stupidist of stupid sayings but i didnt have the heart to take him to task, his girlfriend had their first child earlier in the week.
So effectively i am taking it that whoever reads this has said that thing to me, so this is how i would reply. Celtic were streets ahead of us, playing neat little triangles and breaking at pace when the opportunity arises. Personally it makes me wonder what we actually do when we go up to glasgow to train, play hide and seek perhaps. Games like these show up how much fitter the old firm seem in comparison to us, this is something which can be easily reversed, we may not be able to bring in the top players or pay the greatest wages but surely we can get our team fitter than anyone else, we are a full time club with full time players, super fitness should be an easy attribute to aquire and keep for professional SPL players. It is ilso worth noting that pass and move exercises are performed by every team of all ages in every training session in every town in every country in every universe, and exercises where shutting down these passing movements are performed also, god i did it when i trained, its the fundamentals!
Its these fundamentals that we seem to lack. Other gripes about training, why cant we defend corners. Scott macdonald scored a header, thats Scott macDonald who a week earlier was described as one of celtic seven dwarves, a wee mistake on our part then? It would seem no, he missed a further two or three headers from corners also, how does this happen? Free kicks that are played into our box, again in every training session in britian you defend your 18 yard line, we dont. somewhere closer to ten yards out is ok by us, where did we learn this? So set plays havent been mastered to any degree it would seem and even if they were the fact that it happens repeatedly in games means that we learn nothing from week to week, hell, from corner to corner. When attacking? Any set plays we had ourselves were wee floated in poofy balls that are meat and drink to the Caldwells of this world, no variation or anyone who looked like they had a clue. Turning defence into attack, non existant, this would come under the fitness aspect i suppose though, which i have covered and to reiterate WE DONT MATCH UP! Finally, er, do we ever shoot?
Tactics chosen seem odd, we change our system to play only these two teams, one man up front (our winger) one in behind. Two breakers in the middle, two wingers (our two most creative centre mids). it didnt work, we didnt change it. When watching the Man U v celtic game a week earlier i felt that Strachan bottled the tactics battle. He played a Killie move against them. But why didnt he pick out their weaknesses and punish them? make the game work for him, he had an opportunity with his wingers to crucify Gary Neville in the right back role, show Fergie that he is done as a Man U player, he never and Neville was allowed to push on and assist in the demolition instead of being hemmed back and ran ragged. Now thats not to say that that would exactly happen but its would have been at the very least a showing of attacking tactics! Roll onto Wednesday and we can look at the Celtic line up, weak link possibly? Wilson at left back? He is predominantly right footed and cant tackle with his left foot, a perfect opportunity to put our right winger (Danny) up against him put him under pressure by going outside again and again. Make Strachan change his team. Again these things are great in hindsight and i am merely a punter, but then these managers are paid big money to come up with ways of getting results surely.
Self belief seems to be lacking, from comments from our players and our manager in particular it doesnt seem to me that he feels we can beat them so basically were onto plums before a ball is kicked.
But to get back to my point, there seems to be a blatant lack of coaching in our players. It would be good if the fans all club together, a quid each and hire out the powerleague and see what actually goes on in a killie training session, if were paying for it then surely they cant refuse? or like other aspects of our esteemed club (they're disregard of the website poty) they are far more happy when they hide from they people who pay to see them and love them unconditionally. What a truely frightening combination that is after all.
Basically thats how i feel, i could go into detail about my disapointment in certain players performances, but what would be the point. I could talk about the poor refereeing seen again this season, tell me how the common man can get behind these guys when they are paid £800 a week minimum for a second income! yellow cards for first tackles for our players, Caldwell makes ten fouls adjudged to be the ref meritable in stopping the play but he goes uncarded, but again what would be the point. the thing that stood out for me on Wednesday was the obvious lack of the basic fundamentals that we are all taught from an early age. I havent played football to any sort of level in my life but i do know that at its core football hasnt changed, but the players have.
Because only one stand was given to away fans the moffat stand lay empty so fans were encouraged to bring their flags to be laid out. Sadly it all seemed a bit half arsed, the official sponsors ones were centre and pulled taut the rest maybe not so, mines is up there, to the right of the big strip all crumpled up. bit of a shame. its a good idea though and hopefully they flags get laid out in the big unused spaces in future. Our flag is three bars, blue white and blue with KFC stitched onto it. its been at ibrox, hampden, Dens, Stranraer, the piggery, shelboure and Nice to name a few. Hopefully it'll go further afield next year!
My gamble on Wednesday was Everton who obliged me with a last minute winner. 11and a half on won just over £30. So Saturday sees 15ish quid onto my single. Joy. Rest assured it wont be going on Killie!
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