As Stuart McCall expressed his disappointment after Sunday’s game he pointed out that it was an “uncharacteristic” performance and that he “didn’t see it coming”. More than a few words were exchanged with the players and he pointed out that it is their reaction to the defeat that matters.
The team selection and the use of substitutes was a major puzzle. The lack of pace and width led to a diamond formation in midfield. Unfortunately they had little success in taking the ball from the four at the back to the two at the front. Our best chance came from a deep Ramsden cross that Sutton headed wide of the mark.
317 'Well fans welcome the team
The substitutes were Stewart, Cummins, Kerr, Moore, Francis-Angol, Anier and Ainsworth. Assuming they were fit we had plenty of options available. The aftermath of Neilsen’s calamity was a couple of changes. Francis-Angol’s contribution was immediately apparent and Moore managed a shot on target (one of the very few we managed all game).
Could it be that the manager decided to give priority to the upcoming League Cup tie? Any from Anier, Ainsworth, Francis –Angol and Kerr would have given the starting eleven extra speed and width but the tactic seemed to rely on a narrow attack through the centre. It was soon clear that the plan wan not working. With any luck that chapter in the play book will remain closed.
McCall said in the post match interview that “second place in the league means nothing at this stage in the season”. The implication is that the Aberdeen game is of such importance to the club that the loss of a league fixture is a tolerable penalty . A win on Wednesday will deliver some much needed income from (at least) a semi final and it might help us in the winter transfer window.
Let's hope that the defeat can be dismissed as a bad day at the office and that the expected changes in personnel can return us to winning ways and clear the hangover out of the system.
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