Our Midfield can't handle physicality.

FFS We got a 2 each draw with a team away from home who are playing really well. They didn't boss us even though we didn't dominate as we have recently but that's football. We had chances to bury the game which we didn't take and they tied with a dodgy goal. Despite missing key midfielders we still edged the play in a difficult tie and should have won.
This is probably the most accurate summary of Sunday I've seen so far. However the 'dodgy refs' theory is becoming impossible to ignore - too many of our results are hingeing on crucial mistakes and they are now happening almost weekly. What was that stat about the last time we were awarded a penalty? October last year I think? That is just an outrageous statistical anomaly that does not sit comfortably against a team like Rangers who dominate territory and possession in almost every game we play. A decent summary of the match right enough CB, but 'dodgy goal' are the key words.
 
They played years ago, were talking about the hear and now.

Scottish football hasn't changed dramatically since they were playing in terms of refereeing. It was as bad then. It's a ridiculous argument to suggest we shouldn't sign harder players because they might get booked or sent off. What we're left with is Ryan Jack being the only player who puts in tackles or intelligent fouls.
 
Scottish football hasn't changed dramatically since they were playing in terms of refereeing. It was as bad then. It's a ridiculous argument to suggest we shouldn't sign harder players because they might get booked or sent off. What we're left with is Ryan Jack being the only player who puts in tackles or intelligent fouls.
Things have changed since we got into the top division, unbelievable you can't see this.
 
100% this. Our players know they are treated differently to the op players.

Well if that’s the case, the manager and/or the club need to take these examples to the SPFL and say X player is not booked/yellow carded for this, but my player is sent off for the same thing - please explain, apologise and rectify.

Acting like a total fucking wet wipe won’t achieve anything.
 
Well if that’s the case, the manager and/or the club need to take these examples to the SPFL and say X player is not booked/yellow carded for this, but my player is sent off for the same thing - please explain, apologise and rectify.

Acting like a total fucking wet wipe won’t achieve anything.
100% correct mate, the manager and the clubs silence is allowing this to continue.
 
Nah, I'm not buying the 'physicality' or 'need someone with a bit of 'dig' line at all. On Sunday we dominated - just as we normally do. 69% possession, 19 shots at goal. A lack of 'physically' wasn't, and isn't, our problem.
 
Physicallity is only a problem when the referees and their assistants do not do their jobs properly. We have referees in Scotland who officiate differently when they take European games where the instructions from UEFA (Perluigi Collina) is to punish severely the lesser skilled when they use excessive force. The aim is to allow skill to prosper. Scottish referees allow much greater leeway in domestic games. That is probably why Rangers have progressed in European competitions recently while others have failed.
 
Doesn’t help that the one player with any dig can’t last a season or even half a season without being injured and playing for Scotland certainly didn’t help him or us.
 
Some folk won't be happy til we've got our own version of the lego eater running about, contributing not very much but knowing what it's all about and getting in people's faces.

Then there'll be continual threads about how he's a liability and should be punted because he gets a red every other week.
 
How about we stick Calvin Bassey in midfield on Sunday against Motherwell, lets see if they can bully him, you never know he may take a shot on goals from outside the box also
 
I fear for Sunday if Hagi plays from the start. I love the guy but his silky skills admirable as they are can be worthless when getting booted into next week by hammer throwing journeyman duds that pull on the Motherwell strip. This and the fact that the ref will an sfa instructed turn blind eye to any tackles against us and be quick to flash a card when committed by us.

we need physically strong mids to get through these kind of games.
 
Address the gjaring inconsistencies in refereeing as it’s obvious if we fight fir with fire only one team gets punished if gerrard signs an enforcer he will watch a lot of games from the stand so to speak
 
As above, our players put in the tacklers, challenges and assaults that the oppostion do (and get away with) and our players get booked or sent off.

It is that simple.

You can see it changes the way our players play.

Our players know it and opposition players know it, hence why when we come up against most teams they fly into tackles knowing nothing will happen and our players are apprehensive.
Good post, no way would we get away with a fraction of the stuff we have to face, Alfie just needs to look at the ref and he's booked.
 
No our problem is our 3 main CMs are all the same and do exactly the same thing. We have no variety in that area, worrying since our Gaffer was world class.
 
Our midfield only struggles when it descends into a battle. We often do quite well at outplaying sides when they try and get up close and kick us. The problem is how we deal with adversity, we need to show more strength to pull through when we’re not at our best. Brains beats braun in the midfield almost every time.
 
Long season ahead, we can’t win them all. Yes we should have done better, and yes we’ve had our chances to win the game. Unfortunate that wasn’t the way the chips fell.

Let’s pick it up and move forward. I think our midfield works for what we need. We don’t play with physicality, it’s not the style we play. That’s my to say it’s right or wrong. But we’ve still not lost a game.
 
Long season ahead, we can’t win them all. Yes we should have done better, and yes we’ve had our chances to win the game. Unfortunate that wasn’t the way the chips fell.

Let’s pick it up and move forward. I think our midfield works for what we need. We don’t play with physicality, it’s not the style we play. That’s my to say it’s right or wrong. But we’ve still not lost a game.

We’ve dropped four points from four away games.

We’d quite literally have been better losing one and winning the other.

It’s not good enough, for me anyway.
 
We won leagues with Davis in midfield. Do you really think Arfield is weak ? Kamara isn't robust enough for me, he never gets angry.
None of them ever get angry, that’s where the problem lies. We accept these ridiculous challenges. I don’t think we get bullied but we certainly get fouled and if we started getting into the refs face and putting pressure and maybe some doubt in his mind then maybe he wouldn’t find it so easy to give so many decisions in one game against us. Just about every other team has players who constantly have the refs ear, they’re telling the ref that we have a cheek to hit the ground so he only hears one side of the story so why wouldn’t he favour that.
 
I don't really remember the midfield being bullied against hibs at all. They pressed us in the first half but we did the same. We had the energy levels to keep that up and they didn't. We were a couple of bad misses or fantastic saves away from a convincing victory.

We drew with hibs away, that was their cup final. If this was against a st mirren, kilmarnock, who don't attack and just try spoil the game then I'd get why the rage but hibs are a decent side who'll finish well clear of the pack and will be near the top 2 till late in the season.
 
FFS We got a 2 each draw with a team away from home who are playing really well. They didn't boss us even though we didn't dominate as we have recently but that's football. We had chances to bury the game which we didn't take and they tied with a dodgy goal. Despite missing key midfielders we still edged the play in a difficult tie and should have won.
Bolt. Support another team if mediocre is your game.
Not one player got passmarks. Looking upon a point in that shittip as a genuine result makes us belong with the dross of the league.
 
Seen it countless times, its the main problem in our team right now, hopefully the board back the manager and get the meanest looking b*stard they can find, we need an enforcer who'll stand up to the bullies in our league!

Been saying it ever since Gerrard arrived.
Guess he doesn’t see it ...that way.
 
This board is genuienely getting ruined. Anytime someone has an opinion they post a brand new thread. Its a mess.

The same shitey misinformed opinion has been posted 100 times, tore apart 100 times, and posted again.

Try actually watching football, because if you think physicality in the midfield is the reason we drew then you’re clueless, to put it lightly.

but we need “dig” I tells ya
 
We’ve needed that Souness/Keane type for years and we’ve not addressed it. We are a soft touch and teams know how to rub us up easily as seen at weekend as they know we are all talk and won’t get stuck in on the field.

How many times were they sent off in their careers?
 
Our manager was a world class player but he's in to his third year as manager and can't see we need a bit of physicality in the team especially away in the league we were beaten three times against a relegated Hearts at Tynecastle last season and he hasn't learned from it does worry me.
 
Probably a bit off the knowledge that if they fight fire with fire they’ll risk a red card
Totally agree - I've tried not to get paranoid over the seasons but on Sunday I really did start to believe the refs have some sort of agenda....I've watched alfies yellow card countless times now and am still totally baffled by it - I can only assume it was simply for being Alfie.
To be fair though we were missing Jack who I think has a bit of bite but the way he plays means he'll miss a few with injury/suspension
 
We do need a new midfielder. I'm not buying the bollocks that it needs to be a 'hardman' to stop us getting 'bullied'. Our midfield lacks creativity and drive more than it lacks anything else to be honest.

We need someone more in the Gerrard or Modric mould. A player who both attacks and defends with equal voracity.

Now there is an argument to be had on whether we need to buy a replacement for what Ryan Jack brings to the squad. I'd say with the rate he's gotten injured in the last few seasons, that we do but it's whether or not it's feasible at the moment. In the here and now, I'd much rather have someone who is far more attacking in their intent, than an enforcer or destroyer type midfielder tbh.
 
Seen it countless times, its the main problem in our team right now, hopefully the board back the manager and get the meanest looking b*stard they can find, we need an enforcer who'll stand up to the bullies in our league!
The days of an enforcer are long gone.
It's not just the midfield that lack the willingness to battle, it's the whole team. We're soft, passive, call it what you will but it's a problem.
 
Nothing will ever change until the club address the differences we are refereed to, every press conference we have should be hosted in front of a backdrop of refereeing inconsistencies from our last game playing on a loop.
 
Midfield physicality is not what lost us that game from what I watched
Missed chances, basic errors when defending and biased refereeing did.
With regards to the midfiled, for me Davis reverted to type AGAIN and was negative in everything he done apart from 1 shot at goal
Why, i don't know but that is how he finished last season & he did it again Sunday with his mind totally pre-set on going back / being safe in advance of receiving the ball.
When he plays that way it seriously hampers the tempo of our game
A fortnight ago Steven Davis was the best midfielder in the country and Glen Kamara was the No8 we'd been crying out for!
I guess that's follow follow for you.
We didn't defend well enough at Easter Road, that and that alone cost us points.
 
He had McCulloch, Edu, Thomson next to him

Also had Barry Ferguson, his powers were very much on the wane but he was still the best midfielder in the league until we signed Pedro Mendes.

I'm of the opinion we are in more need of a Pedro Mendes or the pre Blackburn era Barry Ferguson than we are a Kev Thomson or a Mo Edu tbh.
 
Also had Barry Ferguson, his powers were very much on the wane but he was still the best midfielder in the league until we signed Pedro Mendes.

I'm of the opinion we are in more need of a Pedro Mendes or the pre Blackburn era Barry Ferguson than we are a Kev Thomson or a Mo Edu tbh.
I think we need a balance
 
Still have no idea why this has become such a popular opinion after Sunday. We had no problems in midfield against Hibs, we dominated large parts of the game.

Our defence was an absolute clusterfuck and we missed 4 or 5 glaring chances to finish the game. Nothing to do with the midfield.
 
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We’ve needed that Souness/Keane type for years and we’ve not addressed it. We are a soft touch and teams know how to rub us up easily as seen at weekend as they know we are all talk and won’t get stuck in on the field.
How much would a Souness /Keane type cost?
 
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