Better signs
CIS victory was impressive
by Pat Stanton
IT'S A FUNNY
OLD GAME, as Jimmy Greaves used to say. Last season the games couldn't come quickly
enough whilst this season many fans attend games with a feeling of some trepidation
because results and performances have not been of the high standard we've all come to
expect.
The key words in
that opening paragraph are "we've all come to expect" but I'm not going to
insult you all by offering the obvious "our expectation levels are too high"
argument because that implies your expectations are unrealistic in compared to mine!
As a fan I expect the very best from my team and I know that all of you reading
this are no different. There's nothing wrong with that philosophy but I can tell you
from my experiences as a player it is not possible to be at your best in every game.
Anyone who is or was probably has/had a name like Pele!!
Right now Ulrik
Laursen is performing to a very high standard week in week out and is drawing unwelcome
attention from the Glasgow giants and elsewhere. Whatever he's doing both physically
and mentally he is on top form and there's no better place to be as a player.
Laursen - in top form (sns)
All the guys who
currently pull on the jersey on a Saturday will go onto the park and give their best but
that doesn't make them bad players or collectively a bad team. Many factors can have
an effect on the form of a player. Fitness, confidence, attitude and form to name
but four. When picking his team, Alex McLeish has no choice but to select those whom
he feels demonstrate the highest level of those four factors and you can be assured that
is exactly what he does.
Sometimes however a
player might score high marks on only three of the four say and then Eck has to make a
decision. These are the occasions when fans tend to say "How come so and so
gets a game when thingy doesn't get a sniff?" Alex works with these players day
in and day out. He and Andy Watson know them inside out. We, as fans, see them
once or twice a week and form our judgements based on that and personal preference.
When I was a player
under Eddie Turnbull I was often asked by a couple of old Hibs fans that never missed a
game just exactly why Alex "Mickey" Edwards was always selected when he was
known to have a very dodgy temperament and had on a number of occasions left the side a
man short following a rash challenge or retaliation. Fact is that although wee
Mickey had a real problem with his discipline he was a superb footballer and made things
happen on the park.
Many of the goals
scored by Gordon, O'Rourke and Duncan were courtesy of defence splitting passes from
Edwards. I don't really need to say much more about how I answered that oft asked
question, do I?
My point then is
that the players in the team may not always be the ones you would select if you were
Manager but you can be sure they are the best ones for the job on the day, so far as the
man in charge is concerned and he's the one who will rise or fall as a result.
As to events on the
park. Livi are a good team and deserved their win. We were poor on the day and
that happens sometimes. It's really time though that folk stopped being surprised
and shocked at losing to the SPL new boys. They are where they are on merit and we
have no divine right to be above them.
Tam and Paco demonstrate good
movement off the ball! (sns)
The match against
Dundee United was much better. The whole team seemed to have a better balance about
it with young Murray as an orthodox left back and Zitelli bringing width on the left.
Up front the pairing of Luna and McManus worked very well and their movement both
on and off the ball was very impressive.
Two games, back to
back. Poor in one, dominant in the other. Anyone be specific about why?
It'll take you a lifetime to explain because, like I said, football's a funny old
game!!
Until next time
Pat |
