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View Full Version : 'Big game hangover' - an observation



TheFamous1875
09-08-2016, 10:54 PM
What tonight reminded me of is when we played Greenock Morton last season and were beaten 3-0 at Easter Road. We had just come off a MAMMOTH run where we a League Cup Semi-Final vs St Johnstone and 2 Scottish Cup matches against Hearts on top of an ongoing battle for the League with Rangers with matches against Falkirk and Raith Rovers (our so-called 'bogey' teams).


Every match was huge at that point and it culminated in that dramatic two-match battle against Hearts (our biggest rivals, who were in the league above us, in the Scottish Cup which we hadn't won for 114 years). We came back from 2-0 with 10 mins to go (never let them forget) and went on to beat them at Easter Road.


After that, we had Alloa, when Stubbs decided to rotate the squad. He played a 3-5-2 at home with Boyle and Carmichael in the wide roles - proper attacking wingers who get forward. We convincingly best them 3-0 with a 2nd-string team and that was that. The next match, at home vs Morton, we reverted back to our 1st-string team - the derby heroes who had also brought us to the league cup final and kept our title hopes up in such a hectic schedule. We got pumped.


I said at the time that a big factor in us capitulating that night was due to the fatigue of the players. Imagine having to go from singing 'Sunshine on Leith' in front of a full stadium after just beating your rivals in the Scottish Cup in the fashion that we did, to playing at night in a half-empty stadium against Morton? There's naturally going to be a plateau when it comes to being up for such a match when you've just been knocking your pan in for the last two months in big cup games, big derbies.


I think tonight is a similar case. Two European games vs Brondby, going to penalties, a first match of the season against our biggest rivals for the title in front of a big Hibs crowd and then being brought back down to earth by an early league cup match against QOTS on a Tuesday night in an empty Easter Road.


I don't think the players on the park were up for the task. When it comes to football, there's no way we should have been beaten tonight, but when it comes to being brought back down to earth by an 'unimportant' match, you can see why we got beat tonight. It should have been a case of what happened against Alloa last season where we rotated it for the situation and we got just results. I think tonight is very very similar to what happened against Morton. It should've been like that Alloa match instead.

Jones28
09-08-2016, 10:57 PM
Tbh I couldn't give a **** what the players have went through. If the fame is big, small or somewhere in between it should be paramount to have scored more goals than them at the end of it. We aren't really in a position to rotate a full team either.

GreenCastle
09-08-2016, 11:11 PM
What tonight reminded me of is when we played Greenock Morton last season and were beaten 3-0 at Easter Road. We had just come off a MAMMOTH run where we a League Cup Semi-Final vs St Johnstone and 2 Scottish Cup matches against Hearts on top of an ongoing battle for the League with Rangers with matches against Falkirk and Raith Rovers (our so-called 'bogey' teams).


Every match was huge at that point and it culminated in that dramatic two-match battle against Hearts (our biggest rivals, who were in the league above us, in the Scottish Cup which we hadn't won for 114 years). We came back from 2-0 with 10 mins to go (never let them forget) and went on to beat them at Easter Road.


After that, we had Alloa, when Stubbs decided to rotate the squad. He played a 3-5-2 at home with Boyle and Carmichael in the wide roles - proper attacking wingers who get forward. We convincingly best them 3-0 with a 2nd-string team and that was that. The next match, at home vs Morton, we reverted back to our 1st-string team - the derby heroes who had also brought us to the league cup final and kept our title hopes up in such a hectic schedule. We got pumped.


I said at the time that a big factor in us capitulating that night was due to the fatigue of the players. Imagine having to go from singing 'Sunshine on Leith' in front of a full stadium after just beating your rivals in the Scottish Cup in the fashion that we did, to playing at night in a half-empty stadium against Morton? There's naturally going to be a plateau when it comes to being up for such a match when you've just been knocking your pan in for the last two months in big cup games, big derbies.


I think tonight is a similar case. Two European games vs Brondby, going to penalties, a first match of the season against our biggest rivals for the title in front of a big Hibs crowd and then being brought back down to earth by an early league cup match against QOTS on a Tuesday night in an empty Easter Road.


I don't think the players on the park were up for the task. When it comes to football, there's no way we should have been beaten tonight, but when it comes to being brought back down to earth by an 'unimportant' match, you can see why we got beat tonight. It should have been a case of what happened against Alloa last season where we rotated it for the situation and we got just results. I think tonight is very very similar to what happened against Morton. It should've been like that Alloa match instead.

I also feel while we don't have the largest squad we could have changed a few faces tonight after Sunday's tough game on that horrible surface.

Though the last couple seasons we have lacked wide players with real speed - we still haven't addressed that issue.

Hi Heid Yin
10-08-2016, 02:10 AM
I personally don't think it was a Big Game hangover, but evidence of our continuing tendency to throw away games after having dominated and failed to hit the back of the net during our periods of ascendancy.
This was Neil Lennon's first taste of the kind of defeat that Stubbs got used to and could not eradicate last season.
Basically, we are still soft throughout and far from the steely-determined-professional and ruthless side that we would expect under Neil lennon.
It's still early days for our new manager and tonight's capitulation to (with all due respect) an average side will have given NL much to think about.
I simply don't side with those who advocate that the league is ours for the taking. The squad, if anything, is much the same as last season, and if it was not good enough last season, then why is it assumed it will automatically stroll it's way to the title this season, albeit with The Rangers missing.
Dundee United have simply replaced the Glasgow outfit, and why is it assumed that we are miles ahead of them in quality and ability. They, I suspect, are very confident of winning the championship, even if they will not openly admit it. Their manager knows our flaws and weaknesses and how to exploit them.
I think the post Cup final euphoria has led to a distorting and inflating of the opinions of a great many of our supporters.
Like I say, it's early days, and time enough for NL to assess, build and shape a championship winning side.
I keep my fingers crossed for a NL backlash and for the time when he will impact our team and our league campaign in a way that Alan Stubbs could not.

Forza Fred
10-08-2016, 02:47 AM
I'm with you regarding the exaggerated expectations of some on this board......but if you go back in time EVERY season since we went down they have been there.....and woe betide anyone who didn't follow the 'blind faith' mantra.

I see as being not much better than last season, with n experienced, hard nosed manager perhaps being the difference between where we finished last season and a few points better off.

I think it IS possible we can win the league with the squad we have currently got, but I certainly wouldn't put my house on it.....and I think Lennon sees it similar and would want another couple of players in.

Still confident of promotion, but it won't be easy and a sobering reminder to those getting carried away too early......since we were relegated, we have NEVER at any point so far,been top of this league.....so it's not as if we can expect a relatively easy ride..