Back-to-back defeats to Falkirk and Motherwell have exposed the same issues, naive defending and a slow start from the lads in the middle. To be honest, when teams press like Maeda does and you don’t match the intensity, you get found out.
Slow starts and pressing problems
It’s remarkable how often we look static in the opening spells. Maeda presses constantly to win the ball back and teams who work hard force mistakes. We haven’t been sharp enough to handle that press, and from midfield the runs and cover just haven’t been there. When you stroll round the pitch it becomes obvious. Opponents with a real grafting mentality make life difficult and we don’t seem to match their endeavour for long enough.
Where leadership is missing
There’s responsibility in the dugout, sure, but a leader on the park matters. It’s not just barking orders, it’s setting the tone with workrate. Wee Barron gets slated by some, yet his energy drags teams up. Had he started, perhaps the tempo would have been higher and we’d have looked different. I’d take one player who fights for every ball over ten who think they’re immune to tracking runners. That lack of bite falls at the feet of selection and coaching as much as individual attitude.
What needs to change
We need urgency from kick-off, clearer instructions about handling presses and midfielders who do the dirty work without glamour. Management have to pick the players who bring that intensity and, yes, train it until it becomes non-negotiable. Fans see the flashes of effort and get hope, but today’s results feel like another kick in the guts for long-suffering supporters. To be fair, the lads aren’t useless, but until we sort the basics — tempo, discipline and leadership — we’ll keep getting punished by teams who simply outwork us.
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