Scott Allan

Armstrong was just as much to blame for playing a short corner. A few minutes to play and needing a goal to stay in the competition, we load the box and then play it short. It was stupid, and pretty much summed up our European campaign. Allan wasn't the only one at fault though. Griffiths was more to blame for the defeat after missing a host of chances, one which Allan put on a plate for him.

 

Did I say Allan was the only one at fault? I said that his mistake, which was pretty * amateurish, was the only one being glossed over really.

He * up, plain & simple. He wasn't the only one at fault, but he deserves just as much criticism for his mistake as anyone else.

After all, he's not a young boy who's been thrown in at the deep end at the age of 18, although you'd think he was the way some talk about him.

 

Exactly bud. Allan * up as well, no doubt but he can be excused for lacking match sharpness and that injection in the game (although you wouldn't have said that with his pass beforehand). That'll come, Armstrong, not for the first time either, completely passed the buck and tried to go as safe as he could..

I blamed Griffiths completely for not only losing the game, but not winning as well..

 

I'm certainly not glossing over it. It was a mistake no doubt about it, but Armstrong was more at fault than Allan. Taking a short corner after loading the box is bad enough, doing it in the last few minutes when needing a goal is criminal.

He might not be a young boy, but he was thrown in the deep end. He had played less than 45mins of football for us, and hadn't kicked a ball in the first team for a few month, and was then brought on in a must win Europa League game. I would say that was being thrown in the deep end. The thing is, he looked the most likely player to create a goal for us when he was brought on.

 

I wouldnt blame Armstrong for the corner at all, was totally Allan's fault just watching it again...

Allan had plenty of time and space, if he took a good touch on his right he'd have been wide open in the box with the chance to play it with his left, but he miscontrolled it and got it took off him.

 

Armstrong shouldn't be giving him it short to begin with.

 

Allan can pass that back to Armstrong who is miles in the clear, or take a touch with his right so that he then has space to * it in with his left foot. He could even * it into the box first time with his left or outside of his right.

100% Allan blunder

 

Allan was most at fault for that goal.. But he was also our only hope of a goal when he came on. He * up. I know it, you know it, he knows it. However, it was just one brain fart and I don't see the point in going on about it. Concentrate on the positives about the guy.

It's different when players continue to make ridiculous mistakes e.g. Ambrose

 

I understand why Armstrong did it but he is massively to blame..

It wasn't inventive, it wasn't clever at all. It was stupid, we were chasing the game, trying to get the winner and Mr safe passed the buck when we'd loaded the box, as his crossing was diabolical all night. That's why he did it..

 

You may not be, but some are. I quoted a few of them.

And I'm not interested in who was "more at fault", as though that's some sort of consolation. The whole * team were at fault throughout the night, including Scott Allan. And Armstrong.

He looked decent when he came on, but he ultimately took too long on the ball and cost us a goal. You can't be as indecisive as that when you're playing against sides of that quality. You can get away with it against Falkirk, Sevco and Dunfermline, but not Ajax.

Murphy, you're talking as if it was some kind of hospital pass. That's a play i've seen numerous teams make countless times.

He traps the ball, passes it back to Armstrong who then whips it into the centre. It's not * rocket science.

 

He had a chance to whip a good ball in with no pressure just seconds before that and opted not to.

 

Look at the space he has when he receives the ball. He dithered too long and was robbed of possession at a point when we were looking to win the game, ultimately resulting in us being caught short at the back and conceding.

Again, I've seen that play used numerous times over the years. You either whip the ball in on your own, or you play it back with some pace for the passer to whip it in from a slightly better angle than the corner allows.

 

He did take too long on the ball, I'm not disputing that. Perhaps if he hadn't been out of the first team for a few month he would have been sharper. Getting caught on the ball is something that can happen when you haven't been playing regular first team football. Or any first team football for that matter. Regardless of who the opposition is.

I'm not saying it was a hospital pass at all, I just don't think we should have been playing a short corner at that point. It's also not rocket science to put in a cross from a dead ball situation after loading the box, but we didn't do that.

 

Aye Dhaibi, for me Armstrong isnt at fault at all there, it was a great chance for a quick short corner so that we could get in a better position to put the ball in the box.

Allan you can tell by how he positioned himself to take it by letting it roll across him, I think wanted to take a touch, knock it inside and hit a shot but he miscontroled the touch put himself off balance and got robbed.

Had he planned to knock it with his right down the line and chip it into the box or play it back or inside to Armstrong he have had no bother.

 

If he takes a touch and whips it in, it will be on his weaker left foot as well. He hasn't actually received the ball yet in that photo either, and it doesn't show you how quickly the player is closing him down. It might look like he has plenty time from a photo, but in live play it could be totally different. I did feel like he had taken too long at the game, but I still don't think he should have been receiving the pass to begin with.

 

Great ball, if your left footed..

I've seen no one say that Allan isn't to blame but Armstrong has fair old swerved a big chunk of deserved criticism. If he'd of been putting in quality after quality free kicks and corners, i'd understand it, but they were and have been pathetic far too often..

 

Or perhaps, just maybe, he's not quite as fantastic as some of us seem to think.

For me he's a player who looked the part in the Scottish Championship, who failed down south, and who is a decent SPFL level player.

For some reason some of our support have latched onto him and are affording him a status level that he hasn't earned.

For example, imagine if he'd scored the goal that young McGregor did?

 

There you go. I posted those quotes only one page back.

 

Allan's getting a by because he came on and created two clear cut chances that could have won the game, also was part of a 3rd when Armstrong crossed it into Griffiths.

He's not played much football, he's never played at that level and he was a desperate last throw of the dice that should have worked if others were on top of their own games.

It's always a possibility when you throw in a guy who's hardly played and has never played at this level. If he does it again, you won't see this reaction. He's got a break, we are harsh as it is as a fanbase, people shouldn't moan about him not recieving as much criticism.

 

Bit better a view