Sunday’s team sheet blue-tacked to the wa’

Tonight’s cake-walk over the Pars means the last couple of home matches have seen us finally score some goals. Eight for and one against in two games to be precise.

But these impressive wins have been marked by the influx of young Scottish talent to our starting eleven. Rae, Hughes, Thompson, Burke, Hutton - even big Bob Malcolm - they were all playing their guts out on Saturday and again tonight.

After so many matches this season in which the “Big Name” players have been so palpably wanting of spirit, Bluenoses are almost crying with relief to see some lads on the pitch who’re plainly sweating blood for the jersey.

Nevertheless, there’s little doubt that some players - even if they are giving the proverbial one hundred and ten percent - just don’t have the skill quotient of a De Boer or a Moore … perhaps even an Emerson or a Capucho!

Certain skill-merchants just don’t have a sleeves-up style - appearing nonchalant while Bobo Balde is trying to break your collar bone is every bit as commited as running 60 yards to throw yourself into a 50-50 with Stanislav Varga.

So, for me, what we want to do on Sunday is keep a back-bone of maybe three skilled, seasoned pros - Klos, Frank and Ronnie de Boer - and let them feed off the enthusiasm and energy of the triers, while the triers feed off the ability and experience of the “stars”.

My prefered starting line-up for Sunday would be: Klos, Hutton, Ball, F de Boer Khisanishvili, Rae, Burke, Ricksen, Thompson, R de Boer, Lovenkrands. However, I think the last two games have hinted that Eck wants to play someone - and it may just be Bob Malcolm if Zurab has to fill in for Moore or Berg at centre-half - just in front of the defence. In that case I’d take Burke out of the starting line-up (I fear he may not be fully match fit yet anyway). Normally I’d say Thompson up front is suicide against Celtic - high balls being food and drink to them - but his battering ram style is the sort of lack of respect we need to show that mob on Sunday and he should do enough to create space for others.

What we also want to do is win - and win heavily. The result will have no impact on who wins the championship but it will impact greatly on the confidence of the young guys and possible long-term players like Ball, Khisanishvili and Lovenkrands.

It will also alter, for better or worse, how McLeish is viewed by the fans and therefore season ticket sales in the next few months. For by all that, it would just be so good to go to town on those sanctimonious, hypocritical, perma-bleating, downright repelant gits we love to call selltik.

Eeeh - I can feel me wind gettin up awready.

(AW, MAN! I’m just reading that Frank de Boer’s injury might keep him out this weekend … jeezoh - that’s typical of us and injuries - even the punters can’t have a theoretical team-sheet without having to rip it up and start again!)

About this entry

You’re currently reading “Sunday’s team sheet blue-tacked to the wa’,” an entry on FatEck.co.uk

Published:
03.24.04 / 12am
Category:
News