Don't be happy, just worry: 5-0 defeat at Falkirk

AIRDRIE UTD

Falkirk

Airdrie looked one paced and unadventurous from the off. With the pacey forwards missing again, the 30something forward line of Coyle and Vareille were always up against it with high balls being pumped forward to them. They were up against Kevin James! Enough already? The only surprise really was that it took 20 minutes for Falkirk to open the scoring. Craig McPherson, never the quickest player but a fine passer, held off a ‘challenge’ from Willie Wilson just inside the Airdrie half, and played a pinpoint accurate pass down left channel for Davie Nicholls to glide past Mark Roberts with ease. Nicholls quick centre was gleefully rammed home by former QPR frontman, Andy Thomson. Around ten minutes later it was two. Willie Wilson, with enough time to get it right, woefully over-hit a back pass to the goalie to carelessly concede a corner. From the corner kick, Mark McGeown was blocked in the act of punching the ball, by Stephen Docherty (lack of communication?), and the weakly punched ball fell to Davie Nicholls who ferociously volleyed the ball high into McGeown’s net. Airdrie did have some chances, a cross from Roberts missed everyone, a weak Roberts shot, and a misplaced header from Docherty all failed to seriously threaten the Falkirk net.

After the break Airdrie again failed to put up a fight. Lawrie had two attempts to knock in the third with McGeown again flapping, then Russell Latapy drifted away from the shoulder of Alan McManus to latch onto a raking pass from Nicholls to race from the halfway line to shoot past the helpless McGeown. McManus couldn’t get close enough to Latapy to make any kind of challenge. Falkirk wrapped up the scoring later on when Andy Thomson bundled a John O’Neill cross in from a yard out, putting an end to some relentless pressure. Airdrie had no answers. Long before the scoring had finished, Airdrie were done. There was nothing to be inspired with. Both Roberts and Willie Wilson down the right were consistently dismantled. McManus and Christie looked slow and ponderous, some of Christie’s clearances in the second half were real head scratchers, whilst McManus looks a shadow of last season’s dominant character. Lovering looks lost out at left back too, with no real support in front of him, and looking lead footed going forward. Marv Wilson kept his head above water with a battling display but as usual his display was marred by the usual collection of miscued passes that have held him back over the years. Partnering him, Docherty struck me as being like a headless chicken at times. Captain marvellous was winning the ball one minute, giving it away the next, trying to bale out the defence, then tripping over the forwards. The guy is a genuine 100%er but strikes me as trying to be too like Roy Keane. He needs to be given a more disciplined role if he wants to thrive in this league, otherwise I’d say he looks a second divison player. Dunn again looked pedestrian on the left. Like Docherty, he was trying to be too much, drifting in from the left to get on the ball, then looking left for the pass! Without the outlets of Gow and McLaren he looks lost. A playmaker he can be, but he needs like-minded people to play alongside. Up front Coyle and Varielle looked a tired pairing, not one I’d be desperate to see again. How many high balls did we expect them to win against Kevin James?

Sandy Stewart has a task on his hands turning this mob into a team. Undoubtedly the lack of Hardie, McLaren and Gow has hindered his plans, but the failure of 11 seasoned professionals to at least put up a challenge is worrying. With no guarantee that any of them will return next week, there will have to be radical re-think to our game-plan. I admit to being baffled by the continued selection of Willie Wilson and Mark Roberts, and am losing patience with the displays of several others. Not to mention normally reliable players like Neil McGowan being left on the bench. Till we get the youngsters back, I wouldn’t be surprised to see us revert to 343 or 352 formation for a couple of weeks to shore things up, especially when we have nothing at all to offer from the wings in an attacking or defensive sense.