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I think he probably deserves at least the January transfer window, and it'll be the first with a sporting director. And if you're giving him that, then you're essentially giving him until April, unless the form becomes terrible again. I do have my doubts now. Some really poor decision making coming from Thelin; namely I don't think he's used the squad well enough this season, and I think the tactics are wrong. But I have not lost faith with him the same way I did with Goodwin and Robson. We're in December, we no longer have the European games, and there's still a lot to play for - third is still very much there, and should we be any less confident about winning the cup than we were at this stage last season? So I'm still backing him for now, but a bit pissed off with him.

At the home of the dodgers of soap, Down a goal and a man, not a hope. Then a goal by Kenan! Get it up ya ye fenians! But alas, twas a slippery slope.

This Christmas no carols or hymns Or presents that meet all my whims No turkey, no cake All that I’ll forsake I just want to slaughter the Tims

Bit in bold is where I am at the moment. I want it to work with Thelin but less and less confident it will. The recruitment over the summer definitely has not helped with players brought in not being good enough or ready for first team football but Thelin has not helped himself with stubbornly sticking to a formation, initially, then sticking with trying to play out from the back with a goal keeper who is clearly struggling with it. I am not sure giving Thelin another window will suddenly make us progress but at the same time do not want to back to square one by sacking him.

I’m still firmly in the ‘desperately want it to work but increasingly unconvinced it will’ camp. Im trying to find excuses in my head every time we come out like a drunk boxer for first half after European games, why we don’t seem to have a set 11 and endlessly tinker, don’t give players a look in then bring them on at Parkhead, can’t defend balls into our box, can’t play out from back, play Jensen in every position on the pitch and he still runs forward, stops and runs back, Karlsson cuts in and smashes a shot of the first defender, Lazetic can’t play anywhere except in the pocket of the biggest centre back……the frustrations go on. Massive 5 games coming. Will determine whether we are battling to be the best of the bottom 6 or genuinely competing for 3rd. I’m not convinced it’ll be the latter at this stage.

Agreed. He's actually not terrible with his feet (better than Joe Lewis was for example), but some of the passes he's attempting are wild. The one to Lobban today is a difficult pass by any standard. If he was told just to keep things simple, I doubt we'd have issues. Keepers get a lot of hassle for their kicking, but most folk fail to take into account that they're often the ones making the longest and hardest passes that would go wrong 9 times out of 10 for an outfield player. Even worse when they've just had a pass played onto their wrong foot, or right into their feet. It's not an easy game for a goalie.

I wish Fergie was there now to give Thelin some home truths and explain why that sort of showing is never acceptable for anyone associated with AFC. No one there cares enough these days.

I agree. Sort of. I don't think our squad is that good though, and the luxury of resting Aouchiche and Armstrong isn't a given. There's not a team in our position that hasn't struggled after European games, it's a big factor. I think Thelin got the balance wrong over the two games, but I also don't think it's a glaring error given the difficulty.

Mitov is a goalkeeper A lot of our problems come from the fact that our manager thinks he’s Franz Beckenbauer

Mitov is one of the better shot stoppers in the league but his awareness is next to zero and he is rubbish at crosses and clearances. I would hope there is better out there but asking who I would pick from our league is limiting the choice to a local charity shop and not a good one at that.

I’m sure we’ll be told in the post match rehash of the usual word salad that “we’ll learn from this” ** ** I absolutely guarantee we won’t…

Sadly we are providing just the boost that Celtic needed.

I think it’s David Rowson.

Corrected that for you.

Unfortunate red, obviously mitov fucked him. Minimal contact, very unlucky.

I think it’s PTSD from previous games against an on-the-ropes Old Firm team where we’ve gone in far too cautiously as if we’re playing the 1970 Brazil team and allowed them to give us a morale-boosting humping.

Game day. Three points would make a nice early Xmas present. COYR

I think hometowns are obligated to attack a bit more so come out/push up which may suit us and jimmy with counter attacking football. Celtic will certainly do so, and I’d be inclined to start bilalovic and karlsson with lazetic, a good combo of pace and skill.

If he was going to be binned before this I suspect it would have been done by now.

Sha la la la and indeed push push

A bit of all three would be my guess OBI. None are a good look and make him (and the club) just look stupid. As I’ve said before. Pep has A LOT to answer for in modern day fitba…

We don't generally shit the bed under Thelin. We just seem to confidently brush off the glaring errors, before doing exactly the same twenty minutes later. Milne didn't give the ball away for their third last night through panic or having given up. He confidently tried to thread a ball through to a retreating centre half in the name of passing out from the back. A crazy decision drummed into them on the training ground. Ignore the score, just keep doing it until it works seems to be the philosophy. Equally as likely to lead to a 0-6 tanking as shitting the bed like.