Manager on Thursday
Thursday, 5th Sep 201905/09/19: SC - “We want to win games and we have not got that feeling at the moment so Saturday is an important one.”
The Challenge Cup is important to Stevie Crawford and he says that it will be treated seriously.
“I told the boys where we are at. If they had been in a good vein of form then it might be that we could look at possibly giving boys game time.
“Greg (Shields) took a lot of the younger squad to the reserve game on Tuesday. We kept in the main, the squad as a whole. I think it is important that the team selection at the weekend is fair to boys deserving a chance given the way the last two games have gone.
“We need to let boys know that there is no one guaranteed places at the club this season because we are sitting without a win in the league at the moment.
“We will take the Alloa game seriously because we want to progress in the tournament. We want to win games and we have not got that feeling at the moment so Saturday is an important one.”
Cup form has been better that league form but the manager is very aware that it has been a long time since three points were the outcome of a league match.
“We have been in front in the Dundee game and the Queen of the South game. The Dundee United one was difficult in regards to what we were facing on the day, that is not to say that we cannot compete with Dundee United, they are not untouchable. The longer it goes without a league win, I want that responsibility to be on my shoulders.
“I know that there will not be people happy when you look at our league form tracing that back to March. I very much want to develop players to allow them to get better and not fearful. If I get flack for that I will take it on the chin because it is hurting, trust me it is hurting.
“I am protective of the players and on Saturday we weren’t good enough collectively up at Arbroath. There is no hiding that. Whether I change the team at the weekend and look to get a positive response. That is all that I can ask of the players.
“Alloa will be a difficult side, they like to play football. I read Peter Grant’s comments at the weekend, he was saying that he wants to have his team playing like Barcelona going forward and be the ugliest team in the league defensively. That sort of tells us what we will be up against at the weekend.”
Stevie said that none of his players had picked up any further injuries but was mindful that loanees Harry Cochrane and Anthony McDonald are already cup tied and are in Andy Kirk’s Hearts Colts squad travelling to Waterford for their Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer Cup tie.
“Anthony McDonald is still being treated at Hearts for the slight injury problem that he had. Bringing in that quality with Anthony being a wide man, it wasn’t something that we had looked at previously but it allowed us to change the dynamics bringing in two of the younger ones from Hearts.
“Anthony is an out and out wide one and with Harry Cochrane in centre midfield and Greg Kiltie who can play wide but also clever enough to play in the hole or as just off the striker. I think it brings creativity to the squad.”
Asked about the eighteen year old trialist who made an impression in the Fife Cup Final, SC replied:-
“We thought highly of Vinnie Steels, as far as I know he is still contracted to Burnley and we will monitor him. We needed to bring in somebody with game experience and hence the Greg Kiltie loan.”
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