Managers Post Morton
Saturday, 19th Apr 2008Jim McIntyre apologises and Davie Irons calls for rethink on play offs
Pars Manager, Jim McIntyre expressed his great disappointment with his team's performance at Cappielow:-
"It was a terrible performance from start to finish. I didn't think the referee had great game, but I am not going to blame him because we were well off the pace.
"We had a great chance to make it 1-1 just before half time which was at a crucial point of the game. The second goal was terrible marking on my own part, we tried to play offside but I never went with my marker (Ryan Harding).
"Third goal, how the ref never gave us a foul for us on Stephen Glass I will never know. It was just incredible refereeing to let that play on when he practically wrestled him.
"We got what we deserved today. Morton were first to every ball, sharper, the better team so well played them. I would just apologise to the fans for that performance having travelled through today, because that was just not acceptable as a group."
The Manager agreed that it was amongst one of the worst performances since he took over in December:-
"It was up there. I think we have always had periods of games where we have played well but today we just weren't at the races and that is extremely disappointing."
Despite the win Morton Manager, Davie Irons is still in danger of finding his side in the play offs for the right to stay in the First Division but this is a situation he feels should not necessarily happen:-
"I still think the whole situation regarding the play offs should be looked at as far as the Gretna situation. We do not know what league Gretna are going to go in and I think we should have contingencies for that. There are all sorts of rumours that they will go bust at the end of the season.
"Personally I think if the season finished now I think Stirling Albion should go into the play offs because it's the First Division that are losing a team in terms of Gretna not coming down. I do not think the Second Division should benefit, the First Divisions teams should first of all get, not the benefit of it but the fairest way is everybody is pushed up one."
"It is the first time for a long time that results have gone for us but we still have a lot to do.It is not finished yet. It could well go down to goals.
"We could have scored more but if somebody had said to me before the game that we would win by three I would have snapped their arm off. I can't complain, I thought the effort from number one to number eleven today was absolutely phenomenal. Every single player put a shift in and we are going to have to do it again next week.
"We haven't scored a lot of goals this season and there is only one in it (on goal difference between Morton and Clyde ). As the famous Brian Clough said "it only takes a second to score a goal".
" Dunfermline had a great chance at the back post and I was always conscious of the fact that the game could swing."
It was Darren Young who missed
With Morton and Clyde equal on points in eighth and ninth position in the league and their fixtures next Saturday away to Partick Thistle and at home to relegated Stirling Albion respectively, the confidence that his team can take into that crucial match next Saturday is boosted by the impressive victory over Dunfermline.
"It will be massive. That is what we have been trying to work on this week - keep believing that things will turn. I think today you saw that. The game plan today was to get at them as quickly as we possibly could. Try and get them on the back foot, try and be really positive. We started really positively as well.It worked for us today, it doesn't always work but today it did."
Views : 3,139