Managers Post Alloa Athletic
Saturday, 23rd Jul 202223/07/22: Link to audio of both James McPake and Brian Rice’s post match comments
- - Listen to this James McPake interview
Asked what his thoughts were after the 1-1 draw at home to Alloa Athletic manager James McPake was quick to say that "We got what we deserved out of the game.
"We weren`t clinical enough. If you don`t take your chances you don`t win games of football. It`s as simple as that. Alloa, credit to them, were better on the ball than us.
“If we want to paper over it, which we are not going to do we could make excuses but we were ridiculously poor today all over the pitch. We got what we deserved and we`re out the cup.
"First half we were reckless on the ball. From minute one we were poor all over the pitch. Very negative like we spoke about after East Fife. I cannot say that we were better than Alloa, I cannot say the equaliser took the steam out of it. From minute one we were poor all over the pitch.
“I’m not going to come up and lie, I am going to tell the truth and we were poor and got what we deserved out of the game which was not enough to take us through in the cup.”
How do you pick them up from this?
“They are footballers, we get back on the grass at the start of the week, the league starts now, we are bitterly disappointed. I said at the start that I wanted to go through in this cup, we had a great chance to go through and we’ve cost ourselves a place in the cup, nobody else.
“Collectively we have cost ourselves a place in the next round of the cup but we will see how they react now because it’s a team that have been hurting from a relegation and you saw maybe a wee bit why but it’s our job as coaches and management team to pick them up and Alloa are back here next week?
"It`s a common occurrence, but it is something we are working on. You look at East Fife, you look at Buckie, you look at Ross County. What cost us from having a much better goal difference or what cost us from getting a result in Dingwall is the fact we are not ruthless enough to take chances. That has been the case throughout the whole of pre season and it’s frustrating and we`re working hard on it but we need to be better at it.”
A stern warning ahead of facing Alloa again next Saturday in League One?
“They are going to be a good side, that’s what it is going to be like. Every team in this league is going to be really tough and if they think otherwise or put on performances like that they will not be in the team.
“It is a pity at the minute that I have not got the tools to just go and swap it around as much as I would like. That’s the way it is and we have to deal with it. I have to take my fair share of today as well, but when you don’t put the ball in the net.
“Deniz has one save other than their goal. They were clearing balls off the line and making saves. It is like that old pass that nearly gets there and everybody shouts “good ball”. It’s not a good ball if it doesn’t get there and it’s not a good strike unless it hits the back of the net.
“Unless it’s a worldy save and I don’t think that there were many of them today. The goalkeeper did a decent enough job but we were poor in front of goal again.”
How do you get that sharpness in the final third into them?
“It is working with them and them believing that they can score goals. We have four very good strikers at the club, we have good attacking midfielders at the club. We are a threat from setplays but to be successful you have got to be ruthless and be horrible.
“We saw it against Buckie, it was a warning sign. After fifteen minutes it should have been 4-0 but we let them off the hook. It looks okay because you go on and win the game 5-0 but no. Ross County were ruthless today and they were ruthless last week with their only chance. They put seven past East Fife today.
“Thats the difference maybe from a top level team, a team at top of the leagues in Scotland from all the others. To be successful in any league or any cup you need to take your chances. Sometimes it one chance that you make in a game, but for us unfortunately there has been double figures in terms of chances and certainly clear cut chances in every game that we have played and I include Ross County in that.
“We have not been clinical enough and that’s from the whole team not just the strikers, the full team. When you are not doing that right you are susceptible to conceding an equaliser. 1-0 is horrible at the time particularly when you are creating chances.
“It is frustrating that the goal came from another setplay. It is something that we are working really hard on. It is early, our ideas are getting across but at the minute it is not quite where we want it to be. That was always going to be the case we are just in the door.”
- - Hear Brian Rice post match comments
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