It was the manner of last Saturday’s win at Arbroath that drew manager James McPake into criticism of his players but he still feels that it was thoroughly deserved. It is the lack of consistency in performance that really provoked his unhappy post match mood:-
“Look, to be fair it was a bit of a rant and I was emotional after the game. Ever since the day that I got this job, I have said the one thing that will bring us success, however success is perceived, is consistency of performance. So to perform like that in the second half – they weren’t happy with it, myself and my staff weren’t happy with it, so it wasn’t for me just to come out and say we were brilliant to come up to Arbroath. No, we were decent enough in the first half but in the second half they threw caution to the wind and we conceded two poor goals.
“We weren’t at the races in the second half and it was a wake up call for everyone. Regardless if you are winning 3-0 or down 3-0 like we were at Airdrie last season at one point, you need to keep that consistency or as close to that. You need to keep fighting, you need to keep working, and we didn’t do that in the second-half. It’s how do we make sure that doesn’t happen for a half of football again, or a full game, or a 10-minute period, because you’re always going to have times in a game where the other team are better. You just get the shoulders out and work hard when that happens. In the second half, that just wasn’t quite there but it’s a one-off with that group.
“Probably deep down, as much you say I had a rant, Bene had a rant, Dave had a rant – I think Dick Campbell came out a cupboard and had a rant at us as well, we were that bad – and as much as that’s the case, you’ve still got to remember we’re still in a good place. The big thing is we’ve won three in a row. We were desperate to do that and we are desperate to make it four. That was the first time we’ve done it this season, so in that sense it’s a monkey off our back.”
Partick Thistle
Standing between four league wins in a row are third placed, Partick Thistle. Thistle come to KDM Group East End Park on the back of three wins of their own against Morton, Arbroath and Inverness Caley Thistle. James commented on his opponents:-
“They’ve hit a good run of form at the right time as well because they went through a wee spell. I think it’ll be a good game. It’ll be two teams coming to try and make it four in a row, so, watch this, it’ll be a boring draw!
“They’ll be looking to try and cement third place for themselves. They’ll be coming off the back of three good wins. They’ve got a big threat in Brian Graham as we know. I speak about him all the time; give him a second in the box, it’s a goal. He’s a player I’ve got real admiration for, for how long he’s scored goals, and he continues to do it.
“They’ve got some other good players in the team as well. We’ve been working on the game plan all week. We know where they can hurt us, they’ll know where they can hurt us as well, so I think it could be a good game.
“If Fitzpatrick’s on it, if Lawless is on it, Robinson’s a really good player that I like. I know that he has been in and out the team, but he’s played recently. I played against him when he was a kid at Hearts and he was a handful then. He’s a good player, and obviously they have Brian at the top end of the pitch.
“They’ve changed the way they’ve played. They’ve moved (Lewis) Neilson into midfield, and (Luke) McBeth to centre back as well, so they’ve made a few changes. They’ve got two very attacking full backs that just bomb on at every opportunity, so it could be end-to-end, two teams going gung-ho looking to make it four wins in a row.”
Player Availability
James gave updates on Miles Welch-Hayes, Paul Allan, Chris Hamilton and Ben Summers. He confirmed that midfielder Paul Allan who had to be subbed 18 minutes from the end of the match at Arbroath, has a hamstring injury that will be scanned today. “He was worried at the time but it is settling a bit and we will still get it scanned” added the manager.
Paul Allan had come on as a sixth minute substitution for Chris Hamilton, a substitution that was classified for concussion. James revealed that he made the call as he could immediately see that things were not right with his vice captain.
“He was arguing with me wanting to go back on but I couldn’t risk it. You are thinking he is a young 22 year old lad, he has his full life to live why would you take a risk? That’s why I think Chris Sutton is spot on every time I hear him talking about head knocks. I know I spoke about this last time, I don’t think it is taken seriously enough in football. You see rugby now has the mouth guards and alerts. I’m not saying go down that route but it just shows you they take it seriously. In football they just say it’s a head knock.
“Even if Hammy feels okay tomorrow, if the doctor or the specialist says no, then I’d rather be beaten by Partick and protect Chris Hamilton than beat Partick but have Chris Hamilton out there and then something bad happens to him. We have a duty of care to these players and their families as well that he has got to go home to and live the rest of his life with.
“Hammy was on the pitch today. We are going through a protocol and taking it day to day. He did a certain amount, up to an hour today. I’m just going by the doctor’s protocol. If he feels okay after today, he has a harder bike session to do and if he has no ill effects from that, then he has to header the ball tomorrow and then see the specialist person – the same specialist that Sam Fisher saw for his head knock. If that’s okay then Hammy will be available.”
Ben Summers has a problem with a back injury that his parent club, Celtic are treating. James is awaiting news from Darren O’Dea letting him know how the 21 year old is. “He was in yesterday and the day before, it is just a niggle in his back. It is frustrating for the kid because he gets to a point and then just feels it. It is another injury that I can completely relate to because every time we talk about an injury, I have had them. I have had three surgeries on my back. I feel as if I’m too soft when it comes to injuries and I protect them too much but then I think, no I don’t want them to end up like me!”
Better news about the on-loan Livingston player Miles Welch-Hayes who was left out of last Saturday’s match as a precaution despite travelling with the team.
“Miles will be back in the squad. He is feeling a pinch in his hip flexor from overstretching but he has trained fully today, he is ready.”
James McPake voted Glen’s Championship Manager of the Month
