Managers Post Partick Thistle
Saturday, 7th Aug 202107/08/21: link to audio of both managers post match comments
- - Listen to Peter Grant`s post match comments
Dunfermline manager Peter Grant felt that his team’s performance against Partick Thistle had been very poor.
“There were goals we lost to set plays, it has been a bit of a bugbear. We have suffered from them before. We spoke about it prior to the match and I think that was the more disappointing thing because we knew exactly what was going to happen. One of our players doesn’t do his job well and obviously it cost us dearly.
“That gets you on the back foot and the next one, I think Deniz (Mehmet) has got to do better. It has travelled a long distance, maybe the goalkeeper will say no but then again the defender does the wrong job, he goes and gets caught up in the muddle and you end up losing your player.
“We hadn’t started well anyway and the bottom line is when you lose goals on top of that at important times, it is very very difficult against a good side. Great credit to Thistle they played the game really well and thoroughly deserved their victory.”
The goals allowed the visitors to get their tails up and Peter agreed that gave the visitors confidence:-
“When you are playing really well and you get goals out of nothing of course it gives you confidence. We hadn’t started well but there was still nothing in the game. I felt that we were a bit slow with our passing and once we did that it allows the opposition to get near you.
“We weren’t aggressive enough in everything we did, we weren’t competitive enough and as I’ve said it is alright having good footballers but when the opposition has” got the ball you have got to go and take it off them. Fair play to Thistle they did that and we didn’t do that well enough. We looked lethargic in everything we did.
“We started the second half the first five minutes in the way that we are all about. We got one cross in and then all of a sudden we get another one in. We had six crosses within the first five or six minutes of the second half and I think we had only two in the first half.
“The bottom line is that you have to play with intensity. It is your home game, you have got to set the tone of the game. We just didn’t do that. I know we gave the setplay away but to do it in the way that we did and start the way we did puts you on the back foot and makes it really really difficult.”
Was it more disappointing on a day when the new owners were in attendance?
“The players were well aware that the new investors were here. It is fantastic to see them because we know that they have had a difficult time getting over here. We would have loved to have given them something else to enjoy but we are delighted to see them and it is a big part of the club moving forward hopefully but we know that it makes everybody happy if you get results on the pitch.
“If you have the shop and you are selling jerseys it is all about how the team plays and how the team wins games of football. We are not stupid about that. We have to get the performances right on the pitch.
“Last week I was disappointed with the first half, today the full game - part of the second half we were okay, just okay that is all I would say of that. The two league performances have not been up to the standard that we showed I n the cup, that has been disappointing.”
Keeper Deniz Mehmet had a few nervous looking moments after losing the second goal. What did you say to him?
“Listen, I think goalkeeping is like that but if they are not defending right in front of you it leaves you vulnerable. I am very much aware of that. We know that he needs games and during the cup competition I have flipped him and Fôn which is important but everybody knows that they have got to perform. Everybody has got to perform, not just Den.
“We shouldn’t be giving the corners away in the first place (there were ten in total). There were two bad decisions and then we made two bad decisions in not picking our men up.
“If a goalkeeper makes one error he has no chance - he is done. But when you have spoken to players about it, that is more annoying than anything else. When you have pointed out the problem that could arise and they still don’t deal with it, that is more galling then anything else.
“I have a proud group of boys who are desperate to do well, gutted that they have let their fans down. That is the most important thing, we want to get supporters back in and we want them to be coming here to enjoy their football. We all go back miserable tonight. There is no getting away from that. It wasn’t a good enough performance and we have to get back on the horse - that is football - you get another opportunity around the corner.
“I have said to everyone, every game in this division is so difficult, there is only a bit of paper between everyone. You have to be on the top of your game, every game if you want to get something from it.
“If you are not playing well you have to make sure that you are going to fight harder than anybody else. You have to drive on yourself and not give away any silly setplays and silly goals away. Unfortunately we had a combination of all of that today.”
It doesn’t get any easier next week?
“I am not worried about next week yet. We will worry about tonight first!”
Maybe the only positive is the return of Ryan Dow?
“I am absolutely delighted. Young Karen (Gibson -physio) has been helping him really well since she has come in and got him back on the training pitch. We had to put the brakes on him a little bit because he was desperate to get back for pre season. Karen said no that is not the right thing to do.
“She worked really hard with him and we have had him in training for just over a week to ten days. Probably in the last five days he has been able to do the full training session with us and I thought he deserved that opportunity.
“His attitude has been brilliant, he is a fantastic player and we are delighted to have him back and available again.”
- - Hear Ian McCall post match comments
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