Queen's Park 1 - 2 Clyde (Scottish League Two) (09/08/2014)

Pole Position

Clyde’s impressive dominance of possession put them in pole position to draw first blood in this fixture however the first forty-five minutes were to be an ultimately frustrating opening to the season. Despite displaying the same rehearsal and awareness of objective that saw them make an auspicious start in the cup competitions, Clyde made a (bad) habit of playing their football in front of Queen’s Park and very seldom behind them.

Possession, Possession, Possession… Implosion

The frustration which no spectator could fail to notice – and which was especially evident after thirty minutes of play – morphed into disappointment and anger early in the second-half when Queen’s Park took the lead in the fifty-eighth minute through a very shoddily defended corner. Some may say that goalkeeper Jamie Barclay ought to have done better. In my opinion it would be masochistic of a goalkeeper to blame himself in such circumstances. Scott Durie, instead, must reflect on his error. Missing an ordinarily easily cleared first ball at Barclay’s near post, he gave his stopper only milliseconds react. Very few goalkeepers would have spared Durie’s embarrassment (above left: how the sides tended to square up through the first half).

Patience Wearing Thin

Clyde’s reaction to Queen’s Park’s goal was to throw off the shackles of their patient premeditated approach. This was done messily until the introduction of Michael Daly, seventy-six minutes in. Daly replaced a tired Scott McManus whose fitness evidently isn’t quite on a par with his teammates and provided Clyde with a more robust and energetic linchpin of attack.

A New Approach

Daly’s presence, in combination with replacement of Kevin Watt by Stuart McColm, and with the switching of Scott Ferguson onto the right flank, made Clyde a more direct threat to Queen’s Park. Gordon Young too, whose inclination to attack discharged the more destructive and conservative tendencies of Giuseppe Capuano, was another feature of a transformed Clyde.

Their mistake or your skill?

The pressure Clyde felt as time ticked on motivated them to increase the intensity of their attacks. Queen’s Park had spent most of the match thus far chasing play in order to stifle Clyde and looked the more sluggish side in the final ten minutes. The confluence of those facts in addition to Clyde’s sensibly revamped style eventually saw Queen’s Park’s stuffy defence give way (twice). A desperate attempt to thwart Scott Ferguson’s dart into the penalty area yielded a penalty kick which Ross McKinnon converted and with but a few minutes remaining David Sinclair picked out the fortunately unmarked Michael Daly with an accurate cross. He made no mistake from point blank range (above left: the horizontal channel which Clyde failed to exploit).

Under the Microscope

Clyde’s fixed midfield three didn’t offer a great diversity of ambition or talent. All three players have their strengths, it’s just that those strengths don’t complement one another or the side as well as another combination of strengths might. 

David Sinclair, for instance, is a good technical footballer. He shows good vision and passing skills. Giuseppe Capuano reads play quite well, gets in opponents faces and shuts off space smartly; he’ll win you the ball back and he’s not too rash about diving in. David Gray, like his namesake Sinclair, is another notably good technical player. He has the wisdom to know when play simply has to keep moving as opposed to Sinclair who perhaps seems more inclined to look for a penetrating pass.

Gray’s experience makes him the outstanding candidate for the sitting role, although he made the sort of error which a sitting player never should last week (getting caught in possession). Sinclair probably ought to be allowed a more adventurous role, whilst Capuano and Sweeney would seem to be interchangeable but for the fact that the latter is the captain and offers running into and beyond the forwards. Something Clyde could’ve done with yesterday.

Room For Improvement

Right-Back Scott Durie allowed his side’s defence to be undermined on his side. He was Clyde’s most ill-composed and wasteful player with possession and was almost singly responsible for the goal which they conceded.

Kevin Watt who is tenacious and gives Clyde a counter-attacking outlet does also make some bad decisions in possession. Having said that, he is often very isolated when he receives the ball and he doesn’t receive the sort of backing McKinnon gives to Ferguson on the opposite flank. In Stuart McColm Clyde have a more confident, experienced and inventive player than Watt but would sacrifice the very useful speed he brings if they replaced him.

John Sweeney would’ve offered something Giuseppe Capuano wouldn’t have in this match, and had he been available perhaps David Gray would’ve remained as the side’s sitting player. That arrangement might’ve brought better balance but whether it would have allowed Clyde to gain and defend a lead is debatable.

The Opposition

An interesting feature of Gus MacPherson’s tactics in this match was the distraction which Shaun Fraser (10) provided playing just behind Ross McPherson (9). There were a few occasions on which both David Marsh and Brian McQueen came out to intercept the deeper lying Fraser, lurking between them and Clyde’s David Sinclair. On all of those occasions they ventured too far from their comfort-depth and left their partner exposed to a QP attack (above left: how the sides were matching-up prior to full-time).

Ross McPherson unsettled Clyde’s centre halves in a way that most forwards aren’t able to. He appears to be a very canny and robust forward. His strength and positioning had Brian McQueen and David Marsh mistiming their leaps and committing to challenges which they couldn’t win.

Opinion

The horizontal channel between opposition sides’ midfield and defence must be exploited more prolifically by Clyde. Scott McManus could drop into it more often and from the middle of the park there has to be more investment in attacks. In my opinion Clyde need a new player to really turn the screw.

Though Clyde deserved to win this match they made it terribly difficult for themselves. If they are to win the league they’ll have to look more like a side that will take a lead and keep it and not a side that will fall behind and win by throwing the kitchen sink at an opponent. Leagues don’t tend to be won that way.

Clyde 1 - 2 Cowdenbeath (League Cup First Round) (02/08/2014)

A Stiffer Challenge

As a full-time outfit Cowdenbeath presented Clyde with a stiffer challenge than Ayr United had one week ago. The superior fitness of Cowdenbeath meant that they were able to close down and hurry Clyde much more effectively than Ayr United. Cowdenbeath were also determined to start this match at an exceptionally high tempo. In combination with the poor playing conditions, those facts about their opponents made things difficult for Clyde who favour playing the ball out from the back and keeping possession on the turf as much as possible (an indirect approach).

Holding Up a Mirror

In much the same way that Clyde were able to in their match with Ayr, Cowdenbeath played the ball out from defence and through midfield with ease. Their work-rate was impressive. John Robertson was Cowdenbeath’s most prolific linker of play between defence and attack. He dictated the nature of most of his side’s play within the opening thirty-five minutes and smartly worked possession into the huge gaps between Clyde’s wide men and full backs (Left: a picture of how things played out in the first thirty-five minutes).

A Word In The Ear

On around the thirty-five minute mark Barry Ferguson called his three central midfield players over to the touchline and gave them some fairly straightforward instructions. The first of which was that they should make better use of their possession. There were virtually no simple, conservative passes made by Clyde up until this point. The second instruction was that they should endeavour to close their opposite numbers down much quicker and more aggressively. Up until this point there frequently appeared a twenty yard gap on the pitch between the midfield lines of each side; Cowdenbeath had been picking up possession in midfield unfettered by any Clyde challenges and their midfielders would often dribble twenty yards or so before being confronted.

Taking The Edge Off

Ferguson’s wise instructions to his midfielders were taken heed of – that much was noticeable in the ten minutes which took the game up to half-time. Clyde held possession much more comfortably in those ten minutes and had Cowdenbeath chasing play for a change. Before half-time, Clyde’s 4-5-1/4-3-3 system which is designed to allow them a numerical advantage in certain areas of the field did just that. Cowden surrendered possession from a shy and after a skirmish on the right flank which drew in most of the visitors’ midfield, David Gray, Clyde’s unmarked sitting player, snatched the loose ball with devastating technique, giving Cowden’s goalie no chance, even from twenty-five yards (Left: How Ferguson's instructions changed the complexion of play).

 
Keeping The Edge Off

In the immediate aftermath of gaining a lead, an experienced side keeps their play sensibly safe until their opponent’s inevitable ‘rally-in-response’ simmers down. Clyde are not an experienced side and gifted Cowden an equaliser soon after the second-half began. David Gray was caught in possession in precisely the wrong place and within seconds the ball was with the unmarked Milne who equalised with a rasping drive, very similar to Gray’s opener for Clyde.

Clinching It

The remainder of the match was played out largely in Cowdenbeath’s half and Clyde retained possession fairly well without being incisive. Gordon Young’s replacement of David Gray meant that Sinclair was appointed to the holding midfield role. Elsewhere, Scott Ferguson was replaced by Stuart McColm who subsequently swapped flanks with Kevin Watt and gave Clyde useful width on their right-hand-side. 

None of Ferguson’s substitutions transformed Clyde in a way that made them look likely winners however. Young’s contribution was insignificant and he didn’t compete as well as Gray. Both he and - to a lesser extent - David Sinclair lacked perfect discipline in their newly taken up roles. John Sweeney took up more advanced positions in the centre of the pitch, often appearing to be a second centre forward for Clyde, playing with his back to goal. 

The logic of that innovation was obvious: Clyde hadn’t exploited the space between Cowdenbeath’s defence and midfield. Unfortunately it wasn’t a successful innovation as Sweeney’s positioning and ideas were largely anticipated by Cowdenbeath.

Stung

It’s a cliché that the side who keep possession but fail to notch up a comfortable lead tend to end up being punished for that failure. In this fixture Clyde were that cliché. Cowden’s winner came as possession broke up-field following a Clyde corner. Contrary to the intentions of Clyde’s tactics, they found themselves competing man for man with Cowden on the break. The rest is history, as they say.

Room for Improvement

David Sinclair ought to have done more to thwart Cowden’s crucial counter-attack. His positioning undermined his side’s defence. He probably shouldn’t be deployed as a sitting player, despite that position affording him more time and space to pick passes, something which does intelligently.

How likely did Clyde look to score from open play? Not very. They didn’t work the space between Cowden’s midfield and defence. Down the middle, they don’t appear to have a player who’ll overtake McManus and carve opponents open prolifically. Some might also ask if they’ve a forward who looks as though he’ll bury everything that comes his way? A real predator. McManus is an excellent player, in my opinion, but when he’s asked to do a lot of work without the ball it could detract from his ability to present in the six-yard-box. He’s also not quite as fit as he needs to be (above Left: How things looked at the close of play).

Experience

Finally, there is a case to be put for Ferguson playing himself. A half-time introduction in this match would’ve been ideal. Clyde would have profited from his ability to take the sting from a game. If that’s not possible then perhaps he will have to find another central midfield player to give his side the ballast it might sometimes lack.

Clyde 2 - 0 Ayr United (Petrofac Training Cup First Round) (26/07/2014)

Tactics

Clyde again executed an interesting and dynamic formation in this, their first competitive fixture of the season. It was filled out by many of the same players whose performances within it recently yielded emphatic success at East Kilbride; debutant Paul McManus performed in the role given to Pat Scullion then, and Ross McKinnon replaced Ryan Frances on Clyde's left-hand-side.

Clyde appear to have had a good education in the execution of their possession-volatile formation. Few were the distractions or incidences of carelessness which saw their shape permit a dangerous Ayr United attack. On occasion David Gray, the player chosen by Barry Ferguson to perform the holding midfield role, seemed to have his positional sense overridden by an impulse to join in a scrap for possession elsewhere on the field. A forgivable hallmark of inexperience in the context of this match however as Ayr lacked the quality to punish Clyde for Gray's positional indiscipline. (Below: How the formations matched up from the off - Clyde depicted in possession).

Flooding and Congestion

The most notable feature of Clyde's changeable formation was how it afforded them a numerical advantage in the areas of the field where possession was being led into or held. Attacks led by a single player soon featured three or four Clyde Jerseys in very advanced positions, equaling or outnumbering what defence Ayr could muster. In midfield Clyde always had the extra man/men and that was particularly apparent against Ayr whose midfield weren't very competitive in any case; slow to the first ball and scarcely interested in the second. Similarly, across the back Clyde almost always had two more players than were featured in any Ayr attack.

Use of the ball

As the awful footballing cliche goes, Clyde made the ball do the work for the most part. Aptly conservative/direct passing and movement made them look like an accomplished side, and prompt distribution from Jamie Barclay and from all of Clyde's defenders signaled obvious intent (Ayr really ought to have made it more difficult for Clyde to pass it out of defence). McManus looked for the ball whenever he could and intelligently so. Watt and Ferguson complimented his play with runs in and down from the flanks, whilst John Sweeney made several good, late runs into the box. He, Gray and Sinclair initiated counter attacks rapidly and are all due credit for their guile.

Beyond Doubt?

Even in a second half where Ayr were quite determined, if not intelligent or skillful about their attempts to undermine Clyde's defence, it held up without enduring much discomfort. Having said that, there were visible chinks in Clyde's armour which you might think exploitable, only by a better side. Scott Durie let Clyde's guard fall down his side several times and Clyde's central midfielders never really wrestled possession from Ayr after Donald moved forward to replace the ill-deployed Brian Gilmour. Perhaps Clyde will find an opening for a central midfielder with the ability to take the game by the scruff of the neck, so to speak.

                                                              Indecision

Clyde were visibly in two minds about going on to net a third goal. Poor passes from advanced positions and whilst under little pressure gave that much away. If Clyde are intent on promotion it will be important for them to see games out. Conceding possession in midfield or whilst counter-attacking won't assist in the achievement of that objective. Simple inexperience was the root cause of Clyde's indecision today and in Barry Ferguson they couldn't hope to have a better cure for that ill. Will he have the nous to use his experience as a player in circumstances requiring of it? (Left: How the formations matched up with the XIs that finished the 90 minutes - Ayr depicted in possession).

East Kilbride FC (1) v Clyde (4) (Pre-Season Friendly - 12/07/2014)

Tactics

(First-Half)

Ferguson’s eleven filled out a changeable formation the likes of which we’ve saw The Netherlands use at this year’s World Cup. At a glance it can resemble a 3-5-2, 4-3-3 or even a 3-4-3. Call it what you will. Having versatile players and being able to outnumber your opponents is crucial to the success of the formation and Clyde checked both of those boxes yesterday. There were signs of rehearsal, too.

Fitness

East Kilbride matched Clyde’s intensity for the opening twenty minutes or so but thereafter struggled to retain possession. As the cliché goes, the ball done a lot of the work for Clyde. Anchoring midfielder David Gray moved it around cleverly and allowed his team-mates to invest their energy in attacking East Kilbride.

Movement

Some looked for the ball more than others. Frances was Clyde’s most frequent exporter of possession from defence and showed up well. Ferguson took the baton from him frequently and more frequently still Kevin Watt disorganised East Kilbride’s backline by making runs across it. Scullion’s contribution to the match was negligible and easily bested by that of Daly and Graham in the second half.

Improvement?

(Team which finished the match).

Experience tells you not to read too much into a friendly match and so everything under this heading is qualified. The space through the middle of the pitch wasn’t heavily exploited by Sinclair or Sweeney. Very few runs up to or beyond the strikers were made and the burden of creativity rested heavily with Clyde’s forwards and wide-men. Hardly an undue burden against a side like East Kilbride but against stronger opponents some might ask why a side with three central midfielders leaves it to their forwards and wide-men to really turn the screw.