Livingston are apparently a robust, physical side. Their opponents will know that they’ve been in a game.
Except last night.
A cup semi-final place was up for grabs, decent bonuses for players and management against opponents who were booed off the pitch three days earlier despite winning the match.
Put in a few early fouls to let their opponents know that they are in for a tough night would normally be the message direct from the manager or from senior players.
On a vile night of storms at Ibrox 15,000 angry bears opted to say at home, it seems that David Martindale took the match as an opportunity to try out a much less physical approach to the game…
Livingston average 14 fouls per game this season.
22 fouls v Aberdeen
17 fouls v St Mirren
17 fouls v Celtic5 fouls v Rangers https://t.co/JhDHCVYvsL
— Lint (@Zeshankenzo) September 27, 2023
Against Celtic on Saturday Bruce Anderson and Mo Sangare caused the Celtic defence a few problems, Sangare made the run that led to Joe Hart being sent off.
Playing on the nerves of the home players and fans by going at the heart of Micky Beale’s defence would seem an obvious tactic, last night both strikers stayed on the bench until the 77th minute when their team was trailing 2-0.
He left Sangare on the bench last who was their best player against us and brings him on with 12 minutes left to play,Martinjail at the CHISLING games.
It will be a photo finish or possibly a dead-heat that the Poundland Escobar drug baron and the fresh fruit&veg man get their P45’s together.
I grew up in an era where a well used phrase was…ONCE A RANGER…ALWAYS A RANGER…and was used by players,staff and supporters…Martindale is a self-confessed Sevvo supporter…The defence rests its case M’Lud…
He’s cheating his own support who pay his wages
The sfa and the sfpl are not fit for purpose
Neither is our Board…Imo.
These stats are extremely ‘interesting’ indeed…
I thought that he might have a go given the circumstances to ‘impress’ his ‘potential’ Liebrox bosses but see what thought did (in Scottish Football anyway) – It pished the bed and blamed the blanket – and obviously his heart ruled his head this time and he couldn’t bear to see his beloved Sevco go outta The League Cup…
Oh – and the paragraph “On a vile night of storms at Ibrox” – very apt as vile is certainly a good word to be interlinked with that stadium and there have been plenty storms (and hopefully plenty more to come) in the 11years and 61 days that Sevco have been alive as a football club !
If I was the new owners of Livingston I’d be asking Martindale what he was playing at with his team selection and why he was so happy at the end of a defeat, he’d be shown the exit door giving him the opportunity to head to the Louden Toilet for a drink with the fans and then watch a game from the directors box letting the mooch know the next sevco manager was in the building.