Dunfermline Athletic

Manager on Thursday

Friday, 25th Oct 2013

24/10/13: JJ - "We feel we've outplayed a lot of the teams and we haven't won, so that's the bit we have to put right.

JIM JEFFERIES

Before getting down to thinking about Saturday's match at Stranraer, Jim Jefferies had his players watch a re-run of the East Fife match on Thursday morning. He hadn't changed his view however that his team should have had their derby day rivals killed off long before giving them the opportunity to equalise and then go on to win:-

"I don't think they could even believe they got a result, but East Fife fought hard to keep it at 1-0 and we were maybe guilty again of a bit of inexperience when it matters..

"When it's at 1-0, you are always concerned a team could catch you out but you have to deal with that and we didn't deal with it as well as we should have.
We didn't keep them out for 15 minutes but they managed to keep us to one goal for over 70 and I stressed that to the players: it's a learning curve.

"If the second goal doesn't come, you still take 1-0 and you have to do the right things. But I don't think we changed our approach and as we tired and missed passes, switched off and didn't pick people up properly, all it does is give the other team a chance to cash in on the fact they've kept it to 1-0.

East Fife equaliser
East Fife's equaliser

"We allowed them back into the game and we got punished for it, so hopefully as we say it's a learning curve. I've sat here many times and said you can't fault the players for how they go about things, but they are putting all that effort to waste and the quicker they learn the better.

"We're guilty of not killing teams off - if we had got the second goal, it probably would have deflated East Fife that much that we probably would have went on to get three or four. But it didn't come and I think they celebrated the equaliser more than the winner because they thought that was them getting a point out of it.

"I remember playing in a game once at Hamilton when they retreated, just let us have the ball and weren't interested in attacking us, and it was similar last week. Wee Liam Buchanan had a thankless task up front and the only time they really threatened us in the box is when we gave a sloppy pass away. They cashed in on it and it didn't come to any goals, but as far as open play goes they just retreated and tried to make it as tight and as difficult as possible.

"To be fair, we got round about them a few times but we should have done better. It was a game we should have won but we've said it a few times.
It was the same with Arbroath when we should have won that one, we had chances up at Forfar and gave away bad goals, so we know where the problem is. A lot of it is down to that naivety and inexperience that young teams have."

Liam Buchanan
Liam Buchanan celebrates scoring the winner

The East Fife result was a real dampener on the Club after a momentous week in which Pars United had taken over full control. Thankfully within 24 hours the Under 20s had restored some of the feel-good factor. Jim Jefferies explained why:-

"We were lifted again on the Sunday. We had said to them: 'You've got to do your bit and hopefully the youths will do theirs on Sunday despite a tough draw at home to Dundee United who we know have got a good youth policy'. When you see the result that our young boys got and the performance they put in, it kind of made up for a little bit, but the first team is the main thing."

McMillans goal v Dundee United
Gavin McMillan scored the goal that knocked
Dundee United out of the SFA Youth Cup

The first team should have won the game and for the Manager that would have been the icing on the cake to a good week:-

" I think sometimes maybe nobody wanted it more than the players. The players themselves put enough effort in and I've never seen them as disappointed after a game because they knew they should have won - we didn't have to tell them.

"They knew that it was their fault and they knew they were sloppy in the last 15 minutes. We had a look at it on the video this morning again and we gave them a lot of space in the last 15 minutes, but sometimes that's due to a mental tiredness. It's not so much physically, but mentally you maybe switch off a wee bit. We didn't pick up runners and we left too many people free to have a shot at goal."

JIM JEFFERIES

Jefferies realises that the problems relate to youthfulness of his team and coming up against experience players in every opposing side. This is not an option he can enjoy and stressed his alternatives were the very opposite:-

"The only thing I can do is bring in even younger, and they'll maybe make the same mistakes - maybe even more. East Fife had Stephen Hughes, Gary Naysmith, Liam Buchanan - all players and one or two others who have played at a high level. In fact, there were two internationalists on the park because Gary and Steven have both played for Scotland.

"I'm not using that as an excuse, because we were the better side, but they know how the game can change and they know that if they keep it at 1-0 they'll always have a chance.

"They were probably talking on the pitch and keeping everybody focused on the task. We don't have that experience and that's probably the bit that's the most frustrating. It's not through trying to do the right things or the effort, that's all fantastic, but they have to learn fast that when you are getting into good positions you've got to see it through.

"We've scored five goals a couple of times this year, but we've just not capitalised on the opportunities we've had in certain games this year. The funny thing is, we've lost two games, six points, and we're only one point off second place so we could have opened up quite a gap. I knew that before the start of the season, that this will be an up and down season and it will be a hard season."

Saturday's trip is to Stranraer and that is not be the easiest away fixture for any side in the Division. Jefferies used the phrase that all managers use every away game "it's a hard place to go" but he said that in the knowledge that Stranraer made it a hard game against them at East End Park at the end of August:-

"We got a couple of late goals, but they said themselves that we were the best team they had played outside Rangers. We have not played Rangers yet but we can say that about most of the games; we feel we've outplayed a lot of the teams and we haven't won, so that's the bit we have to put right.

"So it will be a tough game but wherever we go, because of the scenario at the club, we're always going to have hard games. It's just a case of putting on the same level of performance but when we create the chances, take them, and make sure we don't make it as easy as we have done for some of the goals that we've lost."

Luke Johnston nets, 2-1
Luke Johnston's goal against Stranraer

The Manager confirmed that Jordan Moore out with a thigh strain. Chris Kane is suspended. Alex Whittle is the only other concern since he has not trained so far this week:- "It's a knock, rather than a twist or a tear, so we think he'll probably be alright. We'll see how it is."

Behind the scenes much has been happening this week but the gaffer was only keen to get on with the playing side of things. He added:-

"I think there are a series of meetings planned where they will plot the way forward and find out who is going to be doing what. We just get on with the playing side."

It was a closed doors match against the Nike Academy XI at Broxburn that prevented JJ from meeting up with Ross McArthur of Pars United on Thursday afternoon but they will meet up on Monday: -

"We've tried to meet a couple of times but things have got in the way so Monday suits us both. But I'm kept up-to-date with the phone or someone popping in and out again.

"They've got a lot on their mind to get sorted out and it has no bearing on the playing side other than that they are trying to organise who is doing what. When it comes to talking to me about the football matters we'll be doing that."

The talks that the Manager is not too concerned about is regards signing his contract:-

"I've said all along that it was agreed a few weeks back that we'd wait until they got in and sorted there's no problem. When it comes around to it, there's no negotiation, it's all been done, it's just a case of getting it out. I've said to them to get everything else organised first and then we'll deal with it when we have to."

The closed doors match at Broxburn Athletic's impressive Greendykes Road stadium was won by Dunfermline. Scott Mercer scored the only goal of the game in the final quarter of the match following a surging run down the right by Ryan Williamson that created an opportunity to cross.

2013-11-09 - Stenhousemuir web banner

2013-11-23 - Brechin web banner



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