‘Well assistant manager James McFadden believes there are lots of positives from last weekend’s loss to take in to Saturday’s clash with Kilmarnock.
After conceding a last minute goal to lose 3-4 at Fir Park against Celtic, McFadden admitted the performance was encouraging.
Speaking to the press this morning, he said: “We can take loads of positives from the game – the first half performance especially where we played well and deservedly took the two-goal lead.
“It was great for the younger players especially, to show that we can compete on our day against anybody.”
He added: “We have made mistakes which cost us goals, it’s nothing to do with our style of play, we’ve been playing well but ultimately we’ve been making mistakes which have cost us, so we need to cut them out.
“Even the games we’ve lost and lost comfortably in terms of the scoreline, we’ve ben playing well, so if we keep playing the way we have been with the intensity and the quality of our passing then we’ll be fine, we just need to get the consistency of cutting the mistakes out.”
[pullquote]We have made mistakes which cost us goals, it’s nothing to do with our style of play, we’ve been playing well but ultimately we’ve been making mistakes which have cost us, so we need to cut them out.[/pullquote]
Kilmarnock come in to the match on the back of a 5-1 loss away to Aberdeen on Tuesday night, but McFadden knows the Steelmen have to be well prepared on Saturday.
He said: “By all accounts Kilmarnock started the game well the other night and the scoreline probably flattered Aberdeen a bit so we need to be ready for the best Kilmarnock turning up and we’ll make sure we’re at our best too.
“We don’t make mistakes every week but generally when we concede a goal it’s down to mistakes or things that we could’ve done better rather than good play against us.
“The team will be set up the same way, the instructions will be the same and it will just be a continuation of what’s been happening anyway.”
On the back of a much-discussed match against Celtic, the assistant boss clarified the talking points between the coaching staff of both clubs.
He said: “Celtic were warming up in the wrong area, there’s a portable goal provided which by the rules they have to use – we use them at every stadium we go to and every team that comes here uses it, and Celtic refused to use it.
[pullquote]Our pitch is one of the best in Scotland at the moment and there’s a reason for that and we want to keep it that way. We spend a lot of money and time on that pitch.[/pullquote]
“They didn’t listen to our groundsmen so the manager went up and told them they had to move and they weren’t happy.”
He added: “There was no animosity during the game at all and then at the final whistle Chris Davies comes up and doesn’t shake hands after the game which for me is a lack of respect.”
The ex-Everton star continued: “A lot has been said about how the manager reacted but we’ve been to Parkhead, lost 5-0 and took it on the chin, we’ve went up we’ve shook hands and we’ve said well done you were the better team.
“Chris Davies decides not to shake hands, to put his face in other people’s faces, which is a lack of respect regardless of whether you’re the assistant manager of Celtic or anybody else.
“Our pitch is one of the best in Scotland at the moment and there’s a reason for that and we want to keep it that way. We spend a lot of money and time on that pitch.”