01 Mar 2026 14:38:04
Rohl had to make the changes because hatate was controlling the midfield and we lost control of the game. I'm not having a go but the bottom line is we lost the game because we lost 2 headers in the 6yard box, we need to defend better than that!
01 Mar 2026 15:41:33
There have been numerous posts on this site over recent years decrying our defence and inability to deal with anything in the air in the box. Year after year, we utterly fail to deal with it, and we continue to fail.
The manager must take his share of the blame for the 2nd half today, but Souttar cannot deal with the high ball, yet we offer him a new contract. Why, just why, can't we sort this?
01 Mar 2026 15:41:40
Hatate was allowed to control the game because we sat off. The change Rohl made, Dio for Naderi, had no effect. It was a pointless sub and it actually hindered us because we had no way of keeping the ball up top, which allowed Celtic to continually attack us. We can't defend under constant pressure or high balls.
01 Mar 2026 15:42:20
Agree, Alloa. He should have changed sooner.
Disappointing after playing so well in the first half. We just don't look like we know how to defend a lead. We have not defended our box well in recent games, and it has cost us big time. Especially disappointing for big Youssef, great couple of goals deserving of winning any game.
The result is all that matters, but still a lot to like today, balanced by what we need to do better.
Result is meh for both; changes nothing, still all to be played for.
01 Mar 2026 15:50:31
Same as the last two games, Alloa, and pretty much since we went back to a back four, there was a reason we went to a 5 when Rohl came in.
It's the way it led to their second that upsets me. We had a warning when Maeda missed one just before, and there he is, in the middle of the goal again, with Sterling picking him up.
Need to watch it back to see where our two centre halves are. Very poor, as one should be positioning themselves in the centre.
01 Mar 2026 15:53:50
Ar9, John Souttar has been our weakest link for too long now. He lacks the football intelligence to play for us. He will put in a shift every day of the week, to his credit, but he is very naive.
01 Mar 2026 16:06:56
So why is he playing with a project player next to him, who is in his first season at the level? He has done okay, but should it not be someone more experienced.
01 Mar 2026 21:10:55
We needed to keep possession in the second half but the players panicked kept on losing possession and yes Butland kicking is poor I also thought their penalty was poorly struck and should have been pushed wide.
01 Mar 2026 14:24:49
A Jekyll and Hyde performance today. 1st half was brilliant exactly how I love to see us play, good football, hard working off the ball, organised and committed.
Second half has a disaster, and imo it's on Rohl, exactly the same as how well performed against Motherwell second half, sat in allowed them space and time to dictate the ball.
Once they gained momentum we were all over the place. We as a team cannot sit in and defend that was clear as day for everyone to see. Just my opinion guys but that 2nd half has cost us massively. Bitterly disappointed today.
01 Mar 2026 14:29:22
I remember listening to a Shef Wed podcaster when Rohl came in, saying you'll never get two good halves of football. Seems he wasn't far off.
01 Mar 2026 14:29:26
Feel we ran on fumes in the 2nd half because of the high intensity of the 1st half. If Rommens scores that one at the back post early in the 2nd half, then the game is out of sight. Unfortunately that's not what happened and instead gave them hope.
01 Mar 2026 14:30:16
Agreed.
01 Mar 2026 14:30:54
💯, We don't know how to defend and see out games. That's on the manager for sitting back.
I would also add that the number of times Butland gave up possession when he had a pass on was unforgivable. Also, (not seen it back yet, so maybe wrong) a forward shouldn't be getting a free header inside 3rds when the ball is stood up like that.
01 Mar 2026 14:31:22
Only instruction Rohl should have given at half-time is - no change - go out there and do that again.
We needed 3 points today.
01 Mar 2026 14:37:56
'It's on Rohl' is a recurring theme over the last few weeks, and I agree with the comment.
His inexperience is starting to show.
01 Mar 2026 14:49:56
Well said, guys. I've been scunnered by Danny Rohl since before the Motherwell disaster, with his poor choice of teams and poor subs. Same again with Livingston (on him, cost us points; we should be 9/10 clear of Celtic). Then today he picks the right team, but whatever he does at half-time, please tell him to stop it. If we had been 2-0 against them, they would have buried us.
We will remain second. Great result for the Jambos today and Del Boy. Even at 2-0 up I had a major fear and wasn't enjoying the game as much as I should. I am sad to say, with Danny Rohl we won't win this league. I'm away to make Sunday dinner, Cottage Pie, my wife n daughter favourite, but I'll have the bitter taste in my mouth for a long time.
01 Mar 2026 14:53:36
You can't defend a lead with players like Souttar. Fed up saying it, but it's true.
We bottled that today.
Can't see us winning the league now, we need teams to do us a favour, or we could be 4th come our next league game. 🤦♂️
Looks like we aren't better than that bang-average Celtic team. Well, we weren't today.
01 Mar 2026 14:56:52
Said before that big Souttar and Fernandez are not at the level we need if we want to win leagues, and it was on the cards that they would put us under pressure in the second half, so you would expect crosses to come in, and that should be meat and drink for them; instead, it causes chaos.
Added to that, we couldn't keep it, and that's where we lack that ball-playing midfielder that can slow things down and keep it simple.
The two up top, with lots of pressure, worked in the first half, but when we tired, and that was expected, we can't rely on our back four to keep it watertight.
Six goals in the last three games conceded is not good reading.
Honestly, I felt we were so poor in that second half. If they scored their equaliser a bit earlier, then likely they would have won.
01 Mar 2026 15:00:26
Souttar is a liability. It has been obvious for too long.
01 Mar 2026 15:02:11
Remember, this is a bang-average Rangers team, also with a good but scary manager.
01 Mar 2026 15:07:33
First half was blistering - a performance worthy of champions.
Second half pathetic. The fact it led to 2 points dropped = 3 draws in 5 games, means that's not title winning form in the run-in.
After Celtic skelp Aberdeen, we'll be third and Rohl's press conference comments will come back to haunt him.
If we can't beat Celtic at their place, we'll finish 3rd. If we can't overcome the mighty low block, there's a chance we finish 4th.
01 Mar 2026 15:08:59
Storm, I don't pay attention to those comments anyway. It never plays out that way; most new on here thought it was going to be a difficult game.
Agree, Souttar was missing in the second half, lapses far too frequent in his game.
01 Mar 2026 15:09:33
I agree with you here, Storm. I felt we didn't defend well in the 6-yard box, and that cost us. Not sure Rohl did a lot wrong. Nobody calling him out after 50 mins?
01 Mar 2026 15:14:41
2nd half is a sore one, especially given the first half performance. It's not all doom and gloom for me. We made them look absolutely pedestrian in the first half; pity we gave them encouragement to come at us - it changed the game.
Still, all to play for. We can win the league!
01 Mar 2026 15:39:37
Boab, we won't win the league - 6 points with 9 to play is too much. Hearts are just too consistent, and don't write off that mob either.
01 Mar 2026 15:40:49
For the record, lads, I'm not here saying Rohl is out or anything crazy like that; he's been a breath of fresh air for us and has done an outstanding job given the mess he has had to deal with. Maybe a bit naive today and in other games, I don't know?
All I know is in 2 big games, Motherwell and them, we have had a lead, and in both the second halves completely imploded.
I don't like the fact we go ahead and then tinker to sit in and defend.
01 Mar 2026 14:37:35
Same Rohl who set them in the first half, and I bet you weren't complaining at half time. Celtic changed and Rohl brought Dio on to counter it. For all I like Dio, I thought he was completely off the pace.
Not being strong enough to defend our 6 yard box against midgets like Tierney, Mandarin and Braga against Hearts has cost us.
Im starting to think Storm is right about Souttar
01 Mar 2026 16:01:16
RFC, for me, it highlights where we are still lacking: solid centre halves, a right back, a passing midfielder, and a couple of others. It comes back to haunt you over a season. He has steadied the ship, and January has brought in three players that improve us, not including the loan. I've always felt another two windows to see what shape we are in then.
01 Mar 2026 17:20:47
Bazbear, I'm not quite sure if it was their changes that made a massive difference or the fact that we sat off them and didn't press like we did in the first half. Hatate is decent, but he's no Zidane.
Still, in the Motherwell game we were ahead against 10 men and sat in. It cost us.
Today we were ahead and playing brilliantly, came out second half and were nowhere near it. It cost us.
Against Hearts, we had to go for it as we fell behind, played to our strengths, and attacked.
We pumped them.
When Rohl sets the team up to attack like today, we can play some really good stuff. I just don't see how or why he has the knack to sit on a lead. Aye, maybe with 15 or 10 min to go sit in a bit, but for me we should always play attacking football and play to our strengths.
In the 1st half, Rohl had us playing like champions.
The second half, we played runners-up.
01 Mar 2026 19:31:01
Rfc, I'm not totally convinced he sent them out to defend 2nd half. They started brightly, then Celtic's extra man in the middle gave them the upper hand. There was a moment when Chermiti tried a back heel on the halfway line, and Celtic countered, and we started to move further back from then.
01 Mar 2026 22:15:43
Maybe he didn't, mate. Who knows, it might have been on the players; possibly fatigue played a part after putting in a big shift in the first half. The Hatate sub changed things in the middle, but it's on Rohl to adapt the team to match up and adjust.
I get he tried to do that with the Dio sub. It clearly never worked. We looked shot after 50 minutes, and were out-fought and out-worked by a team who just played midweek. That shouldn't be happening.
Rohl likes to defend a lead.
It's happened numerous times this season where we have been ahead and tried to defend, and it's turned out to bite us in the bum. Seems like today was more of the same.
I don't think the league was lost today. I think that was done dropping points to Livi, Well and Hibs, and obviously the Martin Era, but we have given ourselves less of a chance and a mountain to climb.
We are still thereabouts; hopefully we can pull this off. I believe we can, it's a big ask tho. No surrender.
01 Mar 2026 22:43:57
You make a lot of sense Rfc,
Defending the lead and keeping the zero is a very European thing, and TBH, if they did it we'd be lauding them tonight. I put it down to the players. You've got to beat Tierney and Maeda in the air.
01 Mar 2026 14:03:02
outcoached again. the half time changes between the 2 teams cost us the full points. sorry Danny but this ones on you with your unnecessary half time tinkering.
01 Mar 2026 14:30:11
Danny outcoached them at the midden though. It's swings and roundabouts. We are still in it.
01 Mar 2026 14:32:57
That was the problem Deecee, Rohl didn't tinker with the team. He simply didn't react to their halftime substitutions. They got a goal back, and were on the ascendancy before Rohl changed it. Too little, too late. He invited them onto us, and it has cost us.
01 Mar 2026 14:54:16
Are you trying to convince yourself, Ot, as you came saying the same thing on these posts.
01 Mar 2026 14:59:32
We needed fresh legs, as we only used 2 subs, and when Naderi and Olsen went off, we lost any offensive threat.
The only winner today was Hearts, unfortunately, but we are still in the title race.
01 Mar 2026 15:24:07
If we win the league, will this be the worst team to do it? I see the Tims are saying the same thing.
As I posted about two weeks ago, the overhyped Rohl will be gone by Christmas. Personally, I wouldn't give him cash in a July.
01 Mar 2026 15:25:25
Agree, Copland. Moore especially was spent, as he put in some shift in the 2nd half. Changes should have been made at half time. It is what it is, though. We move on and see what happens. Still in it, like you say, but definitely another successful weekend for Hearts.
01 Mar 2026 15:28:01
Yet, according to some, Naderi offers nothing, and Olsen was poor. I sometimes wonder if they actually watch the game.
01 Mar 2026 15:34:36
Mikey Moore dropped off in the second half, but you can't blame the lad, as he was the top performer in the first half.
01 Mar 2026 15:46:14
Fork, Naderi had a very good first half, mate. Olsen does plenty without the ball, he was much better today. Both were getting tired early in the second half. I still can't believe, after the first half, that the game ended in a draw. Sickening.
01 Mar 2026 16:18:36
Agreed, Star n Olsen got a knee in the head too, thought Naderi worked his socks off, and Olsen done enough for me, not 100% yet and another assist.