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Former Newcastle striker Gayle obvious stand-in at No. 9
Find a stand-in striker to cover for the TWO centre forwards now sidelined through injury. And address a finishing deficit laid bare in dramatic fashion during one of the best performances of the season – in a game which yielded only a heavy away defeat.
It’s been a busy few days at HTC, as David Gray and his coaching staff look to turn potential into points – and chances into guaranteed goals. Without the services of Mykola Kuharevich, whose groin injury will see the Ukrainian join Kieron Bowie on the injured list for Saturday’s visit of Ross County.
With Dwight Gayle the obvious replacement for Kuharevich, but a number of other options being considered, Gray is working on sharpening up the finishing skills across the entire squad. After seeing his team squander a series of golden opportunities in last weekend’s 3-0 loss at Celtic Park, it only makes sense.
Gray, who explained his decision NOT to throw veteran former Newcastle forward Gayle straight on for Kuharevich against Celtic as a tactical decision, addressed the need for a direct replacement as he said: “Well, we've been playing obviously slightly differently anyway. We’ve played with a back five of late.
“You've still got Gayley who can play there, obviously, who's getting fitter every day. He came on and affected the last two games as well.
“So you've still got Dwight Gayle, Elie Youan can play there, Martin Boyle, Harry McKirdy, Josh Campbell, Rudi Molotnikov ... but probably the only real recognised one that's an out-and-out nine who could play himself potentially would be someone like a Myko or a Gayle type. I know Harry's done it previously, but the other ones are probably maybe better suited to a two or a front three.
“So there's just different variations in which we can do. We've still got a lot of attacking threats up there that we can just tweak to make sure we get the best out of them.”
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Asked if the absence of an out-and-out target man would force a change of tactics, Gray said: “I don't know, not necessarily, because I don't think even Myko has been that target or focal point. We never launch it to him anyway. It's more a way in which we play anyway.
“So I think it's just a different way of playing. As I said, Gayle’s done it all his career. Even Josh Campbell can go up there at times as well. He's demonstrated he can do that.
“It's not ideal when you lose two recognised strikers, Kieron Bowie and Myko, at this stage. But at the same time, we have got a big enough squad that we can deal with it.”
Many were surprised to see Gayle restricted to just eight minutes of game time against Celtic, with Kuharevich’s injury late in the first half prompting Gray to throw on Josh Campbell and move Elie Youan to centre forward. Nothing to do with veteran Gayle’s ability or availability, the gaffer insists.
“That was just purely tactical, nothing to do with fitness,” he said, adding: “Elie's position at times without the ball, as much as it was causing a threat going on, at times on the transition, was probably not what I was looking for from a without the ball point of view. So the change probably, the one change, solved two problems by bringing on Josh in that situation.
“Not a problem, so to speak, that’s probably not the right word, but just a tweak practically that I thought we needed to do. And obviously then, making a change that early in the game, I always knew I had Gayle to come on at any stage in the game, depending on how I wanted to change it again, depending on how the scoreline would go.”
The old adage about generals being condemned to fight the last war certainly applies to football coaches reacting to defeats. Every manager on earth will have responded to a game of missed chances by doubling down on finishing drills and, as near as possible, game-realistic tests for players.
“I don't think you can replicate the pressure of a game, but it does come down to repetition and practice, plus also just confidence in yourself, “ said Gray, the former skipper adding: “Players probably need to have the opportunity again.
“Obviously Myko's not been back on the grass because of his groin issue, but as I've said for a number of weeks now, if you weren't creating the chances or having the opportunities, there would be much more cause for concern. That said, it's clearly an area where we need to improve, because there's been such a focus on individual errors and mistakes.
“Not taking the chances at key times, especially the clear-cut chances, is every bit as much as an error. If we're doing everything right to the final bit, that's the most important bit in football, the last thing you do, whether you're attacking or defending; the last action you do at each time is the most important thing you do.
“I think you definitely want training to be enjoyable, so I always like to try and plan the sessions around what we're going to face at the weekend, to identify where we think they're weaker, or areas in which we can exploit and design a drill around what we're trying to achieve. Then it’s always good if that's got a finishing element to it, how we attack the box or whatever it might be.
“But it also needs to be fun and enjoyable, because then that gets them bright and bubbly, they get the confidence from that. And it can't be too simple either, because sometimes the hardest thing in the world to do is just put the ball in the back of the net.”
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