Tell Him He's Pelé:
http://www.tellhimhespele.com/the-league-2-mid-term-report-card-2/
Seven matches: six wins; one loss. It has been almost a perfect start for the Red Lichties and there are signs that they could run away with the league title. There have indeed only been a handful of games played, which means that annointing them as champions at this stage could be a massive folly, but with the other teams consistently taking points off each other it already gives Arbroath a five point lead over their rivals.
At this moment, however, they do look like worthy title winners in waiting. A perfect away record is only sullied by an anomalous loss to East Fife at home, which momentarily knocked the Lichties back down to second place (but only for a week). With the best goal-scoring rate and merely the second best defensive record in the division, Allan Moore surely couldn’t be happier.
The key to their success thus far is in having two solid banks of four without possession of the ball and attacking with flair in the final third. The like of Kevin Nicoll epitomises the side’s sturdy pragmatism when defending, but the team’s story lies with their attacking opportunities.
In Bobby Linn, Moore has a winger who can turn a match on its head at this level. His slaloming run from inside his own half to carve Queen’s Park open and set up the late second goal in a 2-0 victory was as thrilling and decisive a dribble witnessed anywhere in the country this season. His willingness to cut in off the right flank with the ball and have a go at the opposition, between their lines of midfield and defence, causes untold havoc.
But it’s not all about Linn. Scott McBride’s crossing and attacking the far post from the left wing has balanced Linn’s dribbling effectively, while ahead of them Simon Murray has shown terrific technique to score excellent goals in his last two league appearances. That is complemented by Paul MacManus’s streetwise instincts inside the penalty area, but most excitingly they are all backed up by Dundee loanee Dylan Carreiro, who looks a tremendous talent. Carreiro was allowed to express himself in his first start against Clyde, and punished them for going down to ten men with a couple of excellent goals struck from just outside the penalty area. The Canadian is only signed on loan until December, but if Moore manages to extend Carreiro’s stay then it is difficult to see any other team keeping up with a side with so much danger from so many different angles.
Given that the manager has guaranteed goals among all of those, and with a relatively frugal defence, it bodes well for the rest of the season. It is reasonable to imagine Arbroath holding on to the lead at the top for a while yet. JAM