Rovers lacked fight in Glens thrashing
Furious Carluke Rovers boss Mark Weir said his side lacked fight as they fell to a 9-3 friendly thrashing at Glencairn on Saturday.
Weir says players had their chance in different positions and has decided that he’s going to stop tinkering with the team and just stick to his starting XI as Rovers prepare for the new season.
The gaffer has given his entire squad a run-out after also drawing 1-1 with Lanark United on Thursday, and says those two games have told him all he needs to know about where they are.
And he warned his players that he’s looking for a massive reaction when they clash with derby rivals Lesmahagow on Thursday.
Weir said: “I’ve learned hundreds, to be honest, just from our defending, first and foremost. We had two trialists in, having a look at them and trying different things, which didn’t go down too well.
“But it was the manner of the defeat that annoyed me – there was no fight, no dig, and compared to Thursday night it was night and day, to be honest.
“I don’t know if that was because Thursday’s game was against Lanark and it was a derby match or whatever.
“The Lanark game is closer to what I’m looking for.
“Over the two games I was still giving all the boys plenty of game-time, so they’ve all had 90 minutes, they’ve all had their chance, but I know where we are now, after Saturday’s performance and also the result, which didn’t go down too well.
“I don’t need new players, I need my settled team.
“They’ve all had a chance, I was trying different things, guys who I thought could play in these positions and now I know they really can’t, so I’m just going to revert back to my starting 11 and work on things from there on.
“We have another friendly coming up against Lesmahagow on Thursday and I’ll be looking for a massive reaction, myself and [assistant] Kenny Neill included.
“We were tinkering with the team, trying guys in different positions and different formations and things and that hasn’t worked, so a reaction on Thursday starts from myself and from the players’ point of view I’ll be looking for a massive improvement.
“Lesmahagow is a team we know quite well, it will be a similar scenario to our Lanark game, and we’ll look at Thursday night and take it as it comes.”