The Falkirk FC Thread

[bejazz1]

He won't. He's done, has been for 18 months.

You can never predict, football is a funny old game as they say but he is getting older, good strikers need pace and he has none, don't know how he is able to turn around his hustling bustling style into what we as a team need, a striker who can net 20 plus per season, l can't even see how we could use him as an impact player.

It's clear to me his time is up I'm afraid.

IF we want to well this league we need much better, brutal I know but that's reality. We need to spend some cash, it's as simple as that Austin, O Hara and Shepherd are not the answer either, they'll play their part but we need more

[Rugster]

7 hours ago, JessieField said:

Please keep Baird and Muirhead for next season.

Just because they had a three's up with your missus, let it go mate.

[wullie robb]

Houston I expect will have one hand tied behind his back regarding budget.

The Falkirk board have never shown before that they are willing to spend any money, even in the times the club did make good figure's from the sale of player's. 

Falkirk have a core of player's on contracts that will limit Houston to what he can look at and I'd expect he will end up trying to fill gaps with experienced older player's that are on the way out, or perhaps watch a few videos of some nomad that plays in the fifth tier of some foreign league and think he's the answer.

The Golden key to winning the league is held by the Director's of the club, it remains to be seen if Houston will be given the funds needed to build a squad capable of winning the league. 

I for one don't think the board have any intention of upping his budget, and if Untd stay put this year and other clubs strengthen squads St Mirren for one, Third would be my shout at best ? 

[Believe The Hype]

14 hours ago, Shadwell Dog said:

Thank you. Some sense at last. 

 

At the moment I would have:

 

Thomson in goal

Gallagher,  grant, Muirhead,  new right back

Hippo, Craigen,  new centre mid,  mckee/new right mid.

Austin, new striker

That would be the basis of my starting 11 for next season and presumes that sibbald will be away.

 

Struggling with your left and right a bit there shadrack ?

11 hours ago, MrDust said:

Yep, we should be signing players for the bench only, that's the way forward

Christ, you really are missing his point completely to suit your non argument aren't you John ?

[RichieBairn]

IMO we need to buy another striker or preferably two. Austin is still very raw and inexperienced and has potential, that is all, O'Hara and Shepherd have done it for the U20s but still haven't proved anything yet in the seniors. McHugh has gone and Baird and Miller are past it, Miller good as a late sub but that's about all. Think Dundee Utd's Simon Murray showed me the other night what we have been missing for a few seasons now!! As everyone says depends what funds the board are willing to release!

[Shadwell Dog]

5 minutes ago, Believe The Hype said:

Struggling with your left and right a bit there shadrack ?

Christ, you really are missing his point completely to suit your non argument aren't you John ?

Would've been fine if I'd put the strikers first

[Disco Duck]

It was 20 years ago today...

[thelocalcat]

9 hours ago, JessieField said:

Please keep Baird and Muirhead for next season.

Why do you care? Your lot will be mid-table dross as per.

[Russ]

Houston I expect will have one hand tied behind his back regarding budget.
The Falkirk board have never shown before that they are willing to spend any money, even in the times the club did make good figure's from the sale of player's. 
Falkirk have a core of player's on contracts that will limit Houston to what he can look at and I'd expect he will end up trying to fill gaps with experienced older player's that are on the way out, or perhaps watch a few videos of some nomad that plays in the fifth tier of some foreign league and think he's the answer.
The Golden key to winning the league is held by the Director's of the club, it remains to be seen if Houston will be given the funds needed to build a squad capable of winning the league. 
I for one don't think the board have any intention of upping his budget, and if Untd stay put this year and other clubs strengthen squads St Mirren for one, Third would be my shout at best ? 

Next season I'd imagine we could easily have the biggest budget in the league if Dundee Utd go up. Or if not their certainly won't be a lot in it between a few teams.

All this pish about the board needing to release funds is absolute nonsense. We should be living within our means and quite rightly so. Houston will be given one of the biggest budgets in the league next year and if he chooses to waste that on dross like Henderson, Shepherd, Kidd or Kerr and Baird who are now way past their best then that is not the boards problem but solely down to Houston.

[Shadwell Dog]

7 minutes ago, Russ said:

 

Next season I'd imagine we could easily have the biggest budget in the league if Dundee Utd go up. Or if not their certainly won't be a lot in it between a few teams.

All this pish about the board needing to release funds is absolute nonsense. We should be living within our means and quite rightly so. Houston will be given one of the biggest budgets in the league next year and if he chooses to waste that on dross like Henderson, Shepherd, Kidd or Kerr and Baird who are now way past their best then that is not the boards problem but solely down to Houston.

 

A lot depends unfortunately on these rumoured contract clauses that Baird and Kerr are meant to have. If they do indeed exist then some of our budget will already be taken up and that surely is nothing to do with Houston and all to do with who on the board sanctioned these ludicrous clauses. If this isn't  the case and its simply Houston keeping these players on then he indeed needs to take the blame.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, wullie robb said:

Houston I expect will have one hand tied behind his back regarding budget.

The Falkirk board have never shown before that they are willing to spend any money, even in the times the club did make good figure's from the sale of player's. 

Falkirk have a core of player's on contracts that will limit Houston to what he can look at and I'd expect he will end up trying to fill gaps with experienced older player's that are on the way out, or perhaps watch a few videos of some nomad that plays in the fifth tier of some foreign league and think he's the answer.

The Golden key to winning the league is held by the Director's of the club, it remains to be seen if Houston will be given the funds needed to build a squad capable of winning the league. 

I for one don't think the board have any intention of upping his budget, and if Untd stay put this year and other clubs strengthen squads St Mirren for one, Third would be my shout at best ? 

Not convinced either St.Mirren or Dundee Utd have cash to spend. The windfall Utd will get if they sell Robertson has already been earmarked to get their debt down. They lot £1.5m in the last year of their Premiership season, what is this seasons loss?

St.Mirren have already said publicly they have to run a tight ship so they wont be throwing money at it.

As far as we are concerned I still think we will have at least the 2nd best budget in the league and maybe even the biggest if Utd go up. For me, if Houston is not given any more to spend he uses it more imaginatively than before. I do believe however he will get a bit more support. Not all in the summer but a bit then and more in January if we are there abouts. 

[PipoIsABairn]

37 minutes ago, Shadwell Dog said:

A lot depends unfortunately on these rumoured contract clauses that Baird and Kerr are meant to have. If they do indeed exist then some of our budget will already be taken up and that surely is nothing to do with Houston and all to do with who on the board sanctioned these ludicrous clauses. If this isn't  the case and its simply Houston keeping these players on then he indeed needs to take the blame.

If Houston believes they are past it he could be negotiating with them on the basis of "You can stay, as per your contract, but it will be bit part roles at best" and see how they feel about that prospect. Rankin left and went straight into the queen's team week in week out because he wasn't getting game time with us so clearly made the decision that he could get the contract and play in the first team elsewhere. This is not to say I don't question the bizarre decision, if true, to include these clauses in the first place but I don't think it's as simple as we have to keep them and play them because of that. I'm sure there are options should Houston decide they don't fit the plan anymore. 

[Shadwell Dog]

14 minutes ago, Back Post Misses said:

Not convinced either St.Mirren or Dundee Utd have cash to spend. The windfall Utd will get if they sell Robertson has already been earmarked to get their debt down. They lot £1.5m in the last year of their Premiership season, what is this seasons loss?

St.Mirren have already said publicly they have to run a tight ship so they wont be throwing money at it.

As far as we are concerned I still think we will have at least the 2nd best budget in the league and maybe even the biggest if Utd go up. For me, if Houston is not given any more to spend he uses it more imaginatively than before. I do believe however he will get a bit more support. Not all in the summer but a bit then and more in January if we are there abouts. 

United have already made some decent signings for next season. Keatings and King were both out of our price range according to Houston which is a wee bit disappointing and doesn't bode well for any thoughts of the wage cap being loosened so we can  get some quality in. At the end of the day I cant see United being anywhere near as poor as they were this season if they don't get up unfortunately. We'll know the size of St Mirren's ambitions if Rory Loy ends up there and we're stuck with John Baird.

[bridge of allan bairn]

Won't Inverness and Hamilton have large parachute payments meaning larger funds than their size would suggest?

[Shadwell Dog]

2 minutes ago, bridge of allan bairn said:

Won't Inverness and Hamilton have large parachute payments meaning larger funds than their size would suggest?

I don't think things are that rosy on the financial front at ICT. Hughes left due to budget cuts and they then appointed Foran on the cheap( mind you whoever gave him a 4 year contract must be needing a bed at Carstairs).  Their chairman has just resigned saying that due to budget constraints he had to do the job of chairman and CEO which seems amazing at a premiership club. I'm not sure what the situation is with their squad but I doubt they'll be splashing the cash. Hamiltons bod have always ran the club well so I'm sure they'll get absolutely everything out of whatever budget they would have if they end up relegated.

[Believe The Hype]

Both teams will be using any parachute payment to try and offset the losses of crowds coming to their stadiums and get through the season as opposed to strengthening squads in my logical opinion.

[FalkirkLad]

Shepherd upfront by himself next year and we will walk the league IMO.

[MrDust]

3 hours ago, Believe The Hype said:

 

Christ, you really are missing his point completely to suit your non argument aren't you John ?

Nope, I said I'd have freed both, I just wouldn't sign a striker strictly for the bench, well one that's 25 with a 2 goal return from the bench winning us 1 point and his abject displays from starting games.

I funnily expect our squad to be good enough to start, I'd keep Miller for that role, the main difference is he is 33/34 and has ability, he also will push our strikers at times to start games next season, not every week. He also will be helpful to coaching Austin and other strikers

 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Shadwell Dog said:

United have already made some decent signings for next season. Keatings and King were both out of our price range according to Houston which is a wee bit disappointing and doesn't bode well for any thoughts of the wage cap being loosened so we can  get some quality in. At the end of the day I cant see United being anywhere near as poor as they were this season if they don't get up unfortunately. We'll know the size of St Mirren's ambitions if Rory Loy ends up there and we're stuck with John Baird.

Keatings yes, King? Not convinced he is any better than they have

[Shadwell Dog]

15 minutes ago, Back Post Misses said:

Keatings yes, King? Not convinced he is any better than they have

Both have performed well at this level.