1320Lichtie

Struggle to do what though? If you mean get promoted then I would absolutely agree but this is the record below of L1 finishes by relegated sides the first season after For last 5 seasons Relegated sides 2022/23 - Hamilton miles ahead in 2nd. Cove pushing for play offs and no danger of bottom half of table. Relegated sides 2021/22 - Dunfermline champions. QoTS just outside promotion play offs. Relegated sides 2020/21 - Alloa just outside promotion play offs. Relegated sides 2019/20 - Partick Thistle champions. Relegated sides 2018/19 - Falkirk finished 2nd and missed out on title by 1 point 7 teams 1st place finishes - 2 2nd placed finishes - 2 5th placed finishes - 3 (Cove could be higher)

It is pish compared to the Championship though - every week you’re up against a team the level of Falkirk or Hamilton or much better and they 2 have absolutely scooshed it ahead of everyone else. Montrose got pumped 7-1 off a Falkirk team who’d probably only be pushing for the play offs in this division. Cameron Gill, 54 year old Sean Dillon, Paul Watson and Hester make up the spine of a Montrose team who are challenging as best of the rest behind Falkirk and Hamilton. I am not saying for one second we will be world beaters or even a really good L1 team but we definitely have players at the club who should be good players for L1. Guys like McIntosh, Gold, Stewart and others would’ve also benefited big time from playing in the Championship for a sustained period of time.

I totally understand that - for me I think if the players commit to us (and in turn sign for us knowing McIntyre is the manager) then I’m absolutely happy to put trust in him for the new season and see how it goes. My biggest concern was that the players weren’t having him and the arse would fall out of the entire thing but if others follow on then I’ll get on board and trust that they’re behind him too

If Michael McKenna signs then I will happily admit I’ve massively overreacted and been an absolute fud - so seeing as I do that all the time the chances are looking good for that happening McKenna for 2 years would be so good - f**k it throw in an extension for Goldie too

In a complete 180 - I have more faith - fickle as f**k I know but Stewart signing on when Gold will be here too makes Gaston and McKenna and others more likely too sign on again in my opinion. Maybe even ToB will stay put but can’t make my mind up over that. Maybe a question for Wednesday, if they expect ToB to be here. If all of the above does happen I will shut my puss, not say a bad word and get behind McIntyre because at a minimum we should be ok next year.

We officially have signed up the best right midfielder / right back / left back / centre half in L1 next season

McKenna and Gaston - preferably Lyon but that’s my own preference I get that. Maybe Ricky too. Stewart is an absolutely brilliant start

YASSSSSS!! If there are another 3/4 like that then I’m all in for next season regardless of who is gaffer. This was my main concern What a man Scotty Stewart

Which is just fkn mental when you look at all the ‘FT’ guys they brought in from elsewhere that they have sent out to play for us I forgot about Ford and Bakare - funnily enough they were the first of this type of signing - right after we lost Joel Nouble back to Livingston who Livingston had picked up from the English non leagues… the start of the 2022/2023 season was also the start of the bus load of non league English trialists Must have been a coincidence

The question I would like answered - is why did we move away from what we done best? Signing decent solid part time pros in Scotland and building up a team and squad with them, moving to signing short term full time players instead. Pre this season (where I think we have people who fit the category above - Lyon / Steele / Slater / Murray / McIntosh) the only players we’ve still got signed at the club from Dicks 2022/2023 season are Jacobs and Ryan Dow (who signed in January 2023) - I think this is a big part of why we have struggled and why next season looks so daunting. I mean even Shanks as an example - he was signed for 2 year - now I don’t think Shanks was good enough to play in the Championship which is fair enough and understandable, but if we had loaned him out or kept him on the books, maybe used him as an impact sub he may have come on a lot as a player and ended up being a character and a part of the squad. Shanks would still be our player right now and would have been a good player to have going into a League 1 season. Like I said though he was probably not up to the level so maybe getting rid of him altogether was correct and fair…. however - the ‘Full Time’ players we have signed in attacking positions are absolutely not any better than what he was - we have had - Kareem Isiaka Daniel Fosu Deri Corfe Paul Komolafe Turan Kyle Robinson El Mhanni All come in - take a wage and f**k off. None of these players were ever going to be here for longer than 6 months / 1 year and while Shanks had his faults he was a better player than all of the above and we would have had the benefit of him becoming part of the group and forming bonds and a connection with the group of players here. Now that is just an example - but what I am trying to say is that we signed all of these ‘Full Time’ guys who we knew at the time would have only been here for a year tops instead of part time players in this country who could have potentially been a part of the club for 2/3/4… 10 years like others have. You obviously can’t hit with every one of these guys but there might have been 2 or 3 that become a part of the core. It all kind of ripped the arse out of any identity and togetherness we had. For me the only proper successes have been Bird and Adarkwa maybe has a case too however he was injured so often. Every single one of these other guys are and were no better than PT players in Scotland who could’ve become a McKenna or a Goldie. From what I hear too some of these players have been coming in and getting better wages than the likes of McKenna / Goldie which is shite and is bound to have rubbed some up the wrong way. I mean if their only source of income was Arbroath FC then they must’ve been getting at a minimum £20k odd for a year or £10k odd for 6 months which is naturally just going to be more than what PT players would be getting as they do not have FT jobs and salaries like the PT players. I do feel like this is one of the main reasons we are in a mess right now and I don’t mean relegated because we could’ve and would’ve ended up easily been relegated with just signing PT players too. I mean a mess as in having a squad of 6/7 currently signed up for next season and only a couple of them who have been here for more than a season. The list of players who were ‘Full Time’ and who we would’ve known had no long term future at the club when we signed them is as follows Daniel Fosu Kareem Isiaka Deri Corfe Sean Adarkwa Paul Komolafe El Mhanni Lewis Banks Florent Hoti Kyle Robinson Turan Norey Bird Now we have obviously learned our lesson this year and only signed 3 - but see all the PT guys we’ve signed this year that are signed for next year they are going to be the guys we are counting on as the basis of our squad in L1 - Stowe / Steele / Slater / Murray / McIntosh If we had done this the season before and there were 4/5 successes instead of all these short term FT jobbers (a lot of who were brought in to bomb out guys like LD / Shanks / Craigen / JT) then we could maybe be sitting with a decent group for L1 right now - maybe have 9/10 players on top of the core who have been here forever - would’ve been more of a team and squad unit too as guys built relationships which could’ve made our older core of guys be more determined to be here again next season regardless of who the gaffer was. I do feel like all our bother started at the start of the 2022/2023 season - absolutely tore the arse out of everything that makes a part time squad and team successful - for short term fixes that we thought would be an improvement on PT players in Scotland - however not thinking of the long term affect of it.

Well he would have to start planning all of this regardless so atleast he’s thinking about it but surely he’d be telling them when to come back for pre season instead of asking when they will be? Trying to sort out deals for guys like Stewart is by far the most important thing for the club to be doing right now. I think Stewart will be here next season. Out of all the guys he’s the one I’m most confident about, maybe end up being wrong though.

He’s definitely done it before because I remember my mate mentioning how unenthusiastic he seemed. I think that was the hospitality before Inverness. However as a bare minimum when you’re a manager at this level you should be making that effort, it is a small part time community football club where a massive part of the job is generating a connection with the fans, that is what leads to ‘togetherness’ as we like to bang on about at any opportunity. It doesn’t take too much to get fans to take a liking to you even if things aren’t working well. Remember Todd Lumsden was pretty well liked as a guy even though he was fkn hopeless. (Even if Steven Hislop was a massive fud)

I mean our goalkeeper changes every other week so not sure who the hell will be lining up at the back. Basically - it is more or less 3 points guaranteed for you. We’re on our holidays and preparing for a major rebuild in a league down

Not sure ‘Hail Mary’ covers us pulling back 12 points and 30 plus goals on the team above us with 4 games to play to be completely honest.

Yes. Good points I am personally extremely confused over how to feel about it all - think I’ll just sit back and let it unfold. Maybe some good announcements at this meeting and after relegation is confirmed in regards to Scotty Stewart / McKenna / Gaston etc would provide a massive mood swing in the fanbase - I think that’s what people are most concerned about. Or maybe some promising news about potential new inbound players - I am guessing that one of the reasons we are backing McIntyre is because there is some good news on the above - these would be tangible positive things that would make sticking with him a good idea Youd have to hope there is very good reason for it anyway cause it’s a bold call and it is not a decision made in blind faith or to be loyal

Yeah takes baws to do right now too so fair enough. I don’t know if I could handle it, you just know it’ll end up extremely cringeworthy at times

I mean it’s obviously been done with the best intentions - but it just doesn’t feel right or like a very good idea at all

Fair play to McIntyre - away to do a fans meeting - with Gold which seems very awkward cause only reason he’s gonna be there or been asked to be there is cause people been shouting his name as future gaffer McIntyre gonna be getting the chance then…. Interesting… I feel the only way he truly gets people on his side if extensions are announced for Stewart, McKenna and Gaston - so it shows that without a doubt these guys wanna play for him

To be honest good luck to Dick Campbell but couldn’t really care less about how East Fife are getting on or how he does there. Dick does the same everywhere he goes, suppose the only difference this time is he can’t have many years left at it and the fall will come around quicker than it did here or at Forfar but his time here was well and truly up and I still feel kind of sour about the way it ended. I have nothing but respect for Pink and Rab and Youngy, Pink one of my favourite people in football but Dick was a bit of a bellend for quite a long period of time, and that stuff about the end of the game at Spartans really annoys me - in time I’ll come to respect him as probably the greatest manager we’ve had in my lifetime but for just now we’ve got to focus on ourselves. AFC and Dick parting ways was best for both parties. I cannot see a bomb next season I just think there’s too much about us and our budget should be up there so it would have to be a pretty disastrous season but as has been said a million times on here the last week I really hope we clear all negativity out of the building and have a fresh start going into next season otherwise maybe the disastrous outcome does happen.

I mean atleast it is an Arbroath company taking over it - fair play to the guy for doing the job for so long too. Pitch been immaculate at times.

I know what you mean but just until a couple of weeks ago and about 4 games ago I was all for that - I think the record isn’t really entirely fair because there are massive factors that have contributed to that record being so poor I was all for giving him more time I just feel like in recent weeks it seems clear that the fans and more importantly the players just are not having the guy and that for me is a massive worry. If the fans saw the players give their all and look like they were behind the guy it would be more reassuring and in time things could change for the support When it gets to the stage it’s got to with the support then there’s no real coming back from it and if the players feel the way it looks like they do then you’re in trouble of losing any real identity and connection fans had with the team if all of these guys go Going into a new season with that feeling around the place is what has scared me a wee bit and made me feel so strongly about having to go ahead and make a change - the above lingering over the club from now until the start of next season which is a long time away is a worrying thought

True - I think Dick / Pink could source a fee and if ToB doesn’t want to be here then unfortunately clubs hands are tied. Would definitely well and truly sour the opinion of him which would be ashame. Slater - also true however for this kind of deal and the player think it would be strange for it to be a season only. Interesting - 2 years was stated when he signed. Hopefully he stays around he’s been a solid signing and obviously local to us so imagine he’d want to. Certainly going to be an interesting week after relegation is confirmed on Saturday…

On next season - as far as I can tell Signed - ToB - CH - if fit a great player to have here. I feel like he will end up at East Fife with his second Da however. Aaron Steele - CH - very good player to have Gordon Walker - RB - hmmm, think he will probably be decent in L1 Craig Slater - CM - think he will be a good player in L1 David Gold - CM - the one real player who gets it - if ToB leaves then captain material for me Inness Murray - Midfield - I think if he gets match fit he will be a really good player for us next season Mark Stowe - Winger - I think in L1 he could really come on and be a decent player for us Leighton McIntosh - ST - as good as you could want as striker PT level That’s a decent core to build from. Already discussed at length but if Gaston / Little / McKenna / Stewart and Darren Lyon signed on top of that (no idea how many if any will be here) then we would be in a good place squad wise.

Me neither so not sure on the context of who’s saying who’s got the confidence of who Feel like we’d be shooting ourselves in the foot before the seasons even started - the overwhelming majority don’t want it so then it doesn’t just affect the stuff on the park it affects season tickets and absolutely everything else