Jan Vojáček

I'm not against that. I'd maybe have stuck Newbury at RB and Carlo in midfield, but a reshuffle between LB and CM is exactly what we've been needing.

I'm interested to see if that's still 4-4-1-1 and if so, who is played in the #10. It doesn't really suit Gray imo, and he didn't do a great deal in there last week. Div Wilson is also getting a lot of football for a man who shows glimpses of quality in a series of otherwise very average performances. I don't think our pitch suits him as a player either. You won't get time to ping lovely passes about on that bog. Anyway. Sun is shining, winter is almost over. 3-0 Sons (Div Wilson hat-trick and Jinky coming off the bench to score late on).

The thing that totally blows my mind is how we're still (at this exact moment in time) sitting comfortably in the playoffs places. A run like that in most other leagues would have you knocked out of promotion contention for good. It's not even like we started the season with seven straight wins like last year too. I cannot understand how we're still fourth despite that fact. I agree with you though. If things haven't already turned nasty, then defeat today would do that for good. Back-to-back defeats against the bottom two in the league as part of a run of two wins in three months would tip most fanbases over the edge. Let alone one that's probably already over that. I hope we go balls out to win the game. It'll be a scrap on our shambles of a park, it's not going to be one for pretty football or gentle build up play. Get shots away, get balls into good areas and get our best players on the park please. A game to go back to basics in.

As I remind people regularly, there's a reason I'm a journalist and not a high-flying investment banker

He's whingy as hell on the park. Especially towards referees. But I don't think we ever had an issue with his professionalism on or off the park to be honest. Faz always spoke highly of him on and off the record, and (aside from the odd bollocking for a crap pass or taking the wrong option) I didn't really ever see him having any issues with his teammates. Obviously that could've all changed (or I might be wrong, but I was expecting/fearing him to be fair worse than he was!) I sat with him and a few players from both sides up at Peterhead after the midweek game last month for a bit, and he just seemed like another one of the squad. We slagged off the park, complained about the travelling for a midweek and just generally covered the topics you'd cover with a player after a midweek defeat! He's obviously prone to losing the head on the park and picking up daft bookings for dissent. And he has the incident that got him sacked by Airdrie as a kid on his CV, but I don't think there was ever any issue with him at The Rock. He's not naturally an athlete, but I couldn't ever fault his work ethic either. He covered a lot of ground, he tracked back and did his work defensively. I spoke to him a few times for the paper too and he was always decent. Not one of the guys who enjoys the media side, but he was polite and quite self-depreciating which I always like. Genuinely the only issue I have with him from his entire 18 months with us was that he should've scored double the number of goals he did. He's such a good striker of a ball, but he was (and he joins a large club in this regard) just never ever clinical for us. We'll miss him massively though.

Ryan Wallace played a full 90 minutes six times in his 58 appearances for us based on my maths. But not since April 1 last year in a 2-1 defeat to Stenny. His other 90 minutes were on his debut against Stirling Albion in July 2022. A 0-0 draw with Forfar in October 2022. In the 1-1 at Bonnyrigg in December 2022. The 2-1 loss to Forfar in January last year. In back-to-back games against East Fife and Elgin (both defeats) last February.

Marc McNulty in at Spartans and Ryan Wallace out at Dumbarton https://dumbartonfootballclub.com/36563-2/ https://www.spartansfc.com/2024/02/21/signing-news-marc-mcnulty-signs-for-spartans/

I hope Ryan Wallace is all good off the park firstly. But that's a massive blow. He's a class player who really came onto a game this season after a bit of a hit and miss first year. I don't think there's any doubting at all that he made us a better team, and we'll be a lot weaker without him. Especially given we now have one striker in the squad. And that's it. Ugh. Whit a season.

Div signed a two year extension last April, so aye he's under contract for next season too https://dumbartonfootballclub.com/new-deal-for-div/

This really makes me feel a whole lot worse about our result on Saturday.

Excellent. I'll be happily paying my money!

Seen as it's only a fortnight away, will Stranraer TV be streaming the midweek game next month for those of us who don't have access to a helicopter/half day from work?

I'd say if they were personal and/or family related then it doesn't really matter what was said tbh. Hammer him for his tactics, team selection, touchline dress sense, hairstyle or whatever else. But making it personal to him as a man and his loved ones crosses a line.

Being accused of that on that Facebook group is probably one of the highlights of my career. Absolutely superb.

As someone who writes for the aforementioned publications, the only time I can remember Faz having a pop at the fans was after Annan away last season when we won 1-0. And the players got an absolute bucketload of stick leaving the pitch, despite us winning.

I hadn't realised it has been this long. But then when you mentioned it, it struck me I didn't even know what game that was. The 1-0 win against Elgin in atrocious conditions. A game I only remember because I flew out on holiday the next day. It hasn't felt great for a wee while. But the basic stats are really grim at the moment. I think, mainly because of our league position, I hadn't realised quite how poor it's been for such a sustained period now. The atmosphere yesterday was horrible. Not uncomfortable, dangerous or anything. Just really disheartening. You've got a team going through the motions and massively underperforming on the park, a fanbase with no belief in the manager or board, a manager who is struggling for the third season in a row to get any form going at all after Christmas. And a board who (outwardly at least) look oblivious to everything that I've just mentioned. It's absolutely rubbish. Everything about the club at the moment just feels rubbish. DFC, I'm in a huff with you.

I said on our thread, but I'll repeat it here, that I thought 2-0 actually flattered us. 3-0 with Jordan Allan getting a goal rather than a second booking in stoppage time would've been fair on the balance of play - and his performance as a whole. Which was very good. I didn't have a great feeling about the team when I saw Div Wilson, Blair Malcolm and Jinky Hilton all starting. And Finlay Gray on the bench. He might be extremely frustrating at times, especially when he doesn't pass the ball. But on a wide open pitch he's exactly what you need to go box-to-box. The three who started really lack legs, and Cammy Ballantyne ran the show from central midfield for the Bully Wee as a result. Clyde started better than us. They looked like a team with the bit between their teeth; determined to make something happen. We looked half-arsed. All over the park. It was a shrug your shoulders and wrinkle your nose performance all day from far too many. The opening goal was a decent strike from Martin Rennie. But it seemed to go in, in slow motion. He opened up the space around Gallagher Lennon far too easily, and (in real time at least) it felt like Jay Hogarth should've saved it. Hogarth did make a couple of very good saves after that to his credit. He played fairly well, but he's just nowhere near Brett Long's levels. And I think our drop-off since Brett broke his ankle tells a story. He's a class act and miles too good for this division; and now he's out we're really seeing just how vital he is to us. Getting to half-time at 1-0 was probably a better result for us than Clyde given their dominance. The double change clearly spoke volumes about what Faz thought of the showing, but we basically remained in the same formation. Finlay in the #10 in place of Hilton and Blair replacing Malcolm like-for-like. Given Clyde were dominant, I thought we might've tried switching things up a wee bit. There was nothing really to lose given how poor the first-half was. Our biggest threat comes down the right with Carlo and Kalvin. And that was the case all game. But when it doesn't go down that side we don't really offer much. It's just balls shelled into the channel for the tireless Michael Ruth to chase, hold up and then eventually lose as support wanders up at their own pace. Aaron Healy was quiet and, aside from a nice cross in the first-half and a few wee touches here and there, contributed very little. But we only got him one v one with his full-back once all game. Everything else either went into the channels or slowly worked its way right before the move fizzled out. Brian Kinnear in the Clyde goal made a terrific save in the first-half from Healy after a really good move (down the right). But that was basically all of note he had to deal with in the entire afternoon. Jinky Hilton's performance was one for the ages; I don't think I can ever remember seeing a player caught on the ball in his own half so many times. It was like nicking sweets from a kid for the Clyde midfield. He wanted time and space. But they afforded him neither. Even Cian Newbury, who had a very good first-half, looked spooked after being robbed by Jordan Allan for a chance early in the second-half. And didn't seem to recover. It's the first time he's looked like an inexperienced kid, albeit he was still probably one of our better performers over the 90. He was the only player consistently passing forwards and into good areas in the first-half, and I really do admire his bravery on the ball. When we conceded the second goal (a penalty in the second phase of a corner that we didn't deal with) it became a real rabble. Newbury seemed to pop up at left-wing and centre-mid for a bit. Carlo floated all over the park. We committed bodies forward, but then didn't use them. It was a desperate mess without anything to give you hope. The stats don't lie. The wheels have now well and truly fallen off and, unless we get our act together quickly, then I can see us failing to make the playoffs. Nothing really feels like it's going to change soon either, which is the most alarming thing. We haven't dominated a game since Forfar 10 days before Christmas. And next Saturday is our final game of February. I don't want to be disingenuous to Clyde though. I thought, from 1 to 11, they were much better all over the park than us. They looked more up for it, they were organised, they managed the game well. It was a very solid performance. The sort of thing you'd expect the team in fourth to do to the team in 10th. Jordan Allan led the line very well and caused us plenty of problems. With his silly second booking the result of frustration at his own finishing I'd suspect. Cammy Ballantyne dictated the whole game from the middle of the park, and both Lee Hamilton and Craig Howie were imperious at the back. Martin Rennie is a player I've always quite liked (even if he looks like he'll drive you mad) and he was a handful for us, especially when he drifted wide and played off Gallagher Lennon. I've fancied Clyde to stay up since McCall did his January business. Avoiding 10th might now be a stretch, but those players and that manager are capable of winning the playoffs. No doubt about it in my eyes. If it's EK then I hope you sword them. If it's Brechin then, to be honest, I'd rather a trip to Glebe Park than NDP next season. But I hope you can understand that it's nothing personal, purely the business of where provides the better away day.

I'd say the reaction in the lead up to conceding the penalty was actually stronger than at full-time. By that stage there was a degree of acceptance - the usual boos and 'chuck it Farrell' but not a great deal beyond that. A wee group of the more vocal younger guys had a run-in with a very well known voice from matches, who was previously right on the teams back all the time, but seems to have mellowed in recent years. He was losing the place over their calls for Faz's head I think? I'd actually rather there was a furious reaction at FT. The half-arsed booing and shoulder shrugging is just another sign of how deflated the whole mood is around the place at the moment. Today was the worst we've played all season. Clyde bossed the game from the first minute and, imo, 3-0 would've been a fair reflection of their dominance. We didn't look up for it, we were slow-paced, predictable and lacked invention. It was an utterly miserable way to spend an afternoon. One of the most deflating and grim (not outright infuriating) in quite a while.

That Jordan Allan second booking might be one of the daftest things I've seen on a football pitch.

This is the angriest I can remember our support being with Faz since Annan. Clyde have been well on top. They really should've been 2-0 up before the penalty too. The better team by far, they've dictated things.

Aside from one very nice move down the right where Brian Kinnear made a terrific save, this has been all Clyde. The goal was perhaps a bit fortunate and I think Jay Hogarth should be saving it. But it's the least Clyde have deserved. Cian Newbury and Sean Crighton are playing well. Everyone is is between 'anonymous' and 'howling'. I'd not be surprised to see a couple of changes at half-time. Ideally with Finlay Gray on for Div Wilson and Marc Kelly maybe on for Jinky Hilton. Who is having a horrible time of it.

Being a Raith fan this season just looks absolutely terrific. Off the park. On the park. Everything. I'm extremely jealous. I'd kill for DFC to even be half as good at one of those things.

Kev's save there as good as a goal. Some boy.

At least this one was into a goalkeeper who didn't move like a string puppet.

Annoyed me that neither commentator could seem to tell that's what was being claimed for.