Rjc-1988

A support of nearly 500 is great and shows the potential. That is the positive that so many supporters care enough to travel to Paisley after such an underwhelming season.

That’s 180 minutes of “away” football where we haven’t had a shot on target. Bonnyrigg showing us today that Falkirk aren’t any great shakes. We set up as if they were Man City.

Nearly over and we haven’t had a single shot on target!!!!

Agreed - I would imagine Bartley’s tactics today will make our performance at Falkirk look quite attacking. With no out ball I would imagine it will be easy to count our forays into the St Mirren half.

I am not sure that anything could embarrass Fujitsu or the Post Office senior management for that matter.

I see Marvin Bartley quoted at 8/1 - that would solve a huge problem for us at Palmerston. Mind you he is a great communicator…………..allegedly.

It clearly doesn't help any player to be on the wrong end of the supporters' rath but I have to say that I have seen nothing in Hutchinson's contribution to date to give me any grounds for optimism. I don't like the lone striker option either, frankly I think it is a daft strategy at L1 level but the modern coaches are brainwashed with 4s, 6s, 8s, false 9s, No 10 role. It makes no sense to isolate your striker unless of course they happen to be pacy, have a great first touch, can "run in behind", hold the ball up and finish spectacularly. If they could do all that they would be playing at a much higher level than us. Much better to "hunt in pairs" and work as a partnership up top. Personally, I think Ross Irving is a better option in the absence of Gavin. At least he has a bit of pace and can "put himself about". We are down to the bare bones in terms of striking options so have to make the best of things. The problem is that Bartley signed Hutchinson on a two year deal(I repeat a 2 year deal) and he has to justify that decision which I think will prove difficult if recent performances are anything to go by.

Sadly when you have a Manager who is so far off the pace and the team are performing so abysmally you have to get rid. If we got someone in imminently the new incumbent could at least start building for next season. Problem is, of course, that we have such a big squad that we can’t realistically recruit reinforcements unless we offload some of the dead wood. What an unmitigated disaster.

Yet another failure to beat Alloa. Much as I want us to make some acquisitions the thought of entrusting MB with the responsibility to oversee any further recruitment fills me with dread.

Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse - we have the Wasps at home for our twice yearly pumping............GREAT

The Betfair odds on us winning that match at Falkirk emerged at c.14/1 which in itself is a dreadful inditement of how far we have fallen as a club. A FT team 14/1 to beat a team in the same League and League 1 at that!!!! I have no problem with us being tight in a game like that - clearly we have to be disciplined defensively or face a potential hiding. We actually defended well and the GK and two CBs were all excellent and really couldn't be faulted. The problem, of course, was that Bartley had no counter attacking strategy or at least nothing that remotely worked. We basically couldn't get out of our own half despite having several "flair" players in the line up. If we had been able to counter attack with pace we could have posed Falkirk quite a few problems as we did in the previous two matches. We may well have still lost the match but for the travelling support to witness that spineless, insipid tactical bore was frankly horrible. Bartley set the team up in a 4-2-3-1 formation - that is not a defensive line up on paper. So the big question is why did the players get totally dominated from the off and fail to have one solitary shot on target in 90 minutes of football. His interview sadly doesn't address why this happened and what lessons can be learned for the future.

That is truly horrendous - surely can’t be allowed to drag us any lower.

Agreed. It is hard to describe just how disappointing and depressing it is to watch our team under MB. We took a decent following to Falkirk (all things considered) and I have never experienced a more apathetic support in any QOS match that I have attended. Our supporters were not engaged in the match. It shows how far we have fallen when as a FT team we go away to another team in L1 and set up to keep the score down. We don't even attempt to try and win the game - worse still when we go 0-1 down shortly after HT we don't show any urgency to try and get back into the match :- no dangerous attacks in 90 minutes 2 shots neither on target No corners Plenty of aimless possession deep in our own half The number of times we get possession in the opposition half and the ball suddenly arrives back at the feet of our GK? Our Manager should be ashamed of that performance - not necessarily the result as we could have given it a "real go" and shipped a few goals but the manner of the defeat. The dreadful tactics, the insipid, ineffectual passing game that carries no "cutting edge" and doesn't serve to engage with the loyal supporters (who incidentally deserve much better than they are getting). I totally absolve 3 players from blame - Stone was excellent, ably supported by Efe and McLelland. Well done to Falkirk - it has taken McGlyn a while to stamp his authority on the proceedings but you can see his influence and the attacking intent.

I did notice that and hopefully some sort of life support rescue package can avert a complete wind-up.

I would stress that a rumour at this stage but as you say it might mean a fight to avoid 9th place for the remaining teams.

Rumour doing the rounds here in Edinburgh that FCE may be facing a complete “wind up” via the courts.Were that to happen one would assume that they could not fulfil their fixtures. Not good for us as all points earned would presumably be null and void. Only a rumour at this stage but serious concerns being expressed.

The goals from this game were all terrific but McGuffie's was frankly sensational. If only he could show this level of ability on a regular basis? Falkirk fans called it correctly - he will score 2/3 worldies every season but go awol for the majority of the time. Clearly, with that amount of natural ability he shouldn't be continually warming our bench - over to him really.

That makes very sobering reading and highlights just how bad we have been in the first half of the season. Bartley is extremely fortunate to still be in post but the gap that has emerged between us and second bottom will give him a stay of execution probably until end of season. There is nothing inspiring in that but that’s what is likely to play out. After a “kind run of fixtures” we start to face much tougher opposition in coming weeks and as you rightly point out the stats don’t lie. We can only hope to make some good signings in winter window and move some non-performers on.

It looks as though the previous threat of second bottom and the frightening prospect of a Relegation Play Off has receded dramatically. It is not an impossibility but we have a reasonable cushion. This will probably make the Manager’s position safe until the end of the season as I think that it was only the threat of the relegation trap door that would have prompted a “severance payout” and the appointment of a new incumbent. It would be pleasing to think that we could mount a serious challenge for 4th but unless there are some positive “INS AND OUTS” I can’t see how this squad can reinvent itself under MB. 3/4 really good signings would certainly make a huge difference but to achieve that we probably have to move a few under-performers on to pastures new. No easy task. Hope we keep Efe - that we would be a step in the right direction.

After last week at Stirling I couldn’t muster the enthusiasm to make the trip and from the sound of things it was a good decision. There is no doubt that we are really dreadful and our Manager just stumbles on from game to game with no real pattern to our play or any concerted “direction of travel”. Fortunately after the shock Montrose win we have taken a further 7 points from 3 “kind fixtures” although when you see Falkirk brush Stirling aside 5-0 it perhaps takes the shine off that away point. At least we have strung some results together and we have to be grateful for that. Overall though - dreadful fayre and some really questionable selections. Some tough fixtures coming up - it will be interesting to see what transfer activity there will be if any.

The only positive is that even we can’t finish below Edinburgh.

Players dropped today who relatively speaking having been doing pretty well of late??

If only Marvin could match his positive rhetoric with performances and results on the pitch. I am not sure if he watches the same games as we do. i can’t think of one league game where we have been seriously robbed of a result this season. In fact I can think of two away wins where we seriously rode our luck - Cove and Annan. Yesterday Stirling were the better side first half aided by a strong wind. We had much the better of the second half without creating many threatening openings. Stirling had the better chances but a draw was fair overall.

I thought our support was excellent considering the geography, the horrific weather and the continual under-achievement of the players,

Much as I didn’t think we played well - the stats don’t endorse your match summary. While you had the best chances - we had more possession - 16 shots to your 8 and 10 corners to your 4. Overall I think a draw was a fair result.