Bring Your Own Socks

If Arbroath can muster a draw tomorrow, we’re bottom. Least wins and worst goal difference. One ground taken from us, the other in the pawn shop. Dependent on a sponsor and the SFA. Low-ranking gypsys taking sloppy seconds. What an absolute mess this administration has been.

Apologies Dooflick, I credited another yesterday so I've corrected it now.

I share your view on an interim appointment and it worries me. It's all very well getting a coach for Saturday but the whole set-up is under review now. Part of the annual accounts sign-off is the auditors section and whilst they don't publish next year's plan, it is something they want to see in detail from a governance perspective. With two weeks notice required for the AGM, which has to happen before the year end, they've now got less than a week to firm up their 2024 business plan. They cynically used Mark Roberts and Lawrie Ellis for a short term but both of those were about not trusting them in a January window. Conversely, any new manager of note will want assurances of what he has to spend. To get the accounts done and buy them time, a short termer is likely but that unfortunately means it's most likely someone who is desperate to get back in the game. As much as I want some fun back on the Saturdays, sacrificing the long-term plan would be the end of us at this level.

Firstly, Malky senior doesn’t have the clout at the club he once had. I also think Dempster would be very uncomfortable with somebody like Malky junior as a direct report. And I fully agree that after educating myself on the facts his behaviour and the range of offences, it would be completely incongruous to recruit him in any capacity. That said, every major decision the club has made in the last four years has been incongruous with the reasons and ethics I have retained my loyalty to Queen’s Park for over half a century. I think Malky Mackay junior returning to the club might be the last straw for me. I was surprised and impressed at the way Raith Rovers fans and sponsors made their case when their board decided to recruit the unsavoury David Goodwillie. Like Mackay, I educated myself on the surroundings of the civil case against Goodwillie and his subsequent behaviour and attitude to the victim. Both are men of another time, and neither would be good representatives of a community club with a large family-based support which is what the Community/Foundation side of the club depends on. And what if one of our young stars went on one of these school visits and the headteacher asked how he/she should explain to parents why they should allow their kids to attend a QP game with the team’s manager being a noted mysoginistic, sexist racist. On a purely football basis, there are several other better options considering the development programme as well as the first team. The board just need to get off their lazy arses and find the best one. And don’t go running to Haughey either. I said Tam Courts the last time around, still a good bet. Neil MacFarlane also ticks a lot of boxes. Losing the Director of Football, the Head Coach and the Director of The Academy all in the same week (ish) is remarkable. If it’s a cunning plan by the club and a top team are waiting in the wings to inspire our playing staff to greater things, awesome! If all three of these posts have been vacated by the individuals, because they’ve seen the inside, we’re down a very deep well.

Not all the Dutchmen have flown….yet! First team coach, which means logically he takes the team on Saturday. Or do we pay him to return home too? Almost as well hidden as Dempster.

From the match report…

I remember in the early part of this century explaining on social media how a technology (called Home Run) developed by Boeing enabled planes to be taken over remotely and flown to any destination. And that was how those planes hit the twin towers. “Tin-hat Moon-howler” they said. Now we just call them drones. I have one in a cupboard upstairs. I respect your opinion and am comfortable with mine. Tick-tock.

If there’s been one consistently good thing these past few years it’s been the highlights package from the media team. And a nod to @Dooflick …the goal of the game was the third Caley goal, scored by some lad called Wotherspoon.

I’m not sure who would want to work for QP right now. Since we turned professional every coach we’ve employed has left the building early. Two of them won us promotion and were rewarded with a “your face doesn’t fit”. We brought in the crème-de-la-crème of development football in Europe and it’s collapsed in six months. Trying to find someone who can manage a championship team and bring along a huge development programme is nigh on impossible in itself. Add in the recklessness of our committee and the dependency on a “sponsor” and that’s why we are the clusterfuck we’ve become. What young, progressive manager would look at all that and think “yes, Queen’s Park's the place for me to build my future”?

If you’re close to Neil, which is a good shout btw, you’ll be aware that at least one of our committee has been visiting Brentford and learning from their model. Seems to be doing well down in London though? I believe his old chum Stephen Pressley is working in a development role at Brentford also.

Because then it will be Haughey’s project but without all the constitutional baggage it currently has. Dempster’s ambition is to head the SFA. He’ll take care of that for her. As for Lesser, think ice cream shops.

You’re not being unfair. I read one last week where he was credited with getting us promoted twice. Give it another month and he’ll have won us the Scottish Cup ten times.

If I’ve joined the dots right, Dempster is the agent provocateur for Haughey. The collapse of Queen’s Park Football Club Limited would suit them both.

Maybe he sacked QP?

Beuker’s new role is specifically about building the structure through the club needed for the youth development. No budget, no contracts, no recruitment responsibilities. Says a lot. How easy our lot were to mug off with his “dent in the universe” speech.

Well Veldman’s gone, Hunter is out at the end of the month. Hard to get rid of the other one until we know she’s still here.

That aged well

What a mess we are in. That looked like eleven individuals coming together for a trial today. Even if we had a few auld hands around of players have got this far in their career they would be beyond learning about basic tackling and physically influencing an opponent. The second and fourth goals we lost are so familiar now where our players can’t make a contact when defending. The penalty was just ridiculously bad from Bruce. A few weeks ago the talk was about us improving with a couple of draws. We’re not improving now, not even stagnating. We’re getting worse in every area of the field. Bringing on Tizzard was a result of the continuing farce of trying to play the ball out of defence to players standing still and making poor passes. What a desperate circumstance to be in that you take out both defending midfielders just to allow a second chance for the team to play the Beuker way after failing miserably for 70 minutes. With regard to the predictable calls for the manager’s head from some fans, he’s doing the job he was employed to do so if he was fired, that’s the remainder of a three year contract the club would have to pay. The Committee would be choking at that. That’s the least of three problems though. The other two are convincing The Laird to keep financially supporting Beuker’s dream, rapidly becoming Veldman’s nightmare. To abandon that now could be the start of our tumble to the Lowland league. The third part is how to reboot the squad. As mentioned before, the first team is entirely the responsibility of the Committee and I doubt they have the will, or money, or contacts to find us the gamechangers needed to keep us competing in this league. To drop down to L1, given their business plan revolves around Hampden and getting bigger gates from travelling fans at Championship level, would be a complete u turn in fortunes. Beuker has a lot to answer for but the people who believed him have even more.

We’re five points behind a play-off spot and five points ahead of relegation. This league continues it’s pursuit of madness.

Sodexo manage all hospitality. We used to get rode by them back in the day but since the SFA stole the big hoose it’s even worse.

Plenty of parking at front of stand. No charge. https://queensparkfc.co.uk/queens-park-v-inverness-caledonian-thistle-supporters-arrangements-and-event-information/

I think this is the one. Just needs a spark, a belter of a goal, and the guys will be flying. Absolutely buzzin’. ‘Mon you Spiders! N.B. This post is subject to change at any time between now and 5pm Saturday.

To be fair, a class of P7s could probably take the ICT travel firm.

It was the 28th last year. Maybe go for gold this year and call it for Hogmanay, start 11:45pm. Finish 11:50pm.