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Springfield

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Everything posted by Springfield

  1. Guess that the top knobs are clearly pissed off the pathetic pitches at Livi and Killie. We’ve had two grass carpets that look so much better, and different. Never had a manager or anyone complain about either surface. As posted criminal that should we get ourselves in a position of getting into the sacred ten, we’ve got to spend fortunes on grass
  2. Said this a few weeks back, and doesn’t take Einstein to work out if RR claim promotion.
  3. Didnt get a decent look being at game, highlights inconclusive, however looks like he’s jumped early. The guys overall performance was great and arguably his form is up there with Morrison & Miller. Still think McGlynn will strengthen in closing months and I’m sure he’ll add another CF.
  4. A pity you don’t get Falkirk at forthbank each Saturday. Disappointed to read many of your posts slating the performance yesterday. Certainly wasn’t the case last Saturday.
  5. Spot on, they know their fate and it makes them dangerous. As with SA and QS we are the scalp they all want. No repeat of the earlier game please.
  6. Unfortunately that’s the case every time he gets the nod. He’s always going to be an impact sub and have a bit of sympathy with guy as for me a better player coming off the bench.
  7. Would imagine that there will be exit clauses and high earners being punted. On the debt issue I’m sure half the clubs in Scotland have issues, reading a few weeks back, DU they’ve got something like £5M debt?
  8. Martindale has already been on media more or less saying that the existing finances are not good. Would imagine that any drop down payment wouldn’t backfill their current issues. No expert on their finances but would imagine the big four filling 75% of their stadium (stadium that doesn’t cost them much if I remember)significantly helps their budgets. A drop into the championship would see a huge reduction with away fans attending.
  9. Also thought McGinn done well, helps when you’ve got plenty of pace around you. Already mentioned Tait, if McGlynn can get a deal in place he would be a tremendous asset. Although the team done well, with Morrison & Miller normally grabbing the headlines, thought Tait was on a different planet.
  10. For what it’s worth Queens, there’s a team in there somewhere, and you had a good spell mid game. We were never in trouble and both teams should have scored in the first 45, albeit we should have been a couple in front. Unfortunately you are in a similar situation we faced for a couple of seasons when we tried using “best potential untried first team managers/coaches” which was an absolute disaster.
  11. Just caught up with the highlights and didn’t realise how much it caught Hendo. Nesbitt’s goal some hit and maybe a special mention to Tait. How on earth he was unable to fit in at Hamilton is quite mind blowing. Great vision and a proper footballer.
  12. Think it’s been mentioned, great first 25 and should have been out of sight. Credit to QS they had a couple of chances that just needed finishing. Todd’s wonder goal brought a different dimension. Need to see if it got a wicked deflection. Wake up call and some great play to see us comfortably home. Special next few games coming up.
  13. If it’s any consolation, at least you had a very good go. Pity your players need the NB in town.
  14. Looks like our neighbours are cementing their championship status. Difficult one as I for one would love to see them relegated. On the other hand hopefully four great fixtures to look forward too, and the finances of our club enhanced shy of 80/90K.
  15. Agree. Lang looked like he’d been carrying an injury for a few weeks. Hugely missed but Hendo more than capable of filling the slot. We’ve got plenty to fill the midfield role, but agree Hendo gives us some bite.
  16. Fantastic opportunity for the club to maximise revenue for these four games. I’m sure that the BOD are/have already plans in place to utilise the NS.
  17. Showpiece top of the table clash - Partick V Raith Attendance: 2,319
  18. Thats what’s been one of our issues in seasons gone by. Players getting kept on when clearly they should have been jettisoned. Thankfully we don’t have this issue
  19. No facts on this, overheard on Saturday that St no fans have been tracking Yeats.
  20. One game at a time. We’re almost there but refuse to accept anything until that final whistle is blown and the maths are confirmed. Maybe the Airdrie capitulation is still raw, and after speaking to a fellow bairn that’s been a ST holder for over sixty years, and travelled from London to attend Saturdays game, it just feels right. Let’s get it over the line as quickly as possible.
  21. Tom Lang surely gets the award. No coincidence that Donaldsons overall performances and his continuing coaching of Yeats puts him in pole position, yes it’s a difficult choice, nice one to have…..
  22. As mentioned first year I have issues with both YPOTY & POTY.
  23. Hard working three points and SA a very decent outfit. Thought we were slightly off today, and Yeats surprisingly turned inside out on a few occasions. Missing Hendos physical presence in midfield. Long done really well today, and looked far more confident. As McGlynn has pointed out no easy games in the last quarter . Special thanks to SA hospitality, very attentive, friendly and couldn’t do enough for the table.
  24. We write once again to update Falkirk FC owners and supporters on the status of the club. With nine months of the financial year and football season now behind us, our performance at the end of Q3 is positive both on and off the pitch. John and Paul, their backroom staff plus all the players deserve huge credit for the relentless consistency they have shown in delivering a 17-point lead at the top of League One. Three consecutive 23-point quarters and 27 games unbeaten, with 65 goals scored and only 16 conceded is simply phenomenal form. Along the way they’ve set new club records for unbeaten runs, in all competitions and for league games only, with the latter currently at 29 and counting. John has also made it clear that there will be “no slacking” as we push towards making our league position mathematically unassailable and do our utmost to remain unbeaten in the final quarter of the season. While we haven’t won anything yet, and certainly won’t be celebrating prematurely, this season now has the potential to become one of the best ever in the club’s history. Off the pitch the club is also making excellent progress, with further growth in commercial income, strong season ticket sales and gate receipts, plus sold-out hospitality and advertising. Not to be outdone by the football department, Jamie and his team have also broken club sponsorship and retail records, with almost 5000 replica kits sold in the first year of our new relationship with O’Neills. Perhaps less visible to fans, but nevertheless vitally important, a great number of improvements have also been made behind the scenes, to business management systems, processes and infrastructure. Overall, we are therefore satisfied that the club is in a significantly better place than it was two years ago and that every aspect of its operation is heading in the right direction. We’d like to thank every member of staff, volunteer, sponsor, commercial partner or supporter for their contribution in helping us turn the club around. That said, many challenges remain and we cannot allow the club to rest on its laurels. While we’re financially stable for now, we’re certainly not well-off and still have a long way to go to reach our goal of creating a sustainably successful club in the Premiership. As we’ve said many times, due to the gross inequalities of financial distribution between leagues, to achieve our goal we estimate that the club needs to generate an extra £300k-£500k each year, on top of a strong trading performance. This is required to simultaneously fund a competitive and successful first team, to fully rebuild our Academy and to continue to invest in the football and non-football infrastructure needed to underpin sustainable success. This season, like last, we budgeted to make an operating loss within the above range, and we’re pleased to report that the business is again performing better than budget. This will once again reduce the expected loss but, unlike last season when we reached the Scottish Cup semi-final, won’t get us back to breakeven. For the first time in three seasons we have no serious cashflow concerns and the operating loss can be covered by cash reserves, but these will be depleted going forward meaning the club cannot carry large losses again next season. As a fan-owned club without a wealthy benefactor underwriting the business, we (as fans and owners) must continue to do it ourselves. This season has been phenomenal so far because we have all invested in our club, and the results we are all currently enjoying are our reward – our return on that investment. The £800,000 invested in share purchases over the past two years was essential in stabilising the club and has provided the platform upon which this season’s success so far has been built. Almost 900 fan-owners are now funding our club via monthly donations, over and above the excellent on-going support shown by all fans for the club’s commercial activities. It’s clearly no coincidence that the stronger we make the club financially, the better we can perform on the pitch and this in turn fuels further opportunities for commercial growth. We’re now fully fan-owned so it makes sense for us all to invest in our business to help it succeed. It’s also essential that the whole fan-base pulls together, involves as many supporters as possible and continues to work together as a team. This is evident in the collaboration between the two main vehicles for increasing fan-ownership – the Patrons’ Group and the Falkirk Supporters’ Society. The latter recently passed an important milestone in acquiring over 25% of all club shares and were helped over the line by share donations from Patrons’ Group members – a great example of teamwork in action between fan-owners, and proof positive that we are all on the same side. Perhaps more obviously, we are also seeing great evidence of teamwork every Saturday both on and off the pitch. The players are clearly pulling their weight but so are the fans, with the Ultras leading the way in creating an incredible atmosphere which we know lifts and inspires the guys on the pitch. We’re winning because we’re working together and the more of us there are, the stronger we become. We’d therefore continue to encourage as many fans as possible to take that extra step and become a part-owner of the club. The simplest way to do so is to join the Falkirk Supporters’ Society. All FSS contributions go straight into the playing budget and this will continue next season. It was this season’s uplift in membership which enabled us to sign Ethan Ross, Dylan Tait and Ryan Shanley, as well as helping with contract extensions for Coll Donaldson, Liam Henderson, Leon McCann and Callumn Morrison. Fan ownership is clearly working for Falkirk FC but to really kick on, hopefully in the Championship next season, we’d love to see more and more supporters getting involved. There’s no cap on FSS membership or monthly contributions, so the more fans who join and the more each contributes, the bigger the budget and the better the team. Also, the sooner fans sign up the quicker we can confirm John’s total budget for next season, giving him more time to recruit the players he needs. We’d urge all Falkirk supporters (if they can afford £10pm or more) to join FSS here https://falkirksupporters.org/subscribe/ We’ve also been exploring ways to further grow the Patrons’ Group and have agreed a new, long-term initiative which will help fund the rebuild of our Academy. For a minimum contribution of £100pm or £1000pa, supporters can join the group enabling them to vote for Board representatives and/or stand for election themselves. In addition, we’re close to securing an annual five-figure donation which will help fund the Academy for the next ten years and hope that others will similarly step forward, to ensure we can continue to offer new modern apprenticeships and elevate our Academy back to the Scottish FA Performance Level from 2026. Anyone interested in finding out more should contact Kenny Jamieson on kenny@dreamweavers.org.uk. Last month we were delighted to announce that both John and Paul have signed contract extensions to 2026, our club’s 150th anniversary, and it’s this continuity and long-term planning which are key to building a sustainably successful future for our club. Keeping the core of our current playing squad together is essential and it’s great to already have 12 players signed for next season, with hopefully more to come soon. Once again, the priority will be quality over quantity, so we’ll be looking to attract new recruits who can make us even stronger. To support this, there will never be a better time than right now for fans to get behind our funding model. This season has surely shown that the key to our success is stability and making steady, step-by-step progress. If we can get there we clearly want to be able to compete well in the Championship, but we’re still closer to the start of our journey than we are to our desired destination. Getting out of League One is just the beginning. Hopefully we’ll get over the line soon and, if we do, we all deserve to savour the moment and take time to fully enjoy the experience. However, we mustn’t underestimate just how hard the next step will be. We must be ready to go again next season and continue to be relentless in our quest for progress both on and off the pitch. If we all get our shoulders to the wheel and keep pushing in the same direction, the unity and momentum we can create is phenomenal. Match attendances have been superb all season, with home crowds consistently between four and five thousand (and sometimes more) with over half being Season Ticket holders. All ticket prices will be frozen next season even if we’re in the Championship, so we’d anticipate another big uplift in both Season Ticket sales and match attendances. What would make a massive difference would be to bring the number of supporters participating in fan-funding much closer to the number attending matches. This would increase our collective power and could potentially make us unstoppable. We do however appreciate that some fans just want to enjoy coming to games and are loyal supporters of the club. This doesn’t in any way diminish their value or our appreciation for their support. We also appreciate every penny of supporters’ hard-earned cash which comes into the club, however it arrives. As a board we passionately believe that fan-ownership is the best way to protect and grow our club. This remains our mandate from shareholders and we believe it’s working. Every week nearly a hundred volunteers and staff work tirelessly to make our club a success and we couldn’t make any progress without the support of thousands of others. We’re succeeding together and we can’t thank everyone enough for their incredible support so far. There are nine games left this season. Let’s give John, Paul and the players the backing they need to get us over the line and make sure we enjoy every second of it. But let’s also start now to get right behind the team for next season and ensure we’re as strong as we possibly can be. Many thanks. Falkirk FC Board
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