Nelson

Young has been tidy in the last couple of games, but not sure I really get some of the hyperbole. Would definitely be a loss though, but that probably says more about the alternatives.

I do see a reasonably solid spine running through their teams though, which allows them to go and compete with anyone in the league. We are absolute powder puff through the centre of defence and midfield. Chalmers and Murphy had a bad day yesterday, but it’s at least in part because we can’t control the ball long enough to get them in the game. Arbroath have a major injury crisis which may be disguising where they are at the moment. Queens Park don’t look great, but they were still able to beat an injury ravaged Dunfermline side that could easily have been 4 up after 30 minutes against us a week earlier. We, however, have absolutely nothing to add to the team I watched yesterday, thought I would probably give Syla another go and push Dempsey further forward. Or drop him altogether. It’s all one really. We need 2 or 3 solid signings and a new manager pronto, or we’re going down.

We’ve been in a relegation fight since we got gubbed on the first day of the season. Too many have chosen not to see that, to a point where it is probably too late to do anything about it. Bullen should have been binned after we were trounced by Partick. Again. On live TV. Again.

I think they know. I’m not sure they know what to do about it. I still don’t think Bullen is going anywhere, and his post match interview didn’t sound like someone who knows it’s the end. He is of course completely delusional, so who knows. Every defeat just seems to prove to him that he can turn things round. Not sure what’s keeping him here - no sign of him being offered a contract extension and traipsing up and down from Sheffield must be a right misery.

Doesn’t offer much going forward, but thought he defended well throughout. We had way bigger problems today.

That did all feel like an unfortunate metaphor.

Davidson has been popping up on Sportsound of late, so I daresay his media pals are trying to put him in the shop window. (It’s a straight no for me!!)

The place was a morgue, so no doubt it could be heard. But it was nevertheless a small group of mostly weans behind the goal who had given up long before Chalmers scored, partly because no one was joining in and partly because they were shouted down by other fans. Don’t think many disagree with the sentiment, but it was all a bit embarrassing.

For all his quality, you can absolutely see why Dundee Utd threw in the towel with Chalmers. So inconsistent. Had a bit of a shocker today as did Murphy. Was surprised we didn’t at least try and have them swap sides for a bit.

It’s been the problem with Bullen since day one. He’s a hype man and little else who is great at supporting Mathie’s boosterism. But it’s all as hollow as a chocolate Easter egg. Two years in charge for the pair of them and there isn’t an ounce of progress to be seen in terms of recruitment, tactics, coaching or player development. One lucky guess on Dipo is literally all they can point at. I’d be happy to see the back of both of them. The genuine good things that are happening at the club all relate to the infrastructure and that’s 100% down to Smith. He entrusted the football side of the club to a pair of Nice Guy Eddies who have totally let him down.

In fairness, it was nothing like 30%. Just a dozen or so behind the goals (weans mostly I’d say) who clammed up after about 5 seconds when they realised no one was joining in.

We were dreadful today. I’m absolutely staggered at people saying we weren’t that bad. Chalmers and Murphy weren’t in the game and neither was Dempsey. No idea where Smith was supposed to be playing - don’t really blame the guy because it’s not his fault he was asked to do a job he patently can’t do - a link man? a no 10? an attacking midfielder? Who the hell knows. And as for the defence…. Stanger looks every inch a League 1 defender - can only hope he’s on a 1 year deal and we can punt him in the Summer. Amartey is raw as hell, but at least he’s pacey and direct - don’t get his lack of game time, particularly when Murphy hasn’t kicked a ball in weeks.

I guess the game’s going ahead. Shite.

Weather watch could be more entertaining than the game.

We don’t have any covers. I think they’re pretty ineffective anyway. Just feels like we’ve been here before with no inspection then the match day referee shows up at 1.30 and takes one look at the bone hard strip in front of the stand…

Bit concerned this could get called off. Temperature is creeping up, but not sure it’s quickly enough, particularly given the historic problems with sun not getting to the stand side.

Really sobering to think we should have been 4 nil down at halftime to this Dunfermline side.

McKenzie managing over 100 games for the club says much about the lack of direction. The excuses people make for him are astounding. No matter where he plays, it’s not his position. We’ll find life on mars before we find this mythical position in which McKenzie is alleged to be effective. Ecrepont was watched by 4 different managers and convinced none of them he was any better than Reading, which is damning. Smith is another who has had plenty of chances and not delivered - he works hard but there is simply no part of his game that is good enough to sustain him at championship level. You got no sense the club saw him as a solution to our midfield injury crisis at the start of the season and is now lower down the pecking order than Syla, Senga and Young, none of whom have been particularly impressive.

Perhaps, but Crawford and Forrest stayed in the team because they were good enough. You can give all the opportunities in the world to young players, but you can’t compensate for a basic lack of quality. Hewitt, Smith, Ecrepont and McKenzie just aren’t good enough, and I have no doubt their post Ayr career trajectories will demonstrate that. Giving McKenzie another 2 year contract was lunacy. I still don’t think Ecrepont has managed to displace Reading in a league game, despite Reading being pretty average. Hewitt has already sunk without trace at league 1 level.

Just smacks of Mathie boosterism. Really ill judged for me. Let the players focus on doing their job and not worry about having to face a mob of half cut and potentially angry fans after the game. Save this nonsense for another day.

For all the plaudits it gets, the track record of the academy in delivering players for the first team is woeful. You have to go back a decade to Forrest and Crawford, and the only other one since then is McCowan. Bryden has potential, but is really at a bit of a crossroads and urgently needs a solid loan spell at league 1 level. Not sure how the academy is funded, but if it’s not producing more regularly, then I just don’t see the point. I suppose it didn’t help that McCall barely knew it existed and pursued a strategy of spotting players falling out of the elite academies like Rose and Harvie, but maybe his judgement on the quality of players coming through wasn’t that far off the mark.

It actually puts a shit tonne of pressure on the players to get a win. Smart thinking!!

Details gentlemen, details.

I don’t think anything will happen before Saturday. Defeat then, and probably even a draw , might prompt action. But personally, I think Mathie and the board are going to resist making a change for as long as humanly possible.

Brings us back to the question of recruitment. Bullen said explicitly we need more experience and leadership and yet we went out and signed a 20 year old from English non league football who walked out on us after 6 weeks because he was homesick. And when we did go for experience, we signed a 37 year old McGeady who is patently done. From the outside looking in, it’s just impossible to know where responsibility lies, but ultimately Bullen is the front man so he gets all the criticism. Feel bad for him as he seems a decent enough guy who doubtless wants to do well (the BGM patter is tedious), but it isn’t working out. I just don’t think it’s purely him. Mathie has got Smith to buy into a management structure where everyone is responsible but no one is accountable. Personally, I’d still love to know the full story behind David Bangala - I’ve seen some tosh at Ayr, but it’s usually a bit more local.