The Falkirk FC Thread

[Gaz]

1 hour ago, MetalWolf said:

What I still don't understand is, he realised against dunfermline that to win a game we needed 2 up top.  The squad on Saturday had 2 strikers and 4 midfielders, yet we still end up with 1 up front?! 

I agree on the midfield, having so many midfielders that are sitting mids, they might as well have been sitting in the stand for all the presence they give at times. 

This is what gets to me.

His strategy of playing for draws and hoping to nick a win is fair enough against teams that are significantly better than us.

There are four or five teams in the league that are not significantly better than us, and he does the same against them. Against Partick, Alloa and Morton we should have been going for it. Not sitting back and hoping to scrape out a draw.

He can GTF as far as I'm concerned.

[AGPar]

1 hour ago, MetalWolf said:

What I still don't understand is, he realised against dunfermline that to win a game we needed 2 up top.  The squad on Saturday had 2 strikers and 4 midfielders, yet we still end up with 1 up front?! 

I agree on the midfield, having so many midfielders that are sitting mids, they might as well have been sitting in the stand for all the presence they give at times. 

Except the win at EEP had absolutely nothing to do with 2 up-front and everything to do with us using up about half-a-season's worth of luck in one game and DKD (a substitute) taking the one opportunity we created from our only decent bit of play in the entire 90 minutes. This incessant 2 strikers chat is the biggest misnomer going. Stick Aguero and Salah up front in this s**tshow and they'd struggle because we have zero creativity, zero drive, zero pace, zero width. Outside of Rudden we have  nothing that would cause an opposition defence a moment's concern. I've never seen a Falkirk side with such  dearth of attacking options.

McKinnon signed five final-third players in January. Of those, only DKD could be judged as any kind of success. McLean is brutal, Jarvis has shown nowt and Lavery and Todorov have barely had a look-in (Todorov is just a basic big-lump-up-front type and was a panic, last minute signing to fill out the squad). McKinnon identified the chronic lack of width in the squad not long after taking over. His solution was to sign a guy who wasn't getting a look-in for a woeful Morton, an old-pals act, nothing more.

We're virtual certainties to be relegated. It's odds-on McKinnon will stay in charge, therefore we have to hope he undergoes some sort of tactical epiphany on his summer holiday, ditches the Lambie playbook and sets us up to at least try and attack the likes of Stranraer and Forfar next season. Could not make it up. 

[bairn88]

4 minutes ago, AGPar said:

Except the win at EEP had absolutely nothing to do with 2 up-front and everything to do with us using up about half-a-season's worth of luck in one game and DKD (a substitute) taking the one opportunity we created from our only decent bit of play in the entire 90 minutes. This incessant 2 strikers chat is the biggest misnomer going. Stick Aguero and Salah up front in this s**tshow and they'd struggle because we have zero creativity, zero drive, zero pace, zero width. Outside of Rudden we have  nothing that would cause an opposition defence a moment's concern. I've never seen a Falkirk side with such  dearth of attacking options.

McKinnon signed five final-third players in January. Of those, only DKD could be judged as any kind of success. McLean is brutal, Jarvis has shown nowt and Lavery and Todorov have barely had a look-in (Todorov is just a basic big-lump-up-front type and was a panic, last minute signing to fill out the squad). McKinnon identified the chronic lack of width in the squad not long after taking over. His solution was to sign a guy who wasn't getting a look-in for a woeful Morton, an old-pals act, nothing more.

We're virtual certainties to be relegated. It's odds-on McKinnon will stay in charge, therefore we have to hope he undergoes some sort of tactical epiphany on his summer holiday, ditches the Lambie playbook and sets us up to at least try and attack the likes of Stranraer and Forfar next season. Could not make it up. 

This 1000 times over. The problem isn’t the 2 or 1 up top, it’s the absolutely brutal middle 4/5/3 who would struggle to make 1 creative, ball playing midfielder between them 

[MetalWolf]

5 minutes ago, AGPar said:

Except the win at EEP had absolutely nothing to do with 2 up-front and everything to do with us using up about half-a-season's worth of luck in one game and DKD (a substitute) taking the one opportunity we created from our only decent bit of play in the entire 90 minutes. This incessant 2 strikers chat is the biggest misnomer going. Stick Aguero and Salah up front in this s**tshow and they'd struggle because we have zero creativity, zero drive, zero pace, zero width. Outside of Rudden we have  nothing that would cause an opposition defence a moment's concern. I've never seen a Falkirk side with such  dearth of attacking options.

McKinnon signed five final-third players in January. Of those, only DKD could be judged as any kind of success. McLean is brutal, Jarvis has shown nowt and Lavery and Todorov have barely had a look-in (Todorov is just a basic big-lump-up-front type and was a panic, last minute signing to fill out the squad). McKinnon identified the chronic lack of width in the squad not long after taking over. His solution was to sign a guy who wasn't getting a look-in for a woeful Morton, an old-pals act, nothing more.

We're virtual certainties to be relegated. It's odds-on McKinnon will stay in charge, therefore we have to hope he undergoes some sort of tactical epiphany on his summer holiday, ditches the Lambie playbook and sets us up to at least try and attack the likes of Stranraer and Forfar next season. Could not make it up. 

The difference is that our current strategy seems to be lump the ball from back to front.  2 players actually playing up font improves our chances of having the ball stick rather than what has happened where the ball comes to rudden and theres no one else around him . Playing the 4-3-3 we do seems to manage to leave us short up top and in midfield.  I do agree there was a lot of luck against dunfermline though.  I would like to see Lavery given more of a chance.

I actually thought (and normally I have the opposite opinion) that McLean didn't look too bad on sat in parts in the first half.  He looked like the only one going to do anything right up until the poor final ball.

I can't see McKinnons tactics changing regardless of the opposition.  I can't seen us ever beating teams by 4 or 5 goals under his direction.

[Guest Ecosse83]

7 minutes ago, AGPar said:

Except the win at EEP had absolutely nothing to do with 2 up-front and everything to do with us using up about half-a-season's worth of luck in one game and DKD (a substitute) taking the one opportunity we created from our only decent bit of play in the entire 90 minutes. This incessant 2 strikers chat is the biggest misnomer going. Stick Aguero and Salah up front in this s**tshow and they'd struggle because we have zero creativity, zero drive, zero pace, zero width. Outside of Rudden we have  nothing that would cause an opposition defence a moment's concern. I've never seen a Falkirk side with such  dearth of attacking options.

McKinnon signed five final-third players in January. Of those, only DKD could be judged as any kind of success. McLean is brutal, Jarvis has shown nowt and Lavery and Todorov have barely had a look-in (Todorov is just a basic big-lump-up-front type and was a panic, last minute signing to fill out the squad). McKinnon identified the chronic lack of width in the squad not long after taking over. His solution was to sign a guy who wasn't getting a look-in for a woeful Morton, an old-pals act, nothing more.

We're virtual certainties to be relegated. It's odds-on McKinnon will stay in charge, therefore we have to hope he undergoes some sort of tactical epiphany on his summer holiday, ditches the Lambie playbook and sets us up to at least try and attack the likes of Stranraer and Forfar next season. Could not make it up. 

Couldn't agree more. As I've said already I hope Paton's injury is a niggle that will keep him out of the last few games so we don't have to see 3 deep mids in the same team again. 

 

[Guest Ecosse83]

Burgoyne 

McGhee McKenna Dixon Robson

Mcshane Osman

Petra Rudden DKD

Jarvis

That's how id line up for Saturday if everyone is fit. This 433 pish McKinnon spouts is so obviously 451, he must think the fans are stupid 

Just have a bloody go at getting 6 points and see where it takes us, if we go down trying to win games I can take that. If we go down playing for a draw hoping to steal points then get McKinnon so far to f**k away from our club. 

 

Edited April 23, 2019 by Ecosse83

[Dunning1874]

24 minutes ago, AGPar said:

We're virtual certainties to be relegated. It's odds-on McKinnon will stay in charge, therefore we have to hope he undergoes some sort of tactical epiphany on his summer holiday, ditches the Lambie playbook and sets us up to at least try and attack the likes of Stranraer and Forfar next season. Could not make it up. 

Stopping the piss-taking and being serious for a moment, all the talk from Falkirk fans of McKinnon playing for draws did make me think of his Brechin team.

Obviously managing Falkirk in League One would be a very different proposition to managing Brechin in that you should be title favourites as opposed to playoff contenders, but he’s got previous playing for draws at that level. Funnily enough since you’ve mentioned Stranraer and Forfar, it was those two chasing the title with us as Brechin finished fourth. They went on a run of 17 games unbeaten, with McKinnon raving about how impressive a run it was, and that obviously is an excellent achievement.

However, they were so focused on maintaining that unbeaten run that they weren’t bothered about drawing half of those games. While the sides ahead of them were losing, they were also all winning more games in the same period of time - it’s better to win one and lose one than draw two and McKinnon didn’t seem to care about that. They had the least defeats of any team in the division that season, but still ended up 10 points off the top because they’d drawn 14 times and only scraped into 4th by a point. Had they been pushing for wins rather than sitting on draws they could have made a serious challenge, but McKinnon was so hung up on avoiding defeats that they got nowhere near it.

If he is managing you in League One next season, it’ll be interesting to see if he’s learned anything from making that mistake yet again this year.

[Guest]

You may be correct but I thought MR had a personal shareholding plus a holding in a company controlled by him which together was greater than SA’s holding?

He has but SA still has the biggest

[Rocco]

Did McKinnon not take Raith to 4th? If so, did he play them defensively or did he go out attacking teams? I'm wondering whether he has changed or if that's always been his style

[Guest]

14 minutes ago, Rocco said:

Did McKinnon not take Raith to 4th? If so, did he play them defensively or did he go out attacking teams? I'm wondering whether he has changed or if that's always been his style

Don’t know about Raith, but DU supporters certainly identify with his 4-5-1 that he tried to pass off as a 4-3-3.

Something says that if he could go the entire season undefeated, amass 36 points and be relegated, he would completely ignore relegation and bang on and on about his  team of “invincibles”.

Sadly, he may well turn out to be yet another goofy bit of business by the Board.

Looks like we will have to suffer at least another season of his “style”.

[18BAIRN76]

Not think there's a chance he'll walk?

[Guest Ecosse83]

5 minutes ago, 18BAIRN76 said:

Not think there's a chance he'll walk?

Depends how bad the crowd turn on last day when we're relegated. I'm more hoping the board have put a relegation clause in his contract and can get rid on the cheap. 

If he is still here then season tickets etc will be slow so it will be in their interests to get rid.

[Bairnardo]

I'll be fucking seething to hear of fans who dont come back because we're in the lower league tbh.

All for fucking the board over, but when thats said and done, If the SS isnt open next season then am seething

[WestfieldBairn]

I know for a fact that every single player has a relegation clause in their contract so I would be surprised if McKinnon didn’t.

[Guest Ecosse83]

6 minutes ago, Bairnardo said:

I'll be fucking seething to hear of fans who dont come back because we're in the lower league tbh.

All for fucking the board over, but when thats said and done, If the SS isnt open next season then am seething

I don't think many fans won't come because of League 1 but I do think more will be inclined to pay on the day rather than purchasing season tickets. 

[Guest Ecosse83]

2 minutes ago, CC52 FFC said:

I know for a fact that every single player has a relegation clause in their contract so I would be surprised if McKinnon didn’t.

You've just cheered me up!

[Bairney The Dinosaur]

I know for a fact that every single player has a relegation clause in their contract so I would be surprised if McKinnon didn’t.

Are you sure on every single player?

[HopeStreetWalker]

Have followed Falkirk since the 1960,s. It's uncanny how similar the situation is to when  we got relegated in our Centenary year it's like Deja Vu.  No ambition. No plan. No direction. No players. No future.  Feel sorry for McKinnon though. He took over a non team and scraped the fringes of other clubs for what he could get. Unfortunately they have not been good enough. 

The big question. Is McKinnon the man to rebuild not only the team but the club ?

[squeekybairn]

7 minutes ago, HopeStreetWalker said:

Have followed Falkirk since the 1960,s. It's uncanny how similar the situation is to when  we got relegated in our Centenary year it's like Deja Vu.  No ambition. No plan. No direction. No players. No future.  Feel sorry for McKinnon though. He took over a non team and scraped the fringes of other clubs for what he could get. Unfortunately they have not been good enough. 

The big question. Is McKinnon the man to rebuild not only the team but the club ?

no he isn't, we need someone a bit more adventurous.

[ShaggerG]

We need to beat Dundee Utd, no if's or but's, we've got to win.

If he lines up with both Osman and Paton in the team then that will simply confirm the type of manager that we think he is. Hopefully Paton can't make it and that will force his hand but he needs to include players who can make things happen so DKD, McShane and Robson need to start with Waddington and Petra (if fit) ready to come on if need be. Possibly worth starting Lavery too to see if that would make any difference.

Apparently McGhee is also struggling so we could see Kidd and Brough coming in from the cold?