The Falkirk FC Thread

[ebobsboy]

Dowds and Sammon both need taken out the team for me.  If we do sign another striker he simply has to be better than those two, It's also imperative Keena stays fit.  Francis I'm not convinced about either but I'd be tempted to start him and Keena against Arbroath. 

[ShaggerG]

1 hour ago, Russ said:

 

I’d much rather he was as far away from the team as possible. He had glimpses last year but he’s offered us absolutely nothing at all this season. At least Robbie Leitch, who is a league 2 jobber at best, has popped up with a few goals whilst Todd just doesn’t contribute.

Can’t believe I’m saying this but we’ve got to get Telfer in the team and give him a proper run of games. I was one of his biggest critics last season and was seething when we gave him a new deal but he’s looked infinitely better than Todd/Leitch/Miller/Alston this season. I’d rather have him in the middle but if Connolly is still out then you play him wide and unfortunately continue with Alston in the hope he pulls some form out his arse. However continue to hoof it and bypass the midfield like we did on Saturday doesn’t matter a f**k who we play in there. Our striking options consist of a not fit Keena who must start, Sammon who’s dugshite, Dowds who tries but never a full time player, Francis who’s playing about 2 levels above his ability and Miller who can’t be close to any kind of match fitness due to his age and hesitance to play himself. If we’re going to persist with 2 up top and with the options we have in midfield I think we need to, then the combination absolutely has to be Keena and Miller for the time being. He’s the only striker wee got capable of challenging effectively in the air, holding the ball up, bringing others into play and buying cheap fouls.

Also I’d be looking to get Gary Miller back into the defence. He should only play in midfield when Gomis is not available but when he is I’d have him either at right-back or partnering Dixon in the middle. Would give us a slightly smaller centre back pairing but what a difference would be to have 2 centre backs that could actually defend would be a real novelty.

 

We'll never know if Todd would give us something from a central midfield position if we don't try it though. I think it's worth the try. He's consistently been played out of position whenever he's been chosen. I think Alston's a better option on the wing if need be as Telfer's already shown he can't play wide either.

We could have done with one less central midfielder and one more wide one.

[18BAIRN76]

1 hour ago, Russ said:

Just checked and since the start of last season Sammon and Dowds have scored a combined 21 goals in 99 games. So one of them scores every 4.7 games. Granted there will be a fair few sub appearances in there and of course Dowds didn’t play for us last season but still that is a pitiful record. As a comparison Declan McManus scored 24 goals in 34 games last season. Didn’t quite realise it at the time but his form majorly papered over the cracks for the managers last season.

Funnily enough I remember sitting thinking - as M&M set us up to defend for a point as we got outplayed by the galacticos of Raith Rovers at Starks Park last March - that we would have been in serious trouble without McManus last year. I think we all appreciated how good he was, but it is quite scary when you actually think of how far he carried us, basically by himself.

Edited January 6, 2021 by 18BAIRN76

[Hank von Hell]

4 hours ago, Russ said:

Just checked and since the start of last season Sammon and Dowds have scored a combined 21 goals in 99 games. So one of them scores every 4.7 games. Granted there will be a fair few sub appearances in there and of course Dowds didn’t play for us last season but still that is a pitiful record. As a comparison Declan McManus scored 24 goals in 34 games last season. Didn’t quite realise it at the time but his form majorly papered over the cracks for the managers last season.

Being a striker is not always about scoring goals however you have to contribute with assists and dropping back to build transitions & bringing others into play & goals from elsewhere in the team. Is Sammon doing any of this, if the answer is yes you can forgive him his poor goal tally.

I have never been a fan of Sammon but as far as I know his game was based on pace & strength running onto from balls played through/over the top of defences or into the channels  - forget about playing the ball to his head as he is pretty hopeless in the air. Being one of the big teams in this league we generally come up against packed defences and there is not the space for Sammon's natural game. He has to adapt to playing in tight spaces with his back to goal - is he doing this, possibly but good enough? 

Personally I think he's finished , even for this league. 

[Russ]

We'll never know if Todd would give us something from a central midfield position if we don't try it though. I think it's worth the try. He's consistently been played out of position whenever he's been chosen. I think Alston's a better option on the wing if need be as Telfer's already shown he can't play wide either.
We could have done with one less central midfielder and one more wide one.

Thing is though he’s not been played out of position. He’s played the majority of his career at left mid and indeed that’s where he spent the most time when in the championship as well. He’s just not very good.

[Russ]

Being a striker is not always about scoring goals however you have to contribute with assists and dropping back to build transitions & bringing others into play & goals from elsewhere in the team. Is Sammon doing any of this, if the answer is yes you can forgive him his poor goal tally.
I have never been a fan of Sammon but as far as I know his game was based on pace & strength running onto from balls played through/over the top of defences or into the channels  - forget about playing the ball to his head as he is pretty hopeless in the air. Being one of the big teams in this league we generally come up against packed defences and there is not the space for Sammon's natural game. He has to adapt to playing in tight spaces with his back to goal - is he doing this, possibly but good enough? 
Personally I think he's finished , even for this league. 

Whilst I do agree in principle with this when you’re a full time striker in a part time league like this then you absolutely have to be judged in goal contributions and the record is just embarrassing.

Also like you say it’s not like our strikers are contributing a whole lot to open play either.

[FFC 1876]

I think we were all Telfer's biggest critic but when he came into the team this season he was one of the only players making things happen. He had an average game against Airdrie (as did everyone else that day) and hasn't been in the starting line up since. I'd have him back in the starting line up against Arbroath and I'd certainly want to see him coming on before Leitch every week. Francis wasn't in the squad at all last week so he was either injured or he's really not fancied as that means Miller chose himself over him on the bench. Guaranteed to see Leitch in the starting line up on Saturday though M&M have a throbber for him.

[AL-FFC]

16 minutes ago, Bantabairn said:

On a slightly different matter, being reported in today’s press that the bigot bro’s have been given the green light to forward plans to enter teams into Div2. A working party has already been set up and there’s a chunk of cash being prostituted up front with guaranteed tickets sales being purchased. 
After the vote refusal of league reconstruction, whats the chances of this being passed ?

Depends how much cash they are going to throw at it, going by the numbers that were paid out as prize money they had to vote on to end the season it wont cost them too much.

[Ranaldo Bairn]

1 hour ago, Bantabairn said:

On a slightly different matter, being reported in today’s press that the bigot bro’s have been given the green light to forward plans to enter teams into Div2. A working party has already been set up and there’s a chunk of cash being prostituted up front with guaranteed tickets sales being purchased. 
After the vote refusal of league reconstruction, whats the chances of this being passed ?

Almost zero.

Although pouncing on wee clubs when they are financially stretched due to a worldwide plague perfectly sums up those two buckets of rancid, foetid, gelatinous, putrescent and malodorous faeces known as Rangers* and Celtic PLC.

[Shadwell Dog]

I'd start telfer on Saturday. Arbroath at home should open up against us which suits him.  Problem with telfer is he's hopeless against sides that sit in and swamp the midfield like Airdrie for instance. When the going gets tough he vanishes. His few decent appearances last season we're against the likes of Ayr United , Dumbarton at home when he had loads of  time on the ball.  Whilst he was poor against Airdrie it sums our management team up when he was dropped for the game against Partick which should've suited him down to the ground.  Todd is everything we don't want in the middle of the park. Slow, ponderous looks like he's running in treacle I'd be punting him out on loan now if noone will take him permanently. He sums up the standard of our recruitment.

[AGPar]

10 hours ago, ShaggerG said:

We'll never know if Todd would give us something from a central midfield position if we don't try it though. I think it's worth the try. He's consistently been played out of position whenever he's been chosen. I think Alston's a better option on the wing if need be as Telfer's already shown he can't play wide either.

We could have done with one less central midfielder and one more wide one.

Todd can barely break into a jog. We still completely lack pace, energy, drive, mobility in the middle of the park. He's not solving any of these problems. I'd be quite happy never to see him in a Falkirk shirt again. Spends a good chunk of his time injured and when he isn't he offers nothing. He's been a really, really poor signing. Alston has been shoved out wide before for us and it never, ever works. Not got the legs or the trickery for it. Neither has Telfer. We'd have been better served signing a proper wide player than tying up resources in the likes of Todd and Leitch, who has literally shown a couple of flashes and nothing else. The boy from Kilmarnock is another one who is just pointless. Waste of a loan - again. You could just name a fan on the bench and the impact on the first team would be just the same. We're carrying too many passengers. Todd, Leitch, Deveney, Laverty, Francis, Dowds, Durnan. You could lose all of them tomorrow and barely notice.

[Shadwell Dog]

3 minutes ago, AGPar said:

Todd can barely break into a jog. We still completely lack pace, energy, drive, mobility in the middle of the park. He's not solving any of these problems. I'd be quite happy never to see him in a Falkirk shirt again. Spends a good chunk of his time injured and when he isn't he offers nothing. He's been a really, really poor signing. Alston has been shoved out wide before for us and it never, ever works. Not got the legs or the trickery for it. Neither has Telfer. We'd have been better served signing a proper wide player than tying up resources in the likes of Todd and Leitch, who has literally shown a couple of flashes and nothing else. The boy from Kilmarnock is another one who is just pointless. Waste of a loan - again. You could just name a fan on the bench and the impact on the first team would be just the same. We're carrying too many passengers. Todd, Leitch, Deveney, Laverty, Francis, Dowds, Durnan. You could lose all of them tomorrow and barely notice.

Exactly that's why I just don't get people who seem to think we have a squad of players that should be doing much much better. We've got a squad full of players that will never see game time unless in emergency and that's even when we're not playing well. How shit must sneddon be when he can't even get on the bench before some of the dross filling it just now.  You'd think the management had just started in October given they had failed miserably to resolve any of the issues from last season. 

[FTID1876]

13 hours ago, Duncan Freemason said:

Well that narrows it down to one person. We need you to be more specific.

Kieran?

[Dawson Park Boy]

45 minutes ago, Shadwell Dog said:

I'd start telfer on Saturday. Arbroath at home should open up against us which suits him.  Problem with telfer is he's hopeless against sides that sit in and swamp the midfield like Airdrie for instance. When the going gets tough he vanishes. His few decent appearances last season we're against the likes of Ayr United , Dumbarton at home when he had loads of  time on the ball.  Whilst he was poor against Airdrie it sums our management team up when he was dropped for the game against Partick which should've suited him down to the ground.  Todd is everything we don't want in the middle of the park. Slow, ponderous looks like he's running in treacle I'd be punting him out on loan now if noone will take him permanently. He sums up the standard of our recruitment.

Completely agree.

 

[Shadwell Dog]

18 minutes ago, FTID1876 said:

Kieran?

Henry the mild mannered janitor?

[ShaggerG]

I'd start Sammon in central midfield on Saturday because he's got plenty of pace and energy. Should be a good bet to be able to run on to big Durnan's knock downs from centre forward. Telfer should be able to provide plenty of quality crosses from full back as well to facilitate this tactic. Mutch will need to be at his best to keep Robbie Leitch on the bench as well!

[Shadwell Dog]

3 minutes ago, ShaggerG said:

I'd start Sammon in central midfield on Saturday because he's got plenty of pace and energy. Should be a good bet to be able to run on to big Durnan's knock downs from centre forward. Telfer should be able to provide plenty of quality crosses from full back as well to facilitate this tactic. Mutch will need to be at his best to keep Robbie Leitch on the bench as well!

Maybe worth a try can't be any worse than last Saturday.

[ShaggerG]

4 minutes ago, Shadwell Dog said:

Maybe worth a try can't be any worse than last Saturday.

Which was the point I was trying to make mate 

 

[Numbers_One_To_Eleven]

For me, we’re always going to have jobbers in our squad at this level, a fair few for that matter.  As long we have someone who puts the ball away consistently and the rest do their job or, at worst, don’t spoil things, that’s more realistic. Reeling off all these poor players is just going round in circles. Really, is Blair Alston being poor a surprise if we’re playing hoofball? No. Legs is what are needed in the middle of the park in this league.  Flair from wide areas is a nice bonus.

Lets just get out of this league...automatically!

[MrDust]

16 hours ago, FFC 1876 said:

The best thing about the statement is Martindale admitting he's been pulling the strings for years.

"I've been trying to sign him since he left St Mirren"

Even Alan Stubbs realised he wasn't very good and that's saying a lot. That being said god knows who we'll get if Reilly's ending up in the premiership.

Reilly wasnt a St Mirren player when Stubbs came in. 

As said previously it's a free hit on Saturday, yep prize money greater for Scottish cup for an extended run but I don't believe the M&M future is dependent on that game, we still have a board that repays relegation with managers keeping their jobs and being allowed to spunk cash for promotion when they were previously out their depth.

Hartley been the only time I've seen us be quick about a sacking, tho we were a laughing stock in TV, press and media about our comedy signings. 

If we are to change managers, then it should be after the Montrose game, whilst Jan window is open. We should have our feelers out now incase with no Rays please.