The Falkirk FC Thread

[ShaggerG]

1 hour ago, Back Post Misses said:

I am not saying anything. This Board have raised about 30k in 10 months outside known associates of the Board. The NB raised 500K in 4 days. What does that tell you?
If the club need investment and they think people believe in them running the business then it is for them to seek investment not wait for it to walk through the door. 

I'll put it differently then; do you think that the NBG may be willing to get back across the table if the BOD made contact to raise the question of possibly investing in the club?

[TxRover]

Assuming the impressions passed on by the attendees are correct…not questioning them, just know that passions can make you take things the worst possible way…you lot are fucked. Just from the discussion of what was said, it seems clear:

-Deans and the Board are all on board with blaming the fans discontent for causing issues with the team, which is simply mental.

-Deans, the Board and Holt (the Club) all support Sheerin at least through December, regardless.

-The Club delusionally believes the current lineup is capable of winning the League.

-The Club is willing to consider additional investment in the first team come January if, and only if, the season is not on trajectory to gain at least a playoff spot…however, consider the next point as well…

-The Club supports Rawlins view that his Stoke (three years to first promotion and five till second) and Orlando (five years of no playoffs) experience is relevant here. This suggests a long-term goal of promotion between 3 and 5 years after buy-in, or roughly in the 2022-2023 or 2023-2024 season to make the Championship and somewhere about the 2027-2028 season for a return to the Premiership. Note this does NOT a mean that a drop to League Two next year would hamper that goal.

-The Club believes that Season Ticket holders will not drop their support of the club, regardless of their treatment.

-The Club won’t deal with NB until they crawl back.
 

This, if it’s a correct read of the meeting content, is amazing. I fear that even a boycott would be dismissed by the Club as a few disgruntled supporters, regardless of the numbers or noise. This is how a club can implode, but I would have never credited that it could occur to a team with a supportive and motivated fan base like FFC.

[Guest Back Post Misses]

4 minutes ago, 18BAIRN76 said:

I feel the 'we need to be patient' line would have more weight if we weren't in our third season in the seaside leagues as one of the only full-time teams with the biggest budget.

Someone should do some research on Stoke. Was it not on,y when the bet365 guys got involved that the club took off - post Rawlins involvement?  Orlando comparison is just bollocks. 

[Guest Back Post Misses]

6 minutes ago, ShaggerG said:

I'll put it differently then; do you think that the NBG may be willing to get back across the table if the BOD made contact to raise the question of possibly investing in the club?

None of the NB Group are happy with where we are but it isn’t the groups ball to play with or to decide the future. That is very much, it seems to me, in the hands of someone from Stoke and his American wife. 

Edited October 19, 2021 by Back Post Misses

[Shadwell Dog]

Just now, Back Post Misses said:

None of the NB Group are happy with where we are but it isn’t our ball to play with or to decide the future. That is very much, it seems to me, in the hands of someone from Stoke and his American wife. 

I presume she's just there for show as she said absolutely feck all the entire night.

[Tea and Busquets]

8 minutes ago, Back Post Misses said:

I said last night that Rawlins will not be blown about by fan opinion. The whole mantra tonight I expected. Fans have three choices

1. Suck it up

2. Not go and say nothing

3. Organise themselves to sort the problem out. 
 

Too many that I can see chose option 1

I say we stage an organised protest. One that is fully thought through. How or what this looks like i have no idea. This has long been overdue. 

[ShaggerG]

1 hour ago, Back Post Misses said:

None of the NB Group are happy with where we are but it isn’t our ball to play with or to decide the future. That is very much, it seems to me, in the hands of someone from Stoke and his American wife. 

So is that a yes or a no then? 

[JulioBairn]

8 minutes ago, Back Post Misses said:

I said last night that Rawlins will not be blown about by fan opinion. The whole mantra tonight I expected. Fans have three choices

1. Suck it up

2. Not go and say nothing

3. Organise themselves to sort the problem out. 
 

Too many that I can see chose option 1

I agree but I think option 1 was chosen at the start of the season and has run it me course.

I know they now have season ticket money etc but If there is not a sudden upturn on the pitch then option 1 won’t last much longer IMO. If we lose on Saturday I think there will be major unrest and we’ll see the start of some sort of protest. 

[TxRover]

37 minutes ago, Back Post Misses said:

Someone should do some research on Stoke. Was it not on,y when the bet365 guys got involved that the club took off - post Rawlins involvement?  Orlando comparison is just bollocks. 

Rawlins was buggering off to Dallas and jetting around the globe as of about 1995, so after promotion from the third tier, but before they got tossed down there again. During that time, he had to marry Carrie because his visa paperwork was f**ked up, and he wouldn’t be able to re-enter the U.S. after a trip to Australia…so I’m not sure how “crucial” he was to Stoke at that time.

Coates, the founded of bet365 was a Stoke director with Rawlins, was nudged out under the Icelandic investment scheme, and then came back just in time to pour in extra dosh to push Stoke to promotion.

Edited October 19, 2021 by TxRover

[ilostmyself]

Can't believe the comments from Holt around Wilson, he looked absolutely hopeless in every appearance, scored 5 goals for Dumbarton last season and isnt some raw teenager, he'll be 24 in 2 months. Can't imagine many things in football that would surprise me more than Wilson coming back from Elgin looking semi capable of starting for us.

[bob_mcshug]

No surprises reading this tonight. I know it's already been said about boycotts etc but there appears to be a lack of motivation within the support to do something which I find bizarre. The summer chat about buying season tickets again as to so otherwise would "damage the club" no longer wash. How much more damage could be done given what has been on display for the past 5 years. 

 

Although it won't have a financial impact, I think mass boycotting the home games over the next few weeks would still send a visual message. I know people like going to games at the weekend but surely simply going down to the main stand and venting at the board instead, is at least as entertaining, if not moreso, than watching 90 mins at TFS just now?

[ShaggerG]

1 hour ago, ilostmyself said:

Can't believe the comments from Holt around Wilson, he looked absolutely hopeless in every appearance, scored 5 goals for Dumbarton last season and isnt some raw teenager, he'll be 24 in 2 months. Can't imagine many things in football that would surprise me more than Wilson coming back from Elgin looking semi capable of starting for us.

A couple of people are saying that Holt said that Wilson would be our starting striker but I heard it as they didn't expect him to be, i.e. he'd be back-up. (Which would make sense, albeit that he hasn't even turned out to be that)

I completely acknowledge though that I may have misheard that.

[Guest Caractacus Potts]

19 minutes ago, Back Post Misses said:

Someone should do some research on Stoke. Was it not on,y when the bet365 guys got involved that the club took off - post Rawlins involvement?  Orlando comparison is just bollocks. 

Look at when things were on the up at Stoke too- when Peter Coates was Chairman. Feel Rawlins is overstating his influence and, excuse the pun, hanging on the coat tails of his chairman. His ex wife is still at Orlando too so maybe he hid behind her success. Maybe just another George Craig type who’s made a successful career on the back of others. He quickly has to prove he’s the real deal anyway as all I’m seeing is Walter Mitty. 

[Shadwell Dog]

1 minute ago, ShaggerG said:

A couple of people are saying that Holt said that Wilson would be our starting striker but I heard it as they didn't expect him to be, i.e. he'd be back-up. (Which would make sense, albeit that he hasn't even turned out to be that)

I completely acknowledge though that I may have misheard that.

I'm sure he said he was expected to play every week but it does seem extremely far fetched although he did seem obsessed with the fact he'd scored 4 goals last season.

[ilostmyself]

A couple of people are saying that Holt said that Wilson would be our starting striker but I heard it as they didn't expect him to be, i.e. he'd be back-up. (Which would make sense, albeit that he hasn't even turned out to be that)
I completely acknowledge though that I may have misheard that.

That's a fair comment, I was more meaning the stuff about how many goals he scored last year and it being his first job etc.
Even when he was rumoured for us the Dumbarton fans couldn't believe he would be offered a full time gig anywhere. Nothing against him personally or anything and I hope he can prove me wrong, just sticks out as a truly bizarre panic signing.

[ShaggerG]

1 hour ago, Shadwell Dog said:

I'm sure he said he was expected to play every week but it does seem extremely far fetched although he did seem obsessed with the fact he'd scored 4 goals last season.

I've probably not heard him properly. My ears are not as young as they used to be right enough (along with the rest of me!)

[superandy_07]

Finally got round to my notes, apologies if stuff has already been covered

I have missed stuff out but hopefully be covered by the recording that will follow 

It was uncomfortable but felt it got easier for them after the first 20 mins

• Started with an introduction by Gary Deans

• Gordon Colburn was up next

Talked about his family ties to Falkirk.

Understands that the situation has changed, the club has been on the decline for several years.

Board needs to be held accountable, same with supporters are accountable and some actions by some of them have been not consistent with Falkirk FC values — threats and attacks are not acceptable at all.

Mentioned that supporters need to support the players as players are scared to do things on the pitch(!), big laugh ensues, followed by saying that we’ve lost players due to the supporter behaviour around the club (I thought this may have been youth academy players but might have heard that wrong).

 

• Bit of back and forth between Gary and the floor before moving onto questions 

 

• First question was an absolute belter, very well researched with lots of stats, the main point about the win rate of teams that have won League One and how we’re nowhere near that.

Gary took this on and talked about how recruitment before was a disaster with Lex Miller, Lee Miller and David McCracken dealing with this, coming out of those meetings terrified realising there was no real plan. Also made a comment that it doesn’t make a difference who is chairman. McFarlane also agreed that recruitment has been bad, we need stability, comparing previous players like Mercer and Leitch to Williamson and Nesbit, and that the team needs space and time needed to improve.

 

• First online question (over 60 emails submitted!) - FFC being run like a boys club with the board being filled with nepotism

Gary refutes this completely, responds that there seems to be an undercurrent that the fans want to sack someone, get someone to walk. Why do teams raise their game against us? We have lots of ex-Falkirk players playing against us, because of the revolving door of players and staff. Said the end of last season was the worst moments of his Falkirk supporting life. 

 

• Gary Holt

Clarifying his role - he has zero influence on first team matters (team selection, tactics, subs etc). Quoted stat 65 players have come in the door, 63 have gone out along with 13 non-playing staff coming and going. Not always going to get recruitment right, but we can’t get it right with a constant revolving door. Gary does not sign players alone, he concentrates on shovel work that comes with scouting and dealing with agents etc, Sheerin has final say.

We made an approach for 14 different strikers, including Scott Robinson and Declan McManus (willing to also pay his transfer fee), but were blown out of the water in terms of wages.

 

• Paul Sheerin

Total accountable for the performances so far. Felt the real tension from Saturday's game.

The team needs the support of the fans. Paul is still learning with this being his first full time appointment. He trusts that the team will get it better. We’ve been let down by individual errors and not got the blend right upfront or the back, can’t score goals and can’t keep clean sheets. Sheerin has been more involved in recruitment since he's joined the club.

 

• Phil Rawlings

He felt there wasn’t enough investment behind the scenes. Said that the club was an accident waiting to happen and it did last season. We have the biggest wage bill in the league, including the investment in youth squads.

We need to get promotion, we are going to make it happen the best we can but we need stability, and can't expect to do the same things the club have done in the past.

Asking for patience, mentioned how long it took Stoke and Orlando to get to the top, we are trying our best to get there stating there hasn’t been a concrete plan before. 

 

• Expenditure - questions on the increased costs of board level investment

Commercial income will be down, the loss of Kieran and Totten are a blow. 

The club is in a period of investing in the future.

Right now they are planning to be in Championship next year, if by January that seems unrealistic they shall review.

Small mention of SPFL Club Review, how there could be a danger of criteria for the top league (think back to Brockville), whether that be grass pitch only for example.

Gary was really cagey about part time being an opportunity next year if we don’t go up.

 

• Navy Blue Group 

Colburn stated there was a number quoted but came with conditions - offer started at £500,000 and later on became £600,000, but no formal offer was made. They refused the approach as the offer was non-negotiable, a meeting was setup but was cancelled the day before by the NBG.

Gary said the door is open, someone from the floor shouted “On your terms”.

GD responded with to deliver a document, to invest, you need to discuss it. The investment didn’t fail because of the conditions of Gary walking, you have got to talk about these things, discuss them and be reasonable.

 

• More Sheerin tidbits

Big Ernaldo Krasniqi - still has a lot to learn defensive, was seen as an opportunity to develop a Huddersfield relationship, was also cost effective, works hard and he will get opportunities.

Steven Hetherington - seen as one of our most important players, met with laughs

Felt he needed to give Paddy Martin an opportunity, Paul Dixon he also feels hasn’t been good enough over the past month (Dixon himself agrees).

 

• Gary Deans wrapping up

Knew tonight would be difficult with a lot of frustrations but went better than he expected.

Thanked everyone coming and giving us space to give answers.

They are doing their damndest to get back where the club needs to be.

The fans are vital, proud to be part of the support the club has.

 

Bed time now zzz

Edited October 20, 2021 by superandy_07
Tidy up

[ebobsboy]

8 minutes ago, superandy_07 said:

Finally got round to my notes, apologies if stuff has already been covered 

It was uncomfortable but felt it got easier for them after the first 20 mins

• Started with an introduction by Gary Deans

• Gordon Colburn was up next

Talked about his family ties to Falkirk.

Understands that the situation has changed, the club has been on the decline for several years.

Board needs to be held accountable, same with supporters are accountable fans and some actions by the fans have been not consistent with Falkirk FC values — threats and attacks are not acceptable at all.

Mentioned that supporters need to support the players as players are scared to do things on the pitch, big laugh ensues, followed by saying that we’ve lost players due to the supporter behaviour around the club (I thought this may have been youth academy players but might heard that wrong).

 

• Bit of back and forth between Gary and the floor before moving onto questions 

 

• First question was an absolute belter, very well researched with lots of stats, the main point about the win rate of teams that won league one and how we’re nowhere near that.

Gary took this on and talked about how recruitment before was a disaster with Lex Miller, Lee Miller and David McCracken dealing with this, coming out of those meetings terrified realising there was no real plan. Also made a comment that it doesn’t make a difference who is chairman. McFarlane also agreed that recruitment has been bad, we need stability, comparing previous players like Mercer and Leitch to Williamson and Nesbit, and that the team needs space and time needed to improve.

 

• First online question (over 60 emails submitted!) - FFC being run like a boys club and the board is filled with nepotism

Gary responds that there seems to be an undercurrent that the fans want to sack someone, get someone to walk. Why do teams raise their game against us? We have lots of ex-Falkirk players playing against us, because of the revolving door of players and staff. Said the end of last season was the worst moments of his Falkirk supporting life. 

 

• Gary Holt

Clarifying his role - he has zero influence on first team matters (team selection, tactics, subs etc). Quoted stat 65 players have come in the door, 63 have gone out along with 13 coming and going. Not always going to get recruitment right, but we can’t get it right with a constant revolving door. Gary does not sign players alone, he concentrates on shovel work that comes with agents etc, Sheerin has final say.

We made an approach for 14 different strikers, including Scott Robinson and Declan McManus, but were blown out of the water in terms of wages.

 

• Paul Sheerin

Total accountable for the performances so far. Felt the real tension from Saturday's game.

The team needs the support of the fans. Paul is still learning with this being his first full time appointment. He trusts that the team will get it better. We’ve been let down by individual errors and not got the blend right upfront or the back, can’t score goals and can’t keep clean sheets. Sheerin has been more involved in recruitment.

 

• Phil Rawlings

He felt there wasn’t enough investment behind the scenes. Felt the club was an accident waiting to happen and it did last season. We have the biggest wage bill in the league, including the investment in youth squads.

We need to get promotion, we are going to make it happen the best we can but we need stability, and can't expect to do the same things the club have done in the past.

Asking for patience, we are trying our best to get there stating there hasn’t been a concrete plan before. 

 

• Expenditure - questions on the costs of board level investment

Commercial income will be down, the loss of Kieran and Totten are a blow. 

The club is in a period of investing in the future.

Right now they are planning to be in this Championship, if by January if unrealistic they shall review.

Small mention of SPFL Club Review, how there could be a danger of criteria for the top league, whether that be grass pitch only for example.

Gary was really cagey about part time being an opportunity next year if we don’t go up.

 

• Navy Blue Group 

Colburn stated there was a number quoted but with conditions - £500,000 and also £600,000, but no formal offer was made. They refused the approach as the offer was non-negotiable so they never met.

Gary said the door is open, someone from the floor shouted “On your terms”.

GD responded with to deliver a document, to invest, you need to discuss it, meeting was discussed but it was pulled. The investment didn’t fail because of the conditions of Gary walking, you have got to talk about these things, discuss them and be reasonable.

 

• More Sheerin tidbits

Big EK- still has a lot to learn defensive, was seen as an opportunity to develop a Huddersfield relationship, was also cost effective, works hard and he will get opportunities.

Hetherington - seen as one of our most important players, met with laughs

Felt he needed to give Paddy Martin an opportunity, Dixon also he feels hasn’t been good enough over the past month.

 

• Gary Deans wrapping up

Knew tonight would be difficult with a lot of frustrations but went better than he expected.

Thanked everyone coming and giving us space to give answers.

They are doing they’re damndest to get back where the club needs to be.

The fans are vital, proud to be part of the support the club has.

 

Bed time now zzz

Appreciate the info, home win for Peterhead on Saturday then, I went for 3-1 need the points to push me up the prediction league. 

[Harry Kinnear]

This is my second season out of the past 3 where I withheld my ST money and haven't attended any games. I stopped going the first season we went down as I was so gutted at us dropping to League 1 but I renewed last season after the Rawlins investment as I thought things were about to change. I haven't renewed this season and I haven't been to a single game. I just feel that for this to send the right message to the board it needs more than a handful of us doing it.  After tonight I feel really flat about the whole token gesture of me not attending games. I got the impression tonight that the majority there still go to games and feel that I'm only hurting myself by not going anymore. 

[Guest]

For me, Colborn (who wants to be the next Chairman was a catastrophic opening). Clearly playing to the Rawlins, he just started badly, and got worse and worse. Deans actually took the microphone away from him.

Deans utterly unconvincing. Said teams were beating us because they had ex Falkirk players in their ranks who were out to make a point. Great bogus insight from the bogus Chairman. He said change the Chairman and it will make no difference. Said if he stepped down, he would Get his life back. I think he should go and get his life back. 
 

NB pulled out, not the Board. The Board are open to reasonable investments. NB were not reasonable. Colborn scrambled around for an escape route after saying there was no NB bid at the last meeting. Changed it to no “firm” bid in an attempt to dig him out of a hole. This is a guy who professes honesty and integrity as his top values in life.

McFarlane rambled about how young he was and a bit about stability. Their version of stability seems to be that they get to carry on as they are. Every single one of them hand picked by Deans, and my God, it shows.

Of course, jam tomorrow.

Sheerin doesn’t know why performances are so bad. Hetherington is a key player for him. Krasniqi won’t play because he is not good enough defensively. He was signed to make a strong link with his parent club……,that won’t last long. Sheerin said his priority wasn’t scoring more goals, it was losing less, so that is his focus (the stuffy bit I presume).

Amongst Holt’s whataboutery defence of Wilson came a statement that no more player clear outs. This season’s squad is next season’s squad.

No financial planning made for us not being promoted. Failure will involve “hard decisions”. When asked if that really meant no Plan B, Deans was in to the microphone again to say he and his wondrous Board of accountants and PR gurus had a Plan B, a Plan C and a Plan D. He has some interesting tells when he is being economical with the truth. Anyone watching a recording should be able to spot them.

Rawlins says infrastructure isn’t being overfunded and the team isn’t being underfunded. Just like baby bear’s porridge, the division of funding was correct, and Holt has never been refused funding for the “right” player.

Just another film flam show. Deans saying everyone had been well behaved, better than expected. Nice to have it end on such a patronising note.

Key message. TONE DEAF BOARD COMPLETELY OUT OF THEIR DEPTH LACKING IN THE RIGHT SKILL SETS AND HAVE ZERO SELF AWARENESS. CLEARLY IN POST TO DO WHAT DEANS WANTS. OH YES, THEY ARE DEFINITELY BUOYED BY ST SALES. IF THEY CAN GET THAT AMOUNT OF RENEWALS AFTER LAST SEASON, THEN CAN GET AWAY WITH ALMOST ANYTHING.

 

Edited October 20, 2021 by Duncan Freemason