The Falkirk FC Thread

[Diamond8]

What's the story with your ticket ordering site? Are any home fans struggling to order for Saturday?

[Guest]

45 minutes ago, ShaggerG said:

Incidentally, I was thinking there about Houstie's tenure as he's been our most successful manager in the last 10 years or so and certainly gave us some very special times.

Point being that he won just 3 of his first 11 league games while Rennie's managed 4. Of course I realise that we were playing the likes of Sevco and Hibs at that time but there were also some big hitters like Cowdenbeath, Dumbarton and Alloa in there too.

I can't remember if fans were calling for his head at that point and apparently I'm not allowed to go back to look so, can anybody remember what the feeling was at the time?

I'm just saying that, although we're all pissed off with the current situation, it's not beyond the realms of possibility that Rennie could yet turn things around. Remember too that Houston had a much better squad and had the benefit of a pre-season with the team too.

Edit to add that I had a wee look at Totten, Jeffries, McCall and the great Willie Cunningham too (our 4 best managers in the last 55 years IMO). Totten won 2, Cunningham 2 and Jeffries 3 of their first 11 league games. Only McCall really got off to a flyer, winning 8.

I dare say that the likes of Pressley, Yogi or Billy Lamont may have better stats but I can't be arsed looking to see.

I remember well enough Jefferies getting absolute pelters early on in his time with us (five or six games in). There was a radio/tv quiz back then called “What’s My Line” when a panel had to guess what someone did via some fairly cryptic clues.

Behind me in the stand Mr Angry screamed out “Hey Jefferies, you should be on What’s My Line.  Absolutely nobody would ever guess that you are supposed to be a fucking football manager.” So aye, different times, same critiques.

Only difference I think was that after 7 or 8 games, opinions had swung a full 180 degrees……..because that phrase “rapid turnaround” really happened.

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, ShaggerG said:

Aye, sad indeed.

If we'd punted Houstie at that point though we'd have missed what came later, same with the others that I mentioned.

I'm not saying that Rennie's going to manage to turn us around but I think it may be a matter of 'careful what you wish for' and I think he'll get the rest of the season now anyway. It may just be a case of him being quite eloquent when speaking but, to me, he seems to now what he's talking about, he's not floundering (yet) like Sheerin and M&M were.

He absolutely has to see the season out. Thing is, none of us know what the BoD are judging him on. I can’t imagine that how he has done with his half a dozen players won’t affect their thinking.

I have tried to make sense of his track record, but it’s hard to work out his North America stuff, because a chunk of it is related to development teams, and he seems to have one good season at MLS level, and was gone after the second. For example, I don’t know if the Walt Disney Cup is a Mickey Mouse trophy (do you see what I did there) or something coveted. Same for the Cascade Trophy which seems broadly similar to the Stirlingshire or Glasgow Cups.

Korea is of course, even tougher to gauge.

[Springfield]

12 minutes ago, Duncan Freemason said:

He absolutely has to see the season out. Thing is, none of us know what the BoD are judging him on. I can’t imagine that how he has done with his half a dozen players won’t affect their thinking.

I have tried to make sense of his track record, but it’s hard to work out his North America stuff, because a chunk of it is related to development teams, and he seems to have one good season at MLS level, and was gone after the second. For example, I don’t know if the Walt Disney Cup is a Mickey Mouse trophy (do you see what I did there) or something coveted. Same for the Cascade Trophy which seems broadly similar to the Stirlingshire or Glasgow Cups.

Korea is of course, even tougher to gauge.

These cups could be anything, started looking into and just too much Soccer for my liking.

[ShaggerG]

13 minutes ago, Duncan Freemason said:

He absolutely has to see the season out. Thing is, none of us know what the BoD are judging him on. I can’t imagine that how he has done with his half a dozen players won’t affect their thinking.

I have tried to make sense of his track record, but it’s hard to work out his North America stuff, because a chunk of it is related to development teams, and he seems to have one good season at MLS level, and was gone after the second. For example, I don’t know if the Walt Disney Cup is a Mickey Mouse trophy (do you see what I did there) or something coveted. Same for the Cascade Trophy which seems broadly similar to the Stirlingshire or Glasgow Cups.

Korea is of course, even tougher to gauge.

Well I just Googled 'Walt Disney Cup' and got a page full of mugs with Mickey and Donald on them so that probably tells us what we need to know? Digging a bit further though, it seems it's a pre-season tournament for USA teams.

[BountyBairn]

Can’t be bothered trawling through all the recent chat here. 

I’m still with Rennie. Slow progress is fine considering the downward trajectory seemed unstoppable prior to his arrival. He will know himself and will be learning I am sure. Not as a rookie coach but the football environment here in the outback of L1 in Scotland. 

Nice to to see KM going nuts at opposing bench with a disagreement Saturday past. Aside from the actual incident I like to see this passion from the sidelines. 

Some may criticise it as a cliche but the question of who else is gonna come is really relevant. We are at it if we think any decent manager wants us after 7 coaches in 6 years or whatever. If it were up to me I’d sign them up now and start serious planning for next year - especially being creative or brutal with those who aren’t good enough to remain.

I blame the dropped points on Saturday with Hetherington. I’ll drive him anywhere in the EU to get him to f**k. Same with Wilson and Ross. No even close to good enough.

[AGPar]

1 hour ago, ShaggerG said:

Of course I realise that we were playing the likes of Sevco and Hibs

Exactly, chuck Hearts in there as well, rendering any comparison largely meaningless. Houston was confronted with, by a million miles, the strongest second tier ever, containing three of the four or five biggest clubs in the country, with multiple times his budget. It was a huge task. Expectations were adjusted accordingly. Rennie was appointed on a 6-month contract with the aim, presumably, of getting a hell of a lot more from the existing playing squad than the previous manager, of overseeing a fairly rapid improvement in performances and results, and ultimately making us look something vaguely like a team capable of getting out of League One in May. To help with this, he was given a budget far in excess of any other manager in this division, signed six new players and also benefited from the return of a striker bang in form for the leaders of the league above. The circumstances could not be more different really. This is no long-term "project" or turnaround. Rennie was brought in to do a short-term job and It's therefore perfectly understandable that judgements and criticisms are being formed much more quickly than with some of his predecessors. The standard of opposition alone dictates that. As a standalone body of work, with no reference to any other Falkirk manager or regime, what we are seeing week-to-week simply has not been good enough, despite the spin of one or two on here.

And I speak as someone who liked the appointment of Rennie and still hope that he can show something in the final couple of months to justify him being in charge at the start of next season. It simply has to start on Saturday. Another gutless, beaten-before-we-get-on-the-pitch type surrender that we have become all too used to in recent years, and I think he'll lose quite a bit of the support and goodwill he still seems to command at the moment.

[Its not only a game]

5 hours ago, Barry Ferguson's Hat said:

Scott Brown

Model Pro.

Spot the arse?- no the boy that won 22 major trophies!

[Its not only a game]

1 minute ago, Its not only a game said:

Spot the arse?- no the boy that won 22 major trophies!

Sorry from a Barry Ferguson fan

[BountyBairn]

5 hours ago, LowerLeagueFC said:

a man sitting down to eat a kebab?

I don’t think that’s a kebab mate. Maybe a battered hamburger? 

[HopeStreetWalker]

2 hours ago, ShaggerG said:

Incidentally, I was thinking there about Houstie's tenure as he's been our most successful manager in the last 10 years or so and certainly gave us some very special times.

Point being that he won just 3 of his first 11 league games while Rennie's managed 4. Of course I realise that we were playing the likes of Sevco and Hibs at that time but there were also some big hitters like Cowdenbeath, Dumbarton and Alloa in there too.

I can't remember if fans were calling for his head at that point and apparently I'm not allowed to go back to look so, can anybody remember what the feeling was at the time?

I'm just saying that, although we're all pissed off with the current situation, it's not beyond the realms of possibility that Rennie could yet turn things around. Remember too that Houston had a much better squad and had the benefit of a pre-season with the team too.

Edit to add that I had a wee look at Totten, Jeffries, McCall and the great Willie Cunningham too (our 4 best managers in the last 55 years IMO). Totten won 2, Cunningham 2 and Jeffries 3 of their first 11 league games. Only McCall really got off to a flyer, winning 8.

I dare say that the likes of Pressley, Yogi or Billy Lamont may have better stats but I can't be arsed looking to see.

The 4 managers you mentioned all had one thing in common.  The fans saw what they were trying to do and they liked what they saw.

That bought goodwill and the managers paid it back in spades with some great teams individual displays and memories.

As for Houston a great player and manager that gave us so much enjoyment. Think all Falkirk fans were sad the way it ended for him - he deserved better. 

[ShaggerG]

54 minutes ago, AGPar said:

Exactly, chuck Hearts in there as well, rendering any comparison largely meaningless. Houston was confronted with, by a million miles, the strongest second tier ever, containing three of the four or five biggest clubs in the country, with multiple times his budget. It was a huge task. Expectations were adjusted accordingly. Rennie was appointed on a 6-month contract with the aim, presumably, of getting a hell of a lot more from the existing playing squad than the previous manager, of overseeing a fairly rapid improvement in performances and results, and ultimately making us look something vaguely like a team capable of getting out of League One in May. To help with this, he was given a budget far in excess of any other manager in this division, signed six new players and also benefited from the return of a striker bang in form for the leaders of the league above. The circumstances could not be more different really. This is no long-term "project" or turnaround. Rennie was brought in to do a short-term job and It's therefore perfectly understandable that judgements and criticisms are being formed much more quickly than with some of his predecessors. The standard of opposition alone dictates that. As a standalone body of work, with no reference to any other Falkirk manager or regime, what we are seeing week-to-week simply has not been good enough, despite the spin of one or two on here.

And I speak as someone who liked the appointment of Rennie and still hope that he can show something in the final couple of months to justify him being in charge at the start of next season. It simply has to start on Saturday. Another gutless, beaten-before-we-get-on-the-pitch type surrender that we have become all too used to in recent years, and I think he'll lose quite a bit of the support and goodwill he still seems to command at the moment.

I'm not comparing the two, I'm simply saying that it's not impossible for him to turn it around. Also, Hearts weren't there in Houstie's first 11 games, Cowdenbeath were though.

[AGPar]

4 minutes ago, ShaggerG said:

I'm not comparing the two, I'm simply saying that it's not impossible for him to turn it around. Also, Hearts weren't there in Houstie's first 11 games, Cowdenbeath were though.

Houston's fourth League game of his first season was a 4-1 defeat at Tynecastle. His second and third were against Rangers and Hibs, the latter which we won 1-0. Glad you aren't making any comparison, as it would be utterly fatuous. Houston had an infinitely tougher job.

[Dabber]

1 hour ago, BountyBairn said:

Can’t be bothered trawling through all the recent chat here. 

I’m still with Rennie. Slow progress is fine considering the downward trajectory seemed unstoppable prior to his arrival. He will know himself and will be learning I am sure. Not as a rookie coach but the football environment here in the outback of L1 in Scotland. 

Nice to to see KM going nuts at opposing bench with a disagreement Saturday past. Aside from the actual incident I like to see this passion from the sidelines. 

Some may criticise it as a cliche but the question of who else is gonna come is really relevant. We are at it if we think any decent manager wants us after 7 coaches in 6 years or whatever. If it were up to me I’d sign them up now and start serious planning for next year - especially being creative or brutal with those who aren’t good enough to remain.

I blame the dropped points on Saturday with Hetherington. I’ll drive him anywhere in the EU to get him to f**k. Same with Wilson and Ross. No even close to good enough.

Blah blah blah... no wonder we are where we are with all you moaning fans...

All these players you's all want rid of would probably be glad to leave instead of getting abused every week

  Is it any wonder we've gone through so many managers with all the poison that's written on this chat. Try & get behind the team for once...  so fed up of a the criticism,  have any of you lot even tried to kick a ball? Get a grip.

Thro thick & thin, good & bad. FFC.

[ShaggerG]

16 minutes ago, AGPar said:

Houston's fourth League game of his first season was a 4-1 defeat at Tynecastle. His second and third were against Rangers and Hibs, the latter which we won 1-0. Glad you aren't making any comparison, as it would be utterly fatuous. Houston had an infinitely tougher job.

Apologies, you're quite correct. Don't know how I managed that, auld age probably!

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Dabber said:

Blah blah blah... no wonder we are where we are with all you moaning fans...

All these players you's all want rid of would probably be glad to leave instead of getting abused every week

  Is it any wonder we've gone through so many managers with all the poison that's written on this chat. Try & get behind the team for once...  so fed up of a the criticism,  have any of you lot even tried to kick a ball? Get a grip.

Thro thick & thin, good & bad. FFC.

Y’see, the mistake you are making is actually making a connection between an anonymous forum on P&B, and abuse of players that somehow affects their lives. Any player that reads any of our crap on here needs to be telt.

Your “get behind the team” and “thro thick & thin” is just pointless posturing. There are plenty of people on here who have been supporting Falkirk for years and quite probably decades longer than you, so your jingoism means absolutely nowt.

[Guest Ecosse83]

The way I see it Rennie has managed to sign 6 players and one on a very high wage. If we can’t improve performances with that amount of change then he shouldn’t be here next season. 
 

 

[Springfield]

12 minutes ago, Dabber said:

Blah blah blah... no wonder we are where we are with all you moaning fans...

All these players you's all want rid of would probably be glad to leave instead of getting abused every week

  Is it any wonder we've gone through so many managers with all the poison that's written on this chat. Try & get behind the team for once...  so fed up of a the criticism,  have any of you lot even tried to kick a ball? Get a grip.

Thro thick & thin, good & bad. FFC.

Blah Blah Blah, you’ve obviously watched the club for five minutes.

I sincerely hope that any players that read this forum can understand our frustration of the utter shite they continue to serve…….

[Bairnardo]

I hope to get to one of the meet and greet things round the pubs. If Rennie wants the job I am happy enough to hear him out, both in terms of the failure to progress this season (this is on the assumption he doesn't deliver a playoff place) and the plan for next season as he sees it.

I would need to hear some fairly glaring concerns get thoroughly addressed, and also I want to hear from someone on the football side of the club what they think is the reason for the performance levels of known-quantity players dipping so badly when they join our club.

Standards need to be raised all through the squad in all departments. Not just personnel but the levels we see from the ones we have.

If Rennie doesn't have anything to say about Improving the physical side of our game I don't want to hear anything else.

[gav-ffc]

Going well for Sammy