The Falkirk FC Thread

[Blame Me]

6 hours ago, Back Post Misses said:

Whether it is Rennie or anyone else they are going to have to dismantle that squad and completely rebuild it. The absolute dross in there is going to cost to offload too. 
Anyone thinking otherwise is kidding themselves on.
 

Not necessarily.

There is an argument that in the circumstances we're in we should be looking for someone who can coach improvement in the existing squad rather than spin the transfer wheel again.

I still don't think that our current management are the ones capable of that based on experiences so far.

They will need additions, no doubt, but expecting another manager/head coach etc to get a complete new squad and hit the ground running as we know all too well is highly unlikely.

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, Blame Me said:

Not necessarily.

There is an argument that in the circumstances we're in we should be looking for someone who can coach improvement in the existing squad rather than spin the transfer wheel again.

I still don't think that our current management are the ones capable of that based on experiences so far.

They will need additions, no doubt, but expecting another manager/head coach etc to get a complete new squad and hit the ground running as we know all too well is highly unlikely.

We will agree to disagree on the players. I don’t disagree on the coaching position but I have sympathy for them. 

[Newbornbairn]

Rennie's shown he can't pish with the cock he's got. I'm not helping pay to get him a new cock.

[Guest Ecosse83]

14 minutes ago, Newbornbairn said:

Rennie's shown he can't pish with the cock he's got. I'm not helping pay to get him a new cock.

Excellent way to describe the current situation

[Springfield]

Can anyone update on the FSS / fans meeting?

[HopeStreetWalker]

1 hour ago, Back Post Misses said:

We will agree to disagree on the players. I don’t disagree on the coaching position but I have sympathy for them. 

If players on contract are there next season for whatever reason. Then its a matter of squeezing the best out them therefore the limited signings the club make are crucial as the spine to do that.

Goalie,  Center Back, Center Midfield, Center Forward then come up with a system to get the best out of them.

In this economic climate and the mass squad reductions at the end of the season having a contract will  not be bought out cheap. If we are in the financial mess many suspect  the club may have no choice but to keep them.

 

[ShaggerG]

1 hour ago, Springfield said:

Can anyone update on the FSS / fans meeting?

Absolutely not, I wasn't there. But thanks for paying attention.

[Springfield]

1 minute ago, ShaggerG said:

Absolutely not, I wasn't there. But thanks for paying attention.

Your welcome  

[ShaggerG]

3 minutes ago, Springfield said:

Your* welcome  

You're

[Springfield]

4 minutes ago, ShaggerG said:

You're

[Gollum]

Quick summary from me then:

Rennie, Sheerin, M&M, McKinnon, Hartley - all useless managers

Robson, Longridge, Balatoni, Loy, Mitchell, Harris, Tumilty, McGhee, Harrison, Froxylias, Petravicius, Paton, Dallison, Brough, Sammut, Tidser, Miller, Leitch, Buchanan, Connolly, Toshney, Telfer, Durnan, Gomis, McManus, Dowds, Mercer, Alston, Francis, Keena, Morrison, McCann, McGuffie, Wilson, McKay, Hetherington, Nesbitt, Williamson, Weeks, Lemon, McDaid, Ompreom - all useless players

So we still have lots of people that were useful (1) before they joined us and many useful (2) after they left again, they're just useless at our club.

And still we we continue blaming individual board members, specific managers etc? Ok, carry on..

ETA: Going through the list of signings is hilarious; I follow us closely but hadn't even heard of this guy before: https://www.transfermarkt.com/dhanesh-ghiraw/transfers/spieler/591372

Edited April 5, 2022 by Gollum

[Bairnardo]

Quick summary from me then:
Rennie, Sheerin, M&M, McKinnon, Hartley - all useless managers
Robson, Longridge, Balatoni, Loy, Mitchell, Harris, Tumilty, McGhee, Harrison, Froxylias, Petravicius, Paton, Dallison, Brough, Sammut, Tidser, Miller, Leitch, Buchanan, Connolly, Toshney, Telfer, Durnan, Gomis, McManus, Dowds, Mercer, Alston, Francis, Keena, Morrison, McCann, McGuffie, Wilson, McKay, Hetherington, Nesbitt, Williamson, Weeks, Lemon, McDaid, Ompreom - all useless players
So we still have lots of people that were useful (1) before they joined us and many useful (2) after they left again, they're just useless at our club.
And still we we continue blaming individual board members, specific managers etc? Ok, carry on..
ETA: Going through the list of signings is hilarious; I follow us closely but hadn't even heard of this guy before: https://www.transfermarkt.com/dhanesh-ghiraw/transfers/spieler/591372

So who do we blame then?

[Ross B]

1 hour ago, Springfield said:

Can anyone update on the FSS / fans meeting?

It was informal with not a huge amount of supporters there. I spoke with Keith Gourley, Nigel Serafini and someone else from FSS who's name escapes me. There wasn't an agenda and i was asked "what do you want to know"

I felt they were fairly candid. Spoke about large amount of playing staff committed to next season on very decent wages for our level and the challenge it will be to move them on. Spoke about the likely even bigger challenge getting out of this league next season will hold with potential teams coming down and Queens Park planning to spend big. 

I was advised no decision made on MR for next season either by him or by board but my feeling was if MR wants it he'll stay on. I put across my views about how poor we have been since he came in with no upturn at all and that would concern a large amount of support.

The issue re getting players from abroad is all but resolved. The pitch needs replaced probably with a new astro pitch due to revenue from ground sharing you cant get with a grass pitch.

Recognise the need for players with more physical stature who can tackle. 

 

Club will stay full time next year, mainly due to large amount of full time players we gave contracted fir next season. All in all a pretty grim picture if im being honest.

[Rugster]

4 minutes ago, Ross B said:

 

I was advised no decision made on MR for next season either by him or by board but my feeling was if MR wants it he'll stay on. 

 

Brutal.

[Springfield]

6 minutes ago, Ross B said:

It was informal with not a huge amount of supporters there. I spoke with Keith Gourley, Nigel Serafini and someone else from FSS who's name escapes me. There wasn't an agenda and i was asked "what do you want to know"

I felt they were fairly candid. Spoke about large amount of playing staff committed to next season on very decent wages for our level and the challenge it will be to move them on. Spoke about the likely even bigger challenge getting out of this league next season will hold with potential teams coming down and Queens Park planning to spend big. 

I was advised no decision made on MR for next season either by him or by board but my feeling was if MR wants it he'll stay on. I put across my views about how poor we have been since he came in with no upturn at all and that would concern a large amount of support.

The issue re getting players from abroad is all but resolved. The pitch needs replaced probably with a new astro pitch due to revenue from ground sharing you cant get with a grass pitch.

Recognise the need for players with more physical stature who can tackle. 

 

Club will stay full time next year, mainly due to large amount of full time players we gave contracted fir next season. All in all a pretty grim picture if im being honest.

Thanks,

Pretty much confirms/sums up the last few pages on here, wilderness here we come. Meant to add that you mentioned not a huge amount of fans there, surely alarm bells sounding…….

Edited April 5, 2022 by Springfield

[Chinatoon Bairn]

9 minutes ago, Ross B said:

Club will stay full time next year, mainly due to large amount of full time players we gave contracted fir next season. 

This isn't actually something that had crossed my mind when I had been talking about the hybrid set up with ma mates but seeing it in writing worries me quite a bit.

[Ross B]

5 minutes ago, Springfield said:

Thanks,

Pretty much confirms/sums up the last few pages on here, wilderness here we come. Meant to add that you mentioned not a huge amount of fans there, surely alarm bells sounding…….

Yip They are aware apathy has well and truly set in.

[Russ]

Quick summary from me then:
Rennie, Sheerin, M&M, McKinnon, Hartley - all useless managers
Robson, Longridge, Balatoni, Loy, Mitchell, Harris, Tumilty, McGhee, Harrison, Froxylias, Petravicius, Paton, Dallison, Brough, Sammut, Tidser, Miller, Leitch, Buchanan, Connolly, Toshney, Telfer, Durnan, Gomis, McManus, Dowds, Mercer, Alston, Francis, Keena, Morrison, McCann, McGuffie, Wilson, McKay, Hetherington, Nesbitt, Williamson, Weeks, Lemon, McDaid, Ompreom - all useless players
So we still have lots of people that were useful (1) before they joined us and many useful (2) after they left again, they're just useless at our club.
And still we we continue blaming individual board members, specific managers etc? Ok, carry on..
ETA: Going through the list of signings is hilarious; I follow us closely but hadn't even heard of this guy before: https://www.transfermarkt.com/dhanesh-ghiraw/transfers/spieler/591372

Starting with the managers. Paul Hartley is a very good manager. Particularly in the lower leagues. He done a great job turning us around from the January onwards in his first season. Then in the summer, whether it was his idea or not, the recruitment was dreadful. If we’d brought a few of they boys in but kept a core of players that knew the Scottish game we might’ve got away with it but too many players came in who were miles out their depth. Ray McKinnon is a pretty mediocre manager the fact we tapped him up rather than advertise the job properly is something I don’t think I will ever understand. He had enough time to keep us up he failed and should’ve been binned that summer instead of getting the summer window. M&M were a desperate appointment by the board to get the fans back onside. No offence to either of them but there’s a reason they’ve both now got jobs outside of football and won’t get a management job again. Paul Sheerin is a glorified youth coach. Sure he can give the bibs out in a first team training session but that’s as far as his involvement in a first team environment should be. Martin Rennie is absolutely dreadful like Sheerin is never a manager.

Of course all they players aren’t poor. There is some absolute shite in there. But likes of Robson and Longridge are very good League 1/bottom of the Championship players. David Mitchell injures didn’t help him with us but he’s very good at League 1 level as well. Jordan McGhee is now playing in the Premiership week in week out he was always good with us but we kept shunting him into playing full back. Petravicius got way, way more stick than he deserved btw his technical ability was shite but very good physical attributes and he was always a threat with his pace. Declan McManus was absolutely fantastic when actually played up front. Gomis/Toshney/Miller all done a job for us, yes we’ve had Gary Miller too long now but he was almost a revelation in midfield when M&M took over. Keena/Morrison/McCann/McGuffie/Connolly have all done ok-good with us.

Yes our recruitment has been poor for years but the buck stops with the manager. A good manager can make a team better, can get more out of players and can improve them. If we get the manager right then a lot of the poor players we’ve signed over the last few years are made to look better.

[Gollum]

11 minutes ago, Bairnardo said:

13 minutes ago, Gollum said:

Quick summary from me then:
Rennie, Sheerin, M&M, McKinnon, Hartley - all useless managers
Robson, Longridge, Balatoni, Loy, Mitchell, Harris, Tumilty, McGhee, Harrison, Froxylias, Petravicius, Paton, Dallison, Brough, Sammut, Tidser, Miller, Leitch, Buchanan, Connolly, Toshney, Telfer, Durnan, Gomis, McManus, Dowds, Mercer, Alston, Francis, Keena, Morrison, McCann, McGuffie, Wilson, McKay, Hetherington, Nesbitt, Williamson, Weeks, Lemon, McDaid, Ompreom - all useless players
So we still have lots of people that were useful (1) before they joined us and many useful (2) after they left again, they're just useless at our club.
And still we we continue blaming individual board members, specific managers etc? Ok, carry on..
ETA: Going through the list of signings is hilarious; I follow us closely but hadn't even heard of this guy before: https://www.transfermarkt.com/dhanesh-ghiraw/transfers/spieler/591372

So who do we blame then?

For me it's the turnover and complete shift in approach every summer. We don't have a recruitment or tactical system in place and keep bringing in managers to do whatever they want, rather than following a plan we have set out.

It would make more sense to me to keep some of the underperforming players and building from there, rather than starting from 0 every single transfer window. Add in the frail board structure in recent years and pair it with a lack of home support due to Covid and I don't think players are grasping what is expected of them. Even guys like Si Ferry and Tam Scobbie comment on their bewilderment about us underperforming with the players we have, whereas we keep saying all the players are useless. I agree on that, but have long accepted there must be more at play.

[Blame Me]

16 minutes ago, Springfield said:

...
Meant to add that you mentioned not a huge amount of fans there, surely alarm bells sounding…….

I had intended to go along to at least one of them but in hindsight the "pub tour" approach can exclude fans.

For instance, I was at the match on Saturday and BtG gives you no excuse for proximity ... except I had my 8yo son with me so then it's a non-starter due to licensing.

Same with yesterday evenings event as in my circumstances I was a stones throw away from the Courtyard but he had a regular activity right before so I couldn't attend taking into account the roundtrip to drop him home.

Not digging out the FSS / directors as they have tried to be open but something that needs considered. The future of the club is not just in the hands of one particular age group. Our younger fans also have an interest.