The Falkirk FC Thread

[AGPar]

3 hours ago, Blame Me said:

Charlie Telfer goes to bat for Miller in Falkirk Herald this week. 

Seems like the PR campaign is beginning to soften up the support in favour of him getting the job.

Also interesting to note that inwardly the players enjoyed Rennie and Millers management as Telfer expresses disappointment in Rennie's departure and suggests that KM isn't too disimilar.

I'd put him odds-on favourite now.

Telfer's verbal diarrhoea is the kind of standard comments you get from pretty much any professional when there is an interim/caretaker in charge and someone asks if they would like them to get the job on a permanent basis. If he genuinely thinks that comfort in working with the current squad - one of, if not the, most disgraceful, unprofessional, uncommitted bunch we have ever employed - should form any part of the criteria for the selection of a new manager, he's delusional. Most of us don't wish to see any of this gang ever again.

Kenny Miller's comments appear equally delusional - at least, I hope they are. Someone - think it was DF - mentioned this the other day, but is he genuinely trying to make out that this is some sort of orderly, pre-agreed succession plan going on here ??!! The reality is that Rennie was appointed on a short-term contract, given an excellent transfer budget, failed completely to meet his objective, has stepped down, yet he's still hanging around in the background for what reason exactly? In an attempt to help his mate slither unchallenged into the job? I refuse to believe we could possibly be that stupid - again. 

Miller's management experience amounts to a six-week spell at Livingston before he chucked it. The task facing the next Falkirk manager over the next 12/24 months is a f****g huge one. Miller has not got the experience for it. End of. Take charge of the next two, utterly meaningless friendlies by all means - win them 10-0 for all the difference it makes, then it's thanks and goodbye (to the pair of them) and we try to start some sort of rebuild from the rubble left behind.

Edited April 22, 2022 by AGPar

[Nearly Sane]

18 minutes ago, Shadwell Dog said:

Yes there is.  I can assure you.

It's no going to be Kenny bloody miller. 

Go on then - assure me. Because there definitely isn't. A decision on an U20/B Team will be left in the hands of the new first team manager.

[Shadwell Dog]

5 minutes ago, Nearly Sane said:

Go on then - assure me. Because there definitely isn't. A decision on an U20/B Team will be left in the hands of the new first team manager.

Obviously. If he says he doesn't want one then they won't have one but the plan is being considered if the manager agrees with it.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Blame Me said:

Charlie Telfer goes to bat for Miller in Falkirk Herald this week. 

Seems like the PR campaign is beginning to soften up the support in favour of him getting the job.

Also interesting to note that inwardly the players enjoyed Rennie and Millers management as Telfer expresses disappointment in Rennie's departure and suggests that KM isn't too disimilar.

I'd put him odds-on favourite now.

Whose PR machine? KM? I certainly is t the club that’s for sure

[Springfield]

2 hours ago, FFC1965 said:

My last game was the Peterhead draw in February.  I'm not going tomorrow and I'll probably go watch my local team Edinburgh City v Annan tonight.  Its probably the longest consecutive run of games I've missed over the years Ive had a ST. 

Would love ECFC to get promoted as it would make for two FFC away games within easy reach of home.  TFS is a dreadful stadium in a dreadful location and many away fixtures are far easier for me to reach.  Dunfermline and ECFC in L1 next season as well as Kelty would be perfect on that front.  

In normal times the conclusion of an awful season would mean a good number of players making their final home appearance tomorrow.  Will be interesting to see how much change has actually taken place when August comes round given that many duds are contracted to 23 or 24.   

I'm another one who doesn't want KM as manager.  We need experience even if its an appointment that doesn't set the pulse racing.  

Add - anyone who actually stays to the final minute tomorrow, make sure you give the loudest boos to those imposters. If you’re going to clap hang your head in shame…..

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Duncan Freemason said:

I don’t know where the hybrid stuff is coming from. The BoD have said with 14 FT players on the books already, we stay full time for next season.

Folk just making stuff up

[Bairnardo]

The idea that Charlie Telfer or anyone else from that squads opinion should be taken into account is hilarious. The lot of them are borderline for turning me in to a frothing "git thum tae the sand dunes at Gullane" fitbaw da'

This is the same Telfer who has turned in about 1/3 worth of a decent season in his time with us, and who, in what is probably the only single point at which we could have been on for promotion, elected to hoof Regan Henry into the air about 10 minutes into a home game v Raith which IIRC had we won would have seen us top in the curtailed season.

[Nearly Sane]

8 minutes ago, Shadwell Dog said:

Obviously. If he says he doesn't want one then they won't have one but the plan is being considered if the manager agrees with it.

There is absolutely no plan to put an U20s in the SPFL Lowland Development League. In fact I'd go as far to say some people within the club, who should know, don't even know such a thing exists. There is absolutely no plan or commitment to youth development and the only reason the U16/18 teams continue is because it would be another PR disaster were they to go - which there's a distinct possibility they will.

 

[Marshmallo]

Dunipace u20s seem to be sweeping everyone aside at an admittedly relatively low level. We should be looking at getting some sort of partnership in place with the likes of them, Camelon, Syngenta, the Shire.

[Shadwell Dog]

3 minutes ago, Nearly Sane said:

There is absolutely no plan to put an U20s in the SPFL Lowland Development League. In fact I'd go as far to say some people within the club, who should know, don't even know such a thing exists. There is absolutely no plan or commitment to youth development and the only reason the U16/18 teams continue is because it would be another PR disaster were they to go - which there's a distinct possibility they will.

 

That's not true the bod are definitely looking at the possibility of having a b team in the lowland leagues. 

Otherwise the 16s and 18s are all we need just now. No need for under 11s etc . Once we are out of league one we can then look at expanding but it's not something we should be jumping into at the moment and spending more cash on.  Fergus's idea of bringing in an under 11s side was sheer stupidity for a side languishing in the third division. 

[third lanark]

11 minutes ago, Marshmallo said:

Dunipace u20s seem to be sweeping everyone aside at an admittedly relatively low level. We should be looking at getting some sort of partnership in place with the likes of them, Camelon, Syngenta, the Shire.

I understand there is already a link between Falkirk FC and Syngenta regarding their players, from speaking to a coach who was with Syngenta

[Reggie Perrin]

1 hour ago, Marshmallo said:

Dunipace u20s seem to be sweeping everyone aside at an admittedly relatively low level. We should be looking at getting some sort of partnership in place with the likes of them, Camelon, Syngenta, the Shire.

Dunipace are a very well run club with good facilities and first team performing well in the EoS A Division, would be no bad thing linking up with them.

[Nearly Sane]

1 hour ago, Shadwell Dog said:

That's not true the bod are definitely looking at the possibility of having a b team in the lowland leagues. 

Otherwise the 16s and 18s are all we need just now. No need for under 11s etc . Once we are out of league one we can then look at expanding but it's not something we should be jumping into at the moment and spending more cash on.  Fergus's idea of bringing in an under 11s side was sheer stupidity for a side languishing in the third division. 

Not the point. There's a very talented 16 year old at the club, he sees talented players told to leave the club after U18 as there's no U20s, no pathway to the first team. Other teams scouting him offer him a place at their club (that does have an U20's/pathway to 1st team), off he goes next month. Other talented players follow suit.

So scrap the youth system all together on the basis it's not a priority/can't afford it OR see it as a fundamental building block to the future of the club and invest in it. At least set out/communicate a vision. The mismanagement and half-arsed approach at the moment is doing no-one any good and damaging the reputation of the club.

 

[Guest]

There are indeed promising U18s now being jettisoned (one for the second time in his young life). It really is reputationally damaging. We do it right or not at all. The current set up is an escalator that ends nowhere other than out the door unless you are a real prodigy.

It really does not feel right.

[Guest]

Oh, and if we win both our remaining matches in the Leigh Griffiths farewell tour, and QP lose to Montrose, there must be no room for revisionist bollocks along the lines of “Oh fine margins. We only missed out by a point”.

No we didn’t. Golf terminology works best……..we lost 10 & 9. We were 10 adrift with only 9 to play for.
Besides, QP have a play off to prepare for. A league game against us will be a rest day for their better players.…..and totally agree, being determined to win the last three……would have preferred a bit of determination from September onwards.

Edited April 22, 2022 by Duncan Freemason

[PedroMoutinho]

31 minutes ago, Duncan Freemason said:

There are indeed promising U18s now being jettisoned (one for the second time in his young life). It really is reputationally damaging. We do it right or not at all. The current set up is an escalator that ends nowhere other than out the door unless you are a real prodigy.

It really does not feel right.

I believe the structure proposed by the group/groups who offered to step in to fund the academy in 2018 was to operate a structure without an under 20s team.

Given that many of the same individuals are now involved at the club, it wouldn’t surprise me if this was the plan.

I believe the argument back then was that the academy itself only cost £90k a year to run, which was the sum they were willing to provide. Instead of funding a reserve team, I think their proposal was to send the players who would be playing in it out on loan instead.

[Bairnardo]

Putting any stock whatsoever in the last 3 games is purely for the benefit of the COYB fb group sorts.

Hardly anyone from the football side of the club deserves to even be in the discussion for next season and those who have no intention of mutually consenting their way out the door need to know that nothing about this season was acceptable in any way.

[latapythelegend]

If we are to have any sort of youth team it should be an U20s team made of a mix of promising 16 to 19 years - none of the  fodder which would usually be made to fill teams for each age group. Put them in the Lowand or EOS u20s set up and see how they go. There is absolutely nothing wrong with putting 16/17 year olds in at u20 with the aim of them having 2 or 3 years to prove their worth.

Edited April 22, 2022 by latapythelegend

[Shadwell Dog]

1 hour ago, Duncan Freemason said:

There are indeed promising U18s now being jettisoned (one for the second time in his young life). It really is reputationally damaging. We do it right or not at all. The current set up is an escalator that ends nowhere other than out the door unless you are a real prodigy.

It really does not feel right.

Unfortunately youth development has to be at the very back of the bods priority's at the moment simply due to the amount of work required to get the club on an even keel.  The bod are working 7 days a week to sort out the financial mismanagement left by the previous incumbents so I wouldn't expect them to just say to folk just now I here's 90k for this or that.  At the moment we have a 16s and 18s. No idea how good they are as they are playing against shite most weeks at this level unfortunately. I've no idea what the previous boards plans were for the player pathway but I don't see how adding an under 11s side into the mix who can't play anyone was going to make things any better. The clubs finances need cleared up first before money can start going to things like more youth teams. New screw ups and dodgy deals  by deans band of merry men are being uncovered by the day so its not going to happen overnight. Add to that the fact we need a new manager and new first 11 and I'm sure we can see that there isn't much time for much else at the moment. I'm sure the idea of the b team will be taken further at some stage but at the moment there's a lot bigger fish to fry than youth development at the moment.

[Shadwell Dog]

1 hour ago, PedroMoutinho said:

I believe the structure proposed by the group/groups who offered to step in to fund the academy in 2018 was to operate a structure without an under 20s team.

Given that many of the same individuals are now involved at the club, it wouldn’t surprise me if this was the plan.

I believe the argument back then was that the academy itself only cost £90k a year to run, which was the sum they were willing to provide. Instead of funding a reserve team, I think their proposal was to send the players who would be playing in it out on loan instead.

The 90k though was alongside sizeable grants from the SFA back then . As far as I'm aware you can only move up an academy level every 3 years too and we have to decide that just now and we just aren't in a financial position to do so so I'd expect it to be another 3 years before we look at expanding into under 11s etc.  Hopefully by then we'll be back in the championship at least. At the moment though the b team seems like a far more realistic idea.