The Falkirk FC Thread

[SouthStander1876]

When Yeats came on he missplaced his first pass/touch out of play and i was thinking "here we go again". But he brought it back and had a decent game. He also seems a nippy wee player, if he bulks up a bit he could be great. 

Thankfully we never have to see Williamson in a Falkirk shirt again, horrible excuse of a footballer with an even worse attitude.

[Diamonds are Forever]

37 minutes ago, Blame Me said:

Of course not!

Honest enough to admit that it's the general standard of refereeing that is poor and put together with the data would suggest there is a mindset within the referees that blatant pens, as I think my example is, aren't given.

Conversely, since the referees are that bad as acknowledged, I'd have expected at least a few more awards that weren't penalties or are you also arguing that bad refs always only make good decisions? 

 

In the last 3 seasons in the 'Penalties received table' Falkirk ranked 5th, 5th and 2nd, which correlates almost perfectly with their league placings. So there's no evidence of being hard done to previously.

No doubt this season seems a bit of an anomaly but there will always be that. For example Montrose got 14 penalties last season (7 more than us despite us finishing 13 points clear of them and scoring 15 more goals than them).

Random chance plays a big part in it, but it's also having players who are able to win penalties. Sometimes that is code for 'cheating', but it can also be players who are intelligent and know how to get in positions to be fouled, or to highlight when they are being fouled (like Stanway last night).

The average number of penalties this season is 4.8 per team, so whatever the reason, at most that's 3 or 4 penalties short of 'normal', it would have made zero difference. Even if those 3 or 4 penalties had been crucial goals (which is unlikely) and turned draws into wins you'd still have finished well short of Dunfermline.

It seems to have been used as the basis of a 'woe is us' attitude by some fans. When really it's made no difference to your season.

 

[HoBNob]

2 hours ago, Shodwall cat said:

Yeah complete accident. .

He completely, accidentally had his boot at head height? 

 

That's not a red?! You're at it. 

[Diamonds are Forever]

34 minutes ago, bairn88 said:

1 in the whole season is hilarious though and points to a ridiculous run of bad luck (especially when you consider what is a penalty these days - the semi final a great example). 

Would it have changed anything this season though? No. We'd have still finished 2nd and still been 5-0 down at HT last night. 

 

That is it in a nutshell, rather than my long winded post. You've probably had a bit of bad luck with 3 or 4 decisions, just like some teams will be on the lucky side of that fence (I used Montrose getting 14 pens last season as an example).

As you say, it's not been a relevant factor in how Falkirk have done this season.

[SouthStander1876]

1 minute ago, Diamonds are Forever said:

 

In the last 3 seasons in the 'Penalties received table' Falkirk ranked 5th, 5th and 2nd, which correlates almost perfectly with their league placings. So there's no evidence of being hard done to previously.

No doubt this season seems a bit of an anomaly but there will always be that. For example Montrose got 14 penalties last season (7 more than us despite us finishing 13 points clear of them and scoring 15 more goals than them).

Random chance plays a big part in it, but it's also having players who are able to win penalties. Sometimes that is code for 'cheating', but it can also be players who are intelligent and know how to get in positions to be fouled, or to highlight when they are being fouled (like Stanway last night).

The average number of penalties this season is 4.8 per team, so whatever the reason, at most that's 3 or 4 penalties short of 'normal', it would have made zero difference. Even if those 3 or 4 penalties had been crucial goals (which is unlikely) and turned draws into wins you'd still have finished well short of Dunfermline.

It seems to have been used as the basis of a 'woe is us' attitude by some fans. When really it's made no difference to your season.

 

The fact of the matter is that we have been extremely extremely unfortunate in terms of penalties etc. However, it's not an excuse for where we are or last nights result, we haven't been good enough and we know that.

[superandy_07]

Deary me, I didn't think we'd be back to square one but here we are once again in Groundhog Day May.

It did feel like there was real progress being made up until the game at East End in March, since then there's been an under current building of something like this coming. That first half last night was us crashing into the cliff face. If there wasn't a second leg I think he'd already be gone.

I just can't see us sticking with him, that post match interview buys him even less time left with the fans.

He stood and watched the game unfold, scratched his coupon and changed absolutely nothing, unforgivable. 

The miracle is now to score a bucket load and not conceded, something that we've not achieved since the start of March. 

I can see us going a goal behind and the place going apoplectic on Saturday. The same thing that happened to Houstie, Hartley McKinnon, M&M, Sheerin and Rennie – will happen to McGlynn.

The risk for the BOD if they persist with McGlynn I think season tickets/attendances will take a hit, folk seem absolutely fed up.

Another season of failure.

Edited May 10, 2023 by superandy_07

[Diamonds02]

1 hour ago, Numbers_One_To_Eleven said:

Doing Airdrie a disservice (I’ve had a look on the BBC website, it’s a quiet day for me hence my feverish activity on PB) and their gates range between 900 odd against a Clyde or Peterhead to 1100 odd against higher opposition before it comes to ourselves and Dunfermline so not too awful. 600 must’ve been the real dark times.

Probably wasn't even that long ago it was in the 600's. The attendance has massively improved in the short time we've been playing decent football, there was a time where i thought we had to get promoted to have a chance at hitting 4 digits.

Which actually makes me quite optimistic that it will improve more in the coming years, especially if we get promoted.

[Blame Me]

2 minutes ago, CallumPar said:

I dunno why you’re talking about 7 penalties over 9 months

As you pointed out in your original post, penalties are meant to be hard to come by yet your team over 36 league games you got one in 25% of those games played over those months! 

That statistically bucks the trend.

 

[Newbornbairn]

Hope the new strips are decent

[Anthony Fitzgerald]

Can’t believe we’re talking about penalties like it matters a jot.

[FFC 1876]

1 minute ago, Trump said:

Can’t believe we’re talking about penalties like it matters a jot.

We'll need at least 6 on Saturday.

[Blame Me]

20 minutes ago, Diamonds are Forever said:

 

In the last 3 seasons in the 'Penalties received table' Falkirk ranked 5th, 5th and 2nd, which correlates almost perfectly with their league placings. So there's no evidence of being hard done to previously.

No doubt this season seems a bit of an anomaly but there will always be that. For example Montrose got 14 penalties last season (7 more than us despite us finishing 13 points clear of them and scoring 15 more goals than them).

Random chance plays a big part in it, but it's also having players who are able to win penalties. Sometimes that is code for 'cheating', but it can also be players who are intelligent and know how to get in positions to be fouled, or to highlight when they are being fouled (like Stanway last night).

The average number of penalties this season is 4.8 per team, so whatever the reason, at most that's 3 or 4 penalties short of 'normal', it would have made zero difference. Even if those 3 or 4 penalties had been crucial goals (which is unlikely) and turned draws into wins you'd still have finished well short of Dunfermline.

It seems to have been used as the basis of a 'woe is us' attitude by some fans. When really it's made no difference to your season.

 

The focus has been on penalties but it's refereeing in general.

Basic facts are goals change games and had some been awarded they could have changed defeats into draws/wins.

Also again the opposite is true - we may have been closer had some stonewallers for other teams been waved away as we think some of ours have.

Bottom line is refereeing standards in Scotland are terrible with no accountability.

[Springfield]

Didn’t last till half time and probably one of the first to leave that abhorrent showing.
Theres been a change with the relationship McGlynn has with the core support, back to the Fife away game where we shat one, where a win would have brought us head to head with them. 
Up to then he had this almost charm free attitude that nothing could touch him. I’ve watched that evolve to post match interviews that often need watching a couple of times to fully understand, still thinks he gets an easy time from the media.

I’ve watched a steady increase of abuse/shouts at McGlynn from the west stand, which to be fair are justified and some just ridiculous, however very noticeable during/after the recent defeat in the Edinburgh game, it was obvious that many fans had turned on the manager. 

So wanted this to work, but we had plenty of warnings that he wasn’t the right guy, last nights interview should have seen him sacked late last night or first thing this morning. 

[Numbers_One_To_Eleven]

17 minutes ago, Diamonds02 said:

Probably wasn't even that long ago it was in the 600's. The attendance has massively improved in the short time we've been playing decent football, there was a time where i thought we had to get promoted to have a chance at hitting 4 digits.

Which actually makes me quite optimistic that it will improve more in the coming years, especially if we get promoted.

Kind of hope you do as well. Like I say, I would like a bit of a proper rivalry between us and Airdrie to start again just due to proximity as much as anything else. I’ve never really bought into the Dunfermline hatred thing myself, get one up then yeah but to a point. On the other side of the coin, I’d like the Falkirk/Airdrie thing to grow more (unlikely as it is by anymore than where it’s at just now). 
 

[Diamonds are Forever]

1 minute ago, Blame Me said:

The focus has been on penalties but it's refereeing in general.

Basic facts are goals change games and had some been awarded they could have changed defeats into draws/wins.

Also again the opposite is true - we may have been closer had some stonewallers for other teams been waved away as we think some of ours have.

Bottom line is refereeing standards in Scotland are terrible with no accountability.

 

You can also pick other metrics though like red cards, only 2 sides have had less reds than Falkirk. Now I'd say reds are a bit more down to individual discipline than penalties but it's still an area where refs have to make judgement calls, and in that area there's no evidence of Falkirk being hard done to.

I agree referees are poor, but that's not a reason to be getting more or less decisions for or against you, a bad ref will give you just as many decisions in your favour as a good ref, it's just that they'll be at the wrong moments!

Like I say, I think Falkirk have been a wee bit unlucky this season, next season it will be someone else. There's no sign from previous seasons, or this season in other metrics, that you've been particularly hard done to.

Queens got the most penalties this season with 8, so even if you gave Falkirk all those penalties, made them all crucial goals and turned 7 draws into 7 wins, you'd still have lost the league on goal difference. It couldn't really be more irrelevant in terms of your final league placing.

[AGPar]

25 minutes ago, superandy_07 said:

The risk for the BOD if they persist with McGlynn I think season tickets/attendances will take a hit, folk seem absolutely fed up.

Another season of failure.

We.ve been saying that for how many seasons now? It never comes to fruition. There seems to be no corelation whatsoever between what happens on the pitch - or in our case, what doesn't happen - and attendances/season ticket sales etc. Maybe it's time to consider if that is, in some ways, part of the problem. Fans turning up in good numbers regardless so is there any real consequence, financial or otherwise, from despicable performances such as last night and far, far too many others. Not the main factor obviously, but perhaps in some small way a contributing one as to why the club remains gutless to the core and soft as shite.

I still think he's pretty safe and likely to be in charge at the start of next season. Sad fact is, if you're desperate for him to go, it might just require a repeat performance/result on Sat to tip the balance. If Airdrie are content to go through the motions/conserve energy for the final/rest one or two players it might just be possible for us to scrape some sort of semi-respectability and that will be enough for McGlynn to spin it us some sort of positive, progress being made yad yada. If they fancy going for the jugular to maintain momentum, well, it could be anything. A double-figure aggregate score well within their grasp. Another disaster - which is absolutely a possibility - might be needed to bring some sort of positive action. I still don't it see though.

 

 

[HopeStreetWalker]

4 hours ago, Shodwall cat said:

We don't pay any rent.

Maybe not but we pay the service charges made by the council and you can be sure there will be healthy mark ups to cover (ahem) administration and ancillary oncosts and council staff employed,  maintenance and upkeep of the building and after the 100 year lease still not own a brick.

[Numbers_One_To_Eleven]

7 minutes ago, Diamonds are Forever said:

 

You can also pick other metrics though like red cards, only 2 sides have had less reds than Falkirk. Now I'd say reds are a bit more down to individual discipline than penalties but it's still an area where refs have to make judgement calls, and in that area there's no evidence of Falkirk being hard done to.

I agree referees are poor, but that's not a reason to be getting more or less decisions for or against you, a bad ref will give you just as many decisions in your favour as a good ref, it's just that they'll be at the wrong moments!

Like I say, I think Falkirk have been a wee bit unlucky this season, next season it will be someone else. There's no sign from previous seasons, or this season in other metrics, that you've been particularly hard done to.

Queens got the most penalties this season with 8, so even if you gave Falkirk all those penalties, made them all crucial goals and turned 7 draws into 7 wins, you'd still have lost the league on goal difference. It couldn't really be more irrelevant in terms of your final league placing.

Not necessarily if any of those points were taken off Dunfermline, who’d therefore be worse off, but I see your point. The Kelty 0-0 home game is one particular game where I really think we should’ve got a decision.

Edited May 10, 2023 by Numbers_One_To_Eleven

[101]

51 minutes ago, CallumPar said:

I do agree that it seems very strange you’ve only had one penalty over the course of the season. But I can only base it on games I’ve seen. You’ve only really had one penalty claim against us and I do think it would have been given with VAR, but I’ve seen incidents like that not given in several games this season. No point in comparing the semi final, where VAR was needed to give that.

Based on the games I've seen I just don't feel Falkirk are a team to be in the box much at all, maybe it's just games against us, but feel their main routes of attack are down the wings so it's unlikely players will be getting chopped down as they attack in the box.

[Blame Me]

2 minutes ago, Numbers_One_To_Eleven said:

Not necessarily if any of those points were taken off Dunfermline, who’d therefore be worse off, but I see your point. The Kelty 0-0 home game is one particular game where I really think we should’ve got a decision.

All conjecture but various scenarios where a penalty may have led to further goals and the goal difference would have changed.

As said, goals change games. As evidenced last night - another for us would have made our task on Saturday surmountable but as it is Airdries 6th leaves us with a mountain (and then some) to climb.