The Falkirk FC Thread

[Bairnardo]

Just now, Grangemouth Bairn said:

I’d be very surprised if that’s the case tbh. It’s unusual for fan, of any club not just ours, to turn on the players before the manager.

Fans generally realise it’s easier to pressure the board into sacking 1 person as they can’t sack the whole playing squad.

I’m not saying that’s right btw but I’m my experience it’s generally what happens.

I just think iv witnessed (and loudly participated) in much more criticism of the players than McGlynn. I don't think our fans as a whole want rid of him. I very much hope it proves a moot argument and we are all pulling behind a winning team come August. 

[Right in the Stanchion]

20 hours ago, Grangemouth Bairn said:

They actually weren’t. Dunfermline and QoS were.

That's the real quiz

[Springfield]

McGlynns credibility finished after the Airdrie humiliation, he had a an immediate chance to get some back, but chose to conduct a car crash interview. Let’s not kid ourselves anything other than a flyer out the traps and a very good Q1 will see McGlynn / players / BOD  getting it big.

[Kircer bairn]

I think the issue here for the board is to stick with what we know or twist to go into the unknown, an unenviable task from where I see it.

Weighing up merits of the two polar positions we have on one side the cautious conservatism of McGlyn, whose football symbolises the nice no risks persona of the man against a risk & reward approach of a younger coach who might not guarantee right results

Personally speaking I’m coming off the fence & looking for the latter but respect those who prefer the former view 

[Numbers_One_To_Eleven]

9 minutes ago, 18BAIRN76 said:

I posted before the play-offs had taken place saying that I didn't think McGlynn should be sacked even if we didn't go up, but that was obviously before what took place had happened. The players were getting it tight at Airdrie, but a number of people around me were having a go at McGlynn too. I think the issue was that it was up there with one of the most tactically inept displays ever from a Falkirk manager - even folk who don't know the ins and outs of formations or how you set a team up could see that he'd got it horribly wrong. The players undoubtedly chucked it, but he is the one that organised them in that fashion up and failed to change it when it was imploding.

I think that remains an issue, even for a lot of fans who don't necessarily want him gone and think he has enough credit in the bank to continue. Right now, the immediate association that comes with thinking of McGlynn and a number of these players is the most embarrassing 45 minutes many of us have had watching Falkirk. That Tuesday night capitulation won't be easily forgotten. As others have said, we'll need a really, really quick, strong start next season or I imagine the heat will come pretty quickly.

I’ll never forget that Tuesday night, that first half was humiliating.
 

However, when we got to 5-2, there was a spell just after when it’s up there with the most I’ve ever cheered the team on. We could’ve got it back to 5-3 or with a bit of concentration and nous at the end at least 5-2 (we actually won the second half).
 

Despite the shocking experience, there was still an element of what could’ve been. 
 

Anyway, even if a miracle did happen, I’m pretty sure Hamilton would’ve taken care of us after what I watched on Saturday night.

[HopeStreetWalker]

3 hours ago, Otis Blue said:

Like most things in life, the ideal solutions tend not to be entirely black or white but instead shades of grey somewhere in the middle.  At this level I think you need a core of hard-won experience then add into that a mix of exciting, pacy young developing talent.  But that's the easy bit.  Fundamentally, you also need a manager/coach who is sufficiently competent to be able to spot the right players to fit his preferred formation so that the squad is adequately balanced.  Getting all of those ducks in a row is fecking difficult though.

Very true the balance of 2 - 3 veterans in their early 30's 2 - 3 late 20's 2 - 3 early, mid 20's and blood the teenagers at the appropriate time and game. Get that right and you get continuity as long as a few young players break through every season.

Then it's a case of the occasional signing mid-season to freshen things up. 

[Guest]

54 minutes ago, Numbers_One_To_Eleven said:

I’ll never forget that Tuesday night, that first half was humiliating.
 

However, when we got to 5-2, there was a spell just after when it’s up there with the most I’ve ever cheered the team on. We could’ve got it back to 5-3 or with a bit of concentration and nous at the end at least 5-2 (we actually won the second half).
 

Despite the shocking experience, there was still an element of what could’ve been. 
 

Anyway, even if a miracle did happen, I’m pretty sure Hamilton would’ve taken care of us after what I watched on Saturday night.

It could easily have been 8-2 as 5-3. That game should never be written off as a blip, or not truly reflective of the game. It was a materclass in McGlynn’s absolute ineptness when he starts tinkering. Even after 36 league games, he didn’t know what his best XI was. Bringing Williamson back into the side was the perfect example of that.

I am accepting of those who choose to back him, but I can’t help but feel that is based around hope rather than what he has delivered so far (which isn’t very much). This now has to run it’s course.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Springfield said:

McGlynns credibility finished after the Airdrie humiliation, he had a an immediate chance to get some back, but chose to conduct a car crash interview. Let’s not kid ourselves anything other than a flyer out the traps and a very good Q1 will see McGlynn / players / BOD  getting it big.

The interview was interesting. The one thing he didn’t do was turn on Lewis (because he has significant previous of abusing a club TV volunteer interviewer).

It kind of dispels the “great guy John, wonderful respectful John” nonsense. As we saw, he is well capable of doing all he can to blame others if he feels under any sort of pressure.

[Shodwall cat]

3 hours ago, parsboi said:

It’s not unique to Falkirk, but Falkirk are in a unique situation.  It would be deliberately obtuse to argue otherwise.

The poster I quoted was arguing that players will join if you offer better wages.  My point is it isn’t that simple as we’ve just found, and much more comes into play.  Only 3 permanent signings came into us.  You lot go through a whole bunch of players every season it seems.  
 

My point about the manager is that from my view, his stock is very low with your support, won’t take much to become untenable.  

Unique situation? I very much doubt we are the only side to ever face this kind of situation. 

[Shodwall cat]

2 hours ago, Kircer bairn said:

I think the issue here for the board is to stick with what we know or twist to go into the unknown, an unenviable task from where I see it.

Weighing up merits of the two polar positions we have on one side the cautious conservatism of McGlyn, whose football symbolises the nice no risks persona of the man against a risk & reward approach of a younger coach who might not guarantee right results

Personally speaking I’m coming off the fence & looking for the latter but respect those who prefer the former view 

Sheerin and m and m were younger coaches.

[FFC 1876]

Another penless day.

 

[Grangemouth Bairn]

31 minutes ago, Shodwall cat said:

Sheerin and m and m were younger coaches.

Wouldn’t say Sheerin was particularly young tbh. If he was our manager now, only Alloa, Montrose and Clyde in our league would have older coaches.

[Gaz]

6 hours ago, Kircer bairn said:

I think the issue here for the board is to stick with what we know or twist to go into the unknown, an unenviable task from where I see it.

Weighing up merits of the two polar positions we have on one side the cautious conservatism of McGlyn, whose football symbolises the nice no risks persona of the man against a risk & reward approach of a younger coach who might not guarantee right results

Personally speaking I’m coming off the fence & looking for the latter but respect those who prefer the former view 

If only we had a couple of recent examples of younger coaches who might not guarantee the right results.

[Gaz]

3 hours ago, Grangemouth Bairn said:

Wouldn’t say Sheerin was particularly young tbh. If he was our manager now, only Alloa, Montrose and Clyde in our league would have older coaches.

You're aware that the concept of being young doesn't depend on other folk?

If hypothetically the other nine teams had managers aged 31 and we had a manager 32, that doesn't change the fact that we would have a young manager.

[Bairn in Exile]

9 hours ago, Bairnardo said:

His stock is very low on P&B. I don't think it's very low overall. I think the players will get it long before McGlynn does from the fans. 

May I ask an innocent question? Are you for keeping McGlynn or would you rather see him gone?

The reason that I am asking is that it is all about perspective and from my "McGlynn out" perspective, I thought that McGlynn still had a lot of support here on P&B. @PedroMoutinho, @caractacus potts, myself and recently @Duncan Freemason have all been keen to see McGlynn being replaced but others such as @Back Post Misses, @grumpyoldman, @Reggie Perrin and @Shodwall cat all seemed to be in favour of keeping him on.

On that subject, if we were to hold a straw poll on P&B right now(Falkirk fans only please), who would vote to keep McGlynn and who would vote to trebuchet him?

 

[Grangemouth Bairn]

3 hours ago, Gaz said:

You're aware that the concept of being young doesn't depend on other folk?

If hypothetically the other nine teams had managers aged 31 and we had a manager 32, that doesn't change the fact that we would have a young manager.

I am - you are spot on. Imvho, I don’t think Sheerin was a particularly young manager when we employed him at 46.

[bridge of allan bairn]

3 hours ago, Bairn in Exile said:

May I ask an innocent question? Are you for keeping McGlynn or would you rather see him gone?

The reason that I am asking is that it is all about perspective and from my "McGlynn out" perspective, I thought that McGlynn still had a lot of support here on P&B. @PedroMoutinho, @caractacus potts, myself and recently @Duncan Freemason have all been keen to see McGlynn being replaced but others such as @Back Post Misses, @grumpyoldman, @Reggie Perrin and @Shodwall cat all seemed to be in favour of keeping him on.

On that subject, if we were to hold a straw poll on P&B right now(Falkirk fans only please), who would vote to keep McGlynn and who would vote to trebuchet him?

 

I would keep McGlynn. There is risk on both sides of keeping or not keeping.

The last quarter of last season was very concerning, we absolutely imploded and played very poorly, poor tactical decisions, inability to change tactics during a game when we all knew they weren't working. Picking wrong formations, didn't know our best formations and team and players that didn't always look entirely motivated IMO. Not beating our key rivals in the big games (1 win in 10 versus Airdrie and Pars) is simply unacceptable next season. These rivals games are effectively 6 pointers and create a bigger swing that beating or losing to lower and mid table teams. Our record against the bottom 7 sides wasn't too different than Dunfermlines I'd wager but losing twice to them (ignoring the 2 draws) rather than winning created a 12 point swing in their favour rather than ours.

Having said all of that, we did improve playing wise for large chunks of the season and league position wise (I'm ignoring the cup). We scored more goals, more points, better goal difference etc. I also think changing managers every season hasn't worked and while there is improvement we should give that improvement time to continue improving. To get rid of McGlynn would mean buying out his contract and Smiths contract which wont be cheap, so I'd rather that money was used on McGlynn bringing in another 2-4 players? While I don't particularly like McGlynns tactics I do like him and want him to do well. I think he also communicates well with the fans post match and that hasn't always been the case since Houstie.

In summation I'd keep, however on the strict remit that he is top of the league 9 games in and top by a minimum of 3-6 points after 18 games. We've let Cove beat us by a margin in this league before and that simply cant be acceptable to happen again, there are no excuses this season, same manager, his own team, biggest budget etc.

 

Edited May 22, 2023 by bridge of allan bairn

[Bairn in Exile]

13 minutes ago, bridge of allan bairn said:

I would keep McGlynn. There is risk on both sides of keeping or not keeping.

The last quarter of last season was very concerning, we absolutely imploded and played very poorly, poor tactical decisions, inability to change tactics during a game when we all knew they weren't working. Picking wrong formations, didn't know our best formations and team and players that didn't always look entirely motivated IMO. Not beating our key rivals in the big games (1 win in 10 versus Airdrie and Pars) is simply unacceptable next season.

Having said all of that, we did improve playing wise for large chunks of the season and league position wise (I'm ignoring the cup). We scored more goals, more points, better goal difference etc. I also think changing managers every season hasn't worked and while there is improvement we should give that improvement time to continue improving. To get rid of McGlynn would mean buying out his contract and Smiths contract which wont be cheap, so I'd rather that money was used on McGlynn bringing in another 2-4 players? While I don't particularly like McGlynns tactics I do like him and want him to do well. I think he also communicates well with the fans post match and that hasn't always been the case since Houstie.

In summation I'd keep, however on the strict remit that he is top of the league 9 games in and top by a minimum of 3-6 points after 18 games. We've let Cove beat us by a margin in this league before and that simply cant be acceptable to happen again, there are no excuses this season, same manager, his own team, biggest budget etc.

 

Thanks for your input, cheers.

[glasgow_bairn]

14 hours ago, RC55 FFC said:

Many thanks for that :), I knew there was a wee sort of board/ramp that led to the gravel, but I ended up removing it from my drawing as it didn't feature in any of my reference photos.

[Springfield]

1 hour ago, Bairn in Exile said:

While I don't particularly like McGlynns tactics I do like him and want him to do well. I think he also communicates well with the fans post match and that hasn't always been the case since Houstie.

In summation I'd keep, however on the strict remit that he is top of the league 9 games in and top by a minimum of 3-6 points after 18 games. We've let Cove beat us by a margin in this league before and that simply cant be acceptable to happen again, there are no excuses this season, same manager, his own team, biggest budget etc.

First paragraph is probable spot on for the majority of supporters, but the credibility factor unfortunately is at zero following the seasons climax, where for me he was found wanting.

Cant argue with the latter, the expectations are to assemble a good winning team, off to a flyer and top of league till season end. As earlier posted, I think he has at best the first quarter+, if not I don’t think he’ll last that much longer.