The Falkirk FC Thread

[Bairnardo]

Just actually been thinking about the season, and about how it's been viewed on here and how a lot of people are now saying McGlynn cant/won't change and so there's no chance we can go anywhere under him. 

Led me to my own recollections that actually, although even in the good run the football wasn't always great, the last quarter did represent a step change in playing style for me. The games that come to mind are the cup games against Alloa and Darvel. 

Against Alloa, we went a goal down. Then we equalised and the game was even for a time. But I remember saying during the match, maybe on thatch thread, at about 70-75 minutes, that we had visibly ran Alloa ragged, and that I felt we had them. You don't have other teams wilt against you by passing it about the back line. 

Darvel is the other one, because although they were a bit shit, we absolutely ran right through them. Direct, pacey attacking which they couldn't cope with.  

So what changed..... Why did we stop playing with any sort of directness, pace and energy? 

Something changed dramatically in that last quarter. I winder if anyone at the club knows what it was. 

[Ryan-FFC]

Nicky Hogarth released by Forest. Sure he’ll have plenty options. 

[18BAIRN76]

15 minutes ago, Ryan-FFC said:

Nicky Hogarth released by Forest. Sure he’ll have plenty options. 

He was the best goalkeeper out of the four that played for us last season.

[SouthStander1876]

McAdams from Ayr also a shout

[RC55 FFC]

I like Hogarth but I think I’d prefer an older head if we are talking about having a solid spine to the team. 

[Guest Ecosse83]

Interesting that Mcglynn is currently 4th best win percentage manage in our history, Miller and McCracken are in front of him though so not sure that means much right now

[itzdrk]

1 minute ago, SouthStander1876 said:

McAdams from Ayr also a shout

He's ok generally, penalty saving and distribution are his weakness but you can work around that pretty much. 

[SouthStander1876]

Not hard to improve on our current keepers distribution

1 minute ago, itzdrk said:

He's ok generally, penalty saving and distribution are his weakness but you can work around that pretty much. 

 

[NavyBlueArmy1876]

I'm another one you can add to the don't-sack-McGlynn camp. Pros outweigh the cons for me

Pros:

1. 2nd and 67 points is a marked improvement from 6th and 44 points last year and realistically as good as most of us could have expected. 

2. In two transfer windows he's jettisoned everyone I would have - Mutch, Dixon, Hall, ATS, Miller, Hetherington, Ross, Telfer, Ompreon, Wilson etc. Not every signing he has made has been on the money but it's clear he's had a higher success rate than everyone since Hartley's first January window in 2017/18. Good use of the loan market too.

3. The players speak highly of him 

4. Has experience of the league and plenty of contacts within Scottish football 

5. Does mainly try to change things when not working. 

6. Improved the performance of players we had written off - McCann, Nesbitt etc. Even almost got a tune out of dross like McKay and McGuffie

7. Tried to play attacking football and scored 70 goals which is a decent tally

Cons:

1. Spent the whole season not knowing his best team or formation, particularly midfield and up front. Or what would be most effective against different opposition

2. Some horrendous dropped points, 4 to that Clyde team and 3 against an Edinburgh side that weren't trying a leg to win the game. 8 points to 8th place Kelty. Mental that those 6 games against 3 of the worst sides in the league would have been enough for the title, even with the unacceptable 1 win in 8 games against Airdrie and Dunfermline. 

3. Brand of football becoming more slow and ineffective as the season went on.

4. Giving game time to guys that clearly weren't trying like Williamson and Wright 

5. Shambolic defending and lack of defensive midfield which was a constant theme throughout the season, both from set pieces and open play - conceded 18 more goals than Dunfermline 

6. Shitting the bed in the big games. Dunfermline. The SC semi final. The play-offs.

He does have plenty of faults but I just can't see who we are going to get who would be better. Looking at the championship teams and guys who are unattached there is not a single name that inspires me there.

Even McPake has hardly set the heather alight at Dunfermline, but just gone quietly about doing what they need to do to get out this shitpit of a league. I can't see any reason why McGlynn can't get us to that level and we've competed fairly well against the Championship sides in the cups this season.

We were a bit unlucky to lose Hogarth and Alegria mid-season and certainly didn't get much from the refs, 1 penalty all season ffs. Long injuries to guys we didn't have much cover for like Kennedy and Lawal didn't help either

After a string of horrendous managerial failures and enormous player turnover we've got to get a bit of stability back to the club.

ps Announce Arfield 

 

Edited May 23, 2023 by NavyBlueArmy1876

[itzdrk]

Just now, SouthStander1876 said:

Not hard to improve on our current keepers distribution

 

[gav-ffc]

19 minutes ago, 18BAIRN76 said:

He was the best goalkeeper out of the four that played for us last season.

A low bar but agree.

[Glenmavis Diamond]

3 hours ago, bairn88 said:

Airfield leaving rangers, part 1 of the plan

Arfield for player manager would be an interesting one. Fresh ideas, plenty connections....

Some may say that a young, inexperienced player-manager could never be successful..... 

[Bairnardo]

Btw after the podcast iv sent my email to the board email address as per Jamie's request re conference league vote. I'd urge everyone else to do the same. 

A fucking abhorrent proposal that every one of us fans, of every club like ours should be railing hard against. We can't afford to sleepwalk into the further destruction of our leagues by, let's face it, the two most harmful, bigoted and disgusting institutions in Scotland. 

[scottsdad]

Add me to the keep him pile.

It was tough watching the season disintegrate at the end. But for me the "base camp" is nearer the summit now than it was 12 months ago. And we have to stop the endless churn of managers and players. Let the man develop a side and a vision.

There isn't anyone else better out there as far as I am concerned. We could go down the inexperienced route again but that has never worked for us. And who, experienced, would come to us and be a measurable improvement?

[Guest]

if people want to keep him, then fine, but ffs please do not base it on “he did better than our worst season in our history”. That is absolutely no benchmark.

Equally, the chat about who he shifted. Just about everyone named was out the door anyway as their contracts had expired. Read it again….."he got rid of TWO in contract deadwood players in January. That’s it.

The players speak highly of him? That’s a helluva reason to stick with a guy who has given us one of our most brutal performances in living memory.

Experience in the league? Of course he has. He unfortunately doesn’t have much experience in winning leagues.

Trues to change things when needed? Are you kidding? That’s got to be a wind up.

Improved players? McKay is as bad as he ever was. Nesbitt is as bad as he ever was. So much so, he benched him for weeks.

Scored goals, but conceded plenty too.

Like I say, he is being kept. I think he will be gone by Christmas. I am actually terrified about what he is going to do in terms of recruitment. McGinn is well and truly done. Donaldson is as unpredictable as anyone else. His only success has been Henderson. I see no-one to build a team around. I see no real planning.

Let’s see where he goes with a reduced budget. My guess is “not very far”.

[Believe The Hype]

Change the record man FFS. You have posted that same 9 paragraph retort over and over again.

[SouthStander1876]

Dont base it off the league finish but base it off the one airdrie game?

3 minutes ago, Duncan Freemason said:

if people want to keep him, then fine, but ffs please do not base it on “he did better than our worst season in our history”. That is absolutely no benchmark.

The players speak highly of him? That’s a helluva reason to stick with a guy who has given us one of our most brutal performances in living memory.

 

[Bairnardo]

John McGlynn like any other manager comes in where he comes in. He was f**k all to do with our "worst season ever". He had to improve from our rock bottom. Refusing to acknowledge this is bordering on some sort of arrogance tbh. 

As Falkirk fans, we all expect better. We feel we deserve better. But as a football manager, he doesn't have any of that. He inherited a horrible, poisonous shambles of other men's making. 

Ultimately, we had a goal of promotion, but when he took over NONE of us liked our chances. He did ultimately fail. But you can't beat him with the "he only improved on our worst ever season stick" because that's quite literally the only thing an incoming manager CAN improve on.... The season before. 

Again, not even defending McGlynn here, just that thus constant fucking diatribe attacking him, but more annoyingly inferring those who don't want him sacked are part of the problem, is getting really fucking tedious now 

[FFC 1876]

We're needing a sexy signing to brighten this thread up. 

[Believe The Hype]

11 minutes ago, Duncan Freemason said:

I am actually terrified about what he is going to do in terms of recruitment. McGinn is well and truly done. Donaldson is as unpredictable as anyone else. His only success has been Henderson

What's this shite as well. 

McGinn Was one of the best players on the park in the semi, definitely not well and truly done, probably relied on too much over the course of the whole season. 

What about other players he brought in? Kennedy, Max, lawal, hogarth, alegria, Rowe, even Meekison Was seen as decent acquisition at the time. 

I don't understand the 2 year for nesbitt, I also don't understand how he made team of the year, some obviously see something in him. 

Mccann was like a new signing as well. 

Certainly not terrified about his recruitment. 

Agyeman signed already as well is also a positive.