The Queen of the South thread

[Marshmallo]

12 minutes ago, football maniac said:

We have the 2 best players in the league already in Dobbie and Harkins. 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Bairnardo]

We have the 2 best players in the league already in Dobbie and Harkins.

Oh dear me.

[Roxanne's man]

30 minutes ago, madton said:

Harkins is the best player in the league??

He was good for us last season but dont go overboard!!

Gary Harkins. The worst and most arrogant player I have ever seen in an Ayr shirt. Found a nice picture of him dancing the Mambo no. 5, whilst in the queue for his pies after a night out in Kilmarnock..... 

 

.... He didn't pull. 

Edited July 8, 2018 by Roxanne's man

[Guest]

2 hours ago, football maniac said:

If we could add in 4 quality players our squad would be more than decent. We have the 2 best players in the league already in Dobbie and Harkins. 

...."and if everyone else adds “four quality players” , then what do you do?

As for Dobbie and Harkins, there’s a fair bit of delusional thinking going on there. Fine player as Dobbie is/was, time hasn’t stood still for him, and going by last season, his powers are on the wane. Harkins best years are well and truly behind him too.

Good players they probably still are, but best two in the league? They are a long way from that.

[Spring Onion]

2 hours ago, football maniac said:

If we could add in 4 quality players our squad would be more than decent. We have the 2 best players in the league already in Dobbie and Harkins. If Dykes and Marsh keep improving then they can supplement them. Then you add in solid players for our level, (Fordyce, Jacobs, Martin, Mercer) and hopefully the versatile Doyle should he sign. Then you have Bell. I know its pre season but I have been very impressed with his confidence and ability. He looks ready to provide useful cover. Stirling can provide more to now he has shed beef. Then we have Brownlie and Todd to come back. So we have a few sensational players and several decent. If we could add the correct signings (hopefully more sensational/decent) then maybe we can have a surprisingly good season. 

We can't add 2 ok-ish players never mind 4 quality players......

[JessieField]

I hope whoever is coaching Queens concentrates on how to cross a ball from wide while running. During the Livvy game, Marshall, Mercer and Murray all got into good wide positions but continually overhit the cross (usually out of play on the other side of the pitch). I can't remember if Stirling crossed a ball or not.

[Frankie S]

26 minutes ago, Duncan Freemason said:

...."and if everyone else adds “four quality players” , then what do you do?

As for Dobbie and Harkins, there’s a fair bit of delusional thinking going on there. Fine player as Dobbie is/was, time hasn’t stood still for him, and going by last season, his powers are on the wane. Harkins best years are well and truly behind him too.

Good players they probably still are, but best two in the league? They are a long way from that.

On Dobbie - it’s pushing it to describe the top scorer in the Championship for the last two seasons running (jointly with Jason Cummings the season before last, by a distance last year) and a member of the PFA Scottish Championship Team of the Year, also short-listed for Player of the Year, for both 2016-17 (when there were clearly better players in the league than there are now - John McGinn, Cummings et al) and 2017-18 as ‘a long way’ from the best in the league. While the claim that Harkins and Dobbie are the best two players in the league is clearly hyperbolic, the suggestion that Dobbie is a long way from that level is clearly wrong. He’s always been one of the very best players in the Championship, in every season that he’s played in it. 

[D'Jaffo]

Gary Harkins. The worst and most arrogant player I have ever seen in an Ayr shirt. Found a nice picture of him dancing the Mambo no. 5, whilst in the queue for his pies after a night out in Kilmarnock..... 
 
.... He didn't pull. 

Nowhere near the worst player I’ve seen play for Ayr and he certainly wasn’t arrogant. Not his fault he had to play in a shite team every week.

Would’ve been excellent had we played him in his natural position instead of out wide.

[Skyline Drifter]

46 minutes ago, Duncan Freemason said:

As for Dobbie and Harkins, there’s a fair bit of delusional thinking going on there. Fine player as Dobbie is/was, time hasn’t stood still for him, and going by last season, his powers are on the wane. Harkins best years are well and truly behind him too.

Good players they probably still are, but best two in the league? They are a long way from that.

Dobbie is still the best player in this League. Without a doubt. Lewis Morgan might have had a case for consideration. Nobody else at this level did and nobody better has joined it this year. He scored more goals last season than the year before despite spending nearly a month out thanks to Willo Flood. He got four hat tricks last season. He is inevitably getting older but I see no real evidence that he is significantly "on the wane".

The comment on Harkins was exaggerated but he is certainly still one of the better players at this level.

[Bairnardo]

Dobbie is still the best player in this League. Without a doubt. Lewis Morgan might have had a case for consideration. Nobody else at this level did and nobody better has joined it this year. He scored more goals last season than the year before despite spending nearly a month out thanks to Willo Flood. He got four hat tricks last season. He is inevitably getting older but I see no real evidence that he is significantly "on the wane".
The comment on Harkins was exaggerated but he is certainly still one of the better players at this level.

Until Tom Dallison/Ruben Sammut have played one minute of Championship football. Then Dobbie is 3 at best. Soz lol.

[Roxanne's man]

11 minutes ago, D'Jaffo said:

worst player I’ve seen play for Ayr

Oh c'mon, he was pure shite IMO, both him and Paddy Boyle hadn't a clue what they were doing and didn't speak to each other, Fucking up any opportunity of a goal threat from him. Playing in a more comfortable position would have put other players out of position. 

His attitude was nearly as bad as Ryan Stevensons (really shit). He Thought he was the best player there and had the wages to show for it. I think the Ayr Midfield and the team as a whole are better off without him, the amount of goals scored last season, be it in a lower division show that Ayr have managed without him. :-) 

[Roxanne's man]

8 minutes ago, Skyline Drifter said:

Dobbie is still the best player in this League.

Well, he is certainly up there. 

[D'Jaffo]

Oh c'mon, he was pure shite IMO, both him and Paddy Boyle hadn't a clue what they were doing and didn't speak to each other, Fucking up any opportunity of a goal threat from him. Playing in a more comfortable position would have put other players out of position. 
His attitude was nearly as bad as Ryan Stevensons (really shit). He Thought he was the best player there and had the wages to show for it. I think the Ayr Midfield and the team as a whole are better off without him, the amount of goals scored last season, be it in a lower division show that Ayr have managed without him. :-) 

He didn’t live up to the hype but for the first half of the season he was our best player. He contributed to 80% of our goals either by assisting or scoring and played some really nice stuff. Second half of the season when we really struggled his performances dipped because he’s wasn’t the right type of player for a team that was struggling to stay up. He’s a luxury player and defending or running about isn’t his game. It was never his game and he wasn’t going to change that by coming to us.

Morton used him really well last season by playing him in a deeper position and having players that do the running for him in midfield.

Had we played him in his preferred role and sat Docherty and Adams either side of him we’d have had a chance but putting him out wide or up front was ridiculous.

Obviously getting Harkins off the wage bill for last season was crucial as it allowed us to build a good team but had we managed to keep him on top of the players we had he’d have been by far the best player in that league provided we played him in his natural position. The transition to part time football when he was with us probably hampered him as well.

[Roxanne's man]

12 minutes ago, D'Jaffo said:

Morton used him really well last season by playing him in a deeper position and having players that do the running for him in midfield.

Had we played him in his preferred role and sat Docherty and Adams either side of him we’d have had a chance but putting him out wide or up front was ridiculous.

Agreed, it's always a shame seeing a player getting played in an uncomfortable position. Took off at Greenock. Though Ayr getting him off the wage bill may have helped, I have to question the current wage bill, how high can it be if Ayr are struggling to sign trialists and a new Keeper? 

I'm hoping he serves Qos well, he could set up Dobbie and create a sort of striking partnership with him. Both older players with a better understanding of the league at this level. 

[19QOS19]

...."and if everyone else adds “four quality players” , then what do you do?
As for Dobbie and Harkins, there’s a fair bit of delusional thinking going on there. Fine player as Dobbie is/was, time hasn’t stood still for him, and going by last season, his powers are on the wane. Harkins best years are well and truly behind him too.
Good players they probably still are, but best two in the league? They are a long way from that.

[emoji38] Sit doon ffs.

Well, he is certainly up there. 

He's quite comfortably the best striker in the division and probably player. Let us know who you see above him.

[MrDust]

1 hour ago, Skyline Drifter said:

Dobbie is still the best player in this League. Without a doubt. Lewis Morgan might have had a case for consideration. Nobody else at this level did and nobody better has joined it this year. He scored more goals last season than the year before despite spending nearly a month out thanks to Willo Flood. He got four hat tricks last season. He is inevitably getting older but I see no real evidence that he is significantly "on the wane".

The comment on Harkins was exaggerated but he is certainly still one of the better players at this level.

On their day Dobbie and Harkins can be up there, problem is age is a bugger and slows down even slow players like Dobbie and Harkins

As for Dobbie on the wane, two four game goal droughts and a seven last season in a poorer league to year afore

[Roxanne's man]

21 minutes ago, 19QOS19 said:

Sit doon ffs.
He's quite comfortably the best striker in the division and probably player. Let us know who you see above him.

JORDAN HART!.... oh wait a minute. 

To be fair, Stephen Dobbie is a great player, best in the league, i dunno :-S maybe, though as a team Ayr were scoring goals all over the park. Shankland, Mcdaid, Crawford, Moore, Moffat, Forrest and Andy Murdoch if he signs (Hopefully) as well as the odd goal from elsewhere. 

You said it yourself, your team has a starting 11 with no back up. To put an individual as 'best player' doesn't help your cause if he doesn't have a decent team behind him. I'd take good attacking football from all over the park any day over hoping Dobbie gets a few goals before his 40th, which isn't far away. 

[Fae_the_'briggs]

12 minutes ago, MrDust said:

On their day Dobbie and Harkins can be up there, problem is age is a bugger and slows down even slow players like Dobbie and Harkins

As for Dobbie on the wane, two four game goal droughts and a seven last season in a poorer league to year afore

Doesn't say much for the other strikers in the division that Dobbie  had lean spells and they still still couldn't overtake his total. Luckily for us his game doesn't rely on speed but ability and if he has better players around him,  hopefully Harkins and Todd turn out to be those players,  there's no reason he can't have another good season. Obviously there are quite a few unknowns in other teams this season but,  barring injury,  I would think Dobbie will still be among the best on show. 

[19QOS19]

On their day Dobbie and Harkins can be up there, problem is age is a bugger and slows down even slow players like Dobbie and Harkins
As for Dobbie on the wane, two four game goal droughts and a seven last season in a poorer league to year afore

Dobbie has never relied on pace and has never actually had pace so that's not an issue. If he continues to receive the ball in dangerous areas he'll continue to score. His ability to finish hasn't looked like it's going. Our problem will be our ability to create chances for him which was obviously an issue against the better sides last season.

A lot of it had to do with GN setting us up for a draw or (ridiculously) playing Dobbie up front alone. Dobbie is my footballing god but even I will criticise his ability as a lone striker - he can't do it.

JORDAN HART!.... oh wait a minute. 
To be fair, Stephen Dobbie is a great player, best in the league, i dunno :-S maybe, though as a team Ayr were scoring goals all over the park. Shankland, Mcdaid, Crawford, Moore, Moffat, Forrest and Andy Murdoch if he signs (Hopefully) as well as the odd goal from elsewhere. 
You said it yourself, your team has a starting 11 with no back up. To put an individual as 'best player' doesn't help your cause if he doesn't have a decent team behind him. I'd take good attacking football from all over the park any day over hoping Dobbie gets a few goals before his 40th, which isn't far away. 

With respect, scoring goals from all over the park in the diddy leagues isn't worth getting too excited about. Ayr got over the line due to Raith completely fucking it up. I expect you won't see that attacking approach as much next season.

[Roxanne's man]

16 minutes ago, 19QOS19 said:

Ayr got over the line due to Raith completely fucking it up

Tbh, Raith were total piss. Should have finished much lower than second. The loss to Alloa in the playoffs was also abysmal. Chairman walked away and everything. Ayr struggled with a lot injuries last season too, the losses we had were due to lack of cover. 

Also believe Ayr will stick with the same attacking style, trying to pack the midfield, quick on the wings and a couple of poachers up front. The poor defence and lack of a goalie will probably cost Ayr points. 

As for 'Diddy leagues', I'm sure Qos struggled to beat montrose, lower league than Ayr, in the Scottish Cup, took it to a replay. Its that perspective that has made Scottish football a two horse race (Ran*ers and Celt*c) when it really shouldn't be. Don't support a team because they are in a lesser league.