Walking Down The Halbeath Road

[VinnyPar]

I'm the same as yourself, excited for the new season (as I always am) but with slightly lower expectations than previous seasons.

 

I think that in itself is a positive, whilst we'll be a relatively unknown and untested at championship level it means that any string of wins/positive results will be a bonus.

 

Another thing I'm positive about is the thought and time that's been put into our new signings, it's quite apparent that they guys have been on the management teams radar from the moment the new structure was announced which is different to how AJ went about his business, at least in my opinion.

 

I also love the enthusiasm that Craw's got for the club, whilst that will mean absolutely nothing if the results aren't good enough on the park I do think it's refreshing to see a management team who's genuinely do have the clubs interest at heart.

 

This team may well go on to be a total disaster but I will remain positive until results on the pitch make me think otherwise.

 

 

 

[80sPar]

looks like the board have backed Craw and not pulled any punches to give him the squad he's asked for, whether they can make that work or not is another thing but i'm happy with how professionally everything has been handled this off season and willing to give them the chance they deserve, it'll take time to make a setup like this work but t's something that can stand the club in good  stead for the future if done correctly  

nervous..........yes

excited...........yes

get pumped 4-1 from Ayr again............probably

finally get a home win over the DAB's..........definitely 

[Poet of the Macabre]

I have been interested reading all the interviews with the new players on the website. I know almost nothing about the vast majority of our summer signings so it's pretty unique to not know who I'll love in six months' time and who I will think is a massive jobber.

These written pieces also seem a lot better than the video stuff the club has done lately. I don't think we should stop doing the YouTube stuff, far from it, but feel it's quickly become quite repetitive with constant sit down interviews with generic questions.

There are lots of different and entertaining things being done by clubs across the UK and it doesn't require any funding to be a little more creative. Take advantage of the fact the fans don't know much about these guys and produce some content that will show off their personalities a bit more. This would help at least a little with strengthening the bond with supporters that has been mentioned so often.

[Smokerson]

1 hour ago, Poet of the Macabre said:

I'd still take a comfortable 7th/8th right now. Not convinced by most of the signings and it does seem very Falkirk last summer. The only thing that convinces me we won't go down is the rest of the league looks equally shitty.

Crawford has said we should judge him from now on so he has to deliver. He's still got decent backing from those who know him and remember his time as a player but he's done nothing as Pars manager yet. He's claimed this was entirely the fault of the previous squad and maybe he's right? He won't have that excuse this season though, so I'd expect to see a significant improvement in the quality of play and results.

I really want us to do well and if we were successful under a Pars man then that's an added bonus. I'm not sure where people are getting their confidence for the upcoming season though, unless it's purely blind faith.

 

You would take finishing 7th and 8th but you want to see an improvement in play and results? Would that not be worse results than last year?

[Poet of the Macabre]

18 minutes ago, Smokerson said:

You would take finishing 7th and 8th but you want to see an improvement in play and results? Would that not be worse results than last year?

Personally I'd be happy with 7th or 8th because the squad looks weak and very thin to me. That doesn't mean I think it should be good enough for Crawford to stay on.

I also can't stress how close we came to being relegated last season; change a couple of our wins into draws and we'd have ended up 10th. We also played horrific football and scored 13 home goals all season. I can't imagine this upcoming campaign being worse than that.

[Have some faith in Magic]

My prediction based on nothing other than  is that the guys from the smaller teams in lower leagues will be okay and do a reasonable job. 

I am very sceptical about the young guys from down south. In saying that we got lucky with Callum Morris so if we get one good first team player out of the bunch it will probably be a success. 

 

[harry94]

Thoughts on Ryan Blair? Training with us.

[D.A.F.C]

Just now, harry94 said:

Thoughts on Ryan Blair? Training with us.

worse than vincent

[HoBNob]

I think people are exaggerating just how much of our team will be kids from England with no first team football. For years I've been wanting us to sign the better players from league 1+2 Part timers, the only time recently I think we've done it is Falkingham, Geggan and Ryan? And they worked out OK, ish. 

Turner and Lang seem very highly rated and highly thought off from there previous clubs, they might absolutely Paul Burns it and find out they're not upto the step up but it's worth the shot. Euan Murray and Nisbet both come from the 2nd best team from the tier below and by all account are two of their better players. 

Crucially all those players have been bought in positions where they should get a chance. As well as that one of the bigger problems players have coming from part time football is that they don't have the physical qualities to mix it at championship level, not something you can level at those players IMO. 

Dow, Comrie and Paton have some experience higher up the ladder up than us, not all of it great tbh, if I'm being honest they are the signings I'm actually most sceptical about. 

Then the young boys from down south, Coley, McGill and Bowman? I don't think any of them currently are starters, unless they show up well in pre season/the bet Fred, with Coley I think Dow starts as our wide attacking midfielder (have a feeling we'll play with 3 midfielders, one winger), Ryan and Nesbitt will be given first chance and Comrie/Murray/Martin is our starting right back. That means we don't have to rely on them being great, unlike say Falkirk had to where if they didn't play the English teenagers they had to play more English teenagers, etc.

I think Coley will work his way into the side providing he's not shite, and Gabby will get plenty opportunities if Nesbitt and Ryan aren't clicking, Bowman can be blooded in gradually. 

To go back to a previous point about the physicality of this compared to men's football I think they'll be fine, Coley as a winger won't ever be much bigger while Gabby is a big unit himself, Bowman will need time but he has it. 

 

I'm not saying our signings are going to be great, far from it. I've not watched half of them play and depending on how Crawford sets us up tactically while getting the team to gel will be pivotal to our season. I don't though think we'll be relegated because of the English teenagers, we've got more senior, established players in there positions already, if they're playing its because they're either better than those players, or the senior players aren't cutting it, either way I don't see our season being defined by them. 

 

I still wouldn't take 8th tbh, we should be aiming to finish above Alloa and Arbroath and I reckon Ayr could have a shocker, QoTS under AJ? Morton with big budget cuts, Dundee with Mcpake? 

5th to 7th for us I reckon but it could be a season where due to absolutely pishness of other sides we scrape 4th.

[Salvo Montalbano]

Thoughts on Ryan Blair? Training with us.

Takes a good set piece, looks neat and tidy enough but didn't do enough when up against it or, unforgivable for some, in the derby. Decent enough player I think, I wouldn't have been raging had he been kept on.

[Stellaboz]

If we finish 4th we'll deserve it. Won't happen though, or at least I find it highly unlikely.

[80sPar]

12 minutes ago, harry94 said:

Thoughts on Ryan Blair? Training with us.

Dead balls he's great but posted missing during the actual game and it's like being a man down, in all fairness we played him out of position on the left and supposedly he's a DM but he doesn't have the tackling ability for that 

[weetoonlad]

If Crawford fails to get top 4 finish hes ouuuuuuuttttttt

[mikedafc]

Good to see they got a couple of the Dunfermline Athletic women's team involved Alix Moodie and Jenna Sexton

 

[Chubbychops]

2 hours ago, harry94 said:

Thoughts on Ryan Blair? Training with us.

A wimp. Craps himself in 50/50s. Best attributes is taking set-pieces. Glad we didn't try to keep him. Not good enough for where Dundee want to be.

[Poet of the Macabre]

Ryan Blair produced one of the most gutless displays I've ever seen from a Pars player in a defeat to Falkirk last season. 

Either had no confidence at all in his time with us or was simply a complete shitebag. Not a signing I'd expect anyone in this division to make.

[Poet of the Macabre]

5 hours ago, Grant228 said:

I'm not saying our signings are going to be great, far from it. I've not watched half of them play and depending on how Crawford sets us up tactically while getting the team to gel will be pivotal to our season

This is an important point; I have absolutely no clue as to how we'll be setting up next season. I thought it was going to be one up top but we have Andy Ryan, Kevin Nisbet and they've given Gabby McGill the number 9 shirt. I know the latter doesn't guarantee you'll start every week but it would be odd decision otherwise.

Will it be a back 5? Back 4? Two midfielders sitting or just one? I didn't think wingers were going to be factor but then we bring in the lad from Norwich. I'm very intrigued as to how we line-up for the Dundee game and then League Cup games prior. 

5 hours ago, Salvo Montalbano said:

5 hours ago, harry94 said:

Thoughts on Ryan Blair? Training with us.

Takes a good set piece, looks neat and tidy enough but didn't do enough when up against it or, unforgivable for some, in the derby. Decent enough player I think, I wouldn't have been raging had he been kept on.

He would have been very near the top of my punt list and shudder to think how far some standards have dropped that he could be considered worthy of a deal.

[HoBNob]

When we we signed Tom Lang I genuinely thought we were going for a back 5. 

Comrie-Murray-Ashcroft-Lang-Martin

——Beadling-Paton-Turner———

————Ryan-Nesbitt————

However with us signing the Norwich winger and Craw wanting another I presume that must mean we're thinking of a 4? During last season he would switch formation around a bit. Didn't seem dead set on any one in particular. Undeniably he does have options now but I think we're more defensively heavy than winger heavy, that means two out of Ashcroft, Lang, Murray and Devine won't be playing every week and that to me seems difficult, at least to keep them all happy. Murray and Lang have a bit more pace about them apparently so hopefully they compliment Ashcroft

If we line up as a 4 we could have Dow and Coley wide?

 

I do wonder if he'll give much away on Saturday. 

[Poet of the Macabre]

I was thinking something like this

[D.A.F.C]

Chronic lack of players able to get to the byeline is biggest weakness on paper. Norwich loanee and I think Dow is able to play wide?

Still time to fix it though.