Walking Down The Halbeath Road

[All-Star-Par]

Potter, AJ, Crawford. Who else can realistically be blamed for these continued failures? Not to mention AJ and Crawford have been dragged on for months longer than any competent employer would allow. 
 

*edit 

They did recognise themselves they needed help on the football front if I remember rightly I think that’s what McNamara was brought in for but unfortunately he fell ill. Something needs changed though clearly as it’s not working. I’m 100% aware of all they have done on the commercial side for the club but  the football has to come first which be honest has been abysmal for all but really one season under AJ (two at a stretch). It’s hardly a meltdown just an honest opinion of our recent history. 

Edited April 2, 2021 by All-Star-Par

[Chubbychops]

If/when Crawford goes, we need to sit down and think about what a new managers philosophy on how he wants to play as well.

I can accept defensive stuff if it brings a Championship title and massively improved our win ratio,  but if it means playing the crap we have under Crawford and scraping into the 4th place play-off then it's no for me. If Craw manages that this season , I will still want him to go. It fills me with dread watching one of his teams again next season.

I would accept scraping 4th place if there was a degree of entertainment to our play and a bit of balance to the team. Not this binary option of everybody behind the ball or being naively open every time we try two up top.

AJ tried to play attacking football until he built a dreadful team in his last season, McIntyre was pretty similar to AJ. Thought Jeffries had the team playing some good stuff before admin too. Not world beating managers, but they at least had some understanding of how to find a balance between attacking and defending. I would accept scraping fourth place if we at least played the football we got from those managers.

[DA Baracus]

1 hour ago, All-Star-Par said:

Potter, AJ, Crawford. Who else can realistically be blamed for these continued failures? Not to mention AJ and Crawford have been dragged on for months longer than any competent employer would allow. 
 

*edit 

They did recognise themselves they needed help on the football front if I remember rightly I think that’s what McNamara was brought in for but unfortunately he fell ill. Something needs changed though clearly as it’s not working. I’m 100% aware of all they have done on the commercial side for the club but  the football has to come first which be honest has been abysmal for all but really one season under AJ (two at a stretch). It’s hardly a meltdown just an honest opinion of our recent history. 

Allan Johnston was a good appointment. The mistake was giving him that final season, but before that he often had us playing some decent stuff and progressed us every season. He had his share of frustrating games as well of course (top one being the playoff games!) and had some questionable signings, especially in his final season, but to say he was a failure in his time here is neither fair nor true. I'd far rather watch us under him in his first two seasons in this league than watch the team under Crawford.

There are changes coming with the German lads anyway.

[Stellaboz]

AJ was the perfect guy at the time he came in. The almost immediate signing of Cardle was a cheat code for promotion.

[DAFC.]

AJ was the perfect guy at the time he came in. The almost immediate signing of Cardle was a cheat code for promotion.

We made some ridiculous signings. Guys like Antoine-Curier, although he never played much, was signed off the back of playing in the Premiership and playing well in it, too. Scored plenty for Hamilton. Big Cheesy was another outrageous one for that level. Bloody shame we never got him for much longer.

[Stellaboz]

Michael Paton was another. Probably his best ever season, just crossing it constantly to Fez.

[Stoo61]

Look at us now, dreaming about someone as competent as AJ. It was such a good time. 

[DAFC.]

AJ was the perfect guy at the time he came in. The almost immediate signing of Cardle was a cheat code for promotion.

We made some ridiculous signings. Guys like Antoine-Curier, although he never played much, was signed off the back of playing in the Premiership and playing well in it, too. Scored plenty for Hamilton. Big Cheesy was another outrageous one for that level. Bloody shame we never got him for much longer.

[Rjc-1988]

I can fully understand why Pars fans have a much higher expectation level than my team QOS has but the reality is that this league spouts out 7/8 teams every season that are virtually the same in terms of playing style, formation, work ethic etc. It makes differentiation very difficult and usually you have a team or teams in the league like Hearts, Hibs, Dundee United who shouldn’t really be there in the first place. All this makes it very difficult for a club like Pars to come out of the pack and make a serious promotion challenge playing attractive football.

Most teams if not all play this turgid 4-2-3-1 which effectively cancels each other out more often than not. Your squad is more expensive than most but only marginally better and the loan system allows teams like us to recruit better players than we could ordinarily afford.The loan system benefits the lower budget teams more than it does you. It effectively equalises the squads hence the reason the league is always incredibly tight.

AJ and SC are both totally competent at this level but fans and Directors alike become frustrated and really 3 years is no time at all in the overall scheme of things. You would have been better off keeping them but as Craig Brewster said in his Sportscene interview who “in their right mind would be a manager at this level”.

Most of our fans made no allowance for the scale of AJ’s challenge in the Covid close season and wanted him sacked pre Xmas. The only reason he was retained was down to finance or the lack therof............he has comprehensively proved his doubters wrong but even now a few bad results which will inevitably come our way, will no doubt challenge his managerial credentials.

[Chubbychops]

19 minutes ago, Rjc-1988 said:

I can fully understand why Pars fans have a much higher expectation level than my team QOS has but the reality is that this league spouts out 7/8 teams every season that are virtually the same in terms of playing style, formation, work ethic etc. It makes differentiation very difficult and usually you have a team or teams in the league like Hearts, Hibs, Dundee United who shouldn’t really be there in the first place. All this makes it very difficult for a club like Pars to come out of the pack and make a serious promotion challenge playing attractive football.

Most teams if not all play this turgid 4-2-3-1 which effectively cancels each other out more often than not. Your squad is more expensive than most but only marginally better and the loan system allows teams like us to recruit better players than we could ordinarily afford.The loan system benefits the lower budget teams more than it does you. It effectively equalises the squads hence the reason the league is always incredibly tight.

AJ and SC are both totally competent at this level but fans and Directors alike become frustrated and really 3 years is no time at all in the overall scheme of things. You would have been better off keeping them but as Craig Brewster said in his Sportscene interview who “in their right mind would be a manager at this level”.

Most of our fans made no allowance for the scale of AJ’s challenge in the Covid close season and wanted him sacked pre Xmas. The only reason he was retained was down to finance or the lack therof............he has comprehensively proved his doubters wrong but even now a few bad results which will inevitably come our way, will no doubt challenge his managerial credentials.

I think you make some good valid points, and summarise the difficulties of a club like us in this league. 

I think we had no choice but to sack AJ when we did. AJ suffered due to no plan  B alternatives  when Dundee Utd took Aird and Clark off us when we expected them to sign. Morris then went to Ross County unexpectedly and AJ the started snatching at guys like Durnan and Devine as replacements. He signed about 7 guys who didn't know if they were wingers or forwards too. Many of them came with a really bad attitude . By the we got to January the heads were gone and you just have to make a change to turn the tide when that sets in. I think we would've been relegated if he stayed

Crawford had a good start this season after a fair bit of mediocrity in he season and a half prior, but his footballing philosophy has always been to edge with caution. Once everybody had played us once they had sussed us out and we have had no response to it. Craw has tried two up top on a couple of occasions and it's been a total disaster each time. 

Despite the challenges of this league, we should be making top four finishes with the players we have been bringing in and not having to play on the back foot all the time even when we do win. I don't think our fans expectations are unrealistic. It's a modest expectation and again Craw looks like he won't achieve it. That on top on the boring brand of football makes his departure a no brainer for me.

[Rob1885]

I think you make some good valid points, and summarise the difficulties of a club like us in this league. 
I think we had no choice but to sack AJ when we did. AJ suffered due to no plan  B alternatives  when Dundee Utd took Aird and Clark off us when we expected them to sign. Morris then went to Ross County unexpectedly and AJ the started snatching at guys like Durnan and Devine as replacements. He signed about 7 guys who didn't know if they were wingers or forwards too. Many of them came with a really bad attitude . By the we got to January the heads were gone and you just have to make a change to turn the tide when that sets in. I think we would've been relegated if he stayed
Crawford had a good start this season after a fair bit of mediocrity in he season and a half prior, but his footballing philosophy has always been to edge with caution. Once everybody had played us once they had sussed us out and we have had no response to it. Craw has tried two up top on a couple of occasions and it's been a total disaster each time. 
Despite the challenges of this league, we should be making top four finishes with the players we have been bringing in and not having to play on the back foot all the time even when we do win. I don't think our fans expectations are unrealistic. It's a modest expectation and again Craw looks like he won't achieve it. That on top on the boring brand of football makes his departure a no brainer for me.

Hahaha aye the summer of 2018 was an utter shitshow in terms of recruitment. Myles Hippolyte, Aidan Connolly, Louis Longridge, Robbie Muirhead. Neither wingers or attackers just sort of...there.

[HoBNob]

1 hour ago, Rjc-1988 said:

AJ and SC are both totally competent at this level but fans and Directors alike become frustrated and really 3 years is no time at all in the overall scheme of things. You would have been better off keeping them

No, we wouldn't have. 

[parsforlife]

AJ stays scenario,

We go down,   We are involved in the COVID shortened season,  I think we would have been slow starters and don’t think it would have  had enough PPG to better rovers,  We are currently in a similar position to Partick with a very angry fan base.  German investment doesn’t happen.  We haven’t signed Nisbet and get the sell on fee which looks like it will be very sexy.

That really doesn’t sound fun. 

[Rjc-1988]

AJ stays scenario,
We go down,   We are involved in the COVID shortened season,  I think we would have been slow starters and don’t think it would have  had enough PPG to better rovers,  We are currently in a similar position to Partick with a very angry fan base.  German investment doesn’t happen.  We haven’t signed Nisbet and get the sell on fee which looks like it will be very sexy.
That really doesn’t sound fun. 

I hear what you’re saying but there is no way that you were finishing behind that Falkirk team in the Championship two seasons ago.

[parsforlife]

43 minutes ago, Rjc-1988 said:

 

I hear what you’re saying but there is no way that you were finishing behind that Falkirk team in the Championship two seasons ago.

 

We finished 3 points above them(and yourselves in 9th). That doesn’t leave much room for the AJ failure to have carried on much longer.

[DA Baracus]

5 hours ago, Rjc-1988 said:

usually you have a team or teams in the league like Hearts, Hibs, Dundee United who shouldn’t really be there in the first place

Yes they should be there. They were shite enough to get relegated so absolutely deserved to be there and belonged there.

Why shouldn't they be there? A bizarre comment.

[Rjc-1988]

I didn’t say that they didn’t deserve to be there - of course they did. What I meant was that when we see clubs of this size dropping down into Champ league it means that for promotion seeking teams it effectively makes the no 1 automatic promotion spot out of reach. Teams like Hearts and Hibs don’t need to be that good to win our league as Hearts are proving this year.

The only saving grace is the play off system. While we all acknowledge that it is tough for a Champ team to go up via an arduous series of double headers, without play offs the top end of our league would be a complete non event this year as it was last with a pretty mediocre Dundee United walking the title.

[Chicken Wing]

We're back [emoji23][emoji23]

[DAFC.]

Let’s lighten the mood after stopping the rot a bit today.

[VinnyPar]

Big Vytas was solid today, composed on the ball and barely lost a header all day. Promising.