Walking Down The Halbeath Road

[TxRover]

31 minutes ago, CallumPar said:

Hadn’t done the maths when I sent that. We would need a minimum of 1.8 ppg from this point to get top 4. Fail to win our next 2 games and it very quickly goes up to around 2ppg required, over a 24 game period. Based on that, I have to agree it’s not possible.

For survival, we’ll likely need around 40 points. At this stage that will require 1.3ppg. Given we currently average 0.6ppg, that’s going to be unlikely under Grant. Given we haven’t won a game yet, it’s easy to work out that our point average over any run of games will be below 1ppg right now.

Run the maths a bit further, if PG is kept until the end of the second quarter, your points total could be around 11 or 12 with no improvement, and even two wins, three draws and three losses only hits 15 points. To reach the “safety” of 40 points, that would require 25 from 18, or a bit over 1.4 per game from a guy that’s produced less than 1 per game. You are treading very close to the edge right now unless PG find a miracle form from the team.

Even worse, get on pace to place ninth or better at season end at the halfway point, you should need 14 points from the next 8 games…or 1.75 ppg, literally a hair from average playoff standard starting NOW. As it is, as you note, 1.31 ppg is required from now on to reach 40, and that would jump to 1.36 ppg with a loss today, so this heehawing around by the team is potentially quite expensive.

[Stellaboz]

This situation was so much more bearable when there were Simpsons memes coming in every few minutes. 

Now that the reality of it is back, it's a grim landscape of despair and hopelessness. 

[Skyline Drifter]

21 hours ago, TheScarf said:

I get shot down for this every season but get it seeded like the LC.  Far more interesting ties, far more cup shocks, far more small clubs getting a massive away day at a Premiership club.

Nah, we'll just have the usual 2 or 3 all Championship ties like we have every year.  Fucking great.

And rightly so you get shot down for it. Ludicrous suggestion that would actually minimise the chances of smaller clubs getting to the later stages.

Who the Hell wants a second League Cup?

[CallumPar]

Run the maths a bit further, if PG is kept until the end of the second quarter, your points total could be around 11 or 12 with no improvement, and even two wins, three draws and three losses only hits 15 points. To reach the “safety” of 40 points, that would require 25 from 18, or a bit over 1.4 per game from a guy that’s produced less than 1 per game. You are treading very close to the edge right now unless PG find a miracle form from the team.
Even worse, get on pace to place ninth or better at season end at the halfway point, you should need 14 points from the next 8 games…or 1.75 ppg, literally a hair from average playoff standard starting NOW. As it is, as you note, 1.31 ppg is required from now on to reach 40, and that would jump to 1.36 ppg with a loss today, so this heehawing around by the team is potentially quite expensive.

Yeah, I didn’t really want to consider the possibility of him getting the entire quarter. Our statement said he knew things had to improve quickly. Failure to win at least one game this week and he hasn’t done that. That would be another 4 games he’d been given and he’ll have been given 1/3 of a full season, so can’t have any complaints about being sacked after 0 wins in that time.

As you note, the task for the new manager gets harder each passing week. We are a significant portion through the season now and every game does have a significant impact on the size of the challenge that we face for the rest of the season. It concerns me that the board have been so slow to act/too stubborn to acknowledge their error.

[DA Baracus]

This will sound a bit odd, but I always feel that the balls aren't mixed enough for the Scottish Cup draws, meaning we seem to get teams from the same league more often (and other teams get sides from their own divisions more often). Based on nothing of course, and there's probably stats that show that to be nonsense. The real issue is probably less teams in the draws, meaning the likelihood of getting a team from your own league is higher, so perhaps more teams being entered at earlier stages (and a better mixing of the balls!) would help.

[DA Baracus]

What's the deal with Ross Graham? Is he still at the club? He isn't even making the bench since he was dropped. Does he even sit in the stand at games? 

It's harsh to say about a younger player, but he's easily one of the worst players I've ever seen at East End and will almost certainly be regularly mentioned whenever anyone talks about worst XIs in the future.

I know that quite a lot of people bit at the wind up posted about a player terminating their contract yesterday (proof, yet again, that folk can post any old bollocks online and folk will believe it), but there have to some players at the club incredibly dissatisfied and angry and who were sold a move based on a style of play and formation that was abandoned after just 4 league games. Jones is an obvious one. He got a 1 year deal but, barring injuries or suspensions to Connolly, Gaspuitis and Breen, will never play for the club again. He must be feeling pretty upset about moving here to sit on the bench and do nothing. Breen must also be pretty angry. He moved from Florida to sit on the bench and do nothing. Wonder how those guys felt when we signed Connolly. It was basically a big slap in their face, telling them that they aren't good enough (I know Breen was injured at the time, but he wasn't far off being fit). 

We also have Wilson, Allan, Pybus, Dorrans, Cole and Todd competing for two positions in the middle of the pitch (when they're all fit of course). For me it's Wilson and Allan incidentally. Lewis McCann; will he get opportunities, or will Grant just make the same three subs each week?

Point is is that we seem to be carrying a really unbalanced squad, and it seems like quite a few players are simply a waste of a wage. Not because they aren't a decent player (although that may apply to one or two) but because they just won't be played.

Some laugh.

[Stellaboz]

On Lewis McCann, I believe he's coming back from an injury at the moment. 

[The Toun Clock]

5 minutes ago, DA Baracus said:

What's the deal with Ross Graham? Is he still at the club? He isn't even making the bench since he was dropped. Does he even sit in the stand at games? 

It's harsh to say about a younger player, but he's easily one of the worst players I've ever seen at East End and will almost certainly be regularly mentioned whenever anyone talks about worst XIs in the future.

I know that quite a lot of people bit at the wind up posted about a player terminating their contract yesterday (proof, yet again, that folk can post any old bollocks online and folk will believe it), but there have to some players at the club incredibly dissatisfied and angry and who were sold a move based on a style of play and formation that was abandoned after just 4 league games. Jones is an obvious one. He got a 1 year deal but, barring injuries or suspensions to Connolly, Gaspuitis and Breen, will never play for the club again. He must be feeling pretty upset about moving here to sit on the bench and do nothing. Breen must also be pretty angry. He moved from Florida to sit on the bench and do nothing. Wonder how those guys felt when we signed Connolly. It was basically a big slap in their face, telling them that they aren't good enough (I know Breen was injured at the time, but he wasn't far off being fit). 

We also have Wilson, Allan, Pybus, Dorrans, Cole and Todd competing for two positions in the middle of the pitch (when they're all fit of course). For me it's Wilson and Allan incidentally. Lewis McCann; will he get opportunities, or will Grant just make the same three subs each week?

Point is is that we seem to be carrying a really unbalanced squad, and it seems like quite a few players are simply a waste of a wage. Not because they aren't a decent player (although that may apply to one or two) but because they just won't be played.

Some laugh.

Wondered the same about Graham, him and the boy Jones have been missing for weeks. Graham was last on the bench for the 1-1 game at Starks and Jones was on the bench for the 1-0 loss in Dumfries. I have a feeling Breen will partner Connolly tonight.

2 minutes ago, Stellaboz said:

On Lewis McCann, I believe he's coming back from an injury at the moment. 

McCann came on briefly against QoS and has been on the bench the last two weeks. His last full 90 was the loss to Alloa on the final league game of last season, he's had a few appearances totaling about 50 mins for NI U21's over the summer. Would imagine he's miles off being match fit. Although he's played nearly as much as Iain Wilson and we're calling for him to get a start tonight. 

[CallumPar]

This will sound a bit odd, but I always feel that the balls aren't mixed enough for the Scottish Cup draws, meaning we seem to get teams from the same league more often (and other teams get sides from their own divisions more often). Based on nothing of course, and there's probably stats that show that to be nonsense. The real issue is probably less teams in the draws, meaning the likelihood of getting a team from your own league is higher, so perhaps more teams being entered at earlier stages (and a better mixing of the balls!) would help.

Ball numbers tend to be alphabetical order, rather than ordered by division, so I’m not sure that theory is correct. We were number 19 and Partick were 32. I also think it’s a bit of a myth that we always get other championship teams.

2018-19 and 2019-20 we got League 1 teams (Raith and Stranraer). Last season we got Morton. Just makes it all the more embarrassing that we haven’t even scored a Scottish cup goal since January 2018. Think we can only have had 1 home Scottish cup tie in our last 6 or 7 draws though, which seems very unlucky.

[Cardle is Magic]

Quote

“It’s not second place we are looking for,” said Grant. “We want to automatically go up. That is the challenge for us all and that’s what we will try to achieve.  This group performed exceptionally well last season but just fell at the last hurdle. This time we have to make sure we jump it.”

Quote

“My plan is to start winning games of football as quickly as possible and get a squad together that makes the Dunfermline fans proud.“

Quote

 

“When you appoint a manager, it’s not a popularity contest. It’s about ensuring you get the right manager with the right credentials that you’re looking for to take the club forward.”

“Peter knows, like everyone else, that you’re judged by results but also on how you develop players and how the team plays.”

 

Peter Grant and Ross McArthur back in June.

[SRB]

So I got an email back from the club.

went along the lines off the board don’t want it to be fans vs board and they have no intention of taking the fan base for granted or to alienate the fans.

also the easiest decision is not always the right decision to make, which leads me to believe they don’t have the money to sack him. Read they email a few times and dosent make for great reading tbh.

also planning on doing a supporters council where manager will be present.

[Cardle is Magic]

Do they say “the manager” or mention Grant by name? 

He 100% should be gone already or at least right on the brink, so it’s distressing to think they’re planning events that would include him in the near future.

[Chubbychops]

19 minutes ago, SRB said:

So I got an email back from the club.

went along the lines off the board don’t want it to be fans vs board and they have no intention of taking the fan base for granted or to alienate the fans.

also the easiest decision is not always the right decision to make, which leads me to believe they don’t have the money to sack him. Read they email a few times and dosent make for great reading tbh.

also planning on doing a supporters council where manager will be present.

The AJ sacking hit us badly in the pocket. Absolute disgrace if they gave Grant a contract that left us open to being unable to sack the management team due to finance. You would think lessons had been learnt. 

Finance can be the only reason for not sacking Grant. Very worrying that we have a new board that can't pay off a manager that been unable to achieve a single victory in 10 Scottish Championship games. Worst ever in my lifetime. Seen similar runs in the top division, but never at this level.

[DA Baracus]

Another 'encouraging' point and more 'to build on'.

[CallumPar]

Sum up Grant’s game management…

We have an attacking free kick, looking for a second goal. He stops the game to rush Kai Kennedy, the smallest player in the league, onto the pitch for us. In the same move, he removes our main goal threats to have us sit deep for the last 10-15 mins and hope to keep a clean sheet. Eliminating the momentum that we had from taking the lead. Was only going to end one way at that point.

Guy’s a clown and has to go.

Rant over… now, can we please talk about that Thomas goal. What a ridiculous strike that was. Absolute beauty. Don’t think we’ll see a better strike for a long time.

[101]

4 hours ago, Cardle is Magic said:

Do they say “the manager” or mention Grant by name? 

He 100% should be gone already or at least right on the brink, so it’s distressing to think they’re planning events that would include him in the near future.

The board don't plan the Supporters Council meeting they are invited along to speak to the fan base. 

[SRB]

4 hours ago, Cardle is Magic said:

Do they say “the manager” or mention Grant by name? 

He 100% should be gone already or at least right on the brink, so it’s distressing to think they’re planning events that would include him in the near future.

No mention of manager or Grant by name

[Chubbychops]

Anybody who stood an applauded that at the end is implicit in keeping that useless cunto in a job. 

Applauding failure. Gutless tactics. Disjointed attack with zero plan. Applauding 0 win in 11 games. Utter loser behaviour.

[Cardle is Magic]

They’ll try and spin that as a hard luck story but we deserved no more than a point.

We should have won because we were ahead so late in the game but Thomas was our only creative output. Can’t argue that Rovers deserved a point at least.

Just get rid of him FFS. Stick him on gardening leave and put Shields and Whittaker in charge, just get him out the door.

[Cardle is Magic]

2 minutes ago, Chubbychops said:

Anybody who stood an applauded that at the end is implicit in keeping that useless cunto in a job. 

Applauding failure. Gutless tactics. Disjointed attack with zero plan. Applauding 0 win in 11 games. Utter loser behaviour.

Spot on.