Walking Down The Halbeath Road

[Otis Blue]

1 hour ago, CoveRangers1922 said:

If you papped us out of the Diddy Cup what did we do to you at Palmerston in the Scottish Cup!? Granted under AJ (and see below).

That game last week you got off the mark very quickly, sat back and then soaked a decent amount of pressure but for all the territory and half chances, we never had our shooting boots on. Another day we'd have taken a chance or two and it would have altered proceedings. Prior to Junior's 2nd half chance i don't think there could of been any complaints if Cove drew on level terms. Fyvie inexplicably missed a sitter from a couple of yards out. Was saved by Rae who looked very capable.

Granted towards the latter stages Queens had a couple of break away chances. On the day it's about winning and QoS did that.

Willie doing a fine job at the helm and clearly QoS looked like they have turned a corner, fine result yesterday.

As for L1, Airdrie look an improved side than the one that failed to get past Morton last season in the playoff final. Not inconceivable that we are in the playoffs, only 5 points ahead with 8 games still to go. If we're in the playoffs (and make it to the final) we wouldn't fear QoS or whoever we might come up against and I'm presuming vice versa.

Championship final will be competitive but wouldn't like to say which way it might go.

Yep, I deliberately didn't mention the Big Cup replay at Palmerston - for the very reason it was in the very depths of despair and gloom that surrounded the club at the end of AJ's tenure and was entirely expected by the Queens fans.

Read my post, I didn't say we hammered Cove - far from it and I'd say that Cove played the easier football on the eye that night but Cove seemed to run out of ideas in the second half when we changed our shape a bit and despite still having a lot of the ball.  By the end of the game it was Queens looking more likely to score again.

Cove will not be in the play-offs - that's pretty well certain, far too much quality in that team.  You'll go straight up as champions.

So the key debate is about the quality in positions 2, 3 and 4 of L1.  You will certainly have more and better information than I do in terms of if those clubs are better than last season - my only measure was that they are being bossed by Cove in that league, so I figured they can't quite be at Cove's level.  Hence my theory that whoever finishes 9th in the Championship should be capable of putting up a decent fight.

FAO doubt, this wasn't a pop at Cove's quality.

Edited March 6, 2022 by Otis Blue

[DAFC.]

Just remembered McBookie had us favourites for the title pre season. Lol

[CoveRangers1922]

30 minutes ago, Otis Blue said:

Yep, I deliberately didn't mention the Big Cup replay at Palmerston - for the very reason it was in the very depths of despair and gloom that surrounded the club at the end of AJ's tenure and was entirely expected by the Queens fans.

Read my post, I didn't say we hammered Cove - far from it and I'd say that Cove played the easier football on the eye that night but Cove seemed to run out of ideas in the second half when we change our shape a bit and despite still having a lot of the ball.  By the end of the game it was Queens looking more likely to score again.

Cove will not be in the play-offs - that's pretty well certain, far too much quality in that team.  You'll go straight up as champions.

So the key debate is about the quality in positions 2, 3 and 4 of L1.  You will certainly have more and better information than I do in terms of if those clubs are better than last season - my only measure was that they are being bossed by Cove in that league, so I figured they can't quite be at Cove's level.  Hence my theory that whoever finishes 9th in the Championship should be capable of putting up a decent fight.

FAO doubt, this wasn't a pop at Cove's quality.

Oh yeh I thought you were fairly impartial. In December or whenever the Scottish Cup game was QoS were in a dark place and like I said have turned the corner under Willie it seems. Not conceded yet and confidence is returning. Very interested to see how you get on in the remaining 8 games.

How is he 37, looks 10 years younger than that. Management will speed up the aging process!

We definitely tried to press harder and throw more people forward in the final 20 minutes or so and it was caution to the wind. We had chances too in that time but it was open.

Our best starting XI is strong for L1 and would compete fairly well in the Championship but given we are PT, HL 3 years ago and we lack strength in depth. That is our main weakness currently. 

Airdrie I've been impressed with. Easton, McCabe, Callum Smith, Callum Gallagher, Gabby McGill, Callum Fordyce are good players and defensively are sound too. Think Thistle narrowly edged them out of the Scottish Cup. They are probably most likely to cause issues in the playoffs (if they don't win the league).

Montrose are well drilled, don't concede many but just missing a prolific goalscorer. Will be interested to see how they get on.

Queen's Park have some technically strong midfielders for L1 and are decent at the back with Peter Grant and Charlie Fox but potentially questionable if Simon Murray and Bob McHugh are good enough up top.

Falkirk are in a dark place. Jaze Kabia, Anton Dowds can get goals and if they get LG fit and firing they could sneak in, however, they are low in confidence and losing midfield battles nearly every game. It's now a tough ask 5 points back and a way inferior goal difference.

Championship is some league. Teams near the bottom are competing strongly and getting results. Makes for an entertaining run in.

 

Edited March 6, 2022 by CoveRangers1922

[Cardle is Magic]

35 minutes ago, DAFC. said:

Just remembered McBookie had us favourites for the title pre season. Lol

Find it hard to believe that any bookie - even a joke one like McBookie - would not have Kilmarnock as favourites before a ball was kicked.

I’d have considered 5th a failure in the summer tbh. Relegation should not have been a realistic possibility with our budget but when you hire a diddy like Peter Grant then you can easily sink like a fucking stone.

[Cardle is Magic]

12 minutes ago, CoveRangers1922 said:

Championship is some league. Teams near the bottom are competing strongly and getting results. Makes for an entertaining run in.

It’s 10x more exciting if you don’t have to watch the actual games.

There isn’t a good side in the entire league, which should give you an idea of how atrocious we’ve been to be bottom of the table.

[Rob1885]

It’s 10x more exciting if you don’t have to watch the actual games.
There isn’t a good side in the entire league, which should give you an idea of how atrocious we’ve been to be bottom of the table.

This is exactly why I don't quite get the media's (looking directly at you here, sportsound) fawning over Arbroath. Them saying on the radio it would match Leicester's 2016 league win if they managed to win the league. This league is pure gubbins.

[DAFC.]

Find it hard to believe that any bookie - even a joke one like McBookie - would not have Kilmarnock as favourites before a ball was kicked.
I’d have considered 5th a failure in the summer tbh. Relegation should not have been a realistic possibility with our budget but when you hire a diddy like Peter Grant then you can easily sink like a fucking stone.

Well, they did, so…

I’d have had anything other than top 2 a failure given the budgets involved. A monumental f*ck-up from the Pars.

Can’t be bothered with them anymore tbh. The whole experience is fucking shit. No atmosphere, costs a fortune, can’t stand, can’t drink, brutal standard on the field, terrible referees, overpriced catering. Could go on all day tbh.

[1320Lichtie]

12 minutes ago, Rob1885 said:

26 minutes ago, Cardle is Magic said:

It’s 10x more exciting if you don’t have to watch the actual games.
There isn’t a good side in the entire league, which should give you an idea of how atrocious we’ve been to be bottom of the table.

This is exactly why I don't quite get the media's (looking directly at you here, sportsound) fawning over Arbroath. Them saying on the radio it would match Leicester's 2016 league win if they managed to win the league. This league is pure gubbins.

They say this every single year
 

It’s just that the team everyone fancied is not doing or having a United or Hearts type season this year and coasting to the title 
 

Whoever finishes 9th in this league cruises the play offs. No team in L1 are doing or playing how Dunfermline played yesterday. No team has anywhere near the quality of that squad 

Edited March 6, 2022 by 1320Lichtie

[DA Baracus]

Folk have been spouting the 'quality of the squad' pish all season.

We're bottom of the league. Least number of wins in the league. Least goals scored in the league. Second most goals conceded.

I think we can put this myth of a 'quality' squad to bed.

[CoveRangers1922]

9 minutes ago, 1320Lichtie said:

They say this every single year
 

It’s just that the team everyone fancied is not doing or having a United or Hearts type season this year and coasting to the title 
 

Whoever finishes 9th in this league cruises the play offs. No team in L1 are doing or playing how Dunfermline played yesterday. No team has anywhere near the quality of that squad 

It's all opinions but I don't agree with that at all. The Championship team *might* well end up winning the playoffs but I doubt it will be a foregone conclusion. We'd make it extremely competitive and Airdire I daresay would do similar. If 9th team goes in with the above stated mentally that could be dangerous. Clearly need to be positive, goes without saying, but just turn up won't do it.

 

[DAFC.]

Folk have been spouting the 'quality of the squad' pish all season.
We're bottom of the league. Least number of wins in the league. Least goals scored in the league. Second most goals conceded.
I think we can put this myth of a 'quality' squad to bed.

You don’t finish in the bottom two by being “unlucky” They are fucking losers and every single one of them needs booting out and a total rebuild is required for next season in the seaside league. Mentioned it before but I’d much rather us go for a young coach with a fresh approach to the game rather than the usual pish. Marvin Bartley or someone along those lines.

[Otis Blue]

1 hour ago, Rob1885 said:

This is exactly why I don't quite get the media's (looking directly at you here, sportsound) fawning over Arbroath ...This league is pure gubbins.

We all know that the Scottish sports/fitba media is really only interested in two teams - and to be fair they probably have to be that way as those two reprobates between them probably command the interest of say 75% of the Scottish fitba public, and for all the wrong reasons sad to say.   That leaves the rest of their coverage each season dominated by who will be third in the top league.  All pretty boring stuff.  So to be fair to the media, when a side like Arbroath pop up once in a blue moon they latch on to a "different news story".  Hard to blame them - and of course uber diddies like me are right behind Arbroath all the way.

OK, so this league probably is "pure gubbins" - I mean the technical ability isn't great when you watch it (second touch invariably a tackle etc).  But you can't argue that teams in the Championship would probably take a doing in the top league (without investment in players).  And equally as we've been discussing (with the guy from Cove), L1 sides (apart from Cove) would probably struggle in the "gubbins" Championship (without player investment).  So basically the leagues are a reasonable reflection of the differing qualities it could be argued.

Edited March 6, 2022 by Otis Blue

[Cardle is Magic]

Don’t get wrong; if Arbroath win the league then that is a tremendous achievement and Dick Campbell should rightly be favourite for Manager of the Year.

However, to claim it would be similar to Leicester winning the Premier League is complete fucking nonsense.

[1320Lichtie]

29 minutes ago, CoveRangers1922 said:

It's all opinions but I don't agree with that at all. The Championship team *might* well end up winning the playoffs but I doubt it will be a foregone conclusion. We'd make it extremely competitive and Airdire I daresay would do similar. If 9th team goes in with the above stated mentally that could be dangerous. Clearly need to be positive, goes without saying, but just turn up won't do it.

 

Well obviously will need to do more than turn up but I wasn’t really meaning you lot you are up now and miles clear. I know about all the other teams and players and in my opinion the Dunfermline team and squad is too strong, the other sides down there not as good on paper but they’ll come through a 2 legged tie v a L1 team.
 

The teams in the bottom 5 have all improved a lot the whole league is a much of a muchness now. No much difference between us and Dunfermline or Killie and Dunfermline as recent results have shown. Main difference is we know how to grind out wins in games of football and are hard working and hard to beat. That’s it really 

[AUcal]

35 minutes ago, DAFC. said:

 

You don’t finish in the bottom two by being “unlucky” They are fucking losers and every single one of them needs booting out and a total rebuild is required for next season in the seaside league. Mentioned it before but I’d much rather us go for a young coach with a fresh approach to the game rather than the usual pish. Marvin Bartley or someone along those lines.

 

Marvin Bartley was rumoured for weeks to be one of the favourites for the Ayr job before Bullen came into the running out of the blue.

I was actually quite excited by the prospect of Bartley. I've always thought he talked very well about the game and has good ideas. If Hughes were to go/be sacked, I agree that Bartley would be a good candidate for Dunfermline.

[Stellaboz]

Bollocks to that, bring Bullen home!

[Stoo61]

Bring Bullen, Dick, Gibson, McCall, Cardle, Petrie home.

Bring them all home, we'll have the Travelling Wilburys of Scottish football management mediocrity! Get out of League One first time! 

[DA Baracus]

Just now, Stoo61 said:

Bring Bullen, Dick, Gibson, McCall, Cardle, Petrie home.

Bring them all home, we'll have the Travelling Wilburys of Scottish football management mediocrity! Get out of League One first time! 

Thought you would have went for Pybus as player manager.

[Stoo61]

Just now, DA Baracus said:

Thought you would have went for Pybus as player manager.

What, you mean Captain Fantastic Dunfermline Hall of Famer North Stand Namesake, Dan Pybus? 

We need him to focus on carrying the entire team on the park. 

[Otis Blue]

58 minutes ago, Stoo61 said:

Bring Bullen, Dick, Gibson, McCall, Cardle, Petrie home.

To be fair .... Gibson is already home.