Sons' sorrow

[FifeSons]

19 hours ago, Bring Back Paddy Flannery said:

19 hours ago, Gordon EF said:

Congratulations to Stevie Aitken on those two February awards claimed by Dumbarton.

Fully expecting a double page spread in tomorrow's Record.

Genuinely wouldn't be surprised to see him come out and take credit for DT.

I haven't been on the FB page in a long time, but I'm sure those lunatics would probably say its all down to Aitken getting DT in the first place.

[Boghead ranter]

1 hour ago, FifeSons said:

Genuinely wouldn't be surprised to see him come out and take credit for DT.

I haven't been on the FB page in a long time, but I'm sure those lunatics would probably say its all down to Aitken getting DT in the first place.

They're too busy wondering how soon we can be in a playoff spot* right now, to be bothered by that.

 

*at the right end of the league

[FifeSons]

40 minutes ago, Boghead ranter said:

They're too busy wondering how soon we can be in a playoff spot* right now, to be bothered by that.

 

*at the right end of the league

Tbf, I have been daydreaming about us winning all our games and claiming fourth.

I'm even considering going to watch an ex-player.

I'm becoming one of them.

Edited March 11, 2019 by FifeSons

[cameron2000]

I think after East Fife winning at the weekend it becomes exceedingly unlikely now. If they win tomorrow then I think that will totally rule it out and we will basically just have pride to play for from now til the end of the season - which I’m hoping the players will be desperate to do considering the embarrassing first half of the season and the fact that some are playing for their futures elsewhere.

 

[FifeSons]

4 minutes ago, cameron2000 said:

I think after East Fife winning at the weekend it becomes exceedingly unlikely now. If they win tomorrow then I think that will totally rule it out and we will basically just have pride to play for from now til the end of the season - which I’m hoping the players will be desperate to do considering the embarrassing first half of the season and the fact that some are playing for their futures elsewhere.

 

Not to mention, we'll get a (tiny) bit more prize money, the higher up the league we finish. 

[The Moonster]

1 hour ago, FifeSons said:

Not to mention, we'll get a (tiny) bit more prize money, the higher up the league we finish. 

This.  Having said that though, I think everyone at the club will just be happy to get ourselves safe and get this nightmare of a season over with.

Huge building job in the summer required - as much as some players have upped their game in the last couple of months, I'd still prefer that we parted ways with the majority of them.  I'd probably keep 4 of them, 5 at a push (Forbes, Carswell, the two Barr's and Ballantyne).  Of that lot, I imagine Forbes, Mango and Ballantyne may well have offers from the division above, I expect Bobby Barr will stay if we want him going by his recent interviews. The rest I'd move on, Calum Gallagher is probably in my undecided camp right now.

[Bring Back Paddy Flannery]

Huge building job in the summer required - as much as some players have upped their game in the last couple of months, I'd still prefer that we parted ways with the majority of them.  I'd probably keep 4 of them, 5 at a push (Forbes, Carswell, the two Barr's and Ballantyne). 

I'd agree with this. I'd also be more than happy to see Ferguson return if he is unlikely to feature for Ayr. We also have Loy tied down on a 2 year deal which is a bit of a pisser, I wouldn't be overly surprised to see him retire in the summer but with another year left to run he might fancy a bash at it.

I suppose the big question right now is regarding the gaffer. No one really knows whether he's sticking around for another season or not.

[The Moonster]

Just now, Bring Back Paddy Flannery said:

I suppose the big question right now is regarding the gaffer. No one really knows whether he's sticking around for another season or not.

 

Two year deal, so we should probably just keep assuming that Duffy will be in charge until we hear otherwise.

[Bring Back Paddy Flannery]

Two year deal

Confirmed?

I was mostly basing my gaffer comment on the fact no one seems to know if it's a 1 or 2 year deal he signed!

I'll be honest, before this recent run of form I was really doubting if I wanted Duffy to be here next season. Not only was the product on the park fairly crap, I genuinely got the impression he seemed depressingly unenthusiastic about being Dumbarton manager. After the last month or so I've changed my mind on that and he even seems a bit more chipper in his recent interviews.

[The Moonster]

2 minutes ago, Bring Back Paddy Flannery said:

Confirmed?

 

Not sure if it was officially announced but yes, he's on a deal until summer 2020.

[FifeSons]

39 minutes ago, The Moonster said:

This.  Having said that though, I think everyone at the club will just be happy to get ourselves safe and get this nightmare of a season over with.

Huge building job in the summer required - as much as some players have upped their game in the last couple of months, I'd still prefer that we parted ways with the majority of them.  I'd probably keep 4 of them, 5 at a push (Forbes, Carswell, the two Barr's and Ballantyne).  Of that lot, I imagine Forbes, Mango and Ballantyne may well have offers from the division above, I expect Bobby Barr will stay if we want him going by his recent interviews. The rest I'd move on, Calum Gallagher is probably in my undecided camp right now.

I’d fancy our chances of keeping Mango unless he had a part-time offer in the Championship.

[The Moonster]

5 minutes ago, FifeSons said:

I’d fancy our chances of keeping Mango unless he had a part-time offer in the Championship.

I'll be brutally honest here - Mango was my "at a push". He'll be on an excellent wedge, even with a clause in his deal that reduced his wages after relegation, I still wouldn't be shocked to find out he's our top earner.  On the pitch I absolutely love the big guy, he'd run through a wall for you, but he missed pretty much all of pre-season as he was off to Vegas getting pished, then spent 4 months injured, returned to the squad and then disappeared for what appeared to be another wedding/holiday mid season (if his social media outlets are an accurate representation of what he was doing). I can't say I'm overly impressed with that from a senior player/top earner. I expect Andy Graham levels of dedication to the club. He turns 32 at the end of this month and his injury record shows at least 1 injury per season which sidelines him for long periods (our last season in the Championship aside). I would be genuinely tempted to move him on in the summer, even though I concede he's the best defender we have.

[FifeSons]

1 minute ago, The Moonster said:

I'll be brutally honest here - Mango was my "at a push". He'll be on an excellent wedge, even with a clause in his deal that reduced his wages after relegation, I still wouldn't be shocked to find out he's our top earner.  On the pitch I absolutely love the big guy, he'd run through a wall for you, but he missed pretty much all of pre-season as he was off to Vegas getting pished, then spent 4 months injured, returned to the squad and then disappeared for what appeared to be another wedding/holiday mid season (if his social media outlets are an accurate representation of what he was doing). I can't say I'm overly impressed with that from a senior player/top earner. I expect Andy Graham levels of dedication to the club. He turns 32 at the end of this month and his injury record shows at least 1 injury per season which sidelines him for long periods (our last season in the Championship aside). I would be genuinely tempted to move him on in the summer, even though I concede he's the best defender we have.

I'd still reckon Loy would hold that honour.

[The Moonster]

Just now, FifeSons said:

I'd still reckon Loy would hold that honour.

Both players were signed in similar circumstances in that they were both coming from being full time, but there's two key differences for me. Loy was negotiating a contract with a League 1 club who were also assisting in him gaining employment outside of football to offset the drop in wages he'd be taking.  Mango was negotiating with an established (at that point) Championship club and we had no hand in gaining him work outside of that.

I expect Loy will be earning more if you compared their bottom line at the end of each month, but in terms of money directly paid from the club I think Mango will be the higher paid player.

[Jan Vojáček]

6 minutes ago, FifeSons said:

I'd still reckon Loy would hold that honour.

Nah it'll be Mango imo. He signed a two-year deal in the Championship, and will probably have been on decent money then. Even with a relegation decrease (if we wrote one in) I'd still imagine he'd be on good money. Deserved it to be fair, he's an outstanding player, but according to his podcast he wasn't enjoying on travelling through from Edinburgh on his own and I'm not sure I'd want to risk him getting another injury. Fwiw (assuming they go up) he'd be a great fit for Arbroath - even if they already have two excellent centre-backs in Little and TOB.

From our side of things:

Keep

Cammy Ballantyne - But he'll go full-time. An excellent player.
Stuart Carswell - Mr Consistency.
Calum Gallagher - Solid League One player.
Ross Forbes - Captain. Leader. Legend 
Bobby Barr - Solid League One player.

Punt

Grant Adam - Been better in recent weeks, but I'm still not a fan (despite thoroughly enjoying him getting it right up some Montrose weans after the penalty miss on Saturday). Injury prone, absolutely mental and struggles to catch anything first time. 
Willie Dyer - Absolutely God awful signing.
Ross Perry - Been fine, but he's injury prone which isn't ideal given how little he's actually played.
Iain Russell - I love him, but when he isn't injured he's missing golden chances. Brilliant guy. Brilliant player, but this level is probably a stretch now.
Michael Paton - It just hasn't worked out at all. 
Ryan Thomson - Absolutely not got a clue what sort of player he is.

Unsure

Brian McLean - He's played once and looked fine, but I'll judge him between now and May.
Boris Melingui - Hasn't played very often. Looks technically decent enough, and has bags of energy, but his positional sense appears to be wild.
Kyle Hutton - Duffy will keep him, but Carsy's a better player and they don't work together. 
Conor Brennan - Played once, did fine, would be fine keeping him as #2 based on that showing.
Craig Barr - See earlier comments. Outstanding player, but has had injury problems and will likely be one of our best paid.

Loanees

David Ferguson - I think he's a really good big player, and I'd be more than happy if we could get him to stick around. Suspect he'll be into Ayr's first-team if Liam Smith moves on.
Ben Armour - Looks like he might be quite handy. If he's let go in the summer by Morton I wouldn't be against going for him permanently - though not initially as a starter.
Henk van Schaik - I have no idea. Sometimes he looks tremendous, other times he makes some absolutely mental basic mistakes.
Dom Thomas - Would be willing to do pretty much anything to keep him.
 

[FifeSons]

26 minutes ago, The Moonster said:

Both players were signed in similar circumstances in that they were both coming from being full time, but there's two key differences for me. Loy was negotiating a contract with a League 1 club who were also assisting in him gaining employment outside of football to offset the drop in wages he'd be taking.  Mango was negotiating with an established (at that point) Championship club and we had no hand in gaining him work outside of that.

I expect Loy will be earning more if you compared their bottom line at the end of each month, but in terms of money directly paid from the club I think Mango will be the higher paid player.

 

4 minutes ago, Ross Forbes said:

Nah it'll be Mango imo. He signed a two-year deal in the Championship, and will probably have been on decent money then. Even with a relegation decrease (if we wrote one in) I'd still imagine he'd be on good money. Deserved it to be fair, he's an outstanding player, but according to his podcast he wasn't enjoying on travelling through from Edinburgh on his own and I'm not sure I'd want to risk him getting another injury. Fwiw (assuming they go up) he'd be a great fit for Arbroath - even if they already have two excellent centre-backs in Little and TOB.

From our side of things:

Keep

Cammy Ballantyne - But he'll go full-time. An excellent player.
Stuart Carswell - Mr Consistency.
Calum Gallagher - Solid League One player.
Ross Forbes - Captain. Leader. Legend 
Bobby Barr - Solid League One player.

Punt

Grant Adam - Been better in recent weeks, but I'm still not a fan (despite thoroughly enjoying him getting it right up some Montrose weans after the penalty miss on Saturday). Injury prone, absolutely mental and struggles to catch anything first time. 
Willie Dyer - Absolutely God awful signing.
Ross Perry - Been fine, but he's injury prone which isn't ideal given how little he's actually played.
Iain Russell - I love him, but when he isn't injured he's missing golden chances. Brilliant guy. Brilliant player, but this level is probably a stretch now.
Michael Paton - It just hasn't worked out at all. 
Ryan Thomson - Absolutely not got a clue what sort of player he is.

Unsure

Brian McLean - He's played once and looked fine, but I'll judge him between now and May.
Boris Melingui - Hasn't played very often. Looks technically decent enough, and has bags of energy, but his positional sense appears to be wild.
Kyle Hutton - Duffy will keep him, but Carsy's a better player and they don't work together. 
Conor Brennan - Played once, did fine, would be fine keeping him as #2 based on that showing.
Craig Barr - See earlier comments. Outstanding player, but has had injury problems and will likely be one of our best paid.

Loanees

David Ferguson - I think he's a really good big player, and I'd be more than happy if we could get him to stick around. Suspect he'll be into Ayr's first-team if Liam Smith moves on.
Ben Armour - Looks like he might be quite handy. If he's let go in the summer by Morton I wouldn't be against going for him permanently - though not initially as a starter.
Henk van Schaik - I have no idea. Sometimes he looks tremendous, other times he makes some absolutely mental basic mistakes.
Dom Thomas - Would be willing to do pretty much anything to keep him.
 

I'm not one to kiss and tell, but I heard what Loy was on and if its true I'd be amazed we'd be paying anyone more than that.

[The Moonster]

4 minutes ago, FifeSons said:

 

I'm not one to kiss and tell, but I heard what Loy was on and if its true I'd be amazed we'd be paying anyone more than that.

Oh go on...

[FifeSons]

Just now, The Moonster said:

Oh go on...

I'm not going to say the figure since it was told in confidence, but when I first heard it I assumed it was from both his jobs combined.

[pleslie99]

I'd still reckon Loy would hold that honour.

Who is this Loy you speak of?

[cameron2000]

I’ll give it a go -

Keep:

Adam - I feel that he’s improved massively recently. He has been a wee bit of a scapegoat at times, but I like his confidence. Is definitely susceptible to a moment of madness. Would like to see a young keeper brought in the keep him on his toes.

Ferguson - If he is not wanted at Ayr then I’d snap him up. Not ashamed to say that I was think I was wrong with my initial opinion of him and in the past few games at right back he’s been very solid and smart on the ball.

C Barr - Fairly obvious one, pair him with a more athletic Centre back in an ideal world.

Ballantine - Doubt we will keep him, but if we do I would still like him to be used at RB and an actual LB obtained.

Carswell - His performances in midfield recently were the best I’ve seen since our good spell around November last season. Breaking up play effectively and keeping it simple. Pair him next to someone with box-to-box capabilities (Kyle Turner?) and he will be very good at this level (Definitely not Hutton).

Forbes - Just please stick him out on the right wing and never let him play centrally again (unless going toe-to-toe with Ryan McCord).

B Barr - Didn’t impress me at all at first, but, he has improved greatly. Was worried he was finished because his pace had gone but he has managed to adapt his game.

Thomas - Hmmm... I wonder why we’d want to keep him.

Armour - Was very impressive against Arbroath and is only going to get better with age and experience. Definitely would be at worst a good back up option but I’d be hoping to see him get some more starts.

Punt:

Dyer - He’s dyer

Hutton - So slow and lethargic, occasionally sprays one like Pirlo. Has at least been working hard recently.

Paton - He’s done. It’s a shame but I think injuries have ruined him.

Thomson - He is a... well I’m not really sure what he is, but, if he was good enough I’m sure we’d know by now.

Russell - His legs have gone and he’s injury prone.


Unsure:

Brennan only played once and was decent but he definitely didn’t seem at all commanding in his area as Brechin fans warned us.

Henk - Raw and error prone, but undoubtedly had potential.

McClean - Will judge after a few more games.

Gallagher - Wouldn’t mind him as back up. Works hard and frustrates you but comes out with some clever play at times.

Melingui - I like what I’ve seen from him so far but the must be a reason he’s not playing at the moment. Hope to more of him if we are playing for nothing in the final few games.

Hopefully I didn’t miss anyone but I wouldn’t count on it.