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16 minutes ago, Tattie36 said:

Just noticed your season ticket prices for next season.

Last season was a pretty wild season for us so I probably took my eye off the rest of Scottish football, so apologies for not realising EF had been promoted to the Championship.

Seriously, I thought Queens Park and Cove were taking the piss with their pricing (they are) but Jesus F*ck, how can a League 2 club justify those prices?

As a comparison here are our prices for next season’s Championship. Granted, ours are probably the best in the league but still. Oh, and best of luck for next season.

 

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Not defending East Fife here but Arbroath isn't a good comparison. You are on a high and in the second tier, you've had a huge boost in support and could probably have made your season ticket even cheaper and still made a mint. East Fife are clearly struggling and have thought reducing the price isn't going to bring in any more fans, so to keep their budget as competitive as possible they've held prices. I don't agree with it but it's an option for clubs in that position. They compare terribly with almost every other part time team though, not just Arbroath. 

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There's definitely something a bit odd about the club at present, when you mix the pricing in with the huge number of players that have left and the low number that have come in (and arguably the quality). Still plenty time I suppose but lots of teams are ahead of us at present and it looks set to be a long season. The problem is I'm not entirely sure why things seem so bad so quickly. Very little communication coming from the club either, other than 4 or 5 lines from SC in the Fife Free Press.  

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Things are bad now. I was looking at our 14/15 squad which finished 4th our first season down and they were still miles ahead of this lot. Naysmith, Riordan, Julen etc probably underachieved in hindsight but it looks like we are in for a long season this time around. Trouten will eventually get injured with his age and we have absolutely nothing else going forward. Healy is promising but hasn't scored for us yet. Our GKs and a backline of Slattery, Steele, Denholm and Mercer seems fine enough also but we have nothing else to feel comfortable about. If this side under perform then I won't be surprised about us finishing 10th. 

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27 minutes ago, Big Fifer said:

There's definitely something a bit odd about the club at present, when you mix the pricing in with the huge number of players that have left and the low number that have come in (and arguably the quality). Still plenty time I suppose but lots of teams are ahead of us at present and it looks set to be a long season. The problem is I'm not entirely sure why things seem so bad so quickly. Very little communication coming from the club either, other than 4 or 5 lines from SC in the Fife Free Press.  

From the outside peering in, East Fife remind me a wee bit of us in 2019/20. We emptied our underperforming squad, and everyone backed the new manager in doing that, but then week after week passed without us signing A) Enough players or B) Players who, on paper, looked like quality additions.

Duffy ended up at the exit trials and signed a host of guys from that; Conor Scullion, Mati Zata, Ryan Tierney, Jordan Pettigrew along with punts on the likes of Isaac Layne, Jordan McMillan and Ruaridh Langan. We cancelled our first friendly due to a lack of bodies, started our second with about eight trialists and the Betfred was a total disaster.

We did end up with a few good players that window; namely Morgyn Neill, Ryan McGeever, Joe McKee and Rico Quitongo. But it wasn't until Duffy added some serious quality late on (Reghan Tumilty and Adam Frizzell) that we had anything remotely like a League One quality side. I wonder if Crawford is (for whatever reason, be that budget, the way he sells the club or whatever) just struggling to attract the players he targeted.

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Whilst the Board are excellent at controlling the club's finances,they are totally abject at promoting the club commercially and more importantly ,entering into dialogue with the wider Levenmouth community. Unfortunately the Board is continuing to adopt a "they ken where we are" attitude whilst presiding over a substantial reaction in fan numbers.It is one thing for the Chairman to give the fanbase a periodic update on social media.We are the converted.Why is there never an appeal to the wider public.?

Although personally,I believe that changes are needed at senior Board level,the number 1 priority would be to appoint a Commercial Director part of whose remit would be to promote the Club in the wider community.

With a view to fostering a better understanding of the Boards and Fans concerns,the Supporters club have,or about to,write to the BOD suggesting a Fans rep on the Board.Be interesting to see the reply.

 

Having said all this,the club will NEVER prosper,until Neil Rankine/Johnston/Twigg sells their share in the Club.

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2 minutes ago, Jan Vojáček said:

From the outside peering in, East Fife remind me a wee bit of us in 2019/20. We emptied our underperforming squad, and everyone backed the new manager in doing that, but then week after week passed without us signing A) Enough players or B) Players who, on paper, looked like quality additions.

Duffy ended up at the exit trials and signed a host of guys from that; Conor Scullion, Mati Zata, Ryan Tierney, Jordan Pettigrew along with punts on the likes of Isaac Layne, Jordan McMillan and Ruaridh Langan. We cancelled our first friendly due to a lack of bodies, started our second with about eight trialists and the Betfred was a total disaster.

We did end up with a few good players that window; namely Morgyn Neill, Ryan McGeever, Joe McKee and Rico Quitongo. But it wasn't until Duffy added some serious quality late on (Reghan Tumilty and Adam Frizzell) that we had anything remotely like a League One quality side. I wonder if Crawford is (for whatever reason, be that budget, the way he sells the club or whatever) just struggling to attract the players he targeted.

I suspect this is true. I think a club at our budget level and slightly awkward location our success can be a bit fragile at times. DY had a lot of faults and I still don't think it was a mistake to get rid of him - but we had a lot of relative success with him because of our continuation within the squad and the fact the dressing room was really good, the players all seemed to like each other. We then had one summer where signings were missed out on entirely (may well be the budget available then, as it may be now!) and it started to crumble. Players wanting out. Contracts getting terminated. And now a host of released players. I think the club is really pushing the U20's at the moment in the hope we can start to see some local players come through so we don't need to convince guys from the west coast to travel etc. but that's a complete lottery. 

SC was speaking at the tail end of last season about us wanting to build a squad to come straight back up - there's been absolutely no evidence of that happening. Generally we have quite a negative support but when fans of other clubs start to poke their head in saying the same thing about how worrying things look it's impossible to ignore. I am not sure our budget will be that much bigger (if it's bigger at all) than a lot of clubs in this league, historically maybe it was but we have quite an aging fanbase and I am not sure the season ticket prices will have helped. You'd imagine we'll have a bigger budget than Albion Rovers, Elgin at least, maybe a few others. All complete guesswork to be honest. Either way, the budget won't be so big that we'd be expected to blow other teams out the water. 

I know the club spoke last year, or maybe the year before, saying that the fans need to see the season ticket not for "value" but as a donation to keep the club going. It all sounded a bit bleak. As above, the directors all have the clubs best interest at heart but there's a real "bowling club" feel about us at the moment. The ownership situation is crap and we probably could do with some younger blood on the board to improve things. One thing I've always said is that the matchday experience at Bayview isn't very good so the overall product is quite difficult to sell so a commercial director would have a bit of a job on their hands frankly. Where are just now, and how the next 5 years are looking, doesn't fill me with great optimism but perhaps we're all just being a bit dramatic and pessimistic because of the lack of signings. 2-3 players in this week would certainly help. 

We could probably do with hearing from the board in some capacity though. I think the season ticket prices and the lack of signings are worrying for fans and whilst they might feel a big dramatic statement at the end of June is a bit much, it would be good to hear something at least. 

 

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I emailed the club a month and a half ago with several ideas regarding how the club is marketed and which may even bring investment to the club and was advised that this would be passed to the directors, but as expected have heard nothing since. As said above, with the current owners, it certainly feels like things are just going to keep ticking along with no intention of changing anything until (never going to happen) Rankine and the Twiggs get a ridiculous offer to sell up.

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DY had a lot of faults and I still don't think it was a mistake to get rid of him - but we had a lot of relative success with him because of our continuation within the squad and the fact the dressing room was really good, the players all seemed to like each other.


I know I’m going off topic here, but just out of interest, what faults did DY have during his time at you?? When he was sacked, and later on when he became Stirling manager, I generally got the impression that EF fans were saddened to see him go and put the poor start to last season down to injuries and players doing u-turns on promises they had made to him.

Have to be honest and say alarm bells are starting to ring about how good an appointment he will be for us, he really needs to hit the ground running after a disastrous half season last year (with a couple of ineffective or duff signings thrown into the mix) and an uninspiring pre-season so far.
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2 minutes ago, BB_Bino said:

 


I know I’m going off topic here, but just out of interest, what faults did DY have during his time at you?? When he was sacked, and later on when he became Stirling manager, I generally got the impression that EF fans were saddened to see him go and put the poor start to last season down to injuries and players doing u-turns on promises they had made to him.

Have to be honest and say alarm bells are starting to ring about how good an appointment he will be for us, he really needs to hit the ground running after a disastrous half season last year (with a couple of ineffective or duff signings thrown into the mix) and an uninspiring pre-season so far.

 

Perhaps "a lot of faults" was a bit much from me. Our success under DY was mainly his recruitment. Not sure if he has a good group of pals in the footballing world, or was just really good at that side of things, but we had a habit of getting business done nice and early in May so that when the players came back we already had what felt like a full squad ready to go. That started falling apart last year when the recruitment failed and some decent players started leaving. When things were going wrong last year, his interviews seemed to be just blaming luck over and over again, most importantly never blaming himself. We seemed really tactically inflexible and we could never change anything when we went a goal down.

As far as I am concerned, DY was a good manager for us but mainly in terms of recruitment - he simply reached the end of his cycle with us I think (as most managers will). Of course no manager at this level is perfect, is they were they wouldn't be managing at this level!

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Guest AberhillEnd
35 minutes ago, BB_Bino said:

 


I know I’m going off topic here, but just out of interest, what faults did DY have during his time at you?? When he was sacked, and later on when he became Stirling manager, I generally got the impression that EF fans were saddened to see him go and put the poor start to last season down to injuries and players doing u-turns on promises they had made to him.

Have to be honest and say alarm bells are starting to ring about how good an appointment he will be for us, he really needs to hit the ground running after a disastrous half season last year (with a couple of ineffective or duff signings thrown into the mix) and an uninspiring pre-season so far.

 

He always recruited well (apart from last summer) but these same players underachieved on the park. We should have made the playoffs on at least one occasion. Young also couldn't change tactics during a game and a lack of motivation we threw away 3 goal leads at least twice.

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3 hours ago, Big Fifer said:

Perhaps "a lot of faults" was a bit much from me. Our success under DY was mainly his recruitment. Not sure if he has a good group of pals in the footballing world, or was just really good at that side of things, but we had a habit of getting business done nice and early in May so that when the players came back we already had what felt like a full squad ready to go. That started falling apart last year when the recruitment failed and some decent players started leaving. When things were going wrong last year, his interviews seemed to be just blaming luck over and over again, most importantly never blaming himself. We seemed really tactically inflexible and we could never change anything when we went a goal down.

As far as I am concerned, DY was a good manager for us but mainly in terms of recruitment - he simply reached the end of his cycle with us I think (as most managers will). Of course no manager at this level is perfect, is they were they wouldn't be managing at this level!

Agreed , but as mentioned above because of our shareholding structure we get no investment  , we have to build a team working on a break even basis. That being said, not so long ago, 2019/20 we were beating Dundee Utd, Hearts, Raith Rovers by running the club on a break even basis. I hear the arguments about DY haven run the course. That is a debatable point for which I hear the plus and negative views. What is not debatable , IMO, is Crawford is no upgrade!  

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If the owners are such a millstone around our neck, is there any merit in letting the club sink lower? Would that force thier hand? Or make them more likely to sell? Or would we be cutting our nose off to spite our face? 

I was hanging off renewing my season ticket in the hope, we'll recruit a good squad to justify the prices, that's not looking likely. Then again did we not play a friendly with Exeter a few years back, with next to no players, largely trialists & Gary Naysmith formed a capable side then. 

Can't understand why we've an international striker in charge, but can't seem to sign a forward, are we waiting for Leigh Griffiths? At this rate, Crawford might need to get his own boots back on! 

I know we've still got time, but there's a lot of worry creaping in here. 

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49 minutes ago, Life on Marrs? said:

If the owners are such a millstone around our neck, is there any merit in letting the club sink lower? Would that force thier hand? Or make them more likely to sell? Or would we be cutting our nose off to spite our face? 

I was hanging off renewing my season ticket in the hope, we'll recruit a good squad to justify the prices, that's not looking likely. Then again did we not play a friendly with Exeter a few years back, with next to no players, largely trialists & Gary Naysmith formed a capable side then. 

Can't understand why we've an international striker in charge, but can't seem to sign a forward, are we waiting for Leigh Griffiths? At this rate, Crawford might need to get his own boots back on! 

I know we've still got time, but there's a lot of worry creaping in here. 

Is it not the case that we are a millstone round the owners neck.It’s the land that is of value.If East Fife are not there then they can sell the land with out any worries about a football club.

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A lot of valid points from fans on here and there are at least a couple of board members who read this site too. They have the club at heart but that doesn’t mean that they make the best decisions. The whole season ticket thing is a shambles - we got an announcement stating how much they were and then… well, nothing! No justification as to why our prices in L2 are higher than a Championship club and what the plans are. What are we actively doing to attract new fans and engage the local community?

You just have to look at Stenhousemuir. Very affordable prices and young supporters can pick something from the club shop. 

I really fear for us this season and the board very were open about having no contingency plan last season when the writing was on the wall very early on. The lack of communication is frustrating and it shouldn’t be us vs them. We are all East Fife fans and should be trying to pull together but things aren’t right and the whole feeling around the place isn’t positive and all it takes is another disaster of a season and we could find ourselves playing Rangers under 12’s or other dross regularly. 

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Disgusted and disillusioned with management  of East Fife.  I am one of the fools who has purchased a season ticket. Absolutely nothing from the Crawford management team. They stand about hardly any motivation at all awful examples of couldn't give a shit. The team has no shape no strikers no plan.  Also tannoy hasn't been working last two games (is that a safety issue). No clue of who is playing no attempt to let people know.  The board need to be taking a hard look at themselves lack of communication lack of any respect  for supporters. 

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Guest AberhillEnd

Semblance of a team tonight in the first half but seriously lacking a target up front. Walls looks like he could could turn into a decent player but I'm still not convinced with Newton. Thought Omar did well and would sign him.

Wheels came off again in 2nd half with too many young players being introduced. 

The squad is currently very light, we cannot rely on young guys all season, need at least 3 more experienced players and a target type forward.

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Last night was just a confirmation of what everyone has seen previously.It is unfair on the young players to throw so many of them into such a situation.

I think there is a sense of bewilderment amongst fans about the state of the club and the reasons for it.

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3 hours ago, sneed hearn said:

Last night was just a confirmation of what everyone has seen previously.It is unfair on the young players to throw so many of them into such a situation.

I think there is a sense of bewilderment amongst fans about the state of the club and the reasons for it.

The club should be run in a professional manner on and off the park.

last season we played Falkirk and the goalkeeper gets sent off.Kevin Smith the captain on the day is substituted.At halftime Kevin Smith is out playing football with his son.Should he not have been in the dressing room offering encouragement.Would you see that happening under Dick Campbell .

When a managers job becomes available is not professional to select a short list and interview them then decide.Let a candidate show he wants the job.As somebody posted earlier it’s like “East Fife bowling club”

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The notion that we're going to be "relying" on the young players this year is really concerning. I understand the club wants to provide a pathway, and I support it, but you don't do that by saying "ah we've been relegated, now's the time!". The time for introducing the U20s into the first team is when we think they might be good enough for the first team.

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