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8 minutes ago, Jan Vojáček said:

Parry being punted?

I thought it was maybe a sign that Ferguson didn't fancy him when he dropped him for McDowall. Big call that. I know he's had an iffy time recently, but he's still a tremendous League One keeper.

Haven’t heard anything of being punted but can you see him being happy to sit on the bench all season? Like you say, if he even gets that. McD has been preferred to him but he’s clearly not good enough in Barry’s eyes either. Reckon Hutt’s has been brought in as No.1 and that’s a scary prospect. 
 

Really have no idea about Mendy. Not too fussed but a welcome body, with Jamieson leaving it was inevitable. Although I was hoping he’d get a chance this season. Plenty options at the back again which is always good. However, agree that it is the last two positions we needed signings for …

Edited by KierenAAFC
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6 minutes ago, KierenAAFC said:

Haven’t heard anything of being punted but can you see him being happy to sit on the bench all season? Like you say, if he even gets that. McD has been preferred to him but he’s clearly not good enough in Barry’s eyes either. Reckon Hutt’s has been brought in as No.1 and that’s a scary prospect. 

With McDowall playing the last few games there's maybe even the potential of Parry not being in the squad. From first choice in the Championship and one of the best part-time keepers in the country, to not in the squad in League One would be wild. Especially when Parry will know he could be first choice for a host of clubs in this league.

This reminds me a wee bit of when Stevie Aitken came in to the Rock and punted Andy Graham for Darren Barr. It wasn't that Darren Barr was a bad player (far from it) but Graham was loved by fans, respected and rated by the players and Barr wasn't a particularly notable upgrade. It probably meant that fans were on Barr's back a wee bit - and when things went tits up for Stevie it was an easy stick to beat him with.

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Really not getting a great feeling about this season, I really hope I'm wrong.

As has been mentioned before its the last place we needed players brought in for, I think with the lack of goalscoring threat he should be looking to strengthen middle to front.

Can't remember seeing Mendy play but I've never been convinced by Hutton anytime I've seen him and its definitely not an upgrade on Parry.

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Bold decisions for sure. I can see why some might say Neily looked past it last season. He made more errors than he ever did before, he struggled a few times with playing the ball out from the back, he didn't look entirely fit or mobile and he wasn't his usual confident self. But against all that he was coming back from a potentially career ending injury then missed months again due to Covid. That was without doubt a big factor in the string of niggling injuries in the first half of the season. As time went on he did get a run of games, he made crucial saves and I'd have been confident with a good pre-season that he'd have got back to fitness and hopefully settled once more and returned to his previous high standards. To jettison him after one game, if that's what we're seeing here, is exceptionally harsh and would suggest that Ferguson had his mind made up already. I'll be gutted if Neily is finished at the Recs and in this manner. 

Don't think we really need another CB either. We have Graham, Howie and Durnan, plus Armstrong who I read was previously primarily a left sided CB rather than LB, and Taggs who can play there too. If we really needed another CB I'd have been happy with giving Jamieson a shot. It's questionable are these areas we needed to strengthen and have we strengthened them anyway. More questions again too over the club re-signing and signing players before appointing a manager. 

Ultimately Ferguson is the boss and he is doing it his way. That's fair enough. Welcome to the new players and all the best to them. 

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Re Mendy. He is a colossus and was a bit of a cult figure at our club. He was given opportunities here and there however apart from a MOTM performance in the 2nd leg against Dundee he flattered to deceive at Championship level - next to zero positional sense and a bombscare waiting to happen. Had a loan spell at Kelty which apparently went well but reckon he might do ok in League 1.

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I'm increasingly wary of the managers signings and way he is treating some of last years players. He is the gaffer though so his sword to fall on. 

Makes you wonder what the hell his opinion is of Paddy Connolly? Indeed does Padfy even say a thing or is he the chairmans informant? 

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From the outside, it certainly looks like Ferguson bringing in players he knows. As covered, Mendy is a cult hero for us - he'll hoover it up long balls any day but his positional sense can be absolutely wild at times. If you ever play Dundee you'll get Ludo telling you how it was the worst performance he's ever seen by a professional player. He's a top lad and will happily get involved in the community side of things. While it's a shame he's not able to play today, I'm confident he should be ok at league 1 level. 

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35 minutes ago, Redwedge77 said:

Merry Go Round Oops GIF by Far Cry 6The Ferguson  merry go round continues, really concerned about the standard of players he’s brought in. Apparently a french striker incoming as well, presently awaiting clearance to play. 

Some good news at last, Herve Ebanda coming home. 

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Hutton was a very good keeper for us, despite fans from his previous clubs not really rating him. He came in as second choice behind Scott Gallacher who had a shaky start and then got a season ending injury a few games in. Hutton was excellent when he came in that season though, I think he ended up winning player of the year, rarely making any mistakes and making several big saves at key moments. He did alright in his second season too, though he did begin to make more mistakes throughout the season and his inability to come off his line seemed to really annoy Ian Murray and particularly Colin Cameron. He was dropped after a poor run of form in January of that season and never really played much again after that, save for Max Currie isolating for a couple of weeks. 

Some Airdrie fans overrate him, mainly because of a good penalty save at Parkhead, but he was a good keeper for us and did well at this level just a couple of years ago. I don’t think he’ll be a big upgrade on Parry if he is at all, I think both are declining, but he’s still a decent keeper. I’m sure he’ll quite like being managed by Barry Ferguson too.

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Played alright today but pretty toothless up front again. Based on today, if Hutton is our number 1 we are going to concede a bucket load from corners of the defenders miss a header - he flapped at every one and was nowhere near getting to them. 
 

Overall there’s a few positives to take from the cup games (missed the Brechin game) - Taggart, Graham and Howie have looked pretty solid, Scougall is fit finally, and I’ve thought O’Donnell, Cawley and Boyd have been pretty decent. 
 

Big concerns up front though, the shoot out today kind of summed it up - everyone scored bar our centre forward. 

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Mendy is also potentially capable of working at RB. To be honest, I could also see him playing a DM or sweeper role, but his positional sense for that role is undetermined (and potentially questionable). He has a nice passing touch and is strong in the air, his play had improved and he looked outstanding against Dundee in the second leg, so who knows. The fans and community will love him.

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Same, looked really solid at the back. Rovers played some really good stuff first half but when they got to the final third I thought we dealt really well with any threats. A standard performance from Andy Graham. The fact that Andy and Kyle Benedictus were the best players on the park probably explains the eventual result.

Howie was excellent alongside Andy. Actually thought Hutton was really good considering it was his first game playing behind that back 4.

Sammon had a bit of a thankless task first half- long balls looking for him to win balls but with little support. Once Armour was introduced I thought Sammon looked a lot more effective. Armours introduction allowed him a lot more freedom to drift into alternative areas of the pitch and he almost scored, bringing out a great save from the Rovers keeper. We looked a lot more structured and balanced second half.

The game petered out second half, no surprise when it's essentially a pre season game. The point that has raised the most food for thought from the League Cup campaign is that we have looked a lot better on the back foot- when we have been underdogs with the onus on our opponents to take the game to us. For the majority of the league campaign I'd expect the opposite. We need to address this quickly. 

However as previously stated, we still have major creative and attacking options to return- Cawley and Trouten who are not only excellent players but also proven. We probably need to hope they can come in and make things happen up top.

More encouraging than Tuesday night by some distance, and there is a making of a team in there, but hopefully we can get it right quickly in final third. No goals against Brechin and Cowdenbeath is still worrying- the manager needs to consider how to turn this aspect around.

Edited by Father Barrys Sign (Top Half)
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1 hour ago, Father Barrys Sign (Top Half) said:

Same, looked really solid at the back. Rovers played some really good stuff first half but when they got to the final third I thought we dealt really well with any threats. A standard performance from Andy Graham. The fact that Andy and Kyle Benedictus were the best players on the park probably explains the eventual result.

Howie was excellent alongside Andy. Actually thought Hutton was really good considering it was his first game playing behind that back 4.

Sammon had a bit of a thankless task first half- long balls looking for him to win balls but with little support. Once Armour was introduced I thought Sammon looked a lot more effective. Armours introduction allowed him a lot more freedom to drift into alternative areas of the pitch and he almost scored, bringing out a great save from the Rovers keeper. We looked a lot more structured and balanced second half.

The game petered out second half, no surprise when it's essentially a pre season game. The point that has raised the most food for thought from the League Cup campaign is that we have looked a lot better on the back foot- when we have been underdogs with the onus on our opponents to take the game to us. For the majority of the league campaign I'd expect the opposite. We need to address this quickly. 

However as previously stated, we still have major creative and attacking options to return- Cawley and Trouten who are not only excellent players but also proven. We probably need to hope they can come in and make things happen up top.

More encouraging than Tuesday night by some distance, and there is a making of a team in there, but hopefully we can get it right quickly in final third. No goals against Brechin and Cowdenbeath is still worrying- the manager needs to consider how to turn this aspect around.

I actually thought Sammon played better when he was down the middle. He worked hard, just a pity nobody was supporting him as he had a thankless task. I was impressed with Boyd today and think he will do well for us this season however for me Ben Armour won’t add any quality to this squad as although he tried hard I don’t think he held the ball up like Sammon did in the central position and he doesn’t look quick enough to trouble a decent back line.  Hutton did ok considering it’s his first game but his lack of height was evident for the cross balls/corner kicks. I would rather have had Parry in goals but looks like he’s on his way out now. 

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Yeah I think we need to see more from Armour, he's worked hard but hasn't shown anything to truly impress yet.

On the journey home we were saying imagine a guy like O'Hara playing off Sammon. Obviously very unlikely we can get a player of that calibre but that's exactly the type that would be a perfect foil for him.

I'm not sure it's a good thing that we are racking our brains looking at what we need to add to get the best out of Sammon, rather than a new signing adding to the quality we have. But I think Sammon can contribute- just not sure it's as sole striker.

Edited by Father Barrys Sign (Top Half)
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6 minutes ago, Father Barrys Sign (Top Half) said:

Yeah I think we need to see more from Armour, he's worked hard but hasn't shown anything to truly impress yet.

On the journey home we were saying imagine a guy like O'Hara playing off Sammon. Obviously very unlikely we can get a player of that calibre but that's exactly the type that would be a perfect foil for him.

I'm not sure it's a good thing that we are racking our brains looking at what we need to add to get the best out of Sammon, rather than a new signing adding to the quality we have. But I think Sammon can contribute- just not sure it's as sole striker.

I would agree with all of this. Sammon definitely won’t have much success as a sole striker but if he can have someone up top alongside him that is quick then i think he may become an asset. If we can see it then let’s hope the manager can. 

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10 hours ago, Father Barrys Sign (Top Half) said:

 

I'm not sure it's a good thing that we are racking our brains looking at what we need to add to get the best out of Sammon, rather than a new signing adding to the quality we have. But I think Sammon can contribute- just not sure it's as sole striker.

My Falkirk fan mate says after a year of watching Sammon he was still not sure what his best position is. 

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