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The Arbroath Thread


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East Stirlingshire's twitter just posted a link to their website, where there's highlights of some old Shire games. One of them is a 74-75 season Scottish cup tie at Gayfield, which is pretty cool. http://www.eaststirlingshirefc.co.uk/archives/731


These are magical bits of film.Really excellent.
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Prunty....When we signed him it did seem like a good signing he was a proven goal scorer a poacher penalty box striker just what we were needing someone picking up the scraps in the box but it just ain't happening for him just now...yet..and when he isn't scoring he doesn't contribute a great deal to the team as he hasn't got the workrate of Doris who although not scoring either is still a nuisance to defences,hopefully both of them find their shooting boots soon starting against Forfar.

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IMO we will come good this season but better start soon.

DC and his team were/are a good appointment for the club for numerous reasons and not just on the pitch but I have got to admit a few things have puzzled me :-

1. I would have liked to have seen at least one younger member of backroom staff i.e. Barry Sellars or even Stewart Petrie.

2. He should have had a back up plan for an experienced goalie when it was obvious Big Rab was stalling as if you look back any team who has won this league they have had experienced keepers as well as big experienced centre half's (which the Campbell's always have at any team they have been at) and that is 2 things we do not have, this is no reflection on young Mutch who is a very good keeper and has a great future in the game but I am sure if you asked Ricky and Hammy etc they would prefer an older experienced keeper behind them.

3. This goes onto the young loanee's, again are they any better than what we already have at the club? (I do not think so).

4. Why are we playing centre-half's at full back i.e. Sukar? surely we have signed left/right backs so play them there rather than keeping DUFC happy etc..

5. Mark Whatley has been struggling for form, imo I would take the armband from him and make Ricky Little captain that way MW can concentrate on his game.

6. Why did DC sign 2 players from Forfar who he hardly ever player there and never get a sniff here?

7. Lets be honest when we signed Doris/Prunty as strikers EVERY AFC fan were rubbing their hands getting 2 experienced goalscorers and for whatever reason it has not clicked yet, but lets turn this on its head and think when McManus/Murray were banging in goals up to the turn of the year in the free-fall season, well hopefully Doris/Prunty can get the goals for our 2nd half of the season as they have not became poor goalscorers overnight I am sure once they get their first the rest will follow.

So no panic yet but could and should be doing better.

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Keeper wise I thought Darren hill would be a no brainer, dick signed him at forfar, experienced keeper sitting on the bench for them now.....maybe January



Darren left the loons before the transfer window closed. Gone to Linlithgow Rose iirc. Was poor second half of season last year and GB couldn't wait to get a new keeper in this year. Hill never had a sniff even in the preseason games.
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Our ex-goalie David Crawford is available after Partick Thistle freed him, I know Elgin City are after him, and he was a great keeper for us before his injury and DC should be going all out to get him back to our club then look to get and experienced 6 foot plus big centre half in the door as well.

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5 hours ago, AFC360PUNK1320 said:

Our ex-goalie David Crawford is available after Partick Thistle freed him, I know Elgin City are after him, and he was a great keeper for us before his injury and DC should be going all out to get him back to our club then look to get and experienced 6 foot plus big centre half in the door as well.

Agree about Crawford he would be a very good signing as for a 6 foot plus centre half, Dunlop Brown and Sukar are all over 6 feet and they haven't been great I think an experienced centre half to play along side Little is what is needed

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needtosay hence I put the word EXPERIENCED before saying 6 foot plus big centre half.

Dunlop was not getting a game for DC at his last club so why sign him?

Both Brown and Sukar are inexperienced and not what we require.

Our ex-player McLauchlan now at Cowden or even Malks is what we require, i.e. players who have been over the course before and win everything in the air but still good enough to play.

Under Sheerin when we won the league we had experienced keepers and experienced big central defenders who were obviously good enough.

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Our ex-goalie David Crawford is available after Partick Thistle freed him, I know Elgin City are after him


He played for Elgin against us last weekend but wasn't in their squad to face Annan yesterday. Says to me they've not been able to do a deal.
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It's a bit worrying how despite having one of the best squads in the league (on paper anyway), we're still absolutely reliant on one man. I reckon since Bobby signed for us at the start of the 13/14 season, he's maybe had 6 or so months where he's been able to rely on someone else to score goals. Doris and Prunty have both been incredibly disappointing and it's absolutely essential they they start scoring. Our next game will be huge imo, if we win with Doris/Prunty getting a goal then we can really look to begin gaining some ground on Forfar.

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I'm not that sure that we're that reliant on Bobby Linn. In the odd game he's missed we have played ok as I remember. Sure, when he's on song we really get going and he's easily our best player. Unfortunately all the opposition teams know that too. Stirling apparently didn't, but do now!

Doris hasn't scored many, but that was sometimes the case when he was with us before. He creates plenty, and I think his partnership with Skelly is easily our best attack. He'll get on the scoresheet soon.

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1 hour ago, timlichtie said:

I'm not that sure that we're that reliant on Bobby Linn. In the odd game he's missed we have played ok as I remember. Sure, when he's on song we really get going and he's easily our best player. Unfortunately all the opposition teams know that too. Stirling apparently didn't, but do now!

I think sometimes the way we set out nullifies the threat we can offer down the wing Bobby Linn is playing on, which I find very frustrating. Every team and manager in the division know Bobby is our most creative player and if you shut him down and keep him quiet you've got a far higher chance of getting a result against us. This being the case, we should be starting every game knowing the opposition are going to try and double up on him every time and therefore knowing there is space elsewhere, and that we need to be trying to take one of those men away every time he has the ball to get him 1 on 1. The easiest way to do that, by a long way, is to have an overlapping full back who takes one of those men away, it gives him more room to operate and lets him run at a defender. Playing a centre back at full back when we have two other players who have more pace and a better ball into the box in our squad is baffling to me; ultimately it means that at times we're nullifying the threat of our own best player.

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