The Arbroath Thread

[1320Lichtie]

13 minutes ago, Tattie36 said:

As said by others, I’m also getting a bit scunnered by all this OTT fairytale stuff. If anything, Arbroath fc has massively underperformed for decades, aside from the wee 2 season cameo in the second tier in the early 2000s.

Yes it would be a huge achievement as Scottish football in the modern era is very much skewed towards full time sides but plenty of other part-time sides have been in the top division, even since reconstruction in ‘76.

Having said that, in the very modern era it’s incredibly difficult to compete with full-time sides over a season. If it wasn’t then plenty of other teams would have done it in the last 20-30 years.

I would love it if our success this season acted as a catalyst for more part-time sides to be a bit more ambitious.

I’d say right now we are on that fine line between part time and full time and being on the part time side of it is advantageous to us. Think if we were more central based with a plastic park like an Airdrie or a Hamilton we could do FT but we’re not. Goal has just got to continuously be the best part time club and that should keep us in this division. 

[Tattie36]

1 hour ago, 1320Lichtie said:

I’d say right now we are on that fine line between part time and full time and being on the part time side of it is advantageous to us. Think if we were more central based with a plastic park like an Airdrie or a Hamilton we could do FT but we’re not. Goal has just got to continuously be the best part time club and that should keep us in this division. 

Absolutely. There’s no reason we couldn’t go full-time now. Our turnover must be similar to Ayr, QoS, Raith, Morton  etc - however imo it would be a mistake and weaken our main strength.

I would though, depending on continued relative success, like us to seriously look at a hybrid setup - with that I think you could have the best of both worlds.

Edited May 9, 2022 by Tattie36

[1320Lichtie]

5 hours ago, TheScarf said:

I think that’s why a lot of people on here (and on Twitter) were happy Killie beat you a few weeks ago.  A lot of the stuff, even on AVFTT, was way OTT. So much so that it had a opposite of the desired effect and made neutrals actually resent Arbroath. 
 

You’re right, Arbroath are not some rag tag bunch of amateurs about to win the Scottish Cup, you’re a Championship club with a settled side. Of course you’re going to improve as the personnel stays steady over the seasons.

Yeah tedious arguments over what’s the biggest fairytale between partick thistle and arbroath on Twitter was the point where I was starting to have enough and then everyone banging on about Gayfield like it’s their local football pitch and if it would be suitable for Premiership etc. Absolutely clueless and sometimes a wee bitty unintentionally disrespectful. 

[DUAFC]

Cmon fowks, let's pack oot the Stadium o' Licht !

[stan3600]

It looks like we’ll only need a tiny away section in the corner.

[Lichtie78]

I’d be giving Inverness exactly the same as what Morton had.

[1320Lichtie]

41 minutes ago, Lichtie78 said:

I’d be giving Inverness exactly the same as what Morton had.

Suppose they’ll just have to wait and see how many tickets they sell. Also the awkwardness of the BBC studio set up to take into consideration. 

[36-0 Maroon]

Fantastic performance and result last night guys ️ everyone in Maroon was superb and put in a tremendous shift, Now let’s pack out Gayfield on Friday, get the place rocking and finish the job

[timlichtie]

Whatever happens on Friday night I will be celebrating. This season must easily be the most remarkable of my 60 years following the Lichties. From teetering over the trapdoor 6 years ago to runners up in the Championship is truly remarkable. What we have now is a sustainable Championship Club with some real momentum.
So Friday we win and celebrate getting to the final or lose and celebrate a phenomenal achievement finishing second. C’mon the Lichties!

[Tattie36]

9 minutes ago, timlichtie said:

Whatever happens on Friday night I will be celebrating. This season must easily be the most remarkable of my 60 years following the Lichties. From teetering over the trapdoor 6 years ago to runners up in the Championship is truly remarkable. What we have now is a sustainable Championship Club with some real momentum.
So Friday we win and celebrate getting to the final or lose and celebrate a phenomenal achievement finishing second. C’mon the Lichties!

I feel the same - apart from the 60 years part - I’ll be feeling great about this season no matter how it ends.

Next season’s Championship is looking significantly weaker than this season, so if we stay down then there’s no reason why we can’t compete towards the top again.

[Tattie36]

This post on the AFC Facebook page highlights the hard work that goes on off the field and the towns positive attitude towards the club. I remember when I was a kid going to Gayfield in the early ‘80s and I doubt more than a handful of my classmates would ever have been to a game never mind call themselves a fan.

What a boost this should give the players on Friday.

 

[1320Lichtie]

31 minutes ago, Tattie36 said:

This post on the AFC Facebook page highlights the hard work that goes on off the field and the towns positive attitude towards the club. I remember when I was a kid going to Gayfield in the early ‘80s and I doubt more than a handful of my classmates would ever have been to a game never mind call themselves a fan.

What a boost this should give the players on Friday.

 

A boost maybe, also potentially a headache 

[farflung lichtie]

1 hour ago, Tattie36 said:

This post on the AFC Facebook page highlights the hard work that goes on off the field and the towns positive attitude towards the club. I remember when I was a kid going to Gayfield in the early ‘80s and I doubt more than a handful of my classmates would ever have been to a game never mind call themselves a fan.

What a boost this should give the players on Friday.

 

No extra pressure there, then.  

 

6 hours ago, timlichtie said:

Whatever happens on Friday night I will be celebrating. This season must easily be the most remarkable of my 60 years following the Lichties. From teetering over the trapdoor 6 years ago to runners up in the Championship is truly remarkable. What we have now is a sustainable Championship Club with some real momentum.
So Friday we win and celebrate getting to the final or lose and celebrate a phenomenal achievement finishing second. C’mon the Lichties!

Certainly up there but with maybe a possible competition with the mid 70s.  I think this season exceeds previous efforts

As for ‘sustainable’ and momentum, definitely a number of positive measures enacted… but a fair bit of the whole package depends on form which can fickle and, in a 10 team league, precarious.  As things stand, we might just be hitting some kind of ceiling (smallish town, part time/full time) - we’ll soon have some determination on that.   Happy to appreciate this fleeting success while it lasts, hoping it continues for a while but surely longterm Lichties cannot escape our mixed history?

[lichtie23]

1 minute ago, farflung lichtie said:

No extra pressure there, then.  

 

Certainly up there but with maybe a possible competition with the mid 70s.  I think this season exceeds previous efforts

As for ‘sustainable’ and momentum, definitely a number of positive measures enacted… but a fair bit of the whole package depends on form which can fickle and, in a 10 team league, precarious.  As things stand, we might just be hitting some kind of ceiling (smallish town, part time/full time) - we’ll soon have some determination on that.   Happy to appreciate this fleeting success while it lasts, hoping it continues for a while but surely longterm Lichties cannot escape our mixed history?

Good to see your staying positive 

[1320Lichtie]

1 hour ago, farflung lichtie said:

No extra pressure there, then.  

 

Certainly up there but with maybe a possible competition with the mid 70s.  I think this season exceeds previous efforts

As for ‘sustainable’ and momentum, definitely a number of positive measures enacted… but a fair bit of the whole package depends on form which can fickle and, in a 10 team league, precarious.  As things stand, we might just be hitting some kind of ceiling (smallish town, part time/full time) - we’ll soon have some determination on that.   Happy to appreciate this fleeting success while it lasts, hoping it continues for a while but surely longterm Lichties cannot escape our mixed history?

Without meaning to be cheeky.... I think it’s pretty obvious this is currently around our ceiling??? 

 

If we managed the unthinkable though it changes everything 

 

But with the way the clubs been the past few seasons and it’s only got better then there’s no reason we can’t try and get top 4 going forward. We finished 5th two seasons ago and 9 points off 4th last season.

 

Town of 25k but that matters not a f**k. All that matters is how many people are coming through the gates. This season without the restrictions and various midweek games we’d possibly be over the 2k mark (currently 1700) and the 2 previous seasons were around the 1500 mark - if the town had an extra 31k people like somewhere like Hamilton does it doesn’t really matter - people through the gates is all that does. Motherwell for example has a population of 32k. Arbroath is something like the 30th biggest place in the country but the majority of places above us are in or around Glasgow - Coatbridge, Cumbernauld, Hamilton, Airdrie etc are big places with league clubs but it must be incredibly hard for them to attract a support because of the OF shite. A whole lot of new towns without a team and even places like Stirling that are bigger than Arbroath but will suffer from people supporting the OF. I suppose my point is at the end of the day population doesn’t really count for too much overall. 
 

We have the added benefit of being a fair distance away from the OF. For kids and younger people it’s a 2 hour drive near enough to go and sit and be stuck glued in a seat. A trip down to Gayfield to run about on the terracing playing hunt with your mates whilst taking in the football when the exciting bits are happening is ideal for kids. Used to love it. Gayfield has that special something when it comes to watching games, if I was a kid and I was being taken to East Fife or Dumbarton etc where you cannot move around and your stuck in a seat with jobsworth Stewards telling you off for the littlest things I really doubt I’d have got hooked on going to games.

 

There'll be ups and downs and shite times to come, we will get relegated to League 1 again one day and more than likely be back up in this league again one day too. But right now all this shit happening (main thing getting all the younger support on board and buy in from the town, schools, sports clubs etc etc etc) stands us in very good stead for having a sustained and steady period in the clubs history. 
 

The board have absolutely smashed it out the park alongside some very important work from DC and the players on it.  

 

Edited May 11, 2022 by 1320Lichtie

[Smokerson]

Some great work going on off the park especially with the kids which should inspire a whole new generation of arbraoth supporters but I still think the team is No 1, the players we have now really are a top group and the spirit they have is incredible, we even a player the calibre of Craig Wighton who can't get a sniff. Recruitment is going to be key again in the summer, 3 or 4 out and 3 or 4 in I would imagine.

[Tattie36]

8 minutes ago, Smokerson said:

…Recruitment is going to be key again in the summer, 3 or 4 out and 3 or 4 in I would imagine.

I would agree if we’re in the Championship but it really depends on what league we’re in. Got to be brutally honest and realistic - if we go up then probably half the current squad (at least) just simply won’t be good enough… that’s if we want to go up and compete as opposed to accepting we’re coming straight back down.

[Lichtie78]

Some great work going on off the park especially with the kids which should inspire a whole new generation of arbraoth supporters but I still think the team is No 1, the players we have now really are a top group and the spirit they have is incredible, we even a player the calibre of Craig Wighton who can't get a sniff. Recruitment is going to be key again in the summer, 3 or 4 out and 3 or 4 in I would imagine.

Bit more than that maybe?Potentially looking at Antell, Ch. Hamilton, Swankie, Bakare, Ford, Hilson, Swankie, J. Hamilton & Wighton all not being here next season.

[Smokerson]

Just now, Lichtie78 said:

Bit more than that maybe?Potentially looking at Antell, Ch. Hamilton, Swankie, Bakare, Ford, Hilson, Swankie, J. Hamilton & Wighton all not being here next season.

Wasnt factoring in the loans so yeah quite a few moving out when you look at that list, wasnt aware Hilson was out of contract?

[Lichtie78]

Wasnt factoring in the loans so yeah quite a few moving out when you look at that list, wasnt aware Hilson was out of contract?

I’m sure he signed 2 & a half years in January 2019, could be wrong though