The Arbroath Thread

[2002 Lichtie]

Where’s Dick’s tombola for team selections going to stop on Saturday?

Heard someone say a 6 nil win to “paper over the cracks” at Firhill yesterday - absolute sh*te & if the management & players are in that mindset I am very concerned.

This will be the Broch’s cup final. Not the team of last season but they had a massive confidence boost yesterday by beating Buckie.

Bellslea a tight pitch with similar elements to Gayfield & the Broch have players that can do damage - they are no mugs & will scrap for absolutely everything.

Scott Barbour the main danger, Highland League player of the year & top scorer last season. Will most likely come in off the left & knows where the goal is. Not frightened to have a go direct from corners if the wind is favourable.

 

Long high punts to a lone striker won’t be the answer either as that will be food & drink to Hay & Simpson their two centre halves.

[SotesBornalichtie]

I agree with a lot of points raised here. My personal gripe has been the lack of continuity in the team selection, the incomprehensible substitutions, the naive tactic of playing a lone striker and lumping high balls up the park for him to chase and not learning from mistakes made in the said points.  So I'm glad to read that I'm not alone in that.

But does the coaching staff have no input? Are they not aware of the poor decisions made by the manager regarding these selections, tactic and subs or do they live in the same altered reality as the manager? Or are they worried that they will get the "Bobby Linn treatment" if they question him?

I recently posted that there were still plenty of points to play for and was optimistic that we could avoid relegation but in that short space of time I am coming to accept the fact that we will be relegated. A lot of the good work done by the board will be undone with reduced income from falling ticket and season ticket sales.

Regarding Scott Allen, who I like as a footballer, you will get the best of him in a footballing side who play a passing game. The long ball game does not suit his style of play and he has not adapted to it.

[Sting777]

I thought that we were poor yesterday but still won comfortably so if I was an Arbroath fan I would be worried! Still there is hope, the worst team I have seen this season was Morton and look what they have done since we hammered them 5-1. The league this season is full of bang average sides and anyone of half a dozen sides could win it. As for Tom O’Brien, plenty of rumours saying we are getting him in January with one, possibly two of our current centre backs possibly exiting at the same time!

Edited November 20, 2022 by Sting777

[Lichtie78]

Might still be pished from yesterday but have I seriously just come on and seen someone say corfe is our only bad signing?

[lichtiekev]

1 hour ago, Lichtie78 said:

Might still be pished from yesterday but have I seriously just come on and seen someone say corfe is our only bad signing?

Serious question,

What signings do people deem to be a success, 

 

 

[Tattie36]

22 minutes ago, lichtiekev said:

Serious question,

What signings do people deem to be a success, 

 

 

Oakley is a fantastic player.

[stan3600]

Oakley is a fantastic player.

Tait and Allan. Bitsindou very promising as defensive midfielder.

[stan3600]

Am i right in thinking that we face the prospect of losing Little, ToB, Linn, Gold and Hilson if the club or player decide not to offer/sign a new contract.

Little will be 34.
ToB nearing 32
Linn nearing 38
Gold 30
Hilson 30.

Not to mention Jacobs will be nearing 34, McKenna 32
Allan 31

I was very upset that we let Henderson go. He is a talented younger defender and seemed to me a great start to renewing our ageing back 4. When he did play centre back, left back or defensive midfield he was excellent but Dick played him in the left wing which must have been annoying. I know he wanted full time football but if it was clear that he had a big future with us he may have stayed.

Of late Dick has relied on long time stalwarts and loan signings with little or no thought of the future.

[AFC360PUNK1320]

I really do hope DC starts with Linn, Shanks and Isiaka next week to see if we can actually score goals and none of this line-ups "not to get beat".

If we cannot go to a place like Fraserburgh to WIN then we should just give up.

  

[ExiledLichtie]

1 hour ago, lichtiekev said:

Serious question,

What signings do people deem to be a success, 

 

 

Fosu has been decent, Shanks has scored a couple of goals, Allan has looked decent, Isiaka has actually looked alright in his few appearances, our loans have been decent loans.  

[WHM]

I would actually like Isiaka to get a start sometime upfront instead of the 4/5 games he's had 10 mins at the end of games,where he s actually looked to have something about him.

[CoveRangers1922]

Arbroath sold out their allocation of tickets for playing the Broch? I'm hoping to go up to Bellslea instead of going to Balmoral. Don't mind being in the home or away end.

[clashcityrocker]

We have not recovered or adjusted to losing players such as Craigen, Henderson, Hamiton, Low, Wighton, Jack Hamilton and Thomson.

New signings Oakley, Tait, Bitsindou and Allan have all been good - but they have not settled into a working relationship due to so many changes each week in the team's formation - players need time to gel.

Injuries, suspensions, loss of form , bizarre substitutions and lack of quality strikers ( only 10 goals scored out of 16 games) means we are sitting at the wrong end of the table.

In January a few of the under performing players will be released, I would expect at least 4-5 new players incoming ( two of whom will need to be quality strikers).

Between now and January we need to focus on closing the 5 point gap with Cove and ensure we stay above Hamilton.

DC has been the club's 2nd most successful manager for the past 50 years and took us all on an amazing journey last season - this season the journey is about avoiding relegation and regrouping for next season.

Bobby Linn will play a major role with what happens this season - he scores goals, sets up assists, and is great at set pieces - he is also an inspiration for the rest of the players, a club legend and one of Arbroath greatest players in living memory.

What happens in the January window will define this season - but worth noting that other clubs in this league will hid a rough spell too and on our day we can beat any team in this league ( but we urgently need a couple of strikers).

So, where are these strikers coming from ? They will almost certainly be loan players, chances are we won't have heard of them before, but who had heard of Joe Nouble or Jack Hamilton before they joined ?

And we will need these new signings in early January - no time to wait until late January.

 

 

[Tattie36]

9 minutes ago, CoveRangers1922 said:

Arbroath sold out their allocation of tickets for playing the Broch? I'm hoping to go up to Bellslea instead of going to Balmoral. Don't mind being in the home or away end.

Not sure but I know they were still on general sale the other day. If we’d been doing a bit better then we would have sold out easily. Fitba fans are fickle as we all know. Check out our website.

Even I’m not going and I live in Aberdeen and have friends from the Broch but I just need a break from the misery. Absolutely nailed on that we’re losing this and I can’t face another soul destroying Saturday afternoon at the moment.

Edited November 20, 2022 by Tattie36

[scamp1909]

18 minutes ago, clashcityrocker said:

So, where are these strikers coming from ? They will almost certainly be loan players, chances are we won't have heard of them before, but who had heard of Joe Nouble or Jack Hamilton before they joined ?

Cillian Sheridan seems out of favour at Dundee, potentially him? Not clinical but could probably do a job for you lot.

There's talk of Matthew Cudjoe wanting away from United, not a striker but definitely someone who can make something out of nothing.

Nadir Ciftci is still without a club after being released by St. Johnstone in the summer, certainly a goalscorer in the Championship if he's anything like his past self.

Jahmal Hector-Ingram is another who was released by St. Johnstone in the summer, he didn't actually ever play for The Saints but he scored a goal every 261' in PL2.

All pretty well-known names,  3 of which on a free but if Arbroath are desperate I'm sure something can be done.

 

[RedLichtie86]

Cillian Sheridan seems out of favour at Dundee, potentially him? Not clinical but could probably do a job for you lot.
There's talk of Matthew Cudjoe wanting away from United, not a striker but definitely someone who can make something out of nothing.
Nadir Ciftci is still without a club after being released by St. Johnstone in the summer, certainly a goalscorer in the Championship if he's anything like his past self.
Jahmal Hector-Ingram is another who was released by St. Johnstone in the summer, he didn't actually ever play for The Saints but he scored a goal every 261' in PL2.
All pretty well-known names,  3 of which on a free but if Arbroath are desperate I'm sure something can be done.
 

We seem to be waiting til January to sign these mystery players so can rule out pretty much all free agents out there.

[Ludo*1]

Surely Dick could survive a relegation with you lot considering the stock he's got in the bank and considering he's had you punching above your weight for a good few year? I get that you've banked a decent amount of cash over the past few seasons but surely it's to be expected that as a part-time team, relegation from the Championship is inevitable every so often and it's about how you bounce back?

Not that I think you'll go down as Hamilton are an absolute gang and I think Cove are catchable.

[RedLichtie86]

Surely Dick could survive a relegation with you lot considering the stock he's got in the bank and considering he's had you punching above your weight for a good few year? I get that you've banked a decent amount of cash over the past few seasons but surely it's to be expected that as a part-time team, relegation from the Championship is inevitable every so often and it's about how you bounce back?
Not that I think you'll go down as Hamilton are an absolute gang and I think Cove are catchable.

Its down to the fact Dick has lost it.

His tactics, team selection, subs, player recruitment, man management have all gone downhill very quickly.

The fans are rightly angry at what we are seeing playing out in front of us BUT Dick is not taking any blame for it and is started taking swipes at the fans.

[ExiledLichtie]

14 minutes ago, Ludo*1 said:

Surely Dick could survive a relegation with you lot considering the stock he's got in the bank and considering he's had you punching above your weight for a good few year? I get that you've banked a decent amount of cash over the past few seasons but surely it's to be expected that as a part-time team, relegation from the Championship is inevitable every so often and it's about how you bounce back?

Not that I think you'll go down as Hamilton are an absolute gang and I think Cove are catchable.

If we were trying hard and just being beaten by better teams, then fine.  I could live with that.  We were relegated with Sheerin a few years back, and the fans wanted him to stay.

But its what we are seeing on the pitch that is the problem.  It isnt a team out of form, and it isnt a poor team with the management doing their best.  Everything that is happening on the pitch is a conscious choice of the management.

 

[Hayshead2]

4 hours ago, CoveRangers1922 said:

Arbroath sold out their allocation of tickets for playing the Broch? I'm hoping to go up to Bellslea instead of going to Balmoral. Don't mind being in the home or away end.

The first allocation of 350 sold out quite quickly. We received a second batch (no idea how many) but as of Friday they were still on sale.