The Arbroath Thread

[lichtie23]

So Taits season looks done after that nasty looking knee injury yesterday and Dick has said In the courier that Jacobs could be done for the season as well. McKenna missed out with an illness yesterday. Broken rib for Allan as well 

Edited December 18, 2022 by lichtie23

[Hammerafc]

Injuries this season have been horrific. How often have we had the full squad available for a game?

[1320Lichtie]

13 minutes ago, lichtie23 said:

So Taits season looks done after that nasty looking knee injury yesterday and Dick has said In the courier that Jacobs could be done for the season as well. McKenna missed out with an illness yesterday. Broken rib for Allan as well 

Tait and Hancock loans will be ended in January then I presume.
 

Bitsindou been good but he’s been chocolate so far, went down and come off 3 times already I think and missed a good few games. We need to keep him fit because a player like him is so important. 
 

The Hancock loan signing winds me up something silly, the fact we signed him to play left wing over Bobby…. 
 

Oakley loan has been excellent and worthwhile though. I would keep Hoti and Fosu.

 

Corfe, Isiaka, Tait with this injury, Hancock away / back to their clubs. 
 

 

[clashcityrocker]

Under normal circumstances a draw away form home against Raith would be considered a decent result - but as we are fighting relegation and Raith are struggling some fans are unhappy - but I think it was a good point for a team with so many injuries ( Raith are only 6 points off from the top 4 ).

Dick Campbell's failure to sign two quality Championship level strikers has proved costly, but he has the month of January to sort this out ( I would expect between 5-6 new players incoming with at least 4 outgoing).

We have the most successful management team at Gayfield since the glory years of Bert Henderson, they have made Arbroath the best and most successful part-time club in Scotland ( with the help of the board and fans).

Last season was a roller coaster fun ride - we finished 2nd in the league and people's expectations were raised for this season (including mine) - but we need to adjust our expectations.

If we can regroup in January and climb the league to a safe position, we can then look forward to another season in the Championship.

Failure to recruit quality players in January would be a disaster - but the management and board will know this, they have taken us so close to the Premier league and for that alone the management deserve the transfer window to get us back on track.

 

[2002 Lichtie]

16 hours ago, ExiledLichtie said:

Do you think the management committed that act of folly last week because they genuinely believed that playing 2 strikers and a third player they usually play up front, paired with absolutely no midfield support was the way to win that game?  Or did they do it on purpose to make a point to the support?

110% played a formation that no-one had even spoken about never mind attempt even in training…..set-up to fail to suit the manager’s narrative

[1320Lichtie]

4 hours ago, clashcityrocker said:

Under normal circumstances a draw away form home against Raith would be considered a decent result - but as we are fighting relegation and Raith are struggling some fans are unhappy - but I think it was a good point for a team with so many injuries ( Raith are only 6 points off from the top 4 ).

Dick Campbell's failure to sign two quality Championship level strikers has proved costly, but he has the month of January to sort this out ( I would expect between 5-6 new players incoming with at least 4 outgoing).

We have the most successful management team at Gayfield since the glory years of Bert Henderson, they have made Arbroath the best and most successful part-time club in Scotland ( with the help of the board and fans).

Last season was a roller coaster fun ride - we finished 2nd in the league and people's expectations were raised for this season (including mine) - but we need to adjust our expectations.

If we can regroup in January and climb the league to a safe position, we can then look forward to another season in the Championship.

Failure to recruit quality players in January would be a disaster - but the management and board will know this, they have taken us so close to the Premier league and for that alone the management deserve the transfer window to get us back on track.

 

Again I don’t think it’s even quality championship level strikers we need it’s just guys that can play at this level. Don’t need anything excellent just a proper striker that can get us up the park and score some goals before the end of the season. Someone else other than Bobby who is capable of scoring a goal, f**k me what I would give for someone to just take a fucking shot never mind score a goal. We must be far and away the lowest amount of attempts at goal in this division.

Edited December 18, 2022 by 1320Lichtie

[Specky Ginger]

57 minutes ago, 1320Lichtie said:

Again I don’t think it’s even quality championship level strikers we need it’s just guys that can play at this level. Don’t need anything excellent just a proper striker that can get us up the park and score some goals before the end of the season. Someone else other than Bobby who is capable of scoring a goal, f**k me what I would give for someone to just take a fucking shot never mind score a goal. We must be far and away the lowest amount of attempts at goal in this division.

Swap Bobby for Aidan and that post could have been penned by a Rovers fan.

[ExiledLichtie]

6 hours ago, SimonLichtie said:

I've no idea - I've never seen us play that?

I've seen us try several variations of a 4-5-1, with different players played in different positions - Infact from memory that's what we've played every game this season in the league.

In a couple of league games (we've played 18, a couple is 2.....) we've played Bobby Linn up top with support from a number 10. More often we play a 4-5-1 with Mikey McKenna in the 10 and Bobby on the wing obviously, and we have also twice (again from memory) playing with a really narrow midfield in order to try and win the battle in there. On one of the occaisions we did that we won 2-0 away to Morton. The rest of the games - the vast majority of them, we've played a more conventional 4-5-1 with Bobby wide and someone else playing as a 10.

In what game do you think we played a 4-6-0?  Do you think we played a 4-6-0 against Fraserburgh for example?!

I think we're watching different teams!  I've been watching games where we play McKenna, Allan and Tait in exactly the same central midfield spot, with no out ball, resulting in us scoring 12 goals in 18 games.  I don't know what team you've been watching, but it sounds much more exciting!

[RedLichtie86]

Too many folk are thinking that the Dunfermline game proved everything about the team.

It proved f**k all.

That team was thrown together with no intention of getting a result. Especially by playing a different formation and removing all creativity from the squad. The forward players were fed scraps and the defence left exposed at every turn. 

A rag tag team playing against an in form team of a squad of the same abilty. It was always going to go one way. If we had wanted to win then same for.ation, tavtivs with 1 or 2 changes would have been all that was needed.

This January is going to be huge. With reports of Jacobs and Tait out for the season, players contracts up and quality needed all over the park, then we need a whole bunch of new players and for them to kick on straight away. We can ill afford to have players joining needing time to get fit.

[clashcityrocker]

2 hours ago, RedLichtie86 said:

This January is going to be huge

What happens in January will make or break our season - get it wrong and we are deep in relegation trouble.

The bad run of injuries has taken it's toll on formations and having a regular starting 11 - combine that with key players leaving at the summer, poor recruitment and no suitable strikers and thats why we have only won 2 games all season.

January is coming and there will be big changes - expecting no fewer than 5 new signings, maybe more.

Might be a waiting game for some players - so could go to the last week of January for a few of the signings.

 

[Leicesterlichtie]

Along with some poor signings, this season has been the first in a while (I think) where we have been hampered by continuous injuries. I'm sure this doesn't help with the constant chopping and changing of the team every week. Under DC we've always seemed to do better with a fairly settled starting XI.

Have we used up all Livingston spare striker options. DC has to get it right in January otherwise I think retirement will come early.

[stan3600]

First quarter of the season -

won 1 drew 2 lost 6 points 5

for 5 against 13

second quarter -

won 1 drew 6 lost 2 points 9

for 7 against 11

Continue that rate of improvement and we’ll be ok.  Can we?

 

[1320Lichtie]

19 hours ago, Specky Ginger said:

Swap Bobby for Aidan and that post could have been penned by a Rovers fan.

There are more goals in your team than ours though. We have conceded the same amount but you are 10 goals better off than we are 

[Lichtie78]

Anyone tell who that is beside Oakley and Isiaka?

[1320Lichtie]

1 hour ago, Lichtie78 said:

Anyone tell who that is beside Oakley and Isiaka?

Hahah never realised it was bothering you that much!!! Good spot from me I reckon

[clashcityrocker]

Looking forward to the rumour mill starting soon on who we will be signing in January.

I don't have any names, but I predict we will sign 6 new players ( 3 of whom will be loan players).

Also expect 4 players to be released.

 

 

 

[Tattie36]

1 hour ago, clashcityrocker said:

Looking forward to the rumour mill starting soon on who we will be signing in January.

I don't have any names, but I predict we will sign 6 new players ( 3 of whom will be loan players).

Also expect 4 players to be released.

 

 

 

Yeah me too - Erling Haaland spotted window shopping in the Abbeygate, and Kane Hester buying a mock chop supper and a single haddock at Marco’s.

[Lichtie78]

Corfe and Isiaka must be dead certainties to go. Good luck to them but nowhere near good enough for this level. Tait, Hancock & Jacobs are all long term injuries and will need replaced, so there's 5 out already along with the possibility of Bitsindou (unlikely) and Oakley (more likely) being recalled. Then you remember the glaringly obvious holes in our squad we already had before our players started dropping like flies

[superlichtie87]

Has anyone heard of any players being rumoured? I have heard 2 names rumours but I will be keeping them under wraps for now. It would just be interesting to see if anyone has heard the same or not.

[DUAFC]

OK so this is how it works......we tell you everything we're hearing, and you remain schtoom ?

Edited December 21, 2022 by DUAFC