The Arbroath Thread

[1320Lichtie]

2 hours ago, ExiledLichtie said:

I'm willing to give the manager a pass on transfers.  I don't think its entirely his fault that deals didnt work out, and in terms of the signings, I think only Corfe looks like a complete failure to me.  I think there's a lot of unfair hysteria about the others.  In addition, I agree with Simon from earlier that Dick's subs have always been baffling, and his interviews nonsense.

The problem for me this season is that he has picked the wrong team far too many times.  Even accounting for injuries, the teams he's put out just haven't made sense.  No strikers, wingers in the middle, midfielders up top, its just been a mess.  I can forgive a lot of the other stuff, but picking the teams is 100% on the manager.

Saturday past we played without a striker when we had Hilson, Shanks, Corfe, Fosu and Isiaka on the bench 

 

When Bitsindou went off injured we put David Gold to left back instead of bringing on Hancock

 

When we are playing players out of position and in some cases just flat out not playing with any players of a certain position that is a monumental failure and not unfair hysteria in the slightest

 

Gold probably a better option at left back than Hancock and McKenna probably a better option upfront than everyone but Hilson on the bench. 
 

Sad reality and not unfair hysteria at all. We are 13 games into the season 

[RedLichtie86]

What is the actual fucking point in us signing a player as a 'DEVELOPMENT' player when -

1. We do not have a development team for the player to play regular games in and gain valuable insights from a dedicated youth coaching setup.

2. Even if we do send them out out on loan to a League 2 or lowee team, only for them to come back and immediately on to the bench or in the stand. Then send them out on loan again at a later date with no sign they will ever feature in the first team. Patterson anyone?

3. Even if we do keep them on the bench the management have shown very little interest in giving the player game time and are always looking for a more experienced player to take their place on the bench.

With our limited squad size we do not have the luxury of having develpoment players. Either play them or let them go to clubs that are willing to play them.

[Tattie36]

Another thing that pisses me off with this “development played” crap is - Jack Hamilton is only 2 years older than Shanks but he wasn’t seen as too young or inexperienced when he was digging us out of a huge hole 2 seasons ago. Also, what experience do Corfe, Fosu and Isiaka (ok he’s not been getting a game either) have at a high enough level to make them more worthy of a game than Shanks?

[Tattie36]

1 hour ago, clashcityrocker said:

If Dick can sort out his differences with Nicky Low I would happily collect Nicky and drive him to Gayfield - Dylan Tait has been very impressive, but having Low back would make a big difference.

Shanks was signed as a development player and could yet go out on loan in January ( if we can secure a couple of strikers).

still plenty of points to play for, but the reason we are bottom is due to not having a championship level striker - sort that out and we will start climbing the table.

In recent games against title contenders Dundee and Ayr there was nothing between the teams, Arbroath were probably the better team - but lack of goal threat means we are sitting at the foot of the table.

Everyone knows what we need - so let’s get the ball rolling and sort out this mess at the start of January.

That’s all well and good but who are these magical championship level strikers you’re talking about? I can’t think of any. The 5 sub rule has fecked teams like us as premier clubs are no longer putting the same amount of guys out on loan.

Also if you read pretty much any other championship team’s threads, there is a common theme - they all want strikers. We’ll be very far down the pecking order due to being part-time and likely at the foot of the table. Who would you rather go to as a player or loan a player out to as a manager - us or Raith, ICT, Morton etc?

To put it simply - January is Likely to be FAR FAR too late.

I could very well be wrong and I hope to feck I am but I just can’t see us finding this missing link in January. We couldn’t find one between May and September after all.

All we can do in the meantime is actually play the strikers we have and hope upon hope that they start scoring.

Edited October 31, 2022 by Tattie36

[RedLichtie86]

Just listen to Pink's interview after the game. Was asked about Shanks getting a game.

Usual waffle. He is a good player BUT the timing needs to be right. Will get a chance soon.

[Smokerson]

Nicky Low cannot travel to make a training session due to a change in his personal circumstances therefore needs put to bed once and for all. His contract will run down and he will go to Morton at the end of the season and stay on loan for kelty for the time being. As has been said, we really don't need another central midfielder at the moment, the problem lies up front where we badly need a focal point number 9 striker who will hold the ball up with his back to the goal and also grab us a goal. We had Dowds and Hamilton who did this last season. This type of player will get the best out of Mikey and Scott Allan. They're not growing on trees so hopefully we get someone in this ilk and not another Isiaka/Shanks who are just not up to it.

We also need O'Brien, Stewart and Hilson back asap. At times against QP and Hamilton we looked decent, as soon as we have 2 or 3 injuries we look well short.

[1320Lichtie]

9 minutes ago, Tattie36 said:

That’s all well and good but who are these magical championship level strikers you’re talking about? I can’t think of any. The 5 sub rule has fecked teams like us as premier clubs are no longer putting the same amount of guys out on loan.

Also if you read pretty much any other championship team’s threads, there is a common theme - they all want strikers. We’ll be very far down the pecking order due to being part-time and likely at the foot of the table. Who would you rather go to as a player or loan a player out to as a manager - us or Raith, ICT, Morton etc?

To put it simply - January is Likely to be FAR FAR too late.

I could very well be wrong and I hope to feck I am but I just can’t see us finding this missing link in January. We couldn’t find one between May and September after all.

All we can do in the meantime is actually play the strikers we have and hope upon hope that they start scoring.

Part time thing works in our advantage in regards to the fact that if a Prem team actually thinks a player has a future there then the club will like them to still train with them half the week.
 

In regards to players who are looking to move on from clubs at end of their contract it obviously works against us as they’d prefer a loan that transitioned to a potentially full time transfer at end of their contract. 

 

I think January will be too late too though. The only ray of optimism for me is Bobby Linn, he very nearly got us infront with an unreal effort again on Saturday. He’s the main hope 

[Smokerson]

11 minutes ago, Tattie36 said:

That’s all well and good but who are these magical championship level strikers you’re talking about? I can’t think of any. The 5 sub rule has fecked teams like us as premier clubs are no longer putting the same amount of guys out on loan.

Also if you read pretty much any other championship team’s threads, there is a common theme - they all want strikers. We’ll be very far down the pecking order due to being part-time and likely at the foot of the table. Who would you rather go to as a player or loan a player out to as a manager - us or Raith, ICT, Morton etc?

To put it simply - January is Likely to be FAR FAR too late.

I could very well be wrong and I hope to feck I am but I just can’t see us finding this missing link in January. We couldn’t find one between May and September after all.

All we can do in the meantime is actually play the strikers we have and hope upon hope that they start scoring.

What's the solution then? Just give up looking? We look like we have just added a new scouting system so would imagine they will be out watching games 2/3 times a week and speaking to contacts left, right and centre. 

[Tattie36]

1 minute ago, Smokerson said:

What's the solution then? Just give up looking? We look like we have just added a new scouting system so would imagine they will be out watching games 2/3 times a week and speaking to contacts left, right and centre. 

Of course we don’t give up and I agree that the new system is a good thing, should have been in place months ago though.

What I’m am saying is that we can’t continue the way we are and hoping for a miracle in January - literally a player/s who will convert us from relegation form to title winning form overnight. Is that genuinely a realistic possibility?

We have to play the strikers we have so that come January, we at least have a fighting chance if we do unearth a Jack Hamilton mkII.

[callum-ayr]

On your striker front, I think you could do a lot worse than having a look at our young forward Bryden for a loan move in January.  He's only 18 but has a few goals for the first team in the league and cup.  He is just coming back from injury just now, but with Dipo/Young/McKenzie/Ashford we are pretty well equipped in that area and ideally getting him out on loan for 6 months would be the best option. Ideally, I would like to see him out to get more experience and I would assume this is something Bullen will be looking at.  Appreciate he wouldn't be the experienced striker you're after, but I would imagine it would be a low risk in terms of wages and he is very highly rated at the club and was linked with a move down south earlier in the year.

[1320Lichtie]

Said to my mate, out of all the signings I think the Hancock one is the one that annoys me the most especially after recent weeks. Hancock was 100 percent signed to play left midfield, we saw it all of last year with Henderson and Craigen there. As soon as Dick told the Courier reporter that Hancock, who had played centre half / left back for Aberdeen youths / first team, could play left wing I’ve been raging about it. Plan was to clearly play him there over Bobby until it was discovered just how terrible he was out there, when you’ve seen how much Bobby has carried us this year it is absolutely crazy that this was seen as a good decision / signing. Out of all the random punts we’ve taken I think this signing and the intention behind it is the one that pisses me off the most. 
 

We could’ve just signed an actual wide midfield player…. 

Edited October 31, 2022 by 1320Lichtie

[afc_36_0]

Any word on bitsindou? Looked very much like his hamstring went so probably 3-4 weeks minimum. He was starting to look more comfortable as our holding midfielder so it’ll be a blow if he is out.

[glasgowlichtie22]

No updates. Media silence from club for last 2 days

[1320Lichtie]

31 minutes ago, glasgowlichtie22 said:

No updates. Media silence from club for last 2 days

Don’t think you can blame the club in any way shape or form they seem to address every issue right away. They won’t know how Bitsindou is yet Livingston will have to do that and inform the club.
 

It looked like a bad one though I cannot see him returning for a while and if ToB is still out we are back to a Oakley, Little, Hamilton and Hancock back 4 with a midget midfield again. Just like Cove away and we all know how that went… 

[clashcityrocker]

The league table tells it's own story - we have lost more games this season than any other club ( so far we have lost 7 league matches).

We have conceded 17 goals this season ( Queens, Thistle, Dundee, Cove and Hamilton have conceded more goals).

We have the worst scoring record in the league - only 8 goals from 13 games ( Hamilton have the 2nd worst scoring record with 13 goals).

We have only won 2 games this season and if things don't improve  soon we will be deep in a relegation battle with Hamilton and Cove.

We have some of the best players in this league, we have a very good defence - but injuries, suspensions and bad decisions have cost us points.

But whats really cost us points is having no fire power up front - Bobby Linn has produced moments of magic, but we can't put the weight of providing goals on Bobby Linn - we need 2 new strikers.

In the short term we need to source strikers who have no club and are willing to put themselves in the shop window between now and January - the management need to find these players, get them along to training and find out if they can click and gel with the squad of players we have (surely the management are networking, phoning their contacts and trying to find such players).

Best fasten your seat belts - it's going to be a bumpy ride.

 

 

[1320Lichtie]

1 hour ago, clashcityrocker said:

The league table tells it's own story - we have lost more games this season than any other club ( so far we have lost 7 league matches).

We have conceded 17 goals this season ( Queens, Thistle, Dundee, Cove and Hamilton have conceded more goals).

We have the worst scoring record in the league - only 8 goals from 13 games ( Hamilton have the 2nd worst scoring record with 13 goals).

We have only won 2 games this season and if things don't improve  soon we will be deep in a relegation battle with Hamilton and Cove.

We have some of the best players in this league, we have a very good defence - but injuries, suspensions and bad decisions have cost us points.

But whats really cost us points is having no fire power up front - Bobby Linn has produced moments of magic, but we can't put the weight of providing goals on Bobby Linn - we need 2 new strikers.

In the short term we need to source strikers who have no club and are willing to put themselves in the shop window between now and January - the management need to find these players, get them along to training and find out if they can click and gel with the squad of players we have (surely the management are networking, phoning their contacts and trying to find such players).

Best fasten your seat belts - it's going to be a bumpy ride.

 

 

Last sentence so true

 

I think the thing that’s really pissing me off is the fact that we just do not look like a team at all, for the first time in a very long time. Just so unbalanced, there’s no chemistry there or identity. Just a bunch of guys in Arbroath jerseys running about trying their very hardest but they’re pishing in the wind with how bad a job their manager has done. Wouldn’t even go as far as saying we’re a bad team, plenty good players there, we are just not an actual team 

 

Theres nothing to really get behind, it’s just blind hope and Bobby. In an absolute rut

Edited November 1, 2022 by 1320Lichtie

[lichtiekev]

At the start of the season we had a great starting point with it being pretty obvious where we needed to strengthen...

                    Gaston

JT     Little           ToB         Hammy

Stewart    Low     ???         Linn

            Mckenna  ???

Keep the likes of craigen, gold and hilson or donnelly,

Obviously it's ot helped with the low situation and a few Injurys

 

But how did we end up where we are, its an absolute mess,

This squad would struggle in League 1

Edited November 1, 2022 by lichtiekev

[ExiledLichtie]

See this "the squad would struggle in league 1" nonsense?  Its pish.  This squad would not struggle in league 1.  Look at the cup results. This nonsense about our players is just hysteria.

The biggest problem I think we have right now is that the manager is not getting the best out of our squad.  The second biggest problem is the lack of a striker, but we had 3 on the bench last week, and the management chose not to play any of them.

[lichtie23]

44 minutes ago, ExiledLichtie said:

See this "the squad would struggle in league 1" nonsense?  Its pish.  This squad would not struggle in league 1.  Look at the cup results. This nonsense about our players is just hysteria.

The biggest problem I think we have right now is that the manager is not getting the best out of our squad.  The second biggest problem is the lack of a striker, but we had 3 on the bench last week, and the management chose not to play any of them.

The manager has signed below average players and we are where we are because of that. 

[1320Lichtie]

58 minutes ago, ExiledLichtie said:

See this "the squad would struggle in league 1" nonsense?  Its pish.  This squad would not struggle in league 1.  Look at the cup results. This nonsense about our players is just hysteria.

The biggest problem I think we have right now is that the manager is not getting the best out of our squad.  The second biggest problem is the lack of a striker, but we had 3 on the bench last week, and the management chose not to play any of them.

See when you’re the only person that keeps repeating the same thing do you ever just contemplate that maybe you are just wrong. See if we weren’t rooted to the bottom spot after being absolutely dreadful for 90 percent of the season you may have a point but the evidence speaks for itself 

 

We have played in L1 recently we all know the standard, I watch L1 highlights every single week and keep up to date with every team in every league. That is not an unfair comment at all. What team in L1 would be wanting Fosu / Corfe / Isiaka / Shanks / Paterson to come in and play for them? Who are these teams that these guys would play for? 
 

And can you please stop saying the word hysteria, it’s anything but hysteria.

 

ETA - and why do you think the manager is choosing McKenna as a number 9 instead of the guys on the bench? Why do you think Goldie got put to LB instead of Hancock? That’s happening for a reason, that reason is the fact the squad is not upto it. 

Edited November 1, 2022 by 1320Lichtie