The Albion Rovers Thread

[holsten]

I thought Martin Lauchlan would be a good fit has a lot of knowledge in players in juniors and lower leagues 

 

Not every ones cup of tea but was a penalty kick from getting E.K in the SPFL

[BB_Bino]

I have might doubts if the appointment of Ian Murray was ever on - how we could afford to pay his wages alone I just don't know. Anyway how on earth do you go from Ian Murray to appointing John Brogan?

Can’t answer the last bit but Murray was given an informal interview for the job and knocked it back, that’s a fact.

Brogan sacked after defeat to Formartine...

The appointment spelled disaster from day 1, wish him well and I’m now worried your results improve and we remain pish [emoji22]

[++Ammo - Airdrie++]

Jut catching up on all of yesterdays threads.

Not surprise at all to see Brogan going, it was a nuts appointment to start with. I get that there may not be a massive draw to work at the rovers with very little budget etc and hindsight is wonderful BUT there MUST have been someone interested who maybe would have unearthed a Gem or 2, and not just the very bottom end juniors.

The only plus side is that the rovers aren't too far adrift, but with Berwick making an appointment they're looking forward to and with Stirling making one of the biggest decisions yet soon, its important Rovers follow suit and gear up for the battle.

Good luck, as dropping down would be unthinkable.

 

ETA: by the way, where's "the Jannie" mind he was all mouth pre season.

[NE63 exile]

I can see where people are coming from about the lack of budget putting a lot of perspective manager’s off but there are a lot of manager’s desperate to get back into senior football and I’m sure someone will take a chance on Albion Rovers.
As regards to the budget, and in no way this is a dig at Queens Park but they manage to compete at this level year after year and is Rovers budget lower or superior to QP. Either way as Ammo quite rightly points out there are some gems out there if your prepared to go out and look for them whether it’s in junior, Amateur or juvenile football. QP do that successfully year after year.

[Cowden Cowboy]

I can see where people are coming from about the lack of budget putting a lot of perspective manager’s off but there are a lot of manager’s desperate to get back into senior football and I’m sure someone will take a chance on Albion Rovers.
As regards to the budget, and in no way this is a dig at Queens Park but they manage to compete at this level year after year and is Rovers budget lower or superior to QP. Either way as Ammo quite rightly points out there are some gems out there if your prepared to go out and look for them whether it’s in junior, Amateur or juvenile football. QP do that successfully year after year.

In a large part by offering an opportunity to play and enjoy the facilities of the National Stadium - Cliftonhill doesn't hold the same allure

[Sergeant Wilson]

52 minutes ago, NE63 exile said:

I can see where people are coming from about the lack of budget putting a lot of perspective manager’s off but there are a lot of manager’s desperate to get back into senior football and I’m sure someone will take a chance on Albion Rovers.
As regards to the budget, and in no way this is a dig at Queens Park but they manage to compete at this level year after year and is Rovers budget lower or superior to QP. Either way as Ammo quite rightly points out there are some gems out there if your prepared to go out and look for them whether it’s in junior, Amateur or juvenile football. QP do that successfully year after year.

 

[Bring Your Own Socks]

I can see where people are coming from about the lack of budget putting a lot of perspective manager’s off but there are a lot of manager’s desperate to get back into senior football and I’m sure someone will take a chance on Albion Rovers.
As regards to the budget, and in no way this is a dig at Queens Park but they manage to compete at this level year after year and is Rovers budget lower or superior to QP. Either way as Ammo quite rightly points out there are some gems out there if your prepared to go out and look for them whether it’s in junior, Amateur or juvenile football. QP do that successfully year after year.

Thanks NE63. We've a very, very long tradition of bringing through younger players and about half our current crop have came through the development structure. It's a nice balance at the moment but it is cyclic. Just a few years ago we spent the entire season in bottom place.

Back in the days of the Victoria X1 we were blooding youngsters and recycling injured oldsters in The Strollers long before "development" had been created. It will be very difficult in the near future for teams who don't have that structure in place. Take a look at the past 10 years of clubs like Kilby, Cumbernauld and The Spartans and you'll see what I mean. It takes years of momentum. But that will only get you to League 2, and in our case maybe keep us there, but to be safe in the league it needs money, and you see the effect this year from Edinburgh City.

Rovers are where they are because they've been caught between the rock and the hard place. Can't sustain the buying-in of pros on the way out of the game, no development structure for pulling through youngsters starting their senior careers. The search for a manager is actually secondary at the moment. The club, including the fans, need to be realistic about where their place is in Scottish football and let any applicants know exactly that.

The SPFL's obsession with the bigger teams means tough times ahead for a lot of established league teams. The young pretenders have every right to challenge the status quo. The old school have every right to learn and adapt to defend the challenge. I sincerely hope Rovers remain in the league.

[Bold Rover]

Post of the season, there, from BYOS. Add in Rovers' dilapidated moneysink ground and you have most of the explanation for our demise.

[LongTimeLurker]

1 hour ago, NE63 exile said:

I can see where people are coming from about the lack of budget putting a lot of perspective manager’s off but there are a lot of manager’s desperate to get back into senior football and I’m sure someone will take a chance on Albion Rovers...

Think a lot of people would see this appointment as a probable career ender right now, which was probably a big part of why they wound up with John Brogan (no disrespect to his many impressive achievements in the game) who is well into his 60s and probably a lot less concerned about giving it a whirl than somebody who is only recently retired from playing. Barry Ferguson seems to have preferred a Lowland League option that's difficult to mess up badly as the way back in even with the Albion Rovers job all too obviously about to become available pretty much on his doorstep in travel terms.

[Vodka Vic]

57 minutes ago, Bring Your Own Socks said:

Thanks NE63. We've a very, very long tradition of bringing through younger players and about half our current crop have came through the development structure. It's a nice balance at the moment but it is cyclic. Just a few years ago we spent the entire season in bottom place.

Back in the days of the Victoria X1 we were blooding youngsters and recycling injured oldsters in The Strollers long before "development" had been created. It will be very difficult in the near future for teams who don't have that structure in place. Take a look at the past 10 years of clubs like Kilby, Cumbernauld and The Spartans and you'll see what I mean. It takes years of momentum. But that will only get you to League 2, and in our case maybe keep us there, but to be safe in the league it needs money, and you see the effect this year from Edinburgh City.

Rovers are where they are because they've been caught between the rock and the hard place. Can't sustain the buying-in of pros on the way out of the game, no development structure for pulling through youngsters starting their senior careers. The search for a manager is actually secondary at the moment. The club, including the fans, need to be realistic about where their place is in Scottish football and let any applicants know exactly that.

The SPFL's obsession with the bigger teams means tough times ahead for a lot of established league teams. The young pretenders have every right to challenge the status quo. The old school have every right to learn and adapt to defend the challenge. I sincerely hope Rovers remain in the league.

Rovers were doing what QP are doing this now not that long ago. Paul Martin would sign a mix of season pros with younger pros who had been released and looking to get back uo the ranks alongside some raw talent from the Junior and amateur ranks identified by Robert Watt. I accept Rovers don't have the allure of the National stadium abd there are players who woild turn their noses up at Cliftonhill, then again the other half would probably do it in order to get a game on a Saturday.

As to Rovers finding their place as a club that's where it gets a bit murky. Worst case scenario is the club drops into the Lowland league and goes bust. There is an in between where the ground is sold and they groundshare with Airdrie -not at Broomfield but more likely with Gartcairn Jniors. At that stage a Coatbridge club playing in Airdrie with a dwindling support then what's the point?

The reality is any L2 club that gets relegated will struggle to return as the standard increases in the Lowland league and who knows a few years from now it maybe a more attractive league to play in. We need to give ourselves every chance which we haven't so far.

[drs]

Gartcairn Juniors are probably the only people in Scotland with a worse ground than Rovers! At least Cliftonhill has toilets within it and not 200 yards down the hill in the local sport centre!!

[Ginaro]

12 minutes ago, Vodka Vic said:

As to Rovers finding their place as a club that's where it gets a bit murky. Worst case scenario is the club drops into the Lowland league and goes bust. There is an in between where the ground is sold and they groundshare with Airdrie -not at Broomfield but more likely with Gartcairn Jniors. At that stage a Coatbridge club playing in Airdrie with a dwindling support then what's the point?

No way you can groundshare at Gartcairn, you need a licensed ground in the LL.

[an86]

There is no doubt that we’ll be in the same position Rovers are in at some point. We’ve been bottom of the pack a couple of times in the past twenty years and it will come round again. 

I feel for them. I don’t think they can do any more than they’ve done in terms of trying to get people through the gates. Our last game through there set the alarm bells ringing. Midweek and struggling or not, I didn’t think I’d see a sub 300 Rovers-QP game at Cliftonhill.

A major problem is that you probably have thousands of people in the Monklands area who claim a soft spot for the Rovers but never darken their door. Would make a difference to you if every one of those people paid £14 even once a season.

Very difficult to see anything other than putting all the eggs in the winning the playoff basket. We’ve traditionally enjoyed a rivalry and I enjoy a win at Cliftonhill as much as anyone, but it’d  be a sad day to see them drop out. A lot of good people around the club.

Having said that, this is exactly the sort of situation where we’ll make an arse of it. We had an incredible habit of dropping points to Shire when they were in the doledrums.

Edited October 21, 2018 by an86

[Sergeant Wilson]

1 hour ago, Vodka Vic said:

Rovers were doing what QP are doing this now not that long ago. Paul Martin would sign a mix of season pros with younger pros who had been released and looking to get back uo the ranks alongside some raw talent from the Junior and amateur ranks identified by Robert Watt. I accept Rovers don't have the allure of the National stadium abd there are players who woild turn their noses up at Cliftonhill, then again the other half would probably do it in order to get a game on a Saturday.

As to Rovers finding their place as a club that's where it gets a bit murky. Worst case scenario is the club drops into the Lowland league and goes bust. There is an in between where the ground is sold and they groundshare with Airdrie -not at Broomfield but more likely with Gartcairn Jniors. At that stage a Coatbridge club playing in Airdrie with a dwindling support then what's the point?

The reality is any L2 club that gets relegated will struggle to return as the standard increases in the Lowland league and who knows a few years from now it maybe a more attractive league to play in. We need to give ourselves every chance which we haven't so far.

You seem to be aware Gartcairn are looking to move/improve. Has anyone spoken to them and the council. Do they really need to stay in Airdrie? There seems to be a compromise somewhere.

[Barry Ferguson's Hat]

Rovers should rename the ground 'Cliftonhell' for Halloween and see if that gets punters through the door. 

[an86]

7 minutes ago, Barry Ferguson's Hat said:

Rovers should rename the ground 'Cliftonhell' for Halloween and see if that gets punters through the door. 

You know what? That’s actually not an utterly terrible idea as a publicity stunt.

[Vodka Vic]

2 hours ago, Sergeant Wilson said:

You seem to be aware Gartcairn are looking to move/improve. Has anyone spoken to them and the council. Do they really need to stay in Airdrie? There seems to be a compromise somewhere.

Possibly. They are looking to build a new stadium but don't know the details if it's on the current site. Rovers ground isn't anywhere near what our deluded fans think it's worth. We can but dream Comic writer Mark Miller comes riding to the rescue with a rebuild of the Kick Ass stadium.

[cowdenbeath]

37 minutes ago, Ginaro said:

Noticed the club have been refused an SFA licence (subject to appeal) after the October licensing committee review - looks like the youth section is the reason (was bronze before): https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/media/4422/club-licensing-current-update-october-2018.pdf

That's Airdrie according  to your link.

[Ginaro]

4 minutes ago, cowdenbeath said:

That's Airdrie according  to your link.

Whoops, thanks - got League 1/2 confused... 

Edited October 21, 2018 by Ginaro

[leb8t]

On 20/10/2018 at 22:56, DiamondOwl said:

Now the Airdrie job is filled attention switches down the road, as the managerial merry-go-round continues. 

Obviously the person coming in is going to be determined to a large extent by the the salary on offer.  They are also left with a very tough job, with little budget to improve the squad.

So who are the favourites for you guys?  What do you think of the following?

(I'm not sure they'd all be in your budget, or you'd want any of them!)....  Allan Moore (Assistant Mgr at Clyde), Stevie Aitken, Tom Courts (recently left Kelty), Tony McInally (recently left Pollok), Kevin McBride, Sandy Stewart, Jim Chapman.

 

 

I think Stevie Aitken would be more interested in the Stirling job. From the rest of your options, I think I would opt for Jim Chapman but I would throw in another name, John Coughlin, he did a great job at East Stirlingshire starting with 6 players on £30 a week. Surely it would be better to go with someone who has been there and proved they can do it. In league 2 with the smallest budget. The objective this season must be to stay in the league by points or play off.