You team's most 'successful' position.

[ShaggerG]

No match thread for us this week so trying to plug the gap a bit.

Was thinking there about positions we need to strengthen next season (decided it was almost all of them) and it occurred to me that we've been very fortunate in the LB position over the years. From Tiger McGlaughlin when I first started (my favourite, but I admit that's affected by a big slice of nostalgia) we've had loads of very good left backs: Tommy McQueen, Jamie McQuilken, Hagi, Dean Holden, Steven Kingsley, Luke Leahy and now it seems that Tommy Robson could join the list! Even those that weren't just quite as good have still been competent; the likes of Jim Cameron, Tommy O'Hara etc and players like George Millar, George Gibson and Jim Shirra occasionally filled in there and did a good job. Obviously we've seen some pish as well though.

When comparing that to the other side of the park, I don't think we've had anywhere near as many good RB's. Stuart Kennedy, who was one of the first modern wing backs and won some caps was the best that I've seen. Andy Nicol and Andy Lawrie were decent as well and there will be an (ever dwindling) number of older fans who remember Alex Parker who, by all accounts, was one of the best players that we've ever had?

We've obviously had loads of excellent players in other positions, Stainrod, Crunchie and Latapy being the most obvious but it does appear that we're good at finding LB's.

So what position would you say your club's been good at filling over the years?

 

[AyrshireTon]

Happy clappers and boo boys.

[The Moonster]

10 minutes ago, ShaggerG said:

So what position would you say your club's been good at filling over the years?

In the last 10 years I'd say the managers position. Not sure we've constantly had a certain playing position well covered, our problems vary from season to season because we're basically building a new squad every summer.

[smpar]

We've had some decent 'keepers in the last 15 years or so. Marco Ruitenbeek, Derek Stillie, Allan McGregor, Dorus De Vries, Paul Gallacher the firs that spring to mind. Even Ryan Scully and Sean Murdoch are reliable, if not quite exceptional goalkeepers. 

[vikingTON]

Since returning to this level we've had a very strong selection of centre-backs - O'Ware and Lamie this season; Gunning and Kilday last season; to a lesser extent Gasparotto - most of which are a product of Duffy's coaching. Which makes it all the more unfathomable that we spent much of the seaside league winning season with donkeys like Sean Crighton and Stefan Milojevic there. Our full-backs by comparison have been universally dreadful for years.

[Sloop John B]

Left Back I’d say we’ve been the most consistent. Joe McAlpine, Jamie McQuilken, Bob Harris, Kevin Holt and Jordan Marshall. (Before my time but was Jamie McAllister a left back as well?)

Scappy undersized centre mids - Paul Burns, Kyle Jacobs, Brian McColligan, Steve Bowey

Tricky midget wingers - Danny Carmichael, Brian McLaughlin, Stevie Murray.

Inspired loan keepers - Cammy Bell, Jamie MacDonald, Zander Clark. (Craig Samson less so)

Stephen Dobbie - Stephen Dobbie

[Skyline Drifter]

13 minutes ago, Sloop John B said:

Left Back I’d say we’ve been the most consistent. Joe McAlpine, Jamie McQuilken, Bob Harris, Kevin Holt and Jordan Marshall. (Before my time but was Jamie McAllister a left back as well?)

Inspired loan keepers - Cammy Bell, Jamie MacDonald, Zander Clark. (Craig Samson less so)

As much as I personally thought Cammy Bell did fine with us, I dont think too many at the time would have described him as "inspired". Better than Halliwell was as good as it got generally.

Take the point on left backs though Joe was a bit of a one season wonder who did nothing anywhere else (possibly as a result of his off field shenanigans).

I actually think I would say striker is where we have excelled. In my time I have seen three of the very best all time for us in Dobbie, Lyle and Andy Thomson. We had Nicky Clark match a 80 year old scoring record. Sean O'Connor was a terrific forward if not a massive goalscorer by numbers. Gavin Reilly is one of the best at this level. So was Iain Russell even if he didnt play as an out and out striker that often. Even Derek Holmes was top scorer in the league for most of his first season with us although his second was a huge let down.

[Coventry Saint]

Players whose names begin with M and who play in midfield, obviously. McLean, McGinn, McGinn, Mallan, McAllister, Morgan, Magennis.

All left us for bigger clubs, or are probably going to in the case of Magennis. Seems statistically unlikely, to say the least.

[Shandon Par]

Probably up front. We've had some really decent strikers over the years.

Ross Jack, John Watson, George O'Boyle, Craig Brewster, Stevie Crawford, Mark Burchill, Faissal El Bak. 

[IainMorton]

In my time watching Morton, we have never been solid all over the park and always had areas that need improvement. The ironic thing was, when we did improve said area, areas thay were previously solid ended up getting weaker and we ended up back at square one.

[Coventry Saint]

24 minutes ago, IainMorton said:

In my time watching Morton, we have never been solid all over the park and always had areas that need improvement. The ironic thing was, when we did improve said area, areas thay were previously solid ended up getting weaker and we ended up back at square one.

Part and parcel of following a smaller team. We never have the funds to strengthen adequately across the board. Sod's law states that if you ever do have a decent squad, the manager will somehow fail to get everyone ticking or something else will go wrong.

Our cup winning team was probably the strongest squad I can remember seeing at St Mirren (Kenny McLean didn't even start that game), but still, we had Goodwin playing at centre half when he really ought to have been a DM (as Div hinted on another thread, Danny Lennon never quite solved our defensive issues). It was still a flawed squad that underachieved in the league.

I think you also get trends across the entire game. There's no shortage of nippy wee wingers-cum-number-10s doing the rounds. Very few proper wide players/big strikers knocking around at the moment, especially at our level. Probably why Morgan stands out so much.

[ShaggerG]

2 hours ago, smpar said:

We've had some decent 'keepers in the last 15 years or so. Marco Ruitenbeek, Derek Stillie, Allan McGregor, Dorus De Vries, Paul Gallacher the firs that spring to mind. Even Ryan Scully and Sean Murdoch are reliable, if not quite exceptional goalkeepers. 

We've had some cracking goalies ourselves in my time. Ally Donaldson, Watson, Parkes, Mallo & McGovern being the best for me. We've also had some donkeys like Hogarth, Hill, Higgins to name a few.

I think I'm right in saying that Yogi played something like 11 or so keepers in the 5+ years that he managed us! Ferguson, Hill, Glennon, Supple, Flinders, Higgins, Lambers, Krul, Schmeichel, Mallo & Olejnik. Any bairns remember any more?

[DA Baracus]

1 hour ago, Shandon Par said:

Probably up front. We've had some really decent strikers over the years.

Ross Jack, John Watson, George O'Boyle, Craig Brewster, Stevie Crawford, Mark Burchill, Faissal El Bak. 

Apologise for the frankly unacceptable omission of Andy Smith.

And Andy Kirk.

[smpar]

1 minute ago, ShaggerG said:

We've had some cracking goalies ourselves in my time. Ally Donaldson, Watson, Parkes, Mallo & McGovern being the best for me. We've also had some donkeys like Hogarth, Hill, Higgins to name a few.

I think I'm right in saying that Yogi played something like 11 or so keepers in the 5+ years that he managed us! Ferguson, Hill, Glennon, Supple, Flinders, Higgins, Lambers, Krul, Schmeichel, Mallo & Olejnik. Any bairns remember any more?

Forgot to mention the shockers we've had in that time as well.. David Hutton, Chris Smith and Greg Fleming are amongst the worst. I still feel some spew tickling my oesophagus whenever the name Bryn Halliwell is muttered. 

[Shandon Par]

4 minutes ago, DA Baracus said:

Apologise for the frankly unacceptable omission of Andy Smith.

And Andy Kirk.

I meant to include Smith, sorry. Andy Kirk wasn't quite in the same bracket as guys like O'Boyle or Stevie Crawford (IMO) but still a very handy striker. I know El Bak did it for us in the third tier but what a player he was that season. 30 goals from open play. Most of them belters. Plus a few stunning goals against Dundee and Ross County in the cups. 

[LIVIFOREVER]

We've had some excellent strikers but midfield is prob our area of consistently being strong. 

[DA Baracus]

20 minutes ago, Shandon Par said:

I meant to include Smith, sorry. Andy Kirk wasn't quite in the same bracket as guys like O'Boyle or Stevie Crawford (IMO) but still a very handy striker. I know El Bak did it for us in the third tier but what a player he was that season. 30 goals from open play. Most of them belters. Plus a few stunning goals against Dundee and Ross County in the cups. 

Kirk is in our all time top 10 goalscorers.

[DAFC.]

Yeah, I'd have Kirk up there. Brilliant player for us. 

[Juantwothree]

59 minutes ago, Shandon Par said:

I meant to include Smith, sorry. Andy Kirk wasn't quite in the same bracket as guys like O'Boyle or Stevie Crawford (IMO) but still a very handy striker. I know El Bak did it for us in the third tier but what a player he was that season. 30 goals from open play. Most of them belters. Plus a few stunning goals against Dundee and Ross County in the cups. 

Wish he was able to make the step up for us but doesn't look like he will. The screamer against them  across the road will do tho

[Swordfishtrombone]

1 hour ago, ShaggerG said:

We've had some cracking goalies ourselves in my time. Ally Donaldson, Watson, Parkes, Mallo & McGovern being the best for me. We've also had some donkeys like Hogarth, Hill, Higgins to name a few.

I think I'm right in saying that Yogi played something like 11 or so keepers in the 5+ years that he managed us! Ferguson, Hill, Glennon, Supple, Flinders, Higgins, Lambers, Krul, Schmeichel, Mallo & Olejnik. Any bairns remember any more?

I'd always have Gordon Marshall in the list of excellent Falkirk keepers though I may be biased because he gave me a signed pair of his gloves when I was a nipper. One of the worst I remember is the guy Jeffries signed from the juniors at short notice to play in the premier league, Willie Lamont, I think.

That is the exhaustive list of Yogi's goalies, Glennon was a funny one he made a couple of mistakes, a last minute f**k up against Hearts being notable but his performance away to Dunfermline remains the best I've witnessed by a Falkirk goalie, he was unbeatable that day and it seems to have been a personal disagreement with Yogi that saw him cast out rather than his form.