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The Official Airdrieonians Thread - 2019/20 and beyond


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12 hours ago, Mr November said:

I did think we were unfortunate a few times tonight, Smith's shot coming off the post, McGill's penalty (I never felt confident about him scoring that) and I think two cleared off the line. We dominated the game and Rae didn't have too much to do but definitely still a few issues to iron out before the league starts. We probably need two wins, or maybe a win and a penalty win, to go through now which I don't see us doing against St. Mirren and Arbroath but we'll see what happens next week.

I'm still a bit unsure on the back three. Ballantyne and Deveney are pretty attacking which helps, it's certainly an improvement on Wardrop and Quitongo, but we often had Fordyce pushing forward as an extra men which didn't really work. Cole Gibson looked pretty nervous early on but grew into the game a bit. He's not ready for this level yet though and while Devenny and Frizzell did well driving forward, we lacked  dominant holding midfielder in there. Smith and McGill worked hard and constantly got in between or behind their defence but a mixture of poor finishing and poor decision making cost us. Smith in particular seemed desperate to get the ball out wide and cut inside but every time he did he was blocked by a sea of defenders. Someone like Gallagher, who often scores with various body parts through his excellent positioning, might have been lucky and scored one tonight.

I'd be concerned if we're still using that team against Peterhead in a couple of weeks but given we were missing a couple of players, I'm happy enough with the performance. Definitely some positives but plenty to work on too. I do worry since we're waiting on a few players coming in that they might be a bit rusty when the league games start. Slow starts have been a real issue at the club for a number of years now and given how tough our opening games are, we need to be on it from the start.

Not sure about the 3-5-2 yet either but can maybe only make a fair judgement once we have our ‘proper’ starting XI in place. Ballantyne is an outstanding addition. Not fully sold on Deveney yet but thought he put a couple of decent balls into the box without having much of an impact on the game (he seemed to be in space quite a lot but his team mates never passed to him). Not a fan at all of Fordyce playing so high up the park. He got in the way of attacks a number of times or took the wrong option. Or if he took the right option he didn’t have the ability on the ball to play it right. If a centre-half is going to be playing in attacking positions it should be McCabe. Would have thought that’d be obvious! Edinburgh didn’t create much but when they did get forward I thought it was pretty easy for them. We’ll need to tighten up ahead of the St Mirren game and league campaign. I would maybe ditch the 3-5-2 for the St Mirren game even if that’s going to be our preferred formation TBH. 

2 hours ago, Glenmavis Diamond said:

Some moron sitting behind me kept giving young Cole pelters for absolutely no reason. Had to bite my lip to stop me from turning and telling them to shut the fu(k up. Not even critical stuff, but just abuse. I kid you not, they actually called him a 'knob jockey' at one point due to a misplaced pass. Like, what the actual fu(k is that all about? Just ludicrous stuff. It'd be laughable if it wasn't so pathetic. 

Edit to add: I actually think he played quite well, once he settled a bit. To regain your composure after an early booking on your first ever senior start takes nerve. And he displayed some excellent passing after that. Literally flung in at the deep end and looked a decent prospect. Well done to the lad. 

You could see he was nervous in the first-half with his misplaced pass and booking but he did grow into the game well enough. Some nice turns, touches and passes and didn’t do much wrong in the second-half. We clearly missed an experienced and physical presence in his position but he can be proud of his effort. 
 

And he should be. Don’t know how much he’s even trained with the first team (if at all) but to start in holding midfield on the day you officially sign and do a reasonable job at only 16/17 is some going. Hope he continues to develop and we see him in and around the first team squad again in the future. He’s already no worse than some of the jobbers who’ve played for us over the years. 

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Really surprised to see some of the negative comments on here. I came away from last nights game entirely optimistic for the season ahead.

We may be behind where we were last season in terms of personnel, but in terms of our style of play I’d say we’re streets ahead. Some really impressive stuff I thought.

We dominated the game last night against a decent Edinburgh side. I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say we could have easily scored 3, 4, 5 goals on another night. Rae, Ballantyne and Devenny are all excellent additions and are definitely improvements on last season. The way the team was set up and the speed of passing was excellent.

If we continue to play like that, once the squad are up to speed, I can see us battering a couple of teams this seasons.

I think with 3 or 4 solid additions we could really compete at the top again this season. I’d like to see the following:

- Starting LB. I think Deveney is decent but not good enough (based on what I’ve seen so far) and certainly nowhere near Ballantyne’s level on the other side.
- CB cover. I like Fordyce, McCabe and Watson but we’ll need cover to ensure we can still compete when we inevitably pick up injuries.
- CM. I’ve seen Telfer’s name mentioned, I think a player like him is needed.
- ST. Despite having 4 strikers I think we could do with another given Salim’s injury record so far. We saw last night that with Gal out and Gabby & Smith not firing we really struggled to get the ball in the back of the net.

I don’t think we need a big squad but would need at least 17/18 first team players, supported by the academy squad as we seen last night, to be competitive.

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48 minutes ago, airdrieman said:

Not sure about the 3-5-2 yet either but can maybe only make a fair judgement once we have our ‘proper’ starting XI in place. Ballantyne is an outstanding addition. Not fully sold on Deveney yet but thought he put a couple of decent balls into the box without having much of an impact on the game (he seemed to be in space quite a lot but his team mates never passed to him). Not a fan at all of Fordyce playing so high up the park. He got in the way of attacks a number of times or took the wrong option. Or if he took the right option he didn’t have the ability on the ball to play it right. If a centre-half is going to be playing in attacking positions it should be McCabe. Would have thought that’d be obvious! Edinburgh didn’t create much but when they did get forward I thought it was pretty easy for them. We’ll need to tighten up ahead of the St Mirren game and league campaign. I would maybe ditch the 3-5-2 for the St Mirren game even if that’s going to be our preferred formation TBH. 

You could see he was nervous in the first-half with his misplaced pass and booking but he did grow into the game well enough. Some nice turns, touches and passes and didn’t do much wrong in the second-half. We clearly missed an experienced and physical presence in his position but he can be proud of his effort. 
 

And he should be. Don’t know how much he’s even trained with the first team (if at all) but to start in holding midfield on the day you officially sign and do a reasonable job at only 16/17 is some going. Hope he continues to develop and we see him in and around the first team squad again in the future. He’s already no worse than some of the jobbers who’ve played for us over the years. 

Think you would have to blame manager for  using a young lad, would assume that there is players to come in but maybe on holiday or signing clearance  problems, let's hope so anyway, 

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7 hours ago, airdrieman said:

And he should be. Don’t know how much he’s even trained with the first team (if at all) but to start in holding midfield on the day you officially sign and do a reasonable job at only 16/17 is some going. Hope he continues to develop and we see him in and around the first team squad again in the future. He’s already no worse than some of the jobbers who’ve played for us over the years. 

Like the look of the young man. At danger of cursing his future, there is a bit of a Billy Gilmour there I think.

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47 minutes ago, Kenny_m said:

I thought our manager didn't cover himself in glory at the goal.

I watched highlights today and it looks as if Fordyce is away on an attacking move ( as others say maybe not where his strength is) and McCabe is left to face up to Robertson unsuccessfuly . Rae also taken by surprise. But it's the missed chances which took the shine of quite an entertaining approach 

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Stream of conscience here....McCabe out-paced last night, needs to be in midfield. Please sign a brick shithouse defender. Dycey so far forward he was getting nose bleeds! Pens were shit. Ball was holding right up on the new pitch due to the ground up tyre pieces flying everywhere. Ballantyne looks a player. Ball on deck tactics are what we've been shouting for the last 2 seasons. Last but not least, LOVED seeing youth getting a chance and stepping up to the plate! I salute you Cole Gibson! Lucky to stay on the park but a great debut. Righto, had my tuppenceworth, away back to facebook for memes and AbiTV! Ta-Ta! PS Paying for pies with credit cards will never feel right!

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51 minutes ago, CHEMOMAN said:

Stream of conscience here....McCabe out-paced last night, needs to be in midfield. Please sign a brick shithouse defender. Dycey so far forward he was getting nose bleeds! Pens were shit. Ball was holding right up on the new pitch due to the ground up tyre pieces flying everywhere. Ballantyne looks a player. Ball on deck tactics are what we've been shouting for the last 2 seasons. Last but not least, LOVED seeing youth getting a chance and stepping up to the plate! I salute you Cole Gibson! Lucky to stay on the park but a great debut. Righto, had my tuppenceworth, away back to facebook for memes and AbiTV! Ta-Ta! PS Paying for pies with credit cards will never feel right!

Football is all about opinions, I think McCabe is different class at the back, not as effective when in midfield,  Agree about an o!d school centre half ,  Fordyce barely won a clear defensive header and know where near the ball at attacking corner kicks,  we struggled all last season and this season seems the same,  the lad Leon Jones who is hanging around seemed decent enough against the Colts, expect him to sign but I don't see him being an upgrade or the level of McCabe or Fordyce or even Watson,  which contradicts his signing policy (if Jones signs...)

 

Another possible controversial comment should Fordyce remain as Captain,  Rhys is the Manager,  Fordyce Assistant Manager / Captain,  would it not make more sense if Watson or Cammy B was made skipper which would lead to other players having leadership and more responsibility as the skipper,  at the moment it seems a bit of a closed shop, which cannot be a good thing moving forward .....

 

 

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1 hour ago, CHEMOMAN said:

Stream of conscience here....McCabe out-paced last night, needs to be in midfield. Please sign a brick shithouse defender. Dycey so far forward he was getting nose bleeds! Pens were shit. Ball was holding right up on the new pitch due to the ground up tyre pieces flying everywhere. Ballantyne looks a player. Ball on deck tactics are what we've been shouting for the last 2 seasons. Last but not least, LOVED seeing youth getting a chance and stepping up to the plate! I salute you Cole Gibson! Lucky to stay on the park but a great debut. Righto, had my tuppenceworth, away back to facebook for memes and AbiTV! Ta-Ta! PS Paying for pies with credit cards will never feel right!

Liked the currency contribution and please forgive me for thinking you meant " stream of consciousness" . Interesting that  the parking charge is not being upgraded to card! 

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Over on the RR thread… appears Easton had an excellent game and scored a worldy. Think we have the makings of a really good squad but I’m hoping Rhys is making progress with finding Eastons ‘replacement’. He’s they type of players who can change games really quickly and help turn one point in to three. Yes, all the players look solid and will contribute but lacking the one with a bit of magic. I honestly have no idea who that could be but hoping McCabe does

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28 minutes ago, Passionate said:

Another possible controversial comment should Fordyce remain as Captain,  Rhys is the Manager,  Fordyce Assistant Manager / Captain,  would it not make more sense if Watson or Cammy B was made skipper which would lead to other players having leadership and more responsibility as the skipper,  at the moment it seems a bit of a closed shop, which cannot be a good thing moving forward .....

 

 

I agree with this. I thought it was far too much for Crighton when he was a player, our only outfield coach and captain and it’s probably no coincidence that his form fell off a cliff around then. As much as the armband is more symbolic than anything these days, I think it’s good to share the responsibility a bit more.

11 minutes ago, FLDiamond said:

Over on the RR thread… appears Easton had an excellent game and scored a worldy. Think we have the makings of a really good squad but I’m hoping Rhys is making progress with finding Eastons ‘replacement’. He’s they type of players who can change games really quickly and help turn one point in to three. Yes, all the players look solid and will contribute but lacking the one with a bit of magic. I honestly have no idea who that could be but hoping McCabe does

I don’t think we’ll ever find a like for like replacement for Easton, players with that kind of style and ability aren’t in this league for good reason unfortunately. Charlie Telfer seems the obvious replacement and while he’s not the same kind of player and nowhere near as much of a match winner, him and Frizzell might have more balance which could allow them both to shine a bit more. 

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I don’t think we’ll ever find a like for like replacement for Easton, players with that kind of style and ability aren’t in this league for good reason unfortunately. Charlie Telfer seems the obvious replacement and while he’s not the same kind of player and nowhere near as much of a match winner, him and Frizzell might have more balance which could allow them both to shine a bit more. 

Easton was kicking around the game (Dumbarton, Clyde, Forfar, Kelty) a long time before having the season he did with us. I’ll be interested to see how he gets on over a season in the championship and not peterhead. I don’t buy into this idea he’s some irreplaceable talent but hope he does well as I loved having him at airdrie.
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1 hour ago, She who dares gins said:


Easton was kicking around the game (Dumbarton, Clyde, Forfar, Kelty) a long time before having the season he did with us. I’ll be interested to see how he gets on over a season in the championship and not peterhead. I don’t buy into this idea he’s some irreplaceable talent but hope he does well as I loved having him at airdrie.

You have got to think there is a reason he is at Raith, if he ayed every game like the other night he would be at a higher level, as been stated see how he does over a season in championship, and aye would love him at airdrie, 

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1 hour ago, She who dares gins said:


Easton was kicking around the game (Dumbarton, Clyde, Forfar, Kelty) a long time before having the season he did with us. I’ll be interested to see how he gets on over a season in the championship and not peterhead. I don’t buy into this idea he’s some irreplaceable talent but hope he does well as I loved having him at airdrie.

Always had the talent but I'm pretty sure he admitted that his attitude wasn't always the best and a few injuries didn't help either. He's must also be a stone lighter than when he played with Kelty in the Lowland a couple of years ago.

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Easton was kicking around the game (Dumbarton, Clyde, Forfar, Kelty) a long time before having the season he did with us. I’ll be interested to see how he gets on over a season in the championship and not peterhead. I don’t buy into this idea he’s some irreplaceable talent but hope he does well as I loved having him at airdrie.

Realistically there are players that good that play in League One quite often. Easton is one, but Shankland and Nisbet have to remembered as well. And I’d also put McInroy in that category, there’s a reason he’s signed for a Premiership team and Easton hasn’t. I’m hopeful Frizzell can hit a similar level of performance this season which I think he’s capable of.

However, it is very unlikely we’ll get a like for like replacement for Easton, purely because players like him are so rare these days at any level. People describe tough players not afraid of a hard challenge as throwbacks, but for me Easton is a throwback to a different generation of footballer. Very rare nowadays to see a player that plays the way he does, trying tricks, stepovers, nutmegs. I think there’s a reason it’s not seen as often now as it’s generally less effective than the style of the modern game, but when it works it works well and looks great. As I’ve said before I don’t think it’s fair on whatever midfielder we bring in to be considered “Easton’s replacement” because most likely it will be a very different player and if anything Frizzell will be more like Easton’s replacement and the new player would most likely take over Frizz’s role from last season.
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There was a 10-15 minute spell on Tuesday where Frizz was utterly unplayable,  very similar to Easton,  with him playing further up the park adding more assists and Cammy providing more for the right side of the park we should be able to replace most of eastons goal involvements. Add to that Justin devenney (I'll never get the second name right) suddenly becoming a goal machine I think we will do OK....IF we sign another strong midfielder. Was interesting that in the extended Interview McCabe was the one to call out the week break gives us time for recruitment and not just recovery.  I see the Old firm loaness seem to be starting to trickle out and I've a funny feeling we have a few irons in the fire in terms of getting some players in from them. 

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10 minutes ago, Rossm25 said:

There was a 10-15 minute spell on Tuesday where Frizz was utterly unplayable,  very similar to Easton,  with him playing further up the park adding more assists and Cammy providing more for the right side of the park we should be able to replace most of eastons goal involvements. Add to that Justin devenney (I'll never get the second name right) suddenly becoming a goal machine I think we will do OK....IF we sign another strong midfielder. Was interesting that in the extended Interview McCabe was the one to call out the week break gives us time for recruitment and not just recovery.  I see the Old firm loaness seem to be starting to trickle out and I've a funny feeling we have a few irons in the fire in terms of getting some players in from them. 

Aye should try and go for Celtic"s Owen Moffat someone like that would certainly replace Easton, never get a place in celtic starting eleven, that's the type of signing I would love to read, pen or no pen. 

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3 hours ago, Jack Reed said:

Aye should try and go for Celtic"s Owen Moffat someone like that would certainly replace Easton, never get a place in celtic starting eleven, that's the type of signing I would love to read, pen or no pen. 

its certainly a name thats been mentioned in the club. what stage its at or if an enquirys been made I genuinely dont know.

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