The Official Airdrieonians Thread - 2019/20 and beyond

[Kenny_m]

2 hours ago, David Fernández said:

3 hours ago, airdrieman said:

 I think McCabe probably got my general backing until the end of the month but if we’ve taken zero from Edinburgh and Montrose (really need at least 4 points IMO) then something has to change. 
I’ve seen the board getting it tight from some folk but for me, other than blaming them for the initial appointment, I think where we are really is down to McCabe and the decisions he’s made. In terms of the squad I’ve said it before but you don’t sign Rae, Ballantyne, Telfer, Lyness, ATS and retain the likes of Frizzell unless there’s money there. Bear in mind there was clearly money left in the pot to sign ATS, Telfer and Lyness. Would you have been better off signing 2-3 other players with the time and money it took to sign Telfer? Maybe. But that’s down to McCabe not the board. He was very clear about the type of player he wanted and what that meant for the squad size. I do generally agree with him about quality v quantity but you have to get the most out of your players in that instance and he isn’t at the moment. Again that’s down to him. Likewise being so open and easy to beat. 
In terms of not having an experienced assistant it’s hard to blame the board without knowing what was pitched to McCabe or what he asked for. Did he ask for one and they said no? Was his first choice always Fordyce? Would he say no if somebody became available? Whatever the case he wasn’t obligated to take the job with or without an experienced assistant. If he’s big enough to take the job then, he has to be big enough to deal with any problems or consequences. Especially as they would appear to be mostly of his doing. We’ve seen how well we can play when things are going right. We’re capable of beating any team in this league IMO and we’ve already dished out a few pumpings and could well do a few more times. But we’re in a bad way at the moment and he has to fix that and quickly.

Problem with the player/assistant scenario is that we can't afford to get shot of McCabe and Fordyce due to how small the squad is at the moment. I do agree with you if we lose to both Edinburgh and Montrose I think something had to change. Would an experienced manager coming in someone like Paul Hartley for instance, mean that it would cause unrest in the dressing room it's a difficult one and there is no easy fix.

You can't dump them, even if we do lose the next 2 games.  Would there hearts be in it if they got replaced as a management team and retained as players, doubt it.

It's impossible to tell whether Rhys is a good manager or not after such a short period of time and I still retain faith in him even though i do think he's made more than a few blunders in his signings but i still believe the budget has played a big part in that.

[diamondman]

I don't advocate a change.

If we did, we have two of the playing squad undermined immediately.

[Kenny_m]

1 hour ago, airdrieman said:

It’s their responsibility ultimately and I’m sure they understand this. 

I'm sure they wouldn't.

[Passionate]

3 hours ago, airdrieman said:

 I think McCabe probably got my general backing until the end of the month but if we’ve taken zero from Edinburgh and Montrose (really need at least 4 points IMO) then something has to change. 

I’ve seen the board getting it tight from some folk but for me, other than blaming them for the initial appointment, I think where we are really is down to McCabe and the decisions he’s made. In terms of the squad I’ve said it before but you don’t sign Rae, Ballantyne, Telfer, Lyness, ATS and retain the likes of Frizzell unless there’s money there. Bear in mind there was clearly money left in the pot to sign ATS, Telfer and Lyness. Would you have been better off signing 2-3 other players with the time and money it took to sign Telfer? Maybe. But that’s down to McCabe not the board. He was very clear about the type of player he wanted and what that meant for the squad size. I do generally agree with him about quality v quantity but you have to get the most out of your players in that instance and he isn’t at the moment. Again that’s down to him. Likewise being so open and easy to beat. 

In terms of not having an experienced assistant it’s hard to blame the board without knowing what was pitched to McCabe or what he asked for. Did he ask for one and they said no? Was his first choice always Fordyce? Would he say no if somebody became available? Whatever the case he wasn’t obligated to take the job with or without an experienced assistant. If he’s big enough to take the job then, he has to be big enough to deal with any problems or consequences. Especially as they would appear to be mostly of his doing. We’ve seen how well we can play when things are going right. We’re capable of beating any team in this league IMO and we’ve already dished out a few pumpings and could well do a few more times. But we’re in a bad way at the moment and he has to fix that and quickly.

Great post,

 

 

it is basically coming down to points over principles,  I can see McCabe digging in over this..

[dextermorgan]

I still believe that the management is fairly sound, despite the poor form recently. I do belive however that Mccabe's success depended on two factors. getting more of a 'cutting edge' up front and bolstering the midfield with a physical ball winner. On that note we have loaned Salim out and brought in Telfer who appears to be fairly anonymous.

The QOS game summed it up for me in as much as we lose three goals at home and could have scored five or six.

The trouble is that these issues are not easy to solve so far into the season with a threadbare squad.

[Jack Reed]

14 minutes ago, dextermorgan said:

I still believe that the management is fairly sound, despite the poor form recently. I do belive however that Mccabe's success depended on two factors. getting more of a 'cutting edge' up front and bolstering the midfield with a physical ball winner. On that note we have loaned Salim out and brought in Telfer who appears to be fairly anonymous.

The QOS game summed it up for me in as much as we lose three goals at home and could have scored five or six.

The trouble is that these issues are not easy to solve so far into the season with a threadbare squad.

Been Airdrie fan for more years than I remember, not going to change now, never been to any league game that Airdrie have not been involved, 

[airdrieman]

16 hours ago, Kenny_m said:

You can't dump them, even if we do lose the next 2 games.  Would there hearts be in it if they got replaced as a management team and retained as players, doubt it.

It's impossible to tell whether Rhys is a good manager or not after such a short period of time and I still retain faith in him even though i do think he's made more than a few blunders in his signings but i still believe the budget has played a big part in that.

 

16 hours ago, dextermorgan said:

I still believe that the management is fairly sound, despite the poor form recently. I do belive however that Mccabe's success depended on two factors. getting more of a 'cutting edge' up front and bolstering the midfield with a physical ball winner. On that note we have loaned Salim out and brought in Telfer who appears to be fairly anonymous.

The QOS game summed it up for me in as much as we lose three goals at home and could have scored five or six.

The trouble is that these issues are not easy to solve so far into the season with a threadbare squad.

I like McCabe a lot. We saw what a natural leader he was last season and he certainly talks a good game. There’s a good manager in there. But for me, I think the biggest worry is how comically easy we’ve been to score against this entire season. And no matter what combination of goalkeeper and defenders he plays it doesn’t seem to make one demonstrable bit of difference. That’s a failure on McCabe’s part in either coaching or shape or setting his team up. I would genuinely back any team at any level to score once they get the ball into our half. Only good goalkeeping and poor finishing from the opposition saved us in the opening month. 
 

November looks to be a kinder run of fixtures. But we need to go into them with at least 4 points from these next two games IMO and a bit of confidence.  If we start losing those games next month then we’re undeniably in trouble. 

[++Ammo - Airdrie++]

I said in the Kelty match thread before that game kicked off, that it was huge. Lose and it could start a tailspin in results, and sadly I don't see that stopping to a halt.  There could be a few decent results mixed in over the next month or 2 but between now and January I reckon we'll settle in to a 5th-7th place.

McCabe and Fordyce on the park, Hutton and Prunty off it IMO just ain't working.  Its already looking like "hanging in there" until january.  Thats about 8 or 9 league games and based on current squad, injuries, form, IMO its going to be a rotten couple of months result wise.

[Jack Reed]

4 hours ago, ++Ammo - Airdrie++ said:

I said in the Kelty match thread before that game kicked off, that it was huge. Lose and it could start a tailspin in results, and sadly I don't see that stopping to a halt.  There could be a few decent results mixed in over the next month or 2 but between now and January I reckon we'll settle in to a 5th-7th place.

McCabe and Fordyce on the park, Hutton and Prunty off it IMO just ain't working.  Its already looking like "hanging in there" until january.  Thats about 8 or 9 league games and based on current squad, injuries, form, IMO its going to be a rotten couple of months result wise.

But is McCabe a good leader on the park?? , seems any new signings and retained players are OK when winning, none of them seem to have any real fight in them when we are losing, 

[ShineOnYouCrazyDiamonds]

On 17/10/2022 at 16:17, David Fernández said:

Problem with the player/assistant scenario is that we can't afford to get shot of McCabe and Fordyce due to how small the squad is at the moment. I do agree with you if we lose to both Edinburgh and Montrose I think something had to change. Would an experienced manager coming in someone like Paul Hartley for instance, mean that it would cause unrest in the dressing room it's a difficult one and there is no easy fix.

I’m sure I’ve mentioned this ages ago but there’s something horribly ironic about a manager having greater job security because of his own failure to put together an adequately sized squad. Impressively Machiavellian if intentional!

[Sage Monkey]

Nobody seems to be highlighting a lack of work rate in the side, or more accurately a desire to get the ball back when we lose it.

Last season, before Xmas we had McInroy, Easton, Smith and Frizzell, who all worked like Trojans to get the ball back when we lost it, this usually resulted in us regaining posession, and thus easing pressure on our defence. I felt that the defence looked shaky last season when under pressure, but our high press prevented others applying that pressure. Since then we have lost McInroy and Easton, and now Frizzell is out, Callum Smith can't do it all on his own.

The players we have brought in like Telfer and Jamieson do very little to get the ball back when we lose it. This is the sort of thing that should be dealt with in training, you do not need any particular skill to battle for the ball, just a bit of desire and effort.

[dextermorgan]

1 hour ago, Sage Monkey said:

Nobody seems to be highlighting a lack of work rate in the side, or more accurately a desire to get the ball back when we lose it.

Last season, before Xmas we had McInroy, Easton, Smith and Frizzell, who all worked like Trojans to get the ball back when we lost it, this usually resulted in us regaining posession, and thus easing pressure on our defence. I felt that the defence looked shaky last season when under pressure, but our high press prevented others applying that pressure. Since then we have lost McInroy and Easton, and now Frizzell is out, Callum Smith can't do it all on his own.

The players we have brought in like Telfer and Jamieson do very little to get the ball back when we lose it. This is the sort of thing that should be dealt with in training, you do not need any particular skill to battle for the ball, just a bit of desire and effort.

That is a great point and I'm surprised more supporters haven't mentioned it. Frizzell in particular is missed just now as he was found all over the park trying to regain possession. I'm sure Mccabe is well aware of this but the real test of a manager is whether he can motivate the likes of Jamieson and Telfer to work harder off the ball.

Agree however that we are looking at a side who appear to have lost the 'desire' in general. I wonder if the players are now starting to realise that fourth place is the best we can hope for. It would appear that almost every one of the top six have improved greatly since the start of the season while our confidence from last year has all but disappeared.

[Jack Reed]

2 hours ago, dextermorgan said:

That is a great point and I'm surprised more supporters haven't mentioned it. Frizzell in particular is missed just now as he was found all over the park trying to regain possession. I'm sure Mccabe is well aware of this but the real test of a manager is whether he can motivate the likes of Jamieson and Telfer to work harder off the ball.

Agree however that we are looking at a side who appear to have lost the 'desire' in general. I wonder if the players are now starting to realise that fourth place is the best we can hope for. It would appear that almost every one of the top six have improved greatly since the start of the season while our confidence from last year has all but disappeared.

I mentioned in a post we had no fight, it was not a long post like some but that's what it meant, I  am happy that some are happy with manager, only interested in team results so not to happy at all, get shot down if I say we need some experienced old heads at player level, it's not  personal I really don't care who is manager as long as airdrie are winning,high press, long ball just get the ball in the net, 

[Mr November]

Struggling to remember a bigger drop-off in performances than Fordyce this season. Most consistent defender in the league for three seasons but miles off it this season. Even when we were winning at the start of the season he was dodgy but so poor since then. Worryingly like Crighton’s performances which fell off a cliff after becoming player/coach a couple of years ago.

Edited October 22, 2022 by Mr November

[papa57]

Another defeat from a part time team, how much longer is this muppet going to get away with this crap, he has taken the team 20 steps backward, board should get a real manager in, McCabe out

[diamond_for_life]

No fight today, no desire and another game where we aim hopeless balls up the park. No one wants to take responsibility on the park. Happy to pass it off and hope someone else can do something. Take that and add in 2 poor mistakes by the goalkeeper and it’s easy to see why we are where we are. 
 

The squad is ridiculously thin and although I wouldn’t blame McCabe for the recruitment or lack of he needs to change things and if that means giving youth a chance then do it cause we are absolutely garbage and go down with a whimper. He should not be centre half with Fordyce either. 
 

Could go on and on about the shit we are witnessing but will leave that to others as there is so much more to add about the state we are in. 
 

Wont be doing this every week moving forward to Christmas. Its costing me roughly £60 a week to watch this pish and take my dad and son. Quite simply won’t justify paying that to watch a gutless team that doesn’t show fight or heart. Getting beat is never a good thing but the manner of defeats always makes it worse. Hardly went down fighting. 

[Passionate]

2 hours ago, Mr November said:

Struggling to remember a bigger drop-off in performances than Fordyce this season. Most consistent defender in the league for three seasons but miles off it this season. Even when we were winning at the start of the season he was dodgy but so poor since then. Worryingly like Crighton’s performances which fell off a cliff after becoming player/coach a couple of years ago.

Agree completely about Fordyce is performances have been as poor and nervy as his pre match interviews,

 

main player, skipper and assistant manager, it is clearly too much for him, relinquish the captain's armband and give more responsibility to others seems too much of a family affair just now..

[Ballboy]

Certainly seems the management team are not working on or off the pitch.  In previous games only Having 4 subs and saying we are going for quality will bite us on the arse very soon.  Especially Having youth players available to make a matchday squad . it's vital for these young lads development even to be given a place on the bench for the experience of being with the 1st team. I think it will be a bit too early for a change just now though.  I will cost a few quid to sack him.   If he goes does Fordyce as assistant manager go too?   We can't afford to lose probably our best center back pairing.    If things continue this way though it could be a long winter. 

[Mr November]

1 hour ago, Passionate said:

Agree completely about Fordyce is performances have been as poor and nervy as his pre match interviews

On the subject of his interviews, it’s a concern seeing McCabe and Fordyce talking about not being clinical enough. Yes we could have done better in front of goal today but we can’t rely on scoring three or four each week when the clowns at the back aren’t bothering to track runners or close the space.

[Mybitchunderprotest]

11 minutes ago, Mr November said:

On the subject of his interviews, it’s a concern seeing McCabe and Fordyce talking about not being clinical enough. Yes we could have done better in front of goal today but we can’t rely on scoring three or four each week when the clowns at the back aren’t bothering to track runners or close the space.

Just said pretty much those exact words in a tweet. Lack of composure up front mentioned for the f**k knows how many times post match this season but not a fucking word about the shite defensive display in which they both participated.