Cove Thread

[Brummo]

38 minutes ago, CoveRangers1922 said:

Impressive knowledge and I stand corrected. Ola is certainly rarely seen. Probably will be less seen after the summer.

So probably more a case of Tchau than Ola then?

Edited January 25, 2022 by Brummo
Not having a game to watch last Saturday has left me bored, bored bored.

[strichener]

On 25/01/2022 at 07:57, Brummo said:

Sorry to play the smart arse card but "white rhino" is a poor choice of example for a rarely seen animal, despite it being endangered. The reason being that whilst there are albino and white coloured species of animals, which are rarer than the dominant colour, the name white rhino is believed to relate to the Afrikaans word for wide, referring to its broad mouth, which distinguishes it from the narrower mouth of the black rhino. The black rhino is not actually black but let's not go there.

Regardless of the origins of the name, how many have been seen strutting aboot Cove? 

[CoveRangers1922]

23 hours ago, strichener said:

Regardless of the origins of the name, how many have been seen strutting aboot Cove? 

Quite a few and along with the odd donkey. Gladly they've all migrated elsewhere now!

Edited January 29, 2022 by CoveRangers1922

[CoveRangers1922]

Hartley in the P&J yesterday saying he's looking for loans to bolster the squad. Hopefully it will be players who can realistically challenge for a spot in the starting XI rather than warm the bench. Our squad needs a bit more depth.

[CoveRangers1922]

Some miss from Scully to seal the game when we were 2-1 up. Looked almost impossible to miss and came back to bite us unfortunately.

Highlights below. Scully's miss at 5.35.

Thought he played well on the LW apart from that.

 

[CoveRangers1922]

The Daily Record is linking us with 18 year old Kai Fotheringham from Dundee United.

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-transfer-news/transfer-deadline-news-live-rangers-26092334

We are all keen for a Dundee United signing but were hoping (naively) for Glass, who according to Scott Burns will sign for Killie until the end of the season. That being said our previous loans from the Arabs; Matty Smith, Glass and Ross Graham have all done very well at Balmoral.

Kai, a left winger/forward? had a spell on loan with Falkirk last season whilst they were on a rapid demise before joining Raith in July for a season long loan, however, he had ankle injuries which required surgery and his loan was cut short.

If the rumored signing is correct, I would expect he's cover rather than a regular starter given our 3-5-2 formation. We are playing three central midfielders, Vigurs, Fyvie and Blair with Harry and Shay as wing backs so I see little chance of Kai knocking anyone of them out.

Kai could give us width and perhaps allow Masson to play RW being naturally right footed, that's when we change formation.

 

Edited February 1, 2022 by CoveRangers1922

[CoveRangers1922]

Looks like our winter transfer window signings are complete.

Reynolds: looks a solid addition; still got pace, a leader, bags of experience and with that very good positionally and reads the game well.

Kai Fotheringham: I suspect won't get much game at all, a la Finn Robertson.

Extended Ola and put Jevan out to Elgin with Draper who extended his loan until the end of the season.

 

Light on striking options, so again, reliant on Mitch or Rory not missing any/many games. Played Fyvie up top last week which shows the lack of trust in Ola, Leighton and Leitch.  Those 3 aren't good enough IMO although we have only seen Ola for a few minutes.

Edited February 25, 2022 by CoveRangers1922

[SLClyde]

Has there been anything said around Cove about Shay Logan’s racism claim at broadwood? Haven’t heard a thing since the day of the game. 

[CoveRangers1922]

52 minutes ago, SLClyde said:

Has there been anything said around Cove about Shay Logan’s racism claim at broadwood? Haven’t heard a thing since the day of the game. 

I haven't heard anything about the claim in the media since the days after the game and nothing from fans around Balmoral.

[CoveRangers1922]

I was going to wait until the season ends to give my analysis on our squad but with only 9 games left and watching nearly every game in person this season I thought I'd give my review, and thoughts on how I see each of them figuring next season.

Age of each player at the start of 2022/2023 season is noted partly so show that we're an experienced or aging side, whichever way you want to look at it. For me edging on the latter and we need an injection of youth/mid-career player with pace. Being part time, L1 and geographically challenged we've got a limited pool to chose from and have opted for players nearing the end of career.

 

McKenzie (34) - Solid and assured keeper with good distribution, doesn't make many mistakes or lose us points (aside from the Semi-final playoff 2nd leg last season in the 94th minute). Was wrongly dropped for Gourlay the first 10 games of the season. Would be happy to see him be first choice next year. Needs more competition from 2nd choice keeper. I'd love to see us go for a Dabrowski or similar.

Harry Milne (25) - A high quality LWB, strong in the challenge, great pace and delivery. Can easily make the step up to the Championship and quite probably beyond that. We definitely need to hold onto Harry during the summer, a few will be looking at him I'm sure.

Arguably the most consistent and best performer of the season.

Mark Reynolds (35) - Vastly experienced, still got some pace, positionally competent and reads the game well. Good addition for L1 and should be able to play some part for us next season, whether in Championship or L1. 1 year left on contract and near the end of his playing days.

Downside is he's prone to hoofing it when under a bit of pressure.

Morgyn Neill (26)  - Wins nearly everything in the air, will header away boulders all day long BUT anyone with any kind of pace leaves him for dust (at times). He's therefore prone to lunges or cynical / last ditch tackles which doesn't always work out. He's played a big part in the huge number of clean sheets we've had this season but for me L1 is getting close to his limit. I think he could play a part for us next season if we go up but would be looking for a more established proven CB. His lack of pace at a higher level, lack of composure on the ball and generally poor distribution could be costly. Substitute mostly likely if we go up.

Ryan Strachan (32) - Solid defender who gives everything, has good distribution and looks comfortable with the ball at his feet. Not the quickest or the tallest it must be said. He's been plagued with ACL injuries this season and missed many a game. Competent for the Championship; could be a regular if fully fit or more of a squad player.

Scott Ross (31) - Strong tackling defender with pace and good in the air. Can play RB and right centre half. Been played at RWB in Shay's absence and isn't completely comfortable there it must be said. See him playing regularly for us regardless if we go up or stay in L1.

Shay Logan (34) -  Great signing for us. Could easily be excelling in the Championship or playing for a team in the SPL. Getting on a bit in age but looks fit, still got very good pace and gets up and down the wing effortlessly. Good delivery. Only negative is the amount of games he's missed. Rarely strung 3 games together and missed 6 straight weeks in Jan into March.

Connor Scully (29) - Played a variety of positions this season. Defensively sound, shows real passion and never shrugs out of a challenge. Decent passer of the ball too. Goals and assists not his thing it must be said. He's a keep and can do a job for us regardless of what league we find our self in. Won't get many CM starts under PH.

Iain Vigurs (33) - PH golden child. Never misses a game or ever gets subbed.

For me, he's a solid acquisition for league 1 and when we dominate the ball his composure and passing is a strong point. He's got some physical presence and leadership but he's got a lot of attributes I don't like. Off the ball doesn't do enough for me, he walks a lot of the game, doesn't or can't track back and rarely gets too far forward, in fact sits really deep. He's prone to turning into danger and giving it away to cheaply. Expected a few more assists from him it must be said.

We need more energy in the CM role and more box-to-box or creative  midfielders a la Blair Yule, Kyle Turner, Scott Brown, Declan Glass, Dylan Easton etc.  

Fraser Fyvie (29) - Does all the good things Vigurs can do plus much more. Guaranteed starter for me. He's got some goals in him and can create something in the final third but also can be the composed CM who recycles the ball. Could play Championship without an issue.

Blair Yule (29 just) - Our best CM. Energy, pace, box-to-box, strong defensively, composed. Would easily fit in playing a league above. Downside is the lack of goals. Play him centrally and not out right, which he can do, then you get the most from Blair. Regular next season.

Jamie Masson (29) - Fear L1 is his limit. Not been a regular for us his season which is partly due to formation and since the injury he picked up Ibrox hasn't really looked the same player to me. Think he might be a squad player next season at most.

I would put him on loan to get him game time. Perhaps Peterhead might take him even though he's fae the Broch? If Fraserburgh go up to L2 he could go there.

Mitch Megginson (30) - Proven and prolific goalscorer and club captain. I'd say shots per goal ratio this year is slightly more than previous years. He would have got about 6 more goals but gave up penalty taking duties to Rory. Got 8 assists in 25 league games he's played. Easily a Championship level player. A few people might say he's not proven at that level but I have no worries he wouldn't bang them in. Downside is needs a target man playing next to him as he's not going to win any aerial duels.

Rory McAllister (35) - Fantastic season from Rory. Target man, can score all types of goals, difficult to defend, holds the ball up and has a great partnership and understanding with Mitch. Sadly for us he's in the very late stages of his career. 1 more left on his contract. Clearly not the fastest but doesn't need to be and does tire towards the latter stages of the game but even then he'll get late goals. Predator in the box.

 

Kyle Gourlay, Leighton McIntosh, Robbie Leitch, Jevan Anderson, Ross Draper - Not top end L1 quality let alone Championship quality, probably polite saying that.

Hartley - Gets us out of L1 this season, whether automatically or via the playoffs, you've got to say that's a great achievement. Would be 2 promotions in 3 seasons for him and HL to Championship in 4 seasons which is a big rise.

How much further can he take us...That's a big question and will rely on whether/when we go full time, budget he gets given etc.

My worry is his recruitment.

Not all signings are going to be a success, you will get a fair few that it doesn't work out for a variety of reasons but if we're remaining part time and do go up we're fishing in a much smaller pool of players than others in the league and factor in our location we're constrained perhaps a bit more. Do have financial backing it must be said.

Failed Signings: Draper, Leitch, Seb Ross, Dan Higgins, Kyle Gourlay, Broque Watson, Jamie Semple, Tom Leighton, Finn Robertson, Kevin Hanratty, Leighton McIntosh, Ola Adeyemo (partly as not played)

Successful Signings:  Logan, McAllister, Fyvie, Reynolds?, Vigurs, Glass, Canto, Graham. 

First 5 there, especially the first 4 signed partly due to being Aberdeen based with jobs in the city. Yes you still need to persuade. Last 3 were short term loans.

 

The squad is aging a bit, although not over the hill and the fact that we'd be competing at a higher level if we go up would mean that the recruitment would need to be very on point with much less failures. Our squad needs strength in depth too

Potential starting lineup next season

            McKenzie

     Ross-NEW-RS/MR/NEW

Logan                                 Milne

            Yule-Fyvie-NEW

            Mitch-Rory/NEW

A worry I have is that he persists with Vigurs and we don't have that athletism/speed/energy in CM with and without the ball. Need to transition at speed and need everyone tracking runners when not in possession.

A few Cove fans will disagree with me about Vigurs, Neill and Masson but generally I think the above echoes what many think. @JamesMunro thoughts?

Edited March 2, 2022 by CoveRangers1922

[ALOREBURNE]

Did you guys have a programme for last nights game? 

[CoveRangers1922]

4 minutes ago, ALOREBURNE said:

Did you guys have a programme for last nights game? 

Our programmes are online only at the moment. Can be found here. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/121685101230459/permalink/5054945394571047/

[ALOREBURNE]

28 minutes ago, CoveRangers1922 said:

Our programmes are online only at the moment. Can be found here. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/121685101230459/permalink/5054945394571047/

Thanks. How long has this been a thing? I managed to get a copy of a programme from when we played you in November on eBay.  

[ALOREBURNE]

8 hours ago, CoveRangers1922 said:

Our programmes are online only at the moment. Can be found here. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/121685101230459/permalink/5054945394571047/

A few just been listed on eBay. Seems someone is printing them. 

[CoveRangers1922]

11 minutes ago, ALOREBURNE said:

A few just been listed on eBay. Seems someone is printing them. 

Well found! I was under the impression it was all online until further notice but clearly someone keeping the printed copies alive which is great to see 

[IR1970]

Rumours Harry Milne has signed a pre contract with Thistle. Was very impressed with him last season.

[CoveRangers1922]

8 hours ago, IR1970 said:

Rumours Harry Milne has signed a pre contract with Thistle. Was very impressed with him last season.

Source?

He is outstanding. Pace, power, extremely strong in the challenge and got fantastic delivery. Good in the air too. 

I know Harry's sister and brother-in-law very well, however, they wouldn't tell me information they shouldn't and even if they did I wouldn't say anything publicly out of respect.

I'd be incredibly shocked if Harry is moving from Cove. FT football or even chasing money is not at the top of his agenda. He's got a degree and keen to use it, loves playing for Cove and is settled. If he did move it would be for another reason.

 

[IR1970]

15 hours ago, CoveRangers1922 said:

Source?

He is outstanding. Pace, power, extremely strong in the challenge and got fantastic delivery. Good in the air too. 

I know Harry's sister and brother-in-law very well, however, they wouldn't tell me information they shouldn't and even if they did I wouldn't say anything publicly out of respect.

I'd be incredibly shocked if Harry is moving from Cove. FT football or even chasing money is not at the top of his agenda. He's got a degree and keen to use it, loves playing for Cove and is settled. If he did move it would be for another reason.

 

No problems was posted on one of the Thistle sites and i think McCall mentioned about a pre contract with a division 1 club that would a big coup for us.

[CoveRangers1922]

Cove players out of contract this summer as it stands;

Harry Milne

Ryan Strachan

Jamie Masson

Leighton McIntosh

Ola Adeyemo

The bottom 3 I doubt might not see a new contract, especially if we go up.

It's time to let Leighton move on. Wonder if any L1 clubs would take him?

Ola hasn't had enough game time but doubt he's Championship quality. Will he stay in Scotland or return to lower tiers of England or back to Ireland.

Jamie has served us well but this season he's not been good enough when he's got minutes. Think he'd stay in the NE if moves on from us. Peterhead potentially or his home town club Fraserburgh (only if they come up to SPFL which looks unlikely with BRR)

Ryan Strachan - we need him back fit. Been out for so much of the season with ACL issues. 

Harry is simply outstanding, arguably our best player. We need to sign him up but in the P&J this week there is talk of SPL clubs showing interest in him. IF we lose him, we need to find a competent replacement. Scully, as good as he is, doesn't have the height, strength and offensive side of the game. He's a DCM so hardly fair expecting him to play LB/LWB.

Jevan Anderson signed a 1 year contract with possible further year extension. He will surely move on this summer. L2 about his level currently.

If all the above go (hopefully not that case) I make it we have 15 players left including Ross Draper who has 2 more years left. HL is his level let's be fair. Hopefully he retires / we let him go.

This summer we need PH recruitment to be spot. Regardless of what league we'll be in, looks like we'll be PT with hybrid the year after if all goes to plan.

Edited March 10, 2022 by CoveRangers1922

[Ludo*1]

Any reason why Hartley was at the Dundee game the other night other than just looking at one of his opponents for next season? He's recently been talking about wanting to return to F football (are you guys planning on that?) and talking Strachan up quite heavily on the Open Goal podcast. I'm clearly putting 2 + 2 and getting 27 but the light of hope has been lit!