Clyde FC; Season 2022-23

[Vegetableman]

https://twitter.com/Record_Sport/status/1660684239103246336/photo/1

[Bob731]

Even three days after what happened, you can already feel nothing is moving at all. If they have been planning in recent weeks, then we would have heard of a definite response on the Saturday and a concert plan to get things moving….it’s dire, and lots of business getting done in other clubs while we wait. 

[Bully Wee Clyde FC]

1 hour ago, RutherGlen said:

Can anyone explain to me why they think the board see Jim Duffy as the best option here? If it's for reasons of  "continuity" can I therefore conclude the board wish to see us continue to fail both on and off the park?

I guess it's about isolating the variables.  If we have no manager, who does the recruitment.  If you ask Duff to recruit, any new manager has the excuse "it's not my squad"  if we wait for a new guys, we'll be left with the feckin dregs (again).  

Never been great about forward planning, us lot.

[RutherGlen]

5 minutes ago, Bully Wee Clyde FC said:

I guess it's about isolating the variables.  If we have no manager, who does the recruitment.  If you ask Duff to recruit, any new manager has the excuse "it's not my squad"  if we wait for a new guys, we'll be left with the feckin dregs (again).  

Never been great about forward planning, us lot.

This is why the board need to act NOW, advertise the manager vacancy and give it a week tops to start the interview process. That should result in a new manager in around two weeks' time.

Not ideal but I'd much rather sacrifice a week or two for this crucial role than just trudge on with Duffy in order to give him an extra couple of weeks of summer transfer window to make even more poor signings. 

[The 55]

X

 

[ScottR96]

McGeever off to Dubai. 
 

https://dumbartonfootballclub.com/club-captain-moves-on/

[RutherGlen]

22 minutes ago, ScottR96 said:

McGeever off to Dubai. 
 

https://dumbartonfootballclub.com/club-captain-moves-on/

Maybe we could relocate to the UAE? I wonder if one of the sheikhs would be up for investing in the Bully....

[Walk Glasgow]

Given that JD was only contracted to the end of the season anyway the board should have been looking at permanent replacement options as soon as we knew 9th place was the best we could hope for. That way we would hopefully already have had the ball rolling on recruitment for next season.  

A core of GOOD captures from the junior ranks might not bust the meagre budget; they wouldn't be any worse than we have at present and we would maybe have room for a couple of decent Div 1 journeymen too...plus the few guys we can't offload due to contracts.

If the above sounds like a wild gamble then consider this: Would the present squad of misfits be able to see off Darvel, Pollok, Auchinleck or indeed failed trialists for the Clyde Women's team?

As things stand, it seems we are going to have to settle for the "best bad option."

[Ocelot1877]

The better players in the west of Scotland league are already signed with teams and I think you would be suprised how much they are on. 
 

The other option we will face is that those player can play for a Clyde team that will be god knows where in the table, potentially playing Duffyball in league 2 vs playing for a big WOSL team in front of big crowds, making good money challenging for trophies. 
 

Josh Fowler at Beith is a player I would be interested in but realistically we won’t be anywhere near being able to get him, Beith just won their league and I’d imagine he would have better offers. Del Epslin at Pollok another I’d be interested in but Darvel had a 5 figure sum for him turned down. 
 

The days of being able to raid the WOSL is over, the gap is smaller than when we done it in the 90s. Also unfortunately I don’t think the chance to play for Clyde is all that attractive anymore

We would also need to have the staff who can identify these players and know the leagues, we don’t have that unless we bring in a manager from that level. The irony is that we had Joe Bevan from Albion Rovers in our Glasgow Cup squad last year and Lennon didn’t sign him and he’s exactly the sort of player we should have been signing. 

Edited May 22, 2023 by Ocelot1877

[Brian Carrigan]

11 minutes ago, Ocelot1877 said:

Del Epslin at Pollok another I’d be interested in but Darvel had a 5 figure sum for him turned down. 

Great player but just signed for Johnstone Burgh along with Graham Dorrans. Just shows you what we’re competing with. 

[Ocelot1877]

6 minutes ago, Brian Carrigan said:

Great player but just signed for Johnstone Burgh along with Graham Dorrans. Just shows you what we’re competing with. 

Hadn’t realised Del had moved on from Pollok. Iv heard a lot of rumours surrounding Johnstone Burgh, seems they have a big investor from America who was originally from the area or a family member from the area? 
 

Heard all sorts of names getting linked with them. Scott Allan and Robert Snodgrass amongst them. Probably pie in the sky stuff

[Clyde01]

Surely worth contacting the club and telling them if Duffy stays they can ram it. If enough fans do this they will need to act. He should have been emptied and the job advertised by now. Duffy will drag his heels on signings anyway (has previous for doing so), be as well appointing someone new even if it means waiting a few weeks for signings.

[RutherGlen]

11 minutes ago, Clyde01 said:

Surely worth contacting the club and telling them if Duffy stays they can ram it. If enough fans do this they will need to act. He should have been emptied and the job advertised by now. Duffy will drag his heels on signings anyway (has previous for doing so), be as well appointing someone new even if it means waiting a few weeks for signings.

All for this but not sure I agree with the part about them seeing it as a "need to act" scenario. I suspect a "sorry but we know best" approach to be the more likely outcome. Still, wouldn't hurt to start an online petition or encourage all Clyde fans to send a "fans' resignation" letter to the Chairman if Duffy is to remain.

How many are realistically going to buy a season ticket or even attend the odd match with Duffy managing the team? Record lowest attendances in our history here we come!

[Walk Glasgow]

1 hour ago, Ocelot1877 said:

The better players in the west of Scotland league are already signed with teams and I think you would be suprised how much they are on. 
 

The other option we will face is that those player can play for a Clyde team that will be god knows where in the table, potentially playing Duffyball in league 2 vs playing for a big WOSL team in front of big crowds, making good money challenging for trophies. 
 

Josh Fowler at Beith is a player I would be interested in but realistically we won’t be anywhere near being able to get him, Beith just won their league and I’d imagine he would have better offers. Del Epslin at Pollok another I’d be interested in but Darvel had a 5 figure sum for him turned down. 
 

The days of being able to raid the WOSL is over, the gap is smaller than when we done it in the 90s. Also unfortunately I don’t think the chance to play for Clyde is all that attractive anymore

We would also need to have the staff who can identify these players and know the leagues, we don’t have that unless we bring in a manager from that level. The irony is that we had Joe Bevan from Albion Rovers in our Glasgow Cup squad last year and Lennon didn’t sign him and he’s exactly the sort of player we should have been signing. 

I did say GOOD juniors as of course we can't compete with the clubs chasing the top guys.

However there are plenty of good players there and part-timers at the bulk of junior sides will almost certainly not earn more than our guys. Nor are most of them playing in front of big crowds and surely the Div 2 champions medal is a better prize than a junior league gong (not to mention better rewards for promotion and cup appearance possibility vs our big guns and recognition accordingly.)

Of course we won't get promotion with the current squad but we surely won't have most of them or face the same quality as the season just completed.

Unless the club are planning to fold they are not stupid enough to think they can sell season tickets with the same or worse dross than this season. In which case I will believe that they do have a viable strategy until it is clear that they don't.  We will know soon enough.

[FREDDYFRY]

The danger of course in signing these players is that can they make the “jump”? Remember guys like Rodden for example were in LL team of the year was he not?

Simply not as simple as going out and signing so called top ‘junior’ players, apart from the fact Juniors don’t exist anymore (but I know what folk mean). I assume the likes of Scullion was also considered a decent player at below L2 level when he was signed. 
We can’t afford the risk again to be in the position of blowing a budget that Lennon did last 2 years. We need to be confident that at least 7-8 of the players can compete even at L2 level. Then take a chance on other untried players. 

[Johnny Worm]

The thing is - nobody cares - we must be one of the most apathetic fan bases out. We’ll be making all these exact same criticisms at the end of next season when we are in the LL/HL play off

[Brian Carrigan]

1 hour ago, FREDDYFRY said:

The danger of course in signing these players is that can they make the “jump”?

The problem is, there’s no exact science to it.

The aforementioned Joe Bevan was very good for Camelon, came to us on trial but was passed over. He then signs for the Rovers and scores 9 goals in 17 games for a team that got relegated and as a consequence probably gets another team in L2. Scott Williamson and Jack Healy looked good for QP after coming straight from Camby and Arthurlie.

You then have Will Sewell who scored barrel loads for Largs, proper 40 goals a season stuff. He signs for Stenny and turned out to be poor. Same with Danny Burns at Stirling. And of course, Rodden. It’s an absolute lottery.

We do have an intensely terrible recent hit rate with bringing players from the juniors/LL though. Statistically we should have had one decent boy in the past decade but I honestly can’t think of one recent success. 

[SouthLanarkshireWhite]

1 hour ago, Johnny Worm said:

The thing is - nobody cares - we must be one of the most apathetic fan bases out. We’ll be making all these exact same criticisms at the end of next season when we are in the LL/HL play off

Recent events have me beyond apathy. I did not even bother travelling 10 miles for the game on Friday as the outcome was all too predictable.

I would go as far as to say that if Crownpoint does not come to fruition with the potential growth that may offer, then for me we should hold our hands up and resign from the league before we ruin the club's name & history any further.

No doubt an unpopular thought but that's where I am....

[CM.]

11 hours ago, Ocelot1877 said:

The days of being able to raid the WOSL is over, the gap is smaller than when we done it in the 90s. Also unfortunately I don’t think the chance to play for Clyde is all that attractive anymore

We would also need to have the staff who can identify these players and know the leagues, we don’t have that unless we bring in a manager from that level. The irony is that we had Joe Bevan from Albion Rovers in our Glasgow Cup squad last year and Lennon didn’t sign him and he’s exactly the sort of player we should have been signing. 

The part about the gap being smaller is something I've thought about since we lost to Clydebank in the cup. No denying that was a terrible result but maybe not as big a surprise as some folk (including me) made out. 

That sums Lennon up in a nutshell considering some of the garbage strikers he did sign. 

[Ocelot1877]

33 minutes ago, Brian Carrigan said:

The problem is, there’s no exact science to it.

The aforementioned Joe Bevan was very good for Camelon, came to us on trial but was passed over. He then signs for the Rovers and scores 9 goals in 17 games for a team that got relegated and as a consequence probably gets another team in L2. Scott Williamson and Jack Healy looked good for QP after coming straight from Camby and Arthurlie.

You then have Will Sewell who scored barrel loads for Largs, proper 40 goals a season stuff. He signs for Stenny and turned out to be poor. Same with Danny Burns at Stirling. And of course, Rodden. It’s an absolute lottery.

We do have an intensely terrible recent hit rate with bringing players from the juniors/LL though. Statistically we should have had one decent boy in the past decade but I honestly can’t think of one recent success. 

This is a pretty spot on post.
 

Think you really need to look at the players and identify what it is you are looking for out them. QP have the benefit of a B team, being full time  and a bit of cash so the gamble on Healy and Williamson whilst having worked out for them so far they weren’t loooking to fill their first team or look for starters. For us we are looking for players to start or be in our first team, so we need to find guys that are physically able to play against other league 2 players, so we should be looking at height, strength, pace alongside their actual ability or potential. That’s the biggest jump I feel the physicality and athletic difference. Lyon looked great when at BSC but struggled when moved up again. 
 

Our recent players who have came in from that level- Cameron, Rodden, Scullion all look really really small on the park which is fine but none of them barring maybe scullion later on down the line had the strength to play at league  1 level. Cameron and Rodden were brushed aside, Rodden looked really really out his depth. 
 

Then as you say it isn’t an exact science you could pick up someone who ticks all the boxes and it all goes south. I think our last good pick up from that level was maybe Ross McMillan? Stefan McCluskey ?