Dunfermline's Next Permanent Manager

[Guest Axle Grease]

The 55-year-old was formally interviewed by East End Park chiefs for a second time this week and impressed sufficiently to emerge as the standout candidate.

Subsequent contract talks went without a hitch and Grant, who boasts coaching experience with the likes of Celtic, West Ham and West Bromwich Albion, will boss the Pars next term.

 © SNS Group

Chosen one: Grant

The ex-Norwich City manager left Alloa Athletic at the end of the 2020/21 campaign after suffering relegation from the Championship, nevertheless the Pars hierarchy were impressed by the Wasps’ playing style and Grant’s philosophy on the game.

Grant was also strongly linked with a return to Parkhead to be part of Eddie Howe’s backroom staff but the lure of chasing promotion with Dunfermline proved too strong to turn down.

Grant’s appointment comes despite the likes of Stewart Petrie, Neil McCann and Kevin Rutkiewicz being linked to the role.

He is expected to work within a reshaped management structure, with Pars chairman Ross McArthur having recently undertaken a strategic review of how the club can progress next term.

 © SNS Group

East End Park

More input will also be forthcoming from Dunfermline’s German investors, DAFC Fussball GmbH, who already own a 30% stake in the club and will increase that to a majority holding of 75.1% over the next 12 months.

Grant will be charged with guiding the development on the pitch and improving on last season’s fourth place finish in the Championship, ideally mounting a concerted title challenge.

The managerial position was vacant after Crawford stepped down earlier this month, candidly confessing to a sense of burnout following a gruelling 28 months at the helm

[Guest Axle Grease]

Head coach, not manager.

Interesting and given the obvious German influence we just might be witnessing fairly radical (in Scottish terms) changes in how the footballing side is managed and developed. 

This just might be the catalyst for a new era for us. See what Ross McArthur says tomorrow when they unveil Grant. 

[Cardle is Magic]

7 minutes ago, Axle Grease said:

Head coach, not manager.

Interesting and given the obvious German influence we just might be witnessing fairly radical (in Scottish terms) changes in how the footballing side is managed and developed. 

This just might be the catalyst for a new era for us. See what Ross McArthur says tomorrow when they unveil Grant. 

You do realise the newspaper reports are just PR fluff they’ve been given by the club, agents, perhaps even Grant himself?

[Cardle is Magic]

38 minutes ago, Fifespud said:

Genuinely I think this could be a very good appointment.
Bags of experience, contacts, plays good football.
Good luck my fellow Fifers.

He has absolutely zero success as a manager and his “good football” resulted in him sticking to his preferred style despite Alloa sinking like a brick.

[Chubbychops]

Think we will hear much more about how the German guys are going to influence our future tomorrow. Much bigger things going on than just a like for like manager swap here.

[Otis Blue]

2 minutes ago, Chubbychops said:

Think we will hear much more about how the German guys are going to influence our future tomorrow.......

Gegenpressing incoming from the Pars next season then? 

[Guest Axle Grease]

4 minutes ago, Cardle is Magic said:

You do realise the newspaper reports are just PR fluff they’ve been given by the club, agents, perhaps even Grant himself?

I do realise that something different is being tried. Wait and see what the clubs view is on this appointment. 

You do realise that the German consortium will start to influence how we're managed, or more appropriately how we've been managed. 

[Guest Axle Grease]

6 minutes ago, Cardle is Magic said:

He has absolutely zero success as a manager and his “good football” resulted in him sticking to his preferred style despite Alloa sinking like a brick.

Coach, not manager. 

[Guest Axle Grease]

3 hours ago, Raith_Raver said:

Naw, it's natural for me to sniff around middens

Well f**k off up tae yir maws then and leave us alone. 

[Chubbychops]

2 minutes ago, Otis Blue said:

Gegenpressing

That's what Crawford promised 30 months ago. It lasted for the first half of the opening game of the 19/20 season.  

The German influence will be more club structure than footballing philosophy.

In terms of on the park, we will have to shitfest it like every other championship club. Hopefully a good bit better than last season.

 

[Derry Alli]

57 minutes ago, Kelheart said:

Think we’ve got Kevin Thomson 

Just got yourself a new fan, too.

[Cardle is Magic]

1 hour ago, Axle Grease said:

I do realise that something different is being tried. Wait and see what the clubs view is on this appointment. 

You do realise that the German consortium will start to influence how we're managed, or more appropriately how we've been managed. 

Stevie Crawford was appointed as Head Coach, not Manager. It was also spun as some big change to the management structure. It meant the square root of f**k all.

 

 

[Cardle is Magic]

This will be presented as some exciting, modern venture. In reality, it’s an uninspiring, hire the first out of work manager you can think of, appointment.

Does that mean we won’t finish Top 4? No, because we all know the standard of this league is appalling and unless Grant is an actual detriment to the team or we make terrible player recruitment decisions, we have some decent players already in the building.

Maybe some fans will be so loyal or so desperate to get back to watching football that we’ll even shift plenty of STs. However I’d be fairly shocked if we’re even close to promotion, which has to be the target.

[Chubbychops]

38 minutes ago, Cardle is Magic said:

Stevie Crawford was appointed as Head Coach, not Manager. It was also spun as some big change to the management structure. It meant the square root of f**k all.

 

 

Fair fucks bud. I didn't realise they worded the last appointment like that. 

Still would rather Grant than Crawford due to the horrible shitebag football for the majority of last season. Would rather land in 4th playing decent stuff than Crawford's coward football.

[Cardle is Magic]

1 minute ago, Chubbychops said:

Fair fucks bud. I didn't realise they worded the last appointment like that. 

Still would rather Grant than Crawford due to the horrible shitebag football for the majority of last season. Would rather land in 4th playing decent stuff than Crawford's coward football.

Having finished 4th, with plenty players signed up already and no Hearts in the league, I’d have been looking for us to aim for a sustained title challenge. 

There’s been seven seasons of Premiership Play Offs and not only has the side that finished 4th not been promoted, they’ve not once even won their first tie. Finishing 4th essentially only means more prize money.

Unless he’s going to suddenly turn us into some free-flowing team that wins most weeks, I can’t see how the style of play makes any difference. I, and many others, was gasping for a new manager that would inspire and get the fans excited. We’re getting Peter Grant.

[Guest Axle Grease]

5 hours ago, Cardle is Magic said:

Stevie Crawford was appointed as Head Coach, not Manager. It was also spun as some big change to the management structure. It meant the square root of f**k all.

 

 

 

[Guest Axle Grease]

6 hours ago, Cardle is Magic said:

This will be presented as some exciting, modern venture. In reality, it’s an uninspiring, hire the first out of work manager you can think of, appointment.

Does that mean we won’t finish Top 4? No, because we all know the standard of this league is appalling and unless Grant is an actual detriment to the team or we make terrible player recruitment decisions, we have some decent players already in the building.

Maybe some fans will be so loyal or so desperate to get back to watching football that we’ll even shift plenty of STs. However I’d be fairly shocked if we’re even close to promotion, which has to be the target.

I agree its pretty uninspiring but given the decisions been made I've personally decided to support the guy.

Why are some of our fans getting so uptight and threatening to withdraw support (as some fans have)? have I missed something here?, has Grant shat in multiple breakfast plates of Pars fans or mugged their Grans, I suspect none of that. 

I also think we will now see the influence of the German gents start to grow. It has too, they've already chucked in a considerable 6 figure sum as equity to demonstrate their commitment. The filmed interviews showed how keen they were to get started once the lockdown eases. I'm really interested to see how this will work. 

As for getting back to games, I'm personally desperate to get back to the games, surely that's what fans want. But it doesn't mean I'd take that situation at any cost, I just prefer to maintain a reasonable perspective and give people employed at the club a chance to do their job. That's only fair in my opinion. 

[Fifespud]

.

I, and many others, was gasping for a new manager that would inspire and get the fans excited.

Who would have inspired you?

[CallumPar]

Arbroath are surely a similar sized club to Alloa and therefore a good comparison.

Since Peter Grant was appointed, Arbroath have conceded the same number of league goals in 2 seasons combined, that Alloa conceded just last season.

Arbroath have played 2 fewer games than Alloa have in that period, but have won 5 more games and lost 5 fewer games. The fact that Alloa have over double the amount of defeats as they have wins (26 defeats, 12 wins) is also concerning. Arbroath have scored fewer goals in both seasons as well, despite several people saying that all Alloa lack is a goal threat.

I hope I’m wrong and I will continue to support the team. But it’s hard to see why the board have gone for someone with such a poor managerial record. His record at Norwich in the championship was awful too. We have tried this ‘well-respected coach’ route before with Crawford and Potter.

[Guest Axle Grease]

Peter Grant has a CV that is pretty impressive given where he's been in the game. He doesn't get gigs because he is a donjo, he is a good coach. We're not in the top league, we're looking to get to the top league. I think Grant can get us there. He's a determined and articulate individual. I'm sick of the wishy washy nice guy pish from former managers.