palmy_cammy

The fact the club have appointed “an outsider” in many ways feels more important than the person they have appointed. Bartley being a well spoken, well thought of coach with a lot of promise almost feels like a bonus. I was fully expecting either Murray or McIntyre to land the job given the board’s previous. As with all appointments there is plenty of scope for it to go pear shaped, but it feels like an exciting appointment and excitement is not an emotion Queens fans have felt for several years now.

Gibson should never have been given the job in the first place. By all accounts he was doing very well in his role as reserve manager, and was clearly a standout player at Championship level something you would expect to have continued a league down. He also did absolutely nothing in his spell at the end of last season to suggest he was the man for the job. So once again the negligence of the board to carry out a proper recruitment process has cost the club dearly. Except on this occasion they have lost a manager, reserve manager and arguably the club's best player in one foul swoop. They have been saved to a degree by Gibson's own idiotic actions in the "incident". They had no choice but to cut all ties when that story broke and for once have acted correctly and swiftly. They absolutely have to get the next appointment right, but I doubt anyone that has followed the club in recent times has any confidence in them doing this. If the inevitable happens and they appoint Murray it will confirm that they have lost all interest in running the club and are coasting along with no direction at all.

Fans favourite Calum Antell was said ‘keeper.

I'm not sure it is patience. It is more that the fanbase have been conditioned to believe and accept that the club is a two bit operation with very low expectations so now that the prophecy is being fulfilled there is very little resistance against it.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63124826 "So, if he can just work on those basic [defensive] things and get consistency, we won't just have one of the best attacking right-backs this country has ever produced, we will probably have the best right-back the world has ever produced." I like Gary Neville but that has to be some of the most hyperbolic nonsense that has ever been written. I know the English overhyping their players isn't exactly a new thing, but there is generally at least a bit of basis to their argument. The fawning over "Trent" is on a new level to anything I've seen before, and is hugely out of proportion to his actual ability. It's almost as if they made these wild claims about him when he was breaking through, and are willing it to be true by doubling down on them now despite there being no evidence to support the claims. None of it makes any sense to me and I actually feel sorry for him.

Gibson has supposedly been told by the board that he isn't to play himself so that he can concentrate on managing the team.

The board really don’t like holding interviews do they?

Granted not their most heinous crime of late, but I think it's at best a bit of a brass neck, at worst pretty damn offensive of the club to expect fans to fork out for a commemorative shirt given the current financial climate and general catastrofuck of the past few years. The fact the top is a complete shocker doesn't help. Hats off to them for continuing to find new ways of showing their complete disdain for the supporters though, it is quite a talent.

Depends on your definition of great person I guess, but he did run towards a burning helicopter to try and save the people on board, and comforted Christian Eriksen's wife in the aftermath of his collapse. Plus the clip above where he put the English press in their place. I think that at least qualifies him as a decent guy.

If it is anyone other than Gibson I will be very surprised. The club have a long history of promoting from within. Interestingly, he would be taking over in almost identical circumstances to when Johnston was appointed first time round something I'm sure the board have considered. It worked out well in the end despite relegation but I'm not sure lightning will strike twice. He doesn't have the same pool of young talent coming through that Johnston had and escaping L1 is a far greater task than it was back then. He is probably worth a punt though, certainly if his interim spell shows promise. The biggest challenge to appointing Gibson is that he will also need help. I'm not sure it is viable to expect him to be manager, captain, key player and reserve manager.

This is a shame to read. His playing style reminded me of Jamie Adams. I hope he doesn't end up with a similar injury-curtailed career.

I wonder if he could be the key to turning things around? Of course he was far from flawless as Chairman himself, but he is endlessly positive and never shy of doing an interview or media appearance. Those two things alone would be a massive improvement on the current regime, plus his connection with the Scottish Cup final era might be enough to rekindle a bit of love for those that have lost it in recent times. I have absolutely no idea how viable that would be, a) because of his age and b) because I have absolutely zero understanding of how a board is formed or a chairman is elected. I'm probably clutching at straws but it just seems incredibly unlikely that any outside investment is going to come into the club so perhaps the best chance of shaking things up comes from someone already inside the club? I doubt a completely clean break with all of the current board leaving is viable or even sensible however much it feels like something we all want to happen. But Davie Rae as the figure head replacing the universally disliked Hewitson would be a start even if the latter was still involved. Perhaps with a longer term goal of these guys moving on and being replaced by some "fresh blood" and a proper succession plan for replacing Rae. I was one of those that was against the idea, and I think my main reasons for it still ring true. Again I'm perhaps showing my naivety as to how a board is formed and what their purpose is, but to me the role of supporters and the role of board members are very different and there isn't a lot of overlap. It goes without saying that the relationship between the board and the fans is absolutely vital and at present is probably the biggest danger to the clubs very existence, but I'm not sure putting fans on the board is the solution to this. There are countless ways for a football club to engage with its supporters without electing them to the board. Unfortunately the club chooses not to do any of them.

I think I somehow missed all of Antell's infamous howlers, that or I have erased them from memory. Either way I just felt sympathy for him more than anything. It's horrible watching a youngster so clearly out of their depth visibly crumbling in front of your eyes. Particularly as a goalkeeper where there is nowhere to hide. He still merits a place on this list though. Alan Martin was a fat immobile mess and one of the biggest disappointments in recent times having arrived by Queens standards with a big reputation. I had a genuine hatred for him towards the end. I'm surprised no-one has mentioned Ross Stewart yet, he was laughably bad. It genuinely felt like anything on target was a goal when we had the misfortune of that clown. I know we were shafted a bit by Rangers recalling McCrorie then loaning him to Livi but we effectively lost Livi's first choice 'keeper and replaced him with their third choice. Another Johnston masterstroke. Zander Clark and the aforementioned McCrorie stand out a mile for me as far as good goalies are concerned. Jamie MacDonald was good and has gone on to have a successful career but didn't have the presence of the other too. Clark looks to me the most likely to step up for Scotland once Craig Gordon calls it a day, and McCrorie should be knocking on the door as well assuming he doesn't damage his career too much on the Ibrox bench. Ludovic Roy deserves a special mention in the "what could have been category". He only played a handful of games before picking up an injury but if he'd kept up the standard of those games for a prolonged period he would have been one of our best ever.

Malaise is the word. We have a shit pitch, a shit manager, a ground falling into disrepair, and a board who show complete contempt for their fanbase. There appears to be no ambition, no forward planning, and certainly no enjoyment. The regime running the club are like a tory government, constantly making cuts for no obvious gain. I doubt there are another set of fans as downtrodden as ours who seem conditioned to accept any old shit because "what else can we expect on our budget". The way our survival was "celebrated" last season just made me incredibly sad of what has become of the club. It used to be a laughing matter on here that our ambitions at the start of every season were to make the playoffs thus writing off any title push before a ball was kicked (realistic but hardly enticing to the floating fans). This ambition has changed to simply surviving so quickly no-one even noticed. Everyone who follows Queens accepts that there are limitations but every club in the world is running with a smaller budget than they would like, and most manage to get by. I'm not suggesting a Gretna style splurge, but previous regimes have not had the luxury of the Arena and other incomes streams, not to mention a record transfer fee, yet they still managed to put out a competitive team most of the time. This defeatist attitude is only going to take the club in one direction, and it could be years until they recover. It is all very sad.

Any idea what the home record is under Johnston? I’d be intrigued to see it over a longer period as well as I’m sure it was also fairly wretched under Naysmith.

The same pish every single summer that leads to the same pish every single season. Now that is incredibly tiresome.

I think the ability to get games going ahead is being underplayed a little here. Am I not right in saying a major contributory factor in the buckets coming out for the Save our South campaign was a dreadful run of weather where we went weeks without a home game and suffered cashflow issues as a result? Obviously you can ask questions about the bigger issue of why a few weeks without income had us on the brink, but I think there are several clear benefits to having games going ahead on a Saturday afternoon when they are meant to. I know plastic pitches aren't infallible to adverse weather, as people seem to take great enjoyment in pointing out when an astro pitch has a postponement, but I'm sure the stats would support that we have a far lower number of postponements since moving to plastic. I don't have a problem with us having an artificial surface at all, but I do have an issue with how terrible ours appears to be. It really needs to be third time lucky when the pitch does get re-laid, and hopefully lessons have been learned on how to maintain it.

I don't think there is a huge clamour for Goss to start games. There is, or at least should be, a huge clamour for Johnston to start using substitutions more effectively though. The conversation about Goss only really cropped up after he was brought on with minutes to play against Alloa, a crucial game in which we were losing 2-1 from around the hour mark. Absolutely ridiculous. Goss managed to get himself on the scoresheet against Raith after coming on with 10 minutes to play. Granted the circumstances were different with Raith chasing the game on that occasion. But it shows he has a goal in him if given the opportunity. Fast forward a week and we are fighting tooth and nail to hold on to an impressive victory against the runaway leaders. Does he make some changes to take the sting out of the game and slow things down, you know like every manager in the world would do? Nah lets wait until after the equaliser then make a couple of changes that are going to have zero effect on proceedings.

Exhibit A

It's an almost impossible question for me to answer as there will have been so many over the years, plus my memory is shocking. But a couple of great goals that sprung to mind initially. I can't place the Derek Lyle goal people are talking about, but the one it brought to mind was his goal against Falkirk during the infamous week we beat Hibs, Rangers then Falkirk on our way to the playoffs. An exquisite finish. I'm not even sure I witnessed Willie McLaren's solo goal in the flesh as I can't remember any of the details or even the opponent. I've seen the video though, and it surely has to go down as one of the finest at Palmerston. Certainly in the "solo goal" sub-category of great goals. It is maybe one of those moments that has been glamourised in my head over the years as I don't think I've seen it again aside from seeing it live, but I remember thinking Colin McMenamin's consolation strike in the game we were unceremoniously dumped out of the Scottish Cup by Brechin was as good a strike as you will see, and that it was a real shame the result and performance would over shadow it. It would be no exaggeration to say Dobbie could have a top 50 all on his own. Every goal of his is a thing of beauty, I don't think he has ever scored an "ugly goal". Opposition goals are even harder to pick as I quickly try and erase them from memory. The only one that springs to mind is a Tony Andreu goal in the 3-2 Challenge Cup defeat in which we were 3-0 down to Dundee Utd at half time. It probably won't be that memorable for other people I think I just had the perfect vantage point to appreciate it. He caught the ball perfectly and I was directly behind it's path as it arrowed into the top corner. Great technique.

My understanding is that there is nothing legally binding about a pre-contract agreement and that Livi had been burned before by players signing PCAs then changing their mind. Hence their keenness to do the deal in January. It was a smart move by both clubs really. Obviously only the two clubs know the nitty gritty details of the transfer but from what has been said - Livi got their man without paying an upfront fee (or perhaps they paid a "nominal fee"), instead they gave us a sell on clause and loaned him back for 6 months, and the loan meant we got to keep Dykes for as long as we were likely to anyway. He then moved to QPR and both clubs earned record transfer fees.

I can't say I agree with that in the slightest. Given our performances in the league the past few season, I'd take any excuse to concentrate on something other than the league. I love the Scottish Cup and no matter the circumstances I want us to progress as far as possible. Especially as we never progress very far. What's the script with TV games for this round? I suppose it's fair to assume both Celtic and Rangers will be shown. If there is a third tie then we could be in with a shout. Hibs and Jack Ross seem to be golden boys in the media this season, there is a ready written narrative for them with anything to do with Hibs and the Scottish Cup, plus they love to bang on about Palmerston being a "proper old school stadium" which would be the perfect venue for "the romance of the cup".