Francesc Fabregas

Clyde fans have had it far worse than most other supporters over the last 15 years or so but if you had to pick, who would make your all-time worst XI from that period?

Not terrible, not amazing, I think it's fair to say. There were times where Gavin Reilly looked like a smashing player and you wondered why he was jobbing in League 2, and there were other times where he looked as bad as everyone else. The tactic of "hit balls over the top and see what happens" didn't really bring out the best of him, so I suppose Gary Naysmith has to take a bit of flak for that. You could never fault Reilly's endeavour though - he'd run and run and run all day long for the team.

For the first time since 2006, Stenhousemuir are playing overseas! The club have announced a pre-season friendly with Jersey Bulls, who are based in St Helier in Jersey, on Friday 28 July. I hope to be there and I hope to see you there too. It could be an absolute cracker.

Nah, I think we should be looking elsewhere. Callum Yeats is a very likable guy but he's been with us three times now and three times we've achieved nothing. That's not all down to him, obviously, but we need a break from the past couple of seasons.

An updated squad for the 2023/24 season: GOALKEEPERS Darren Jamieson (signed from Kelty Hearts) Curtis Lyle DEFENDERS Gregor Buchanan (signed from Dumbarton) Nicky Jamieson Jordan Lowdon Ross Meechan (signed from Darvel) MIDFIELDERS Mikey Anderson James Berry (signed from the University of Stirling) Adam Brown Jordan Kirkpatrick (signed from Darvel) Nat Wedderburn FORWARDS Matty Aitken (signed from Forfar Athletic) Euan O'Reilly Ross Taylor (signed from Auchinleck Talbot) Matty Yates I reckon we're some defensive cover, a new left-back, a wide player and another striker away from having our team for next season!

Michael Miller has left Stenhousemuir to reunite with Stephen Swift at Broomhill. https://twitter.com/StenhousemuirFC/status/1668362542329262084 I'm sorry to see Miller moving on. I like him and I think he has something to offer this team but his face doesn't seem to fit anymore. He was terrific when Gary Naysmith took charge of the club In January and was playing with a real fire in his belly, but his performances badly tailed off to the extent he was no longer part of the starting XI. He began to look a little plodding towards the end and playing alongside Nat Wedderburn in the middle of the park made us look and feel slow and clunky. A change of scenery might do him good, although I'm surprised he's dropped into the Lowland League; he's certainly capable of doing a good job in League 2 (and maybe even League 1). Good luck to him!

Stenhousemuir signed Kieran Gibbons after winning promotion to League 1 in 2018. Gibbons had apparently been the Lowland League Player of the Year with East Kilbride the previous season and was billed as an aggressive ball-winning midfielder. In the first league game of the season against Brechin City, he collected two garbage yellow cards and was sent off before half time and I think everyone immediately lost faith in him from that point onwards. Gibbons is a real "nothing player". He's quite good at keeping things ticking over in the middle of the park but he's not a goal threat, isn't creative, is positionally unsound and easily turned over in transition. I remember he always liked to "show" for the ball only to have it taken straight off him by an opponent. We signed him on a two-year contract and allowed him to leave after just one. He returned to East Kilbride before his spells with East Stirlingshire and Open Goal Broomhill. I'm really surprised he's back in the SPFL - he might have improved in the four years since I last saw him but I think this level is just too much for him to compete at. Signing mediocre players from mediocre Lowland League clubs is not a recipe for success!

Certainly not the worst player I've seen at Stenhousemuir - he scored one of the best goals I've ever seen in the 3-2 win at Annan Athletic earlier in the year - but his lack of fitness, drive and application badly let him and the team down. As I wrote on the Clyde thread, his unique skillset, coupled with his unwillingness to move, make him such a luxury that it's almost impossible to find a role for him in your team. For all that you gain, you lose so much and I don't think he's quite good enough to build a team around to accommodate him. Good luck, Clyde! Be prepared to be "annoyed"!

No mate, he only scored two free-kicks in his time at Stenny and those were in pre-season friendlies in 2021 against Benburb and Syngenta, two heavyweights of the game. Everything else was skied over the bar or crashed into the wall.

Be prepared to see an incredibly talented footballer who can do things that no other player in the country can do, but who has zero interest in "running", "tracking back", "defending" or "trying". If you can utilise him in a way where he doesn't have to do any of these things, you could have a very useful signing but his role is so niche that it's almost impossible to accommodate him into any modern side. He also gasses after about 50 minutes. He did score one of the best Stenhousemuir FC goals I've ever seen earlier in the year against Annan Athletic, right enough, so who knows!

We've been drawn alongside St Johnstone, Ayr United, Alloa Athletic and Stirling Albion in the Viaplay Cup group stage, and that's interesting.

Hmm. It seems like Dumbarton and Stenhousemuir have just done a straight swap for their centre-backs! I liked Sean Crighton - he's a good ambassador, he's likely to be made your new captain, he really looks the part, he's a handsome big laddie and he's a smashing guy - but his time at Ochilview was probably a failure, all things considered. Sure, he can header the ball all day long and is good for about five or six goals a season but for someone of his supposed pedigree (and wage - we had apparently gazumped Kelty Hearts to sign him back in 2021), I expected a lot better. He's prone to losing concentration at the worst possible moments and he's capable of the odd howler. He's also a terrible passer and there was nothing more dispiriting than watching him amble of out defence and shelling the ball straight out of play. I actually think you might have downgraded a little from Gregor Buchanan to Crighton. I don't think we got value for money or ever really saw him at his best. Crighton wasn't a player I was keen on keeping on and I think the change of scenery will do both him and Stenhousemuir good. He's a top boy and I hope he can do you a decent turn. A lot of Dumbarton fans on social media are commenting saying this is a "great signing" but I'd be a bit more cautious about it.

"Ped" also broke the news that Simon Ferry was stepping down as manager days before it was officially announced, so I'd give him the benefit of the doubt with this one.

"Hurricane" Dan Higgins has reunited with Stephen Swift at Broomhill. I'm unsure if he was any good or not. His first start for the club - a 3-0 defeat at Stirling Albion where he cost us a goal before being sent off, all within the first four minutes - was the most hapless performance I've ever seen from a player but there were times he looked capable enough. If he can stay fit he might do his new side a decent turn.

I wrote about this on the Dumbarton thread in the League 2 forum but if relations between BSC Glasgow/Broomhill and Maryhill were poor, why were both parties in discussion over a return to Lochburn Park last summer? George Fraser was interviewed on the first episode of the Open Goal Broomhill documentary where he discussed the genesis of the club and its nomadic existence. Fraser said the club held talks with Maryhill about a possible return until Simon Ferry nixed the proposal, saying the surface wasn't conducive to how he wanted to play football.

Stenhousemuir FC will be voting no for the Conference League. Great news all round. I'm pleased the club invited supporters to discuss the proposition and I'm pleased they've listened to how we feel about it. Will it conclusively end discussions about colt teams? No, but we live to fight another day.

The discussion surrounding BSC Glasgow's departure from Maryhill is interesting - I watched the Open Goal Broomhill documentaries on YouTube and there's a moment when they discuss the club would be spending the upcoming season. They looked set to return to Lochburn Park until Simon Ferry nixed the move (he wasn't happy with the surface as it wasn't conducive to the kind of football he wanted to play, and so the club went to Broadwood). It leads me to believe the relationship between the two parties can't have been as bad as was stated in previous posts! (Not that I want to stick up for Broomhill, I think they're the most embarrassing, tragic club in the country and Dumbarton are tainted by association.)

Was there any bother between BSC Glasgow and Alloa Athletic when they shared Recreation Park?

I've read this a few times but I'm not sure exactly what happened - what were the circumstances around BSC Glasgow's departure from Maryhill and why did it leave a bad taste?

I'm just back in from this evening's forum between the Stenhousemuir FC board and supporters. The Conference League proposal is nothing more than a joke, something that's been written up on the back of a fag packet, and it's appears even more desperate and pathetic when every step of it is broken down. It's supposed to benefit Scottish football but even if you're taking it on good faith, it still relies on intangibles and anecdotal evidence to back up its big selling points. It lacks serious analysis and seems to be a solution in search of a problem. Let's have it, it's really designed to benefit Rangers, Celtic and other big clubs daft enough to get involved. The division sounds terrible and I'd be mortified if I ever had to watch Stenny compete in a competition as shabby as this. Chuck in the fact it's another buffer between clubs in the Highland and Lowland Leagues and below from getting into the SPFL and it's a hopeless proposition. I'm confident the Stenhousemuir board will do the right thing and vote this down on Tuesday next week.

Apologies if this has been addressed earlier in the thread but what's Paul Goodwin's and Scottish Football Supporters Association connection to today's development? I always had the feeling Goodwin was a Walter Mitty type and the SFSA were largely discredited, so it was a surprise to see them appear in the publicity photos alongside the First Minister and Falkirk FC officials.

The club have announced that a consultation with supporters over the Conference League proposals will take place at Ochilview on Thursday 1 June at 7pm. I'm pleased the board had put the proposition towards the fans and I hope to see as many of you there as possible!

Another update on the squad for the season ahead: GOALKEEPERS Darren Jamieson (signed from Kelty Hearts) Curtis Lyle DEFENDERS Gregor Buchanan (signed from Dumbarton) Nicky Jamieson Jordan Lowdon Ross Meechan (signed from Darvel) MIDFIELDERS Mikey Anderson James Berry (signed from the University of Stirling) Adam Brown Jordan Kirkpatrick (signed from Darvel) Mikey Miller Nat Wedderburn FORWARDS Matty Aitken (signed from Forfar Athletic) Euan O'Reilly Ross Taylor (signed from Auchinleck Talbot) Matty Yates

It was only a matter of time before Gregor Buchanan pitched up at Ochilview. On paper, he seems like a solid signing and an upgrade on Sean Crighton and I hope he can do us a good turn. We seem to be putting together a useful squad and I hope we can sign a good left-back to complement this new-look backline. It's still early days but our business has been generally quite positive, especially when compared to our divisional rivals. Who knows! It might lead to that elusive title win. It probably won't but you have to dream!

I'll share what I posted in the Stenhousemuir FC thread about this news. I think Adam Corbett's a smashing player and I was really disappointed to see him leave Stenhousemuir. He's a classy footballer - he's good in possession, he's quick off the mark and he can operate in central defence or at right-back, where he was probably at his best for the Warriors. He's also decent in the air and should score three or four times a season (as well as assisting the same number). One obvious drawback is that he's a little brittle and will probably miss a few matches with niggles and injuries. I think his lack of reliability was a big factor in him not being kept on. He can sometimes be pushed around a bit by bigger opponents, although he's become more assured the longer he's been in the SPFL. I think he's got a high ceiling and I'm pleased he's getting the chance to step up into League 1, albeit with a much-changed Kelty Hearts side. If, if , he can stay fit, he'll be a big success. Adam's a great guy and his family are really nice too, so expect to see them at most home and away matches.