Francesc Fabregas

I spoke with him very briefly on Saturday and he reckons he'll be back in business by around November. They've found the root cause of his injuries, which is good, but it does mean he'll be absent for a wee while while he recuperates.

Stenhousemuir have been linked with Blair Alston. I'm always suspicious of when someone drops from full-time football to a part-time team in the latter stages of their career, and I'm keen to know what kind of player we can expect should the deal go through. Thoughts and comments would be very welcome.

Scott Burns, who's generally reliable, has linked Stenhousemuir with former Partick Thistle midfielder Blair Alston. It's an intriguing signing. I didn't think central midfield was necessarily a position we were looking to strengthen in, and we all remember how poorly Craig Bryson flopped when he dropped into part-time football, but a fit and focused Alston should be able to offer us something good.

The club have launched a new away strip: I can't say I like it very much - there's too much maroon in it, which will surely clash whenever we play a team who also wear maroon, and the daft ovals through the pattern look like something from MS Paint. Still! At least our home top's a cracker!

We've had issues with our marketing and communications since our previous team departed in May. We had a false start under a new head of media, who left the club before the season started, and were very sloppy in promoting things like season tickets, hospitality and our new kits during his tenure, amongst other things. There have been improvements in recent weeks but there's still some way to go till we're fully up to speed and providing supporters with the information we need on a week-by-week basis.

The videos from the play-off finals against East Fife were originally posted on the Daily Motion video-sharing platform, which is notoriously buggy and would not work on certain browsers. So I downloaded them and stuck them up on YouTube so they can be enjoyed by everyone. I lay no claim to the footage. That first leg at Firhill was one of the best I've ever been to. A happier, simpler time.

And that's Bradley Rodden away already, having joined the club from Stenhousemuir in June. What's going on here!

One of the best we've had in the 20 years I've followed the club.

I feel stupid for having engaged with him. I won't make that mistake again!

An intriguing game lies in store on Saturday as Kelty Hearts welcome Stenhousemuir to New Central Park. The last time the sides shared a division, the 2021/22 League 2 season, a bankrolled Kelty were miles ahead of the Warriors; this time, there feels like a far greater degree of parity between the teams, which sets up an intriguing contest. The home side come into this encounter following a credible draw with Montrose, while Stenny kicked off the season with a good win over Arbroath. This match could be a cracker! I'd like to think we'll have another one or two players signed up by this match but if not, I reckon we'll go with the same time and formation that got the three points at the weekend. Matty Yates caused confusion as a false 9, Ross Taylor caused a bit of havoc with his pace and direct running, and James Berry, Mikey Anderson and Kyle Jacobs were all solid in the middle of the park. It's quick and it's intense and if we can reprise the same degree of energy we showed against Arbroath, we have a chance. We also have Nat Wedderburn and Matty Aitken on the bench, two good players who can alter the game. Let's go with: - Ross Taylor - Matty Yates - Euan O'Reilly - - Mikey Anderson - Kyle Jacobs - James Berry - - Kinlay Bilham - Kyle Banner - Gregor Buchanan - Ross Meechan - - Darren Jamieson - It'll be interesting to see how Kelty line up. There are some good players in their ranks but it feels like they're maybe lesser than the sum of their parts. They probably lack an outstanding striker too. I think it's going to be a lot of fun. I will see you there!

I'm surprised this needs to be pointed out but the fact that you had more of the ball at the end had nothing to do with superior fitness - we were spooked after Quinn Coulson unexpectedly pulled a goal back and lost our nerve a little, leading to us sitting back and packing the box and ceding control to Arbroath. The state of the game had suddenly changed. It happens all the time. And if your "best play" is "blindly chucking the ball into a crowded penalty box" then it augurs badly for the season ahead!

While I disagree with the assessment over the scoreline, Stenhousemuir were certainly the better of the two sides and thoroughly merited the win. Let's have it.

Stenhousemuir's new home strip is dynamite. It looks like a throwback to the nineties - which is obvious given the shirt it's based on - but without any modern touches. Old school. It looks especially good when worn over maroon under armour. All that was missing was the G&J Sports sponsor!

I thought Stenhousemuir played well today and deserved the three points against a very ordinary Arbroath side. They saw more of the ball, created some very presentable chances and, outside of a sticky five minutes after Quinn Coulson pulled a goal back, were the better team. This was our best performance in months (maybe since beating the Spartans at Ainslie Park in January?) and a terrific way to start the season. There's been a bit of a malaise around the club in recent weeks but I think the victory will have gone some way to lifting the gloom. When I started this thread, I expected Gary Naysmith to go with his tried-and-tested 4-2-3-1 formation. It was, then, a surprise to see him line up in a 4-3-3 system with Matty Yates deployed as a false 9 and Nat Wedderburn and Matty Aitken dropped to the bench. But it worked! Arbroath couldn't really deal with Yates dropping deep, nor could they handle Ross Taylor's tricky running down the flank; it was a particularly trying afternoon for Leyton Bisland at right-back. Kyle Jacobs was impressive in the middle of the park and worked well alongside a rejuvenated James Berry to keep control. We were the better side in the first 45 minutes without ever really testing Aidan McAdams in the Abroath goal. The visitors should have scored at the start of the second half when Gavin Reilly inexplicably sent a free header over the bar from a corner, and they were made to pay when Taylor stormed in from the left flank to fire home at the second time of asking. The imperious Kyle Banner added the second shortly afterwards when he bulleted Matty Yates' corner into the net. From that point on, I thought Stenhousemuir played some very nice football. The team moved the ball around the park confidently, with every player seeming to enjoy themselves (and it says a lot that Mikey Anderson had a quiet afternoon). Had Adam Brown scored after what must have been a 15-pass move, it could have been the goal of the season already; fair play to McAdams for making a fine save. Coulson was one of the few Arbroath players who looked lively and his stunning free-kick going into injury time added a degree of jeopardy I could have done without, but the Lihcties ran out of time to make more of their advantage. There are some good players in their side - Tam O'Brien had a decent game, Reilly, despite his miss, led the line well, and Coulson was a handful - but they're a bit one-paced in the middle of the park and struggled in transition, Taylor's goal being the perfect example. I would still expect them to have a strong season, especially when a number of players are out injured or returning to full fitness, but about 20 minutes into the match, I thought: this mob are here for the taking. Credit to Naysmith for changing things up. Despite the lack of new faces, today's line up felt fresh and it paid dividends. The defence was mostly fine, Jacobs and Berry were good in the middle of the park and Yates has a sterling game. The substitutions worked well too, with both Wedderburn and Aitken playing an important role after their introductions. Even Corey O'Donnell, a player I've been critical off elsewhere, made a solid contribution when he came on, winning a corner and clearing inside his own penalty box. This gives us something good to build on going into Kelty Hearts next weekend. I can't wait. I'll see you there!

After a three-month holiday, a handful of friendlies and four League Cup group stage matches, we are finally back in business with the real stuff: Stenhousemuir's first fixture of the 2024/25 League 1 campaign sees them taking on Arbroath at Ochilview. I cannot wait! It should be a proud day for everyone associated with the Warriors as we raise the champions flag for the first time in our history. While the scenes in April and May when we won the league and lifted the trophy were joyful and cathartic, this should simply be satisfying and will be something we'll all remember for a long time. Will the football be as good, though? Hmm. Although we were grouped with some good teams in the League Cup, we didn't really show up well against Dundee United, Ayr United or Falkirk - we're not creating much, a hangover from last season, and we suddenly look shaky at the back, especially from cross balls. However, Arbroath are not as fearful as our recent opponents and should present a more straightforward challenge. The Lichties, relegated into League 1 after five largely sterling years in the Championship, appear to be going through a transitional period. Jim McIntyre is still settling into his managerial role, a number of club legends have moved on, and injuries have continued to bite. This has been offset by some excellent signings, particularly in attack, and they look like a handy side, on paper at least. I think both teams will be eyeing one another up and thinking: we can take them. If Stenhousemuir do want to compete this season, they'll need to bring in some quality between now and next weekend. The squad is virtually unchanged from last season and could do with some new bodies to keep things fresh and give us some new options. Until that happens, we know what we're going to get on Saturday. The only difference will be Kyle Banner coming in for the injured Nicky Jamieson: - Matty Aitken - - Ross Taylor - Matty Yates - Euan O'Reilly - - Mikey Anderson - Nat Wedderburn - - Kinlay Bilham - Kyle Banner - Gregor Buchanan - Ross Meechan - - Darren Jamieson - This game should provide an excellent barometer as to where both clubs are. I do think Stenhousemuir can win - we haven't won a league game since March and the law of averages says we're going to get a victory again soon! So why not here! I'll see you all there!

While I fully expected Stenhousemuir to lose this dead-rubber, low-stakes tie against a superior opponent, I was still a little concerned by what I saw against Falkirk. We offered virtually nothing and could have conceded double figures had our hosts been in the mood. Our full-backs struggled throughout and we look increasingly susceptible from balls fired in from out wide. I think we might have lost eight goals in our last three matches from cross balls and set-pieces. We kept so many clean sheets last season - what's happening! I hope we can put these games behind us and focus on Arbroath next week. Now the League Cup is out the way, I would like to believe that teams further up the food chain have a better idea of the players they'd like to move on elsewhere and we can take advantage. The squad needs freshened up and we need a wee bit of quality to compete in League 1, especially in attack. I have no doubt that Gary Naysmith and the recruitment team have their fingers in an extraordinary number of pies already and I hope they can deliver what we need. I'll see you on Flag Day!

And indeed, Dean Aitken has joined Camelon Juniors on loan until January. I wish him well and hope he can develop and improve over the next five months.

Having dipped in and out of this thread to check in on how Arbroath are shaping up for the season ahead, it's clear you are the very worst poster and this is a thoroughly mortifying admission. I'd maybe sit this one out for a while!

It looks like Nicky Jamieson will be missing for a "big number of weeks" after a reoccurrence of his hamstring injury, according to Gary Naysmith. The manager was asked about the defender on a Patreon-only episode of the Terrace Podcast covering last night's game. Although we can mitigate for his absence by bringing Kyle Banner in alongside Gregor Buchanan at the back, it's still a blow. Jamieson is an important player and this will have an impact on our start to the season. I wish him a speedy recovery!

That Logan Dunachie goal last night is the best I've seen so far this season. I hope he can build on this promising run and I am genuinely excited to see how he develops as a striker over the course of the year. That was primetime Didier Drogba. I loved it.

As I wrote on the Stenhousemuir thread, I thought Ayr United's first-half performance was one of the most intriguing I've seen from an opposition team in years. I was surprised to see Frankie Musonda starting at left-back but even more astonished to see him spending the majority of the game in the middle of the park (and even more astonished to see him crashing into the penalty box to score his side's second goal). There were times where it looked like you had an extra player on the pitch. Ayr look like a well-coached side under Scott Brown - they're a big, strong side but they're quick to hunt you down, switched on positionally and good on the ball. I don't want to get too carried away after beating an ordinary part-time side but I would fancy you very strongly for the season ahead. All the best!

Stenhousemuir lost 4-1 this evening to Ayr United at Ochilview in their third League Cup group stage fixture. Despite taking the lead after six minutes courtesy of Ross Taylor, George Oakley equalised almost immediately before Frankie Musonda, Anton Dowds and Jay Henderson gave the visitors a deserved victory. Ayr really looked the part, especially in the first half, and I was impressed by their physicality, speed on the ball, and their tactical inventiveness - Musonda was their nominal left-back but must have spent more time in central midfield; how on earth he found himself inside the penalty box to crash home his goal, I do not know. The Honest Men will go onto have a good season and it is fortunate we're unlikely to take on a team of the same calibre again this season. Stenny's performance was a mixed bag. We defended cross balls and set-pieces poorly - Ayr's four goals came from headers! I've never seen the like before! - and I was aghast at the number of times the opposition had free headers inside crowded penalty boxes. Given that we lost three goals at Tannadice in similar circumstances, it's a worrying trend and it needs addressed before it becomes an issue. Curtis Lyle could maybe have commanded his area a little better (something that's probably of little consequence given Darren Jamieson will play ahead of him when the league campaign commences), Adam Brown seemed to let the game pass him by until his removal at the interval, and Nat Wedderburn looked a bit overwhelmed by how fast the ball moved around him. Nicky Jamieson hobbled off after four minutes and it looks like he's tweaked his hamstring again. Was this the same injury that kept him out at the tail end of last season? I hope he's back in action very soon. On a more positive note, I thought Mikey Anderson was our best player, doing his best to break up play and move the ball forward, while Matty Yates and Matty Aitken were not too far behind. Fair playing to the big striker, he really put himself about tonight against two strong centre-backs, and did his best to hold up play. A hard shift for him. The League Cup has gone as I expected: we comfortably beat the Highland League side while being shown up a little against the full-time sides. I hope we can get something from Falkirk on Saturday but I'm expecting the worst. We've had a good run out, nevertheless, and we should be in good nick for the opening game of the season, which is probably the main thing.

Good evening, Warrior fans! We took a bit of a chasing tonight at Tannadice, going down 3-0 to Dundee United, but, on the whole, we should be reasonably content with our efforts. We ran hard, did our best to match them and popped the ball around well enough at points without ever threatening. I thought Kinlay Bilham and James Berry showed up quite well and Kyle Jacobs had some nice touches after coming on midway through the second half. Darren Jamieson was probably our best player, however, and contributed some nice saves at points; he probably made the scoreline more respectable than it should have been. The goals we lost were avoidable, the second and third in particular, and there's still a bit of rust to shake off, but that was a good workout all the same. I'm looking forward to the game with Falkirk this time next week. I'll see you there!

I watched the highlights from our impressive win over Buckie Thistle and I liked the sound of our new matchday commentator. Stepping into Chris McMillan's shoes is no small feat but he came across clear, enthusiastic and well informed, and it sounded like he was enjoying himself too. I think he'll get better over the coming weeks when he familiarises himself with our squad. Fair play!

I liked what I saw at Ochilwool Park today. Everything has to be contextualised by the fact that this afternoon's opponents were miles off it - Buckie Thistle were dreadful and offered very little - but, nevertheless, it was an impressive display from Stenhousemuir from start to finish. Everyone should be pleased with their efforts but there were a couple of players in particular that stood out for me. I thought Kyle Banner strolled through the game at centre-back, winning everything that was chucked in his direction, and his prowess on the ball allowed us to build from the back; I'm hopeful he'll play a big role over the course of the campaign. James Berry went about his work diligently while further forward, Ross Taylor and Matty Yates were both excellent. Taylor scored one and set up another, and his touch and pace were outstanding, while Yates looked like he was really enjoying himself and sprayed some excellent passes across the pitch; his ball to set up Taylor was just lovely. The best player on the park, however, was Mikey Anderson, who netted two lovely after the interval. Anderson picked up where he left off last season, showcasing some neat passing, great close control, and endless running. I've often thought if he could add goals to his game, he'd be unstoppable, and I really hope he can build on today's contribution. What a player! He was only on the pitch for about 20 minutes but I didn't think too much of Corey O'Donnell's performance. He mis-controlled the ball with his first touch and committed a foul with his second, which it summed his afternoon up. Maybe he'll be given more opportunities to against Dundee United, Falkirk or Ayr United but it was a fairly inauspicious display and a loan spell further down the food chain might do him some good. It was great to be back! It was great to see the same old faces and watch the Warriors win their first competitive match since early March. Let's go!