Francesc Fabregas

It's really hard to see what Brechin City have been trying to achieve over the last few years. Dunning1874 above has posted a handy timeline from 2017 onwards and it makes for confusing reading - why was Dods not punted midway through the Championship campaign? Why was he allowed to start the new 2018/19 season when almost every supporter had lost faith in him? Why was he eventually sacked when he looked as though he was turning things around? Why was Barry Smith kept on after the relegation to League 2? Why was he binned after just five games? Why has the same thing happened to Mark Wilson when he's spent the last five months putting his team together? The thinking is so fuzzy!

I would agree with this - a lot of the commentary I've listened to over the last couple of weeks has generally been enthusiastic but, at times, it's verged on insufferable. I appreciate it's a difficult skill to master and it should improve across the board as the season progresses, but there's nothing worse than paying £10 to an opposition club's stream and listen to someone insinuate your team is a bunch of cunts for 90 minutes.

Grant Gallagher's tackle was a goddamn stinker. How on earth could the commentator say it was an "honest attempt to play the ball"? Jack Purdue was striding way ahead of him before Gallagher dived in. I'm sure Gallagher didn't mean to injure Purdue but given the manner in which it happened and where it was on the pitch, there was definitely something in it - it was cynical and nasty and the red card was deserved. I wish Purdue a speedy recovery, and I hope Gallagher has a long, hard look at himself.

Can't quite put my finger on it but Buzz Smith no longer seems as impenetrable as he once was.

Although I'm very disappointed with the concession of a late equaliser, I thought a draw was probably the fair result overall here. Stirling Albion were the better team in the first half, while we dominated the second. We started poorly and only showed any impetus after the interval, but that point on there was only one team really in it; it was desperately frustrating to see the Binos get a point at the death through one of their rare forays upfield. Stirling looked good in the first half and won most of the second balls and aerial duels, with Div Wilson central to a lot of their positive play. They looked sharp on the ball, even if Graeme Smith (and then Callum Erskine) were rarely called into action. The opening goal was a sloppy one to concede - Smith shanked a backpass straight to a Stirling player and Creag Little pulled him back, giving away a free-kick, which WIlson scored, curling the ball low into the net from 25 yards. Careless stuff all round. Our play involved whacking balls upfield for Tommy Muir to battle for, which didn't work at all. Stenny were miles better after the restart. Callum Tapping and Ryan Blair got on the ball more (the latter made some gorgeous long-range passes with his left foot), Callum Yeats became increasingly influential at left-back and Botti Biabi, who replaced the anonymous Paul Brown, was able to keep possession further up the park and all the team to push forward. His goal was well-taken, thrashing the ball high into the net from close range after good work from Andy Munro, and Greig Spence added the second late on from the penalty spot. It was disappointing to see Jack Leitch rescue a point at the death; maybe Erskine could have done a bit better. If we can perform to the same levels as we did in the second half over the course of the season, we've got a decent chance of getting into the top four. There aren't many midfielders in the division with the quality of Tapping and Blair and it is crucial we get them on the ball whenever possible. Biabi should start, probably at the expense of David Hopkirk, and I wonder if Mark McGuigan might be a better option up top ahead of Muir. Yeats is going to be a smashing wee player and we're lucky to have him for the time being.

This should be a very decent match. Neilly's right in saying it should be a real yardstick in terms of where we are for the season ahead - Albion Rovers didn't impress me but I'd expect the Binos to have the same aspirations as ourselves and challenge for the top four. They've signed well and I've liked what I've seen from them so far. They probably should have beaten Queen's Park last week, all things considered. I wonder how we'll line up tomorrow. Given the result and general performance last week, there's probably no real reason to change things about but I'd like to see Botti Biabi start ahead of Greig Spence and, if he's available, bring Ryan Blair in ahead of Jack Hodge in the middle of the park. I haven't really been convinced by Spence since he joined the club in January and don't think he offers much beyond hard graft. His goal last week was well taken but he missed a one-on-one minutes beforehand, and Biabi is better at stretching defences and forcing the opposition on the back foot. Blair, meanwhile, has a lovely range of passing and I think we could use his craft to take us forward. Let's go with: - Botti Biabi - Tommy Muir - David Hopkirk - - Ryan Blair - Callum Tapping - Paul Brown - - Callum Yeats - Creag Little - Andy Munro - Jonathan Tiffoney - - Graeme Smith - This will be a tough encounter and one I'd be content to emerge from with a point.

Aye, I remember watching that and couldn't believe it became a platform for Hughes to sell himself; needless to say, it didn't work! Hughes was on a podcast earlier in the year where the host kicked off by asking about his time at Raith Rovers, but framed the question with something like: "I think you're a brilliant manager and I can't believe you're out of work - do you think what happened at Stark's Park has played a part in that? People forget you took charge of the club very late on!" The host then allowed Hughes, unchallenged, to lay the blame with the players and the board, saying he hadn't done his "due diligence" and that he joined too late into the season to do anything about their poor form. Just hopeless stuff. If anyone wants to hear more stuff about Hughes' time in Kirkcaldy, I recorded a podcast with Bobby Barr in 2018 about it, might be worth your time!

Fair play to both of you - best of luck for the remainder of the season and I look forward to tuning into you at the start of May next year when the teams meet again.

John Hughes' reputation was greatly tarnished after the Raith Rovers debacle and it's telling he hasn't worked in management since, no matter how many times he's given the platform to grandstand to anyone who'll listen.

I am probably being harsh there but the longer the game went on, the more grating they became, especially when they began to crab about the referee's performance - there was a moment when Jonathan Tiffoney went down with a knock and one of the boys yelped: "DO NOT GIVE THE BALL BACK!" as the Rovers bounded on the attack. There were also occasions where they were encouraging the referee to book (and in some cases, send off) Stenny players. Less aggravating was their lack of knowledge about some of our players - they referred to Jack Hodge as "Bryan Hodge", they couldn't pronounce Botti Biabi and they thought Andy Munro has been with us "for years" (he's been at Ochilview for less than two). I understand fan-led commentary will be partizan and biased at points but it turned irksome by the end this afternoon. I'd contrast it with Stirling Albion's in-house commentary team - the lead, Ben McAdam, is 18 or 19 years old, and he came across a lot more professional when he was calling their League Cup tie with Arbroath. He was far more measured and didn't allow what was happening on the park to cloud his delivery. What I would say about the two commentators today was I learned something about the Albion Rovers team, the players' strengths and weaknesses, previous performances and how partnerships were forming in defence and attack. And, to be fair, they were reasonable in their praise for the opposition. They'll probably get better as the season goes on but they need to calm down a bit!

Well then! I'm very pleased with that. All in all, that was a pretty straightforward three points for the Warriors. Greig Spence scored midway through the first half, showing good movement to tuck David Hopkirk's centre away, Creag Little fired home a header after the interval and Botti Biabi wrapped up the game at the death with a good finish. It would have been nice to have kept a clean sheet but Matty Aitken showed perseverance to tee up Kyle Doherty with minutes remaining. There were a couple of nervy moments, mostly instigated by Aitken, but I thought we were the better team throughout. Little and Andy Munro looked composed at the back, Callum Yeats continues to impress at left-back, Callum Tapping was probably our best player, and the frontline all worked hard. I don't think anyone could quibble about the final result. Sterner tests await - Stirling Albion should present a far more tricky assignment - but that's a great way to kick off the season. A special shout to the two bozos doing the commentary for Albion Rovers TV channel: rubbish.

I thought the Dick Campbell VT was tremendous and one of the highlights of the show. I think over the past couple of years, Campbell has become a meme to a certain audience, probably people who don't watch a lot of lower-league football, but almost everyone who's played under him talks about him in glowing terms. He seems like a brilliant man-manager and is able to create a positive atmosphere wherever he's been, especially in the past decade at Forfar Athletic and Arbroath. I think he'd be a great manager to work under and I reckon his players would run through brick walls for him.

What a way to start our League 2 campaign - a trip to face the side who always seem to beat us, regardless of the circumstances! This isn't the match I'd want to kick off the season with, but what can you do. I'm not sure what to expect from Stenhousemuir just yet - we turned in a decent second-half performance against Airdrieonians on Tuesday night (despite losing the game 2-0) and I hope we can build on that going into today's match. Callum Tapping will be the key and we must do everything we can to get him involved in our play. If we punt balls from back to front, we've got no chance - get Tapping on the ball and build our game from there. Albion Rovers, from what I've seen, could be a handy side this term. Matty Aitken will be an important player for them. I hope their mammoth contest against Stranraer in midweek has knackered them up a bit, but that's probably wishful thinking. I'm not sure how we'll line up but, if everyone is fit and available, why not go with: - Botti Biabi - Tommy Muir - David Hopkirk - - Thomas Halleran - Callum Tapping - Ryan Blair - - Callum Yeats - Andy Munro - Creag Little - Jonathan Tiffoney - - Graeme Smith - I've no idea what to expect, to be honest. The heart says we can win this but the head says the Vers are taking all three points. Let's hope not!

Hi all! Just a polite reminder A View from the Terrace is back tonight! It's on the BBC Scotland channel at 10:30pm. It should be good fun. See you there!

I was able to take in this evening's match in my capacity as stadium announcer and was broadly pleased by what I saw, in the second half, at least. We lined up in a 3-4-3 formation, with Jonathan Tiffoney and young Callum Yeats as wing-backs and Greig Spence and David Hopkirk flanking Tommy Muir up top. The first 45 minutes was rubbish and I really struggled to see what we were looking to do other than whack longs balls for Muir to compete for. It worked sometimes, and Spence and Hopkirk looked for his flicks and knock-downs, but it was brutal to watch. We were at our best whenever Callum Tapping got on the ball. Tapping really looks like he could be a superb player for us and he always looked to make space for himself and either keep play ticking over or try killer through-balls further forward. There was one chipped pass in the second half to Muir that was just wonderful. If I was Davie Irons, I'd be telling Andy Munro and Creag Little to look for Tapping whenever he's free (although you have to question why you'd want to use a back three when your best player wants to come deep to collect the ball). We were much better in the second half, despite conceding a poor goal to Paul McKay minutes after the restart - someone, I'm not sure who, shot and Callum Erskine slapped the ball back into his penalty box. A subsequent effort was blocked but the third attempt was stabbed home by McKay. He might have been offside, I'm not sure. From that point on, however, we began to look quite handy, with Tapping becoming increasingly influential and Tiffoney and Yeats pushing high up on the flanks. Spence shot over the bar, Tapping doing something similar and Botti Biabi, who came on for Hopkirk, forcing Max Currie into a save. Biabi would miss an open goal at the death, but he was probably off balance when the ball was squared to him. Craig Thomson scored with a deflected shot with minutes remaining which gives the impression we were soundly beaten. This wasn't the case and if we can replicate our second-half performance against Albion Rovers on Saturday, I think we have a good chance against them. There were a couple of guys I'd seen for the first time tonight. One of them, Paul Brown, really impressed me in his short time on the pitch. He came on for Chris McQueen (who looked alright in the back three) and showed some lovely touches higher up the pitch. I'd like to see more of him. The rest were fine.

I was lucky enough to attend Stenhousemuir's match with Airdrieonians tonight. The first half was poor but I felt our performance after the interval perhaps merited something. We lost two poor goals (the first was stabbed home at the third attempt; the second was a deflected shot from range) but created some good chances that should have been converted, especially Botti Biabi's at the end (although I accept he was off balance and was pressured by an opponent). That's the second time I've seen Airdrie this season and the first in the flesh. They're alright. Leon McCann at left full-back was their best player and strolled through large parts of the game. They'll need to step it up if they're going to challenge in League 1 next year, though.

Enjoyed the match highlights from yesterday's match. The graphics look the part and it was good to hear "wiv maself, Stephen Dixon" back on the commentary. Hard to tell how well we played but Callum Tapping's late equaliser was lovely and young Calum Erskine had a decent game in goal; fair play to him . Ainslie Park must be one of the worst grounds to film at - when the ball's over the far end of the pitch, it's almost impossible to tell what's going on.

Haha! He is now a Stenhousemuir FC player and I wish him all the best. He should not be tricked into getting off the team bus to check on a suspicious noise.

The club have confirmed the signing of four new players: Callum Erskine, a 19-year-old goalkeeper who was last with Bury Jack Hodge, a midfielder, formerly of Hibernian Josh Grigor, a centre-back who joins us from Hamilton Academical Chris McQueen, 18, another centre-back who signs from Celtic I've never heard of any of them. I hope they do us a good turn when called upon.

Jordan Armstrong has signed to East Kilbride in the Lowland League.

Aye, I don't want to be too negative (again!) but these player interviews aren't all that good. Footballers aren't the greatest interviewees at the best of times but they're not being asked anything fun or interesting, so all the answers are virtually the same. On top of that, they're badly framed (look at all the negative space and headroom!), out of focus and the audio is poor. You really have to concentrate to make out what's being said. Hopefully we can see some improvement as the season goes on.

What's the story here?

Forgot to mention Andy Ryan - he was the standout player last night and I fully expect to be involved in more than 20 League 2 goals this season. He was up against some of the best part-time defenders in the country last night, so goodness knows what he'll do when he gets his hands on some of the jobbers in this division.

Yeah, credit to everyone involved for this evening's livestream. A solid product that will no doubt get better as the season goes on. Well worth the £7.50. The commentator, Ben McAdam, has got a bright future ahead of him - he's enthusiastic, has a good sense of humour, and did well for his first live broadcast. Not too sure about his colleague though, he sounded a bit bored and didn't really offer much.

And sure enough, Jayden Fairley and Callum Yeats have joined the club on a development loan from Hibernian. Yeats is a left-sided defender; Fairley is an attacking midfielder. Our squad going into the season ahead is: Goalkeepers Graeme Smith Defenders Creag Little (signed from Queen's Park) Andy Munro Jonathan Tiffoney Callum Yeats (signed from Hibernian (on loan)) Midfielders Ryan Blair Paul Brown (signed from Dunfermline Athletic) Jayden Fairley (signed from Hibernian (on loan)) Cameron Graham (signed from Dunfermline Athletic) Chris Kane (signed from Edinburgh City) Thomas Halleran Martin Shiels (signed from Gartcairn Juniors) Callum Tapping (signed from Forfar Athletic) Forwards Botti Biabi David Hopkirk Mark McGuigan Tommy Muir (signed from Annan Athletic) Greig Spence Ryan Watters I appreciate that some players are likely to fill in across various positions (Kane at centre-back; Watters at full-back) but that's a bang-average squad for the season ahead. I'm not really finding much to get excited about here.