O'Kelly Isley III
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Posts posted by O'Kelly Isley III
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We fair love a conspiracy down the Rock. We've been pumped 6-0 and 5-0 before this season, I didn't see anyone talking about behind the scenes stuff there, just that we were pish on the day. Did we have any behind the scenes issues when we handed Hibs their arse for the second time this season? Or when Falkirk came and left with only a point? Unless there is some substance to this "behind the scenes" stuff then the suggestion of it does absolutely nothing to help this situation.
Saturday clearly isn't acceptable, Stevie will know that. The stuff he says in the press is to protect his players, we all remember Ian Murray infamously ripping his team to shreds after defeat at Alloa and what results did that yield us? Sleep-walking towards the end of the season as the players searched for deals elsewhere. I'd say the fact that Stevie has said everything he can to take the heat of the players would suggest the opposite from any of dressing room problems being mentioned.
Is it just me or do we have a lot more Dumbarton posters in the wake of a heavy defeat? Maybe I'm being unfair but there seems to be a few on here that sit all season itching to stick the boot in (not aimed at you OKI).
With respect Moonster, to concede six goals in less than an hour for the second time in a season is a bit more than a heavy defeat. The two 5-0 hidings weren't just quite as grim, but they happened just the same.
And it's precisely because of the highly creditable performances against Hibs and Falkirk, for example, that I'm questioning what is going on. There is no conspiracy theory, but with a number of experienced players and a relatively inexperienced management team in the same dressing room I'm merely wondering if there are tensions with money, tactics, formations, respect even which are contributing to these massive mood swings on the pitch.
I can't find any logic for it, but it wouldn't be the first time that a 'show us your medals' situation arose at a club. As for Stevie Aitken, he seems to have found this level a lot tougher than he maybe expected, and he has undoubtedly made a number of errors; if I was him and SF however, I would now sit everyone down after training and have an honest and frank discussion about the way forward from here.
The modern footballer is mercenary almost to a man, and short-term deals are everywhere, but surely the club, the management and the fans has the right to expect everyone to unite in common cause. On Saturday's evidence we might have some work to do there.
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Our away form is the joint worst in the entire country. We've picked up 9 points away from home, the same as Dundee United and East Stirling.
That is simply nowhere near good enough, and if we are to slip into the playoffs, it will be the reason why.
I've covered it on the other thread, but today's performance was one of the worst in years. No fight, no shape, no quality, no commitment, no organisation and at the end it barely looked like anyone cared.
^^^Seething
As someone else posted on the match thread, it would be interesting to know if there are any issues within the club right now, as yesterday's performance seems to have gone well beyond a straightforward horsing.
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Strongly agree with the points being raised here. I was taken to my first game by my Dad as a five year old and the rest is history. The club was far friendlier then. Prices were very low for kids to get in, you could wander into Boghead on training nights to watch your heroes and chat to them whilst collecting autographs. I didn't dream of supporting anyone else.
Today's club appears to have different priorities. I'm consistently made to feel like an inconvenience when I ring the club for info. When told that I have to attend the ground, I reply that I live a 2 hour flight away, and can I arrange for pick up on match day, the impatience is palpable.
Christ, look at the online shop. I can't even buy a top or a scarf as a present.
The club appears to see itself as a business that doesn't need to open it's doors to the community to encourage future custom. A strange business model. The club in the Boghead days was far more welcoming.
I really hope someone at Dumbarton FC is reading this, and whilst I back the Sons to the hilt there is no doubting the truth of the above.
Unfortunately that word inconvenience is all too relevant in this connection, as this seems to be far too often how the public is viewed down there.
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Why do our attendances seem to be getting lower? Ok, the game v Falkirk was free on TV, cannot blame anyone not wanting to shell out £18, but a 500-600 crowd v the team 2nd in the League is pretty pish. Falkirk perhaps brought 150-200 through. Where were our Season Ticket holders? The Tues before, a vital 3 points to be gained v Alloa, after giving Livi a sniff & we get a sub-500 in attendance. Even going back to our victory over Hibs, the Home End was half full, 400 seats empty. Away games used to be decent, bit of singing, the big chap wi the drum on occasion. A few banners too. Real lack of passion lately, bit sad tbh.
Don't mean to be negative on our Sons Thread, but it's a bit worrying.
What is the one thing that the masochist simultaneously craves and fears ? Gratification, that's what, and that's what's happening here. After decades spent trawling around the lower divisions the club is currently walking thro it's Promised Land, and now that peak DFC appears to have been reached a lot of folk have decided 'well, is that it then, I've now seen it, time to move on'.
We can blame prices, kick-off times, the attitude of club officials, etc., but I reckon a whole lot of folk have become very blasé indeed after fours seasons in the Championship; silly people, it will end soon enough and everyone should be getting behind the efforts right now.
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Mclaughlan played once at Boghead i think in a 3 2 defeat to Clydebank. In a goals to games ratio Templeman is probably our best ever striker
Yep, collective nightmare performance on 4th September 1972.
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'bout time we officially got the big man on board.
It's a Thursday, a signing could be imminent...We all know what that means...
OKI over to you
Apart from the fact that the guy is 43 and crocked, this could have been the dream partnership....imagine a Lemon-Nade stike force people !
http://martin-benson.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/my-life-after-football-interview-with.html
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"Because Seb hasn't got professional status from previous clubs, under SPFL rules we cannot play him in Championship matches."
This distills to
"We dodged a bullet"
This just gets more bizarre....you almost get the impression that this rule was discovered this morning in one of the display cases in the foyer.
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We should have been and the more I hear Stevie in interviews the less convinced I am that he genuinely believes we can challenge higher than what we are. He trots out that we're a part time team in a difficult league after almost every defeat, that might hold water some times at mid-week games but we've shown over the last 4 years that competing and surviving for a part-time side is not only possible but likely, if you do the right things. When we beat Hibs it's never an issue.
Yes, he's said the boys want to challenge for 5th, but to then produce that performance at Livi is convincing no one. Time to push all excuses to the side and get the wins we need, if we're not doing everything to pick up wins at this stage then we'll deserve everything we get.
P.I.T.K. Moonster
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I thought Buchanan was quite error-prone today.
I think the strongest back 4 is probably Saunders, Barr, Wright and Docherty.
Midfield? Routledge and Lindsay are the strongest pair. Either side of them is a problem. I'd probably go for Waters on the left as even if his attacking play isnt always great (2 big chances today he couldnt take advantage of), his defensive work is usually sound. Walsh hasnt convinced me at all and today he did virtually nothing whilst on the park. Would we be better going with Taggart wide right? Or even Kirkpatrick?
Up front it's Nade. Cawley was poor again today. Fleming offered nothing when he came on. Donald is willing but still very raw.
Its not that we don't know our best 11 that worries me. It's that our best 11 is so devoid of creativity and goals.
Re Kirkpatrick, Nicky Phinn has produced more over the last two seasons - seriously.
Walsh is rapidly moving into that club whose membership includes Haswell, Halsman, McKinnon, etc.,ie 'How The F*** Did They Arrive At A Premiership Club?'
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Gibraltar has a large rock. Dumbarton has a large rock. Any other places that have large rocks we can get players from. How about Ayers Rock? Any useful players from there?
Ib-rox.
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It's an interesting league the one in Gibraltar, and possibly the only one in Europe, or possibly anywhere for that matter, where goal nets and corner flags are not obligatory and players are permitted to wear Ipods and headphones during games.
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His Youtube highlights reel is him being offside a lot. Ideal. Never trust a player with an impressive video highlights reel
WTF ?? This guy must already have created some sort of record regarding clubs who play beside bloody great rocks.
I wish him well, but more in hope than expectation
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Said to a couple of folk around me at half time. Wonder where all the hard booers from midweek and last week have disappeared to? A matter of 45 mins and all of a sudden they were nowhere to be seen or heard. Some of them were just completely over the top and getting far too carried away, especially midweek. Imagine losing a midweek cup game to a team in the league above...
The truth is somewhere in the middle. The last two league performances were very poor, and the cup defeat predictable. Yesterday we worked very hard, and credit to everyone, but the real significance was the presence of Ewings, Lindsay and Nade.
When we get our best eleven on the park we can compete, when we don't we look weak.
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That's fair enough, I mostly agree with that. I still think people are right to criticise though, we shouldn't just accept shite because we're not as well off as the other clubs in the division. Recent performances have merited the criticism which as I said has been in large pretty reasonable minus one or two daft comments.
I agree, leave acceptance of shite as the preserve of viewers of the Voice and Britain's Got Talent, etc.,
But if we are to watch horse manure, then where better than a glorified barn off the Renton Road - treble Andrex all round !!
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Whilst I'm not sure I agree that Mark Brown was entirely at fault for each of the goals you mention I agree Jamie didn't deserve to be dropped. But, I don't think there's much difference in ability between the two and we have much bigger problems than who's between the sticks at the moment.
Yes, we may well indeed have bigger problems elsewhere, but my point is that we looked to have recently improved the goalkeeping situation only to appear to have re-introduced it. And when you are a team which is repeatedly finding itself in 35/65 possession stats then it helps to try and bolt the back door, no ?
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"Ever hopeless" is OTT. Brown got off to a good start with us and looked an improvement on both Grindlay and Ewings. Aye, he's had some bad games and some bad moments in games but we're kidding ourselves on here by saying that Brown is the reason we're losing goals and games. Jamie came in and played well for 2 games, fair enough, he probably deserves to keep his place but we're again kidding ourselves on if we think he's not as prone to a mistake as Brown. The players in front of our keepers need to start taking responsibility - Barr seems to be the only one who comes in for some criticism, all because he sent oor Andy packing at the start of the year.
Whichever plays in goal, it matters not a f**k to me, they are of very similar quality. We need to create and score.
Not on this season's evidence they're not Moonster. After a long spell of inactivity Ewings performed very well with three consecutive shutouts followed by a blameless performance at Cappielow, yet he was dropped at Paisley - f****** unbelievable.
And dropped for a serial offender too; the shitty Waghorn daisycutter, the fumbled Lyle header versus Queens, the horrendous Morton winner - that's just a start on the home games alone, I've not got time or space for the rest.
No, fans are falling for the 'Well, he's played at some big name clubs so he must be OK' schtick, despite the mounting catalogue of evidence before their eyes. And Stevie Aitken appears to suffering from the same blindspot.
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See I felt the opposite. Nade made a huge difference, and we actually threatened a few times going forward. Unlike the other games however we looked very shaky at the back, and I hate to go back to it, the 'keeper has to take some flack for that.
I thought last night we were up against a much, much better team, who comfortably disposed of us without breaking a sweat. The St Mirren game was hard to take, because we were up against a team who aren't any better than us and we never looked like threatening. The less said about the Morton game the better. It was as bad as we've been since the 0-5 Falkirk match.
I said it leaving the ground, but if we don't score - never mind win - in any of next three games, Aitken will be in a very difficult position, under as much pressure as any Sons manager in a few years.
0-2/9 available points I reckon would see a lot of fans publically turn against him. He's clearly got the players on side, and playing very much for him, but he looks to be tactically weak and has squad building has been completely unbalanced.
Pretty good summation I'd say.
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I've seen plenty of my mates have a drink and not turn into bigots. Seems a bizarre excuse to use.
I think it's great he's been banned for that length of time, hopefully prevents his wee man turning out like his Da, and that's the most important thing.
Or possibly even his Papa
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Seems some sort of contradiction about Nade's condition here.......
Either way, we really need to address the midfield situation. Lindsay's presence has become essential, and Routledge really has to stop picking up cheap bookings. Gallagher, Cawley and Kilpatrick have contributed very little and Barr is essentially a defender.
So, some radical thoughts. Heh showed me enough yesterday to suggest that he has mobility and directness, worthy of a shot on the right side. Failing that I would actually consider Scott Taggart there. Lindsay and Routledge in central mid and, wait for it, Watters on the left to get up and down the park and let Sparky defend.
At the moment we are playing silly wee triangular patterns which inevitably break down, all with an utter lack of pace and penetration - there is no flow to the midfield and there has been none for months.
Up front it would be Walsh with Fleming to his right; after 25 mins yesterday Walsh had drifted inside anyway, so let's try him as a spearhead. And sorry, Donald is looking too wee and too light for Championship defences.
Aye, it might be a whole crock of shit, but we are currently in need of some radical thinking.
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According to today's 'Herald' newspaper, Forfar's survival hopes 'have been boosted' by the signing of Steven Craig.
I think I'm going to need some time to fully digest that assertion.......
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It's a fair point, he's had some great games in the middle of the park. But for me, he's the only guy we have that can play up there with any sort of presence about him. I think hoping for two strikers at this stage is ambitious. I agree with sonsanorak in that if we've got proper width then Garry has no meed to pull wide. Dropping deep is fine, he did it against Raith and quite a few times he looked to play it wide left early to Walsh and then get himself into the box. Both Cawley and Gibson like to come inside and take up space that Garry could and should be using. If we get another striker though, I reckon we have a good mixture of options.
Good New Year Moonster ? Er, Willie left a few weeks back - think you might mean Gal
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We had Craig Lynes - The Ladyboy of Banknock
Heh you........
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'Patience Is The Key'
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PITK....
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Sons' sorrow
in Scottish League 2 General Chatter
Posted · Edited by O'Kelly Isley III
Chizzy was the sort of bameroo who lives much longer in the memory than players who had 1000 times more ability. We shall remember him long after thoughts of say Lee Mair have dissipated into the mists of time.