O'Kelly Isley III
-
Posts
6,640 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
1
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Store
Posts posted by O'Kelly Isley III
-
-
According to the BBC Murray will not be raiding the club for players:
"St Mirren boss Ian Murray says he won't be raiding former club Dumbarton since their part-time players cannot afford to take a drop in wages."
Hmmm...I'd be careful of taking this at face value.
However, any part-time player with a job outside football considering going full-time has a big call to make. Suppose you were to sign for say Morton, and by early December the Manager was sacked, that could be a real game-changer in every respect.
0 -
Long interview with Mark Gilhaney in the Helensburgh Advertiser. Not chuffed at not being re-signed.
That's football I'm afraid, and Gils is experienced enough to recognise that. If Stevie Aitken's picks come in and perform then fans will warm to that; if not, then he and they will have to deal with that too.
Early indications are that he's going to put his own stamp on things and it was perhaps inevitable that some fans' favourites would be leaving. And if Aggy and anyone else decides to move on then we must do too.
I get the feeling that Gil's pride is wounded, but he leaves with our best wishes. And as someone who has banged on about last season's lightweight midfield I'm giving Aitken my backing on this one.
0 -
Darren Miller is my new fave player because I know most of our fans will hate him. Welcome Darren!
Why will people hate him ? We haven't had a barely-controllable bampot with a firm opinion of his worth since the Crilly fellow was in town. Bring him on, complete with his scaffolding poles !
0 -
Anyone seen any movement at The Rock today ?
It worries me that a player might turn up, see the barrier down and say 'f**k this for a game of sojers' before heading to Paisley/Greenock/Kilbirnie.
0 -
As fans I think we need to develop a mindset that there are parallel universes currently in play; on the one hand we have the football club which is by public admission self-financed with no record of monetary investment by the majority shareholder, and on the other the faintly ludicrous notion that this same shareholder has both the nous and wherewithal to profit both itself and the football club by moving stadium. All this on the back of a claim by Neil Rankine that he is still personally owed £300K arising from the purchase of that majority shareholding in DFC.
It is fantastic stuff indeed, and I don’t mean in a good way, and I doubt whether anyone on the DFC Board really expects the scheme to come to fruition. The account in the local press concerns a minor milestone in the process and helps plug a gap in the paper in a slow news week. Once the planners, consultants and survey agencies fees start plopping on the mat it could become interesting.
0 -
Last close season it seemed to me our priority was to get some firepower sorted. We had done ok goalkeeper wise. People forget that Grindlay was in goal for a seven game unbeaten run from January 4th to March 1st 2014. We lost a single goal in the cup tie at Aberdeen from a corner that Adam Rooney beat our defence far too easily from.
And Grindlay was our second choice 'keeper.
We let in 15 more goals this season (ok, almost entirely due to the big three). However we scored 29 fewer goals. This was partly down to the formation/ not having the benefit of Kane for so long/inexplicably releasing Prunty and persevering with the railway sleeper.
Whilst we do need another keeper, I'd think the new manager's priority is to get a decent goalscorer(s) in. Lets get back to attacking the opposition and hope that we're handing out awards to the top goalscorer at the end of the season and not the (on loan) keeper.
The new Manager's priority is to get a whole squad in, and in that regard I'm just a wee bit concerned about the (unavoidable) timing of his jaunt to Florida; I would imagine the mobile getting as hot as the temperatures over there.
As regards goals against, I repeat; whilst a percentage was certainly down to the defence and 'keepers per se, the chronic inability of the midfield and the forwards to hold the ball and provide any sort of defensive barrier in the middle third of the pitch saw opposition teams repeatedly come at our box in waves, after melting thro our middle order.
The comparison of goals with last season is interesting, but would be illuminating to see the percentage possession stats, especially in games which we actually won. And using 5/6 centre-backs thro a season is for the birds.
0 -
Pretty underwhelming eh?
I just hope Aitken is aware of our goalkeeper situation also. Really need a new number 1.
Aye, not thrilled by this one
0 -
As a strong backer of Ian Murray throughout his time with the club I was sad to see him leave, but on reflection not as disappointed as I would have been had he left at the end of last season. By signing a 2 year contract last year he bought himself a bit of insurance given the strength of the teams that arrived in the division while at the same time ensuring that the club would receive compensation if he successfully kept us up and moved on.
This compensation has for once allowed us the luxury of being able to approach the employers of a successful senior league manager for a successor and today's appointment seems to have been met with universal approval.
This is certainly an improvement on the days when we simply appointed the assistant manager to the role irrespective of experience or ability.
Perhaps with hindsight we should have realised that Murray's reluctance to appoint an assistant was an indication that he wasn't going to continue beyond this season in any case.
While previously fearing the inevitable day when Murray moved on, I feel surprisingly positive about the events of the last week. Rather than facing a survival battle with the same (slightly jaded) squad supplemented by a few short term loan signings I am hoping that Aitken can freshen things up a bit with some new permanent signings and look to build something a bit more long term.
Thanks Ian, you did a great job. Welcome Stephen, I hope you get the support needed to build upon what has been achieved over the last 4 years. Well done to the club for acting swiftly and decisively and turning a potentially negative situation into a positive one.
Come on ye Sons!
Aye, what a difference a week makes, and I'm glad to see that whilst folk are correct to commend Ian Murray's record at DFC, they are also beginning to appreciate that we are entering a new chapter.
Stevie Aitken's capture was down to a concerted team effort by a Board united in a clear purpose and crucially, acting in an honest and proper manner.
0 -
Stevie Aitken and Dumbarton are the arguably the most likeable and admirable manager and club in Scottish football, but I'm not sure how smart a career move this is for Aitken.
In 2015/16, the Dumbarton manager's job is arguably the hardest job in Scottish football: he has a huge act to follow, and with lots of managerial talent and only two part-time clubs in the Championship, the Sons are rank underdogs- but then they always were, and so were Aitken's Stranraer.
I hope they achieve great things, just as they have for the last four seasons, but they're due a bad one. It'll be their best achievement yet if they survive this season.
Nice post my friend and thanks for the compliment, appreciated.
I would agree with some of your thoughts but I'd also take issue with some too. It WILL be a tough shift next season but curiously given we've no signed players and backroom staff I'm l actually now looking forward to it more than had Ian Murray stayed in place. We both needed change and last Friday provided it.
As it stands, tomorrow we'll unveil a new Manager in Stevie Aitken and I don't know one Sons fan who won't be 100% right behind his appointment. Great credit is due to our Board of Directors who really hit the ground running from very early last Saturday morning and continued it into this week in recognition of the need to act quickly and decisively. Sometimes this stuff gets lost in the mix.
Whether we're due a bad one is a moot point, but with a new boss charged with building his own squad and a chance to really further his reputation we should be nothing if not invigorated at DFC. Stevie Aitken and ourselves will have covered the bases as far as possible and at this sage that's all we can ask. He'll be under pressure, yes, but nothing compared to Alan Stubbs, Ian Barraclough/Whoever, Ian Murray to name a few.
0 -
I got that impression myself. I was also surprised to see us announce the news before St Mirren.
Were our board even aware Murray had went for the job? Surely it would be common courtesy for him to keep them in the loop? At the end of the day we gave him the platform to build his managerial career with absolutely ziltch experience so I'd like to think he's not been sneaky about it. The statement would suggest the club aren't overly pleased.
No, from that statement I don't think they are, and I have a hunch it may be the manner in which the process, as opposed to the departure itself, has been conducted from the (former) Manager's side.
0 -
Its a matter of personal choice whether or not you buy your season ticket now or wait until more players have been announced.
I'm not sure why you'd want to wait for more signings - if buying a season ticket is dependent on the players we sign then I'd ask whether the financial commitment of a season ticket is for you? If there's a doubt as to whether or not you'll go to games if the squad doesn't meet your expectation then why give the club the money up front?
Surely the arguments for or against season tickets are down to either affordability or whether or not you'll make the majority of home games?
Dumbarton will assemble a squad that the club can afford and that the manager hopes will be able to do the job required of them. Those are the only 2 certainties that anybody can guarantee at season ticket renewal time. The actual signings?
If they're good enough then we'll be fine.
If they're not good enough then we'll be in trouble.
We'll find that out next May.
I'll be buying a season ticket as per normal, but I've got a very heavy heart indeed about this season.
Not only will we be up against at least three 'Premier' Division clubs, and eight full-time outfits in total, but every one of the other nine teams has an owner or owners who believe in some level of financial investment in their playing staff. In the case of Morton and Alloa, to name but two, they do it committedly.
But here we are at Dumbarton, with Ian Murray or whoever scrabbling about the car boot sale, and I'm wondering if I'm the only Sons fan who sees an utter contradiction in that situation balanced against the grandiose scheme to uproot the club. And why do I get the growing impression that Brabco don't actually have any poppy worth talking about ?
0 -
Yip monster I get that. But my fear us that my 235 is needed and what sort of quality will that attract. We all keep posting about what our squad needs are but sort of guys we need to attract are looking for championship wages. So far we've only re signed loyalty.
0 -
Never mind that O'Kelly. Two new Todd Rundgren albums in a month. That should keep you occupied over the close season
Indeed; Global is growing on me, but that Rundanns thing.....
0 -
I'm not too worried just yet, players always tend to take their time over remaining, may even be negotiating over the wage offered.
Most of the players who fucked off rapid had/thought they had deals elsewhere. Would like it if we acted early on the signing front rather than hang around waiting for scraps mind you.
Hopefully Murray has his targets identified and contact has been made. Unfortunately the playoffs may delay potential signings/offers being made.
We just need to wait and see what transpires, and we've been here before with names being bandied about, but I'd like to think that Ian Murray has some sort of slate of players he has in mind. However, anyone who thinks that there is a lot of cash to splash should recall the statement at the Abbotsford about Brabco having committed no money towards team matters.
Now, if we were to get Rogers, Findlay and Kane back and sign McGuigan then that would look like the spine of a team to me
0 -
Reading between the lines, the three departing players seem to be leaving DFC of their own volition - maybe they have clubs in the wings or maybe they just don't fancy life at The Rock. I can't think that barely three days after the last game of the season they have been themselves approached for a chat by the club.
Whatever it is, we're already going to require a lot of searching for new players on a tight budget and it really concerns me just who we have at the club who can do that.
0 -
I don't think there has ever been much love lost between Murray and Mair; at the first fixture at Ibrox last year the player hirpled off before half time but some reckoned he could have appeared for the second half. He didn't, but he did apparently appear later that day at another player's night out in Aberdeen.
There is though something of a pattern developing here, on the one hand Murray appears to have been 'unlucky' in his signing of some experienced players, either thro long-term injuries - Murray, Mair, Van Zanten - or via some personality issues - Nish.
Against that though, we must wonder at the man management aspect, and certainly Mair's account is unwelcome and unhelpful in a week when Ian Murray has publicly lambasted some members of the playing staff. Not a good situation when we'll be needing to attract people over the summer.
And curiously, although Murray and Jack Ross formed a good working partnership they had very differing styles and apparently had no great personal rapport.
0 -
I think we need park speculation about possible scenarios and concentrate on what we already know, and for me that is the plain fact that the team needs strengthening across virtually all positions. I keep repeating, had it not been for some crucial loan deals, we would not be planning for another season in the Championship.
Some argue about tactics and formations, fair enough, but there has to be a recognition that minus the likes of Rogers, Findlay, Kane our squad is way too lightweight and in several cases not good enough to compete at this level. And much as I'd like to, I don't see any youth players ready to make the step up. I don't mean any disrespect but that's my take on it.
Saturday was painful to watch at times as yet again a team passed it's way thro us almost at will. Conversely, when we have possession there is virtually no movement off the ball for the guy looking to make a pass and Andy Graham apart we must be the quietest team in the league. Harrying and tackling opponents has become an afterthought.
We simply won't get away with that two seasons in a row, and I think the summer activity should reflect that.
0 -
Organisation, motivation and selection are all mainly managerial issues, are you suggesting the management is an area needing a hard decision?
I never made it today, but you do wonder if a loanee can fully commit this close to returning to his parent club.
For me this season the players we've signed on loan have improved us. I think we ve had rogers, mcdonald, findlay, easton, kane, petrie and duggan in on loan. I'm not against using the loan system, but what does this number of loanees say about the original/current squad or our lauded ydi?
I am indeed raising questions about Ian Murray's position. He has done very, very well at DFC but I'm now wondering if he has in reality achieved all he can here, and whether he has the appetite for building a team for next season, because that's what we're looking at.
IMO the Board should be as of now discussing the situation with IM in a measured manner in order that we plan accordingly. The record books will show the raw statistics and I suppose that's all that matters, but the reality has been some vital wins, often against the run of play, surrounded by a lot of mediocrity..
0 -
If proof were ever needed that a lot of hard decisions need to be made at DFC regarding next season - both on and off the park - then today at Alloa (again) provided grimly graphic proof.
A team seemingly devoid of organisation, physical presence and motivation is limping out of this season, and we've got to hope that changes lie ahead this summer.
0 -
According to The Dumbarton Terrace, Muzz is going to treat the Challenge Cup game as a friendly. (The fIrst game; which means, with our record, the only game.)
Over to the DFC Board to rattle his cage on this one.....as far as I know full price is still be charged at the gate, never mind disrespecting the tournament and it's sponsors.
0 -
It's got little to do with confidence, and much more to do with the wrong formations, the wrong game plans and a distinct lack of balance in the team. If confidence is an issue I would suggest it has more to do with the guys on the park at times simply not knowing quite what their role is.
If people are happy at their work and have a clearly defined understanding of their job it tends to be productive all round.
0 -
Surely you're forgetting the cult himself - Jim George? I'm sure there have been other cults in the manager's office too.
I didn't say that Murray was being abused or hounded and yes the criticism has some validity. However it's not all down to the manager. The only team to overtake us from last season has been Raith Rovers - they are the most improved side in our league. Alloa and Cowden each finished last season with 40 points. Neither of these sides has any hope of achieving that this season. They will be doing very well indeed to get 30. Livi got 46 last season and even factoring in their points deduction they may only get half that this season.
Dundee, Accies and Morton have become Hearts, Hibs and Rangers. We'd had ten points from Accies and Morton by this stage last season we've had two from Hearts and Hibs - not difficult to figure that out really. What I'm saying is that the task faced by Murray this season is much, much more difficult. Shortcomings in player pool, formation etc will be thrown into sharp focus.
The two real disappointments were the home defeats from Livi and Cowden and the manager/team deserve the criticism for those. If we can take seven points from the four games against Alloa (H/A),Livi(A) and Cowden(A) we should avoid the play offs and stay seventh barring any freak results from Alloa or Cowden in the other games.
Sorry Wilf, I simply don’t recall the Jim George thing…
For me, comparisons with last season only serve to highlight how we’ve struggled to consolidate those achievements. Sure, we’ve had the ‘Big Three’ with us this term but too many key managerial decisions have been contributors in that struggle; certain players were retained who should have been let go; we failed to build a balanced squad with cover in key positions; we’ve seldom played the same line-up twice; the tactical obsessions, ie three centre-backs, the mini-man midfields, the late, late substitutions.
All of that would be excusable if we were now at last heading in a positive direction, but on recent form we are decidedly not. Yet here we go again, entering hopeful ‘if we take seven points, etc.,’ territory with absolutely no evidence to suggest that we will. Unless, that is, we field a team capable of at least competing – if we can do that then we may have the beginnings of a basis with which to see out the season. From where I’m sitting only one guy can seriously influence that.
0 -
Let me tell everyone a little story. Before the Falkirk home fixture late last year, a dismal defeat for what it's worth, I was contacted by BBC Alba who covered the game live on telly.
They wanted an interview, and for seven or eight minutes I took part in one in the home dressing room on the Thursday evening ahead of the match. This was subsequently edited down to around a 12-15 second broadcast - seriously.
That was of no concern to me, but what DID bother me was that the entire interview was conducted around one subject, or rather one man, Ian Murray. It was pretty obvious that for BBC Alba anyway, the Manager had become the shining star in the Dumbarton FC firmament, and perhaps my growing irritation with that was eventually picked up.
And my point ? Of all the Dumbarton managers in my lifetime, and by God there have been a few, no-one has quite inspired such a cult of personality as Ian Murray. That is tolerable when things are going well but when they are not then we can all have sense of disappointment and dashed expectations.
For two years here Ian Murray appeared a savvy young guy in a hurry, destined to ascend the managerial ladder. The last three months however have blown away a lot of the froth and doubts have crept in. I share those doubts, but that's a long way from abuse and hounding anyone. The team is currently in some disarray and his ability to steady the ship will be crucial, that's in the here and now and that's what he'll be judged on. It's football.
0 -
Quite a while since we had a 'Meet The Manager' session, anyone else think that might be a decent shout ?
0
Sons' sorrow
in Scottish League 2 General Chatter
Posted
No, no, the guy simply never produced last season, and I'll be surprised if he becomes a stand-out at Raith. Mitch flits in and out of games and I can't see that altering greatly- we need more than whizz-bangs in testimonials and indeed Stirlingshire Cup matches