O'Kelly Isley III
-
Posts
6,639 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
1
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Store
Posts posted by O'Kelly Isley III
-
-
Alan Findlay's statement the other day on the DFC website included the following:
“Of course a small club and community like Dumbarton also has to operate within significant planning, logistical and financial constraints.
“Indications at this stage are that, with the best will in the world, it will be extremely difficult to make temporary stands for six games workable, legal and financially viable.
“But supporters can be assured that all possible avenues are being explored with the local council and with experienced contractors.
“As soon as a more definite statement can be made, the Club will do so.”
Knowing Alan, I'm sure he'll have checked his facts before posting that. Seems pretty clear and definitive. The problems in extending capacity are of a planning, logistical and financial nature. Those are what I understood to be the issues when I posted on the subject last month and it looks as if that is indeed the case.
Having spoken recently with the Chairman on this issue I'll be surprised if we manage extra capacity, due to a combination of factors not all of which are in DFC's control. There is also a tendency to make fag-packet financial calculations which are far from delivered in reality. Is there any point in bursting your ass for say £3 a head ?
Of course we should pursue the idea until it can't fly but remember that even without any expenses an additional 1500 bods @ £20 per head generates only £30K - hardly a massive sum.
0 -
Agreed.
At least you get a wee local away day to glorious Dumbarton out of it. Can't we at least switch venues every so often? A jaunt up the John Broon early doors and back to it after the game, one of my favourite away days.
Agreed, it's like two cuddly toys having a square go.
0 -
The quote from TW is....
So he could well be loaned back out, especially since we're still targeting another striker
Also Easton is highly rated by everyone who watches our youth side. Radford always seems to mention he's been impressed by Easton, so I'm taking that as a massive positive in regards to his potential
Kane is in my opinion still a bit short of experience for the Premier League, and I honestly think that another season in what will be a fiercely contested Championship would benefit him - we need to remember that Stevie May's burst onto the scene came after an 'apprenticeship' in the lower leagues.
Ian Murray however cannot be hanging about waiting for Tommy Wright to hand down his judgement, so what will happen will happen.
0 -
Pretty sure it was 26. League finished quite early I think. Iirc we played Albion Rovers in the Spring Cup in the midweek after we had dumped Killie out of the Scottish Cup Quarter Final. Didn't we play Stenny at Ochilview (and lose) just prior to the Semi Final v Hearts?
Indeed we did, thanks mainly to an abysmal refereeing performance by RD Keggie of Edinburgh
0 -
...But back to the keepers. Robinson is erratic, eccentric and under-sized; the much-vaunted Michael McGovern, currently getting smoke blown up his arse on another thread, has never impressed greatly (witness the two goals he lost on his last visit to the BBS) whilst Thomas Flynn is in reality no more reliable than what we have right now - Jordan's free-kick anyone, and various other offences ?
With Lucky Letheren departing upstairs that leaves Zander Clark of QoS as easily the most impressive goalkeeper remaining in this division.
Glad we sorted that out folks.
0 -
What was the Spring Cup?
A short-lived, ie one-off trophy which was competed for in season 1975/76 by all clubs outwith the newly-formed Premier Division. Sons emerged from a section that included Stenny, Arbroath and Albion Rovers; we then knocked out Raith despite having been 0-2 down and facing a (missed) penalty at Kirkcaldy in the first leg tie - if memory serves me right Ian Wallace ran amok at Boghead in the second leg.
We then disposed of Falkirk over two legs before slumping to a 3-1 defeat from the Bankies in front of 3000 at Firhill, a game which featured a very rare error by 'keeper Laurie Wiliams (now there was a goalkeeper....). Airdrie beat the Bankies 4-2 in the final at Firhill the following Monday night, an evening when I should have attended tutorials at Stow College
0 -
Scott Linton signs up, great news!
http://www.dumbartonfootballclub.com/news/?mode=view&id=1367
Excellent !
0 -
As I've said before, it may be that ideally a new keeper would be a priority. However is there a better one available at the moment? One of the names I've seen mentioned is Raith's Lee Robinson. I certainly wouldn't see him as an improvement on either Ewings or Grindlay. With Cowden staying up the possibility of Flynn leaving them has diminished. With part time players, geography and jobs are a factor too, as seems to be the case with Linton.
I don't know what Grindlay's status is as regards re-signing, but could it be that Murray is having a look around and will revert to him if he can't secure a replacement?
Goalkeeping is such a specialist position that there is no need to limit a search to the senior game, and in any case who of us knows much of keepers in Leagues One and Two ? IMO to start next season with the three men from this one would be a dire decision, as it is we have already signed two of them.
Let me assure you, there are better goalies out there, it's part of the job to find them.
0 -
Thank god!
It's amazing how one poster on here can change the minds of every other poster in Jamie Ewings' case. We don't need a new keeper if we get Grindlay signed up IMO. Grindlay is decent enough backup and Jazza is good enough to start.
And as long as we have posts like this it will never go away. Jamie Ewings is a done deal but I can't believe that there are not other keepers out there worth a look.
0 -
I mean no disrespect to either OK3 or BBPF and they and others are perfectly entitled to express their views on players and the re-signing thereof. I make the point again though, is it possibly the case that Murray has surveyed the SPFL landscape and decided not to take a risk with alternative signings? That is to say that maybe he has made a list of available goalkeepers, maybe he has enquired about some, maybe he has concluded that those available would offer little or no improvement and/or higher cost?
The goalkeeping coach will have had an input here too.
I don't think there's anyone here not surprised with the signings of McDougall and Smith........but Murray knows these guys, sees them in training and obviously feels that he can improve them and get more from them. Perhaps better to offer guys like that another chance than to bring in others who are disgruntled about not getting a game?
I may be wrong and these signings may well come back to haunt him, but I for one am pleased that it is Murray who is making these decisions. We were all delighted to see him re-sign, it is maybe time to trust in him.
We'll need to agree to disagree on the goalie situation Rab, and I remain confident we'll see a new first choice keeper come August. As regards most of the other signings I'm OK with them, providing we add some real quality to the starting eleven - we lurched into last seaon on the back of a defeat at Stranraer and a hiding at Hamilton and it was the double loans of Nish and Murray which helped stabilise the ship.
In fairness to Ian Murray I think he recognises this and it may be that he has signed many of the existing squad up early to get the nucleus quickly sorted which let's him assess early what he can spend from here on in and who to target. Murray and Ross have shown themselves to be very adept with loanees and if we were to get three or four decent Premier additions in then I'd be fine with that - most deals are nowadays only for a year anyway.
As I mentioned before DFC is really disadvantaged this season by the small ground capacity which really limits revenue. If Livvy or Raith for example were to throw money at say Edinburgh-based Scott Linton then we probably couldn't hold him. Just an example of the difficulties we may face. At this stage I'm more than willing to trust Ian Murray and I'm really heartened that's he's relishing the job at Dumbarton.
0 -
I'm confident that Ian Murray is a better judge of a player than anyone posting here.
Without labouring the point, then why is he offering contracts to players who were peripheral for most of last season ? Ian Murray has the potential to be a first-class manager at a high level but in player selection he remains an appreciable work in progress - for every Paul McGinn and Scott Linton there is the occasional Owen Ronald and Kevin Smith; in that respect he is little different from every other manager in the game.
0 -
So we should pretend we're happy that passengers like McDougall and Smith have been offered contracts?
I don't think anyone is criticising Murray or forgetting how good we have it just now but it doesn't mean we cant vent our frustrations on an open internet forum. Some folk may be happy with the signings but I personally feel we can free up the wages and replace these guys with better players that would improve the squad. I don't particularly think that makes someone negative.
FWIW do either of you feel Smith and McDougall have done enough to justify a new contract? I certainly dont.
This, with knobs on. Far from being greetin' faced fans, we're the most criticism-averse crowd in the league. I'll back Murray and the team to the hilt but I'll also reserve the right to criticise constructively and without cheap personal stuff.
This is going to be one tough shift this coming season and the pack needs freshened; retaining guys like McDougall, Smith and Ewings simply doesn't cut it for me.
0 -
Murray was ruthless enough in getting rid of fans favourites like Pat Walker plus the likes of Martin McNiff & Kevin Smith when they clearly were no longer in his plans.
The Steven McDougall contract is a strange one indeed. All I can think is he reckons he will get a run in the team if Megginson is away. McDougall was decent the previous season but was disinterested before Murray arrived.
Let's not forget that this squad took us to the SC quarter final plus our highest finish in years. Perhaps we'll use the prize money for 5th place to secure the bulk of the current squad plus a few quality additions.
Just for the record Mike, the signings thus far do not constitute the squad for last season, and none of the really significant contributors, eg McGinn, Linton, Megginson, Nish, Kane and Miller has yet put pen to paper. I was really surprised that Murray made offers to virtually everyone and I can't say I'm ecstatic about some of those who are staying - some folks here forget how lightweight in midfield we can look at times for example.
What is becoming clear though is that far from the bonanza the rest of the world seems to think having Rangers, Hearts and possibly Hibs will be this season for DFC, it could be a serious blow to our team-building as clubs like Raith, QoS, Livvy, Alloa, etc., are free mortgage the potential income from four or more virtual full houses on players wages, whilst our wee house simply won't permit that.
0 -
Really sad but not unexpected news about George, a great character and Sons fan to the core. Despite his rapidly failing health he recently made the journey to Dundee to cheer on the team, unbelievable commitment to his beloved Sons.
There's many of us will miss his infectious enthusiasm and banter - may you rest in peace mate.
0 -
Wilf - out of interest, if Andy Graham is blameless for one of the worst goals against column...where do you pin the blame?
Is it the goalkeepers?
Is it the collective back four? Are our full backs so attack minded that their defensive duties suffer?
Are we not defending as a team? Do the midfielders need to do more?
Personally I thought the likes of Gilhaney, Fleming, Turner and Megginson tracked back reasonably well last year.
Murray alluded to some of it at the Awards Dance when he said that the attacking philosophy does cost goals. Off the top of my head I can think of three goals when we were in the oppositon box only to immediately concede a goal - Cowden away, Raith home and QoS home. I could also find around 8-10 goals where the keepers were none too clever - two howlers at Cowden away and last day at Dundee for example.
There are also times when the midfield is simply passed thro, so it's a combination of lots of things.
0 -
Celtic have let Mikey Miller go, get him signed up Muzz!
Agreed, but the part-time thing might be an issue. He stays in Duntocher I believe so we should be making an effort, if we can strike a deal it could suit both parties.
0 -
It's an interesting theme this.....we are a part-time team in basically a full-time division, so short of turning full-time which would be madness we need to pitch ourselves as being not only the best performing p/t club but probably also the best paying. And has already been pointed out, that costs money. All this stuff about percentage increases would be interesting if the same folk had been on here in previous times demanding to know why our season books weren't going up by what they probably should have.
I'll make a prediction; the standard season ticket price will be circa £240. And for that you'll be seeing a pretty decent level of fare, but more importantly and in stark contrast to the stadium catering and match day hospitality, every penny will be going to the club.
And let's not forget that DFC is also working within the limitations of a small stadium capacity. Raith, Falkirk, Livi, etc., will not normally fill their grounds but they may well do on at least 4 occasions this coming season, and that will mean a lot more dosh than we can generate unless we somehow provide temporary accommodation.
We need to get real here folks
0 -
That's a fair point but if Pete is right in his suggestion of a 30/35% increase that would take the price up to about £250.00 . If the gate prices are £16.00 and £18.00 for next season you would have to attend all but three of the home matches to make a season ticket worthwhile. Not everyone can commit to that. Our season ticket sales have been as high as they have ever been over the last few years and it would be disappointing to see the numbers drop due to a swingeing increase.
The three games ‘discount ‘ fits exactly what I’ve been told re season ticket pricing, bringing the standard price to circa £250. It’s essentially like a magazine subscription. As for demand dropping, I wouldn’t count on it, I’ve had two enquiries this week from guys who never normally buy one and in any case many people, myself included, view the ST as a way of providing funds for the season ahead - fitba fans usually run on emotion as opposed to hard economics.
The other motivator for this season will be that a ST guarantees a seat in a division which will include Rangers, Hearts and maybe Hibs, so you can hardly blame the club for suspending the ‘early-bird’ offer in a situation of likely high demand, it’s simple business practice. With the greatest respect to Forfar and East Fife, they just don’t represent the same box-office draw. And the more dough we get in the better the quality of player we might attract.
The two downsides are the rationalising of the ST categories and the fact that once prices go up they seldom drop back down. One thing I would very much like to see DFC do however is to reduce the comps, not to youth groups, etc., but to the many hingers-on who can well afford to pay like the rest of us.
0 -
I'd keep grindlay as a back up. Ewings can move on.
There should be no room for sentiment or thoughts of testimonials. IMO Shay and Jamie are two sides of the same coin, ie both error prone with one who won't come off his line and the other who can't stay on it, so I have no probs with two new keepers.
0 -
Well, what can I say, it's been a time in coming but maybe all the sweeter for that. I get the feeling that Murray and the DFC Board will give it a right go next season, and whilst there may be some who will question Murray's motives in signing another contract when his name is being linked with other clubs, perhaps they should consider that maybe the guy has seen others in similar situations crash and burn and he wants to continue his learning curve with us. When the time and the club is right he'll move on.
At this stage we simply don't know whether we will see the likes of McGinn, Megginson, Kane and Miller in a Sons shirt again, but I'll tell you what, as of this morning we must now stand a better chance. Not only that, if we are to believe what we've been directly told, players rate the guy, a priceless characteristic in a football, or indeed any manager.
Overflowing pints of Deuchars all round
0 -
If Murray does come, Jack Ross won't, he has previous with our BoD from his playing time with us.
There's your new manager right there
Don't think so, this was gone into before Murray's appointment and Ross's PFA role was a barrier to management.
0 -
I support Saints but live in Dunbartonshire (a Paisley exile).
I have followed Dumbarton's progress with interest since settling in this neck of the woods, and it has been great to see them coming on in the manner that they have under Murray. Indeed, my better half supports a couple of guys with learning disabilities who have STs for the Sons, so she has been to a good few matches this season, and has (somewhat grudgingly, it has to be said) started taking an interest in how they are getting on.
I would rather Murray stays where he is, as I think that would be the best outcome for all interested parties - including St Mirren. I'm not suggesting that he wouldn't be able to do a job for us, but there would be a pile of pressure on him before he even crossed the threshold of St Mirren Park. A sizeable number of Saints fans don't really feel that it is the right time to replace Danny, so they would - quite reasonably - be looking on with a keen interest as to what extent Murray would be able to kick us on. As a rule, we are a shower of greeting faced b*****ds as a support, so he'd need to have a very thick skin. He would also be faced with a significant re-building job amidst the uncertainty surrounding the sale of the majority shareholding of the club. At least Danny kens the score on that front.
Nah, not for me. Poor timing, and I remain to be convinced that letting Danny go is the best way forward for Saints just now. Murray should get another year under his belt at Dumbarton, and take things from there.
I happened to agree 100% with your post but things have now moved on - at least at St Mirren, that is. And that could very well impact at Dumbarton, as I have no doubt that Ian Murray would be prominent on Saints radar.
I would hazard that things will now move pretty quicky, and no matter what DFC does or offers, and despite Murray still learning his trade etc., etc., if and when a phone call comes in from Stuart Gilmour that could be a game-changer; it's one thing speculating at a fans forum about the future but actually seeing the carrot and trimmings dangled in front of you can alter things. Gary Locke's departure at Hearts will only further shake-up the managerial kaleidoscope.
I would expect that by the close of this week we will know whether Murray remains Sons manager or not. But if he was to depart what would be the fans' thoughts on here as to Danny Lennon being approached to succeed him ? There would be dafter shouts in my opinion.
0 -
Certainly sounds like Danny Lennon is on the way out at St Mirren. Should we be worried?
We should always be worried.
0 -
The wummin on the fish counter reports that a flaming Viking longship will depart soon from the Eagle Rock with a few familiar faces on board.
0
Sons' sorrow
in Scottish League 2 General Chatter
Posted
'In the absence of hard fact, wild speculation will inevitably fill the vacuum'
Kate Middleton, on buying a Pregnancy Test Kit in Boots in Kensington, 2012.