Nairney

Only if the board agree to wear false moustaches, during a match, again.

I did mean Sean mackie. Sorry to have you type all that out, as interesting a story as it is. I’m gutted!

Whatever happened to mackie? Think he was on loan at Berwick a couple seasons back? True story.... Christmas 2016 I was watching the panto at the Byre Theatre. The panto dame picked on a guy sitting in the front row of the audience and singled him out as her “love interest”. It was a running joke throughout the show and in the end and the poor bloke was dragged up on stage to participate in the finale. Thought he looked fairly familiar and it dawned on me, when I saw him in the foyer afterwards, that it was Jamie Mackie. Think I googled him on the way home and he’d been playing for St Andrews United and Tayport.

I very much agree. I mentioned, in the match thread, that he had "fluffed" the few chances we seemed to create, he was certainly putting the effort in. How much of that effort not paying off is down to his ability and how much is down to opposition defending or Rovers setup / tactics? I don't know the answer but if the fault lies with our system then there's not much Buchanan will be able to do to improve his lot.

Yes!

Why was he never sacked? He held a paid position and sat on the board.... why would he sanction sacking himself losing both his income and access to seats on various SFA committees? We need someone filling the same role? Maybe eventually, but bringing in an experienced football administrator would be an expensive outlay for a league 1 club. Is that justifiable at this point in time? Drysdale's salary could no longer be justified when we were relegated, what has changed? This is why Smith has had more responsibility- there is no middle man between him and the board. Are we supposed to sit tight and let the new board make mistakes? Yes, if they are willing to learn, and improve along the way. In life / business / football, people / companies / clubs make mistakes. How you react and learn from your mistakes is the most important thing. Sim has already shown a willingness to acknowledge and learn from ones he's made. Compare that with the list of mistakes / poor decisions that could be attributed to Drysdale (and others) - blame was apportioned all over the place and many poor decisions were never admitted to, or were made repeatedly.

Definitely. We’ve never (in my time as a Rovers fan anyway) found the right balance between holding onto young players, long enough for our team to benefit from them, and selling them onto other clubs. This allows other clubs to get players at a bargain basement price, as they are effectively unproven after only making a handful of appearances for us (Callachan aside). Maybe things can still go right for us with Vaughan and Matthews?

I assumed this might be a subtle way of doing just that. I don’t think we’ve seen the same benefits of the Development set up, as we did from the youth teams McGlynn over saw. I think we really need to head back to the drawing board on that one.... and will probably be in a better position to do so once we have the new pitch down and have achieved promotion (as part of a new overall strategy for the club and its future) - whenever both of those things might be! I’d read that Flood had been offered a coaching role at United but had turned it down, as he wanted to continue playing for as long as he could. I wonder if that has then left the way clear for Craig Easton to step in? Matthew Elder mentioned in his tweet that it was looking like he would be heading there - so I’d guess it’s nearly a done deal.

Agreed. I’ve never been a fan of Davidson and have to admit I was disappointed when he re-joined us. However, I was totally won over by him this season and thought he was head and shoulders above most of the team in terms of composure, attitude, commitment and just plain getting things done. Even when he lost his temper, it seemed to be down to sheer frustration rather than petulance (which it often was in the past). The only thing he has against him is his age, but his fitness remains good - it might be more of a consideration had we been promoted. Fingers crossed a deal can be done.

No complaints about that list from me. I think Thomson and Herron could’ve gone either way. Based on his recent performances Bene could have been a candidate for being released, but I’m pleased we’re looking to keep hold of him and give him an opportunity to get back to his best. Seeing the extent of the clearout Smith has opted for, I do wonder if he would’ve released Buchanan, if he had the opportunity?

Haha, yes I did hope we’d seen the last of that catchphrase..... however, I have to admit his quote did give me some optimism for the future (reading between the lines, in the name of optimism, a bit!) in that: a) We saw a board member take responsibility for a decision many fans felt was controversial / unpopular b) He acknowledged that he made that decision, thinking it was the right thing to do at the time, presumably for financial reasons as well as “we can’t stand in his way” (can we call it WCSIHW?).... though, with hindsight, maybe it wasn’t right for our promotion prospects or it would have been ok had Callachan been adequately replaced My point being, that it felt refreshing for someone to put their hands up and acknowledge ownership of decisions and their impact - he used the words “learning curve” a few times. Its a start anyway!

Totally agree with you here Roverthemoon. IF a large scale redevelopment goes ahead then employing an experienced venue and/or commercial manager would have to be factored into costs. An extra expense (salaries in this area can range from £15k - £25k, depending on candidates experience and the responsibilities included in job description) but worth it if they earn their keep. However it's a catch 22: better facilities = extra revenue opportunities, extra revenue opportunities = more overheads. Not worth spending the money if, as you pointed out, they just hope that new income will materialise. It does seem that Sim has a more business minded approach than previous boards and has ideas and plans that he seems to be looking into. None of this might ever materialise, but at least it's being weighed up which is a step in the right direction.

You could be right Varna. So far we mainly seem to draw on a pool of local or supporter owned / run businesses and organisations for our hospitality, advertising, sponsorship. Would we manage to pull in new blood with better facilities? Possibly but it's not guaranteed. My point was mainly that while income is lower from community use, it's reliable (as long as the users are happy!). Corporate events can generate larger fees, on an individual / one-off basis, but can be sporadic and effected by numerous factors outwith a venues control (the economy, location, budget etc etc), plus they come with higher overheads. Certainly essential, as you say to have marketing and pricing structure in place to sell it as a corporate event space but not advisable to rely solely on that market anymore.

I think I posted about this before, but I used to work in the corporate events sector and I worked with a couple of different sports venues during that time. It's not the cash cow that it once was or is sometimes perceived to be. Hospitality at games is one thing, for supporters if nothing else, but business functions on non- match days are an entirely different matter. A better bet, for using any new facility (outwith match days) would be as more of a community facility - fitness classes, after school groups, parent and toddler groups, adult education etc. Regular community based groups generate a steady income - plus this would tie in with Sim's desire to see the club at the heart of the community, bring new people into the stadium. Potentially there could even be grants available too. Of course, it would be daft to turn down any corporate business that was suitable, but it's too risky to rely only on it.

Cheers Beachbum, I couldn't get it to work earlier

There's an article in today's FFP, by Matthew Elder, on the plans for the new pitch - sorry I wasn't able to link or upload a pic, I'm not sure if anyone else can? Pitch will hopefully be done over the close season, but could be pushed back to next year's close season if the timescale is too tight. Emphasis on community use and attracting a variety of people to use the facilities. Architects are looking into plans for other areas of the ground, longer term - potential for entertainment (hospitality?) areas to be developed at the corner of the South Stand and Railway Stand or alternatively redevelop the railway stand. New / upgraded changing facilities also mentioned, but pitch is the priority at the moment.

Maybe Ray McKinnon told him to do it? Only kidding! I remember a couple of folk (can't remember if it was on FB, FanTalk or here) questioning why he was playing against Hibs, as he'd already signed a pre-contract with Falkirk. Craigen came over as much more of a pro than McKinnon did at that time though - remained committed and got in with the job in hand.... daft corner conceding aside. I really liked Craigen. Shame he's been snapped up by another club, but I'm not surprised he's staying in the Championship.

Seems like a snap decision from Hearts. Their training camp will have been arranged weeks, probably months, in advance - if it was so vital to assess Zanatta (plus the other 2 players out on loan) during this time, should this not have been organised ages ago? The club could've been notified when Zanatta joined, or a couple of weeks ago at the latest. Surely that would just be a courtesy? More warning would have allowed Smith to plan further ahead, rather than having to re-jig his team / tactics (or potentially scramble around for a replacement signing) just a few days ahead of such a huge game. It's disappointing to lose a player, in this manner, in the run up to a vital game - especially as he's not been recalled due to an injury / suspension crisis at his parent club but merely a training camp. Obviously it's their right to do so as Zanatta's parent club, but still bloody annoying.

Funnily enough, we spotted someone who looked very similar to him in the directors box at the last home game (I think?). I'd forgotten all about that till I read your post! Of course, it might not have been him at all and, even if it was him, I'm not suggesting it means anything. Maybe he does scouting these days?

I actually hadn't realised our home results were ok.... the memories of the football were so brutal, they are all that remain! Not that it was great under Gary Locke, but at least the players weren't woefully demoralised after being berated with Hughes' bizarre tirades.

I was one of them, initially, I'm afraid! Sadly, it seems like all his dramatic interviews (blaming society etc), when it became clear he was out of his depth, were enough to convince some people he was blameless!

I assumed it was typical "paper talk" but you never know. I noticed 4 folk voted for him in the poll in the new manager thread (over on the championship forum) plus a couple of nutters commenting on the article (can't remember if it was the Scotsman or the Courier though), on Facebook, saying "Get him in now!" - the poor deluded fools!

Hmmmm..... Two Rovers managers left to take up an opportunity with "their" team - McGlynn and McKinnon. However, the way that they and their new clubs conducted matters were very different. So whilst I was happy for McGlynn and disappointed Hearts didn't work out for him, it's hard to feel the same sympathy for McKinnon - given the way his move (and the signing of Toshney) panned out. I've got a lot of United supporting friends and one of them just messaged me this - http://www.scotsman.com/sport/golf/john-hughes-favourite-to-succeed-ray-mckinnon-at-dundee-united-1-4593668 I didn't even take delight in the awfulness of it... I just felt horrified for them!

Whatever the various pros and cons of improving our match day experience may turn out to be, and indeed whether any of them actually come into being, I have to say it's positive and refreshing that us fans are actually being thought about. John Sim is considering our comfort and enjoyment, rather than a) treating us with disdain and / or contempt b) blaming us for everything, whilst simultaneously expecting us to constantly dig in our pockets or c) both of the above. Regardless of what may / may not end up happening with the stadium, it's good that fans are actually (at least on the face of it) being thought about.... which already feels like an improvement on the past few years! Bring it on, or should that be #bringiton ?

Managed to dig my old strips out of the attic, managed to find around 14 from the last 21 years (plus various scarves, hats etc)... thank goodness teenaged me had the foresight to like baggy football tops!