Howlin' Wilf

My reply to the eejit was thus for those furth of Facebook: “I cast my mind back to wee Jackie the road sweeper in Dumbarton in the70s. “Are you going to the Dumbarton game Jackie? “ “Naw they widnae come and see me if ah wiz bad”. Jackie was a fairly simple soul, however it was a good joke in it’s day. To resurrect it and be serious is puzzling to say the least.

That was his brother, Ross. Much would depend on how positive or otherwise Ross found the experience.

Flu can be pretty serious. More than 13,000 people died of complications from flu in the last serious outbreak in 2009.

This.

We can’t have trivial discussions on P and B. Oh wait......

A criminal record and its ramifications being one I can think of.

What about Ross Forbes?

Surely Paddy is having a laugh. "Look what Solskjaer has done for Man Utd!! Great example of what can be achieved when you have a man at the helm who loves the club he once played for! Zero budget needed!"

Body armour 🤣

“We are looking to bring in a couple of players and hopefully that will be the case over the next week or two." “We have been speaking to clubs and players and I'm hopeful that we'll get one or two in.” Jim Duffy on the O/S One or two.........in a week or two..........

I really have no idea what is wrong with Rory Loy's back. Doctors in almost 100% of cases will refer back injuries and pain to a specialist such as a physio or an osteopath. Some years ago, Jorg Albertz, then of Rangers, was out of action with back pain. The club tried everything to get him right but it was only when they turned to Jim Schultz, a chiropractor from Helensburgh, that he was cured. After that he was regularly consulted by Rangers and Celtic when players had back problems. I have been to Jim myself during episodes of back pain and he has set me right. I don't know if Jim or another chiropractor could help in Loy's case but it would surely be worth a try if anyone from the club is reading. click

If Loy was signed on a straightforward 2-year deal with no break clauses given his injury track record, then that is simply negligent. It'd be interesting to know if Aitken signed him without basic due diligence.

I've just had a look at Companies House. To May 2017 Arbroath's entire liabilities were £35,803 and Forfar Athletic's were £37,432. Dumbarton's were £165,598. In addition to this, Dumbarton owed £183,723 to directors and former directors in loans. I was unable to find the other clubs you mention. This may be because they operate under a different name or a model different to a limited company.

Well I didn't actually say that but the club is skint. I don't know how skint but reports earlier in the year put debt and contingent debt at about £300,000 which, even on last year's figures, was impossible to trade out of. On top of that we look to be losing around half of our season ticket money and more than half of the SPFL money. How skint do you think that makes us? Let me put it this way, I don't know if you have a house but imagine you're struggling to pay a £150,000 mortgage on £25,000 per year and your employer cuts your hours so that you're earning £12,500 per year. would you sell your car to keep the house?

Budgets are made on assumptions of income. Every single assumption is, I understand, short of expectations - season ticket sales, attendances and hospitality not helped by our form. The SPFL money is much less in this league too and is reliant on our league placing. I you look here we're on course to receive something like £100,000 less from the SPFL this season as things stand.

I think the point you're missing is that Aitken blew the budget. The expectation was, I'm sure, that these players would have got us to where we needed to be. I think you have to factor in too the massive drop in income suffered by the club whilst Aitken was signing a guy on a 2-year deal who hasn't kicked a ball in anger for months. You can't take the breeks off a heilanman.

I think you can take the Celtic attendances before the advent of seating with a huge pinch of salt. I had a look at HibbeeJibee's full list and I see that whilst Cetic were claiming a 21,000 (exactly) attendance in the 1940s, Partick Thistle had 20,267 and Queens Park 12,027. Most of the attendances, up to and including the 70s, will have been significantly higher with wee boys getting a lift over in those days.

The attendances would be significantly higher (probably almost double) than those listed up to and including the 70s, due to the amount of lifts over the turnstiles for kids.

I think you can take the Celtic attendances before the advent of seating with a huge pinch of salt.

That depends entirely on just how tight money is.

There was a return to 50s levels in the early to mid 70s. At that time our attendances were comparable with the likes of Motherwell, Dunfermline,Falkirk,Thistle and the like. It would have been fair to say that in that brief period we could claim to be a middle ranking club. League reconstruction, when we were reconstructed to the first division (second tier) in 1976 was a big blow. Attendances dropped dramatically.

The stats I posted on the match thread pretty much bear out the evidence we see before our eyes. We have a team that dominates matches in terms of possession and territorial advantage. We can't defend and we have no one who can bury the ball.

How is it possible that so many players who have been through our hands and having looked distinctly ordinary......contd. page 94.

Happy New Year (in the spirit o' banter) To ane and a' even Bogheid Ranter!

2018 is nearly awa' There's no even wan mair kick o' the ba' Social meeja is full of every silly ass The high point of the year belongs to Froxylias Happy New Year - to every Son of the Rock!