Bainsfordbairn

Bear in mind that when construction started you needed 10,000 seats to get into the SPL and we'd just been denied promotion because of it. It was planned and built to meet a set of ridiculous rules that were binned a year or so later.

Why would they deliberately fail to publicise something that benefits them? I don't know either way, but if I were guessing I'd put it down to oversight. The person who's most switched on in terms of publicity - KK - was on a fortnights holiday at the start of the year. The person who does the input for the website / social media also doubles up as football admin and he was running about like a daftie at the time; seven new players came in during the space of two days. I'm guessing (again) but I suspect McShane may have been "allocated" to BFL after the event. Particularly as he was third in the door and his eighteen month contract wouldn't be covered by the 16K donation, unless we're paying him an average of £222 per week. With all the focus being on changing an entire team I suspect the publicity angle for BFL was simply forgotten about rather than deliberately omitted. We'll know for sure when the next one's done in the summer. Bairns Business were acknowledged when we signed Rory Loy so there should be no reasons for B4L not to get the same level of publicity, at least in a normal transfer window when staff have a bit more time to plan things.

I would have said jersey fillers to help us put put out a full team, though your definition kinda works too. Reserve player numbers are still a bit on the light side. It was the two young lads who featured in the last game against Killie.

I'd imagine so. Robson was on the bench today whereas Brough sat in the stand so it seems fairly obvious who the preferred second choice LB is. And there is no-one in the reserves who could step up to either role.

Darren's a top guy. Very friendly, outgoing and makes time for everyone. Full of laughs too. He's got the perfect personality for an Assistant Manager. Thing is, with Ray there it's very much a case of good cop and good cop. I think you're meant to have a bad one too he's working for the media now...

We can still make signings, albeit they have to be free agents. McKinnon said at some point that he wanted the reserve team to be full of young players who were no more than a year away (at most) from being ready to play for the first team. Currently we have only five youngsters and two of them have longterm injuries. For that reason I wouldn't be surprised if you saw the odd youngster coming in. Particularly with the reserves due to play every Monday for the next seven weeks.

I don't think he was using them as a stepping stone. He was quite happy to be their manager initially and then were issues behind the scenes which quite simply meant he wanted out. Not out to Falkirk, Hearts or Rangers, just out period. I suspect he would have gone anywhere just to get away from Cappielow. And I'm not saying that just to wind up their fans. It seems fairly obvious if you read between the lines of some of the public statements which have been made. Morton won't get compensation because they're not entitled to any. They specifically removed those clauses from his contract of employment. For that reason it would be pointless for them to go to court. Not that they can anyway, because as members of the SPFL / SFA they're bound to use only the football authorities when pursuing grievances. Or so I believe; I imagine one of the QOS guys can confirm.

Bit like myself really.

The ironic thing is they were criticising the slagging of Petra. The person who made the post is a regular on that page too. This forum is much better IMO. The majority of posters - including opposition fans * - have a reasonable knowledge of football and the debate reflects that. Many of the posts on COYB are so OTT that a lot of it just reads like a bunch of drunks trying to outshout each other. Apart from which, I've never been banned from P&B. So I'm kind of biased in favour of this place. * One or two Morton posters excepted obviously.

Jarvis won't be up here until Monday. I'm not sure why but it was always planned that way. I was told last Tuesday that he was a target but that if we got him he wouldn't be here until the following week. Delighted with the result today. The "journeymen" signings that folk criticised McKinnon for making seem to be coming good. Dixon has been superb since we got him, Edge won MOTM today and even the maligned Osman came onto a game. The jewel in the crown for me is DKD. I'm now hoping that County win the league, splash the cash for an assault on the Premiership and decide they don't need him. The boy is a player. On a side note, Mark Waddington did hospitality today and had Stephen Dobbie's top with him. After being questioned as to why it turned out that SD was a big help to Waddo when the two of them were at Blackpool together, hence why MW presumably asked for his shirt after the game. I thought it showed a nice human touch between the two players.

I didn't use the word "new". The full story isn't out. I suspect it WILL come out now, and that when it does things may look a little different. Last word from me as I think folk are getting a little bored with the topic.

At least you left us mainly in peace over the last couple of months rather than constantly spamming our thread with "you're doomed"-type posts. Thanks for that. As for dishonourable, let's just say there is more to come on this subject. I suspect the appeal process will be used and what comes to light then may alter the final outcome. I wouldn't count your chickens just yet. Albeit you don't actually have any chickens, as without a compensation clause you were never due any.

Thumbs up for this one. The club haven't asked me to stay away from anything, but when I was doing a photoshoot for them at a nursery school this afternoon my phone went off several times by friends texting to ask what's happening. Since then I seem to have been mentioned half a dozen times on this thread. God know how Connor puts up with it. When an ordinary fan - or an unpaid volunteer - becomes the story rather than the club itself then it's maybe time to step back a little. Hence why this will be my one and only post today. Sorry lads.

I nearly got a trip to Stamford Bridge last year. Sammut initially wasn't available to come to Scotland on the date we wanted to announce him, so I offered to take a trip to London. It wouldn't have cost anything as I have free train travel in the UK, courtesy or 25 years as a railwayman. The chance to photograph a Chelsea player, at their home ground, wearing an FFC top and holding up a Falkirk scarf would have made for a cracking picture. Sadly it didn't come to anything. As for Lee Erwin, I wouldn't hold your breath. I know the player we're hoping to land as a striker and it's not him. His name hasn't appeared anywhere online so if it does happen it'll be a surprise to everyone.

No, he's in the UK.

Jus to kill this one, nothing photographic has been done for the club today. It's possible something will happen tomorrow, and it's also possible that something will happen without my involvement if we secured a target who's not available to come to the stadium. Time will tell on both fronts.

Overall Houston was a good manager. The problem was that in the last couple of years he seemed to go for the easy signings rather than putting in the work to get better, and in the end his recruitment of the likes of Harris / Rankin / Craigen, never mind the new contracts for the likes of Shepherd, came home to roost. We liked Hartley at first because he offered a clearout of those who had already proven to be not good enough. He did well at this time last year but after his abysmal summer recruitment he simply had to go. We like McKinnon because he quickly recognised the poor players for what they were, has recruited ones who appear to be better, and most importantly of all - has the Morton fans in a state of continual apoplexy. That'll do for me.

We've signed ten players and if we get the ones we're targeting over the next two days it will take our recruitment into the teens. That would suggest that substantial monies have indeed been made available. The hard part, as you allude to, is finding the quality needed at this time of year. RM has looked at what feels like dozens and dozens of players. Every time I went into the club in recent months there seemed to be new faces walking about. I don't know if we'll secure any more or when they'll happen but I do know it's not through lack of trying. And forwards are at the top of the "wanted" list.

I think the contract dispute has passed the point of no return, given that the ruling on 19th December found us guilty. However, the statement made by the SPFL said: "sub-committee to decide what sanction, IF ANY, should be applied. That wording suggests the sanction may be much less than the aforementioned lunatic was hoping for. And posted incessantly about, way back in September and October. Should such a thing happen and we only get a slap on the wrist, then it would be more than amusing. Particularly if it was followed up with news of Tidser leaving "the Famous" to join a big club. Poor Branchton would get so many "GIRFUY"-type posts hurled in his direction that he'd need to go into hibernation. Of course, he may well have the last laugh. We'll just have to wait and see.

Both the trialists were young boys. As Fasan was the only other player on the bench I'd speculate that they were just filling spaces in the same way the FVFA seniors used to do. Though I suppose it's possible we might be assessing them as future reserve players. The reserve budget is separate from the first team. I googled their names and it gave me backgrounds of amateur / youth football for both. Ironically though, one of them was born in Greenock. If there anything through there that we can't take if we want it?

Interesting stat is that a certain discredited poster assured us Kidd would be the rightback at the end of January. Well, we've played our last game in January - and he isn't. McGhee currently holds that position. Nor has Robson been displaced at leftback, which we were also assured would happen. It's a real shame he's no longer posting. I'd have loved to have heard him explain why he got the predictions so wrong.

No. You're allowed four domestic loans at any one time. We currently have only Rudden and Keillor-Dunn. Burgoyne and Lavery are international loans; you can have as many of those as you like. I actually had the same thought as you a couple of weeks back and looked it up. The SPFL rules & regs can be downloaded from their website. Sections 57 and 60 give you the details. There are no sections about total number of loans in a season.

He was a former poster on One F and used to be known as Phil09 until he got admin to change his user name because of the amount of abuse he was attracting. At that time he was probably the worst poster on the site by a long, long margin. Had admitted he didn't go to Falkirk games ("not going back until Pressley leaves") and appeared to have zero knowledge of football outwith teams on TV. The amount of absolute drivel he posted used to drive me crazy and we crossed swords on a number of occasions. 6871 - sorry if that sounds mean, but you'll get a better reception on here if people realise that you're not a recently-departed poster come back with a new username. At least then you'll be judged on what you say in future rather than what someone else said in the past. Am I correct in assuming you ARE the poster of the same name from One F?

I'm a saddo who keeps stats of all things Falkirk-related. It was a quick copy and paste from a spreadsheet.

I know of at least one who're waiting on an answer from and there may well be others. We also continue to take people in on trial, so the manager is still looking. I guess that finding the quality you want isn't easy in January.