CapitalDiamond

What a nice thread! How very non Pie and Bovril! Dunfermline worth champions. Impressive come back at our place last time followed up by a strong come back at Falkirk shows real character. Hoping for a home win tomorrow to allow us to seal the play offs. Would then have all key players in cotton wool. If we lose, could get a bit nervy on our part.

Signed. My 4 year old boy is also Autistic but as has been mentioned above, Airdrie’s sensory room was discontinued which was massively disappointing having been the first club in Scotland to have one. Hopefully it may return one day. From what I understand, it was as much about a supportive community for families as it was about the football. Some kids weren’t necessarily bothered about the game but there was sensory equipment which they could use.

https://on.soundcloud.com/S1dxJrQbojZ9XxiJ6 latest podcast is up for anyone interested last one was after QotS so what a difference!

Was on the stream today. Shout out to Alloa. Crystal clear picture, balanced commentary. They were having a nightmare with the instant replay at times but dealt with it in good humour! Amazing to think how well clubs adapted to live streams out the back of Covid. Really professional stuff

We haven’t won at the Indodrill yet this year. Vital game in terms of both team’s push for the play offs. Tough one to call and will be closer than recent games 5-2 Airdrie

Too ché!

I’m away back to the Airdrie thread, I don’t have the big league banter needed to cope - although I do have a better understanding of battleships than you seem too have. hopefully see you in the playoffs….. if you can spot me!

You better hope version 2.0 doesn’t hit too much form and come into the play offs like a train then. Would be plenty red and white saltires in the stands that day but you’ll be able to crop them out again

Only because the guy who made the Wikipedia page was a Bankies fan

I was in speaking to the guy last week and he said it’s really difficult. Only 2 manufacturers are now interested in coming with Bespoke kits. I thought Umbro’s stuff had been really good and they’ve just over thought this year’s home kit. But embroidered badges rather than screen printed and really like the first 2 home shirts. Hopefully whoever it is does a good job next year and we do something to manage the centenary of the cup win. I’ve heard a rumour we will

Latest Podcast is up https://on.soundcloud.com/mrQiKe6VgmVR3oYP9

Not been on for a while given the results!!! Wee word for CGal. I’ve been massively frustrated by him at times in the past. IIRC he had decent chances v Cove and QP last season which he couldn’t take and he was constantly offside. Paired with a running style which is all arms and legs but little pace!!! BUT I’ve really enjoyed watching him this season. Now able to hold it up really well, playing offside much better and some sublime finishes over the past 2 games which were wasted as consolations I’d get him on penalties and sign him on a 2 year deal if he’ll have it. Seems a good lad too in interviews.

2 of you have mentioned Airdrie when responding to my OP when this was intended to stay away from the tribal nonsense which went before. OK if the previous board burned through £800k cash reserves then that is criminal. Why did no one at Falkirk look at the likes of Montrose or ourselves last year and see what could be done even under a “cut cut cut” approach. With your attendances that should have been (and should still be) easy to do on a bigger scale (e.g. by appointing Ian Murray 2 years ago). If you are all comfortable that all is fine even if you don’t go up this year then who am I to comment?

If the baddies have already been ousted then my apologies for missing that point. Is it relevant that they are Falkirk fans though? It was Airdrie fans who were running the show at our place….. unfortunately they didn’t have the skills required to manage a £6million stadium build and we all payed the price. I just can’t fathom how there was a loss on £1.2 million last year and a £400k loss predicted for this year unless there’s some sort of horrible servicing of debt having to take place. I can’t see that your football operation looks outrageous compared to other league 1 teams. If you are all happy then who am I to challenge. I just find the preference for option 4 (get more money from fans) rather than the cut out cloth option a bit of a concern but I wish every provincial club well.

I’d be stunned if Frizz is still with us next year (unless we go up). Cracking player and trying to sign well like we did in getting him feels a far more likely way to progress than developing players who could have the impact he has had.

Well done on your win yesterday. Falkirk looking like a proper footballing team now compared to the shambles you’ve had to endure in recent seasons. Was reading through your AGM comments (and trying to ignore the usual tribal nonsense that followed). I dip in and out of the Falkirk Daft podcast when FSS and the club reps come on (I make an Airdrie podcast so it’s always good to see what you guys are up to). I’ve got a lot of respect for Falkirk fans. You’ve had a shocking run of it, but as a fan base you have stuck by your team through a rotten spell. The one thing which intrigues me most at the moment is that there seems to be a lack of critical thought. Everything seems a bit too cozy. Your club announce a £1.2 million loss and then at the same AGM are calling the response to FSS Luke warm. I’d be losing it if I was in your position being spoken to like that. You’ve done your bit. Is there any more militant element of the Falkirk support who just want the decks cleared? After Hearts had all the nonsense with Romanov they had to take the hit of an administration and a points deduction to get on a more solid footing from which to build. I really like the FFS model. For Falkirk I think it’s ideal. But, are the underlying finances of the club holding you back from being able to rebuild? It feels to me like the fans who weren’t the ones who made the terrible decisions which the board have made over the years are now being asked to carry the can for them (whatever the model was which has ended up with you not owning your main stand, making a £1.2 million loss, appointing inexperienced managers, signing Griffiths, evening signing Jordan Allan for cash - I know he scored against Kelty, but I don’t think he has any impact in the Championship if you do go up.) The downside of FFS in my opinion is they seem to be wholly aligned with the board. On the last appearance on Falkirk Daft they glibly mentioned a short fall and that “soft loans” had to be put in. What is a soft loan? does it have to be paid back? They then call out the Council as being the problem because the rent is too high. The rent may well be high, but historically you entered into a partnership to build what looks a very high spec main stand (ours is all brick and galvanised steel where as the back of yours looks like a spaceship) and the rent is probably the clawing back of the Council’s initial investment/the result of deals done by previous boards down the years. There are people on here saying that Falkirk don’t have any debt. Is that true after all these loss making years? I’m assuming that you didn’t have £1.2 million in the coffers to cover last year (or the £600k the year before or the £400k for this year) and so someone should be asking how you ensure long term viability rather than a room full of people nodding that the fans need to pay more under Option 4. Option 5 might be that “Falkirk Forever” is about understanding how bad the financial predicament really is just now? With crowds of 4,000 you should be higher in the pyramid than the likes of Livi, Hamilton, Ross County and Inverness. Can someone explain to the fans how with 4000 fans, a handful of patrons chucking in 5 figures and 600 FSS contributors the club is still making hefty losses? Is there a whole load of debt which needs to be restructured via an administration in order to put you on a footing to properly compete? Is short term pain long term gain a better approach than assuming that the diehards will buy season tickets, sponsor players, join FSS and join Falkirk Forever so that more money is going in? I’d back the Falkirk fans to do a better job after a clean break. Despite his role in the demise of my club, where is Blair Nimmo these days? He would be the perfect man to go in on behalf on a supporters group an objective view on why it’s such a disaster financially.

In defence of the club….. Falkirk announced a £1.2 million loss last year, they are on track for a £400k loss this year. Anything like that would kill us and yet that’s who we are stuck in a league with. Even ignoring that historic spend, the match day revenue at both Falkirk and Dunfermline must be 3/4 times what we make and have a massive impact on playing budgets. Unless their “football program” is a shambles (as Falkirk’s had been for a couple of years), then you’d expect them to beat us over a season. That list of league winning managers that was posted, how many of them won the league again teams that were far better resourced financially? Dick Campbell maybe? We could all see that we were crying out for a solid centre half and ball winning centre mid ahead of the window, but do we want to gamble with the future of the club when realistically the league was already gone? The sensible play may well be to hope for a play off miracle this year and invest next year if Dunfermline and Falkirk are replaced by the likes of Arbroath, Hamilton and Cove? it’s really difficult to watch. Feels unlikely we’ll go up and with Smith, Frizzell etc. likely to be watched by other clubs it might need a rebuild over the summer. I think the challenge for the club is to work out how we do it without gambling with our existence if we fail. Last year was almost perfect but then a QP team dripping in cash and with Simon Murray finally in form picked our pockets at the last hurdle. I don’t think that we look like a league 2 side, not many of them Would take the lead in the last 3 games. But our soft centre means this is our level (as squandering those winning positions shows). The idea that buying the likes of Lachie Byrd and having a youth academy (which isn’t playing at the elite youth level) will get us out of this league I find far fetched, but if the board think it’s the best model given financial constraints then I think we all just need to buckle up and cross our fingers (unless anyone else is sitting on a few million and fancies taking on an unfashionable club).

Only able to see the second half. Falkirk worthy winners. actually thought at 2-1 we were set to equalise, once the third went in we were awful and only poor finishing/decision making by a previously clinical Falkirk stopped a rout. Will be interesting to see who wins the league now. We need to get our act together quickly to try and make the play offs.

Need to do ourselves a favour to get back on track for a play offs finish. We’ve got a good record against the Bairns and, as you’ve seen, when we click we can score goals against anyone. Kevin Keegan school of defending at times though!

Good point caller!!! I should have realised Dunfermline’s big heefers couldn’t play such a good through ball!! Well played to the officials in that case. I see Rhys saying the penalty shouldn’t have been given. Can’t agree with that. Striker goes down like a ton of bricks under minimal contact, but if the keeper comes that far, slides in and doesn’t won’t he ball then that’s going to be given. so on all the calls across both games chopped off goal - enough contact that the striker should blame himself Rae Hand ball - keeper lucky not to get his second yellow. From still images it’s very tight to the line but if you give the free kick you should give a second yellow. smith handball - most controversial call. From Airdrie highlights I thought it was the wrong call. Dunfermline camera showed the arm flailing out more clearly though and Red was well placed… Airdrie didn’t appeal it. 2nd Game Rae First yellow - holds onto the ball so can’t really complain - albeit 2 Airdrie yellows and 1 Dunfermline one seems unfair from the highlights! Rae Second Yellow - cute from the striker but contact so a foul and second yellow all day long these days (much like the chopped off goal in the first game. Don’t need much contact. Offside Claim on penalty incident - it’s Watson (Airdrie) who plays the ball backwards so no offside. They didn’t do too badly on the big calls then?!

There’s been a lot of controversy over the 2 games. Pars Review video was really good and I still think Rae’s first yellow was a bit much (or that you have to give more yellows out than the three that he did as the Dunfermline players went in pretty heavy handed to get the ball back). Correct practical decision probably a blast of the whistle, tell everyone to hurry up, stop the watch until play restarts to avoid the intended time wasting. For the second yellow and penalty, looks offside from the highlights.

I think that’s called out in the rules as a yellow card offence so pretty stupid from him then, especially given what then happened. What about the header in the first half, Pars fans behind the goal would have had a good view. Must have been tight!!

Airdrie could well kill the title race next week though At least, unlike some pars fans, you’ll know not to leave early regardless of any Airdrie lead!!!

That was an entertaining double header. When we click we can be really incisive in our passing and can press well. Don’t have the resources of Falkirk and Dunfermline but glad to see us compete twice. Dunfermline were more powerful and in both games that told. Would really like to see the off the inside of the post header from Fordyce. Watching it I thought it must have crossed the line given how long it took to claw back. also thought the first yellow for Rae was a bit harsh. From the Pats review clip he was bundled over by 3 Dunfermline players pretty quickly after the goal. Not sure what his crime was. No complaints on the second and I did raise a smile that it could well have been 4 bookings in 2 weeks for him. pars don’t like Hutton but he was always decent for us previously. Won’t be the worst keeper we’ll see this year!! Although I’m sure like the footage last week, we’ll still all argue about the decisions anyway.