HopeStreetWalker

Hope they live up to expectations then. These new players have to be cut a bit of slack. They are being built up on the forum and that's unfair.

The same was said about our signings from the higher leagues last season and the seasons before and before.

There will be one or two signings and a possibility of some contracted players going out on loan. Sadly the players you highlight that are available will look on Falkirk due to our league position, player churn and impatient support as a last resort. Forget the fantasy that the required quality will sign for Falkirk because of the wages the past 5 seasons' signing indicate they don't. It is going to be a battle and a slog to get out of the division if the players do that the fans have to back the team - I will.

At last the return of White in the away top. Hopefully that's the end of the every colour under the sun shades we have had over the last few years

Would like to see Carroll and Yeats establish themselves this season two lads with great potential.

But in the past the teammates were more than happy to carry them because they knew they more than compensated for their lack of work rate team spirit and camaraderie saw to that As you said its a matter of balance but it's gone too far the other way. Still, hold to my post Johnstone and Baxter would not make it today for the good of Scottish football and the enjoyment of the game that has to be addressed.

Seen that as well over the years and it's appalling. The amount of extraordinary talent that was lost to the game will never be known as the child goes F**k it will do something else on a Saturday. Put it this way would Jim Baxter or Jimmy Johnstone make it now? No chance - no work rate without the ball - can't tackle = no game. When was the last time you saw 5-10-15 pals with jerseys down on the grass just playing football - you don't.

Latapy is one of the very few players that got you on your feet in anticipation of what they were going to do. Stainrod and McAllister also had that little bit of WFT is he going to do. One thing they all had in common their talent was not coached they did their own thing learning their craft the way it used to be done in bounce games with your mates and school football and that's what made them so difficult to play against. Sadly that individuality is now coached out of youngsters

Zonal is fine but you need the suitable players to make it work. The players we have just don't have the attributes to do it.

These shortcomings require coaching on game management and decision making he makes the correct decisions in his own half soi it's sortable.

Cunningham, Totten, Jeffries, Hughes, Houston from my time are the stand out managers. All had the fans with them their teams playing entertaining football winning games in style. Making good signings that tried and in the end if you try on the pitch the fans will forgive a lot.

Sadly it was Eddie May he should never have been put in that position. Being asked he had no choice but to take the offer or forever be left with the 'what if' in his mind. One of our best ever players was doing a great job with the youth team and was a tragedy for all concerned how it worked out. He deserved a better end to his association with the club.

To be fair to Clarke he signed Marshal and Burgess who went on to be the biggest transfer fees we had ever received and made a lot of money for the club. He was pragmatic, made the team hard to beat even if it was negative. Stuart Burgess rated him and said he was the only manager that could get in his head and get the best out him.

That is why a good start is needed.

Hope it's a return to white tops

The players you mention were consistently good. You turned up taking it for granted they would play well and always delivered on the pitch and made the players around them better players. Cannot think of any player post-Houston you could attribute these abilities to.

Was never into autographs but happy memories standing at the Bleachfield Pavilion watching them train and have a bounce game at the end. Strange how small snippets from 50 odd years ago can be triggered from the depths of your mind.

In the 60-70's it was the Bleachfield. The session would end with them running up to the Dollar Park across to Arnothill - Cockburn Street - Hope Street - Brockville. Some of the players used to nip along Burnfoot Lane and wait at the Barr's factory and tag on at the back after the rest had passed. How times have changed.

Possible there's a change of style in the offing in getting the ball from back to front quicker instead of this faffing about in the middle of the park passing sideways and backward. How often last season did teams just sit back and wait for a loss of possession and the ensuing panic.

And as a friend would do just keeping you right.

Only 8 seasons with red on the tops on our 147 years There has been red trim on the shorts and red socks but your assertion there is plenty of history of red on the tops in incorrect.

Red sleeves ! Naw. If they had maybe a darker shade of Blue instead it would have been a cracker. It's all right but nothing special. Plus point though is the white shorts are back.

The squad is starting to be put together and will be interesting to see if there is a change of style. Right back is needed then apart from maybe one or two contracted players being moved on and replacements bought in that's about it. Hopes? Yeats establishes himself, Carroll gets a few starts and some of the younger players start to shine. Could McGinn drop back into central defense? It would nullify his lack of legs in midfield but utilize his undoubted talents.

Or is there a hot young goalie playing in the higher leagues that can get game time with a loan deal.

Leeds United in the Don Revie era ran the same scam with their youth players. Accommodating companies gave the youngsters token jobs involving a few hours a week appearances at their employer letting Leeds comply with the FA rules paying them a pittance. Jim McCalliog mentioned it in his book (it's a good read) how Peter Lorimer and him got signed up beating off the competition from other clubs paying them indirectly top dollar to get the signatures.