HopeStreetWalker

Remember the shouts from the enclosure Huughie - Huughie - Huughie. They were not cheering him on they were being sick at the sight of him.

Dave Clarke was pragmatic. Marshall and Burgess were superb signings and he set the team out to survive. Big physical side not pretty to watch but he did keep us in the top league by winning at Parkhead.

Falkirk had a reputation for standing by their managers through hard times and giving them a chance to turn things round. We were never known as a hire and fire club. If anything when a job came up there were no shortages of applications because of that. The problems we have now started the season after the cup final. It was obvious that the team had to be rebuilt. McDonald was going anyway. Duffy and Grant tragically injured. Vaulks , Alston and Sibbald the best balanced midfield we have had for years moving on to bigger challenges. Loy got a gig at an SPL club. But Houston did not get the funds and the rest is history. It all went wrong for Houston and I felt sorry for him at the end. He had gone toe to toe with Rangers , Hearts , Hibs , Dundee United and bettered them and came so close and nobody could question it was a team that tried and never gave up. Great player and I hope in time he will be remembered for that.

good pick ! Thought of Laudrup he was one of these player that got you on your feet every time he got the ball. But I saw Lubanski pay for Gornik at Brockville. All round player and had everything. Pace, great in the air, two footed, team player, hard as nails, passing short and long. Must have been a nightmare to play against. Remember standing in the Royal Hotel bar after the game and everybody was raving about just how good he was. 1971 and the memory is still with me.

This is turgid and we are all saying the same thing using different words. In other words we are not very good oh ! ok then we are sh*te. So to change of subject and take our minds off the misery for a short while. From players you have seen. Best player seen in a Falkirk Jersey ? Best goalkeeper seen in a Falkirk Jersey ? Best opposition Scottish player seen play at Brockville or the Falkirk stadium ? Best opposition non Scottish player seen play at Brockville or the Falkirk stadium ? No body right nobody wrong its personal opinion and a bit of fun. To get things started here is mine. Stainrod - Whigham - Jimmy Johnstone - Lubanski.

Caretaker = 2 - 3 games till new manager comes in. Hope this clarifies

Totten caretaker ?

Agree we should be a gig somebody would want - but it comes down to how the club is seen at the moment. New owner then maybe their own idea on who they want as a manager. That plants enough doubt to put people off.

Agree ! but worryingly who would want to come to Falkirk in the situation we find ourselves. the only option is to stick with McKinnon until the ownership drama is settled. Nobody of any quality will come near us until that is done.

Expect the unexpected. We will turn up and play like Brazil in 1970 and Doyle re creates the Carlos Alberto goal and we go home happy.

Yes ! he was fast and a good foil for the trickery of McAllister on the other wing.

One of the clubs most effective and entertaining forward line ups was McAllister , Irvine and Grant. Two wingers mobile skillful centre forward with a midfield that had success from the cause that they created. Worth a go ? you never know it just might click.

Teams are setting out their stall to frustrate and get something out the game. It was always going to be a grind and fighting for every point we get. There are going to be more results like this before the end of the season so we should get a reality check and get on with it. 100+ points , 100 goals , 5-6 goal hammerings every week , seaside league , diddy teams , won by xmas. It was deluded to the point of deranged to be coming up with that stuff and you all know who you are that came up with it. We should be doing better. We should be more adventures. It should be a case this is how we are going to play see if you can stop us.

When Mark Campbell said he was not in it for the money he destroyed his credibility in six words. Nobody does anything in business out the goodness of their heart. They want a return, its what is called putting in an investment. If he had said for example. We will buy the stadium outright and the surrounding land. There will be a 4th stand/hotel built to complete the stadium. The resulting sporting complex will work 7 days a week as an income generator. Youth academy started learning from what we did well in the past and what we did wrong. So we can produce home grown players that comparable clubs in the central belt have produced like Motherwell and Kilmarnock. Once the club is in the black and on a sound financial footing I will take ? % of the profits every year and x amount when I sell up. Now that is credible, fair and realistic. Most of the support would have bought into it. But No he came up with the unbelievable statement he was not in it for the money ! aye right.

Would have preferred a McCann type hard nosed business man with a plan and open with everybody what he would do and what he would take out when he left. He arrived at Celtic 1 hour from closing stating he would revamp the stadium. Put in place sound financial management with a 3 - 5 10 year plan with set KPI's year by year. When he would go he leave a financially sound club and would take 50 million with him. Everybody knew where he stood - they did not like him for it at the time. But they have reaped the rewards big style. Wonder if he is still around and fancies a gig at Falkirk !

Teams will be getting a handle on how to play against us. Stifle , frustrate get the team and support impatient and it worked yesterday. It was always going to be a grind and there will be many results like this to come. The deluded among us that were saying crowds will drop with 5 - 6 goal drubbings , 100 point season , be over by xmas ( you know who you are ) are now getting the reality check that was always coming their way.

On a serious point. If you have a programme collection that you would like to do some good with. Please consider donating them to Footballing Memories. They are an organisation working with Alzheimer sufferers. Sometimes it will drag somebody back into remembering who they are, their family, who they went to the game with, pint in the Royal or the 1066, Brockville , Players, Great games. Then they drift away again but for these few minutes it's priceless. I donated my programmes from the 60's till now home and away international matches the lot. Lucky enough to have the memories but you never know I might some day need them again, and so might you !

Well ! The reason why not is reality of what it is like on the pitch. You could put together 11 players that are great in their individual positions but playing together their limitations expose the limitations of the great players beside them and its a disaster. Here is the scenario. Midfield player good allrounder but if ball player in behind him he is slow on the turn. This exposes the good all rounder centre back that is slow for his first 3 - strides. Result big hole in the middle of the park and games lost. What do you learn from that ? The best players don't make the best teams,sometimes conditions determine who gets a game, and sometimes the opposition can be exploited by a less talented player but with a game winning attribute. Get a grip Shadwell !

This is where due diligence comes in. The clubs lawyers and accountants have a legal duty to ascertain that the commitments made during the bid process can be met by the potential buyer. These Lawyers and Accountants are not going to put their careers at risk by not following due process. It's all conjecture and personal opinion so far, so best to wait and see.

East Stirlinghire should be a warning to us about new owners and their motives. Mackin stripped the assets and the rest is history. It was Bainsford's club and have fond memories of some cracking derbies and pints with their support in the old shires club after words.

No ! I have a better one. Stirlingshire Cup midweek game at Brockville against the Shire early mid 70's. Goal kick for Shire at the car park end. The shire goalie called Gourley took a long run up. Slightly lost his footing and kicked a divot of turf which sailed majestically to the half way line as the ball tricked out the box. There was the bizarre sign of Gourley standing on one foot hopping about holding a football boot full of mangled toes. John Whiteford walked the ball round him into an empty net. People were staggering for a piss to the toilet or to the wall behind the goal. Funniest thing I have ever seen on a football pitch. People were bursting out in spontaneous laughter for the rest of the game as they re lived the moment in their mind. Anybody else remember this ?

Wonder what he would have made of the guy that used to follow the linesman from the Watson Street corner flag to the half way line giving non stop abuse every home game at Brockville. That guy would have made Malcolm Tucker look slightly sarcastic, hilarious stuff. Anybody remember him ?

Yes it was but it was a well drilled one. The biggest Falkirk side I have ever seen. Big Marshall and Burgess were standouts and both made the club money when they sold them on. He kept the club up with that win at Parkhead and did it with no money. He was a pragmatist that did the best he could with what he had.

Great players and memories of happier days.

The force can have a strange effect on the weak minded.