HopeStreetWalker

Got to be realistic regarding the players you mentioned. Most will want to play at a higher level and will go if they get an offer. Can't blame them can you ? So to be realistic who do we have that could be the core of a new side who would want to stay. Mutch, McGee, Dixon, Robson look like certs if offered a contract. The rest I suspect will be dumped or released from contract. Looking at signing 15 players to give us a squad to fight our way out of a division where Falkirk will be their cup final and a scalp every club will want next season.

Congratulations on retaining your place in the division. Superb effort by the whole club from the Directors , Management , Players , Supporters , Staff and all those that help in the backgrounf. You got what you deserved and best of luck for next season.

You should have seen some of the fans outside the stand in the mid 70's. That's what you call a protest ! It got so bad sometimes the 1066, Royal bar and the Newmarket ( Behind the wall was not open at that time ) were complaining the post match taking were down. Now that's what you call serious protesting.

We are where we are because over the season the whole club from top to bottom have not been good enough. The club got relegated because we deserved to. That is it folks,we have to get used to it, so the blame game gets us nowhere. To stand a chance next season we need what restructuring that has to done in the next couple of weeks. The longer it takes the lower the choice there will be in the players available, and that in the end is what matters. Club ownership, Business plan, Management team, Funding, Squad recruitment. The future of Falkirk Football and Athletic Club depends on this being done right and fast.

Whoops ! will correct lol

It should not be forgotten when we went into administration he worked for nothing and put his own money into the club to try and keep it afloat. Alex Totten represents the good things about the club and the support.

Was always against leaving Brockville and not having full ownership of the new stadium. Falkirk survived in the past because we had the value of the stadium as collateral and it saw us through some hard times. It has got to be fan ownership with a long term plan to buy the stadium outright.

There have been comments made on the merits of the academy and its demise. The creation of the academy had planned to produce the big multi million pound sale to kick us on to the net level. It never produced the 3 -6 million pound deal with sell on bonus. Therefore since the academy did not fulfill it's brief it has to be judged as a partial failure. We produced some very good players that served the club well but it has not been enough. When Falkirk sold a player we were and are still seen as a soft touch. International potential sold for pennies. Kennedy. Gillespie. Marshall. Irvine. Weir proves the point. Other provincial clubs some with a fraction of our support manage it. Partick - StJohnstone - Hamilton - Kilmarnock - Motherwell have all managed multi million pound sales and reaped the benefits. If the club is to revive an academy then the reasons for these past failures must be identified and rectified. Scouting , Coaching , Management and Negotiating simply have not been good enough.

What is just as important as a cash injection from any new owners is the motif. Any business owner would have a business plan and a direction of where they want to go with the club and a timeline to achieve their target. Just like any other business investment. If the club are being taken over by a group then most likely we will be no more than a line on a balance sheet with other unknown investments. Would prefer somebody or a group of individuals that have connections with the town and the clubs history and the financial clout to achieve the clubs potential. If it can work at St Johnstone and Ross County it can work at Falkirk.

The nearest I can compare to the situation we are in is 1984. No players and the club in a mess. Alex Totton rebuilt the side around 4 crucial signings.Crunchy from Camelon Juniors. Jobson and Grant from Alloa and Irvine just freed from Hibs who had just gone to the juniors. 2 wingers, Strong hard working centre forward getting on the end of crosses from the wingers, and a hard working midfielder with the odd goal in him. Totton's team dragged the club up by the bootlaces we need the same inspired leadership again.

It is not in our own hands next week. Depending on a result on the Alloa result and to their credit deserve the play off place more than us, oh ! how the mighty have fallen. This time it has to be a case of throw caution to the wind and go for it. Motivation is the key. Most of the players won't be there next season and they know it. Are they going to be pinging into 30- 70 tackles ? Are they to run and work till they drop ? They may think they will but deep down not a chance. So give them a target of a massive bonus for a win. Get and early goal which would get the nerves going with the Alloa guys. Can't see any other way of getting a result.

Expect the unexpected. Beat United, Draw with County and get relegated on goal difference due to a last minute goal elsewhere. Would not surprise me one bit.

McKinnon had a limited choice on who he could bring in. Free agents, Players not getting a game with their clubs whether out of favour , not good enough or not fit enough. Not making excuses for him but it was one hell of a mess he took on. We had our chance in the last 3 games that were 6 pointers and blew it. Not even the comfort of saying we were unlucky. Nothing to lose on Saturday by going out and playing the game as a blood and snotters cup tie - for that is what it is. Lose or draw then it's all over. Some hard decisions to be taken regarding the clubs future. Directors - Management team - Budget - Size of squad - Full or part time. No faffing about on this get it decided in the first couple of weeks of the closed season and move on.

This is so like the post Prentice era of Miller , Little and Hagart in the 70's no hope , no future it was dire stuff. This time we cannot borrow from the bank with the stadium as collateral. An uncomfortable few months await us.

Have followed Falkirk since the 1960,s. It's uncanny how similar the situation is to when we got relegated in our Centenary year it's like Deja Vu. No ambition. No plan. No direction. No players. No future. Feel sorry for McKinnon though. He took over a non team and scraped the fringes of other clubs for what he could get. Unfortunately they have not been good enough. The big question. Is McKinnon the man to rebuild not only the team but the club ?

Houston was a great player for the club. Goodness how he tried when he put our jersey on. When he was off his game the harder he tried and the worse he got. He still got an ovation when he got substituted. Not many players were respected that much by the fans. Pity it ended the way it did for him as manager. With a bit of luck we could have gone up, but we did not. His big mistake was not demanding a big cash injection into the team. It was obvious losing Alston and Vaulks with other players needing to move on. It was time for a major rebuilding of the squad and he failed to do it.

Lets see if we go down. But whatever happens the club needs a strategy and a long term plan together with a massive rebuilding of the clubs structure. For the 12th best supported team in Scotland it is nothing short of a disgrace to be in this position.

Its the hope that is so distressing. Even after this result we are still in the mix. Somebody pushing valium outside the Falkirk end next week would do a roaring trade.

It's the hope that get's you. Fingertip away ! just a little bit more. Then it gets kicked down the road out of reach and back to square one. We are where we are because we deserve to be there.

Agree, get them pinned back from the first minute. Shots on target , corners, pressing game. Fans in full voice behind the team. Just like the glory days of a Brockville cup tie !

Not an issue, glad to clarify. Will just be glad one way or the other when it's all over. What a miserable 2 seasons.

Yes ! other teams in the mix play each other Q of S v Morton Morton v Alloa Alloa v Q of S Partick v Alloa Q of S v Partick The worst is a play off if we win our 3 home games.

Very true. In the end league positions don't lie.

It is still in our own hands. If we had been offered that when McKinnon was appointed. Every one of us would have said ' will take that ' So lets keep out position in perspective. We must win our 3 home games. No but's, what if's. Our whole season hinges on these home games. If we get 2 points from the away games, well that's a bonus.

2 blood and snotter cup ties, not for the faint hearted.