Life on Marrs?

Correct that is why it's imperative as many people as possible sign up and pledge as much as they can to the trust, so we can buy him out. At long last people can see how bad the situation is off the field.

Finally, the penny has dropped! We have NO money (yet you wanted to bring 7 players in, this window!). We are not making the play offs (either promotion, or relegation) this season. Situation is unlikely to change financially until we can buy the owner out.

Assuming we can only afford to bring in 2 loanees (I've no idea what's happening with McManus). Where do we prioritise? Team currently needs central defenders. Do we bring someone in here, or wait to see how long Page, Easton & Comerford will be out & go for a Balde & a forward who can actually score goals? Had hoped to have some movement by now.

On the face of it, a draw at home to the bottom side, when we had a goal start looks like a poor result. However, when you take it into context, we had no recognised central defenders for most of the game. Page & Comerford unavailable, Easton only lasted until half time. McManus, who played at the back at Forfar, not in the squad. Charlie Murray making his first start, Shiavone going into defence. Players still not recovered from an illness that's swept through the squad. The fact we didnt lose this one, with a squad stretched to the limits, with clearly wasn't good enough to begin with, should mean that team we put out on the park deserveves credit.

Aye, I'm old enough and smart enough to know if we'd successfully managed to keep Rennie from scoring, we'd have had the 3 points. That said, I dont think we did enough to deserve the victory today.

Certainly must be a pocket related injury that we've now subbed him!

Memo to Davie, our kitman. Can you make sure Brian Easton's shorts have a pocket in the back, where he can keep Martin Rennie? Thank you.

Aye, noticed that myself. Id prefer it though, if those proud Forfar (insert any provincial town in here) folk would support their local club & not spend their Saturday afternoon watching Glesga teams on tv all the same.

We only beat the teams below us. Last 3 games I've been to we've won 4-0. 4-0 to Forfar!

Last 3 matches I've been to this season, we've won 4-0. We only beat the teams below us in the table, thats the rules this season. Just saying like.

Great, if we can convince Celtic to give us £50,000+ for Johnny Page to replace the injured Carter-Vickers, we might just manage to finance all this.

I think we were all, management, fans, board guilty of believing the current squad was strong enough to challenge at the top end of the division, something which quickly became apparent in the first match v Peterhead. With the transfer window system in place there's not a lot we could've done to rectify it. That said, do I think the current coaching staff have got the best out of this squad? No, nowhere near. Club has had to make a lot of savings since last year, and we've the disapointment of no cup run, so I don't suppose there's a lot of money about to change much in January. We seem to have got who we can freed up, but players are not daft, those under contract, are not just going to rip them up. Even the greatest manager in the world wouldn't get this squad into the play offs this season, there's just too much of a gap now. It would seem we are content (for the moment) with being too good to get dragged into the bottom pile, but not near good enough to compete with the top 4/5. At least we have a coaching team who seem to buying into the current austerity, but hopefully have identified the teams shortcomings (or I would seriously question what they've been doing these last few months!). There's more issues at the club, than just the board, or the manager. For those who think, chucking money we don't have, to try to rescue a lost cause this season is a good idea, you only need to take a look at Edinburgh City's thread in the league 1 forum to see what could easily happen. Anyway, it's Christmas & hopefully we can seen an improvement in our fortunes in 2024.

I'd hate to see your reaction if we ever lost 4-0!

Got to give credit to the team where due, that's the last 3 games I've been to, 4-0 v Stranraer, 4-0 v Clyde & 4-0 today. Clearly a gulf between those above us, as much as there is to us below us. Definitely made Elgin look as poor, as your Stennys and Peterheads have made us look, or they made us look good, take that whichever way you wish. I doubt we've got it in us to close the gap on 4th place, but to all the doom merchants panicking about lowland league, as long as there's Elgin, Stranraer & Clyde, we'll be fine. Well done for being so entertaining in miserable conditions.

Would love to see Dick Campbell at Bayview. I know he's just left Arbroath, but I can imagine he'll not be one for wanting to sit around the house with his feet up for any length of time. That, & the fact he's good friends with at least one of our directors, mean it might just happen. We're heading in the direction we are, not due to just one factor, but the ownership, lack of cash, bad board decisions, poor management, lack of quality on the park. A character like Campbell may well be the person who could galvanise the whole club, Arbroath have had great success off the park these last few years, as well as on it. Clyde seem to be all uniting around McCall. On the downside, does he need to come as a team, with Pink & big Rab? Paying off our whole coaching team & bringing in Dick & his guys, might be beyond us. If we did spend this amount of cash & it didn't work, would we recover financially, would our board gamble like this? The success at Abroath didn't come overnight, it was 5 years of steady growth, at 70, would Dick still have the enthusiasm needed to start a project like that again? This change might be what's needed. AGM tonight.

Get Dick in, now!

It's 5 points, with Bonnyrigg & East Fife having played a game less, they meet on Tuesday, any result will see the gap to Spartans reduced further.

Just looked back at that game, interestingly a few ex-Fifers in the Montrose line up, along with a young Sean Crighton & future Aussie international, Martin Boyle.

After I typed that, I remembered I was at Links Park 10/12 years ago, when we won 5-0. Probably had a few big away wins in the Dave Baikie promotion season?

Great result today, can't play down the importance of the 2 early goals though. Credit where it's due. Clyde, looked a bit like we do most weeks, huffed & puffed, without creating a great deal. Would like to see Clyde's 'equaliser' again, as I thought it looked over the line, after that, they offered very little & McCall really has his work cut out. First half, I thought it was some kind of ultras thing, a group of guys, all in matching black Clyde scarves & red Clyde tammies, but turns out it was a group of Dutch fans in, their exploits in the crossbar challenge was certainly entertaining. See we've got round Healy's suspension, by sticking him on the bench & calling him Ramsay! First time I've heard the Terminator theme & Comfortably Numb played at the football! Can't think I've ever seen us win 4-0 away before and now we can start to look up the table, instead of what's below us, full steam ahead to Bonnyrigg next.

Tale of 2 managererial opposites today. 1, who seems to have united the home support & seeking to use this postivity to galvanise his side, the other, who without a positive result, today can't really see how he can continue. The way I feel at the moment, I'd pick Fleming, Newton, Walls, Millar, Healy. I'm not fussed if I see any of the others in a black & gold jersey again, mind you, I can equally, this evening be typing about how these guys are the greatest side to ever wear the shirt! I'm going for a fighting 1-1 draw that'll suit us more than Clyde, and the manager can tell us that he sees a time fighting for him & he'll remain in post for another week or 2. Finally, will the real Jack Healy, please stand up& not this imposter wearing his shirt & colouful boots we've endured this season!

Maybe this a consequence of the transfer window system, that we seemed to pad the squad out with any available player with no real plan before the window closed. Anyway, we need freshened up, so if someone's not making the grade, we're as well getting them out. Hoping Clyde don't get the new manager bounce, although I think McCall is a great appointment at this level. Huge game on Saturday for us.

Like you, I was expecting some news on this in the newsletter. Comerford & Murdoch might do. I suspect we're more likely to try and make do with a 70% fit Johnny Page & hope for the best though.

Last 2 home games v Stranraer, 12-0 to us. Thought, we were setting up too defensive at home when I saw Both Miller & McManus starting, but McManus looked good in his advanced position. Fleming & Easton confident as ever, the latter even fighting to prevent a corner when 4-0 up. Comerford looked good defensively, not too sure going forward though. Trouten put in a shift in the middle of the park & another great performance from Docherty. Newton a close second for MOTM, got forward more in the second half and deserved his goal. Some good football on display today, just need more of a cutting edge. Healy not at his best again. At the end of the 1st half, when we forced 3 or 4 corners in quick succesion, was he trying to score from his own corner? Might be a bit selfish, but if you can't try it with the wind and comfortably 2-0 up, when can you? Not much came off for Shepherd, or Austin today. Of the raft of subs, Nicol looked like the one I'd like to see more of. I know we're playing catch up, but team is really starting to be playing for each other, disappointly, most of the side were together before, we really should've used that to our advantage & got off to a better start this season. The podcast lads did say that it was only a matter of time before we gave someone a do-ing. Stranraer looked as poor a side, as I've seen this season, might be the kind of side though, that if they score first, would be hard to break down. That was as confortable an afternoon I've had since, well the last time Stranraer were in town. Also complements for the £30 carvery deal. Don't know if it was just a one off, but with 54 bookings, I was told, certainly worth trying again. Good day out & even the weather wasn't as bad as feared. Full credit to the voulenteers & staff for getting things tidied up and credit to the hardy souls who turned up for this football festival!

Budget surely lower now than Darren Young had. League 1 brings increased prize money & larger crowds. There's next to no travelling support in league 2, coupled with club coming out of the covid season, cost of living crisis will all see less money coming into club than pre 2020. We also had several sell out games with Raith in his time, along with quite a few big cup draws. 5th was our highest finish in this time. What the final league tables don't tell though, is we consistantly competed for the play offs in every season, only to fall short each year.