Mr November

I didn't realise our record against Thistle was quite as bad but right enough, I can barely recall ever seeing us beat them. I had a look back at the last Airdrie team to take points off them and it's a good laugh: Grant Adam Chris O'Neil - Gregor Buchanan - Rickie Lamie - Marc Warren Liam Watt - Jamie Barclay - Nathan Blockley - Willie McLaren John Boyle - Ryan Donnelly Subs were Josh Watt, David Lilley and Liam Buchanan. That's about as classic a Jimmy Boyle era Airdrie team as you'll get, I think we got pumped at Hamilton on boxing day a few days before and he got fed up with the senior players and just started playing the youth team.

I don’t think it made the highlights but about a minute before Dunfermline’s equaliser we had Telfer and McCabe pretty much in our own box passing it about, Watson sitting in front of them, Fordyce out on the right and ATS approaching the halfway line. There’s a time and a place for it, as when it comes off it’s great to watch and very effective, but that moment (among others) was terrifying.

Exactly who I had in mind!

Wotherspoon is by all accounts a great professional and seems like exactly the kind of role mode you would want for a young squad. I could imagine McCabe being a bit reluctant to go for an older player who has a reputation for downing tools or causing issues but I don’t think that applies to Wotherspoon at all.

Airdrieonians 2-3 Partick Thistle Ayr 1-1 Inverness Dundee United 2-0 Dunfermline Queen’s Park 2-0 Arbroath Raith Rovers 2-1 Greenock Morton

Looking forward to this, it’s been too long since we played Thistle in a league game. From what I’ve seen of Thistle under Doolan they’ve played a similar style (with better players obviously) to Airdrie at their best under McCabe, so it’s an interesting match-up. For all they lost some key players this summer I’ve been impressed with Thistle’s recruitment and I think they’ve got the best starting eleven in the league outside of Dundee United. Airdrie will need to be a bit more composed on the ball than we have been so far this season and a bit more clinical going forward. If he’s fit enough then I think Hancock will start in place of ATS, as we need more pace at the back. It seems like McGill and Todorov won’t be back for this game, so I’d be tempted to change up the midfield a bit to make us a bit more compact or play one of them out wide, with O’Connor dropping to the bench.

Week 2 - Forfar

Yeah I said it after the 9 men last game last season but Dunfermline must be one of the worst teams in the country to play against with a man advantage. Everyone knew their job today when that happened, just sit in a block of 8 with McCann chasing balls over the top. Very frustrating to play against. McCabe was unhappy with a few decisions in his post match interview. They thought there was a Dunfermline handball on the line during that stramash in the box and then a penalty claim at the end but I can’t say I thought much of either incident.

I’ve been a vocal ATS truther but yeah, he got caught out a few times today, notably when Wighton got in behind and somehow wasn’t given a foul. As a pairing him and Fordyce are just too slow, as we all know, so hopefully Hancock is ready to come in and start. I did enjoy ATS using his head to try and win the ball while on the deck twice though

I think it was suggested when Smith was out for a game (maybe even that Dunfermline game?) but now that I think about it, there can’t have been many, if any, games where both McGill and Smith were out. We’d have struggled without both of them in League One, so it’s a tough ask to do so in the Championship.

Airdrie don’t have an Alex King either, he was on the bench for Morton today. He is one of the few Consilium players who isn’t at Airdrie though, so it’s a good guess at least! Just noticed Jack Baird and George Oakley too

Can’t argue with Dunfermline taking the three points. I thought Airdrie were coming into the game more and looked dangerous until the first goal but Dunfermline were on top once they equalised without being spectacular and we never really had an answer for it. It was a great strike from Allan to win it. Today seemed like an ideal time to play Dunfermline with their injuries and then the red card but like the 9 men game last season, we didn’t have a way of breaking them down. It’s hard to read too much into one game but I still think Dunfermline will be absolutely fine this season. I predicted them to finish 4th and don’t think they’ll be in any bother. Today’s game probably confirmed that Airdrie need to improve defensively and could do with another forward option, even accounting for McGill and Todorov’s injuries.

I remember you (or someone else) suggesting this last season and I wasn’t convinced but yeah, I think something like that could be an option if McGill is out. McGregor and O’Connor both have their uses, the former faded in and out the game but did quite well today, the latter not so much, but I’m not sure we can get away with both of them starting. I didn’t particularly like the 3-5-2 at Bonnyrigg but that’s another option too. I think it all points to us needing another decent wide forward, as we can’t rely on McGill being fit all season. A frustrating game today but one we weren’t really in once Dunfermline equalised. The last 10 minutes were incredibly frustrating as it felt like a repeat of the 9 men game last season. Just endless slow, sideways passes with no movement or urgency. I’m all for not rushing things and pointlessly lumping it forward, and Dunfermline made it hard to break them down, but it feels like a wasted opportunity to get a first point. This league won’t be as forgiving as League One was, so we need to take these chances when we can.

Dunfermline seem quite content to let us pass the ball about at the back, knowing if they leave it with us long enough we might cause our own problems. As you say though, they’ve fount some joy when they have put pressure on the Airdrie defence. I thought Airdrie had the better of the first 25 but Dunfermline look more in control since the equaliser. Neither team has any proven attacking options on the bench to change the game, so interesting to see what happens in the second half.

Permanent or an emergency loan?

Suspected it was Mason Hancock after the hint from @AJ77. Happy that we’ve brought in exactly what we needed, a left-sided defender who is presumably quicker than Fordyce and ATS. I think he did very well at Stirling Albion but then struggled at Arbroath because they played him as a winger? I’m sure fans of each club can confirm.

I know it was a friendly but Hutton looked incredibly stiff in the goals from that Mansfield game. It was the same in his fleeting appearances last season, he had his big moment with the penalty save but could barely move outwith that.

I wouldn’t say so, not in the way Fitzpatrick/Lawless do anyway. I think Kilmarnock played him at wing back when he played there but he’s very much a central player. His best games at Airdrie were on the left of a narrow diamond, a role which suited him perfectly but he can play a bit deeper too.

1. Forfar Athletic 2. East Fife 3. Dumbarton 4. Stenhousemuir 5. Peterhead 6. Spartans 7. Stranraer 8. Bonnyrigg Rose 9. Clyde 10. Elgin City

1. Falkirk 2. Queen of the South 3. Hamilton Academical 4. Stirling Albion 5. Cove Rangers 6. Alloa Athletic 7. Montrose 8. Kelty Hearts 9. Edinburgh City 10. Annan Athletic I’m not too convinced by Falkirk’s recruitment (McGinn and Spencer lacks energy and power which Falkirk have needed in midfield for ages and not signing a right back is an interesting choice) but think they’ll finally get the job done in a slightly weaker league. I’ve also not been too impressed by Queens recruitment but I think Bartley will improve them again and have them challenging. Hamilton have a better squad than they did last season but a lot depends on the management. Stirling make up the top four as they look like a solid, reliable unit and while there’s always a shelf-life (see Montrose below), part-time teams with a consistent core tend to do well at this level. I think they’ll start well but fall away as the season goes on, though still having done enough to finish 4th. One full-time team always makes an arse of it and Cove seem most likely. They’ve got a weird squad, the best midfield in the league and some decent options up front but it’s a tough ask to turn them around after last season’s disaster. Alloa have had been disastrous in the League Cup but I think they’ll improve slightly when Taggart, Donnelly and Cawley are back playing regularly. Definitely a team in transition and I’m not sure Rice will see out the season. Despite signing Hester and finally signing a right back Montrose look weak in midfield and think they’ll drop-off again. Petrie’s done a brilliant job there but it feels like a team at the end of their cycle and he’s seemed a step behind rejuvenating it for a couple of years now. I think Kelty will be the most entertaining team in the league and will have enough to avoid relegation. Edinburgh City were woeful from January onwards and have lost a few key players too. They’ll struggle without the customary Airdrie pumpings. I think Annan will be better than last years bottom two but seem the weakest team.

1. Dundee United 2. Partick Thistle 3. Raith Rovers 4. Dunfermline Athletic 5. Greenock Morton 6. Ayr United 7. Inverness Caledonian Thistle 8. Airdrieonians 9. Queen’s Park 10. Arbroath Not convinced by Goodwin but a bit like Kilmarnock I fancy Dundee United to win the league by default. Turner, Holt, Docherty and Tiffoney are all big losses for Thistle but I really like the McInroy and Adeloye signings. McMillan and Milne are the best full backs in the league and Graham will still hit double figures, so I fancy them to challenge. Raith have made some very solid signings and I think Murray will improve them this season, while Dunfermline might have a slower start due to injuries to key players but have a solidity that will mean they finish top four. I think Morton, Inverness and Ayr will challenge for top four but all fall short. Morton look decent again, lost some key players but if Imrie sticks around they'll be fine. Ayr will fall away after losing Akinyemi but they did well in the cup and seem to be slightly less reliant on one player compared to the last couple of seasons. Inverness lose key players every year and that can only go on for so long before they drop off. Airdrie are in 8th mostly out of optimism. I think we'll surprise a few teams but need a couple of defenders minimum if we want to avoid any disasters of our own. Queen's Park are the hardest club to predict by far, wouldn’t be hugely surprised if they finish 2nd or 9th. I quite like bits that I’ve seen from then but I think they’ll start slowly with a young team adapting to a new style of play. Arbroath have improved their attack from last season but feels like their time might be up.

I was talking to a friend trying to work out the last time we had a decent run in the Scottish Cup or League Cup was and I think the last time we made the last 16 of either was losing to Dundee United in the League Cup in 2011. I knew we'd been rotten in the cups recently but that's a dreadful record. Definitely well overdue a cup run, so hopefully we can get past Ross County.

We then went on to win 2 of our next 33 games

Interested to see how McInroy gets on here. He was outstanding at Airdrie, a great all round midfielder who scored a few great goals, and then seemed to carry that form into his spell at Ayr too. I wonder if he'll need a few weeks to get going again after not playing much at Kilmarnock but he's a player who improves pretty much every team in this league, so it's a great signing for Thistle.

Week 1 - Celtic