Water Tower Wullie

I saw that “losing culture” video and was very pleased he called that out at the outset. That culture was a facet of McIntyre’s tenure - Gold could see this and was confronting this head on from the start. He acknowledges his part in this as a member of the team (as should all the players to an extent), but it was ultimately MCIntyres issue to own. Gold is saying the culture the team were all part of over the past 12 months isn’t what he’d been used previously at Gayfield and that previous winning culture will be returning That’s leadership.

Is this appointment a risk? Yes… but any other manager would be too. There will be a few of the usual suspects on here making pish remarks all in the hope they can say “I told you so” someday. f**kem! There’s work to be done and I think this season could be bumpy - the guys are seasoned pros but rookie managers. I’m 100% behind the guys, as I think the true fans will be… I hope we all remember this and cut them a break at times. I also hope the club arranges mentorship, management training etc to give the guys and the club the best long term prospects. I watched the video with Hammy on YouTube - love his confidence when he catches himself mid sentence and says “we can… no… We know we will get back to the really good times”. Confidence and positivity! A welcome change! Mon the Lichties!

Gold ‘n’ Hammer! Hope the Golden Hammer strikes time and time again! It’s Gold ‘n’ Hammer time! Let’s go!

I've seen a few comments about finances being poor. Unless anyone can say otherwise, I'm calling BS and gonna say these are rumours with no basis in fact. We've done well out of our foray into League 1 and by all accounts we weren't overspending. Sure we've seen two managers go, but that can't have hurt us to the point of oblivion and revenues will fall this year vs League 1 so need to be prudent, but we still shouldn't be in bad shape especially vs the rest of the league. I'd heard we were in very good shape a good few months ago (although caution advised as the person informing me was drinking the McIntyre koolaid). Companies House shows that we were in good shape last year... so unless something reckless has taken place...

Aye, fair point. I think Dick was a dead man walking by that time - my take was Malcolm was appointed in haste, but perhaps there had been some agreement pre-arranged for such an eventuality. In any case, there still didn't appear to be a successor to Dick for a good few weeks and it was then a flaming turd that arrived on the doorstep.

Great couple of posts - thanks @1320Lichtie I think the board are hedging their bets just now. Gold and Hammy aren't going anywhere - and the club aren't spending anything additional on manager wages etc. If Gold and Hammy succeed - the board will sit back and be chuffed that they've landed on their feet. If they fail, the board will then react - at which point, someone like Darren Young may appointed be elsewhere or be more expensive. If it was my decision and the focus was winning the league this year - I would have appointed someone like Darren Young before start of the season, or quickly after McIntyre's departure - every match counts. However, it seems the team and the fans are behind Gold and Hammy and they've made good signings in a very short period of time. If Gold and Hammy really do have management ability and want the job - given they're the "cheap" option - I'd be offering them as much mentorship and training as possible to help them be successful - particularly professional advice on how to work well together when the going gets tough!! As a community club, I'd love to see the team succeed long term and would be all for home grown management even if it meant a few blips.

Can you help me understand this a bit more? My understanding was that Dick departed and Stuart Malcolm was brought in as a reactionary stop-gap because he had the qualifications that no-one else possessed at the time i.e. the board were forced to react and didn't have a solid plan... but I could be wrong.

Congratulations! Ever heard the term "self-fulfilling prophecy"?

Out of interest - why Hammy as manager over Gold?

It's a good question... but my thinking right now is "not yet". I'd love to see Hammy and Goldy do well but as I see it it's not without risk... To take a step back, as someone pointed out (perhaps @Lichtie78 or @1320Lichtie) it was bewildering that when Dick departed, there appeared to be no succession plan. There were any number of reasons, particularly over the final year why Dick could have left and the board should be prepared and be in control, rather than reacting hastily. When McIntyre was in post , it was clear to me from late Jan / early Feb that McIntyre was not going to improve and needed to be shown the door ASAP. However, the board stuck with McIntyre over summer and into this season. McIntyre's departure was ultimately forced upon the board - not planned, not prepared for, not in control. But it's again totally unbelievable that the board haven't had a succession plan for this entirely predictable eventuality. So, we now have Goldy and Hammy in charge. But why both of them? There may be a good reason and perhaps they do work well together. But right now, they're in the initial, exciting "new toy" phase - there's no real track record to be judged on yet. But every team goes through a tough period during the season - will the two guys be able to keep working well together? This is not without risk. Personally, I know a little about Goldy and would have been happy to have him take the reigns after Dick. I simply don't know enough about Hammy and I could well be wrong but the cynic in me suggests he wouldn't be doing the job if he wasn't crocked. I honestly wish them the absolute best - they're great Lichties and may well be brilliant managers - but my concern is that we've stumbled into this situation rather than having a clear decisive plan.

Why would you accept my opinion, then end with a (incorrectly) presumptuous barb? A complete non sequitur. None of the things you are arguing here are remotely comparable. I was going to reply more fully, but trying to explain the arse about tit logical fallacy and comparisons here would make us all suffer an aneurysm.

To have current players co-commentating is an absolute luxury. They don’t need to do this and it’s not what they signed up for, but they’re doing it for the fans. Having a professional from your own team providing insights is fantastic. Are they biased? Yeah, probably. But I’m not watching the game for balance or criticism. I’m an Arbroath fan watching my team listening to people who’re on my side just like when I go to Gayfield. When I watch Scotland, do I wish there was a Polish, Portuguese or English co-commentator? No! Sure BBC might have to have some balance on Premier League games etc. because they’re broadcasting to all corners of the country across all teams. We’re discussing Arbroath FC TV here who have volunteers broadcasting to the very specific market of Arbroath FC fans. If you want a critical take, you could watch Montrose TV or stand with the opposition at the other end of the ground.

Mate, he’s from Down Under - left and right are the opposite way round down there!

Seems the logical solution. Why has this situation arisen though? Hopefully it can be quickly rectified. But I do wonder if this is the result of those in the board and in charge of safety not being at the club for long enough to remember how things can and should operate at Gayfield in the lower leagues. As i say, hopefully someone is just being extra cautious initially and this can be rectified.