The Falkirk FC Thread

[Guest Caractacus Potts]

4 minutes ago, Gaz said:

I sure hope the fucking wankers who were buzzing when M&M were given the gig after beating a junior team and buzzing when a fucking youth coach was given the job can sleep at night.

For clarification: I have just watched the Clyde highlights and I'm fucking raging.

Rennie is certainly a risk and it’s a big call for whoever hung their hat on him.

In all honestly I was thankful it wasn’t Rice but that doesn’t mean I don’t have my reservations with Rennie. That said, I have bought in to him and will get behind him as with Sheerin. Think it’s more out of tiredness of having continual fears about a manager than believing him to be the correct appointment. Losing to Clyde is admittedly not the best of starts but not judging him until he starts to bring in some of his own players and has had more games to implement his approach to games.

Still wish we’d get rid of Holt soon and let our managers be judged on their own. Something Sheerin was never afforded before making his own position untenable. 

[Blame Me]

19 minutes ago, PedroMoutinho said:

I agree- he’s still very raw but was certainly better than Hall and McKay on Saturday for me.

He actually had a few good clearances and passes from watching the highlights back. He’d develop much better playing alongside someone who’s not a cart horse.

I thought Hall was best of the three. That's not saying much tho ...

Lemon doesn't appear to have the physicality required and I've already made my feelings clear on McKay. 

I'm more interested in central defenders being able to head and clear than play out. We seem to have forgotten that fundamental of the game!

[roman_bairn]

I sure hope the fucking wankers who were buzzing when M&M were given the gig after beating a junior team and buzzing when a fucking youth coach was given the job can sleep at night.
For clarification: I have just watched the Clyde highlights and I'm fucking raging.

I think the problem started when it went wrong for Houstie then went on a constant spiral of terrible board level decision making.
Problem is I’m still not convinced that we are past that (eg. Holt)….

[Guest Back Post Misses]

1 hour ago, roman_bairn said:

Honestly? You may be correct. But there’s something underlying our club that makes good players bad so who can tell? ….

Never been good enough

[Guest Back Post Misses]

1 hour ago, Grangemouth Bairn said:

Neither is one single player that Holt has signed however he’s still deemed by past and present boards as the man to guide us through another very important transfer window. Our club stinks from top to bottom.

I have not heard one thing from Rennie that says he is not in control of the players coming in or going out. In fact he stated that in his first interview. Do you really think he has travelled 3,500 miles and Kenny Miller has tried to start his coaching career on the back of Holt choosing the players? Really?? 

[bejazz1]

You know I think most supporters would be mildly happy if there were a glimmer of some green shoots of recovery after Sheerin departed but with a new board taking the reins I think we were all expecting some form of new direction. I do think left his own vices Rennie has the history of making poor teams better and may come good here too but my question is…How long do we wait to change our footballing strategy if say we lose at Alloa on Sunday?- I think 99% on here would agree the current set up is looking frail and totally disjointed, how long does someone on the board wait before grabbing the bull by it’s balls and demand action instead of leaving it until it’s effectively too late?

In a business that demands results why has this latest debacle been allowed to continue? It’s a real shame that Paul Sheerin bore the brunt of any action when it is as clear as the nose on your face that the problem lies above. It just can’t go on!

[Harry Kinnear]

2 minutes ago, Back Post Misses said:

I have not heard one thing from Rennie that says he is not in control of the players coming in or going out. In fact he stated that in his first interview. Do you really think he has travelled 3,500 miles and Kenny Miller has tried to start his coaching career on the back of Holt choosing the players? Really?? 

I understand your point here to the issues GB has raised. My question would be then what exactly is Holts role at the club. I know you are in the same camp with regards to him being punted, I would just love to know what he does if it’s not identifying players to sign.

[Guest Back Post Misses]

3 minutes ago, bejazz1 said:

You know I think most supporters would be mildly happy if there were a glimmer of some green shoots of recovery after Sheerin departed but with a new board taking the reins I think we were all expecting some form of new direction. I do think left his own vices Rennie has the history of making poor teams better and may come good here too but my question is…How long do we wait to change our footballing strategy if say we lose at Alloa on Sunday?- I think 99% on here would agree the current set up is looking frail and totally disjointed, how long does someone on the board wait before grabbing the bull by it’s balls and demand action instead of leaving it until it’s effectively too late?

In a business that demands results why has this latest debacle been allowed to continue? It’s a real shame that Paul Sheerin bore the brunt of any action when it is as clear as the nose on your face that the problem lies above. It just can’t go on!

The previous regime have left and absolute car crash looking at the squad. Rennie has been in for 1 game and a half. Pep wouldn’t improve that squad without re-enforcements.

[Guest Back Post Misses]

1 minute ago, Harry Kinnear said:

I understand your point here to the issues GB has raised. My question would be then what exactly is Holts role at the club. I know you are in the same camp with regards to him being punted, I would just love to know what he does if it’s not identifying players to sign.

So would I but only from a cash perspective TBH. I am comfortable the team changes will be done to Rennie and Miller. 

[Reggie Perrin]

We don’t need a Sporting Director / Director of Football at the club at the moment and certainly not one as woeful as Holt.

Make the role redundant.

[Grangemouth Bairn]

1 hour ago, Back Post Misses said:

I have not heard one thing from Rennie that says he is not in control of the players coming in or going out. In fact he stated that in his first interview. Do you really think he has travelled 3,500 miles and Kenny Miller has tried to start his coaching career on the back of Holt choosing the players? Really?? 

I hope you are correct BPM - I really do. If that is the case, then what is Holt doing ?

We deserve transparency about his actual role and what benefits he is delivering in it.

[Hank von Hell]

2 hours ago, Caractacus Potts said:

Rennie is certainly a risk and it’s a big call for whoever hung their hat on him.

In all honestly I was thankful it wasn’t Rice but that doesn’t mean I don’t have my reservations with Rennie. That said, I have bought in to him and will get behind him as with Sheerin. Think it’s more out of tiredness of having continual fears about a manager than believing him to be the correct appointment. Losing to Clyde is admittedly not the best of starts but not judging him until he starts to bring in some of his own players and has had more games to implement his approach to games.

Still wish we’d get rid of Holt soon and let our managers be judged on their own. Something Sheerin was never afforded before making his own position untenable. 

Successive boards have gambled with high risk options at our club.

The Brentford Model (we all know how that went) , M&M (complete rookies) , Paul Sheerin (largely unproven youth coach)................and now Rennie.

I understand he can't be judged just yet, I'm just saying it's yet another gamble. 

I suppose the more you roll the dice the chances of getting a six are greater, I genuinely hope Rennie can be the gamble that pays off. 

Otherwise we may have found our new level.   

[Its not only a game]

2 hours ago, Back Post Misses said:

I have not heard one thing from Rennie that says he is not in control of the players coming in or going out. In fact he stated that in his first interview. Do you really think he has travelled 3,500 miles and Kenny Miller has tried to start his coaching career on the back of Holt choosing the players? Really?? 

Miller was player manager of Livingston, that didn't last long. He was also assistant coach at both Newcastle Jets and Western Sydney Wanders, again both didn't last long. He has experience of short term appointments which must be a worry or risk

[Shadwell Dog]

6 hours ago, gav-ffc said:

Think it says more about Peter Grant than Paul Watson. I never really liked him in a Falkirk shirt but he definitely would be better than Hall and McKay. Lemon shouldn’t be anywhere near the starting line up also. 

Grant was obviously a disaster there but you just don't do what Watson did .  You get your head down and battle on.  Whilst as a player he'd be a decent edition the worry is that he'll spit the dummy out again with us. 

[Hank von Hell]

8 hours ago, HopeStreetWalker said:

The sweeper should not be discounted and would address the teams immediate shortcomings. It is a misconception that it in a defensive negative set up.

Brings structure and organisation to the defensive line. ( badly needed )

Reduces the chances created ( badly needed )

Seeing the opportunities to play out from the back and retain possession ( badly needed )

It was a option I mentioned no more. But Rennie having worked in the USA could be drawn to the discipline playing with a sweeper brings.

Smith and Purdie being good examples from Falkirk in thee past.

OK I'll indulge you.

I think your crucial statement there is "in the past"

Not sure of your Rennie assumption - I don't watch US soccer do they play the sweeper system there (or are you watching old New York Cosmos matches) ? I can't think of any professional team that plays a sweeper system and there are reasons for that.

You simply cannot play an offside trap with a sweeper , any decent cross field long ball into the box or accurate through ball will completely expose your defence. The evolution of the offside rule along with the pace and fluidity of modern day attackers has made the sweeper role obsolete.

Also most teams play with one attacker and "a No.10" - so no need for a sweeper.

As I said to you before modern teams play with a central defensive midfielder (sometimes two) and/or a low block formation to make the team harder to break down. I actually thought everyone knew this.    

 

  

 

[Biggestbairn]

53 minutes ago, Hank von Hell said:

OK I'll indulge you.

I think your crucial statement there is "in the past"

Not sure of your Rennie assumption - I don't watch US soccer do they play the sweeper system there (or are you watching old New York Cosmos matches) ? I can't think of any professional team that plays a sweeper system and there are reasons for that.

You simply cannot play an offside trap with a sweeper , any decent cross field long ball into the box or accurate through ball will completely expose your defence. The evolution of the offside rule along with the pace and fluidity of modern day attackers has made the sweeper role obsolete.

Also most teams play with one attacker and "a No.10" - so no need for a sweeper.

As I said to you before modern teams play with a central defensive midfielder (sometimes two) and/or a low block formation to make the team harder to break down. I actually thought everyone knew this.    

 

  

 

You get a lot of thicko’s mate. 
 

[TxRover]

3 hours ago, Hank von Hell said:

OK I'll indulge you.

I think your crucial statement there is "in the past"

Not sure of your Rennie assumption - I don't watch US soccer do they play the sweeper system there (or are you watching old New York Cosmos matches) ? I can't think of any professional team that plays a sweeper system and there are reasons for that.

You simply cannot play an offside trap with a sweeper , any decent cross field long ball into the box or accurate through ball will completely expose your defence. The evolution of the offside rule along with the pace and fluidity of modern day attackers has made the sweeper role obsolete.

Also most teams play with one attacker and "a No.10" - so no need for a sweeper.

As I said to you before modern teams play with a central defensive midfielder (sometimes two) and/or a low block formation to make the team harder to break down. I actually thought everyone knew this.    

 

  

 

The fact you are having to explain this is scary. No, there are no U.S. “professional” teams using a sweeper, in the classic sense.

[Springfield]

12 hours ago, roman_bairn said:

I think the problem started when it went wrong for Houstie then went on a constant spiral of terrible board level decision making.
Problem is I’m still not convinced that we are past that (eg. Holt)….

Nailed it, only glimmer of hope is that any new players coming in are a vast improvement on the poorest squad assembled, and tbh not convinced we’ve either got the funds or in a position/ability to sell the club to many players who may view us as “ do not touch”

 

[Guest Back Post Misses]

10 hours ago, Grangemouth Bairn said:

I hope you are correct BPM - I really do. If that is the case, then what is Holt doing ?

We deserve transparency about his actual role and what benefits he is delivering in it.

I have no idea what his role is and I have already said it should be clarified. 
I think the top priority however is to get players in and ensure the squad is improved dramatically in January. That, from the interviews I have heard, will be for Rennie and Miller to decide not Holt. 

[Believe The Hype]

1 minute ago, Back Post Misses said:

I have no idea what his role is and I have already said it should be clarified. 
I think the top priority however is to get players in and ensure the squad is improved dramatically in January. That, from the interviews I have heard, will be for Rennie and Miller to decide not Holt. 

Final say on a shortlist supplied by holt does not fill me with confidence either. If that is what holt does, again nobody, including people as in the the know as can be don't even know what he does. Its pathetic the club have shown no transparency on this.