The Falkirk FC Thread

[Senor Bairn]

2 hours ago, Bainsfordbairn said:

I might get in trouble for posting this, but a couple of years have gone by now so I think it's time for the story to be told.  

Gary Holt was appointed DOF on 14th Jan 2021. The leagues had been suspended sometime after our loss to East Fife on 2nd January because of covid. The team were allowed to train before the league resumed on 20th March and during that period we had a trialist goalkeeper - Luke Holt. Nobody knew about him because professional football was in lockdown and fans couldn't get into matches, but I saw him a couple of times when I was asked to cover training and closed-door games. He wasn't signed.  I don't know why, but I'd guess the goalie coach didn't rate him.. 

In April we lost our top-of-the-league spot after a truly horrendous game in Peterhead. I was there to watch it and it's one of the worst performances I've ever seen from a Falkirk side. Unsurprisingly, given the social media comments at the time, Miller and McCracken were sacked the next day. What WAS surprising was that the goalie coach was also sacked, given that he'd been there a long time and was very well liked by everyone at the club. 

As all Bairns will know, that season ended extremely badly. 

Summer of 2021 brought us a new hope. Paul Sheerin was appointed, as was a new goalie coach who knew Gary Holt from their Livingston days together. He was only there a month, but it was long enough to presumably recommend that a returning trialist goalie - Luke Holt - was good enough to get a two year contract. I leave you to draw your own conclusions. 

The ironic thing is that I found Luke to be a nice lad. I liked him, as did several of the volunteers who were around the club and spoke to him frequently.  He didn't deserve the horrendous abuse which he received from some of our fans. But he should never have been signed. 

 

Really doesn't surprise me at all tbh. Absolutely criminal the damage the guy did in such a short period of time. Can you remember at the time any other reasons as to why we were top of the league until about December then went into total free fall? Was so strange to watch (especially on Falkirk tv and not actually at any of the games). 

[bridge of allan bairn]

8 hours ago, Bainsfordbairn said:

I might get in trouble for posting this, but a couple of years have gone by now so I think it's time for the story to be told.  

Gary Holt was appointed DOF on 14th Jan 2021. The leagues had been suspended sometime after our loss to East Fife on 2nd January because of covid. The team were allowed to train before the league resumed on 20th March and during that period we had a trialist goalkeeper - Luke Holt. Nobody knew about him because professional football was in lockdown and fans couldn't get into matches, but I saw him a couple of times when I was asked to cover training and closed-door games. He wasn't signed.  I don't know why, but I'd guess the goalie coach didn't rate him.. 

In April we lost our top-of-the-league spot after a truly horrendous game in Peterhead. I was there to watch it and it's one of the worst performances I've ever seen from a Falkirk side. Unsurprisingly, given the social media comments at the time, Miller and McCracken were sacked the next day. What WAS surprising was that the goalie coach was also sacked, given that he'd been there a long time and was very well liked by everyone at the club. 

As all Bairns will know, that season ended extremely badly. 

Summer of 2021 brought us a new hope. Paul Sheerin was appointed, as was a new goalie coach who knew Gary Holt from their Livingston days together. He was only there a month, but it was long enough to presumably recommend that a returning trialist goalie - Luke Holt - was good enough to get a two year contract. I leave you to draw your own conclusions. 

The ironic thing is that I found Luke to be a nice lad. I liked him, as did several of the volunteers who were around the club and spoke to him frequently.  He didn't deserve the horrendous abuse which he received from some of our fans. But he should never have been signed. 

 

Thanks for posting this @Bainsfordbairn 

It will come as no surprise to anyone, however, it still really sticks in the throat the way Gary Holt was given the power and authority and allowed to unethically operate in this manner.

You are also correct that Luke Holt isn't the issue here it was his dad who manipulated the club and it's terrible if the well thought of goal keeping coach lost his job simply due to being in the cross fire.

Edited January 4 by bridge of allan bairn

[Bairney The Dinosaur]

9 hours ago, Bainsfordbairn said:

Gary Holt was appointed DOF on 14th Jan 2021. The leagues had been suspended sometime after our loss to East Fife on 2nd January because of covid. The team were allowed to train before the league resumed on 20th March and during that period we had a trialist goalkeeper - Luke Holt. Nobody knew about him because professional football was in lockdown and fans couldn't get into matches, but I saw him a couple of times when I was asked to cover training and closed-door games. He wasn't signed.  I don't know why, but I'd guess the goalie coach didn't rate him.. 

I used to speak quite frequently to a couple of players around this time and can remember them talking about these first few training sessions with Luke Holt. He was not rated by anyone in the squad or management - couldn't get a game in the Sunday leagues an exact quote.

Infuriating what the old board allowed Holt to do.

[Bainsfordbairn]

7 hours ago, Senor Bairn said:

Can you remember at the time any other reasons as to why we were top of the league until about December then went into total free fall? Was so strange to watch (especially on Falkirk tv and not actually at any of the games). 

We could have gone ten points clear of Partick on 10th December but lost our first game of the season in a defeat to Airdrie. Then we drew at home to Partick despite them being down to ten men for the last thirty minutes. And followed that up with a loss to bottom club East Fife who played us off the park. Those were the last three games before covid shut the leagues down and Holt hadn't arrived at that point, so the rot had already set in. 

As for when the league restarted, all I know is that we were playing badly even in the games we won. Which were three out of eleven. There were whispers at the time that the management felt Holt was undermining them but whether that was true and it whether it affected the players I have no idea. 

[NavyBlueArmy1876]

That is disgraceful but not remotely surprising re Holt. Agree with BB that the rot had already set in before Holt arrived tbf, and we were mainly top due to being the least shite team in a very poor league. Or to put it another way, we're already 6 points ahead of Partick's winning total from that season having played 4 games fewer. Or the equivalent of a 27 point gap over 36 matches.

However, in that January transfer window we could and should have strengthened. Instead we signed McClelland, Neilson and Fotheringham. Decent prospects but in reality none were experienced enough to really contribute anything. By comparison Partick signed Scott Tiffony - from fecking Livingston of all places - that transformed their team and off they went. 

I watched that game in Peterhead and it was an utterly miserable performance. I know we had some injuries to the likes of Telfer, Connolly, Dowds etc (leaving mainly total jobbers on the bench like Liam Kelly, Gary Miller, Robbie Leitch and Akeel Francis) but the starting 11 should still have managed to drag itself over the line: Mutch - Mercer Durnan McClelland Deveney - Morrison Gomis Alston Fotheringham - Sammon Keena 

M&M were doing okay before Holt arrived but were responsible for signing much of the shite above and ultimately weren't good enough.

It was an absolutely mental season which will live long in the memory for all the wrong reasons. Will hopefully make it all the more satisfying if we can finally get promoted this season, and do it in a bit of style as a bonus.

[StuartA]

37 minutes ago, NavyBlueArmy1876 said:

That is disgraceful but not remotely surprising re Holt. Agree with BB that the rot had already set in before Holt arrived tbf, and we were mainly top due to being the least shite team in a very poor league. Or to put it another way, we're already 6 points ahead of Partick's winning total from that season having played 4 games fewer. Or the equivalent of a 27 point gap over 36 matches.

However, in that January transfer window we could and should have strengthened. Instead we signed McClelland, Neilson and Fotheringham. Decent prospects but in reality none were experienced enough to really contribute anything. By comparison Partick signed Scott Tiffony - from fecking Livingston of all places - that transformed their team and off they went. 

I watched that game in Peterhead and it was an utterly miserable performance. I know we had some injuries to the likes of Telfer, Connolly, Dowds etc (leaving mainly total jobbers on the bench like Liam Kelly, Gary Miller, Robbie Leitch and Akeel Francis) but the starting 11 should still have managed to drag itself over the line: Mutch - Mercer Durnan McClelland Deveney - Morrison Gomis Alston Fotheringham - Sammon Keena 

M&M were doing okay before Holt arrived but were responsible for signing much of the shite above and ultimately weren't good enough.

It was an absolutely mental season which will live long in the memory for all the wrong reasons. Will hopefully make it all the more satisfying if we can finally get promoted this season, and do it in a bit of style as a bonus.

It was traumatic and just goes to show how fortunes can turn so quickly.  We were top, though there were concerns about the performance of M/M's team, so a slump was in the offing.  We were about to bring in Jim Jefferies as DoF to bolster the two young managers, but he changed his mind and went to Hearts at the last minute.  And cash was on its way in from the Rawlins.  Then crash.  I just don't know how you untangle stuff like that, but we can only learn from it.

 

[PedroMoutinho]

56 minutes ago, StuartA said:

It was traumatic and just goes to show how fortunes can turn so quickly.  We were top, though there were concerns about the performance of M/M's team, so a slump was in the offing.  We were about to bring in Jim Jefferies as DoF to bolster the two young managers, but he changed his mind and went to Hearts at the last minute.  And cash was on its way in from the Rawlins.  Then crash.  I just don't know how you untangle stuff like that, but we can only learn from it.

 

It was no coincidence in my view that results went off a cliff very shortly after Holt was appointed to the role.

[StuartA]

3 minutes ago, PedroMoutinho said:

It was no coincidence in my view that results went off a cliff very shortly after Holt was appointed to the role.

Or that FSS had it's most successful day of new memberships when he was released!  Horrible, horrible times.  Things were so bad on the park and utterly toxic off it.  Fans were apoplectic, players were terrified and everyone else was in shock.  We can't ever go there again.

[18BAIRN76]

It truly warms my heart that with all the debates, discussions and disagreements that occur on this forum - even when we’re doing brilliantly - the one thing that brings us all together in unison is that Gary Holt is a w**k. 

[RC55 FFC]

EP:65 KEEM ‘EM COMING! 

Review the comfortable 5-0 win over Stirling Albion with Still Game legend & Bairns fan @grantisatwit
️ @calvin_miller7 ️
Goal, Game & Player of 2023
️ Preview QOS (H) &
All the latest FFC news discussed

falkirkdaft.co.uk

[bairn88]

26 minutes ago, StuartA said:

Or that FSS had it's most successful day of new memberships when he was released!  Horrible, horrible times.  Things were so bad on the park and utterly toxic off it.  Fans were apoplectic, players were terrified and everyone else was in shock.  We can't ever go there again.

Players “terrified” a good description. Wonder what they would have been like if we had fans in the ground then. We’d be in league 2. 

[Guest]

https://www.instagram.com/samwardrop97?igsh=MWJpZDlhNWViZTZyMw==
 

Putting up content from behind the scenes at Falkirk

[Raybowski89]

2 hours ago, 18BAIRN76 said:

It truly warms my heart that with all the debates, discussions and disagreements that occur on this forum - even when we’re doing brilliantly - the one thing that brings us all together in unison is that Gary Holt is a w**k. 

Is that Paul Hartley forgiven then?

[Bairney The Dinosaur]

53 minutes ago, Dave McInally said:

https://www.instagram.com/samwardrop97?igsh=MWJpZDlhNWViZTZyMw==
 

Putting up content from behind the scenes at Falkirk

Good mates with Nesbitt so I'm told. Hopefully a good bit of PR.

[NavyBlueArmy1876]

Didn't realise Stirling vs Hamilton wasn't til 17.30 on Saturday. Good chance to open the gap up to 8 points before they've kicked a ball and put some real pressure on

In an unrelated note I saw the crowd at Edinburgh City on Saturday was 333 (with 183 Accies fans). Can't see how they will make it to the end of the season with only 150 home fans turning up. 

 

[Harry Kinnear]

3 hours ago, RC55 FFC said:

EP:65 KEEM ‘EM COMING! 

Review the comfortable 5-0 win over Stirling Albion with Still Game legend & Bairns fan @grantisatwit
️ @calvin_miller7 ️
Goal, Game & Player of 2023
️ Preview QOS (H) &
All the latest FFC news discussed

falkirkdaft.co.uk

Never mind trying to claim the Kelpies Ross, everyone knows they belong to Grangemouth and now we have a professional football team too. 
 

We’re blue we’re white, we’re fucking dynamite Grangemouth Bairns Grangemouth Bairns 

[Bairn in Exile]

8 minutes ago, NavyBlueArmy1876 said:

Didn't realise Stirling vs Hamilton wasn't til 17.30 on Saturday. Good chance to open the gap up to 8 points before they've kicked a ball and put some real pressure on

In an unrelated note I saw the crowd at Edinburgh City on Saturday was 333 (with 183 Accies fans). Can't see how they will make it to the end of the season with only 150 home fans turning up. 

 

The Daily Ranger has Edinburgh City announcing a new player signing so I'm hopeful that they will make it to the end of the season.

Shite with computers, this is the best that I could do.

Edinburgh City are delighted to announce the signing of talented former Celtic and Burnley Midfielder Frankie Deane! Welcome to the Citizens Frankie!

[Bairnardo]

8 minutes ago, Bairn in Exile said:

The Daily Ranger has Edinburgh City announcing a new player signing so I'm hopeful that they will make it to the end of the season.

Shite with computers, this is the best that I could do.

Edinburgh City are delighted to announce the signing of talented former Celtic and Burnley Midfielder Frankie Deane! Welcome to the Citizens Frankie!

If they fold now Hamilton lose more points than we do, FWIW

[18BAIRN76]

Edinburgh City away tickets on sale now on Fanbase.

 

 

[The Genius Geordie Gibson]

20 hours ago, Harry Kinnear said:

Darts World Championships final, us Bairns are everywhere

"Were here, we're there, we're every-fckn-where,

The Fa'kirk Bairns,  The Fa'kirk Bairns !"