The Falkirk FC Thread

[Bairney The Dinosaur]

51 minutes ago, JulioBairn said:

There is f**k all between the goalies. Both are capable of making decent saves and both are prone to a clanger. It makes f**k all difference to our season which one plays. 

Yeah pretty much this. I don't agree with the regular swapping because I think it adds to the likelihood of mistakes, but there is nothing to split them. 

The better keeper will always be the one sitting on the bench for the fickle football fan.

[Harry Kinnear]

I don’t think there is much between the keepers but I also don’t agree with this rotation pish, it’s like boys football.

Onto the keepers it is one issue that we failed to address in the summer/January, they are both young, neither has much physicality about them and they don’t command their area. They are both good shot stoppers and I would say Sam is better with the ball at his feet but in my mind you couldn’t get a fag paper between them.

I’m not convinced Nicky would have done any better at the Annan goal yesterday as he had a similar howler at Hamilton.

Getting an experienced keeper has to be near the top of McGlynn’s to do list in the summer.

Edited March 3 by Harry Kinnear

[JulioBairn]

11 minutes ago, Bainsfordbairn said:

I'd say there's a slight difference. 

Were you at Inverness in 2006? We were 2-0 up and then ICT put a high ball in on our keeper, Scott Higgins. He tried to punch it and got about five yards distance on it. Caley realised that was a weakness in his game and for the rest of the match they just lobbed high balls into our box from everywhere on the pitch, including our own half. 

It worked. They beat us 3-2 and every goal was a carbon copy of that one we conceded yesterday. Higgins never played for the club again. 

Every opponent we face will have seen yesterdays video by the time we play them. They'll all try the same thing. Including Cove on Tuesday night. If he deals with those balls confidently and plucks them out of the air it won't matter. 

 

I was yes, it was painful. Whilst I get your point I don’t think it’s all that relevant. It’s not as if Hogarth is really any better and both have very similar strengths and weaknesses. My point stands, it doesn’t make any difference to our season which goalie is between the sticks as neither is any better or any worse than the other. 

[ChrispPancake]

12 hours ago, RC55 FFC said:

They said they are determined to get back to a winning run from Tuesday & get this league won asap. 

2-0 win tae the Falkirk predict I do.

regards

Yoda Hughes

 

[Bairn in Exile]

4 minutes ago, JulioBairn said:

I was yes, it was painful. Whilst I get your point I don’t think it’s all that relevant. It’s not as if Hogarth is really any better and both have very similar strengths and weaknesses. My point stands, it doesn’t make any difference to our season which goalie is between the sticks as neither is any better or any worse than the other. 

I think both our goalies are useless but maybe, just maybe, if one or other of them was to be given an extended run in goals, even if they commit a clanger, they would improve and perhaps grow in confidence? Practice makes perfect, so they say.

[Tea and Busquets]

I actually disagree about the keepers, I think there is a difference. I was in the camp earlier in the season about both being around the same level but I totally disagree now. Sam Long is too small. Yesterday wasn’t the first time either. The first Bonnyrigg goal he comes charging out and gets nothing and they score. Both Dundee United goals go above his head. Edinburgh city he flapped at their two goals and then yesterday. From memory I think Hogarth has cost us two goals, will stand corrected, home to Edinburgh and away at Accies. Hogarth at least has the frame to develop whilst the fact he is actually our goalkeeper to develop. In essence, Long seems to concede more mistakes and cost us more goals than Hogarth. 

[Shodwall cat]

If you look at the performances of the keepers this season it's clear that both come in make mistakes and then settle down after a few weeks and their performances improve markedly. Long starter the season very shakily but was then outstanding before getting injured . Nicky came in struggled a wee bit but then started getting far more consistent  before being taken out the team after a couple of clean sheets. Same with Nicky recently culminating in an motm performance against kelty. Chopping and changing no matter how a keeper is performing is just utter nonsense. Pick one and stick with him . To me Hogarth is our keeper and had the position he should've been in that post till the end of the season or a poor drop in form. Talking him out after a motm performance is just laughable.  If it pisses off Lincoln city then who cares. Far more important to the club that we get promotion tied up and that the keeper who may be with us next season gets a decent run in the side to try and win a contract as one of our two keepers next season. As someone said giving them a month each is feckin amateur football type stuff.

[Springfield]

2 minutes ago, Shodwall cat said:

Talking him out after a motm performance is just laughable.  If it pisses off Lincoln city then who cares. Far more important to the club that we get promotion tied up and that the keeper who may be with us next season gets a decent run in the side to try and win a contract as one of our two keepers next season. As someone said giving them a month each is feckin amateur football type stuff.

This……..

[FK1Bairn]

43 minutes ago, Shodwall cat said:

If you look at the performances of the keepers this season it's clear that both come in make mistakes and then settle down after a few weeks and their performances improve markedly. Long starter the season very shakily but was then outstanding before getting injured . Nicky came in struggled a wee bit but then started getting far more consistent  before being taken out the team after a couple of clean sheets. Same with Nicky recently culminating in an motm performance against kelty. Chopping and changing no matter how a keeper is performing is just utter nonsense. Pick one and stick with him . To me Hogarth is our keeper and had the position he should've been in that post till the end of the season or a poor drop in form. Talking him out after a motm performance is just laughable.  If it pisses off Lincoln city then who cares. Far more important to the club that we get promotion tied up and that the keeper who may be with us next season gets a decent run in the side to try and win a contract as one of our two keepers next season. As someone said giving them a month each is feckin amateur football type stuff.

If we can all see and think it...

[BPM]

50 minutes ago, Bairn in Exile said:

I think both our goalies are useless but maybe, just maybe, if one or other of them was to be given an extended run in goals, even if they commit a clanger, they would improve and perhaps grow in confidence? Practice makes perfect, so they say.

Useless is way too strong. Between them they have the best defensive record in the league. Granted the four in front of them have done well but both keepers have contributed well in the most part. 
As we step up though we need a keeper who is of a better standard. 

[FFC 1876]

We shouldn't have any problem shifting Jordan Allan out the door in the summer, another 2 goals for him yesterday to make it 5 goals and 2 assists in 7 games.

[HopeStreetWalker]

We ain't won nothing and the support should reflect on the old bairns mantra 'Expect the unexpected'

We have no divine right to win, let's leave that arrogance and self right to the old firm. Turning up expecting to win and talking about going a season unbeaten just motivates the opposition.

The team are in a good place and if the situation we are in was offered to us at the start of the season we would have grabbed it.

Big March for us, either near all over bar the shouting, or squeaky bum time.

[grumpyoldman]

4 minutes ago, HopeStreetWalker said:

We ain't won nothing and the support should reflect on the old bairns mantra 'Expect the unexpected'

We have no divine right to win, let's leave that arrogance and self right to the old firm. Turning up expecting to win and talking about going a season unbeaten just motivates the opposition.

The team are in a good place and if the situation we are in was offered to us at the start of the season we would have grabbed it.

Big March for us, either near all over bar the shouting, or squeaky bum time.

Wouldn’t be surprised if the unbeaten run ends on Tuesday 

[PedroMoutinho]

Hogarth and Long both have their weaknesses. But for me the key point is that Long costs us more goals and therefore more points.

We will undoubtedly need better quality for next season. However given Hogarth is our player and the better player, he has got to start.

[Bairn in Exile]

2 minutes ago, grumpyoldman said:

Wouldn’t be surprised if the unbeaten run ends on Tuesday 

ABC - Anybody But Cove and that greasy wee turd Hartley.

[Shodwall cat]

5 minutes ago, BPM said:

Useless is way too strong. Between them they have the best defensive record in the league. Granted the four in front of them have done well but both keepers have contributed well in the most part. 
As we step up though we need a keeper who is of a better standard. 

It's hard to judge both of them unfortunately when they are having such short stints in the team.  Long does appear to have a major weakness on high balls and tends to come off his line for balls he has zero chance of getting although again that tends to stop the longer he is in between the sticks. Hogarth's distribution can be poor. They are both young though still. If they were in their 30s then swapping them about would perhaps not affect to them in the same way but that's not the case.  Id like to have seen Hogarth get a long run to prove whether he's worth a contract alongside another keeper next season or not.

[BPM]

4 minutes ago, Shodwall cat said:

It's hard to judge both of them unfortunately when they are having such short stints in the team.  Long does appear to have a major weakness on high balls and tends to come off his line for balls he has zero chance of getting although again that tends to stop the longer he is in between the sticks. Hogarth's distribution can be poor. They are both young though still. If they were in their 30s then swapping them about would perhaps not affect to them in the same way but that's not the case.  Id like to have seen Hogarth get a long run to prove whether he's worth a contract alongside another keeper next season or not.

I think Long is the better of the two, only marginally though. The swapping is not for me but McGlynn is the manager and it is his call. We have done not too bad overall mind you. We need better for the championship. Tony Parks anyone?

[Shodwall cat]

I thought long was excellent after a shaky start this season but hasn't been great since his return from injury.  He's certainly made more mistakes than Hogarth though costing us in the cup and in the only two league games we've dropped points in in our last 12. 

[FK1Bairn]

Perhaps the most annoying part about McGlynn telling us about the rotation is opposition now know who's in goal and when so can plan tactics in advance

[ShaggerG]

7 hours ago, Reggie Perrin said:

I actually think we hammered them in the first half without making it count obviously.

Second half much more sluggish but still comfortable until the nonsense at the end.

I thought Annan looked absolutely fecked after about 20 minutes or so due to the high tempo we were playing at and really thought it would be a second half walkover. It didn't happen due to a combination of us taking our foot off and them finding a second wind.

I felt that McGlynn made a mistake taking Spencer off as we lost control of centre midfield to an extent. I was wondering also if McGinn's appearance was to ensure that he qualifies for a medal? Don't know how many appearances are needed for that though? He can only have made three or four so far.