The Falkirk FC Thread

[Bigbrbairn]

59 minutes ago, Disco Duck said:

This weekend’s tie had me reflecting on last time we were at Airdrie.  What was your honest reaction to the management and players at that point?  Were you in the “McGlynn out” camp?  Were you one of the ones shouting at Williamson?

Or is it too soon?

It put me off supporting any football club for a good few weeks!

[Blame Me]

1 hour ago, Disco Duck said:

...

Or is it too soon?

Unnecessary would be a better adjective

[One off poster]

1 hour ago, Disco Duck said:

This weekend’s tie had me reflecting on last time we were at Airdrie.  What was your honest reaction to the management and players at that point?  Were you in the “McGlynn out” camp?  Were you one of the ones shouting at Williamson?

Or is it too soon?

It was heart vs head a bit for me. In my head I knew it was a 2 year job and that the rise from 6th to 2nd whilst playing better football was as good as could be expected that season. But, I was a bit heartbroken after the playoff.

It wasn't actually so much the away result which could be seen as a freak, but the totally limp reaction in the 2nd leg that made me lean slightly towards McGlynn should go.

Fast forward 16 months and I, of course, am delighted to feel like an utter fanny for ever doubting him!

[Springfield]

Like for many those two abhorrent games still cut. Theres been many lows but those games were down there. 

[HopeStreetWalker]

14 minutes ago, One off poster said:

It was heart vs head a bit for me. In my head I knew it was a 2 year job and that the rise from 6th to 2nd whilst playing better football was as good as could be expected that season. But, I was a bit heartbroken after the playoff.

It wasn't actually so much the away result which could be seen as a freak, but the totally limp reaction in the 2nd leg that made me lean slightly towards McGlynn should go.

Fast forward 16 months and I, of course, am delighted to feel like an utter fanny for ever doubting him!

Sadly as has been shown over the years it can return back again just as quickly

[Hartleys18/19Army]

Will admit I was firmly in the McGlynn out camp. We had that good spell up until that crunch game with Dunfermline. The rest of the season was mediocre. That night in Airdrie was the worst I've seen and McGlynn didn't do himself any favours in his post match interview. 

Fast forward to now and fair play to the board for having the balls to keep him on. From that real low to an ongoing high it's been great. 

What will be interesting to see is how we deal with our 1st league defeat whenever that may be. 

[Reggie Perrin]

1 hour ago, Hartleys18/19Army said:

Will admit I was firmly in the McGlynn out camp. We had that good spell up until that crunch game with Dunfermline. The rest of the season was mediocre. That night in Airdrie was the worst I've seen and McGlynn didn't do himself any favours in his post match interview. 

Fast forward to now and fair play to the board for having the balls to keep him on. From that real low to an ongoing high it's been great. 

What will be interesting to see is how we deal with our 1st league defeat whenever that may be. 

My chrystal ball tells me the defeat will come second Saturday in March 2028 courtesy of a dodgy penalty at Celtic Park.

[Shodwall cat]

I was certainly mcglynn in although that first 45 mins at Airdrie was one of the worst I've ever seen from a Falkirk side so I can see why others had a different view. Rome wasnt built in a day and despite that awful game mcglynn had improved us from 6th to 2nd got us through to the knockout phase of the league cup and the semi final of the Scottish. We'd chopped and changed managers every season for the last wee while so giving him another shot at it was the only choice for me. Thankfully it's all panned out fantastically well and the bod needs a lot of credit for not bowing to fan pressure and giving him the boot . 

[Shodwall cat]

3 hours ago, lanky_ffc said:

By my calculations we've missed out on a home tie v Morton in the next round of the diddy cup.

Is that due to the way the numbers come out?

[Grangemouth Bairn]

35 minutes ago, Reggie Perrin said:

My chrystal ball tells me the defeat will come second Saturday in March 2028 courtesy of a dodgy penalty at Celtic Park.

Champions League quarter final 1st leg ?

[ShaggerG]

51 minutes ago, Shodwall cat said:

I was certainly mcglynn in although that first 45 mins at Airdrie was one of the worst I've ever seen from a Falkirk side so I can see why others had a different view. Rome wasnt built in a day and despite that awful game mcglynn had improved us from 6th to 2nd got us through to the knockout phase of the league cup and the semi final of the Scottish. We'd chopped and changed managers every season for the last wee while so giving him another shot at it was the only choice for me. Thankfully it's all panned out fantastically well and the bod needs a lot of credit for not bowing to fan pressure and giving him the boot . 

Basically the way I felt myself.

[FalkirkBairn2021]

I was 100% McGlynn out. Thought it was a massive risk keeping him on after that debacle. 

Great decision though from the board.

[Bairney The Dinosaur]

The result was shocker and did put doubts in my mind, but on balance I was McGlynn in. I was going to go back and try and find posts, but couldn't be bothered. Fairly sure I made comment on trusting McGlynn to build a League 1 winning side. Even in that first season he'd nailed his recruitment. 

[Rugster]

I was swithering, but definitely swithering on the side of emptying him. Delighted to have been proven wrong and that there are less reactionary people running the club than me. 

[Springfield]

2 hours ago, FalkirkBairn2021 said:

I was 100% McGlynn out. Thought it was a massive risk keeping him on after that debacle. 

Great decision though from the board.

Was in the same boat. Maybe one or two on here will know the facts, but was told that the club couldn’t afford to pay him(and staff)off. 
Absolutely delighted that we’ve been supporting/hugely enjoying a group of players that look like they love being here, first time in a decade. Dont know if this season is going to be a stretch to far, but even after Saturdays disappointment, where we absolutely battered them for 85 mins, yes disappointing but didn’t spoil my night.

[NavyBlueArmy1876]

I was at the Airdrie game and was pretty angry at the time.

Didnt want McGlynn emptied though, probably mainly due to due to the fact he had been hamstrung that season with several of Holt's/ Sheerin's diddies. 

I was also at the 6-0 loss to Queens Park and the turnaround in just a few months told me we were undoubtedly heading in the right direction as a football club. One 45 minute spell of absolute madness didnt change that 

With hindsight we were also unlucky to come up against a Dunfermline side that racked up over a million pounds in losses to maintain the squad they were relegated with and only lost one game. 

Thought we would win the league last season but McGlynn certainly exceeded my expectations by far with the manner. Long may it continue 

[LatapyBairn.]

1 hour ago, Springfield said:

Was in the same boat. Maybe one or two on here will know the facts, but was told that the club couldn’t afford to pay him(and staff)off. 
Absolutely delighted that we’ve been supporting/hugely enjoying a group of players that look like they love being here, first time in a decade. Dont know if this season is going to be a stretch to far, but even after Saturdays disappointment, where we absolutely battered them for 85 mins, yes disappointing but didn’t spoil my night.

McGlynn and smudger only had a year left on they’re contracts and the club had actually finished that season in pretty decent financial position after both the fan bank loan and Scottish cup semi final moneys, of course the club could have easily got rid had they chose the knee jerk reaction some fans were calling for and in many ways it would have been the easier more fashionable decision just to punt the two of them but in hindsight all it would have achieved would have been denting the playing budget through paying the two contracts off and a continuation of the player and managerial merry go round that had seen us stagnate in the sea side league. Although privately dismissing the manager may have been discussed at board level thankfully the people involved were able to look at the bigger picture and seen an improving squad rather than taking a two leg play off tie in isolation. 

Edited September 10 by LatapyBairn.

[18BAIRN76]

I accepted pretty early on that he was going to be kept on, but don't hide from the fact I leant more on the side of binning him than keeping him. I think what is often forgotten (largely due to the Airdrie games, understandably) was that it wasn't just those play-off ties. From March onwards, after a frankly pathetic performance at Dunfermline, the arse completely fell out of our season and we were woeful for the final quarter. As for the Airdrie games, particularly the first leg, as much as it was a 'freak', I still think there are things McGlynn could have done to mitigate what was happening as it was all unfolding. But, alas, it's all in the past now, he's more than made up for it since and so it is irrelevant apart from the sense we can sit and discuss it rationally now.  I'm delighted I wasn't the one making the decision.

Like others, the first leg against Airdrie is still the worst (and the angriest) I've ever felt after a game and will take some beating as the worst Falkirk performance I've seen in nearly 20 years of going to games. My judgement was undoubtedly clouded by the anger I felt during the period afterwards, while deep down I probably knew there had been an overall improvement and he had been largely hamstrung by previous managers jobbers. I took absolutely no interest in football the few weeks after that, but do remember thinking the day we signed Miller, Lang and Spencer that we may well be on to something. We came into the start of last season with a real pressure on us after the play-off debacle as well as the spectre of part-time football if we didn't go up; the most impressive thing was the way McGlynn and the squad took that pressure head-on and actually seemed to thrive off it. We simply haven't looked back since. 

[JS_FFC]

It’s perfectly reasonable to say that with the evidence that was available at the time McGlynn deserved to be punted but also to acknowledge that he’s done an excellent job of turning it around. No shame in changing your opinion based on new evidence emerging.

 

My view at the time was that finishing a respectable 2nd to Dunfermline wasn’t a bad season in itself but I had no interest in continuing with a manager who’s team completely mailed it in on their most important match in years. The board decided to show faith in him and we’ve all been massively rewarded for their faith. So fully admit I was proved wrong although I maintain it was perfectly reasonable to feel that way at the time 

[Disco Duck]

I would agree it’s the angriest I’ve been after a match (not the most gutted - that was being beaten at Hampden by Hibs 4-3).

However I was never in the bin McGlynn camp.  My view at the time was we needed a bit of stability.

my mood wasn’t helped when I went home and my wife said “you’ll be happy then”.  Whichever website she’d looked up to find the score had published it the wrong way round.  That really was rubbing salt into the wound!