The Falkirk FC Thread

[AJ1981]

6 minutes ago, LatapyBairn. said:

Pretty much my thoughts at the time when I heard about this.

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/ayrshire/ayr-united-chairman-david-smith-33082489

This botch up is costing around 30% of Ayr's new stand, the lunatics have taken over the asylum 

[NavyBlueArmy1876]

9 minutes ago, AJ1981 said:

lost opportunity, this is costing nearly £1m and it's a temporary building. this could easily be incorporated into a new stand. lets face it the foundation have no interest in the club and this makes the stadium development look lop sided and third rate, more like a building site. just an embarrassing carbuncle

I totally agree.

A real missed opportunity and as an architect myself the drawings and building are both needlessly ugly 

[GMBairn]

3 hours ago, RandomGuy. said:

I wanted McCabe until I realised he was actually hired by the agency he signs all his players from. 

That seems like it could be a disaster.

Yeah it was clear from the start it was just a puff piece to w**k over McGlynn. Fair enough as he's doing great for you, but I don't really care.

What would give me the fear about McCabe as well.

Got shades of Hartley that where his mate was the scout and agent of just about every player he signed. 

Maybe that's why Airdrie are shite this year. 

[PedroMoutinho]

27 minutes ago, AJ1981 said:

lost opportunity, this is costing nearly £1m and it's a temporary building. this could easily be incorporated into a new stand. lets face it the foundation have no interest in the club and this makes the stadium development look lop sided and third rate, more like a building site. just an embarrassing carbuncle

Not really sure what a new stand has to do with it. The Foundation have received funding to be spent on this specific project, not on a new stand.

There is currently no proposal or funding for a fourth stand, nor is there a need for one from a capacity perspective. Of course  a new stand would be great if it can be done in a way that makes the club money, but I doubt this is on the imminent horizon given it hasn’t been possible for the 20 years we’ve been at the stadium.

The foundation have been clear that the new facility leaves room for a stand. Surely it’s far better to get this facility in place which will benefit our academy teams and the community rather than delaying things due to a new stand which has no chance of being built any time soon?

[Ian Mcleod]

From an outside view I would be very surprised if McGlynn was to leave Falkirk for St Johnstone right now. Looking at the mess of a squad St Johnstone have I think they're struggle massively regardless of which manager they appoint. Levein has signed a lot of rubbish but they've been in a mess for a while now even though Davidson won the double with them the amount of dross he gave long term deals was mental and I'm a bit surprised they've managed to stay in the premiership for this long. They were lucky that Livingston had a disaster last season and Ross County decided that it was a good idea to give Derek Adams a job. For me it's Inevitable that St Johnstone and Ross County are due long spells outside the premiership with the way those clubs have been going the past few years. St Johnstone do have a new owner now so you could argue that may change things. 

However would McGlynn really leave Falkirk to go to a club with a squad nowhere near good enough for the league they're in? And he also wouldn't be able to sign anyone to fix it until January expect free agents there's a good chance if he went there and they go down he's out of a job within 9 months and he loses all the credit he's gained with Falkirk last season. Why would he risk that? If Levein had went at the end of last season and McGlynn was going to have a full summer to rebuild things at St Johnstone then maybe then they would of been a small chance however rignt now i would be extremely surprised. With Falkirk admittedly it's surprised me how well they've started this season 5 straight wins and some of the clubs who you would have expected to be going for the title have started off very poorly obviously early days but Falkirk will definitely fancy themselves to at least challenge for the title with the ways things are going although it will be interesting to see how you do react when you do eventually lose a game. 

Overall though I really can't see McGlynn leaving Falkirk right now when they have a chance to do something extremely special to take arguably and in my opinion the worst squad in the premiership which he wouldn't be able to fix and which he would have to work with for the next few months. Although if you guys continue this unbeaten run and Hearts punt Naismith then it maybe things will be a bit more interesting. I wouldn't worry about him ending up at St Johnstone though.

[AJ1981]

10 minutes ago, PedroMoutinho said:

Not really sure what a new stand has to do with it. The Foundation have received funding to be spent on this specific project, not on a new stand.

There is currently no proposal or funding for a fourth stand, nor is there a need for one from a capacity perspective. Of course  a new stand would be great if it can be done in a way that makes the club money, but I doubt this is on the imminent horizon given it hasn’t been possible for the 20 years we’ve been at the stadium.

The foundation have been clear that the new facility leaves room for a stand. Surely it’s far better to get this facility in place which will benefit our academy teams and the community rather than delaying things due to a new stand which has no chance of being built any time soon?

i work in the third sector and developments like this can be run by private and charitable organisations based on floor space usage and clear separation, there are  examples of this across the uk, one set of funding invariably leads to it being matched or bettered because a bigger project becomes more viable and attractive, so £1m could become £2m+ and we build two thirds of a stand, with community and football benefit. never let small minds think your dreams are too big.

Edited yesterday at 14:53 by AJ1981

[Miguel Simao]

7 hours ago, LatapyBairn. said:

Think you know yourself it’s more than just that, historically regardless of how poor we have been our home supports have always been considerably higher than St Johnstone’s. Despite the club being particularly badly run both on and off the park for at least a decade , St Johnstone on the other had have had excellent stewardship and in recent seasons spent more time in the premier league than us yet still can’t entice the people of Perth to the stadium. 

Perth is pretty isolated, outside of the “city” there’s nothing but villages and fields so we’re limited in where we can draw fans in from. Falkirk have over 160k people on their doorstep so it’s hardly surprising you have a bigger fan base. 

[PedroMoutinho]

1 minute ago, AJ1981 said:

i work in the third sector and developments like this can be run by private and charitable organisations based on floor space usage and clear separation, there are  examples of this across the uk, one set of funding invariably leads to it being matched or bettered because a bigger project becomes more viable and attractive, so £1m could become £2m+ and we build two thirds of a stand, with community and football benefit. 

I don’t disagree but there is currently no money or proposal a for a stand on the table and hasn’t been for 20 years so I’m not sure what the issue is so the the foundation going ahead with this project for which they have funding.

[Shodwall cat]

It was made very clear by the foundation that the funding they are receiving can only be used by them and not in coalition with a professional football team. So any chance of it being used in connection with building a fourth stand was never an option.

[One off poster]

1 hour ago, NavyBlueArmy1876 said:

I see the Foundation plans are available to see on the Planning portal 

 

This brings back memories of the old portacabins next to the main stand of Brockville.

[Shodwall cat]

The most important area for any club these days is recruitment and that is where mcglynn is head and shoulders above many many managers. He has contacts galore and players who he has employed before love playing under him which is why the likes of Spencer, Ross and Tait are with us despite having had  options elsewhere. He's no miracle worker and so I'm not sure what he'd be able to achieve with the pile of dross levein has left behind him at st Johnstone.  If I was mcglynn I'd wait to the end of the season and see where we are. He could always replace the boy that replaces levein when he gets sacked in may.

[Raybowski89]

3 hours ago, Bairn to Believe said:

Really enjoyed episode.  On the back of the guys interview what retro kits would fans like to see brought back?

The 02/03 home or away shirt, for me. Simple, classy, and they have that gorgeous Budvar sponsor on it.

[HopeStreetWalker]

35 minutes ago, PedroMoutinho said:

Not really sure what a new stand has to do with it. The Foundation have received funding to be spent on this specific project, not on a new stand.

There is currently no proposal or funding for a fourth stand, nor is there a need for one from a capacity perspective. Of course  a new stand would be great if it can be done in a way that makes the club money, but I doubt this is on the imminent horizon given it hasn’t been possible for the 20 years we’ve been at the stadium.

The foundation have been clear that the new facility leaves room for a stand. Surely it’s far better to get this facility in place which will benefit our academy teams and the community rather than delaying things due to a new stand which has no chance of being built any time soon?

There is not going to be a 4th stand for the forceable future. The only thing the club can do regarding it would be to do the groundwork so that if the finances and business case is viable then its straight on with the build on whatever option is chosen. Whether its the Ayr terracing/seating/hospitality, stand's of various capacities, plus option of commercial premises incorporated into the build. With planning and designs on file it could save 1 - 2 years in getting the stadium complete. How much that would cost is anybody's guess, any architects out there give a ballpark number? but realistically there are more important things on the short term to spend money on.

[LatapyBairn.]

1 hour ago, AJ1981 said:

i work in the third sector and developments like this can be run by private and charitable organisations based on floor space usage and clear separation, there are  examples of this across the uk, one set of funding invariably leads to it being matched or bettered because a bigger project becomes more viable and attractive, so £1m could become £2m+ and we build two thirds of a stand, with community and football benefit. never let small minds think your dreams are too big.

I think the fact the club weren’t even consulted and found out about the full thing via a third party is the most disappointing aspect, surely first option would have been at least to look at the possibility of a joint venture with the club (or maybe even have the courtesy to inform the club!) as was originally envisaged when the community pitch was layed. Almost half of that pitch actually sits on the clubs land , the club don’t take any rent from the foundation as things stand currently for this and are only payed when the main pitch is utilised so a little effort of communication is surely the least the club could have expected. The foundation make they’re money on the back of the football club through drawing in paying kids by using the clubs brand, sticking them in Falkirk strips and promoting themselves as the official charity partner of Falkirk Football Club, it sometimes feels like that is forgotten. The two organisations are definitely not running in tandem as they were originally when the club had the likes of Martin Ritchie and others sitting on the foundations committee and had a joint CEO, at that point when decisions were made the football club was always taken into consideration and kept in the loop, reading between the lines I’m not sure that’s happening anymore. 

Edited yesterday at 16:50 by LatapyBairn.

[Theyellowbox]

Guys, relax there is no chance of John McGlynn going to Saints. Saints wouldn't want him and if he genuinely thinks he could take Falkirk up, why would he leave, regardless of whether Saints stay up or not.

Were Saints not in a bit of flux, there would be a reasonable argument that he might fancy it.

I think any notion as some have suggested of Hearts being the biggest threat to McGlynn leaving is highly wide of the mark. Hearts are fishing in different ponds now. From an outside in view of Falkirk and I say this having not seen a minute of you guys playing for a few years, is that a bit like Martindale at Livi, McGlynn will be at Falkirk as long as he wants to be, unless either there is a massive collapse in form and you go down or there is a massive change in ownership/focus at the club. 

Fair play for Falkirk getting the crowds that do come. It genuinely is an achievement to have decent crowds while spending the last 15ish years between the 2nd and 3rd tiers... and that isn't a dig. In reality, even if there was a 1000 difference in attendances, it is next to nothing really and would account for maybe a 2/3/4% increase in StJ's turnover? Not really enough to make any kind of significant difference.

If we play each other next season, it will either be because we have both had successful seasons or collapsed from where we both are, so the McGlynn debate would be moot either way. 

 

[Shodwall cat]

26 minutes ago, LatapyBairn. said:

I think the fact the club weren’t even consulted and found out about the full thing via a third party is the most disappointing aspect, surely first option would have been at least to look at the possibility of a joint venture with the club (or maybe even have the courtesy to inform the club!) as was originally envisaged when the community pitch was layed. Almost half of that pitch actually sits on the clubs land , the club don’t take any rent from the foundation as things stand currently for this and are only payed when the main pitch is utilised so a little effort of communication is surely the least the club could have expected. The foundation make they’re money on the back of the football club by drawing in paying kids by using the clubs brand, sticking them in Falkirk strips and promoting themselves as the official charity partner of the club, it sometimes feels like that is forgotten. The two organisations are definitely not running in tandom as they were originally when the club had the likes or Martin Ritchie sitting on the foundations committee and had a joint CEO, at that point when decisions were made the football club was always taken into consideration and kept in the loop, reading between the lines I’m not sure that’s happening anymore. 

How could it be a joint venture when the use of the grant the foundation has explicitly rules that out though?

[AJ1981]

29 minutes ago, LatapyBairn. said:

I think the fact the club weren’t even consulted and found out about the full thing via a third party is the most disappointing aspect, surely first option would have been at least to look at the possibility of a joint venture with the club (or maybe even have the courtesy to inform the club!) as was originally envisaged when the community pitch was layed. Almost half of that pitch actually sits on the clubs land , the club don’t take any rent from the foundation as things stand currently for this and are only payed when the main pitch is utilised so a little effort of communication is surely the least the club could have expected. The foundation make they’re money on the back of the football club by drawing in paying kids by using the clubs brand, sticking them in Falkirk strips and promoting themselves as the official charity partner of the club, it sometimes feels like that is forgotten. The two organisations are definitely not running in tandom as they were originally when the club had the likes or Martin Ritchie sitting on the foundations committee and had a joint CEO, at that point when decisions were made the football club was always taken into consideration and kept in the loop, reading between the lines I’m not sure that’s happening anymore. 

Not sure about that background but I wouldn't be surprised.

 

I've been told most of the funding is coming from the SFA so the narrative they don't fund a football club is just horse shit.

 

What I do know from my experience is funders don't like temporary buildings and much prefer concrete,  steel, bricks and mortar. 60 to 70 years of life against 10 to 15 for temporary. The running costs of temporary buildings are high and they leak like f*ck draining the user of cash.

There are funders who can be difficult on mixed users other than for charitable purposes,  but if there's a will or a way it can be worked out. It just takes work and a lot of effort. but in this case as the majority funder is the SFA that excuse doesnt stack up.

cards on the table I do have a gripe with the foundation back when i took my kids out because the CE openly said in a meeting that charity work was a priority, the kids football wasn't, then denied it to my face the next time I saw him. the board were as bad and all this was going on when the CE was flying off on a pointless junket to Spain or Portugal can't remember, and before that Turkey I think. I have friends around the woman's team and they're starved of cash as well and have to beg for every penny, strips etc as well as pay out of their own pockets.

I just don't trust them. the Falkirk daft episode was clear they see themselves separate from the club and they will do their own thing, all while feeding off the clubs goodwill and support. 

if what you're saying @LatapyBairn. is true then questions need to be asked. 

[AJ1981]

1 hour ago, PedroMoutinho said:

Not really sure what a new stand has to do with it. The Foundation have received funding to be spent on this specific project, not on a new stand.

There is currently no proposal or funding for a fourth stand, nor is there a need for one from a capacity perspective. Of course  a new stand would be great if it can be done in a way that makes the club money, but I doubt this is on the imminent horizon given it hasn’t been possible for the 20 years we’ve been at the stadium.

The foundation have been clear that the new facility leaves room for a stand. Surely it’s far better to get this facility in place which will benefit our academy teams and the community rather than delaying things due to a new stand which has no chance of being built any time soon?

@PedroMoutinho see my post below which answers this i think. 

[AJ1981]

27 minutes ago, Shodwall cat said:

How could it be a joint venture when the use of the grant the foundation has explicitly rules that out though?

the majority of the funding is from the SFA dude

[LatapyBairn.]

52 minutes ago, Shodwall cat said:

How could it be a joint venture when the use of the grant the foundation has explicitly rules that out though?

I’m told the rules were not as black and white as that at all, there were multiple ways around that and avenues that could have at least been explored however no such effort was made, the club were more or less cut out of any decision making process and only found out about it AFTER plans and been lodged and drawings made up. Even then they were only informed via a third party who happened to be a Falkirk fan and not by the foundation in any official capacity. 

Edited yesterday at 16:51 by LatapyBairn.