The Falkirk FC Thread

[ShaggerG]

17 minutes ago, 18BAIRN76 said:

I'd keep Watson and McCann. The rest can go.

Edit to add: McCann hasn't been good enough this year, but has shown sparks of quality and was more than good enough for this level at Airdrie. He's also one of the only ones in the entire squad who looks even slightly bothered when he plays. Watson - with a decent partner beside him - is more than good enough for a League One side challenging at the top end.

McCann's probably our best player IMO but, for some reason, Rennie doesn't rate him. He's much better going forward than defensively but still a better defender than ATS, even in the air!

[Blame Me]

1 minute ago, ShaggerG said:

I made the point to the director at the meeting on Saturday that MR would make a good Director of Football. Due to finances I doubt that there will be any plans to resurrect the role but I do think he would be good at it.

I didn't want to dislike this as I thought it harsh but I don't agree. Like other posters there is nothing I've seen to suggest that he could be a success in that role either.

As it goes, it appears the collective decision is to persist with the management team ... for now.

[ShaggerG]

5 minutes ago, Russ said:

Why? Like genuinely why do you think he’d be good at that? I can’t think of anything we’ve seen from him that would make anyone think that.

 

5 minutes ago, Gaz said:

Why do you think he would be a good DoF?

I'm not looking for an argument, I'm genuinely interested. I don't think he should be anywhere near a full-time football club.

Dunno really.

I don't think he's an abrasive type, unlike Holt, he's a good communicator and I think he would give his all to the role. He's obviously got experience of dealing with football matters and will have contacts beyond Scotland.

It's a non-starter anyway so it doesn't really matter what I think.

[Guest]

32 minutes ago, FFC 1876 said:

 

Just look at the state of that squad.

Goalkeeper 
Paddy Martin (Is he injured?) - June 2023
Luke Holt - June 2023

Defenders
Blair Sneddon - June 2023
Ryan Williamson - June 2023
Brad Mckay - June 2024
Leon McCann - June 2024
Cammy Williamson - June 2023
Mackenzie Lemon - June 2023
Paul Watson - June 2023

Midfielders
Callumn Morrison - June 2024
Steven Hetherington - June 2023
Aidan Nesbitt - June 2023
Craig Mcguffie - June 2023
Seb Ross - June 2023
Ben Weekes - June 2023

Strikers
Jaime Wilson - June 2023
Finlay Malcolm - June 2023

…….and that is why the Holt Effect is with us for years to come. To have actually paid someone to put that mess together is just mental.

Tbh, it feels as if we have run out of road. We can no longer fix things in a short time frame. There is quite literally no room to manoeuvre until more than a dozen of the players on that list are gone. There is every chance that we have to suck it up for another year in L1 (and possibly drop to L2) before the decks can be cleared to allow a rebuild to begin.

Edited April 4, 2022 by Duncan Freemason

[HopeStreetWalker]

9 hours ago, Duncan Freemason said:

Yeah, the penalty was a dive, and a pretty obvious one at that. We don’t beat teams above us, and it’s near impossible to come up with a reason why that will change next week.

It would need Cove to have an absolute howler. We can only beat Dumbarton and EF, yet a few think that MR has improved us. That’s laughable.

Those deemed not good enough to get into our stating line up will be here next season. That is our world from this point on.

 

The past is the past and what the board has to do now as a matter of urgency is to lay out the fundamentals of the future.

Budget - Manager - Full//Hybrid/Part time - What players not getting contract renewed and private talks with contracted players we want to move on which are announced when agreement reached. Most likely it will not be what we want to hear  and uncomfortable for all sides.

Honesty = Trust = Goodwill do it now

But honesty and calling it as it is will regain the trust that is so badly needed.

[Bairn in Exile]

11 minutes ago, ShaggerG said:

I made the point to the director at the meeting on Saturday that MR would make a good Director of Football. 

 

8 minutes ago, ShaggerG said:

McCann's probably our best player IMO but, for some reason, Rennie doesn't rate him. 

Those 2 posts kind of contradict each other, no? He'd make a good Director of Football but he can't recognize a good player?

P.S. I applauded loudly when Rennie was given the gig of Head Coach, I'll applaud even louder when his contract finishes and he has nothing more to do with the club.

[Blame Me]

Goalkeeper 
Paddy Martin (Is he injured?) - June 2023
Luke Holt - June 2023

Defenders
Blair Sneddon - June 2023
Ryan Williamson - June 2023
Brad Mckay - June 2024
Leon McCann - June 2024
Cammy Williamson - June 2023
Mackenzie Lemon - June 2023
Paul Watson - June 2023

Midfielders
Callumn Morrison - June 2024
Steven Hetherington - June 2023
Aidan Nesbitt - June 2023
Craig Mcguffie - June 2023
Seb Ross - June 2023
Ben Weekes - June 2023

Strikers
Jaime Wilson - June 2023
Finlay Malcolm - June 2023

Removing those who will probably be moved on and unlikely to play. I'm not even sure I'd keep Nesbitt at this point.

[Guest]

15 minutes ago, Blame Me said:

Goalkeeper 
Paddy Martin (Is he injured?) - June 2023
Luke Holt - June 2023

Defenders
Blair Sneddon - June 2023
Ryan Williamson - June 2023
Brad Mckay - June 2024
Leon McCann - June 2024
Cammy Williamson - June 2023
Mackenzie Lemon - June 2023
Paul Watson - June 2023

Midfielders
Callumn Morrison - June 2024
Steven Hetherington - June 2023
Aidan Nesbitt - June 2023
Craig Mcguffie - June 2023
Seb Ross - June 2023
Ben Weekes - June 2023

Strikers
Jaime Wilson - June 2023
Finlay Malcolm - June 2023

Removing those who will probably be moved on and unlikely to play. I'm not even sure I'd keep Nesbitt at this point.

I think you are being overly generous. Look at midfield. You are hanging on to the our three number 8s or number 10s that have been a massive part of our non existent midfield.

If Telfer gets a new contract, then we simply cannot hold on to four players for one position.

[Shadwell Dog]

28 minutes ago, ShaggerG said:

 

Dunno really.

I don't think he's an abrasive type, unlike Holt, he's a good communicator and I think he would give his all to the role. He's obviously got experience of dealing with football matters and will have contacts beyond Scotland.

It's a non-starter anyway so it doesn't really matter what I think.

I'm just not sure he has the contacts or pull required in the Scottish game to do that role.

[Blame Me]

1 minute ago, Duncan Freemason said:

I think you are being overly generous. Look at midfield. You are hanging on to the our three number 8s or number 10s that have been a massive part of our non existent midfield.

If Telfer gets a new contract, then we simply cannot hold on to four players for one position.

Morrison and McGuffie I think have something to offer IF they had others alongside them doing some proper dirty work! 

As I said, I'm only retaining Nesbitt most likely because Telfer won't be here next season but I would happily see him go.

[Proudtobeabairn]

55 minutes ago, Bainsfordbairn said:

No-one has the gig. I spoke to three of the directors last weekend and they' were waiting until the various elections were completed and final composition of the board was decided. 

TBH, I don't think anyone wants to be called "chairman". I know two of them certainly don't want it. 

One of them is going to have to, there has to be a board spokesperson appointed at the very least.  

[Proudtobeabairn]

34 minutes ago, Blame Me said:

Goalkeeper 
Paddy Martin (Is he injured?) - June 2023
Luke Holt - June 2023

Defenders
Blair Sneddon - June 2023
Ryan Williamson - June 2023
Brad Mckay - June 2024
Leon McCann - June 2024
Cammy Williamson - June 2023
Mackenzie Lemon - June 2023
Paul Watson - June 2023

Midfielders
Callumn Morrison - June 2024
Steven Hetherington - June 2023
Aidan Nesbitt - June 2023
Craig Mcguffie - June 2023
Seb Ross - June 2023
Ben Weekes - June 2023

Strikers
Jaime Wilson - June 2023
Finlay Malcolm - June 2023

Removing those who will probably be moved on and unlikely to play. I'm not even sure I'd keep Nesbitt at this point.

You'd like to think that some of those contracted but unlikely to ever play would decide to take a career change rather than hang about collecting a low wage with us for another year.  Its not like staying the extra year is going to keep them in professional football.  if anything a year on the sidelines with us would even more likely end their careers.  

Of course we'd need the manager or the board to sit down with them individually and have that difficult conversation.  We shouldn't be offering to pay them off.  

[Proudtobeabairn]

2 hours ago, Bairn in Exile said:

 

As an ex-pat who is unable to attend any of the “meet the board” type of events in BTG etc., I got to thinking who I could contact at the club if I wanted to air any of my grievances. I went onto the website and the most sensible email address that I could think of using was Anna O’Donnell’s, the Supporters Liaison Officer. No offence to Anna but not great.

The last board at least issued the email address of board@falkirkfc.co.uk for us to use ( I know that @Harry Kinnear has used it )but I don’t think that one is active anymore.

So, in a roundabout way what I am trying to say is that I think the new board are playing a blinder (for themselves, not for us) but not electing a Chairperson. Under the old regime Gary Deans as the Chairperson came in for 90% of the flak on here, with the new regime there is no individual person that we can target and use as a conduit for our grievances. Not good considering all the claims about transparency etc.

jamie@falkirkfc.co.uk

[FFC 1876]

59 minutes ago, Russ said:

Why? Like genuinely why do you think he’d be good at that? I can’t think of anything we’ve seen from him that would make anyone think that.

I think he's capable of picking a decent player out and level headed enough to move others on without causing much of a fuss. I just don't think he has what it takes as a manager to then motivate or get the best out of the squad he builds. 

As Shagger has said it's a non starter but I think recruitment wise Rennie would do a decent job on the squad over the summer, I just don't then think he has what it takes to manage a title challenge.

Edited April 4, 2022 by FFC 1876

[HopeStreetWalker]

18 minutes ago, Blame Me said:

Morrison and McGuffie I think have something to offer IF they had others alongside them doing some proper dirty work! 

As I said, I'm only retaining Nesbitt most likely because Telfer won't be here next season but I would happily see him go.

If they keep Telfer then he need 2 minders one either side to get the best out him. Just like Simpson and Cooper let Strachan be more effective.

[Russ]

I think he's capable of picking a decent player out and level headed enough to move others on without causing much of a fuss. I just don't think he has what it takes as a manager to then motivate or get the best out if the squad he builds. 
As Shagger has said it's a non starter but I think recruitment wise Rennie would do a decent job on the squad over the summer, I just don't then think he has what it takes to manage a title challenge.

But I still just don’t understand how we can think he can pick a decent player. We’ve already seen he can’t pick a team and if you l’re just basing it on his January recruitment then I’m not sure buying a broken Jacobs or chucking money at Watson and Griffiths means he’s great at recruitment.

[Bairn in Exile]

24 minutes ago, FFC 1876 said:

I think he's capable of picking a decent player out and level headed enough to move others on without causing much of a fuss. I just don't think he has what it takes as a manager to then motivate or get the best out if the squad he builds. 

As Shagger has said it's a non starter but I think recruitment wise Rennie would do a decent job on the squad over the summer, I just don't then think he has what it takes to manage a title challenge.

Does anybody ever watch MasterChef?

Occasionally at some point in the competition all the contestants go into the pantry and collect a basket of ingredients of their choosing for them to cook their perfect meal. Then, at the last minute, all of these carefully selected ingredients are taken away from them and they are given another contestant’s basket of ingredients and they have to go away and cook a totally different meal with the ingredients that have been foisted on them.

Cue a Director of Football and a Head Coach.

Stuff that for a game of sojyirs, the Manager (not Head Coach) should be 100% responsible for recruiting his own players / squad.

Edited April 4, 2022 by Bairn in Exile

[FFC 1876]

10 minutes ago, Russ said:

But I still just don’t understand how we can think he can pick a decent player. We’ve already seen he can’t pick a team and if you l’re just basing it on his January recruitment then I’m not sure buying a broken Jacobs or chucking money at Watson and Griffiths means he’s great at recruitment.

Kabia's been a standout, argueably one of the best players in the league.

Griffiths was a gamble we simply just had to take or Jaime Wilson was our only option as a sub upfront.

Jacobs is a far better midfielder than Hetherington or Miller, I just think Rennie's mismanaged that one by constantly dropping him in and out of the team. He needed a consitent run of games.

Watson was again a case of we simply had to sign him as there wasn't anything else on the horizon. Again I don't think the 5 at the back suits him at all, especially having to play with Mckay on one side and ATS on the other.

ATS is a donkey so I'm not even going to try build a case for him.

Mills is an 18 year old who's still in my opinion streets ahead of Mckay & ATS and I'd happily have him back in amongst the squad next season.

[Bairn in Exile]

Pumped 3 - 0 on Saturday and Miller thinks that it is OK to do this? And seemingly done in Falkirk FC's time going by the tactics board in the background.

He can GTF ASAP.

 

[bairn88]

Don’t think Rennie’s recruitment has been poor at all. Indeed, if you’d offered those players plus dowds he signed in January, I would’ve really fancied us.

Lots of revisionism on here about what we thought we needed. People saying the midfield was a priority. It wasn’t. Everyone (including myself) stated we needed at least a striker and 2 Centre backs. It’s only since we’ve signed some competent ones of those has the problem of the midfield been realised.

Which makes it all the more galling that we are genuinely far worse than we were under Sheerin. Appalling management.