The Falkirk FC Thread

[18BAIRN76]

It's clear that we can keep going round in circles with this. Some fans are bothered by Miller's media engagements; some aren't, that's the nature of differing opinions. For me, there is a clear difference in Houston appearing once or twice a month to discuss Scottish football generally, compared to seeing Miller's name pop up every two or three days with him offering his opinions on Rangers and Rangers alone. Miller isn't just a general pundit - a large part of his time is spent as a Rangers pundit. I gave the example of Holt before which no one seemed to answer; if, when he was DoF, his name popped up once or twice a week discussing Killie's promotion chances, I don't think fans would be as forgiving as they are of Miller. But, I respect that some people won't be bothered. Fine.

However, if we put all of this to one side and look at purely his involvement with FFC - does Miller have the know-how, the qualifications and the experience to dig us out of the hole we're in, as we enter our fourth season in the third tier? Are we seriously suggesting that as Rennie's assistant and right-hand man, he holds absolutely no culpability for us getting worse over the second half of the season - especially, as the goalposts continue to shift, the apparent plan was for Rennie to stand aside and Miller to take over all along? Is he, honestly, the manager that Falkirk FC needs right now? Some will forever argue you can never know and there is risk in every appointment. However, on balance, I would suggest the answer to all of these questions is a pretty overwhelming 'no'. 

Edited April 19, 2022 by 18BAIRN76

[Guest]

There’s so much to do that our Sporting Director should have done, but never bothered his backside about.

Our U18 side seem to have three lads that look as if they are made of the right stuff, but are probably a year or two away from being 1st team material.

Thing is, we have no pathway beyond U18 level, so the risk is that other clubs will now pick them off. Clearly, Holt has failed to put a proper structure in place, and Fergus for all of the buzz talk, isn’t exactly in the first flush of his coaching career, and the achievements of note seem to be pretty thin on the ground. The whole Holt/Fergus structure seems to have been built on sand. Just lots of buzzwords.

[ShaggerG]

1 hour ago, Brockvillenomore said:

Take a holiday mate. You need it. 

I'm on permanent holiday, but thanks for your concern.

[Bairn in Exile]

1 hour ago, Brockvillenomore said:

The irony is all the posters complaining about KM doing media work and not paying attention to FFC are likely at work, skiving on P&B

Can't speak for others but not in my case.

Are you skiving on P&B by any chance?

Edited April 19, 2022 by Bairn in Exile

[Guest Brockvillenomore]

3 minutes ago, Bairn in Exile said:

Can't speak for others but not in my case.

Are you skiving on P&B by any chance?

Of course I am.  Posting on P&B isn’t what anybody would call a productive pastime is it

[Guest Brockvillenomore]

7 minutes ago, ShaggerG said:

I'm on permanent holiday, but thanks for your concern.

Welcome

[Dawson Park Boy]

39 minutes ago, 18BAIRN76 said:

It's clear that we can keep going round in circles with this. Some fans are bothered by Miller's media engagements; some aren't, that's the nature of differing opinions. For me, there is a clear difference in Houston appearing once or twice a month to discuss Scottish football generally, compared to seeing Miller's name pop up every two or three days with him offering his opinions on Rangers and Rangers alone. Miller isn't just a general pundit - a large part of his time is spent as a Rangers pundit. I gave the example of Holt before which no one seemed to answer; if, when he was DoF, his name popped up once or twice a week discussing Killie's promotion chances, I don't think fans would be as forgiving as they are of Miller. But, I respect that some people won't be bothered. Fine.

However, if we put all of this to one side and look at purely his involvement with FFC - does Miller have the know-how, the qualifications and the experience to dig us out of the hole we're in, as we enter our fourth season in the third tier? Are we seriously suggesting that as Rennie's assistant and right-hand man, he holds absolutely no culpability for us getting worse over the second half of the season - especially, as the goalposts continue to shift, the apparent plan was for Rennie to stand aside and Miller to take over all along? Is he, honestly, the manager that Falkirk FC needs right now? Some will forever argue you can never know and there is risk in every appointment. However, on balance, I would suggest the answer to all of these questions is a pretty overwhelming 'no'. 

Totally agree and I just don’t see him being in the frame.

Im sure he’ll be interviewed but I think that’s as far as it’ll go.

[Bigbri Bairn]

Can't speak for others but not in my case.
Are you skiving on P&B by any chance?

Me? An old mental health nurse on day off. Think some players and posters could do with my input when I finally retire .[emoji2]

[Guest Brockvillenomore]

15 minutes ago, Duncan Freemason said:

There’s so much to do that our Sporting Director should have done, but never bothered his backside about.

Our U18 side seem to have three lads that look as if they are made of the right stuff, but are probably a year or two away from being 1st team material.

Thing is, we have no pathway beyond U18 level, so the risk is that other clubs will now pick them off. Clearly, Holt has failed to put a proper structure in place, and Fergus for all of the buzz talk, isn’t exactly in the first flush of his coaching career, and the achievements of note seem to be pretty thin on the ground. The whole Holt/Fergus structure seems to have been built on sand. Just lots of buzzwords.

Emblematic of the BoD led by G.Deans esq. High on rhetoric but low on substance. Everything fell apart at the first breeze and revealed as a serious of sound bites and publicity stunts. 

[Guest Brockvillenomore]

9 minutes ago, Dawson Park Boy said:

Totally agree and I just don’t see him being in the frame.

Im sure he’ll be interviewed but I think that’s as far as it’ll go.

You are “sure”. Are you ITK? 

[Guest Ecosse83]

I actually don’t mind Miller, he talks well and says the right things and could have been the right fit in different circumstances but we need another overhaul and a bit more experience is required now. 
 

Ive really came round to the idea of Murray now! 

[Shadwell Dog]

28 minutes ago, Duncan Freemason said:

There’s so much to do that our Sporting Director should have done, but never bothered his backside about.

Our U18 side seem to have three lads that look as if they are made of the right stuff, but are probably a year or two away from being 1st team material.

Thing is, we have no pathway beyond U18 level, so the risk is that other clubs will now pick them off. Clearly, Holt has failed to put a proper structure in place, and Fergus for all of the buzz talk, isn’t exactly in the first flush of his coaching career, and the achievements of note seem to be pretty thin on the ground. The whole Holt/Fergus structure seems to have been built on sand. Just lots of buzzwords.

Bringing in an under 11 side that can't play anyone  was a huge cock up for a start. We'd have  been better off looking at starting up a b team that would include players from the under 18s and those out of favour .

[Dawson Park Boy]

12 minutes ago, Brockvillenomore said:

You are “sure”. Are you ITK? 

No, but everything points to an experienced manager rather than a rookie.

Miller could be another Gerrard but we, at this point of time, just can’t take the risk.

[Shadwell Dog]

7 minutes ago, Dawson Park Boy said:

No, but everything points to an experienced manager rather than a rookie.

Miller could be another Gerrard but we, at this point of time, just can’t take the risk.

Even if he was a gerrard we aren't in the position of waiting  3 years for him to do anything  like rangers had to.

[bridge of allan bairn]

There is no way Miller will get the job. He has been part of the car crash of the past few months.

The arguments about his media appearances as such are hopefully irrelevant 

[latapythelegend]

34 minutes ago, Shadwell Dog said:

Even if he was a gerrard we aren't in the position of waiting  3 years for him to do anything  like rangers had to.

We aren't in a position to wait for Ian Murray to do it either which is why I find it very hard to understand the clamour to go for him.

[Shadwell Dog]

9 minutes ago, latapythelegend said:

We aren't in a position to wait for Ian Murray to do it either which is why I find it very hard to understand the clamour to go for him.

Why would we have to take 3 years like? He took Airdrie from 5th the year before he arrived to 3rd in his first season. They were then second last season only 2 points behind partick. This season they are comfortably in second once again. It's not like they've been shit for two seasons and suddenly come good. They've been there or there abouts every season under Murray so I've no idea where this 3 year rubbish comes from.

[Guest]

Don’t know if it’s a clamour, or simply a name that comes up and isn’t connected to a massive screw up elsewhere.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Bairn in Exile said:

 

 

 

So which is it? Completely or dramatically?

Completely would be dramatic

[Mr November]

1 hour ago, Shadwell Dog said:

Why would we have to take 3 years like? He took Airdrie from 5th the year before he arrived to 3rd in his first season. They were then second last season only 2 points behind partick. This season they are comfortably in second once again. It's not like they've been shit for two seasons and suddenly come good. They've been there or there abouts every season under Murray so I've no idea where this 3 year rubbish comes from.

Murray took over in October of 18/19, the season we finished 5th. He clearly didn’t trust the team and the football was pretty stodgy but the made us much more solid at the back, albeit that generally came at the expense of not being very exciting to watch. A series of home defeats, generally 1-0, cost us any chance of the top four that season. As you say though, he had us third in his first full season, only five points off top when the league finished early, though we were never going to win it. In each of the past three seasons it’s our record against the top team that’s cost us. In 19/20 Raith beat us 1-0 three times and were five points ahead of us, last season Thistle beat us three times and were two points ahead of us and this season Cove have two wins and two draws and are five points ahead of us. This is the first year we’ve been in a proper title race for most of the season but we’ve improved us every year throughout his time. 

I’m still a bit doubtful that he’d go to Falkirk, even if we stay down he’s probably done enough for a decent Championship club to come in for him, but Falkirk would be mad to not at least ask him. Given how he was with a team that wasn’t his, I’m not sure he’d get off to a great start at Falkirk anyway with all the jobbers already signed up for next season but he’d certainly be an improvement on all the other managers you’ve had in this league.