Walking Down The Halbeath Road

[Heaton]

I'm not panicking I just don't see Gowser as that great a signing. It's time for fresh blood but I trust St James to get it right once again 

[parsboi]

3 hours ago, Rob1885 said:

Hardly any of his signings have looked inspiring on paper beforehand and turned into some team.

 

I compare that with AJs recruitment in Summer 2018 when just about every signing had me filling my drawers. Ended up staying up by 3 points.

To be fair looking back to that season the signs were evident early doors that something wasn’t quite right recruitment wise.  Mark Durnan and Danny Devine both came with mixed (mostly negative) reviews and so it turned out.  That lack of foundation at the back cost us.  Christ knows what AJ was thinking that year.  If I recall right, centre bud was a total mess, and the whole thing just didn’t work.

[Stellaboz]

9 minutes ago, parsboi said:

To be fair looking back to that season the signs were evident early doors that something wasn’t quite right recruitment wise.  Mark Durnan and Danny Devine both came with mixed (mostly negative) reviews and so it turned out.  That lack of foundation at the back cost us.  Christ knows what AJ was thinking that year.  If I recall right, centre bud was a total mess, and the whole thing just didn’t work.

He inexplicably went to 352 stllat the start of that season in friendlies and the LC. Signed all the wrong players for that system and had Fez and Hippolyte playing up front together where they both stayed 99% offside. 

Was clear early on that this squad and system was fucked up and we were stuck with guff until Craw had to ship them out the following summer.

[parsboi]

17 minutes ago, Stellaboz said:

He inexplicably went to 352 stllat the start of that season in friendlies and the LC. Signed all the wrong players for that system and had Fez and Hippolyte playing up front together where they both stayed 99% offside. 

Was clear early on that this squad and system was fucked up and we were stuck with guff until Craw had to ship them out the following summer.

That’s right.  Almost exact same problem as Grant had.  Fixated on a 3 at the back formation, but then it just didn’t work out.  So much promise, so much damage done. 

[VinnyPar]

Think Danny Devine got to much stick at us tbh, was nowhere near as bad as made out it was Durnan who was a total bombscare. He's played nearly 100 games at this level since he left us in a decent Inverness side.

[Rob1885]

Aye Devine and Ashcroft were relatively solid following Johnston getting his jotters, iirc.

[DA Baracus]

1 hour ago, Stellaboz said:

He inexplicably went to 352 stllat the start of that season in friendlies and the LC. Signed all the wrong players for that system and had Fez and Hippolyte playing up front together where they both stayed 99% offside. 

Was clear early on that this squad and system was fucked up and we were stuck with guff until Craw had to ship them out the following summer.

Not that inexplicable; it was the 'in' system after the World Cup.

Some amount of dross signed that year. Robbie Muirhead, Aidan Connolly, Malaury Martin, Danny Devine, Mark Durnan, El Bakhtoui, Ryan Blair, Miles Hippoltye, Louis Longridge, James Vincent. Yikes.

There were a few decent signings mind. Tom Beadling, Joe Thomson, Jackson Longridge, Aidan Keena and Bruce Anderson were all pretty decent I thought.

Oh, and there was the was Willo Flood!

[Rob1885]

43 minutes ago, DA Baracus said:

Not that inexplicable; it was the 'in' system after the World Cup.

Some amount of dross signed that year. Robbie Muirhead, Aidan Connolly, Malaury Martin, Danny Devine, Mark Durnan, El Bakhtoui, Ryan Blair, Miles Hippoltye, Louis Longridge, James Vincent. Yikes.

There were a few decent signings mind. Tom Beadling, Joe Thomson, Jackson Longridge, Aidan Keena and Bruce Anderson were all pretty decent I thought.

Oh, and there was the was Willo Flood!

Blair's winner against QOTS though

[The Toun Clock]

1 hour ago, DA Baracus said:

Some amount of dross signed that year. Robbie Muirhead, Aidan Connolly, Malaury Martin, Danny Devine, Mark Durnan, El Bakhtoui, Ryan Blair, Miles Hippoltye, Louis Longridge, James Vincent. Yikes.

There were a few decent signings mind. Tom Beadling, Joe Thomson, Jackson Longridge, Aidan Keena and Bruce Anderson were all pretty decent I thought.

Oh, and there was the was Willo Flood!

Jeez! Some dodgy names in there, however most all went on to do okay - Muirhead went on to do well with Morton, Connolly has became one of Raith's top men, Devine a regular at ICT, Longridge for Queens Park. Remember the opening day that year, beating Dundee Utd 2-3 at Tannadice. The train home we genuinely thought we'd go on to win the league!  

[Salvo Montalbano]

I thought Longridge was ok in spells, as was Vincent. The 3-5-2 worked beautifully in the two games at Dundee but after that... not so much.

[HoBNob]

1 hour ago, The Toun Clock said:

Jeez! Some dodgy names in there, however most all went on to do okay - Muirhead went on to do well with Morton, Connolly has became one of Raith's top men, Devine a regular at ICT, Longridge for Queens Park. Remember the opening day that year, beating Dundee Utd 2-3 at Tannadice. The train home we genuinely thought we'd go on to win the league!  

I put Money on us to win the league in the pub afterwards. Waste of a tenner that. 

 

 

[Rob1885]

Actually think Summer 2018 was a bit of a sliding doors moment in the clubs history which set us back years (arguably still suffering from it now). No way should Johnston been given a new deal after they play offs.

[parsforlife]

47 minutes ago, Rob1885 said:

Actually think Summer 2018 was a bit of a sliding doors moment in the clubs history which set us back years (arguably still suffering from it now). No way should Johnston been given a new deal after they play offs.

The exact moment things of ‘what could have been’ is if McManus squared to aird for a tap in. 

Truth is we’ll never know and I’m not completely sold it would have changed things massively,  even if that ended perfectly AJ/the board could of easily taken similar choices in the premiership spending and wasting more money,  do the similar Crawford mid-season appointment who wouldn’t have been able to save us in the premiership in the same way he kept us up in the championship.  Alternatively the premiership status attracts hughes to the club earlier and  he he completely fucks things earlier.

For as much as they deserve a lot of praise for keeping the club alive and trying to do the right things off the field the MacArthur/pars United era of running the club is really hard to justify when looking at by far the most important thing in getting results on the pitch.  A couple of league 1 titles in a decade as our best achievements is pretty shit tbh.

[da_no_1]

A few shitey seasons making sure our club re-aligns in the grand scheme of things is surely the price we have to pay for the Masterton era capers? The old board led by Bob then Ross and others ensured we still have a club on this forum to slaver pish about.

[Stellaboz]

Predictions for flag day? I'll go for Airdrie. Would love Utd first game though, a win against them first game could be huge.

[CallumPar]

4 minutes ago, Stellaboz said:

Predictions for flag day? I'll go for Airdrie. Would love Utd first game though, a win against them first game could be huge.

I actually have a feeling it’ll be United and it’ll be moved to the Friday for tv.

[101]

Inverness at home for me please

[101]

Ah well, will happily take that. Home to Raith on the second and Arbroath away for Christmas 

[CallumPar]

50 minutes ago, Stellaboz said:

Predictions for flag day? I'll go for Airdrie. Would love Utd first game though, a win against them first game could be huge.

Good call.

[cb_diamond]

YoUs UR geTtIn PuMPed bY tHE MiGhTy DiAMonDs etc etc

I'm sure we'll get another very civilised match thread on the go in a couple of weeks where we can follow last season's pattern of complimenting each other and continuing to laugh at where Falkirk are.