Sons' sorrow

[O'Kelly Isley III]

3 hours ago, The Moonster said:

The "evidence" folder for binning this donkey is bursting at the seams but the club will just trundle on hoping it all comes good. I'm so incredibly bored of us.

Judging by the response on here you are not alone Moonster.  I had no intention of travelling yesterday and as soon as I saw the starting eleven I was glad I didn't. 

This continual tinkering will risk two things happening; continued erratic results and some players becoming seriously pissed off.

[Silverton End]

45 minutes ago, O'Kelly Isley III said:

Judging by the response on here you are not alone Moonster.  I had no intention of travelling yesterday and as soon as I saw the starting eleven I was glad I didn't. 

This continual tinkering will risk two things happening; continued erratic results and some players becoming seriously pissed off.

The galling thing is there's no need for the tinkering, we've already shown we can beat teams well, Stenny away, home to Forfar from a goal behind.

We have a good squad of players, as far as I know Farrell was able to sign all the guys he was after.

He's almost become a cult at DFC, does he answer to anyone within the Club?

Will any of what remains of our Board quiz him about his selections yesterday?

Highly doubt it, the guy seems to have free reign.

[Guest]

I can officially say I’ve had it. 
I went to the game against kelty when I was planning to stay at home and I was pleasantly surprised. We looked like a team with intent. We created a barrel load of chances which despite the final score was the best we had looked going forward in about 2 years. 
so…against my better judgment I travel to Elgin. To see that absolute pish. An absolute sham of a starting line up. 
 

He replaces Byrne and Ruth despite them

both being terrific last week…...with Maclean who couldn’t lead a dog a walk.  fed up entirely. 
 

another thing to add is unless we score first we are never winning a game Of football with Farrell at the helm. We could play for a month after going behind and we wouldn’t create a jot 
 

and with that journey to Elgin. It’s my last time going to a game until the tosser is out our club 

Edited September 17, 2023 by DobbiesAgent

[Frank Quitely]

1 hour ago, Silverton End said:

The galling thing is there's no need for the tinkering, we've already shown we can beat teams well, Stenny away, home to Forfar from a goal behind.

We have a good squad of players, as far as I know Farrell was able to sign all the guys he was after.

He's almost become a cult at DFC, does he answer to anyone within the Club?

Will any of what remains of our Board quiz him about his selections yesterday?

Highly doubt it, the guy seems to have free reign.

Talking about the Board, what happened to the new guy ?  Is he still around ?

[FifeSons]

28 minutes ago, DobbiesAgent said:

another thing to add is unless we score first we are never winning a game Of football with Farrell at the helm.

We’ve done it a couple of times, usually with a bit of help like a red card, but it’s a pretty safe bet that when we go behind, it’s game over.

Edited September 17, 2023 by FifeSons

[Silverton End]

1 hour ago, Frank Quitely said:

Talking about the Board, what happened to the new guy ?  Is he still around ?

No idea Frank, it's all gone very quiet hasn't it.

 

[Boghead ranter]

1 hour ago, Frank Quitely said:

Talking about the Board, what happened to the new guy ?  Is he still around ?

Introduced himself, made a few positive posts, took a look at our (the fans) views, hasn't been back in 6 weeks.

[Neilly]

Boys no going back and jacking it after your first defeat of the season is absolutely laughable. Who do you think you are? What a bunch of petted lipped, pathetic, big babies.

Anyway I came on to ask what happened to that new director that was firing out on all the replies on here the other week? Does he go to the games and why has he disappeared off here? Sounded like he was going to be the messiah in his own head.

[The Moonster]

9 minutes ago, Neilly said:

Boys no going back and jacking it after your first defeat of the season is absolutely laughable. Who do you think you are? What a bunch of petted lipped, pathetic, big babies.

Anyway I came on to ask what happened to that new director that was firing out on all the replies on here the other week? Does he go to the games and why has he disappeared off here? Sounded like he was going to be the messiah in his own head.

Whilst I know this is some bait in the water, it's not just one defeat, it's 3 years of the same failure in the dugout with no sign of change, coupled with continued incompetence at board room level and owners with no intention of investing in the club. 

I'm happy to admit I've said previously I wouldn't be back and have still gone down to games afterwards, this game brings a lot of emotions out and people can say things they later review with a clearer head. I don't blame any Sons fan for being fed up right now and I don't think it makes anyone a baby when they've seen nothing but decline over the last 5 years, with the last 3 in particular hitting quite hard. 

The new guy you mention only adds to what I'm saying above. I'm willing to give him a bit more time but when you steam in saying you have big ambitions I expect changes to happen immediately. The longer it goes without any action it will only push fans further away and will probably result in more fans saying they can't be arsed any more.

[Frank Quitely]

34 minutes ago, Neilly said:

Boys no going back and jacking it after your first defeat of the season is absolutely laughable. Who do you think you are? What a bunch of petted lipped, pathetic, big babies.

Anyway I came on to ask what happened to that new director that was firing out on all the replies on here the other week? Does he go to the games and why has he disappeared off here? Sounded like he was going to be the messiah in his own head.

Stevie Farrell has had every opportunity at this club.  There is a growing feel though that he is not getting the best out of this squad, and that's based on evidence.

Just like this time last year the statistics don't tell the whole story.  Two of the wins came from 20-minute spells and another was a last-gasp winner when a draw was a fairer result.

[Guest]

21 minutes ago, Frank Quitely said:

Stevie Farrell has had every opportunity at this club.  There is a growing feel though that he is not getting the best out of this squad, and that's based on evidence.

Just like this time last year the statistics don't tell the whole story.  Two of the wins came from 20-minute spells and another was a last-gasp winner when a draw was a fairer result.

I think added to this you have to look at the squad he has at his disposal and you’ve got to wander how can he not get results from them? 
 

Long - league 1 keeper. Best keeper in league 2 

durnan and crighton comfortable league 1 

shields league 1/championship 

carlo championship standard probably technically the best player in league 2 

gray championship standard and best midfielders in the league 

orsi league 1 

he has a core squad that is capable of playing at a far higher level than where we are! And this is the same for years gone past too  

 

the man’s a fraud…and I hope he’s reading all of this on Pie and Bov like he usually does 

 

[pleslie99]

1 hour ago, Neilly said:

Boys no going back and jacking it after your first defeat of the season is absolutely laughable. Who do you think you are? What a bunch of petted lipped, pathetic, big babies.

Anyway I came on to ask what happened to that new director that was firing out on all the replies on here the other week? Does he go to the games and why has he disappeared off here? Sounded like he was going to be the messiah in his own head.

The new director seems like another charlatan, spouting pish, looking for a quick buck. I called him out as did a few others on here, he promised the world, some were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. He’s now disappeared into the sunset,, with his promises a distant memory! We all hope @Paul Mc does turn up again to answer for himself! 

[BallochSonsFan]

The circumstances around the new director weren't ideal. He came on to the forum with a good intention, but before he'd spent any meaningful time with the club board. I said on here that his intentions were welcome but that the timing was premature. That said, it's probably been long enough now for him to have a more informed discussion with the support.

 

Football matters continue to frustrate. We have the players to do very well in the league. It's time for the manager to convince us that he knows how to get the best from them.

[FifeSons]

His job would only be in danger if we weren’t remotely close to playoff contention. Even then, I doubt they’d take action.

The gaslighting last season was absolutely bizarre. I don’t know what it is with this guy.

Edited September 17, 2023 by FifeSons

[Vimto90]

5 hours ago, The Moonster said:

Whilst I know this is some bait in the water, it's not just one defeat, it's 3 years of the same failure in the dugout with no sign of change, coupled with continued incompetence at board room level and owners with no intention of investing in the club. 

I'm happy to admit I've said previously I wouldn't be back and have still gone down to games afterwards, this game brings a lot of emotions out and people can say things they later review with a clearer head. I don't blame any Sons fan for being fed up right now and I don't think it makes anyone a baby when they've seen nothing but decline over the last 5 years, with the last 3 in particular hitting quite hard. 

The new guy you mention only adds to what I'm saying above. I'm willing to give him a bit more time but when you steam in saying you have big ambitions I expect changes to happen immediately. The longer it goes without any action it will only push fans further away and will probably result in more fans saying they can't be arsed any more.

We are 6 games in. You are third, 3goals off top (not even points)  and have just suffered first league defeat. 

I get yous don't like him but the constant pile on after any defeat won't do the club any good. There is an unsavoury atmosphere at Dumbarton (which is good for the rest if us) and yous can blame Farrell till the cows come home but from outside in it's the fans making things toxic which massively decreases chance of success, keep it up. 

 

At the start of last season I came on this thread and correctly predicted the Farrell poison would eventually come to fruition and so it passed and you limped to a poor finish. 

 

Same again this season. 

[The Moonster]

7 hours ago, Vimto90 said:

We are 6 games in. You are third, 3goals off top (not even points)  and have just suffered first league defeat. 

I get yous don't like him but the constant pile on after any defeat won't do the club any good. There is an unsavoury atmosphere at Dumbarton (which is good for the rest if us) and yous can blame Farrell till the cows come home but from outside in it's the fans making things toxic which massively decreases chance of success, keep it up. 

 

At the start of last season I came on this thread and correctly predicted the Farrell poison would eventually come to fruition and so it passed and you limped to a poor finish. 

 

Same again this season. 

3 years of the same guff, 3 years of poor finishes to seasons, 3 years of dressing room problems but yes it's the booing of pish poor results and performances that are the problem.

If I remember correctly you also came onto this thread last season to predict Stenny were "coming for us" and your season was over before Christmas, so maybe just sit doon and let us boo our donkey of a manager, thanks. 

[BallochSonsFan]

9 hours ago, Vimto90 said:

We are 6 games in. You are third, 3goals off top (not even points)  and have just suffered first league defeat. 

I get yous don't like him but the constant pile on after any defeat won't do the club any good. There is an unsavoury atmosphere at Dumbarton (which is good for the rest if us) and yous can blame Farrell till the cows come home but from outside in it's the fans making things toxic which massively decreases chance of success, keep it up. 

 

At the start of last season I came on this thread and correctly predicted the Farrell poison would eventually come to fruition and so it passed and you limped to a poor finish. 

 

Same again this season. 

 

The manner of our relegation was pathetic. The slim chance of staying up via the play-offs and Edinburgh City hammered us. Wasn't even close.

The manner of our play-off exit last season was pathetic. The chance of going up via the play-offs and Annan put 6 past us in the first leg.

Either of those play-off failures could have seen Stevie Farrell sacked.. As could our massive drop off in form last season from just after the East Fife christmas game onwards. Unfortunately we were in no position to punt him following relegation and the board probably feels that he did a genuinely good job last season. So we're now into another season of Farrell with Dumbarton and seeing many of the same issues. It's unclear if he knows his best formation and starting 11. He's rarely played a settled side in consecutive games. If fans are unhappy then a lot of that is down to Farrell's previous performance. This season we've assembled one of the stronger squads in the league, but for a lot of fans the evidence of the past 2 years is enough to raise some serious red flags.

I'm not convinced that Farrell has what it takes to get us promoted this season. There's an awful long way to convince me that he knows his best 11 and that we'll see it consistently. Equally I'm realistic in my criticisms of him. The club ownership situation does not make for a well run and properly functioning football club. And we did still manage to build a very good squad over the summer. Farrell has the job until he doesnt and there's not a single Dumbarton fan who doesnt want him to succeed. We all want Farrell's time in charge to be successful. Evidence from previous years casts significant doubt over those chances. The only person who can change fan perception and can stop the negativity is Farrell.

Nobody wants Farrell to fail. Every Dumbarton fan wants the club to do the best that it can. There are very good reasons to question whether or not Farrell is the guy to deliver. There's unlikely to be any appetite at board level to replace him. So we're left in the position where fans are unhappy at Farrell's time in charge over the past 2 disappointing seasons and that has had an impact on matchday attendances and season ticket sales. The club isnt going to sack the guy just to sell some more season tickets. Financially we couldn't do it and I wouldn;t want our club board to be so reactionary in its decision making. But equally fans are right to be angry at the past 2 years, worried that we're going to see more of the same this time and feel that a different manager may do better with the players available at the club.

The one man who can change things and get a feel good factor back at Dumbarton is Stevie Farrell. We'd all be absolutely delighted if he manages to do exactly that.

Edited September 18, 2023 by BallochSonsFan

[Frank Quitely]

9 hours ago, Vimto90 said:

We are 6 games in. You are third, 3goals off top (not even points)  and have just suffered first league defeat. 

I get yous don't like him but the constant pile on after any defeat won't do the club any good. There is an unsavoury atmosphere at Dumbarton (which is good for the rest if us) and yous can blame Farrell till the cows come home but from outside in it's the fans making things toxic which massively decreases chance of success, keep it up. 

 

At the start of last season I came on this thread and correctly predicted the Farrell poison would eventually come to fruition and so it passed and you limped to a poor finish. 

 

Same again this season. 

You are entitled to your opinion but it would be better if it was informed.  By any normal standards Dumbarton FC is currently in desperate state and if anything is toxic it is the club ownership, with everything flowing from that.

[cameron2000]

No doubt it was a very disappointing result at Elgin on Saturday. I’ve not heard much analysis of the game - were Elgin comfortably the better team? Did we have any spells of looking okay? 
 

Football fans do tend to be reactionary and I’ve seen us lose games before despite playing fairly well and get plenty of stick - the supporters can only focus on the result alone when it comes to the analysis. There have been times when I’ve thought Farrell needs to go, but that hasn’t happened and isn’t going to happen. Based on the start to the season and the squad he’s built I filed Saturday in the very disappointing category, however it’s now crucially important we bounce back with minimum 4 points in the next 2 games. Absolutely no reason we shouldn’t be seeking 6. I do understand the anger though because we’d won 3 in a row and suddenly you think we’re on the right track and then we go and lose to the weakest team in the league (on paper). 
 

In terms of team selection, the midfield seemed a bit cautious considering we already had 3 centre backs. Not sure there’s much point in playing Malcom and Blair next to each other unless we revert to a back 4. Ruth should be our main striker so the logical choice is surely to move Hilton into midfield, drop Blair and play Ruth next to the semi-inform Ross MacLean.

[Jan Vojáček]

I was there, but we made a weekend of it - and I couldn't really be bothered sticking anything up because it was so drab.

If we'd got the first goal then I think we'd have gone on to win. Up until Elgin scored we probably looked the more likely to get a goal, but we were pedestrian, safe and only really created two chances. One for Ross MacLean that he screwed wide and a one-on-one for Jinky after a terrific Carlo run from deep in midfield that he put wide.

We'd knock it about, get to the edge of their box and try and play a really cute pass or take an extra touch and the move would break down. It was all too delicate and safe on quite a slow park.

From when Elgin took the lead until the final whistle they were the better team. And we deserved nothing. Defensively they gave absolutely nothing away and they dominated the midfield. Ryan Blair is taking some flak, and he was poor, but it was as bad as I've seen Finlay Gray and Blair Malcolm play too. Neither of them asserted any dominance over things, and it was no surprise to see Blair, Gray and Malcolm all hooked.

I wouldn't say it was panic stations just yet. We've by and large played fairly well this season, and this is the first time I've seen us comfortably outplayed in the league. But I think it might give Faz plenty of food for thought; mainly that Michael Ruth looked more like scoring in his half hour than anyone else over the 90 minutes - and needs to start next week.

I'd also like Carlo as a driving force in central midfield. Him, Gray and Malcolm would be a good trio. Although he looked our best player wherever he played during the 90. Blair and Malcolm together will be too like Hutton and Carsy - and the double deep-lying midfield pairing isn't something that works when you're looking to win games, not contain them.