Sons' sorrow

[O'Kelly Isley III]

There is a metric in industry called utilisation. It can measure a range of criteria but one is the percentage of actual value-added working hours computed against the possible hours. The higher the figure the better.
On that basis I reckon we'd be lucky if we've reached 65% utilisation at any given time this season; I'm struggling to recall a season so hobbled by injuries, and I'm wondering if there is a root cause.

[BallochSonsFan]

The problem with moving people on is that they need to be willing to leave.

Either we find somebody to take them off us or we pay them compensation to terminate their contract early. Are we likely to have a queue of people wanting to sign Dyer, Paton or Loy? Are they likely to walk away for free?

Wouldn't be confident that we can get shot of many players in January.

[O'Kelly Isley III]

The problem with moving people on is that they need to be willing to leave.
Either we find somebody to take them off us or we pay them compensation to terminate their contract early. Are we likely to have a queue of people wanting to sign Dyer, Paton or Loy? Are they likely to walk away for free?
Wouldn't be confident that we can get shot of many players in January.

If that last sentence comes to fruition it could be a very bleak season indeed. But something tells me that JD didn't come to Dumbarton to manage decline.

[Howlin' Wilf]

12 minutes ago, O'Kelly Isley III said:

4 hours ago, BallochSonsFan said:

The problem with moving people on is that they need to be willing to leave.
Either we find somebody to take them off us or we pay them compensation to terminate their contract early. Are we likely to have a queue of people wanting to sign Dyer, Paton or Loy? Are they likely to walk away for free?
Wouldn't be confident that we can get shot of many players in January.

If that last sentence comes to fruition it could be a very bleak season indeed. But something tells me that JD didn't come to Dumbarton to manage decline.

It's already a very bleak season but maybe not quite beyond redemption. Aitken managed 8 points from 10 games and Duffy thus far has managed 6 from 4. Applying Duffy's rate to the other games we'd be sitting where Forfar are on 21 points. 

Looking at the facts we've had three "straight" wins and five "straight" defeats. We've had one win from a losing position and three defeats from a winning position We've had one draw from a losing position and one from a winning position. We're a team with nae heart.  Craig Barr and Ryan Thomson are a big miss in this respect.

I'm not expecting anything from next week's cup game and tbh I don't mind if we lose it. We don't need any distractions from the job in hand. Mind you a win followed by a trip to one of the Old Firm would solve some problems.

We have three winnable home games in December(optimistically) and what looks like one write off.  From where we are, seven points would be a decent haul from those games. Anything less would confirm and embed the bleakness.

[FifeSons]

Give us 8th place right now and call the season there.

[O'Kelly Isley III]

1 hour ago, FifeSons said:

Give us 8th place right now and call the season there.

Having just watched yesterday's action I think you are bang on the money, and I feel sorry for those who travelled.  It's eerily reminiscent of the Jim George era of the late 1980's.

[Bring Back Paddy Flannery]

The season certainly isn't a write off yet but with each passing week it becomes more apparent that a relegation battle is more likely than a playoff push. After the East Fife game I really thought we'd kick on but the harsh reality is that we've been shite. The 3 points against Stenny were very welcome but the performance was unconvincing to say the least and our away form is bleak.

I noticed Colin Paterson had this to say about us on Twitter...

[The Moonster]

13 hours ago, FifeSons said:

Give us 8th place right now and call the season there.

Whilst 8th may be acceptable given how we're playing right now, finishing 8th in this league would be near disastrous for us off the pitch.  We're already trying to fill a huge hole in finances, 4th is the absolute minimum we need to achieve.

We've scored more goals than Forfar and up until Saturday had conceded less than them, yet they sit 7 points ahead of us.  We need to be grinding these games out with organisation and fight because it's clear the apparent quality we thought we had is lacking. Does anyone feel we'll get anything from a game when we lose the first goal? I certainly don't. 

[Jan Vojáček]

8 minutes ago, Bring Back Paddy Flannery said:

The season certainly isn't a write off yet but with each passing week it becomes more apparent that a relegation battle is more likely than a playoff push. After the East Fife game I really thought we'd kick on but the harsh reality is that we've been shite. The 3 points against Stenny were very welcome but the performance was unconvincing to say the least and our away form is bleak.

I noticed Colin Paterson had this to say about us on Twitter...

I genuinely think we got very lucky on Saturday that it took Forfar 49 minutes to score. In the time it took me to walk from behind one goal to the other they could've (and probably should've) been 2-0 up. If that had happened it would've finished 5 or 6-0 imo. As soon as we concede we crumble.

Getting the first goal in the home games (and Stenny at the end of December) will be crucial. I've basically written off the Airdrieonians and Raith away games. If we do that and pick up enough points to stay in touch it gives Duffy a chance if he can enhance the squad a bit in January. 

The gap between us and 4th looks pretty big at the moment though - even with a league this tight.

Edited November 19, 2018 by Ross Forbes

[Bring Back Paddy Flannery]

Does anyone feel we'll get anything from a game when we lose the first goal? I certainly don't. 

I'll be honest, I've got to a point where I'm struggling to believe we'll get anything from ANY game. And thats before a ball has been kicked.

I was weirdly confident before the East Fife game which led to me being confident before Montrose away but the last two games I've been expecting a draw at best.

[O'Kelly Isley III]

I haven't a clue who Colin Paterson is but I think he's articulating what is already a self-evident truth. 

I think the fanbase is a bit  deflated right now - you only have to look at the growing disinterest on here - but one or two signings could make all the difference  between not losing games and losing them.  The other side of that argument is that if we can't alter the player pool then things could quickly descend further.  Other than the results, what concerns me most right now is the observations by people outwith the club about the fitness levels (and by association injuries) and the general attitude of the team. 

In all of this we need to hope that Jim Duffy is forming some sort of plan to bring about improvement.

Edited November 19, 2018 by O'Kelly Isley III

[Nowhereman]

14 hours ago, O'Kelly Isley III said:

Having just watched yesterday's action I think you are bang on the money, and I feel sorry for those who travelled.  It's eerily reminiscent of the Jim George era of the late 1980's.

It's not that bad. Nothing could be that bad

[Boghead ranter]

2 minutes ago, Nowhereman said:

It's not that bad. Nothing could be that bad

Jim Fallon era?

ETA - Bertie Auld era?

Edited November 19, 2018 by Boghead ranter

[Nowhereman]

2 minutes ago, Boghead ranter said:

Jim Fallon era?

ETA - Bertie Auld era?

The Jim Fallon era? What's that? It seems to have been wiped from my memory banks

[19QOS19]

Is the guy from Dumfries? He's standing outside Caerlavrock Castle in his picture.

[Jan Vojáček]

Just now, 19QOS19 said:

Is the guy from Dumfries? He's standing outside Caerlavrock Castle in his picture.

He's a Doonhamer, aye.

[Skyline Drifter]

1 hour ago, O'Kelly Isley III said:

I haven't a clue who Colin Paterson is but I think he's articulating what is already a self-evident truth.

 

13 minutes ago, 19QOS19 said:

Is the guy from Dumfries? He's standing outside Caerlavrock Castle in his picture.

He's a Queens fan who is now editor of the East Kilbride News but before that was Sports Editor of the Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser and before that worked at the Galloway News for a while. He still does match reporting on Saturdays too so presumably was at the Dumbarton game on Saturday.  He used to write large swathes of our match programme too.

[Jan Vojáček]

1 minute ago, Skyline Drifter said:

 

He's a Queens fan who is now editor of the East Kilbride News but before that was Sports Editor of the Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser and before that worked at the Galloway News for a while. He still does match reporting on Saturdays too so presumably was at the Dumbarton game on Saturday.  He used to write large swathes of our match programme too.

He was, part of his Scottish football road trip:

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/road-trip-nostalgia-rules-forfar-13609932

[++Ammo - Airdrie++]

Colin's actually a decent Journo, he's a massive lower league fan and his stuff for the advertiser was usually a decent read.
I may be biased right enough as he done a decent write up and a short piece one of the times I was beat in the Scottish final at the bowls [emoji23]

[FifeSons]

3 hours ago, The Moonster said:

Whilst 8th may be acceptable given how we're playing right now, finishing 8th in this league would be near disastrous for us off the pitch.  We're already trying to fill a huge hole in finances, 4th is the absolute minimum we need to achieve.

We've scored more goals than Forfar and up until Saturday had conceded less than them, yet they sit 7 points ahead of us.  We need to be grinding these games out with organisation and fight because it's clear the apparent quality we thought we had is lacking. Does anyone feel we'll get anything from a game when we lose the first goal? I certainly don't. 

There’s no chance of us getting 4th, I wouldn’t even be entertaining that idea. It’s all about avoiding the catastrophe of a successive relegation.