Sons' sorrow

[Clarko_son]

15 minutes ago, squeezebox-son said:

Yep, been saying this for a long time now. You can't question most of his recruitment. Getting players like Carlo and Durnan (albeit permacrocked) to drop down to join us shows exactly this. The players buy into what he is saying and things but surely, if we keep failing to achieve anything, even that belief had a shelf life. 

Brett Long is one I've wondered how we managed to get as well. Again, broken at the minute but a genuinely excellent signing especially considering the keepers we had before

[FifeSons]

Yeah, we’ve gotten spoilt having such a great keeper like Brett. It had really been a problem position for a good number of years, with some truly dreadful ones like Ramsbottom.

[Grumpysonoftherock]

I wonder if our board have been looking at this for investment in 3G pitch down at the stadium for next season?
Dumbarton East astro

 

Edited January 30 by Grumpysonoftherock

[Frank Quitely]

1 hour ago, Neilly said:

It'll never happen obviously but Uncle Faz probably suited better to a role in player recruitment and leave the width of the pitch to someone competent.

FTFY

[Jan Vojáček]

I've been out all day, but I'm quite pleased to see us add Aaron Healy. We tried to get him last year I believe, but obviously QP could offer full-time football in the Championship and a 4-and-a-half year deal. So we didn't really stand a chance.

He looks like the sort of player capable of a bit of matchwinning magic out of nowhere. Even if he might be inconsistent and frustrating. And that's probably something that this squad lacks; it has quality, it has grafters. But it doesn't have that player who can do something that wins a dire game out of absolutely nothing. Hopefully Healy can be that man. Matty Yates at Stenny is probably the best in the division at that - and if he can get near his levels then we'll be onto a winner.

If he was able to rip things up at Dunterlie then he should have no issue with our pitch either I'd like to think. 

I'm feeling cautiously optimistic. We have quite a youthful squad now, which feels like a major change in approach from Faz to the previous two seasons. Hopefully it's one that is a bit more effective when it comes to the playoffs.

Edit - This thread is good reading.

Edited January 30 by Jan Vojáček

[FifeSons]

1 hour ago, Jan Vojáček said:

I've been out all day, but I'm quite pleased to see us add Aaron Healy. We tried to get him last year I believe, but obviously QP could offer full-time football in the Championship and a 4-and-a-half year deal. So we didn't really stand a chance.

He looks like the sort of player capable of a bit of matchwinning magic out of nowhere. Even if he might be inconsistent and frustrating. And that's probably something that this squad lacks; it has quality, it has grafters. But it doesn't have that player who can do something that wins a dire game out of absolutely nothing. Hopefully Healy can be that man. Matty Yates at Stenny is probably the best in the division at that - and if he can get near his levels then we'll be onto a winner.

If he was able to rip things up at Dunterlie then he should have no issue with our pitch either I'd like to think. 

I'm feeling cautiously optimistic. We have quite a youthful squad now, which feels like a major change in approach from Faz to the previous two seasons. Hopefully it's one that is a bit more effective when it comes to the playoffs.

Edit - This thread is good reading.

That thread sounds very promising.

[squeezebox-son]

9 minutes ago, FifeSons said:

That thread sounds very promising.

It does. I see they mentioned St Mirren U20s. Would have have crossed paths with Finlay when he was there?

[FifeSons]

Spartans beating East Fife probably a good result for us tbh. Don’t think finishing 2nd or 4th will make much of a difference. Just good to get the teams below us ruled out and some form of our own.

[Sweet Pete]

Sounds like Marc Kelly and Aaron Healy play the same or similar position(s) and both have similarly impressive goals and assists to games ratios at tier 6 and 7. Fingers crossed they can get on the park and make a difference for us.

[O'Kelly Isley III]

A final reminder to all Trust members that today is the last opportunity to vote for a new Trust Director to sit on the Board of the football club.

Members must be fully paid-up and voting requires either replying to the Email from the Trust Chairman, stating the member's candidate preference, or alternatively responding to the letter which was sent by Royal Mail, again stating the member's candidate preference.

The result will be notified as soon as practicably possible.

[Moonball]

22 hours ago, FifeSons said:

Aitken was quite similar IIRC. Probably had his fair share of stinkers that Jan or Dave could rattle off, but the parting gift of Dom Thomas on loan was a real highlight. I wonder if, as mentioned on the Terrace podcast, Faz being such a 'people-person' is his strength in recruitment. Probably also why he has managed to hang on to a role he's about 2 years past expiry in, and indeed why he got it in the first place (recall someone on here saying one of the secretaries or something mental had a say in his appointment).

Faz got along great with people behind the scenes at Stranraer so it's probably much the same at Dumbarton. Made a point of asking after your family and just generally a very pleasant bloke to deal with.

Recently heard from a former player of Aitken and Farrell who said they were absolutely brilliant as a team and never should have parted ways - think they both had obvious and very different strengths. It'll probably never happen, but it would be interesting to see if they could rekindle that mid-2010s magic as a management team.

[Jan Vojáček]

2 minutes ago, Moonball said:

Faz got along great with people behind the scenes at Stranraer so it's probably much the same at Dumbarton. Made a point of asking after your family and just generally a very pleasant bloke to deal with.

Recently heard from a former player of Aitken and Farrell who said they were absolutely brilliant as a team and never should have parted ways - think they both had obvious and very different strengths. It'll probably never happen, but it would be interesting to see if they could rekindle that mid-2010s magic as a management team.

I can only echo this. If I was a player I think I'd have signed for Faz after a chat with him. He's really engaging, he's positive, he's quite intense (but not in an overwhelming way) and I'd say he's very much a people person. That was evident from the very first meeting I had with him as our boss; and it was night and day from Jim Duffy. Who was never rude to me or anything, but who I'd describe as a lot more distant.

Obviously I've no idea what goes on inside the dressing room, or on the training pitch. But I can imagine Faz being a really strong coach, and Stevie Aitken being stronger on the tactical side and the decision making during the game. Although when they split at DFC, Ian Durrant made a really positive impact for the second-half of that season, and we played some superb football.

Over the summer though we lost almost all our best players and didn't replace them with the same quality. I do wonder if that was the impact not having Faz there made; he seems very well connected. And maybe Aitken and Durrant just didn't have the same contacts or ability to sell a dream to a player; Durrant's contacts book seemed to consist solely of Rangers' offcuts; some were good (Ross McCrorie, Tom Walsh, Calum Gallagher) some were fine (Kyle Hutton, Scott Gallacher) and some were bloody awful signings; the dreadful Grant Adam, and perma-crocks Andy Little, Ross Perry and Rory Loy.

We also (apparently) turned down Lawrence Shankland to sign Greg Morrision under Aitken and Durrant. Something I think about every single day 

 

[FifeSons]

18 minutes ago, Jan Vojáček said:

I can only echo this. If I was a player I think I'd have signed for Faz after a chat with him. He's really engaging, he's positive, he's quite intense (but not in an overwhelming way) and I'd say he's very much a people person. That was evident from the very first meeting I had with him as our boss; and it was night and day from Jim Duffy. Who was never rude to me or anything, but who I'd describe as a lot more distant.

Obviously I've no idea what goes on inside the dressing room, or on the training pitch. But I can imagine Faz being a really strong coach, and Stevie Aitken being stronger on the tactical side and the decision making during the game. Although when they split at DFC, Ian Durrant made a really positive impact for the second-half of that season, and we played some superb football.

Over the summer though we lost almost all our best players and didn't replace them with the same quality. I do wonder if that was the impact not having Faz there made; he seems very well connected. And maybe Aitken and Durrant just didn't have the same contacts or ability to sell a dream to a player; Durrant's contacts book seemed to consist solely of Rangers' offcuts; some were good (Ross McCrorie, Tom Walsh, Calum Gallagher) some were fine (Kyle Hutton, Scott Gallacher) and some were bloody awful signings; the dreadful Grant Adam, and perma-crocks Andy Little, Ross Perry and Rory Loy.

We also (apparently) turned down Lawrence Shankland to sign Greg Morrision under Aitken and Durrant. Something I think about every single day 

 

[George Parr]

He could have been Dobbie mk.2. Not too dissimilar a career trajectory, fat mess stage included. 

[Sweet Pete]

That was like Bullseye there. Here's what you could've won.

[Bring Back Paddy Flannery]

21 hours ago, Jan Vojáček said:

I can only echo this. If I was a player I think I'd have signed for Faz after a chat with him. He's really engaging, he's positive, he's quite intense (but not in an overwhelming way) and I'd say he's very much a people person. That was evident from the very first meeting I had with him as our boss; and it was night and day from Jim Duffy. Who was never rude to me or anything, but who I'd describe as a lot more distant.

Obviously I've no idea what goes on inside the dressing room, or on the training pitch. But I can imagine Faz being a really strong coach, and Stevie Aitken being stronger on the tactical side and the decision making during the game. Although when they split at DFC, Ian Durrant made a really positive impact for the second-half of that season, and we played some superb football.

Over the summer though we lost almost all our best players and didn't replace them with the same quality. I do wonder if that was the impact not having Faz there made; he seems very well connected. And maybe Aitken and Durrant just didn't have the same contacts or ability to sell a dream to a player; Durrant's contacts book seemed to consist solely of Rangers' offcuts; some were good (Ross McCrorie, Tom Walsh, Calum Gallagher) some were fine (Kyle Hutton, Scott Gallacher) and some were bloody awful signings; the dreadful Grant Adam, and perma-crocks Andy Little, Ross Perry and Rory Loy.

We also (apparently) turned down Lawrence Shankland to sign Greg Morrision under Aitken and Durrant. Something I think about every single day 

 

Funnily enough, I remember at the time thinking he was overweight, not arsed about his career and questioning whether he was worth a punt!

[squeezebox-son]

Joe Bevan was mentioned a couple of weeks ago. Apparently he has signed for Burnley  wild.

[FifeSons]

Hope Rovers got good money for him. A proper club with a great stadium. Give me them any day over diddies like Bonnyrigg and Kelty.

Edited February 1 by FifeSons

[FifeSons]

27 minutes ago, squeezebox-son said:

Joe Bevan was mentioned a couple of weeks ago. Apparently he has signed for Burnley  wild.

And deemed not worth a punt by a few on here! 

[Bring Back Paddy Flannery]

17 hours ago, Sweet Pete said:

That was like Bullseye there. Here's what you could've won.

Some daft transfer rumours account on Twitter suggested they got £125k but I’d take that with a pinch of salt.

48 minutes ago, FifeSons said:

And deemed not worth a punt by a few on here! 

Fake news. 

I asked how he was doing in the Lowland League as I hadn’t seen much mention of his name. There was a general discussion between a few folk about his numbers being fairly poor this year compared to the likes of Niah Joseph. You mentioned Farrell probably not wanting to sign him anyway and I said neither would I IF he was underperforming in the league below.