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It’s only an opinion but I feel Grant struggled with adjustments to being part time and underestimating Scottish football lower leagues having never played or worked in them before.

He appears to be a good coach but failed in his man management and ability to change games in the later stages, along with players like Malcom and Brown who done well last season getting no where the squad.
His recruitment this season has also become an issue with some players not getting near the team, Jamieson for one. I was disappointed in Scrougal who just showed flashes between injuries. I want get involved in the argument about his son.

Moving forward I would like to see us move for Petrie at Montrose or get Andy Graham recruited. On a podcast yogi Hughes described him as one of best up coming coaches when doing there badges together to

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Might not be a bad time for him to step in to be honest. Would certainly be content with a few years in League 1 under him trying to build a new squad under a bit less pressure.

Wonder if Trouts would consider a player/coach role alongside Andy? Am I right in thinking he’s a personal trainer?

Could be a decent set up with the experience of Connolly with them.

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Echo most of the sentiment here. He was a pretty good manager, and recruitment on the whole was pretty good through his time. A few proper high points in his time, with highlights being the Hearts cup triumph, the win over Dundee United on TV where we played them off the park, and the Scott Banks Show vs Inverness.

Plenty of mitigating circumstances this season, but some weird team selections and as redwedge says freezing out guys who did us a turn in the past. And although I could see his point at times, I dont think his barracking of officials during games did us any favours.

Probably better to clean slate it although I would have been fine with him staying on. Better a new guy gets time than pressure mounting on Grant if we didnt fire out the traps after 2 games of new season.

Moving forward, I dont know if Andy Graham is ready for it, but would obviously be pleased with that one. Other than one or two bizarre Queens fans, Andy is universally liked in Scottish football, so will have plenty friends and connections.

The chairman never utilises the merry go round market, so pretty impossible to make any predictions right now.

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I hope we manage to sort out the new manager ASAP. That will give him / her an opportunity to look at the existing squad and get plans in place so we are ready to go at the start of next season. To often, in the last few seasons, we have had a new manager come in and have no time to get their plans in place prior to the first league game and we are playing catch up.

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A slow afternoon has resulted in me dissecting Peter Grant's eventful two-year spell as manager. We've had good, bad and crazy times over the last few years. Been accussed of a happy-clapper but put down my honest opinion of his tenure in this blog below. From Kevin O'Hara masterclasses to 6-0 pumpings, it's all below. Give it a read if you like. Feel free to agree, disagree or not bother!

https://kierensfootballramblings.blogspot.com/2021/04/the-good-bad-crazy-peter-grants-alloa.html

Edited by KierenAAFC
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53 minutes ago, KierenAAFC said:

A slow afternoon has resulted in me dissecting Peter Grant's eventful two-year spell as manager. We've had good, bad and crazy times over the last few years. Been accussed of a happy-clapper but put down my honest opinion of his tenure in this blog below. From Kevin O'Hara masterclasses to 6-0 pumpings, it's all below. Give it a read if you like. Feel free to agree, disagree or not bother!

https://kierensfootballramblings.blogspot.com/2021/04/the-good-bad-crazy-peter-grants-alloa.html

Really well written, informative piece. I do not consider you a happy clapper just a true fan who has an opinion, like us all  Thank you and Brian for tremendous commentary and some real memorable moments. Hopefully that may continue moving forward or indeed not if we can all get back in the Recs!! 🤞

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35 minutes ago, McCulloch No.5 said:

Really well written, informative piece. I do not consider you a happy clapper just a true fan who has an opinion, like us all  Thank you and Brian for tremendous commentary and some real memorable moments. Hopefully that may continue moving forward or indeed not if we can all get back in the Recs!! 🤞

Thanks for the encouragement mate. Really enjoyed doing the commentary, although hope next Friday night will be the last hurrah with us all back next year to shout and voice our own joy and grievances.
 

One last time on the mic to follow the Stevie Hetherington yellow card record attempt. All for it!
 

Edited by KierenAAFC
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23 hours ago, OldCrabbitWasp said:

To often, in the last few seasons, we have had a new manager come in and have no time to get their plans in place prior to the first league game and we are playing catch up.

When has this happened?

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51 minutes ago, KierenAAFC said:

Can only think when Peter Grant was appointed less than a week before the league cup started. Goodwin, Ross and Lennon all mid-season.

Indeed and Grant's late appointment was because Goodwin left in pre-season for St Mirren, having already re-signed nearly a full squad.

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On 21/04/2021 at 18:47, Father Barrys Sign (Top Half) said:

The chairman never utilises the merry go round market, so pretty impossible to make any predictions right now.

This is a really good point. Mike never takes the tired, easy option and has a very good record of managerial appointments. Three of our recent managers are currently doing very well with other clubs in Scotland (Ross, Goodwin and Hartley) and that's a reflection of both their quality and Alloa as a brilliant place to learn the ropes.

Andy Graham certainly deserves the chance if he really wants it although no one knows how he would do or is whether he is cut out for it. I'm not sure we need as big a squad rebuild as some have suggested - Parry, Taggs, Jamieson, Dick, Robbo, Grant, Hetherington, Crawley and Trouts are all good enough to be in a team challenging near the top of league one IMO and the likes of Williamson, O'Donnell and Brown would also be fine to have in the squad. 

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So despite it ending on a sour note, Grant can still hold his head up relatively high.

As the best appointers of managers in Scotland, how would you rank your managers on their spell at Alloa only since Hartley?

Peter Grant
Jim Goodwin
Jack Ross
Danny Lennon
Barry Smith
Paul Hartley

Pretty much a decade of successful managers (even if their stints such as Grant's didn't always end well).

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My list would've been

Paul - from the bottom division to 4th in the Championship at Christmas.
Jack* -  his time was so short but since the squad he built is still the spine of the team I assume the man has some talent.
Jim - A second place finish with a loss on penalties, a third place with a playoff win and survival in the championship.
Peter - survival in the championship, if it had continued we'd not have made the promotion playoffs but we'd have shot up the table. A failure to beat expectations with this year's relegation. Thought one journalist put it well when he said :

Quote

PG has been a victim of circumstance and loyalty to a group of players that had won the right to a last hurrah in the Championship. He can go anywhere next with his head held high.

Barry - scraped survival after the wheels came off post-hartley, struggled again the next year but kept the squad intact and competitive enough for someone else to come in and save us.

.

.

.

Danny - scraped survival, our established players all jumped at full time or better pay elsewhere and Danny went on holiday for three weeks. 

 

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On 21/04/2021 at 13:52, McCulloch No.5 said:

Don't think so. It was inevitable this would happen. The choice of manager will be really interesting. I think there will be many candidates as it's been a good learning point for many in the past. Few young managers may also be interested. Darren Young, Kevin Harper, Chris Iweluymo, Andy Graham, Steven Pressley??, Jim Weir, the list will be extensive.

Is Andy Graham hanging up his boots? Hopefully we f**k Duffy out the door in the summer and approach someone like him. 

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1 hour ago, Ludo*1 said:

So despite it ending on a sour note, Grant can still hold his head up relatively high.

As the best appointers of managers in Scotland, how would you rank your managers on their spell at Alloa only since Hartley?

Peter Grant
Jim Goodwin
Jack Ross
Danny Lennon
Barry Smith
Paul Hartley

Pretty much a decade of successful managers (even if their stints such as Grant's didn't always end well).

1. Paul Hartley

2.  Jim Goodwin

3. Jack Ross

4. Peter Grant

5. Barry Smith

6. Danny Lennon

 

Paul was the foundations of this whole fantastic era. Came in at such a low point and went on an incredible journey, many forget he left when we were in promotion play-offs too! Undoubtedly number one.

Goody just pips Ross, as although it was majority of Ross’s squad and he did the recruitment, it was Goodwin who did the work and unbelievably well. He grew so much as a manager and brought us some historic moments. There is no doubt though that the success of the last 5/6 years is a lot done to Jack’s short stint.

Peter Grant and Barry Smith, much of a muchness. Both had a big cup victory that they’ll be remembered by. Grant pips him as his team played better football than Smith’s.

Lennon kept us up but aye, less said about the season after the better.

Interesting debate though and speaks volumes for Mulraney’s appointment success.  

Edited by KierenAAFC
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2 hours ago, Ludo*1 said:

So despite it ending on a sour note, Grant can still hold his head up relatively high.

As the best appointers of managers in Scotland, how would you rank your managers on their spell at Alloa only since Hartley?

Peter Grant
Jim Goodwin
Jack Ross
Danny Lennon
Barry Smith
Paul Hartley

Pretty much a decade of successful managers (even if their stints such as Grant's didn't always end well).

Hartley

Goodwin

Ross

Grant

Smith

Lennon

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3 hours ago, KierenAAFC said:

1. Paul Hartley

2.  Jim Goodwin

3. Jack Ross

4. Peter Grant

5. Barry Smith

6. Danny Lennon

 

Paul was the foundations of this whole fantastic era. Came in at such a low point and went on an incredible journey, many forget he left when we were in promotion play-offs too! Undoubtedly number one.

Goody just pips Ross, as although it was majority of Ross’s squad and he did the recruitment, it was Goodwin who did the work and unbelievably well. He grew so much as a manager and brought us some historic moments. There is no doubt though that the success of the last 5/6 years is a lot done to Jack’s short stint.

Peter Grant and Barry Smith, much of a muchness. Both had a big cup victory that they’ll be remembered by. Grant pips him as his team played better football than Smith’s.

Lennon kept us up but aye, less said about the season after the better.

Interesting debate though and speaks volumes for Mulraney’s appointment success.  

Pretty accurate assessment.

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4 hours ago, The Moonster said:

Is Andy Graham hanging up his boots? Hopefully we f**k Duffy out the door in the summer and approach someone like him. 

No, but as a fan, like yourself, he is admired by fans at all clubs he's played at. Stay back.

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