The Alloa Athletic Thread

[Oweny]

On 10/11/2023 at 23:15, BB_Bino said:

I would be absolutely stunned if he did. If he left to go Full Time then fair enough, but surely as a manager, Stirling to Alloa would be something of a sidewards step??

Young’s never struck me as a controversial type guy so I don’t see him being interested, despite being held in high regard by the Alloa fans.

If he was offered the job I am sure he would take it . As others have said his opportunity may have been lost when Rovers were seeking compensation in 2016 . Jim Goodwin got the job following this and the rest is history. He has done a great job at Stirling getting them promoted . 

[Father Barrys Sign (Top Half)]

17 hours ago, LeodhasXD said:

I don't think they do segregation - Will get my stuff for the Scottish cup out after this weekend but buy from here for your ticket. 

https://app.fanbaseclub.com/Fan/Tickets/SelectType?fixtureId=4531
 

If i look at East Fife highlights at Dunbar looks like the travelling support just congregated in a corner. 

I was tempted by Hospitality at 32 quid too.

[Alloamad]

41 minutes ago, Father Barrys Sign (Top Half) said:

If i look at East Fife highlights at Dunbar looks like the travelling support just congregated in a corner. 

I was tempted by Hospitality at 32 quid too.

Also tempted by hospitality but have just gone for match tickets. I’d emailed about hospitality and this was what I received- does sound good value

“Away fans are very welcome! 

 

Hospitality will start at 1pm at Hallhill Sports Centre (it’s adjoining the ground). 

 

We start the day with welcoming you and giving you your drinks voucher and programme. Food is laid out buffet style and then we go into introductions and welcome from me (Chair), Kevin Haynes our Manager and a few of the players as you eat/drink! During this you have access to a cash bar too. Before long, it’s time to head out to the ground so the only dress-code is to wrap up well! There are some reserved seats in stand for hospitality, or you can stand anywhere in the ground for your preferred view. At halftime, you’ll come back inside to your pre-ordered drinks (cash bar available for this) and famous DUFC pie, then back out to watch (hopefully!) a great 2nd half!

 

If you have any other questions, please let me know.

 

Hopefully Look forward to seeing you on 25th.

 

Pam”

[Kevchenko]

Podcast episode is now up - back to back wins & clean sheets, Kurtis Roberts engine and Ally Roy being magnificent!

 

https://waspsnest.buzzsprout.com

[AlloaAdam]

Andy it is. Can't imagine there'll be anyone out there against that, fingers crossed he's going to be as good as we all hope he will be!

[Jan Vojáček]

Andy Graham is one of the best guys about and I've got some serious envy that his first job in management will be with your lot rather than ourselves. I'm very confident he'll have a long and successful career as a boss if he wants it.

[Francesc Fabregas]

4 minutes ago, Jan Vojáček said:

Andy Graham is one of the best guys about and I've got some serious envy that his first job in management will be with your lot rather than ourselves. I'm very confident he'll have a long and successful career as a boss if he wants it.

I was coming on to post something very similar to this - Andy Graham is probably the most charismatic person I've ever met and I'm positive he's going to make an excellent manager. I really hope he can fire the Wasps up the table and the club can enjoy a positive season.

[Dink]

I think that Andy was most fans' first choice and I'm very happy with the appointment. He knows the club inside out, knows the players, and seems to be very well respected across the lower leagues. There are obviously no guarantees and we have little idea of Andy's thoughts on style of play or the tactical side of the game but he's got a very good foundation to build on.

[KierenAAFC]

Wrote a little piece of Andy getting the gig.

A warrior on the pitch and a gent off it. Some of the highs of his time at Alloa and why I think he destined for success as boss.

 

https://kierensfootballramblings.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-andy-graham-alloa-era-begins.html?m=1

[Vegetableman]

lets all give him our full support , its a tough gig being a manager and i am sure Andy being the Legend he is will be given the time 

by us ! cant wait till saturday now .. 

[printer]

1 minute ago, Vegetableman said:

lets all give him our full support , its a tough gig being a manager and i am sure Andy being the Legend he is will be given the time 

by us ! cant wait till saturday now .. 

Are you new to football?

[Waspie]

Also very happy with this appointment. In general I prefer younger managers as the older ones have invariably failed on a few occasions before. Our best appointments over the past decade or so were Hartley, Ross and Goodwin. Hartley built an Alloa squad which was class for years. When it broke up Ross built a new one which also gave us years of success (bits of it still there). The more established managers, while some of them were ok, were never as good. Some really weren't good. You might be lucky and get a really good manager who is part-time out of choice (Terry Christie) but overall the men who have done the rounds aren't too inspiring. 

Of course there's no guarantee at all that a novice will succeed, but I'd prefer in most cases to take that chance. In the case of Andy we know he is a big character, was an inspirational figure on the field, is hugely respected by players, and has very good contacts in lower league Scottish football. It might well be a challenge for him to make the change from being everyone's mate to being the gaffer but I'd very confident he can handle that. 

He also inherits a very capable squad. Some questions about some of the more recent signings  but overall I think it's the best part-time squad in the league if used effectively. Again, given Andy's vast experience it's hard to imagine him chopping and changing frequently or deploying players out of position. Time will tell! Obviously crucial that fans are patient with him. Jim Goodwin a very good example of a manager who made a number of mistakes initially but learned from them and went on to do very well. 

Good luck Andy . 

[printer]

Like pretty much everyone else, I'm very pleased the club have finally managed to persuade Andy to take on the manager role.

I wish him all the best and future success with Alloa.

[BigMartyn86]

Andy is an Alloa legend and possibly the best centre back I’ve seen play for us since I started attending games in the mid 90’s so I hope that he is a success as a manager and he will get my backing. However, I am underwhelmed by the appointment, it’s the 4th managerial appointment in a row that has been underwhelming and it’s a lazy appointment in all honesty. There has been plenty of good players that have turned out to be terrible managers so I hope that he will be successful and we can kick on under him and it doesn’t turn out to be like Darren Dods at Brechin.

[LoganAAFC]

Really happy with the appointment of 'Sir' Andy Graham. Legend of the club as a player and hopefully along those lines as a manager too. Will be interesting on Saturday to see team lines, formations to see what we could be in for this season. A guy that knows the club and the players as well which could be a real benefit of his appointment. 

[Tamhain]

36 minutes ago, BigMartyn86 said:

Andy is an Alloa legend and possibly the best centre back I’ve seen play for us since I started attending games in the mid 90’s so I hope that he is a success as a manager and he will get my backing. However, I am underwhelmed by the appointment, it’s the 4th managerial appointment in a row that has been underwhelming and it’s a lazy appointment in all honesty. There has been plenty of good players that have turned out to be terrible managers so I hope that he will be successful and we can kick on under him and it doesn’t turn out to be like Darren Dods at Brechin.

It's the more ambitious appointments that have been the worst over the last 12 years. Hartley, Ross and Goodwin were all first time managers, now compare what they were like to Smith, Lennon, Rice and Ferguson. Plus we all know you wanted Max Christie sobyoy could get a duffle coat back on.

[Kevchenko]

Echo others in saying I’m absolutely delighted with the news. I know it’s only a couple of weeks, but there’s a different feeling about the club since the Stirling game and feels so much more positive than a few weeks ago. 
 

Like others, definitely tempering expectations with Andy being a rookie manager, but never thought I’d be saying I’m now looking forward to going to Meadowbank on Saturday. Hopefully starts with 3 points and a chance of sitting in a playoff spot come 5pm on Saturday!

[LoganAAFC]

1 minute ago, Kevchenko said:

Echo others in saying I’m absolutely delighted with the news. I know it’s only a couple of weeks, but there’s a different feeling about the club since the Stirling game and feels so much more positive than a few weeks ago. 
 

Like others, definitely tempering expectations with Andy being a rookie manager, but never thought I’d be saying I’m now looking forward to going to Meadowbank on Saturday. Hopefully starts with 3 points and a chance of sitting in a playoff spot come 5pm on Saturday!

Think you and Kieren will agree that it's the busiest the podcast has been since it's formation! But yeah echoing what you say real different feeling around the club the last few weeks, but a really good one. The league getting really tight (play-off places anyway) so 3 points on Saturday could put us in a good position for a playoff place.

[printer]

23 minutes ago, LoganAAFC said:

Really happy with the appointment of 'Sir' Andy Graham. Legend of the club as a player and hopefully along those lines as a manager too. Will be interesting on Saturday to see team lines, formations to see what we could be in for this season. A guy that knows the club and the players as well which could be a real benefit of his appointment. 

No reason to change the starting eleven (Bobby Wales absence excepting) or formation IMO. Or at least not significantly. Three wins in our last four games (let's forget about the Falkirk performance ) and confidence growing; keep it the same to start on Sat.

 

Or maybe Andy will pick himself..........

[BFTD]

Excellent news, and it's a good sign that the club didn't just throw him in at the deep end after the B**** F******* fiasco. Every sign that this might be another quality managerial debut, and there's probably less pressure right now than at any point in years - relegation now looks unlikely, and a play-off spot would be a nice surprise at this point rather than an expectation.