The Arbroath Thread

[lichtie23]

Well results aren’t going our way this afternoon 

[Tattie36]

Looking very, very ominous. Just can’t see how and where we’re going to pick up the required amount of points and also turn around the massively disadvantageous goal difference.

Huge game v a faltering Dunfermline in 2 weeks could be a make or break game…. Actually the next three games.

Edited February 3 by Tattie36

[SmokeyJoe]

We need to get our own ship in order no point caring about other results. I can see us pick up results once we get bodies back but I’m starting to think it’s too late cause everyone else is going to pick up points. Funny old league every team at points has went on a wee winning run at some stage. 

[1320Lichtie]

I honestly do not care. 
 

Just looking forward to seeing some normality again and us having a decent team on the park again and enjoyable Saturdays more often than not

 

Dont care if that’s Championship or League 1. Maybe League 1 will ground us a wee bit cause I feel like we’ve lost a wee bit of what made us so successful 

 

Still by far the biggest and best part time club - get back to that 

[36-0 Maroon]

2 hours ago, 1320Lichtie said:

I honestly do not care. 
 

Just looking forward to seeing some normality again and us having a decent team on the park again and enjoyable Saturdays more often than not

 

Dont care if that’s Championship or League 1. Maybe League 1 will ground us a wee bit cause I feel like we’ve lost a wee bit of what made us so successful 

 

Still by far the biggest and best part time club - get back to that 

Well said mate ️

Let’s just get our Key players back and give it all we have got. I honestly don’t care about anyone else or what they are doing. Let’s just focus on ourselves and get back to what we are best at and see where it takes us.

[ecto]

1 hour ago, 36-0 Maroon said:

Well said mate ️

Let’s just get our Key players back and give it all we have got. I honestly don’t care about anyone else or what they are doing. Let’s just focus on ourselves and get back to what we are best at and see where it takes 

3 hours ago, 1320Lichtie said:

I honestly do not care. 
 

Just looking forward to seeing some normality again and us having a decent team on the park again and enjoyable Saturdays more often than not

 

Dont care if that’s Championship or League 1. Maybe League 1 will ground us a wee bit cause I feel like we’ve lost a wee bit of what made us so successful 

 

Still by far the biggest and best part time club - get back to that 

 

No time for players to play themselves back in, need to be firing from the off

[Anotherlichtie]

16 hours ago, 1320Lichtie said:

I honestly do not care. 
 

Just looking forward to seeing some normality again and us having a decent team on the park again and enjoyable Saturdays more often than not

 

Dont care if that’s Championship or League 1. Maybe League 1 will ground us a wee bit cause I feel like we’ve lost a wee bit of what made us so successful 

 

Still by far the biggest and best part time club - get back to that 

You don’t care? What kind of attitude is that? So you “don’t care” about the success of our club? Maybe you should stop going then. Need supporters not punters who couldn’t care if we won or lost 

[afc_36_0]

Find it bizarre that folk “dont care” what league we’re in, why would u not want us in the highest league and position possible?

[Hammerafc]

You obviously want to do as well as possible but I totally get it. The main thing I wasn't keen on about the Always Arbroath scheme was the aim to compete to sign players that want to be full time. We should be aiming for the better part time players as that is what can give us a bit of an advantage mainly. The kind of full time players we have attracted have been a poor standard mainly and are not going to jump us ahead of the other teams around us. 

Picking up players like Jason Thompson that are still capable of playing full time but looking to set themselves up for the future by going part time are better aims than trying to be in the market for full time players QOTS, Cove, Hamilton will be competition for imo.

[1320Lichtie]

6 hours ago, Anotherlichtie said:

You don’t care? What kind of attitude is that? So you “don’t care” about the success of our club? Maybe you should stop going then. Need supporters not punters who couldn’t care if we won or lost 

 

2 hours ago, afc_36_0 said:

Find it bizarre that folk “dont care” what league we’re in, why would u not want us in the highest league and position possible?

Of course I would rather it was the Championship - all I mean is at the end of the day I want to get back to enjoying Saturdays again.

 

If that’s in League 1 then so be it - right now that’s very much what it’s looking like and it’s not the end of the world for me

 

Last year and this year has been utterly miserable 

Edited February 4 by 1320Lichtie

[timlichtie]

The league doesn’t matter. I was at a Junior game yesterday in the absence of a Lichtie game.  Beith v Clydebank, featuring Nicky Low. Great football and atmosphere. 2.1 Beith. 
Getting back to competing and enjoying our games is what matters.

[1320Lichtie]

5 minutes ago, timlichtie said:

The league doesn’t matter. I was at a Junior game yesterday in the absence of a Lichtie game.  Beith v Clydebank, featuring Nicky Low. Great football and atmosphere. 2.1 Beith. 
Getting back to competing and enjoying our games is what matters.

Be fans of a whole lot of teams in divisions below this that for the last 2 seasons have had a great time following their teams and not for one moment been envious of us because we are in the Championship 

 

Its not what football is about for fans that go to games at this level 

 

Would obviously rather see us do well in this league like we have done previous. The bigger clubs and crowds give the match day experience a different feeling and one that is probably preferable to lower divisions but it’s also not very enjoyable when you’re turning up to games every week expecting to get beat 

 

All I meant was I just want to see a stable and steady Arbroath team and squad / management team that fans can get behind again instead of the way things have been since Summer 2022.  We have won 11 league games from the last 58 I think. Had a season of utter shite, then some more shite, some renewed hope for a couple of weeks then an absolute mountain of injuries like I’ve never ever seen before. 
 

If it gets back to being stable and enjoyable in the Championship then magic - if it is in League 1 then it’s in League 1. 
 

We definitely seem to have lost our way the last 2 year though - especially this year off the park it feels like we’ve tried way too hard and come up short instead of just doing the basics (last year this was the case on the park too). 
 

 

[ExiledLichtie]

I get what 1320 is saying.  I don't think any of us here started supporting Arbroath for the glory.  Sure, its nice to be higher up in the leagues, but from my perspective, when I come up to the football, I'm just looking for a lovely day out, the team doing their best, and hopefully some entertainment!  For me, getting relegated isn't the end of the world.

 

[lichtgilphead]

9 hours ago, Anotherlichtie said:

You don’t care? What kind of attitude is that? So you “don’t care” about the success of our club? Maybe you should stop going then. Need supporters not punters who couldn’t care if we won or lost 

Things go in cycles. We can't expect to be successful all the time. The current team are the best (and maybe even better) since the 1971-75 squad.

I'll be happy to watch the team whatever league they are in next season.

[1320Lichtie]

2 hours ago, ExiledLichtie said:

I get what 1320 is saying.  I don't think any of us here started supporting Arbroath for the glory.  Sure, its nice to be higher up in the leagues, but from my perspective, when I come up to the football, I'm just looking for a lovely day out, the team doing their best, and hopefully some entertainment!  For me, getting relegated isn't the end of the world.

 

I also feel like last year we veered away from what made us good on the  park and paid a heavy price 

 

This year I feel like there’s been a real lack of consideration for the fans in comparison to the years before and we’ve veered away from what made us so good off the park in years before and we’ve paid a price.

 

From the kits to the lack of days there has been for supporters, especially kids.
 

Remember all the days they had a meet the players etc before and kids would have a domino’s or KFC or whatever it was and players would play the PlayStation etc with them. They’ve all been completely scrapped as far as I can see.
 

The lack of interviews etc compared to previous years, you’re lucky to get a team line posted 20 minutes before kick off now. Last season we posted loads of update videos throughout the year from training sessions etc and behind the scenes interviews. It really made all the difference and made you feel a part of it all no matter how shit we were on the park. 

They mentioned that they were looking to improve and overhaul this a few months ago but all it seemed to amount to was a couple of pre match interviews and 10 seconds of some games where the team run out the tunnel. That’s all completely stopped now. 
 

The podcasts were all great last year and again made you feel like you were a part of everything and gave you a better idea of who the players and coaches were as people. They were great. 
 

There is loads of wee things though. I feel like we’ve completely lost our way on this side of things and have become complacent.
 

I’m all for the Always Arbroath thing but I can see why it rubbed people up the wrong way, all our socials seem to do is advertise merchandise now. There’s been a real lack of social media output, behind the scenes stuff that let fans know what’s going on and a real lack of things to buy into as a supporter, a real disconnect I feel. 
 

I think we need to try and get back to all of the above, even if it is one podcast every 6 weeks and a monthly video at training interviewing players and letting us see what’s going on. At the bare minimum there should be post and even pre match interviews every single week so we can have more knowledge of what’s going on.

 

Right now through the week it feels like you go through the same cycle 

 

Week full of posts about merchandise on social media 

 

Saturday comes and you’re scrambling about trying to find out what the team even is

 

Match happens - shambolic injuries and defeats 

 

Wondering if they’ll be any post match interviews for updates and the managers and players thoughts 

 

Sometimes there is and sometimes there is not 

 

Rinse and repeat over and over 

Edited February 4 by 1320Lichtie

[lichtie23]

The social media has been poor for a while now. No offence intended but I wish they would just give the woman’s team their own page. And as for the community trust page that’s where stuff like birthdays, holiday pics and anniversary stuff should be. Keep the main page for Arbroath FC news. Whether it be ticket sales, interviews, highlights, match updates or anything that involves the squad as a whole. 
 

This will sound a bit petty but look at the Ayr midweek game. 24 Arbroath supporters have travelled through a weather warning to support the club. The 2nd longest away ground in the league for us IIRC. Just put a post up thanking the fans for their dedication. Doesn’t need to be a a full page just a paragraph saying thanks. Yet there was nothing. 

Edited February 4 by lichtie23

[relichtie]

Staying in the championship is financially better than being in Lg1 as away fans turn up in greater numbers . 3k Utd or 100 Montrose. Quite a difference. Also we get more coverage with Friday night TV games and a higher profile in the press etc, but finance is not the be all of following AFC. Quite a few turned up to the "meet the manager" evenings, and they helped keep fans in touch with the goings on at the club.

The merchandising and financial side seems to be coming more and more to the fore recently, with a post asking fans to contribute again. I thought we were reasonably secure financially and money was available for signings etc. 

We have 3 games coming up, Pars and QP away and ICT home and need a decent haul of points or we will be isolated at the bottom and it almost becomes mission impossible then. 7-9 points from them and we are still in the game. Tall order, maybe but we have history of upsetting the odds. Let's do it again. 

 

[SmokeyJoe]

15 hours ago, lichtie23 said:

No offence intended but I wish they would just give the woman’s team their own page.

Yes please 

[Tattie36]

What worries me most about relegation is that the club will immediately become a very very different beast to what it's been for the last 5 years and it may take years… if ever, to get back.

We will have to get used to 3 figure attendances again, a huge drop in hospitality, local interest, merch sales (will the club shop survive?), prize money, gate money, sponsorships, tv money etc etc etc.

It’s all very well that we’ll hopefully be watching better football and a more competitive team again but ask Alloa, Accies, QOTS or even Falkirk if they thought they’d be in L1 for so long and if it’s preferable to being a poor Champioship team. Look what Accies have thrown at trying to get back up - they might through the playoffs but it’s not a given.

A few short years after our last stint in the second tier we were in serious danger of slipping out of the league altogether.

[1320Lichtie]

3 minutes ago, Tattie36 said:

What worries me most about relegation is that the club will immediately become a very very different beast to what it's been for the last 5 years and it may take years… if ever, to get back.

We will have to get used to 3 figure attendances again, a huge drop in hospitality, local interest, merch sales (will the club shop survive?), prize money, gate money, sponsorships, tv money etc etc etc.

It’s all very well that we’ll hopefully be watching better football and a more competitive team again but ask Alloa, Accies, QOTS or even Falkirk if they thought they’d be in L1 for so long and if it’s preferable to being a poor Champioship team. Look what Accies have thrown at trying to get back up - they might through the playoffs but it’s not a given.

A few short years after our last stint in the second tier we were in serious danger of slipping out of the league altogether.

If anyone was going to lose interest they’d have lost it a very long time ago - yeah it’ll take a hit - but it won’t be doomsday stuff we will be perfectly alright