The Arbroath Thread

[1320Lichtie]

8 hours ago, ExiledLichtie said:

This all exists in your own head.  I wasn't even the loudest "McIntyre out" person on here.  There were people calling for him to be punted well before the end of the season.  Plenty of other people had similar views to me.

Exactly! So who do you intend to lord it up over? 

 

As for the rest of the stuff in your last 2 posts I don’t know how you can be serious. You quite clearly do not understand how some of the things you’ve been saying comes across. There is no point getting into that any further, seems delusional.

 

Anyway not to derail this thread best leave it at that. If it doesn’t go well though I hope you have fun telling everyone (who have also had their own doubts) I told you so! Sure that’ll be a right laugh 

[RedLichtie86]

Would you both give it a rest. Petty squabbling, You said, he said, I said, pish.

Move on and focus on this season.

No need to regurgitate old stuff for needless drama.

[farflung lichtie]

A few quick thoughts from a longtime supporter.   With regard to the manager, let’s give him a chance - he inherited a poisoned chalice so now has a chance to show his experience and ability.  

With regard to signings, I’m concerned that our much-vaunted new strike partnership has not played at all yet.  Is there a plan b if injuries etc play a role?.  Also we seem to be lacking the vital holding midfielder, maybe the biggest difference between successful and unsuccessful seasons over the past decade.

 I simply cannot understand why Arbroath seem listed among the favourites to fare well this season - heavily renovated and incomplete squad in a division where there are 3 other full-time teams and some impressive spending (on established squads) by others.  That plus two seasons of poor results, the deadly combination of heavy losses and non/low scoring including an abysmal home record must require a big effort to break out of the negative groove.  My own hope would be to steer clear of the relegation zone and see how that goes.  It’s not long ago before the likes of Cowdenbeath, Brechin and Dumbarton could not stop the slide down from the Championship so maybe do that first.

While the commercial and community side seems positive, slight reservations about monoliths.  Sad to see my second team, the Vics, maybe subsuming their identity into the greater AFC realm but if it helps them survive, no objections.  I suppose the TASC integration regularises the situation there.

Roll on the season proper and hoping to be pleasantly surprised.  Even an outing to Gayfield where we have a chance of winning would be a nice step up.

[Smokerson]

Don't tend to read to much into pre season games but so far we have looked decent against decent, sharp full time opposition, we look as if we are going to play a lot more football, it remains to be seen if this style will get us back up. Its a shame we have a few injuries up front as we really need to see if Reilly or Gallagher are going to get us the 20-25 goals needed. Liked the look of Callaghan and Slater together, Liam certainly looks a completely different player to the one we had as a kid all those years ago.

[1320Lichtie]

29 minutes ago, RedLichtie86 said:

Would you both give it a rest. Petty squabbling, You said, he said, I said, pish.

Move on and focus on this season.

No need to regurgitate old stuff for needless drama.

Apologies but the lording it up thing wound me up. 
 

I fully agree  

[lichtie23]

31 minutes ago, farflung lichtie said:

A few quick thoughts from a longtime supporter.   With regard to the manager, let’s give him a chance - he inherited a poisoned chalice so now has a chance to show his experience and ability.  

With regard to signings, I’m concerned that our much-vaunted new strike partnership has not played at all yet.  Is there a plan b if injuries etc play a role?.  Also we seem to be lacking the vital holding midfielder, maybe the biggest difference between successful and unsuccessful seasons over the past decade.

 I simply cannot understand why Arbroath seem listed among the favourites to fare well this season - heavily renovated and incomplete squad in a division where there are 3 other full-time teams and some impressive spending (on established squads) by others.  That plus two seasons of poor results, the deadly combination of heavy losses and non/low scoring including an abysmal home record must require a big effort to break out of the negative groove.  My own hope would be to steer clear of the relegation zone and see how that goes.  It’s not long ago before the likes of Cowdenbeath, Brechin and Dumbarton could not stop the slide down from the Championship so maybe do that first.

While the commercial and community side seems positive, slight reservations about monoliths.  Sad to see my second team, the Vics, maybe subsuming their identity into the greater AFC realm but if it helps them survive, no objections.  I suppose the TASC integration regularises the situation there.

Roll on the season proper and hoping to be pleasantly surprised.  Even an outing to Gayfield where we have a chance of winning would be a nice step up.

There’s a lot of doom and gloom in that post. 
 

personally I think we have what it takes to be challenging at the top of the table. Will that mean we win the league? I certainly hope so. Iv been impressed with the 2 pre season games so far and that’s been without our main man (Gallagher) up front. 

[SimonLichtie]

2 hours ago, farflung lichtie said:

I simply cannot understand why Arbroath seem listed among the favourites to fare well this season - heavily renovated and incomplete squad in a division where there are 3 other full-time teams and some impressive spending (on established squads) by others.

I dont disagree that we shouldn't be favourites, however....

Who has a complete squad right now, ahead of us? Who has a less renovated squad? Who has a more impressive squad/ has made more impressive signings?

We haven't just signed a load of kids on 50 quid a week in the hope of finding a few gems, we've got a bloody good budget and a squad full of proven good quality league 1 players.... 

So far I'd say queens have impressed me most signings wise, but they're doing a big revamp, new manager, awful last season..... So if some of these reasons make you think we'll struggle surely they apply to the others as well?

Inverness have about 8/9 senior players, cove are playing the trialist lottery, annan and stenny have budgets significantly smaller than us and no one would argue less overall quality.... Why should any of these 4 be seen as being in a better position than us?

For me, top 4 is the only acceptable outcome this season, anything else is a big disappointment.

[relichtie]

Imo if we are not challenging for the title then this is failure. At the AGM the board made it clear we want to be back in the championship at the first opportunity, and I agree, as in these 10 team leagues you need to aim for the top as it is so easy to under achieve and end up at the wrong end of the table. Sales of season tickets and merchandise will give the club more scope financially to support the signing of the standard of player needed. 

[mo83]

37 minutes ago, SimonLichtie said:

I dont disagree that we shouldn't be favourites, however....

Who has a complete squad right now, ahead of us? Who has a less renovated squad? Who has a more impressive squad/ has made more impressive signings?

We haven't just signed a load of kids on 50 quid a week in the hope of finding a few gems, we've got a bloody good budget and a squad full of proven good quality league 1 players.... 

So far I'd say queens have impressed me most signings wise, but they're doing a big revamp, new manager, awful last season..... So if some of these reasons make you think we'll struggle surely they apply to the others as well?

Inverness have about 8/9 senior players, cove are playing the trialist lottery, annan and stenny have budgets significantly smaller than us and no one would argue less overall quality.... Why should any of these 4 be seen as being in a better position than us?

For me, top 4 is the only acceptable outcome this season, anything else is a big disappointment.

In my opinion I think the league will be quite open next year with no one really running away with it until later on the campaign.

Like you mentioned I think on paper QOS have signed some real good players and should be up their,but you can't write of teams like Cove,ICT even Alloa all good teams as well.Montrose have probably the most settled squad to start off the campaign if we could get Kerr Waddell back by October time and a few loans signings we should do well like previous years.

[Skyline Drifter]

4 hours ago, farflung lichtie said:

 I simply cannot understand why Arbroath seem listed among the favourites to fare well this season - heavily renovated and incomplete squad in a division where there are 3 other full-time teams and some impressive spending (on established squads) by others.

Seriously? You cannot fathom how almost certainly the wealthiest club in the division might be the favourites at this stage for the weakest League One in a while. It's a lot easier to find reasons why clubs won't be doing well than why they might.

You haven't changed manager, though I accept there's been a changing of a lot of the old guard who took you to so much success over the last 5 or 6 years. You've also signed two proven forwards with a track record of goals at this level.

Who should be favoured over you?

Inverness are clearly a complete car crash at the moment. They aren't sure who will be in the Boardroom next week, don't have any money, their fans are boycotting currently. They've released every player they could release to save money and have added a loan keeper from Dundee Untied and half a dozen teenagers. They lost to Brora at home in a friendly this week.

We're under new management both on the pitch and at Boardroom level and have probably made more changes to the squad than you have. We've massively under-performed in not even making the playoffs in the two previous seasons.

Cove aren't much better. They haven't changed manager though a lot of their fans would like to have done so. They were rotten last year too and carried to a playoff spot just about by having the now departed Rumarn Burrell in their ranks. They too appear to cutting their spending a bit.

I'm sure Alloa will be optimistic about challenging again but Bobby Wales and Taylor Steven in particular were a revelation there last season and they'll be lucky to get two such good loan replacements.

Montrose are never far away thanks to being a well run club with good management but a lot of their important players are another year older (Sean Dillon particularly). I expect they'll be top half again but can't imagine they'll be winning a league.

Which leaves a Kelty side who have barely signed anyone and lost their best player last season (to us) and three sides who will surely be looking at each other, and maybe Kelty, to avoid relegation. Although Dumbarton to be fair have been putting together a decent squad quietly.

Much could change in the next few weeks of course. Inverness could get new ownership and start spending again. A couple of good loan signings at this level can make a season as we saw with Alloa last year, though to be fair it's not like they were dreadful even without Wales and Steven. But there's no Falkirk, no Dunfermline, no Raith or free spending Cove from their championship season. It's a weak division and Arbroath look favourites for it right now but there's probably five sides at least who could yet end up having great years and winning it.

[LeodhasXD]

3 minutes ago, Skyline Drifter said:

I'm sure Alloa will be optimistic about challenging again but Bobby Wales and Taylor Steven in particular were a revelation there last season and they'll be lucky to get two such good loan replacements.

Shhhhh we're flying under the radar. I just don't want our season to be derailed when Cameron O'Donnell, Steven Buchanan and Luke Rankin are sold for mega fees in January to England and Italy and Andy Graham is appointed successor to Steve Clarke.

[1320Lichtie]

To be fair I think a lot of us will still be traumatised from the last year or so and it’s hard to have too much if any confidence at the moment.

Hopefully when the squads complete and the matches get going we are indeed in a decent enough position and can start to regain some of it back..  very much wounded right now

 

I have hope and think there’s potential there, hopefully that is the case 

 

[Housecaptain]

On a different topic, Simon Murray has just signed for Dundee and will probably face us in the Cup game, should add a few to the gate.

Tom O'brien will have to be at his best against him. 

[glasgowlichtie23]

Just seen that the women’s team now have an official instagram account. Pleasing for a few on here I think as it was mentioned earlier this week how it clogs up the men’s account. 

[ecto]

19 hours ago, ExiledLichtie said:

This all exists in your own head.  I wasn't even the loudest "McIntyre out" person on here.  There were people calling for him to be punted well before the end of the season.  Plenty of other people had similar views to me.

Think I may have been the loudest McIntyre critic, I still firmly believe that with a few games left he should’ve been sacked, but he wasn’t so am prepared to give him a few games

[WHM]

Would love to see us go for someone like Gabby McGill upfront.Played with Gallagher at Airdrie,a free agent only 23 and scored something like 30 goals in 96 for Airdrie and wasn't a regular starter.

[1320Lichtie]

4 minutes ago, WHM said:

Would love to see us go for someone like Gabby McGill upfront.Played with Gallagher at Airdrie,a free agent only 23 and scored something like 30 goals in 96 for Airdrie and wasn't a regular starter.

Think he’s definitely out of our league - Partick / Raith and St Johnstone all linked with him 

 

3 hours ago, Housecaptain said:

On a different topic, Simon Murray has just signed for Dundee and will probably face us in the Cup game, should add a few to the gate.

Tom O'brien will have to be at his best against him. 

Hopefully Si sees out the next 3 year at Dundee then makes a wee return back to Gayf to finish his career off - what a guy 

[Waspie]

7 hours ago, Skyline Drifter said:

Alloa will be optimistic about challenging again but Bobby Wales and Taylor Steven in particular were a revelation there last season and they'll be lucky to get two such good loan replacements.

A couple of good loan signings at this level can make a season as we saw with Alloa last year, though to be fair it's not like they were dreadful even without Wales and Steven. 

Those two will certainly be missed - if we had the team that finished the season I'd fancy us to win the league. But I'd argue strongly that what fundamentally changed our season was Andy Graham. We were a disjointed mess before he took over. Taylor Steven didn't look great at all under Brian Rice (and hadn't done particularly well previously at East Fife). You could see there was a player in Bobby Wales, but he couldn't buy a goal. It was under Graham that those boys came on massively - they were like different players - and that's what will give us a bit of belief, that Andy can bring on our own youngsters and any loans that come in. Loans can indeed make a difference but how you handle and nurture them is absolutely key. We might not ultimately get two as good but those two certainly weren't sure to be as successful when we first got them. 

Agree with your overall point though. I'm sure QoS will be better but clearly going to be a work in progress and we'll see how it comes together. Cove have the same manager who struggled last season and lots of questions there. ICT in crisis. The idea there are three full-time clubs there who are ahead of Arbroath is seriously flawed. It looks pretty open but Arbroath should be really fancying their chances of winning it. From an Alloa point of view we still need some decent additions if we're going to make a real challenge. 

Edited July 10 by Waspie

[ExiledLichtie]

I have to be careful what I say here, as certain posters are easily triggered, but it's really hard to say where we are at.  Off the pitch, we are in an absolutely fantastic place, there's no doubt of that.

On the pitch, the signings we have made look solid, and designed to suit the way the manager wants to play, so that's a plus.  However, we did lose some of our best players, and I think our squad is a bit light.  I don't think we've adapted to the 5 subs era yet, so currently, the jury is out on players, but it looks promising.

In terms of management, we kept our manager, which is good for stability, and was good for recruitment, so that's a positive.  However, the same manager was responsible for a team that packed it in early, fell to pieces, and delivered an absolutely miserable season ending with morale at absolute rock bottom.  So that's a negative.  I can't think of a single manager that has ever come back from a start like that.  However!  There's another positive, because of the departure of a number of key players who were the old guard, its very much a fresh start, so a chance to build a new group, so that's a positive.  Overall, I think there's still an element of wait and see.

I think its far too early to call us favourites for the league, but at the same time, there seems to be so much flux in league 1 teams, the championship was much more stable.  Teams relegated out of the championship frequently have an extended stay in the lower leagues.  Falkirk, Dunfermline, and Raith had extended holidays down here, and of the part time teams, the ones that come to mind are Dumbarton, Alloa, and Brechin.  None of them went back up.  

Precedent and history says we'll finish somewhere in mid table, personally I'd be happy with a playoff spot, and seeing us regularly score goals and win some games.

[Waspie]

As you say, there are questions over every other contender and the league at this stage looks like it could be pretty open. Arbroath clearly have a really good budget, have retained a few solid citizens and signed decent players for this level. Quite reasonable to establish them as early favourites on that basis. It might all go wrong. Equally, a mid table finish would be below expectation. 

And for what it's worth, we went down in 2015/16 after three seasons in the second tier and had a really good season, finishing second and losing in the play-off final on penalties (to a vastly inferior team). But went up again the year after for three more years in the Championship. We also bounced straight back up at the start of the 2000s.