The Arbroath Thread

[RedLichtie86]

Fully expect us to play the same formation and tactics as we have done so for most of the season.

Bland. Reclusive. Inept. Dull. With a pinch of pathetic and a dash of utter shite. 

I feel it will be the same lineup as against Cove.

[Tattie36]

18 minutes ago, RedLichtie86 said:

Fully expect us to play the same formation and tactics as we have done so for most of the season.

Bland. Reclusive. Inept. Dull. With a pinch of pathetic and a dash of utter shite. 

I feel it will be the same lineup as against Cove.

100%

Dick will setup for a 0-0 and hope Morton beat Cove. 90 minutes of torture incoming.

It’s a very dangerous approach and we deserve all we get if it doesn’t work.

Edited May 1, 2023 by Tattie36

[Smokerson]

I’d bite your hand off for a 0-0

[timlichtie]

1 hour ago, Tattie36 said:

100%

Dick will setup for a 0-0 and hope Morton beat Cove. 90 minutes of torture incoming.

It’s a very dangerous approach and we deserve all we get if it doesn’t work.

You’re probably right. I’m afraid he’s run out of options with no real striker in the squad. Adarkwa was our last chance of a target man and he looks done for the season. 
Stick with Hilson and McKenna in support and pray that Gold and Dow are fit to give us an experienced midfield.

[lichtie23]

Looks like Hammy could be out of action for up to 6 months 

[Tattie36]

6 minutes ago, lichtie23 said:

Looks like Hammy could be out of action for up to 6 months 

A big blow. Even though the season has been grim, I thought he was one of the positives.

[RedLichtie86]

2 hours ago, lichtie23 said:

Looks like Hammy could be out of action for up to 6 months 

Dont worry. Dick will look to sign a central midfielder in the summer to play there.

[ExiledLichtie]

So is everyone still in agreement that we don't need to sign a single defender?

[RedLichtie86]

6 hours ago, ExiledLichtie said:

So is everyone still in agreement that we don't need to sign a single defender?

Aye he do. But one that can play on the left wing.

[1320Lichtie]

I am absolutely scunnered with this season, for the love of god please just go and get a point on Friday and then cut this season clean off, forget about it and start afresh. Lessons better be learnt next season and Dick needs to learn how to adapt.

 

We have played all season like we’ve had a big striker upfront who can take us up the park and someone that we can play off of when in reality we have had either

 

a) nobody upfront 

b) Hilson upfront working his baws off and trying to be that but he just isn’t that’s clearly not his game 

 

Yet still we constantly just launch balls up to the above or play for seconds. When we have the ball we have absolutely zero out ball. I love Scotty Stewart but he cannot beat a man one on one and Ryan Dow is a good player too but not an out and out wide man he drifts inside all the time.
 

They 2 on the wings with fullbacks who never overlap or get past them means we have f**k all coming down each wing and nobody to play off of upfront. Not one person in our team who will run at players and get us up the park and put other teams on back foot. We have one who’s been sitting on his arse for 4 months and who beforehand when he was literally basically our only hope was being subbed for Deri fkn Corfe.

 

Big lessons need to be learnt here. A fucking miserable season’s viewing. Somehow we will probably be the 4th best supported team in the division this year but this year could’ve really put some people off next year. Next year the approach has to be different and the signings must be better. 

 

 

[Tattie36]

IMO no matter if we stay up or not and how the season ultimately pans out, we need a regime change. Dick has had all season to change but seems so entrenched that I fear he’s now incapable of learning/changing and next season would just be more of the same.

Fresh ideas, new faces.

I think the way last season ended broke him, the Killie game in particular.

Edited May 2, 2023 by Tattie36

[ExiledLichtie]

4 hours ago, Tattie36 said:

IMO no matter if we stay up or not and how the season ultimately pans out, we need a regime change. Dick has had all season to change but seems so entrenched that I fear he’s now incapable of learning/changing and next season would just be more of the same.

I think the way last season ended broke him, the Killie game in particular.

I said all season that I felt it was the management rather than the players (edited: not you Deri), and I stand by that.  I wouldn't be unhappy if we were to break the bank and bring in Petrie.

Edited May 2, 2023 by ExiledLichtie

[1320Lichtie]

If we stay up I would absolutely 100 percent give him chance next season he deserves that. At the end of the day players win you games regardless of who the manager is and his problem this seasons just been signing bad ones in important areas, not covered himself in glory with some match day in game decisions either mind you. 

[Monkfish85]

6 hours ago, 1320Lichtie said:

I am absolutely scunnered with this season, for the love of god please just go and get a point on Friday and then cut this season clean off, forget about it and start afresh. Lessons better be learnt next season and Dick needs to learn how to adapt.

 

We have played all season like we’ve had a big striker upfront who can take us up the park and someone that we can play off of when in reality we have had either

 

a) nobody upfront 

b) Hilson upfront working his baws off and trying to be that but he just isn’t that’s clearly not his game 

 

Yet still we constantly just launch balls up to the above or play for seconds. When we have the ball we have absolutely zero out ball. I love Scotty Stewart but he cannot beat a man one on one and Ryan Dow is a good player too but not an out and out wide man he drifts inside all the time.
 

They 2 on the wings with fullbacks who never overlap or get past them means we have f**k all coming down each wing and nobody to play off of upfront. Not one person in our team who will run at players and get us up the park and put other teams on back foot. We have one who’s been sitting on his arse for 4 months and who beforehand when he was literally basically our only hope was being subbed for Deri fkn Corfe.

 

Big lessons need to be learnt here. A fucking miserable season’s viewing. Somehow we will probably be the 4th best supported team in the division this year but this year could’ve really put some people off next year. Next year the approach has to be different and the signings must be better. 

 

 

Completely agree with a lot of these points .

Don’t have the personnel to play long balls to a target man but still do. Missing out the midfield where we are probably strongest. Manager should see this ?

Wing backs point is right as well. Look how many times JT would be around the box, by line, putting balls in, getting in at the back list for headers. Wing backs this year no where near that and a massive downgrade. 

I don’t think they’re a single player that has been brought in that is better than anyone we have lost . How are the core of existing players still expected to keep getting results like last year with a much weaker squad. 

At some stage the manager has to take criticism rather than hang others out to dry. You say you would give him another year which is interesting because you have stated a lot how bad this season has been but our manager has always been vocal in saying 8th is the target . We look like we are going to meet the target but you saying it’s a been a shocking season? Sounds like you having different aspirations to the manager 

[1320Lichtie]

3 minutes ago, Monkfish85 said:

Completely agree with a lot of these points .

Don’t have the personnel to play long balls to a target man but still do. Missing out the midfield where we are probably strongest. Manager should see this ?

Wing backs point is right as well. Look how many times JT would be around the box, by line, putting balls in, getting in at the back list for headers. Wing backs this year no where near that and a massive downgrade. 

I don’t think they’re a single player that has been brought in that is better than anyone we have lost . How are the core of existing players still expected to keep getting results like last year with a much weaker squad. 

At some stage the manager has to take criticism rather than hang others out to dry. You say you would give him another year which is interesting because you have stated a lot how bad this season has been but our manager has always been vocal in saying 8th is the target . We look like we are going to meet the target but you saying it’s a been a shocking season? Sounds like you having different aspirations to the manager 

8th and staying up should first and foremost always be the target. Bigger clubs than us have went down (Partick Thistle / Dunfermline / Falkirk) in recent seasons so being and staying in this league is the priority. 
 

However that does not excuse how poor we have been this season. Any other season we would be relegated, we are lucky there’s been two teams as terrible as us in the division. The season there was only 27 games and we were a point off the relegation playoff we finished with 30 points and that division contained a good Hearts team and a better Dundee team…. This year we have 33 points from 35 games. It’s been a shocker. 
 

However it has only been one poor season in amongst 7 of which 6 have been very good / excellent. He has to learn from his mistakes and he has to try and change it up next season, that means more wingers and strikers and guys who can support the attack from full back. We are so one dimensional it’s crazy and we must be the easiest team in Scottish football to defend against. I think Stewart should be converted into a full back too and a proper right winger in on one side and a proper left winger in on the other. 
 

Gaston

 

Stewart

Little

ToB

New LB while Hammy out 

New RM 

Hetherington 

Balde 

New LM

 

McKenna 

 

New striker 

 

Is a decent base to build from, also the squad players need to be reliable pros that have played in the Scottish leagues. Guys like Dow, Gold and Hilson. These guys signing from outwith Scottish football have been so unreliable this year we’ve barely had a proper squad at any point. Bench on Saturday was criminal. Also must get much better use of our loans next season, every single one this years been bang average at best.

[Leicesterlichtie]

8 hours ago, Tattie36 said:

IMO no matter if we stay up or not and how the season ultimately pans out, we need a regime change. Dick has had all season to change but seems so entrenched that I fear he’s now incapable of learning/changing and next season would just be more of the same.

Fresh ideas, new faces.

I think the way last season ended broke him, the Killie game in particular.

I think we certainly lack fresh ideas, but not sure the current management team can improve on the style of play we have generally played since they came in, unless we get a big unit up top and old fashioned wide men.

There were some nice intricate passages of play 20 yards out on Saturday but then lack of forward runners into the box or players about tripping over each other leading to attack being snuffed out or losing possession.

Whatever happens, next season will be even tougher than this one, I think, whichever league we're in. 

[Smokerson]

Let’s see what Saturday brings. We certainly need to bring in 4 or 5 better players, the recruitment has been awful this year despite a few decent January additions. 
 

The dilemma for the board would be fresh ideas / new style against taking a risk / better the devil you know 

As 1320 says, it’s one poor season out of 7 and some big clubs went down and don’t look like coming back anytime soon, Falkirk, QOTS, Airdire, Alloa etc all been levels above us for a few years.

[AFC360PUNK1320]

Whatever happens and whatever league we are in i would still give DC/Pink another season in charge as what they have done for this club they deserve a bit of loyalty, yes this season has been terrible but if we finish 3rd bottom and stay up then that has been our object to aim for each season we have been in the Championship albeit our style of play this season has been poor.

[clashcityrocker]

If we survive and remain in the Championship this would be a record of 5 years in the Championship - never before achieved by a part time club.

We are also the best part time team in Scotland by some distance.

Add to this the previous 6 years of almost constant success and that has been some achievement.

This season has been a disappointment, but for some fans the key aim was to simply avoid the relegation play offs.

I had hoped we would have been sitting mid-table pushing for the promotion play offs, but realistically a part time club can’t achieve this every year.

If we can secure Championship status and move forward for next season I would be happy to draw a line under this season, put it down to management errors , key players leaving and injuries.

Overall, we have been on a roller coaster journey the last 6-7 years and hopefully more to follow in the coming years ( a good cup run is something to aim for as well).

 

 

 

[Blablabla]

We were all spoilt by our glorious season last year, this season was never going to be the same, it seems that too many of our fans forget this. If we were given the choice of finishing 8th at the outset this time around I for one would of happily grabbed it with both hands. Let's hope we can do the business on Friday night or if we can't hope Morton helps us out. Then we can go again next season with a few decent new signings in the summer, not some of the dross we recruited this year. 

C'mon the Lichties