The Arbroath Thread

[lichtie23]

No new deal for Bobby yet either which seems silly

[SimonLichtie]

Absolutely no-one should be surprised if/ when pongo and bobby Linn leave at the end of the season, unfortunately over the past few months every time I've mentioned things relating to this people get annoyed at me....

[1320Lichtie]

McCord will probably end up at Montrose or Forfar. Bobby might go play with his mates for a few seasons in the juniors, he’d run riot there.

McCord would be a loss but I would understand it, I wouldn’t have him starting for us at the moment.

Bobby leaving would be absolutely gutting though. If he does go he will go down as one of the biggest fan favourites we’ve had I think.

Not sure how we’d be able to replace him, not many other players like him kicking about for me. Very skilful pacey player who’s good with both feet... not many about. Someone like Dylan Easton would probably be the closest thing to him in this league but he’s not exactly popular with our support..

[afc_36_0]

Someone like Dylan Easton would probably be the closest thing to him in this league but he’s not exactly popular with our support..

Or omar kader

[lichtie23]

The seethe if Omar gets a new deal and Bobby doesn’t

[SimonLichtie]

Regardless of if Bobby Linn leaves or not, it's interesting to have a wee look at his season so far:

First 3 months, continues playing through injury and gets given 90 minutes pretty much every single week despite clearly struggling somewhat and being off form. Despite it being said he would be rested and only used when we really needed, we continue to keep him playing 90 minutes week in week out in games we are 3/4/5 goals ahead in. Despite being injured and a bit off form, he still contributes more assists/ goals than several other attacking players. At this point, an out of form Bobby Linn is preferred every week to the other options we have. Later in the season, an in form Bobby Linn is dropped multiple times in favour of an out of form Omar.

November/ December/ early January - gradually picks up form as he finally gets over his injury. Dick decides we need to play a more defensive 3-5-2 and blames Bobby Linn for a few goals we've conceded after trying to play him as a wing back instead of a winger. We play 3 games like this which are mind numbingly boring and score 2 goals in 3 games. Away at Airdrie especially, we are screaming out for some creativity and Omar is having literally the worst individual game I've ever seen a player have for us. Omar gets 90 minutes, Bobby doesn't get on. Post Airdrie game, instead of telling the fans Bobby had been dropped we lie about it and tell everyone he's injured. The following game, Omar incredibly keeps his starting place and Bobby Linn stays on the bench.

Feb - March - we bring back a presumably pretty pissed off Bobby Linn back into the team after several extremely boring games of football, and he gets 4 assists and a goal in his first 4 games back. In this period of games, especially against Stranraer and Alloa away he is outstanding and proves why he should be in the starting 11.

Albion away. After a couple of games which are ruined by the wind (2-0 v Forfar and 1-1 v Ayr) none of our players play particuarly well but none of them play badly, we simply put in professional performances, he is suddenly dropped again for our visit to Albion Rovers. We make 3 subs in this game, including bringing on Josh Skelly ahead of Bobby Linn. Someone mentioned to me that during the week before this game it was said in The Courier he was injured? If this is the case I can only presume it was said comedically as Pink tried to be a parody of himself?

Considering all of the above - which I really don't think anyone can argue with? - I come to the conclusion that absolutely no-one should be surprised whatsoever if he leaves. Even if he is offered a new deal,  could anyone blame him if he decided to leave the club and go to one of our rivals? It's not like I'm pointing out anything new above; everything I've said is either opinion in terms of how he's played, fact or things that are publically known.

 

Edited March 21, 2018 by SimonLichtie

[1320Lichtie]

Every single player in the squad barring the 3 at the back have had their spells in and out of the team.

[SimonLichtie]

30 minutes ago, 1320Lichtie said:

Every single player in the squad barring the 3 at the back have had their spells in and out of the team.

Is this a reply to me? If so - I don't get what point you're trying to make?

[1320Lichtie]

Is this a reply to me? If so - I don't get what point you're trying to make?

That Bobby Linn has been involved in 31 out of our 36 games, ToB and Little are top of that with 35 appearances.

If you’re saying Bobby will be leaving because he feels hard done by with a lack of playing time/not getting chances from the management then I’m not really sure you have much of a point.

In the midfield, Linn/Denholm/Gold/Kader/McCord/Yule have all had similar spells where they’ve not played or have been on the bench

If he doesn’t come on against Albion or Airdrie is it really an issue? He’s not been harshly treated or treated differently to anybody else. It’s a squad effort

[lichtie23]

He is a far better player than Omar Kadar so I can understand him being annoyed that he has to sit on the bench behind him.

[stan3600]

Bobby should stay. He is definitely one of our stars. He will continue to thrive at this level and even up one for at least a couple more years. No need to skate Kader in this. He’s a different kind of player. If we are promoted I’d expect Kader to go and we’d sign an upgrade.

[stan3600]

Bobby should stay. He is definitely one of our stars. He will continue to thrive at this level and even up one for at least a couple more years. No need to skate Kader in this. He’s a different kind of player. If we are promoted I’d expect Kader to go and we’d sign an upgrade.

Slate

[1320Lichtie]

Slate

No need to slate anyone, Kader can do my nut in at times but he’s fair chipped in with the odd goal and assist every now and then. Goal and a tackle that stopped Albion from most likely scoring on Saturday..

[SimonLichtie]

6 minutes ago, 1320Lichtie said:

1 - If you’re saying Bobby will be leaving because he feels hard done by with a lack of playing time/not getting chances from the management then I’m not really sure you have much of a point.

2 - He’s not been harshly treated or treated differently to anybody else.

1 -That's not what I'm saying. At all. You mention he's played in 31 out of 35 this year - if that figure was 25 out of 35 I'm sure he could still have been perfectly happy with the amount of game time he had been given.  I'd actually argue he should have had LESS game time this season, for the obvious reasons stated above.

2 - If you've read my post, I don't believe you're being serious when you say that. The main issue, and what I thought my post spelt out, was how he has been treated differently. If you are serious, then do you not think it's outrageous that everytime we drop someone we tell the fans/ media they're injured? If everyone has been treated the same, then we must have done that 20+ times this season?

[1320Lichtie]

1 -That's not what I'm saying. At all. You mention he's played in 31 out of 35 this year - if that figure was 25 out of 35 I'm sure he could still have been perfectly happy with the amount of game time he had been given.  I'd actually argue he should have had LESS game time this season, for the obvious reasons stated above.
2 - If you've read my post, I don't believe you're being serious when you say that. The main issue, and what I thought my post spelt out, was how he has been treated differently. If you are serious, then do you not think it's outrageous that everytime we drop someone we tell the fans/ media they're injured? If everyone has been treated the same, then we must have done that 20+ times this season?

You’re still banging on about that injured comment? Let it go man. [emoji51]

You made a point about how he never played against Airdrie and how Skelly (who’s probably been bursting a gut for weeks and weeks to try and get back in the park) came on instead of him on Saturday, it sounded like you thought he’d been treated harshly because of that.

You’re making it sound like it’ll be the management teams fault if he leaves, I disagree. It’ll only be their fault if they do not want to keep him on.

[Best Team in Angus]

32 minutes ago, 1320Lichtie said:

 

That Bobby Linn has been involved in 31 out of our 36 games, ToB and Little are top of that with 35 appearances.

If you’re saying Bobby will be leaving because he feels hard done by with a lack of playing time/not getting chances from the management then I’m not really sure you have much of a point.

In the midfield, Linn/Denholm/Gold/Kader/McCord/Yule have all had similar spells where they’ve not played or have been on the bench

If he doesn’t come on against Albion or Airdrie is it really an issue? He’s not been harshly treated or treated differently to anybody else. It’s a squad effort

 

Maybe player manager at Brechin who knows

[SimonLichtie]

51 minutes ago, 1320Lichtie said:

 

You’re still banging on about that injured comment? Let it go man.

You made a point about how he never played against Airdrie and how Skelly (who’s probably been bursting a gut for weeks and weeks to try and get back in the park) came on instead of him on Saturday, it sounded like you thought he’d been treated harshly because of that.

You’re making it sound like it’ll be the management teams fault if he leaves, I disagree. It’ll only be their fault if they do not want to keep him on.
 

The ongoing 'injury' thing is a part of this discussion regarding Bobby Linn staying/ leaving. It is directly related to it. If he were to leave, and part of that reason was annoyance at this - then this quite obviously does matter.

I can't understand a situation where Person A lies about Person B, and if Person B potentially doesn't like this it's not the fault of Person A? If someone lied about me, I'd be pissed off. If someone then tried to tell me I didn't have a right to be pissed off, I'd promptly tell them to f**k off. I'm fairly certain you and most other posters on here would react in the same manner.

 As I said in previous post - I've summarised his season so far to date in my opinion, based on my personal opinion of his performances and some facts which are publically known.

Your making two extremely contradictory arguments at the same time. Your trying to argue he hasn't been treated differently, while at the same time trying to argue that him being treated differently doesn't matter. It can't be both, it is one or the other.

Either:

A - He hasn't been treated differently

B - He has been treated differently, but you think I'm making far too big a deal of it which is what we disagree on.

We both know you believe point B. That's fine, I totally disagree and I think in a few months time you may see why, but I have no idea why you're contradicting yourself and trying to now argue A also.

Anyway - I'm sure we all agree it is a waste of time us going back and forth over this time and again.

56 minutes ago, 1320Lichtie said:

No need to slate anyone, Kader can do my nut in at times but he’s fair chipped in with the odd goal and assist every now and then. Goal and a tackle that stopped Albion from most likely scoring on Saturday..

 

I agree with this. I think he gets a hard time because he's getting a game ahead of someone who is obviously a better player. Also, he has had two absolutely awful individual performances in the last 6 weeks which hasn't helped him at this time. Omar is no better or worse a squad player than a lot of the other squad players we have and everyone can have stinker now and again. Part of the problem is normally if a player has a stinker they drop out, but Omar has had his stinkers and kept his place ahead of a player who has been playing far better than him recently.

If it was another squad player getting starts ahead of Bobby Linn he'd be getting stick also - so I think Omar is in a difficult position unfortunately.

 

[1320Lichtie]

I agree with this. I think he gets a hard time because he's getting a game ahead of someone who is obviously a better player. Also, he has had two absolutely awful individual performances in the last 6 weeks which hasn't helped him at this time. Omar is no better or worse a squad player than a lot of the other squad players we have and everyone can have stinker now and again. Part of the problem is normally if a player has a stinker they drop out, but Omar has had his stinkers and kept his place ahead of a player who has been playing far better than him recently.
If it was another squad player getting starts ahead of Bobby Linn he'd be getting stick also - so I think Omar is in a difficult position unfortunately.
 

Honestly no idea what you go on about half the time what are you talking about in that whole first bit?


Are you really saying Bobby would leave after 5 years because of an off the cuff post match comment from Ian Campbell? Is that really an example of him being treated differently to everybody else?

If true I would find that incredible and I would be a tad disappointed in Bobby.

[Smokerson]

Firstly it’s Arbroath FC not Bobby Linn FC, it’s not DC’S job to keep Bobby Happy. 

I think for a 3 or 4 year period he was arguably the best part time player in the country but I don’t think he is at that level anymore. He has been inconsistent this year, at times he’s been at his brilliant best, and at other times I think he’s flattered to deceive, throw in the occasional reported injury and I don’t think it’s beyond comprehension that he may be declining slightly.

He is going to be 33 next season.

Despite all that, I consider him to be club legend and a terrific guy and he can very much still play a part at this level for another few seasons so would be very disappointed if he left. 

[SimonLichtie]

3 minutes ago, 1320Lichtie said:

Honestly no idea what you go on about half the time what are you talking about in that whole first bit?

Are you really saying Bobby would leave after 5 years because of an off the cuff post match comment from Ian Campbell? Is that really an example of him being treated differently to everybody else?

If true I would find that incredible and I would be a tad disappointed in Bobby.

I'm really not meaning to be a dick here - but I'm really struggling to break this down anymore. I will try.....

Which of these two sentences do you agree with?

1 - He has not been treated any differently.

2 - He has been treated differently by way of other players simply being dropped, where as Bobby Linn was dropped and then it was lied about for a reasons unknown.

If you agree with 1 - then you must think that every time a player has been announced as injured, he has actually been dropped? Also must be wondering why we've not announced injuries for players who have been dropped during this season, just as we did with Bobby Linn?

If you agree with 2 - then when you said ' He’s not been harshly treated or treated differently to anybody else. ' that's actually utter bollocks by your own admission.

You cannot agree with both sentences. It can only be one or the other, and whichever one you choose you have contradicted yourself above by arguing both points.

Does this make sense?

The frustrating thing for me here is it looks like I'm going on and on and on about this - when actually I'm going on and on trying to explain a singular point too you Ultimately it doesn't really matter what I think. What matters is what Bobby Linn thinks.....