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Berwick Rangers 2015/16


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One swallow does'nt make a summer and all that, but I was really encouraged by Saturday's performance. Coultress and McKenna will cause a lot of teams problems, while Finn Graham was a revelation in the middle of the park, showing more energy in 90 minutes than various pie-eaters did over the previous two seasons. There were a couple of odd tactical things going on - notably Banjo playing on the right side of a midfield which simply did'nt work, and Beveridge starting at left back with two specialist left backs on the bench. Beveridge was typically competent and did well, but you have to wonder what Drummond and Ross Graham were thinking. An experienced centre half, or Kerr Young with his head sorted, would strengthen us further, although Robert Wilson did well enough despite a bit of naivete to concede the penalty.

This is a mobile team with real strength on both flanks. We'll not know how good they are until the dust settles on the Montrose game, and we really need to put together good results at home this campaign, but I think there are real reasons for optimism. Alloa will be a good test of those hopes.

I'd go for:

Walker

McNeil Fairbairn Wilson Drummond

McKenna Banjo or Beveridge F Graham Coultress (or 5 in midfield with one up top, more likely I guess against a good Wasps outfit)

Lavery Henderson

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What happened to Jonni Quinn, Cook?I take it he hasn't been signed up.Any ideas as to why.

No idea. Played at Forfar. Did'nt go but heard he did'nt make much of an impression.There were rumours he was trialling at St. Mirren but does'nt seem to have ended up there either.

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Someone asked me this yesterday and I didn't know the answer for sure, although I couldn't contradict if off-hand.

Will the St Mirren tie have a footnote of significance in the social history of the club as the first time a black player featured in a competitive game?

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Someone asked me this yesterday and I didn't know the answer for sure, although I couldn't contradict if off-hand.

Will the St Mirren tie have a footnote of significance in the social history of the club as the first time a black player featured in a competitive game?

Martin Telford, David Maxwell and Francis Martinez were, I think, all in the squad for the 3-2 win over Killie at Tynecastle in the late 80s/early 90s. Can't remember the exact date or whether any of them actually figured in the game though. We also had black Frenchman Hugo Robard playing for us at Alloa a couple of years later.

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Well that was actually the point my relative was making. In return I said it seemed unlikely that it wouldn't have happened before 2015 but by the same token I couldn't readily recall otherwise. It wasn't intended as a piece of pub quiz trivia.

It arose from a question about Loic Mangala who was with our Development XI last season, through Edusport, and has been called-up for DR Congo's Olympic team this month. Talk moved onto which players we've had capped whilst at the club (AFAIA only some keepers? the lad on loan from Falkirk whose name escapes me and Gary O'Connor). Then the different nationalities who've played for us over the years... obvious ones like South Africans, Canadians or Aussies; da Silva who was Portuguese; the old classic that Couglin is American; but then someone remembered a Frenchman who they thought had been on trial about 30yrs ago and of whom it was apparently said "he would have been the club's first black player" but he never signed.

As RedMist says though Ugo Robard played a couple of times around Christmas/New Year in 1998. He was French of course, as was Frank Escalon.

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One swallow does'nt make a summer and all that, but I was really encouraged by Saturday's performance. Coultress and McKenna will cause a lot of teams problems, while Finn Graham was a revelation in the middle of the park, showing more energy in 90 minutes than various pie-eaters did over the previous two seasons. There were a couple of odd tactical things going on - notably Banjo playing on the right side of a midfield which simply did'nt work, and Beveridge starting at left back with two specialist left backs on the bench. Beveridge was typically competent and did well, but you have to wonder what Drummond and Ross Graham were thinking. An experienced centre half, or Kerr Young with his head sorted, would strengthen us further, although Robert Wilson did well enough despite a bit of naivete to concede the penalty.

This is a mobile team with real strength on both flanks. We'll not know how good they are until the dust settles on the Montrose game, and we really need to put together good results at home this campaign, but I think there are real reasons for optimism. Alloa will be a good test of those hopes.

I'd go for:

Walker

McNeil Fairbairn Wilson Drummond

McKenna Banjo or Beveridge F Graham Coultress (or 5 in midfield with one up top, more likely I guess against a good Wasps outfit)

Lavery Henderson

While I do get your point on Drummond/Graham, I actually thought Beveridge played well and it's nice knowing that the depth is there so much that they aren't guaranteed a start. I'm pretty sure Beveridge said himself he wasn't bothered where he was playing as long as he was playing, so he won't be giving up the position without a fight.

For the next game, I'd only take out Banjo and stick with the 4-2-3-1.

Walker

McNeil Fairbairn Wilson Beveridge

Cameron Graham

Morris McKenna Coultress

Henderson

Think the 4-2-3-1 can definitely work, but the lack of a natural right winger really left McNeil exposed. I've not seen anything of Morris but perhaps Cameron opted for Banjo in the hope that it'd add a bit of balance to the side. Unfortunately you could tell Banjo hadn't played there before and positioning was well off, leaving McNeil struggling against overlaps. Banjo looks a CM, but you probably wouldn't drop either of the two who started last week based on their performances - perhaps Cameron with fitness.

On HibeeJibee's Canadian, Keighan Parker I think it was. Sure he's still playing at a decent level - don't know how as he was absolutely shite.

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An experienced centre half, or Kerr Young with his head sorted, would strengthen us further,

When he left us there were rumours of an attitude problem, is this still the case?

Good signing in finn graham, of the youths you have signed from us he is the more talented of them, good batteler despite his size and decent enough on the ball too.

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When he left us there were rumours of an attitude problem, is this still the case?

Good signing in finn graham, of the youths you have signed from us he is the more talented of them, good batteler despite his size and decent enough on the ball too.

Young is a class centre half but his constant berating of team-mates and descent into "could'nt give a f**k" mode made him into a liability. I think he was transfer-listed by the club at the end of the season and was last heard of living it large in "Maga". Has'nt been spotted pre-season. Shame because the boy can play.

Finn Graham was excellent against the Buddies on Saturday. Real terrier-like performance in the middle of the park. More of that and he'll become Cameron's first midfield pick.

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Really looking forward to our 1st competitive home match this Saturday, suitably lubricated in The Curfew.

Like the sound of Finn Graham and Coultress and would like to see Morris start on the right.

Bigger match the following week though.

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Really looking forward to our 1st competitive home match this Saturday, suitably lubricated in The Curfew.

Like the sound of Finn Graham and Coultress and would like to see Morris start on the right.

Bigger match the following week though.

The Watney's Red Barrel is on simmer

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Some of the football played on Sat was very good, hopefully the lads will b able to keep that going for the season.if so they should be there or there abouts.getting the town behind them would be great,so a good run could make that happen

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Some of the football played on Sat was very good, hopefully the lads will b able to keep that going for the season.if so they should be there or there abouts.getting the town behind them would be great,so a good run could make that happen

Hopefully the Trust's gesture of underwriting the costs of the home match v Arbroath on 29th August will help with this. There will be free entry to the match, and I'm guessing punters will have an option to make a donation. Great idea and credit to the Trust for running with this on a bank holiday weekend. Hopefully we've had a good start to the season by that point and we don't do the usual BRFC thing of crashing and burning in front of a good crowd containing a lot of people whose inclination to come back again depends on what they see on the day. The rebuilt squad looks like it has a different kind of mindset,and they seem a more competitive bunch than last season. Hopefully that'll stimulate more interest in the town. The home and away crowds fro the Spartans matches last season proves the goodwill and interest is there - it just needs to be tapped into more effectively than the mediocre fare over the last 8 seasons has managed to do.

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