Sons Sorrow 2018/19

[1320Lichtie]

I'd agree with everything apart from the highlighted bit. Handling's injuries have absolutely destroyed him hence why he's at Edinburgh City.

I never meant Handling, actually thought he was decent too but meant the guy that’s at ICT now I think. Walsh!!! He was a very good player.

[Infirmary Street]

1 hour ago, Outside Looking In said:

Look at Celtic and Rangers for instance or Man City or Man Utd. They’ve also had a shaky start to their campaign but I can’t see Gerrard being asked to go.

Rangers: unbeaten in 11 since start of season

Dumbarton: P9, W3, D2, L4

[Bring Back Paddy Flannery]

Rangers: unbeaten in 11 since start of season
Dumbarton: P9, W3, D2, L4

It was a ludicrous comparison to make even if he just stopped at Celtic and Man Utd. The fact Man City and Rangers were included made me write it off as the ramblings of a mad man.

[DumbartonTheSons]

Being a nuisance and throwing my tuppence worth in I don’t think Aitken has recruited that well to be honest. On a player by player basis he definitely has, all good players, but fitting them into and building a team is another story.

I know you think you had a shite team last season but ahead of that play off I was very worried, guys like Stirling, Froxylias and Handling put the fear into me.

This season I really think you’re missing pace and width, cannot believe Gallagher has been benched, Bobby Barr should also be playing every week.

You’ll turn it round and improve, injuries etc will be enhancing your problems. Not sure sacking Aitken would be the answer but can understand why people have that opinion, seems very negative and not keen on his attitude in interviews and that’s as an outsider.

I'd agree with everything apart from the highlighted bit. Handling's injuries have absolutely destroyed him hence why he's at Edinburgh City.

I disagree slightly in that I'm certain we do have pace and with in the squad, but playing to utilise that pace and width is another thing entirely.

I genuinely think when he's firing on all cylinders, Paton on one side, and Bobby the other, that's a very decent pacey two wide men. We don't use them properly of course, but we do have them.

Danny Handling will go down as a bit of an enigma. We'll always have that equaliser in Oswestry that set up one of THE great trips and experiences for us Sons, but for he vast majority of his Sons career, to me he looked pedestrian, lazy and had an air of being too good for the level he was at. There's undoubted ability there but to tap into it he'd need to put in effort which sadly we rarely saw. For this, see also Stevenson, Ryan.

[FifeSons]

Anyone itk as to why Aitken didn’t give an interview? (aside from the obvious reason that we lost). Was he asked and refused?

[lorenzo71]

A precursor to his resignation maybe?

[The Moonster]

11 hours ago, FifeSons said:

Anyone itk as to why Aitken didn’t give an interview? (aside from the obvious reason that we lost). Was he asked and refused?

I would imagine he was too busy booting Andy Dowie and his colleagues around the Brechin away dressing room.  I would've been anyway.

A lot of stuff said on here over the last few days, but anyone expecting Aitken to get the sack now will be disappointed. Whilst I agree that Aitken is ultimately responsible for our team and results, I think the players need to take responsibility for collapsing like that on Saturday. That said, I think it may be time for a wee post-Bonnyrigg style chat for Aitken - he promised attacking football and to challenge at the top end of the league, if this approach isn't working then he needs to deploy those players in a different system and perhaps drop one or two of his favourites (Kyle Hutton please) to keep them on their toes. Appreciate this is now difficult with 11 fit outfield players but this is the bed we've made so it's best we sleep in it. 5 weeks ago those players believed they could go and win the league, it's time we started to show it.

[Boghead ranter]

Re splitting up Hutton and Carswell - did we play any better on Saturday after Carswell went off?  

Or do we need to wait until we have a defence staffed by defenders before trying that experiment?

[Jan Vojáček]

1 hour ago, Boghead ranter said:

Re splitting up Hutton and Carswell - did we play any better on Saturday after Carswell went off?  

Or do we need to wait until we have a defence staffed by defenders before trying that experiment?

It probably wouldn't be fair to judge it based on Saturday given how much of a car crash we were defensively. Without Carsy on we scored once and conceded three though, which probably says something.

[O'Kelly Isley III]

1 hour ago, The Moonster said:

I would imagine he was too busy booting Andy Dowie and his colleagues around the Brechin away dressing room.  I would've been anyway.

A lot of stuff said on here over the last few days, but anyone expecting Aitken to get the sack now will be disappointed. Whilst I agree that Aitken is ultimately responsible for our team and results, I think the players need to take responsibility for collapsing like that on Saturday. That said, I think it may be time for a wee post-Bonnyrigg style chat for Aitken - he promised attacking football and to challenge at the top end of the league, if this approach isn't working then he needs to deploy those players in a different system and perhaps drop one or two of his favourites (Kyle Hutton please) to keep them on their toes. Appreciate this is now difficult with 11 fit outfield players but this is the bed we've made so it's best we sleep in it. 5 weeks ago those players believed they could go and win the league, it's time we started to show it.

With respect, this type of post could probably now be on a weekly loop, such is the situation.  Although I think that we may now be as close as we've got to the nadir of the Stevie Aitken era I still feel he should be cut some slack.

Again with respect, posters like us on here rarely have the full facts but I believe the playing budget has been absolutely decimated.  Now it may well have been at a historically high level, and it's my understanding that that coupled with a lack of financial oversight landed DFC in an almighty pile of shit, to the extent that the clsoe season was very fraught for the BOD.

We probably now have a much more realistic financial framework but poor season ticket sales haven't helped.  All of that combined has left SA with a very limited hand indeed, especially as the days of smoke and mirrors signings are now at an end.  As I've already posted, the small squad he managed to assemble was as good as anyone could have expected in the circumstances but it's all going pear-shaped at the moment.

The injury situation is literally and metaphorically crippling us, but there is a limit to just how long we can let some players adjust.  The window closes this week and I would hope that if anyone half-decent is still out there then we wouldn't hesitate to consider the nuclear option of out/in if the money aspect can be dealt with.

Who was the trialist on Saturday BTW ?

[Jan Vojáček]

3 minutes ago, O'Kelly Isley III said:

The injury situation is literally and metaphorically crippling us, but there is a limit to just how long we can let some players adjust.  The window closes this week and I would hope that if anyone half-decent is still out there then we wouldn't hesitate to consider the nuclear option of out/in if the money aspect can be dealt with.

Who was the trialist on Saturday BTW ?

League One (and Two) clubs have until the end of September, so we've still got time. I think the piggy bank is empty though, so I'd be surprised if anyone came in - unless they were on pennies.

The trialist was Brad Spencer, ex Kilmarnock (spent his youth career in the MLS). 22 year old centre-mid (hooray, another centre-mid!).

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40981144

[Thommo90]

25 minutes ago, O'Kelly Isley III said:

With respect, this type of post could probably now be on a weekly loop, such is the situation.  Although I think that we may now be as close as we've got to the nadir of the Stevie Aitken era I still feel he should be cut some slack.

Again with respect, posters like us on here rarely have the full facts but I believe the playing budget has been absolutely decimated.  Now it may well have been at a historically high level, and it's my understanding that that coupled with a lack of financial oversight landed DFC in an almighty pile of shit, to the extent that the clsoe season was very fraught for the BOD.

We probably now have a much more realistic financial framework but poor season ticket sales haven't helped.  All of that combined has left SA with a very limited hand indeed, especially as the days of smoke and mirrors signings are now at an end.  As I've already posted, the small squad he managed to assemble was as good as anyone could have expected in the circumstances but it's all going pear-shaped at the moment.

The injury situation is literally and metaphorically crippling us, but there is a limit to just how long we can let some players adjust.  The window closes this week and I would hope that if anyone half-decent is still out there then we wouldn't hesitate to consider the nuclear option of out/in if the money aspect can be dealt with.

Who was the trialist on Saturday BTW ?

Just a point about the poor season ticket sales.  I don't think the pricing helped anything, I appreciate a lot of it is about helping the club with finance up front etc but in terms of a money for value comparing price paid to home games it's a very poor deal.

 

If I had the cash to pay upfront I would pay it without hesitation for the good of the club but it isn't a priority for me.

[FifeSons]

2 hours ago, The Moonster said:

I would imagine he was too busy booting Andy Dowie and his colleagues around the Brechin away dressing room.  I would've been anyway.

So would I. Do you reckon Aitken has that in him, though? I’m not really sure it’s his style, he seems too nice.

[jimmy 1]

15 hours ago, Johnny Red said:

That’s what irritates me so much. He does it with everything. No one around him and he trots out and flaps at the ball every time.

Is he still in your team? Surely McGowan  must get in soon. From what I seen of both at Morton, McGowan  is a far better goalie 

[The Moonster]

3 minutes ago, FifeSons said:

So would I. Do you reckon Aitken has that in him, though? I’m not really sure it’s his style, he seems too nice.

I do. I think Aitken is a nice guy generally and he prefers being the players' pal, but he's capable of booting arses when required.  And even if we doubt Aitken's ability in that respect, I don't think anyone doubts that Durrant has it in him.  

 

[FifeSons]

5 minutes ago, jimmy 1 said:

Is he still in your team? Surely McGowan  must get in soon. From what I seen of both at Morton, McGowan  is a far better goalie 

I’m concerned Grant Adam is the new Carswell/Hutton. Undroppable in Aitken’s eyes.

We all said the Morton game was the obvious time to give McGowan a chance, and he didn’t. I’ll be very surprised is Adam doesn’t start on Saturday.

[lorenzo71]

9 minutes ago, FifeSons said:

I’m concerned Grant Adam is the new Carswell/Hutton. Undroppable in Aitken’s eyes.

We all said the Morton game was the obvious time to give McGowan a chance, and he didn’t. I’ll be very surprised is Adam doesn’t start on Saturday.

I would give mcgowan a chance....that flap at the ball in the brechin game is something you wouldnt see at amateur level.We are at a bonnyrigg moment...either we get a reaction or we sink deeper and down.

[Silverton End]

1 hour ago, Ross Forbes said:

League One (and Two) clubs have until the end of September, so we've still got time. I think the piggy bank is empty though, so I'd be surprised if anyone came in - unless they were on pennies.

The trialist was Brad Spencer, ex Kilmarnock (spent his youth career in the MLS). 22 year old centre-mid (hooray, another centre-mid!).

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40981144

I wouldn't mind signing Brad the Trialist if he's able to score lovely goals like that, every week or two.

 

[Jan Vojáček]

1 hour ago, jimmy 1 said:

Is he still in your team? Surely McGowan  must get in soon. From what I seen of both at Morton, McGowan  is a far better goalie 

Given quite a few of your posts are about Jamie I'm going to assume that you're a friend or relative of him.

He 100% deserves a shot. As I said earlier he obviously spent a lot of time kicking his heels on the bench at Morton, so I'm assuming he didn't come here just to do the same.

[cameron2000]

Re splitting up Hutton and Carswell - did we play any better on Saturday after Carswell went off?  
Or do we need to wait until we have a defence staffed by defenders before trying that experiment?

I’m thinking more and more that instead of it being a Hutton and Carswell problem, it’s actually a Hutton problem.