Cove Thread

[Bieldside Boy]

8 hours ago, BigBry1922 said:

To my fellow Cove fans, it’s alright to be disappointed in the performances, it’s okay to be critical of the board, but what I would say is don’t stoop to this guys levels.  Makes me embarrassed to be a Cove fan, I know I will be at the game tomorrow and he will be at home waiting to see the full time result with a full script of shite as usual.

 

But since he’s purging his post history at the moment I am glad I got a screenshot of this at the time.  Don’t be this guy.

I’m led to believe the club and directors are more than aware of who this person is, they have a long history of posting with false names and a similar theme of nasty personal attacks against club directors, volunteers, and perhaps worst of all our own fans who were assaulted at Airdrie through absolutely nae fault of their own. It’s not gone unnoticed for the best part of 4 years now. It generally is ignored for what it is. The collective Cove Rangers family who get pleasure and enjoyment from watching 22 loons kick a fitba aboot for 90 minutes can only urge the individual to seek professional help for what clearly is a very unhealthy obsession with our manager, his family and anyone else connected to the running of the club. 

Edited January 13 by Bieldside Boy

[CoveRangers1922]

Scott Williamson recalled by Queen's Park. Our 4th departure this window.

He looked sharp against Montrose in what was maybe his debut for us but 1 goal in 19 and limited minutes wasn't the return we & he would have hoped for. Got pace to get in behind but composure and finishing needs development.  

 

[CoveRangers1922]

Mikey Doyle extends his deal until Summer 2025. He's made a positive difference since joining and looks superior to any of the defenders we've brought in recently. Worth his extension.

https://coverangersfc.com/2024/01/19/extended-deal-for-doyle/

Interesting part of the above article for me was;

"I’m excited by the manager’s plans, the signings he’s hoping to make."

I'm intrigued, whether I'll be excited remains to be seen. There's a hoping in there so who knows what will happen on that front.

[Watson Nimrod]

It’s a great bit of business for us. If anyone has seen his performances for us this season they would realise his quality is not in doubt. Captain next season perhaps? Certainly a player you can build a squad around. 

[Moorie]

On 19/01/2024 at 13:16, CoveRangers1922 said:

Mikey Doyle extends his deal until Summer 2025. He's made a positive difference since joining and looks superior to any of the defenders we've brought in recently. Worth his extension.

https://coverangersfc.com/2024/01/19/extended-deal-for-doyle/

Interesting part of the above article for me was;

"I’m excited by the manager’s plans, the signings he’s hoping to make."

I'm intrigued, whether I'll be excited remains to be seen. There's a hoping in there so who knows what will happen on that front.

Hoping and getting them over the line is two things.

 

goos big of business as what seen of him he’s certainly a standout player. 
 

[CoveRangers1922]

Cove are about to sign former Accies left back Matty Shiels from Dumbarton according to the Sons thread. He scored in the Scottish Cup today.

Will be an improvement on Jacob Jones who I suspect will be completely frozen out now. Happy enough with this move, he's full of energy, good in the air and offensively can supply and contribute to attacks.

Shiels, 23, played 35 games for Accies in the Championship and looked competent for the most part in a struggling side. 

Seemingly Matty Shiels and Mikey Doyle were training together in the summer, have a link from their time at time at Hamilton so suspect this could have sparked the interest/move.

Edited January 21 by CoveRangers1922

[Jan Vojáček]

On 20/01/2024 at 20:29, CoveRangers1922 said:

Cove are about to sign former Accies left back Matty Shiels from Dumbarton according to the Sons thread. He scored in the Scottish Cup today.

Will be an improvement on Jacob Jones who I suspect will be completely frozen out now. Happy enough with this move, he's full of energy, good in the air and offensively can supply and contribute to attacks.

Shiels, 23, played 35 games for Accies in the Championship and looked competent for the most part in a struggling side. 

Seemingly Matty Shiels and Mikey Doyle were training together in the summer, have a link from their time at time at Hamilton so suspect this could have sparked the interest/move.

I'll pop a link to my chat with him online later in the week, but I think Matty Shiels should be a really good addition for you guys. I rate him very highly; both as a player and as a guy. He's very much cut from the same cloth as Mikey Doyle, and you can see why the two of them get on so well.

He had a loan spell with us from Rangers under Jim Duffy in 2019 and he was fairly poor. But he returned all the better for his experience at Hamilton, and played with a real confidence and swagger about him (which he hated when I suggested, but he does. He cuts about like he owns the place on the pitch, and I love that).

When we initially brought him in it was as a winger/striker. He had played LB for Accies, but wanted to get back to playing further up the pitch. He actually got hooked at half-time quite early in the season after playing as an attacker; but then injuries meant we played him at LCB in a back three. And he looked absolutely different class. He was strolling games.

He will take chances with the ball at the back. He always wants to play out, he'll always look for a pass and he'll try and beat players on the edge of the box. I guess that's the winger in him. That'll probably cost you a goal here and there; But it's probably worth it for when it works, and an astro park should suit him.

He can be a bit of a shithouse too and get wound up at times. He's a feisty character and had a real go at Banks o'Dee's management team after our winner against them (he was booked for running with his hands cupped to his ears at their dugout as our players ran the other way, I can only assume after some comments they made to him during the game).

I joked he was a bit like John Stones, in that the way he plays sometimes overshadows the fact he is actually a very decent defender. He's excellent in the air, he's a good tackler and he rarely dives in and is left miles out of place. Even when he does, he usually has the pace to recover.

After a run of games on the left-side of a back three, we lost Greig Young for the season. So Shiels was moved to left-back in a back four. And he really looked the business again. I would say he was the best LB in the division; his workrate and ability to charge up and down the flank all game is absolutely incredible. Naturally he's just a very athletic boy; tall, rangy, powerful. He was one of our biggest attacking threats this season, and arguably a bigger danger at left-back than on the wing.

His best game undoubtedly came in our 4-0 win against Bonnyrigg a few months ago; he won a penalty, scored a goal and set one up. All from full-back. It's the only 10/10 rating I've given a player since I started at the paper here full-time in 2019. I've stuck the highlights below and he stands out like a sore thumb.

I hope he's a success at the Balmoral and (no offence) goes on to bigger and better things. He took a big step backwards to sign for us, which was a brave move, and I hope it pays off for him. I couldn't fault his performances, workrate or attitude at all when he was with us. 

[CoveRangers1922]

21 minutes ago, Jan Vojáček said:

I'll pop a link to my chat with him online later in the week, but I think Matty Shiels should be a really good addition for you guys. I rate him very highly; both as a player and as a guy. He's very much cut from the same cloth as Mikey Doyle, and you can see why the two of them get on so well.

He had a loan spell with us from Rangers under Jim Duffy in 2019 and he was fairly poor. But he returned all the better for his experience at Hamilton, and played with a real confidence and swagger about him (which he hated when I suggested, but he does. He cuts about like he owns the place on the pitch, and I love that).

When we initially brought him in it was as a winger/striker. He had played LB for Accies, but wanted to get back to playing further up the pitch. He actually got hooked at half-time quite early in the season after playing as an attacker; but then injuries meant we played him at LCB in a back three. And he looked absolutely different class. He was strolling games.

He will take chances with the ball at the back. He always wants to play out, he'll always look for a pass and he'll try and beat players on the edge of the box. I guess that's the winger in him. That'll probably cost you a goal here and there; But it's probably worth it for when it works, and an astro park should suit him.

He can be a bit of a shithouse too and get wound up at times. He's a feisty character and had a real go at Banks o'Dee's management team after our winner against them (he was booked for running with his hands cupped to his ears at their dugout as our players ran the other way, I can only assume after some comments they made to him during the game).

I joked he was a bit like John Stones, in that the way he plays sometimes overshadows the fact he is actually a very decent defender. He's excellent in the air, he's a good tackler and he rarely dives in and is left miles out of place. Even when he does, he usually has the pace to recover.

After a run of games on the left-side of a back three, we lost Greig Young for the season. So Shiels was moved to left-back in a back four. And he really looked the business again. I would say he was the best LB in the division; his workrate and ability to charge up and down the flank all game is absolutely incredible. Naturally he's just a very athletic boy; tall, rangy, powerful. He was one of our biggest attacking threats this season, and arguably a bigger danger at left-back than on the wing.

His best game undoubtedly came in our 4-0 win against Bonnyrigg a few months ago; he won a penalty, scored a goal and set one up. All from full-back. It's the only 10/10 rating I've given a player since I started at the paper here full-time in 2019. I've stuck the highlights below and he stands out like a sore thumb.

I hope he's a success at the Balmoral and (no offence) goes on to bigger and better things. He took a big step backwards to sign for us, which was a brave move, and I hope it pays off for him. I couldn't fault his performances, workrate or attitude at all when he was with us. 

Thanks for the review and analysis, much appreciated and detailed as always. He's exactly the type of LB we need and clearly is versatile too which is a great asset. Whilst reading I was getting Harry Milne vibes which would be a dream come true for all Cove fans if he develops to that level with us.

To think we started the season with Rio Davidson-Phipps and Jacob Jones as our full backs and now will have Mikey Doyle and Matty Shiels. Both seem cut from the same cloth and will offer huge energy, work-rate and ability. I expect us to threaten from the flanks more now, we just need to find a winger or two to play in front of them.

Looking forward to listening to the chat with him when you post the link

Edited January 22 by CoveRangers1922

[Jan Vojáček]

4 minutes ago, CoveRangers1922 said:

Thanks for the review and analysis, much appreciated and detailed as always. He's exactly the type of LB we need and clearly is versatile too which is a great asset. Whilst reading I was getting Harry Milne vibes which would be a dream come true for all Cove fans if he develops to that level with us.

To think we started the season with Rio Davidson-Phipps and Jacob Jones as our full backs and now will have Mikey Doyle and Matty Shiels. Both seem cut from the same cloth and will offer huge energy, work-rate and ability. I expect us to threaten from the flanks now, we just need to find a winger or two to play in front of them.

Looking forward to listening to the chat with him when you post the link

I didn't want to mention Harry in case it put too much pressure on Shiels, but I'd say he's a similar sort of player (albeit not yet near that level). He's got the tireless running and he's definitely a big attacking threat from full-back. He's just not quite as rounded as Milne was when he moved on, and not as good defensively. But he's 23, so he's not near his peak yet I wouldn't say

Doyle and Shiels will cover more distance from full-back than most players in the league I'd imagine. Two very good options there! 

[Jan Vojáček]

Here we go

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/local-sport/dumbartons-matty-shiels-set-cove-31941627

[Ian Mcleod]

On 20/01/2024 at 20:29, CoveRangers1922 said:

Cove are about to sign former Accies left back Matty Shiels from Dumbarton according to the Sons thread. He scored in the Scottish Cup today.

Will be an improvement on Jacob Jones who I suspect will be completely frozen out now. Happy enough with this move, he's full of energy, good in the air and offensively can supply and contribute to attacks.

Shiels, 23, played 35 games for Accies in the Championship and looked competent for the most part in a struggling side. 

Seemingly Matty Shiels and Mikey Doyle were training together in the summer, have a link from their time at time at Hamilton so suspect this could have sparked the interest/move.

I did like Shiels and he's a guy that will give 100%. But he was milles off championship level and teams did target him as the weak link in a abysmal accies side. There was times Rankin played him up front which didn't work either. I think at a lower level though Shiels can be a decent player and I wouldn't have minded keeping him as a backup rather than signing Hendrie. What I will say though he's much better as a LWB with 3 center half's than playing him in a back 4 and he is decent going forward. As you mentioned him and Doyle are best mates they both constantly have photos together on their insta story.

[CoveRangers1922]

21 minutes ago, Ian Mcleod said:

I did like Shiels and he's a guy that will give 100%. But he was milles off championship level and teams did target him as the weak link in a abysmal accies side. There was times Rankin played him up front which didn't work either. I think at a lower level though Shiels can be a decent player and I wouldn't have minded keeping him as a backup rather than signing Hendrie. What I will say though he's much better as a LWB with 3 center half's than playing him in a back 4 and he is decent going forward. As you mentioned him and Doyle are best mates they both constantly have photos together on their insta story.

The Championship is undoubtedly a significant step up again as we found out the harsh way last season. I remember thinking Shiels had some strong games and/or looked competent in spells. He's still young, can and will mostly likely develop and therefore I'm happy with this piece of recruitment; he improves our backline, brings energy, threat from the left and at set pieces with his aerial ability.

Hope Doyle is picking up a referral bonus for this one.

Hartley loved a 3-5-2 with wing backs when we won L1 but we've changed away from that this season in large. Partly due to us not having 3 capable CB's to field. Need a commanding CB in in this window.

Edited January 22 by CoveRangers1922

[QoS99]

Gutted you guys got Doyle signed up, was desperate for him back at us.

[CoveRangers1922]

10 minutes ago, QoS99 said:

Gutted you guys got Doyle signed up, was desperate for him back at us.

He's been top quality for us since joining. He's motivating players around him, leading, and putting in maximum effort each game. Was a massive improvement upon Rio, Sena and Darge who all had minutes at RB before his arrival. Matty should be equally as good on the left side. 

Got a few more to bring in, I hope, in order for us to push on and have a decent second half of the season. 

Hope Bartley starts his business in, and out, soon too.

Edited January 22 by CoveRangers1922

[BB_Bino]

No messing about at Cove as PH rings the changes in January. Fancy yourselves to kick on and cement a Play Off Place/Promotion via the Play Offs, or will these be more duds waiting for the axe in the summer?

[CoveRangers1922]

2 hours ago, BB_Bino said:

No messing about at Cove as PH rings the changes in January. Fancy yourselves to kick on and cement a Play Off Place/Promotion via the Play Offs, or will these be more duds waiting for the axe in the summer?

6 out so far in January is more than I expected even though I did feel like guys needed released or loaned out to a lower level for game time. Strange as Hartley signed them all in June/July and clearly has been ruthless. Most of the guys out on loan won't feature for us before their contracts end is my opinion.

Shiels, especially, is a strong signing for us. We've been desperate for some width and with a slight change of formation we might see that from full back areas.

Ola will bring some attacking threat to the central midfield so happy with the recruitment so far. Squad is smaller but stronger than the start of the season. I feel we'll go after 1 or 2 more before next Wedneday night.

If Fraser comes back and stays fit we should be able to cement a playoff spot. Promotion through the playoffs will be very tough with Accies and the 9th placed Championship side undoubtedly going to be favourites. 

If we can take in a couple more with some quality then who knows which way the wind will blow. If we're still here next season, which is most likely, then hopefully we're in a better starting position recruitment wise than last season.

Edited January 24 by CoveRangers1922

[LeodhasXD]

Quite like your business @coverangers1922. Think you guys are the current winners of window with offloading the dead wood and adding a couple decent faces.

...although if we can still get domestic loans until end of February there's still plenty of time for the rest of us to make some late additions. Fairly confident despite our meetings that Cove will be secure for the playoffs at this point. I'm not unconfident in our chances against Accies and sitting secure in second has a way of flattening you out before a lottery of playoff games.

[CoveRangers1922]

Fraser Fyvie, 31  in March, signs a 2 year extension keeping him at Cove until Summer 2026

By far our best player, so delighted with this. Seems like we are making exceptions to the move to the proposed full time model which is sensible. Fraser recently started a job outside of football so will train PT as far as I know.

 

[CoveRangers1922]

13 hours ago, LeodhasXD said:

Quite like your business @coverangers1922. Think you guys are the current winners of window with offloading the dead wood and adding a couple decent faces.

...although if we can still get domestic loans until end of February there's still plenty of time for the rest of us to make some late additions. Fairly confident despite our meetings that Cove will be secure for the playoffs at this point. I'm not unconfident in our chances against Accies and sitting secure in second has a way of flattening you out before a lottery of playoff games.

A lot of fringe players outbound as you say which has clearly been needed to get a few in. We were inflated with players that weren't ready to make a claim for a starting XI place in my opinion. This window seems a bit more calculated and thought out than the madness of last year.

Doyle and Shiels are good January business for us. A better calibre of player than of late. Lawal should definitely have enough to be a useful addition in our side and cause problems for most L1 defences, needs to add consistency, although a short term loan. Fraser extending is big. He stays fit then we have fantastic player to bolster our second half of the season and beyond.

We're still short of a quality CB, that for me needs to be the next focus. Without that addition I worry our defence will still have a weak core and give away a few chances. 

We should manage to secure a playoff spot but still catchable by many. Fairly tight as it stands and think it will remain like that. Results go our way this weekend then we could open a gap (for now). Tricky away fixtures for yourself and Mo but Queen's will be a test for us. We're 1 win 5, that being to an EC side at their low point.

Montrose are always solid, have done well so far, however, do need one or two in to replace Miller, Waddell and Masson ideally. They will battle to the end for a playoff spot. Wasps are starting to turn the corner under Big Andy, 6 unbeaten and 1 defeat in 9 (in the league), and will push us hard. Queen's need to be better second half than first surely or at least I expect that. They will put a run together somewhere. Kelty still in the hunt but losing Reece will be a blow if it happens. 

 

If that gap opens a bit more between Accies and Falkirk it's a slog to keep going knowing your destiny is playoffs. Accies will finish a distance above us and will have a really shot at promotion. We, on the other hand, will need hitting peak form at the right time and an element of luck.

 

 

Edited January 26 by CoveRangers1922

[CoveRangers1922]

28 minutes ago, CoveRangers1922 said:

A lot of fringe players outbound as you say which has clearly been needed to get a few in. We were inflated with players that weren't ready to make a claim for a starting XI place in my opinion. This window seems a bit more calculated and thought out than the madness of last year.

Doyle and Shiels are good January business for us. A better calibre of player than of late. Lawal should definitely have enough to be a useful addition in our side and cause problems for most L1 defences, needs to add consistency, although a short term loan. Fraser extending is big. He stays fit then we have fantastic player to bolster our second half of the season and beyond.

We're still short of a quality CB, that for me needs to be the next focus. Without that addition I worry our defence will still have a weak core and give away a few chances. 

We should manage to secure a playoff spot but still catchable by many. Fairly tight as it stands and think it will remain like that. Results go our way this weekend then we could open a gap (for now). Tricky away fixtures for yourself and Mo but Queen's will be a test for us. We're 1 win 5, that being to an EC side at their low point.

Montrose are always solid, have done well so far, however, do need one or two in to replace Miller, Waddell and Masson ideally. They will battle to the end for a playoff spot. Wasps are starting to turn the corner under Big Andy, 6 unbeaten and 1 defeat in 9 (in the league), and will push us hard. Queen's need to be better second half than first surely or at least I expect that. They will put a run together somewhere. Kelty still in the hunt but losing Reece will be a blow if it happens. 

 

If that gap opens a bit more between Accies and Falkirk it's a slog to keep going knowing your destiny is playoffs. Accies will finish a distance above us and will have a really shot at promotion. We, on the other hand, will need hitting peak form at the right time and an element of luck.

 

 

Just read our pre-match and Hartley says he's finished in the transfer market this window. We have 19 players which is light, he recognises that.

https://coverangersfc.com/2024/01/26/queen-of-the-south-preview/