As Easterly as it gets! Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 We're in the same mess as we were this time last season. Stumbling along with the occasional win to keep us in this division ,but relegation never too far off. It's all a bit tedious. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bluetoon Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 3 hours ago, Balmoor Boy said: I remember not too long ago that we had ambitions to emulate Ross County and move up through the leagues and build a new Soccer Academy indoor facility. Those plans seem to have fallen by the wayside and we are in a constant struggle to avoid slipping back into Division 2. Fresh eyes and ideas are needed urgently before we go the same way as Brechin City. Yip, for whatever reason Jim doesn't want to have a youth system in place and use the local talents. The most embarrassing thing would be to see the Broch come up and do better than us. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bluetoon Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 1 hour ago, cabbage74 said: He might not leave but the fans are starting to. Might need to start voicing our disapproval at the games instead of "voting with our feet". Major change needed. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom & Gerry Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 13 hours ago, Balmoor Boy said: I remember not too long ago that we had ambitions to emulate Ross County and move up through the leagues and build a new Soccer Academy indoor facility. Those plans seem to have fallen by the wayside and we are in a constant struggle to avoid slipping back into Division 2. Fresh eyes and ideas are needed urgently before we go the same way as Brechin City. Investment. You used to attract a lot of good sponsorship and to a certain extent lived beyond your means. With the downturn in the oil industry and the rise of Cove, who will now attract companies from Aberdeen that previously would have sponsored you, you are now finding it difficult to finance the better quality players. It was entirely predictable. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blootoon87 Posted March 6, 2022 Author Share Posted March 6, 2022 We presumably used to have one of the highest budgets in league one, certainly not any more. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue-Toon Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 Having the highest budget does not guarantee success as Falkirk know too well. Arbroath on the other hand are doing great with probably the lowest budget in the league above. We presumably used to have one of the highest budgets in league one, certainly not any more. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bluetoon Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 2 hours ago, Blue-Toon said: Having the highest budget does not guarantee success as Falkirk know too well. Arbroath on the other hand are doing great with probably the lowest budget in the league above. Budget's are one thing, but if you have a manager who is unwilling to change all the money and in the world won't make a difference. Take yesterday, 5-1 down before making any subs. Changes should have been made at half time, not with 15 minutes to go. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balmoor Boy Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 (edited) 1 hour ago, Bluetoon said: Budget's are one thing, but if you have a manager who is unwilling to change all the money and in the world won't make a difference. Take yesterday, 5-1 down before making any subs. Changes should have been made at half time, not with 15 minutes to go. This has been a problem for a few seasons now with the board adopting an "It'll be all right on the night" and "In Jim we trust" attitude. We have only won 7 games, 5 of them at Balmoor and the fans deserve more than the usual, "we played well but can't score" excuses every week. With only 8 games left, I cannot see us picking up many points and a relegation play-off is the best we can hope for!! Edited March 6, 2022 by Balmoor Boy 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bluetoon Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, Balmoor Boy said: This has been a problem for a few seasons now with the board adopting an "It'll be all right on the night" and "In Jim we trust" attitude. We have only won 7 games, 5 of them at Balmoor and the fans deserve more than the usual, "we played well but can't score" excuses every week. With only 8 games left, I cannot see us picking up many points and a relegation play-off is the best we can hope for!! Yeah it's the "but he's won 2 league titles" attitude. Only way he won the second was because he managed to get us relegated. And btw, that took 2 attempts to get back up again. Edited March 6, 2022 by Bluetoon Spelling error 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOONSER Posted March 7, 2022 Share Posted March 7, 2022 On 06/03/2022 at 08:59, Thom & Gerry said: Investment. You used to attract a lot of good sponsorship and to a certain extent lived beyond your means. With the downturn in the oil industry and the rise of Cove, who will now attract companies from Aberdeen that previously would have sponsored you, you are now finding it difficult to finance the better quality players. It was entirely predictable. Cove are the new boys on the block and are attracting new investors just as PFC did when they came into the league, it was indeed entirely predictable. Lets be honest, fans through the gate don't keep PFC afloat - that's down to corporate hospitality and sponsorship and with the downturn over the past few years it's actually pretty admirable that PFC are still in League one - you just need to look at Elgin, a big club in the Highland League who haven't managed to get out of the bottom tier. Think expectations of PFC supporters are somewhat unrealsitic - it's not just the investment that is needed for a club to survive but manpower. Directors jump on a football board when succesful but soon tire and leave when they see the work, money and resources that are needed to keep it going. Take Rodger Morrison out of the equation and I think you'd struggle to even have a football club. It's a different era of time-poor individuals who quite understandably don't want to take on a job outwith their own where you work tirelessly, voluntarily to keep a team on the park that can compete against full-time teams. Jim is not above criticism but to attract players up North for smaller wages that are at the level needed for League One is a feat in itself. Cove have filled their squad with expensive players that have played at a higher level and are slowly sidelining the players that have got them there in preparation for the Championship, PFC are building a team on a smaller budget in the hope that they will develop into a strong squad, just have to see if they can stay up for next season to see that development. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peternapper Posted March 7, 2022 Share Posted March 7, 2022 2 hours ago, TOONSER said: Cove are the new boys on the block and are attracting new investors just as PFC did when they came into the league, it was indeed entirely predictable. Lets be honest, fans through the gate don't keep PFC afloat - that's down to corporate hospitality and sponsorship and with the downturn over the past few years it's actually pretty admirable that PFC are still in League one - you just need to look at Elgin, a big club in the Highland League who haven't managed to get out of the bottom tier. Think expectations of PFC supporters are somewhat unrealsitic - it's not just the investment that is needed for a club to survive but manpower. Directors jump on a football board when succesful but soon tire and leave when they see the work, money and resources that are needed to keep it going. Take Rodger Morrison out of the equation and I think you'd struggle to even have a football club. It's a different era of time-poor individuals who quite understandably don't want to take on a job outwith their own where you work tirelessly, voluntarily to keep a team on the park that can compete against full-time teams. Jim is not above criticism but to attract players up North for smaller wages that are at the level needed for League One is a feat in itself. Cove have filled their squad with expensive players that have played at a higher level and are slowly sidelining the players that have got them there in preparation for the Championship, PFC are building a team on a smaller budget in the hope that they will develop into a strong squad, just have to see if they can stay up for next season to see that development. Glad you came on and said what i have been thinking the last few days. We keep being told by a few that Peterhead is overflowing with league standard players that are ignored by the club for some reason, Am sure Jim is more than willing to hear names of those willing to put in the time & effort to get a chance of league football. A few getting excited because the Broch are having a decent season & a lot of their team are from Peterhead. Time will tell but if they manage to win the HFL dont think they would get through the play-offs as the league is harder if having to do it every week. Elgin as mentioned have not managed to get promoted at all & a lot of the time have to import players from out with their own area. We have got through two years of reduced revenue & thanks to the work of the board & folk running the club we have not had bucket collections to keep us afloat. Those after the manager should remember that while his loyalty to some players may be questioned he has brought in a number of younger players this season which can be moulded into a decent squad before too long. As someone that goes to all games home or away i appreciate the effort that travelling to training and games must take for the guys actually playing for us and always try to encourage them to keep going. We have been treated to two promotions & a senior cup final at Hampden which is possibly more than many clubs have managed. Folk that are not happy need to come up with alternatives or a bottomless pit of cash or support those doing their best to maintain a league club. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOONSER Posted March 7, 2022 Share Posted March 7, 2022 3 hours ago, peternapper said: Glad you came on and said what i have been thinking the last few days. We keep being told by a few that Peterhead is overflowing with league standard players that are ignored by the club for some reason, Am sure Jim is more than willing to hear names of those willing to put in the time & effort to get a chance of league football. A few getting excited because the Broch are having a decent season & a lot of their team are from Peterhead. Time will tell but if they manage to win the HFL dont think they would get through the play-offs as the league is harder if having to do it every week. Elgin as mentioned have not managed to get promoted at all & a lot of the time have to import players from out with their own area. We have got through two years of reduced revenue & thanks to the work of the board & folk running the club we have not had bucket collections to keep us afloat. Those after the manager should remember that while his loyalty to some players may be questioned he has brought in a number of younger players this season which can be moulded into a decent squad before too long. As someone that goes to all games home or away i appreciate the effort that travelling to training and games must take for the guys actually playing for us and always try to encourage them to keep going. We have been treated to two promotions & a senior cup final at Hampden which is possibly more than many clubs have managed. Folk that are not happy need to come up with alternatives or a bottomless pit of cash or support those doing their best to maintain a league club. Agreed. Pointing the finger when the team are losing and blaming it on not having enough locals is a naive viewpoint, would think most teams trying to survive in the SPFL have to look further afield than their local area to put a competitive team on the park. I do think this sentiment may come from those who think their own lads may have made it but werent given the opportunity as there is a vocal minority who like to hammer this home whenever they are given the chance. Ironically looks like we we have a fair number of local lads in the squad this season yet this old chestnut still rears it's head. I don't get to as many games as I'd like but I do work with some diehard fans who make most games and they are fully behind this team despite the results, they can appreciate that their youth leads to inconsistent displays but are enjoying watching them evolve. I did take in the Dundee game and there is some cracking young talent there if PFC can hold on to them going forward. My view is that PFC punched above their weight early doors in the SPFL leading to speculation that they would rise through the leagues when in fact they are realistically a League 1/2 side who will see some glory occasionally but who don't have the infrastructure for the championship - we all saw what happened to Brechin after their foray into the league above! Arbroath is an amazing story but there is not a glut of Dick Campbells in the game who can do what he has done with a smaller budget. The leagues are littered with teams who have thrown everything at it but can't find success. Formartine were the moneybags a few years ago but fizzled out, Edinburgh City came in to the league all guns blazing but have stagnated mid-table in League 2. Queens Park have thrown everything but the kitchen sink at it yet part-time teams are taking points off them, Falkirk have all the resources but look like they will see another season where they are. We can't underestimate the achievements of Cove if they do get promoted, it's not an easy ask but they have good backing and are well-located to pick up ex-Abrdeen players making a buck while thinking of the next step in their career. PFC has a good reputation as a well-run club and I'm sure the board are still ambitious but that has to be tempered with keeping it financially secure as longevity and stability are key when you hear about the struggles other clubs are having. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bluetoon Posted March 8, 2022 Share Posted March 8, 2022 15 hours ago, TOONSER said: Agreed. Pointing the finger when the team are losing and blaming it on not having enough locals is a naive viewpoint, would think most teams trying to survive in the SPFL have to look further afield than their local area to put a competitive team on the park. I do think this sentiment may come from those who think their own lads may have made it but werent given the opportunity as there is a vocal minority who like to hammer this home whenever they are given the chance. Ironically looks like we we have a fair number of local lads in the squad this season yet this old chestnut still rears it's head. I don't get to as many games as I'd like but I do work with some diehard fans who make most games and they are fully behind this team despite the results, they can appreciate that their youth leads to inconsistent displays but are enjoying watching them evolve. I did take in the Dundee game and there is some cracking young talent there if PFC can hold on to them going forward. My view is that PFC punched above their weight early doors in the SPFL leading to speculation that they would rise through the leagues when in fact they are realistically a League 1/2 side who will see some glory occasionally but who don't have the infrastructure for the championship - we all saw what happened to Brechin after their foray into the league above! Arbroath is an amazing story but there is not a glut of Dick Campbells in the game who can do what he has done with a smaller budget. The leagues are littered with teams who have thrown everything at it but can't find success. Formartine were the moneybags a few years ago but fizzled out, Edinburgh City came in to the league all guns blazing but have stagnated mid-table in League 2. Queens Park have thrown everything but the kitchen sink at it yet part-time teams are taking points off them, Falkirk have all the resources but look like they will see another season where they are. We can't underestimate the achievements of Cove if they do get promoted, it's not an easy ask but they have good backing and are well-located to pick up ex-Abrdeen players making a buck while thinking of the next step in their career. PFC has a good reputation as a well-run club and I'm sure the board are still ambitious but that has to be tempered with keeping it financially secure as longevity and stability are key when you hear about the struggles other clubs are having. See this is what I have an issue with, saying that we are League 1/2 side. I understand that financially we are not the best, I get that, but how can anyone be happy yoyoing between the two divisions every 2 or 3 years. I'm not expecting us to be in the Championship, nor do I think any club has any given right to be in that division, but we have to show some kind of ambition to keep us in the 3rd tier and compete for those play-off places each year as we were under Neale Cooper. If we are looking at examples of teams changing the way they did things, Montrose would be my example. Not so long ago they were almost out of the League completely, but they changed their structure, and have firmly established themselves as one of the top sides in League 1, while still working within the part-time budgets. And yes, I do believe the players we have are very talented, like Ritchie, Savoury and McCarthy, but why aren't we winning games? Why haven't we been scoring more goals? The excuses that the manager comes out with each week is as if he's playing them from a tape recorder, the "we played well, we were the better team, but the ref was poor" nonsense. Remember Iain Stewart was sacked after 6 defeats in 12 games, but McInally can lose 14 of his 28 league games and still be in a job. If any other club had gone through the spell we have been doing the manager would have been sacked or resigned, but the mentality of "well it's Jim McInally and he's done a good job" or "he's been loyal to us in 10 years", means he has become untouchable in his eyes. Does the chairman and the board really think that scraping by each season and just surviving is enough to satisfy what supporters are left actually attending the games? Rodger I think does have the clubs best interests in mind, but the other board members need to start having a look at themselves. Being a board member in name only doesn't cut it, they need to be working more for the club. What I would like is a manager, a board and a chairman who aren't willing to accept that what is currently going on is good enough. If they do, then I'm sorry but that is setting the bar really low. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strichener Posted March 8, 2022 Share Posted March 8, 2022 On 07/03/2022 at 18:35, TOONSER said: I'm sure the board are still ambitious My source tells me that this is far from being the case. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bluetoon Posted March 8, 2022 Share Posted March 8, 2022 1 hour ago, strichener said: My source tells me that this is far from being the case. Bet they don't even know what League we are in 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strichener Posted March 8, 2022 Share Posted March 8, 2022 50 minutes ago, Bluetoon said: Bet they don't even know what League we are in Not sure about that but we do have an issue over delegation with our chairman wanting final say over absolutely everything, down to the music played over the tannoy. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balmoor Boy Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 8 hours ago, strichener said: Not sure about that but we do have an issue over delegation with our chairman wanting final say over absolutely everything, down to the music played over the tannoy. I think you may have hit the nail on the head, it'll be a bit like the Sturgeon National Party - one voice, one opinion. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bluetoon Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 10 hours ago, strichener said: Not sure about that but we do have an issue over delegation with our chairman wanting final say over absolutely everything, down to the music played over the tannoy. Is it the chairman or is it the manager who thinks HE'S in charge...??? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balmoor Boy Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 21 minutes ago, Bluetoon said: Is it the chairman or is it the manager who thinks HE'S in charge...??? I would like to think it is the chairman, however, the manager has a job for life and he might have an equal say!!! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strichener Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 58 minutes ago, Bluetoon said: Is it the chairman or is it the manager who thinks HE'S in charge...??? Maybe we should let the manager pick the music and leave player signing and team selection to someone else. We may see an upturn in our fortunes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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