The Big Queen's Park FC Thread

[HoustonSpider99]

41 minutes ago, qpfc said:

Scott burns reporting that Callum Davidson is the favourite for the job. Thoughts ? 

Really not keen on this personally. I appreciate that we’re not exactly a good looking proposition atm, but I don’t see how a manager that had St. Johnstone flirting dangerously with relegation will do much for us. I also don’t think his teams tend to play the tiki-taka football we’ve been attempting to this season. If anything I think it’s very defensive, not exactly what we’ve got the players to do at the moment. It’d be some break to rip the blueprint up totally.
 

His achievement in winning the cups is undeniable, but his league record laterally with St. Johnstone was grim especially.

I think his recruitment (Ali McCann aside) was pretty hopeless as well at St. Johnstone. 

 

[RandomGuy.]

49 minutes ago, qpfc said:

Scott burns reporting that Callum Davidson is the favourite for the job. Thoughts ? 

Can you play 5-2-3?

Suspect his penchant for signing over 30s will go down quite well with you lot tbf, considering your squads issues with a lack of experience.

41 minutes ago, Ludo*1 said:

He turned us down and that was the chance to work with his pal Strachan as well. 

Bizarre if he's up for this one but I can't see him getting a gig in the top flight again anytime soon.

Hes been trying to get jobs in England, I think. His name randomly pops up linked with the odd job down there, and never comes to anything, so seems very like an agent trying to get a name around situation.

[Velvet Donkey]

I always assume most of this stuff is speculation by the press. The same paper that had our new manager as Scott Brown is now announcing Callum Davidson. Gary Bowyer was also reported, but I'll wait before getting too excited. Would be happy with Davidson or Bowyer though.

The Dom Thomas rumours wouldn't surprise me however, and if I were him I'd be thinking it's time to move on.   I know he has always had an interest in youth development and coaching, and I can imagine that he was very impressed with what was said about the plans when he signed. Since then he has been given the captaincy and had to become the senior leader at the age of 27.  here he is five years ago, albeit talking about youth development, but it wouldn't surprise me if he is disillusioned:

 

“I have my own thoughts about why we’re not producing enough quality young players.

“Coaching is the problem. We’re coaching kids too much and taking the enjoyment out of it.

“We’re knocking the ability out of young players. It’s as if they’re coaching from a book. You have to do this and that.

“There is no right or wrong in football for kids. You should 
just encourage them to express themselves.

“If I get a kid in with natural ability, I just let them play. I tell them to go out on the pitch and do what they feel is right.

[Zanetti]

33 minutes ago, The Ghost of B A R P said:

If Dundee Utd (probably the only team in the division who can pay the wage he’s (allegedly) on) want him, he’ll go.

Occurred to me last night that there’s something curiously disinterested about him, even when he looks as though he’s trying.

Been a big weekend for you lot: lose last night to a Dunfermline team on crutches, and it was lights out. As it is, you’re miraculously off the bottom despite a 15-game run without a win, a couple of teams around you look on the verge of total collapse, and another imposter has left the ship.

Last week, I’d have put my house on you finishing bottom; now no quite so sure…

Thomas's wages are nowhere near as high as people like to speculate; all 3 of those clubs could absolutely afford them. The issue is that he's under contract until 2025, and I can't imagine any of them paying a fee to sign him, nor should we be be entertaining any offers at this stage of the season.

[The Ghost of B A R P]

2 minutes ago, Zanetti said:

Thomas's wages are nowhere near as high as people like to speculate

You know that for a fact?

I was told a figure by someone a. who would know; b. I believe; not impossible for Partick or Raith, but not, as you point out, if there’s also a fee involved.

As I said, if DU want him, I think it will happen (of course it might all be Daily Ranger bullshit, in which case it won’t).

[RandomGuy.]

Just now, HoustonSpider99 said:

I think his recruitment (Ali McCann aside) was pretty hopeless as well at St. Johnstone. 

 

He didnt sign Ali McCann. He was a youth product who Tommy Wright turned into a regular. If anything he was part of getting it wrong with Ali McCann. One of the best young CMs in the country, a full International who'd just shone against Italy, and we didn't even get near breaking our transfer record.

Davidson didn't start off negative, really. We generally played 5-2-3 or 5-3-2 and the whole idea was getting overloads out wide. The wide CBs would bomb up high, the wing backs would be high, then you'd either get wingers or midfielders pushing wide too, so its a 3 man triangle on the flank. 

Issue was he never figured out what to do next, so we just ended up stuck out wide, pumped endless crosses into the box, and never scored. We broke some form of record by scoring just 9 goals in 19 home games in the league. Aside from the lack of goals though, it was a really well drilled side who knew what to do and looked comfortable on the ball. Its hard not to look back and think Davidson maybe benefitted from the squad Tommy Wright left though, but you can't give credit to someone else when a manager wins a double.

He lost players who made that system work in his first Summer window, didn't have a clue how to replace them with transfers, and then couldn't figure out a different way of playing. Then the more things went wrong, the more defensive he got. We had an issue where our WBs pushing high was leaving the CBs exposed, as we now had lesser players in both positions. His solution was to camp the WBs deep and virtually play a flat back 5. Space appears in midfield? You drop someone into a more defensive role. It kind of just snowballed endlessly and he got stuck in a weird defensive loop.

If hes learned from looking back at it all then he could be good, especially with a goalscorer like Paton maybe helping score goals when we didn't have that. But if hes refused to learn anything (and some of his interviews since seem to suggest he thinks he was hard done by (he regularly suggested we were lucky to be a top flight team)) then it won't work, particularly if you want both a style, and youth coming through. It was relying on inexperienced youths that started his spiral so he wouldn't think he'd rely on them to any great degree.

[an86]

Selling our best player in January has worked so well in the past. 

[Spidersmad]

Scottish Women's Cup Tie v Bonnyrigg at Lesser is off due to frozen pitch. Not surprising when you see the frost and fog around here. Begs the question though, is there no undersoil heating there?

[Dave]

10 hours ago, RandomGuy. said:

Can you play 5-2-3?

Suspect his penchant for signing over 30s will go down quite well with you lot tbf, considering your squads issues with a lack of experience.

We switched to a 352/532 formation out of the blue this week and it got us an improved performance vs Thistle and our first win in forever against Dunfermline. Now wondering if that tactical change was part of testing it out for him...

Can't say I'm overly thrilled if it is Davidson but will give him the chance he deserves. Not like we can say no to a guy who won a cup double outside the Old Firm in modern Scottish football, but his record on transfers worries me a little.

Think it also shows it's another big step away from the 'Dutch' model we've followed under Beuker in the last few years. That said, I think Paul Nuijten has done alright with his interim spell in charge working with what he's got, I hope he gets the chance to stay around at Queen's Park and he isn't another exit.

[Anonymous Spider]

Somewhere north of ambivalent on Davidson, but maybe what this group needs is someone to toughen them up and get them organised. Not an old school dinosaur and not an untried old firm tabloid nightmare waiting to happy… so yes looks decent.

Militant oranje-ball just not realistic in this league so happy to see a bit of pragmatism creep in. DoF appointment will be interesting and maybe more of an indication on the long-term model. 

[RandomGuy.]

25 minutes ago, Dave said:

but his record on transfers worries me a little.

It was as much quantity as lack of quality too, our senior squad last season was around 40 players. We signed 19 players in 21/22 and i dont think any were a success and every one will likely be gone by this Summer.

14 minutes ago, Anonymous Spider said:

Somewhere north of ambivalent on Davidson, but maybe what this group needs is someone to toughen them up and get them organised. Not an old school dinosaur and not an untried old firm tabloid nightmare waiting to happy… so yes looks decent.

Militant oranje-ball just not realistic in this league so happy to see a bit of pragmatism creep in. DoF appointment will be interesting and maybe more of an indication on the long-term model. 

I would say we only looked organised in his first season. After that his increasingly negative, defence first, tactics didnt actually stop us conceding goals. 

His league record in 21/22 and 22/23 was...

Played: 70

Won: 17

Drawn: 16

Lost: 37

Scored: 57

Conceded: 104

Edited January 7 by RandomGuy.

[qpfc]

It’s not the most glamorous looking appointment but the more i think about it, the more the club maybe needs this type of appointment. We’ve appointed various ‘projects’ as managers over the last few years and have failed pretty miserably. Veldman came in as pretty exciting and forward thinking guy but within 4-6 weeks, everyone could see he wasn’t up to it 

We seriously need a manager who can give us some sort of stability for a couple years. At the end of the day, I take far more satisfaction from winning games of football than trying to play nice entertaining football and losing consistently. If it means the football needs to be slightly more pragmatic, especially in the immediate short term then I’m all for it 
 

Would Davidson of been my first choice ? Probably not. I’d of been more enthused with Bowyer or Courts but for a team joint bottom of the championship, I’m not gonna turn my nose up at a cup double winning manager 

Lets been honest, we were never appointing someone with a perfect CV in our current predicament 

Edited January 7 by qpfc

[Spider]

16 minutes ago, RandomGuy. said:

I would say we only looked organised in his first season. After that his increasingly negative, defence first, tactics didnt actually stop us conceding goals. 

His league record in 21/22 and 22/23 was...

Played: 70

Won: 17

Drawn: 16

Lost: 37

Scored: 57

Conceded: 104

 

How much would you say you've improved since he left?

[RandomGuy.]

14 minutes ago, Spider said:

 

How much would you say you've improved since he left?

Its hard to really know as we've completely changed the squad since then, and had two managers in short term, so is it fair to judge Davidson against them?

Steven MacLean was a disaster after the initial bounce last season, and we'd likely have had better results with Davidson (if he hadnt relegated us, which looked likely). But theres a caveat that he was left with a situation where he had to cut the squad by about 20 players, cut the wage budget massively (we made our largest ever loss last season), and all the targets they had in mind for the Summer were then out of reach, as Davidson had pretty much free reign until his sacking to spend what he wanted (different rumours exist ranging from under £400k to upwards of £750k, but theres zero doubt he spent multiples of every manager we've had for the past 20yrs combined). Our squad for the league cup was held together by kids and half fit players but the 4-0 loss to Stirling has to go up as one of the worst in our history, and honestly couldve been worse. 

Levein has been an improvement on Davidson, so far. We arent actually set up all that differently but its all more organised and structured. We look better defensively, but also better in possession and its a lack of quality that kills attacks. Hes done that within a few months of taking over a confidence sapped, unorganised, mess. 

A lot of the issues with Davidson was squad building though. He handed out 2/3 years like confetti, and mostly to shite. Ali Crawford got a 3yr deal a few months into a bang average loan spell, and a few weeks in that contract he was dropped and never really ever returned to the team. We're still paying him and hes not contributed for about 2 years. That combined with how many ageing players or loans he'd sign, and the amount of players, turned fans against him as it was clear it was ending in disaster eventually.

Edited January 7 by RandomGuy.

[an86]

Hope he brings Stevie May with him. 

[The Real Saints]

Fine coach, but not a manager at any level of the game. My sympathies go to Queens Park. Give it a few months before he has alienated half of the squad and half of the fanbase.

[RandomGuy.]

4 minutes ago, an86 said:

Hope he brings Stevie May with him. 

May and Paton would be great together, i think.

Mays not really a goalscorer anymore, but has a knack of getting in behind sides in the channels and finding a team mate in the box.

[williebraveheart]

I would welcome Davidson. He should have the contacts to get us what we need in January. I like Dom Thomas a lot but if we are going to continue with 3-5-2 or 5-3-2 (which I like) I am not sure where Thomas fits in. If we can get a decent fee for him I would not be too critical of him going particularly if we were to get a recognised experienced striker.

[Zanetti]

9 minutes ago, RandomGuy. said:

May and Paton would be great together, i think.

Mays not really a goalscorer anymore, but has a knack of getting in behind sides in the channels and finding a team mate in the box.

That's exactly the sort of player Paton needs up front with him right now. Would take him without a moment's hesitation.

[Anonymous Spider]

12 minutes ago, The Real Saints said:

Fine coach, but not a manager at any level of the gam

This could suit our set-up quite well to be fair.