The Queen of the South thread

[WILLIEA]

Gus on OS said he's trying to bring players in but some may have to go.

Hope we don't lose the good ones to pay for not so good.

That would be my fear too.

[die hard doonhamer]

We only have four good ones (McKenna,C.Reid,Smith,Robinson) the rest can go.

I'd add Carmicheal and Clark from what I've seen this year (albeit only 4 games). We do need a mass overhaul though.

[ryanqos]

I'd add Carmicheal and Clark from what I've seen this year (albeit only 4 games). We do need a mass overhaul though.

There nippy not much else imo, they've no end product.

Both young though so time to improve.

[JRS LEFT PEG]

Would very much like there to be more of a connection between the team and fans . In the past we have had Dobbie , Harris, Tosh etc and its not the same now . I would agree that of the experienced players , only really Robinson , McKenna and Reid seem to be playing with any real passion. I am counting down the days until at least five of these wasters leave the scene . Feel like wringing these pretenders necks and telling them never to darken our doors again.

[Dickie Davies]

Would very much like there to be more of a connection between the team and fans . In the past we have had Dobbie , Harris, Tosh etc and its not the same now . I would agree that of the experienced players , only really Robinson , McKenna and Reid seem to be playing with any real passion. I am counting down the days until at least five of these wasters leave the scene . Feel like wringing these pretenders necks and telling them never to darken our doors again.

[Dickie Davies]

Would very much like there to be more of a connection between the team and fans . In the past we have had Dobbie , Harris, Tosh etc and its not the same now . I would agree that of the experienced players , only really Robinson , McKenna and Reid seem to be playing with any real passion. I am counting down the days until at least five of these wasters leave the scene . Feel like wringing these pretenders necks and telling them never to darken our doors again.

[football maniac]

I'm afraid to say my days of just blindly turning up on matchday and paying whatever is asked of me may also be coming to an end. It's not really an entertainment vs cost dilemma because I'm realistic enough to appreciate both why it costs what it does, and also why the standard is so poor. Queens (and football as a whole) are one of my main hobbies/past times so I am pretty happy to pay whatever it takes in normal circumstances. The main reason though is how going to watch Queens has made me feel this season. Angry from time to time, but perhaps more worryingly, just really, really unhappy. There has been very little, if any, enjoyment for the fans, with each turgid affair blending into the next. I pretty much want to leave as soon as I get to the game, which is why I've started questioning going in the first place. I think the massive overhaul of the squad is the key, and not just in terms of the reduction in ability. I feel no affinity with any of the players, and it is pretty evident they feel the same way about the club (I would put Craig Reid and Steven McKenna as exceptions to this). It all just adds to a horrible atmosphere around the club at the minute.

Couldn't agree with you more. There is not one player I feel excited about watching which is what football should be all about as it is afterall an entertainment business. The limited players we do have seem to play with so much fear and are unable to express themselves or even motivate themselves to play for the club. On the whole MacPhersons signings have been awful and theres no denying that. People will state we had limited funds etc but the same applies to Falkirk and yet they managed to find good quality players like El Alagui and Weatherston (who was stupidly released by us) so MacPherson didn't use his budget anything like as well as a better manager would have. The Morton game apart I have also found myself wanting the final whistle just after kick off and like you this is a sensation I have never felt since supporting the club. Something needs to change and quick otherwise we will fall into the second division without a trace.

[kirkyblue2]

The next 2 games are make or break.

Win them and our season could change for the better and they are winnable, losing them doesn't bear thinking about.

[happysouth]

Does any one have the stats of how many points wins etc we had when Ian Scott was sacked? Just curious.

[Homer Thompson]

Does any one have the stats of how many points wins etc we had when Ian Scott was sacked? Just curious.

I did have them on a spreadsheet at work, but Im off until the 9th

[happysouth]

Maybe someone has the programme from the week after he went?

[Monkey Tennis]

Things were I suppose marginally worse under Scott in terms of points per game ratio. It could of course be argued though that as it was still earlier in the season, we were in less trouble. The circumstances were however quite different in other ways too:

Firstly, we could afford to sack a manager at that time.

Secondly, Scott had no reputation in the game to fall back on in troubled times. He'd had a decent previous season, but was otherwise unknown and there was a feeling that his previous success still owed a lot to Connolly.

Thirdly, he'd brought in a sports psychologist to post pictures of broken windows in the Hamilton dressing room in a step as humiliating as it was ineffective.

And fourthly, we shouldn't have been so badly placed that season - there were two much smaller clubs than us in the division.

I still see little point in dismissing Gus just now, nor any prospect of it. It wouldn't be an outrageous decision either though.

As for the JR'sLeft Peg/Flash argument, cut it out guys. You've both got lots to offer the forum and can disagree without falling out.

FWIW, I think it's got a lot to do with how you see your relationship with the club. For me, I go because I want to. When something else clashes or I don't fancy it, I don't go. I speak of loyalty and sometimes attend without much enthusiasm, but the fact is that I go along on my own terms and feel no great sense of obligation. The way things are just now, I think I can safely say that if I didn't live in Dumfries, I'd probably have given it a rest lately. We all have different relationaships with the club though and I'm not sure that there's a 'right' one.

On a separate note, welcome aboard Dickie Davies - "Miss, he called me a green frog!"

[Monkey Tennis]

Piss off.

Will do.

[JRS LEFT PEG]

I have taken stock of things and have no grudges . Too old for that carry on really. Its easy for me to heat up on Queens related topics . THe frustration of the financial situation and poor quallity football takes its toll at times. I would very much like our attendances to increase and for there to be a more united front . Lets hope the team can wake from their slumbers on the 2nd

[Homer Thompson]

Don't know exactly, but McCall's first game was Accies away and the week before we were second bottom with 8 points from 14 games, 3 points behind Stranraer and 4 above Brechin who had played a game less.

ETA This was 12 November 2005. Not sure when he was sacked, probably a couple of weeks before that when we had 7 points from 14 games, 3 more than Brechin and 3 less than Stranraer.

Interestingly, or not, McCalls first 14 games brought us even less points, if I remember rightly.

[Monkey Tennis]

Interestingly, or not, McCalls first 14 games brought us even less points, if I remember rightly.

It is interesting in that the gap that opened up, allowed McCall to claim that he closed this huge chasm, in securing a great escape; subtly ignoring of course that the vast bulk of said gap opened up under his charge.

[Monkey Tennis]

The gap when he took over was 3 points and by 2 January it was 12 points. We took 24 points from the last 15 games while Stranraer took 8. It was more or less a complete reversal for each team. We may have caught Stranraer anyway, but them losing Jenkins was pivotal.

I think the Jenkins thing probably was the key. We still weren't so great after the new year that we'd have got anywhere near Stranraer without their complete collapse. The fact that it became difficult to see where Stranraer might get any points from, spurred us on to secure the handful of wins necessary to get past them. It's impossible to quantify what Jenkins' continued participation would have been worth to them, but it seems reasonable that their best player - a box to box midfielder - would have prevented them from crumbling quite so spectacularly.

I remember watching them ship four goals in the first twenty minutes at home to Clyde on the same day we beat Dundee at Dens. Stranraer were in total disarray and it brought us to within, I think, six points of them, with a game against them coming up. It was the first time I thought we might do it, but it had more to do with how awful they looked, rather than anything we could offer.

[Homer Thompson]

Looks like it was 13 points from his first 14 games.

Maybe it was earlier on then. There was definitely a point where he had less points than at the same point as Scott - maybe after 5 or 6 games

[qos_75]

Where are Stranraer when you need them? Hopefully Ayr, Raith or Hamilton will step in to fulfill that particular role this time around.

[Monkey Tennis]

We finished the season with 33 points. If Stranraer had maintained their average of a point a game after 21 games, they would have finished with 36 instead of 29.

Put like that, maybe Stranraer didn't fall away quite as badly as I remembered.

Our dire form in the first half and a bit, probably was more responsible for the gap than anything. I seem to recall (although that's clearly not to be trusted) that Stranraer had a couple of good wins around Christmas before beating us in the new year to put them almost out of sight.

Despite my dodgy recollections, it's clear that we're not yet in the same trouble this time. I suppose that's worth clinging to for a bit.