The Queen of the South thread

[Queens1919]

You will see in that video though, that there is support out with his own half. Something Queens seem to struggle with. Too negative. Never seems to be enough options going forward and certainly very little off ball movement.

[HighlandQueen]

53 minutes ago, Queens1919 said:

You will see in that video though, that there is support out with his own half. Something Queens seem to struggle with. Too negative. Never seems to be enough options going forward and certainly very little off ball movement.

I’m not in the Jake Hutchison boo boy group. He has scored at a decent level but give the guy a break. He is working hard on his own with no partner and no follow up from midfield. He has a nice touch. My only worry is that he is not the speediest player. 

[Alex Nesovic's Barmy Army]

1 hour ago, Nithsdale Wanderer said:

So did Emilio Jaconelli for our Reserves. Cue clamour for 1st team start. Could not replicate that to any degree. All about levels I guess.

I agree with main bit of your point. Although I don't think our strikers get good service. I think Reilly has done very well to have the goals tally he has this season. Our wingers' stats aren't great, am sure someone posted them the other week.

Last year I remember Paton getting a bit of stick for missing a lot of chances. I am happy to be told otherwise, but it doesn't feel we are creating the same amount of chances this time around.

Not a defence of Hutchison, per se, just an observation. Jury still out.

[Priti priti priti Patel]

3 hours ago, Nithsdale Wanderer said:

So did Emilio Jaconelli for our Reserves. Cue clamour for 1st team start. Could not replicate that to any degree. All about levels I guess.

 

Yes, but just taking the first three clubs he's scored against in that video: Chesterfield, Bromley, Wrexham. That's a slightly higher level than playing for our Reserves. 

[Rjc-1988]

It clearly doesn't help any player to be on the wrong end of the supporters' rath but I have to say that I have seen nothing in Hutchinson's contribution to date to give me any grounds for optimism. I don't like the lone striker option either, frankly I think it is a daft strategy at L1 level but the modern coaches are brainwashed with 4s, 6s, 8s, false 9s, No 10 role. It makes no sense to isolate your striker unless of course they happen to be pacy, have a great first touch, can "run in behind", hold the ball up and finish spectacularly. If they could do all that they would be playing at a much higher level than us. Much better to "hunt in pairs" and work as a partnership up top.

Personally, I think Ross Irving is a better option in the absence of Gavin. At least he has a bit of pace and can "put himself about". We are down to the bare bones in terms of striking options so have to make the best of things. The problem is that Bartley signed Hutchinson on a two year deal(I repeat a 2 year deal) and he has to justify that decision which I think will prove difficult if recent performances are anything to go by.

[NavyBlueArmy1876]

1 hour ago, Rjc-1988 said:

I don't like the lone striker option either, frankly I think it is a daft strategy at L1 level but the modern coaches are brainwashed with 4s, 6s, 8s, false 9s, No 10 role. It makes no sense to isolate your striker unless of course they happen to be pacy, have a great first touch, can "run in behind", hold the ball up and finish spectacularly. If they could do all that they would be playing at a much higher level than us. Much better to "hunt in pairs" and work as a partnership up top.

We've been playing 1 up front all season and the goals have flowed, apart from against Queens ironically

Ross MacIver isn't exactly Cristiano Ronaldo either but he's done pretty well up there 

[Fae_the_'briggs]

It must have been the Alloa centre half's easiest game of the season on Saturday, he won almost every header lobbed up towards Hutchison. I think the only header Hutchison "won" bounced off the top of his head in the build up to the goal iirc, certainly wasn't meant. As has been said, maybe the lone striker role doesn't suit him but, imo, impressions up til now aren't filling me with hope that he'll score double figures in a season. 

Wish Iain Wilson all the best at Morton, he always seemed to try his best when he played, shame it didn't work out here. I hope his injury problems don't suddenly flare up now he's signed a permanent deal though. 

Edited January 17 by Fae_the_'briggs

[Distant Doonhamer]

11 minutes ago, NavyBlueArmy1876 said:

We've been playing 1 up front all season and the goals have flowed, apart from against Queens ironically

Ross MacIver isn't exactly Cristiano Ronaldo either but he's done pretty well up there 

It presumably helps that your overall team/squad is of a higher standard than the rest of league one.

Sadly we don't have that luxury and are in fact pish.

[Fae_the_'briggs]

3 minutes ago, NavyBlueArmy1876 said:

We've been playing 1 up front all season and the goals have flowed, apart from against Queens ironically

Ross MacIver isn't exactly Cristiano Ronaldo either but he's done pretty well up there 

Without checking you'll have a good few goals coming from other positions though so that takes a bit of pressure of a lone striker, especially if the lone striker is chipping in with a few assists. 

[Baghdad_QoS]

On 14/01/2024 at 16:47, QoS99 said:

I’ve never understood the last few seasons recruitment with squads of 25+, I think it makes a lot more sense to run with a much smaller squad of 16/17 senior players (like Morton do) and the rest from our academy. That is surely a better way to manage our finances so we are in the market for a better player. Having said that, with this seasons injuries we would have struggled for a full squad most weeks.

Absolutely the model that should have been adopted.  I genuinely thought that this was also in both WG and MB's pushes when they came on board.  Yes when you see the injuries we would have struggled, but there is nothing to say this would have been the same.  Smaller squad and a hybrid Full Time/Part Time one at that, subsidised by Youth/Reserve would have eased significant financial pressures.... and even if we had to play more reserves due to injury the pressure on the Manager lessens as expectation of those youth replacement is understood by the fans.... and maybe just maybe they would surprise as the incentive is there for them to perform.

I will always be an advocate to train more in Dumfries for identity but also aligned to a hybrid part time model, it would allow us to tap into the English market for part time players also..... not saying english part time players are better than Scottish... however the market is considerably bigger (if scouting is done correctly which with MB's supposed contacts it should be)

Putting my tuppence worth in in regard to transfers, I don't think the club don't have the money to spend, I think they don't trust MB to spend wisely, so have told him he needs to utilise the existing budget... Bizarrely enough we are very much still in with a shout of the play offs but something needs to be injected into the squad to push us over the line. Anyones guess where that comes from though.  Anything but 4th is a failure.

 

[Frankie S]

5 hours ago, Baghdad_QoS said:

Putting my tuppence worth in in regard to transfers, I don't think the club don't have the money to spend, I think they don't trust MB to spend wisely, so have told him he needs to utilise the existing budget... Bizarrely enough we are very much still in with a shout of the play offs but something needs to be injected into the squad to push us over the line. Anyones guess where that comes from though.  Anything but 4th is a failure.

 

The board should either back the manager in this window or sack him. If we are to have any prospect of reaching the play-offs, we have to strengthen during the window. If we don’t, we’re resigning ourselves to another year of stagnation. If the board accept League One as our ’new normal’, then quite simply we need a new board. If they’re not prepared to sack him, then they should back him. Conversely, if they’re not prepared to back him, then they should sack him.

Not sacking him and not backing him is the worst of all possible worlds. Leaving a dead man walking in charge that they don’t trust to ‘spend funds wisely’, until such time as they deem it cost-efficient to get rid of him, likely half way through next year’s (predictably anti-climactic) campaign, is condemning Bartley to inevitable failure, and the club to further incremental decline, to the point where just surviving in League One will be seen as the summit of our realistic aspirations (although I suspect we’re already there).

[the_palmy_pie]

Why are the BOD sitting silent ? 
 

yet again little old Annan putting them to shame. 

[rubber_duck]

Ok, imagine If he’s backed, what’s realistic? 4th? At a push? Then playoffs against teams we have virtually no form against? Would it be worth the financial outlay? I’m not sure.

Even with some in’s and outs, will it radically improve our chances against those in the play-offs from League one or a championship team desperate for survival? I have my doubts given what we’ve seen with Bartley so far. So if he was to be backed or sacked, it’s going to be neither. See the season out and start again. 

[Kunter]

2 hours ago, rubber_duck said:

Ok, imagine If he’s backed, what’s realistic? 4th? At a push? Then playoffs against teams we have virtually no form against? Would it be worth the financial outlay? I’m not sure.

Even with some in’s and outs, will it radically improve our chances against those in the play-offs from League one or a championship team desperate for survival? I have my doubts given what we’ve seen with Bartley so far. So if he was to be backed or sacked, it’s going to be neither. See the season out and start again. 

Johnston wasn't backed in the January transfer and we got relegated. 

There's no plan by the board. They are simply incompetent and not fit to run a football club. 

For god's sake look at the decline since Hewitsons taken over. 

GET RID OF THIS BOD !!!!

 

[Slipmat]

10 hours ago, Baghdad_QoS said:

Smaller squad and a hybrid Full Time/Part Time one at that, subsidised by Youth/Reserve would have eased significant financial pressures.... and even if we had to play more reserves due to injury the pressure on the Manager lessens as expectation of those youth replacement is understood by the fans.... and maybe just maybe they would surprise as the incentive is there for them to perform.

An issue here is that our youth development programme is extremely parochial in that nearly all of our youth players seem to be boys from Dumfries & Galloway, an area not exactly known for producing good footballers, who are coached by staff who, aside from Mathieson, have played at no level higher than the South of Scotland League.   Very few youth players seem to progress to become first team regulars, and with the exception of Lewis Gibson* and Ross Irving*, those who have done so in recent years (Dykes, Murray, Pickard) had come through youth systems at clubs outside the region before arriving at Queens.  Even the one that got away, Owen Moxon, had previously been at Carlisle United.

* who could both better be described as "first team irregulars"

[bod]

On 17/01/2024 at 10:24, HighlandQueen said:

I’m not in the Jake Hutchison boo boy group. He has scored at a decent level but give the guy a break. He is working hard on his own with no partner and no follow up from midfield. He has a nice touch. My only worry is that he is not the speediest player. 

With you on your first sentence but on Saturday his first touch was awful, with his second touch often a tackle.

[bod]

22 hours ago, NavyBlueArmy1876 said:

We've been playing 1 up front all season and the goals have flowed, apart from against Queens ironically

Ross MacIver isn't exactly Cristiano Ronaldo either but he's done pretty well up there 

Queens strikers can only dream of the service Miller and Morrison provide. Based on what I've seen MacIver should have a lot more goals. In our last game against you there were a couple of brilliant ball's played in that went right across the six yard box with no takers.

Our best crosser of the ball is on the bench more often than not!

[19QOS19]

11 hours ago, Baghdad_QoS said:

...subsidised by Youth/Reserve would have eased significant financial pressures.... and even if we had to play more reserves due to injury the pressure on the Manager lessens as expectation of those youth replacement is understood by the fans.... and maybe just maybe they would surprise as the incentive is there for them to perform.

 

I agree with the principal of your post (except training in Dumfries. I think a few fans have a fair bit of revisionism when it comes to that) but I think we'd be even worse off if we had more youth players in our squad. Sadly we're very weak in that department (it's another issue entirely). Gibson was streets ahead of everyone else in his reserve side and was always going to break through. There really wasn't much else. Nathan (forget his last name) would have had a chance but he's entirely chucked it now and Oram hasn't really kicked on. Irving looked ok at times but is miles away from L1 level. Jury is out for me on Kennedy. He was brilliant against Gretna, but it's Gretna. He was hot and cold at reserve level so time will tell. 

Point is, our youngsters aren't up to L1 level for the most part. As much as I'd love them to be around the first team I don't think there's any place for sentiment with the position we're in sadly. 

 

5 hours ago, Frankie S said:

The board should either back the manager in this window or sack him. If we are to have any prospect of reaching the play-offs, we have to strengthen during the window. If we don’t, we’re resigning ourselves to another year of stagnation. If the board accept League One as our ’new normal’, then quite simply we need a new board. If they’re not prepared to sack him, then they should back him. Conversely, if they’re not prepared to back him, then they should sack him.

So much this. But then I agree with the post below and kind of think it's maybe the BoDs thinking. Rightly or wrongly. 

 

4 hours ago, rubber_duck said:

Ok, imagine If he’s backed, what’s realistic? 4th? At a push? Then playoffs against teams we have virtually no form against? Would it be worth the financial outlay? I’m not sure.

Even with some in’s and outs, will it radically improve our chances against those in the play-offs from League one or a championship team desperate for survival? I have my doubts given what we’ve seen with Bartley so far. So if he was to be backed or sacked, it’s going to be neither. See the season out and start again. 

 

 

2 hours ago, Kunter said:

Johnston wasn't backed in the January transfer and we got relegated. 

There's no plan by the board. They are simply incompetent and not fit to run a football club. 

For god's sake look at the decline since Hewitsons taken over. 

GET RID OF THIS BOD !!!!

 

We'd have been relegated regardless. AJ did more than enough to prove he was out of his depth. Absolutely no surprise to see he hasn't managed to get a gig since leaving us. 

Hard to disagree with the rest of your post though, sadly. 

Edited January 18 by 19QOS19

[Greenacres]

6 hours ago, Frankie S said:

The board should either back the manager in this window or sack him. If we are to have any prospect of reaching the play-offs, we have to strengthen during the window. If we don’t, we’re resigning ourselves to another year of stagnation. If the board accept League One as our ’new normal’, then quite simply we need a new board. If they’re not prepared to sack him, then they should back him. Conversely, if they’re not prepared to back him, then they should sack him.

Not sacking him and not backing him is the worst of all possible worlds. Leaving a dead man walking in charge that they don’t trust to ‘spend funds wisely’, until such time as they deem it cost-efficient to get rid of him, likely half way through next year’s (predictably anti-climactic) campaign, is condemning Bartley to inevitable failure, and the club to further incremental decline, to the point where just surviving in League One will be seen as the summit of our realistic aspirations (although I suspect we’re already there).

Queens are struggling financially any manager we had just now would be told he had to move players out to get mew signing in .

We just can't keep adding to what will be another huge loss this season it will be double what we lost last season no Rangers game plus part cost of a new pitch and poor crowds.

Back to the manager it does not really matter how he performs we just can't afford to sack him till at least this time next year .

Everything in football is about money a good example is Raith Rovers a  similar size club to us they not long ago were like us stuggling  in League 1 but now they have been backed financially they are like a different club.

[grazza]

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