The Queen of the South thread

[Homer Thompson]

Are people forgetting we were in the seaside leagues last year? Of course we looked a better side, yes we won a few cup games but we will never know of we could have done it over 36 games in a higher league.

I think too much is being made of the "step up" in quality this season. There are better teams, no doubt, but no one Ive seen so far has looked that good

[MacWatt]

Forget Johnston and Clark. They are not covering themsleves in glory in the SPL in fact their management looks wanting.

McIntyre made a good start. The team he set up created enough chances to win the game today. The players have to look to themselves about the missed chances.

I like Durnan but that attitude needs sorting.

[FC United mk2]

I think too much is being made of the "step up" in quality this season. There are better teams, no doubt, but no one Ive seen so far has looked that good

Get your heads out your arses, queens had the biggest budget in the 2nd division and had players twice the quality of anything that was in that league. I said in this thread long before the season started and before johnstone left that we had no right to be claiming we were going to make a push for promotion or to take the league by storm like many people were claiming at the time. Had johnstone still been in charge would things be different? No one can answer that! Fact is the team hasn't changed that much only Clark and Robinson have left, if we go by what a few folk are saying that Clarks form last season was fluke then he's no great loss ( I beg to differ on that point). For me queens are struggling to make the step up and teams are punishing mistakes that we got away with last year due to lack of quality.

Will Allan Johnstone be sitting in his armchair tonight regretting leaving QOS? Not a chance, he joined a bigger club and in essence has been handed a promotion and a secure contract which no one in these troubled times would turn down unless they were stupid!

Should Johnstone have left queens when he did? Probably not.

[qos_75]

Just saw this on twitter. Good luck to them in their relegation scrap.

Clearly he didn't fancy our relegation scrap.

[qos_75]

Forget Johnston and Clark. They are not covering themsleves in glory in the SPL in fact their management looks wanting.

Seriously? There is a big difference between an outstanding Queens in the second division and even a poor Killie in the Premier.

The way things are panning out I have doubt everyone wishes that Johnstone and co had remained at Queens but that's life.

[overthetop]

Much is right with Queens at the moment especially off the field. Hopefully the team can have a really positive couple of weeks and get the season up and running.

[qos1990]

I'm not entirely convinced with McIntyre either, he seems to making this job a lot harder for himself than it is. Yesterday, how McGuffie and Carmichael stayed on the park for 90 minutes ill never know. I think every man and his dog knew Mitchell at right mid wouldn't work, then taking Russell off when he's one of our most dangerous players!!

I know teams are coming to Palmerston and sitting in but you have to find ways around this. We're far too slow moving the ball around the park. We don't press teams like we did last year either and give them much more time on ball. Also, gifting teams goals in most games. I'm not entirely blaming McIntyre as I think some of the players probably think there big time and they need a right good kick up the arse. But we need to start picking up points or were going to be at wrong end of the table.

[Homer Thompson]

Get your heads out your arses, queens had the biggest budget in the 2nd division and had players twice the quality of anything that was in that league. I said in this thread long before the season started and before johnstone left that we had no right to be claiming we were going to make a push for promotion or to take the league by storm like many people were claiming at the time. Had johnstone still been in charge would things be different? No one can answer that! Fact is the team hasn't changed that much only Clark and Robinson have left, if we go by what a few folk are saying that Clarks form last season was fluke then he's no great loss ( I beg to differ on that point). For me queens are struggling to make the step up and teams are punishing mistakes that we got away with last year due to lack of quality.

Will Allan Johnstone be sitting in his armchair tonight regretting leaving QOS? Not a chance, he joined a bigger club and in essence has been handed a promotion and a secure contract which no one in these troubled times would turn down unless they were stupid!

Should Johnstone have left queens when he did? Probably not.

So we had the biggest budget in the second and players twice the quality of anyone else, and most of them are still here? Agreed. In that case, then, those players should be more than capable of competing in the first division. That is exactly the point I made after the Hamilton game and I stick by it. We had first division players last season and a manager who knew how to get the best out of them. We still have first division players.

Your other point about the team not changing is exactly what others have said. Or more accurately, theyve pointed out that the personnel hasnt changed significantly, but the team has because the manager is playing his own formation and players in different positions.

No one is saying we should be taking the league by storm. However, on the face of it, this is one of the weakest first divisions for a long time, or at very least one of the evenest. Theres enough quality in the squad to be, at least, competing for the play offs.

[overthetop]

So we had the biggest budget in the second and players twice the quality of anyone else, and most of them are still here? Agreed. In that case, then, those players should be more than capable of competing in the first division. That is exactly the point I made after the Hamilton game and I stick by it. We had first division players last season and a manager who knew how to get the best out of them. We still have first division players.

Your other point about the team not changing is exactly what others have said. Or more accurately, theyve pointed out that the personnel hasnt changed significantly, but the team has because the manager is playing his own formation and players in different positions.

No one is saying we should be taking the league by storm. However, on the face of it, this is one of the weakest first divisions for a long time, or at very least one of the evenest. Theres enough quality in the squad to be, at least, competing for the play offs.

Unless things improve quickly 8th place will be the target!!

[Guest Flash]

5 points from 5 games, 3 of the games at home.

Gus had 4 points from the first 5 games, 3 of the games being away.

So, either McIntyre is making a complete arse of a really good team. Or the team that won the Second division with a record breaking points total (more even than the overpaid Gretna cheats) is no better than the one that played under Gus.

[WILLIEA]

Or the team that won the Second division with a record breaking points total (more even than the overpaid Gretna cheats) is no better than the one that played under Gus.

That is a truly scary thought!

[palmy_cammy]

5 points from 5 games, 3 of the games at home.

Gus had 4 points from the first 5 games, 3 of the games being away.

So, either McIntyre is making a complete arse of a really good team. Or the team that won the Second division with a record breaking points total (more even than the overpaid Gretna cheats) is no better than the one that played under Gus.

I think a comparison with Chisholm is probably fairer. Making a complete arse of a talented squad, with decent cup form hiding his ineptitude.

Not defending Gus by any means, but he had to largely sign his own squad, and proved sadly that as well as not being able to get the best out of good players, he also had a tremendous eye for utterly shite players.

McIntyre was handed a fantastic squad on a plate and has royally fucked it.

How long a contract was he given?

[overthetop]

I think a comparison with Chisholm is probably fairer. Making a complete arse of a talented squad, with decent cup form hiding his ineptitude.

Not defending Gus by any means, but he had to largely sign his own squad, and proved sadly that as well as not being able to get the best out of good players, he also had a tremendous eye for utterly shite players.

McIntyre was handed a fantastic squad on a plate and has royally fucked it.

How long a contract was he given?

Am I right in saying two years? He's going nowhere so we have to hope he sorts it.

[FC United mk2]

So we had the biggest budget in the second and players twice the quality of anyone else, and most of them are still here? Agreed. In that case, then, those players should be more than capable of competing in the first division. That is exactly the point I made after the Hamilton game and I stick by it. We had first division players last season and a manager who knew how to get the best out of them. We still have first division players.

Your other point about the team not changing is exactly what others have said. Or more accurately, theyve pointed out that the personnel hasnt changed significantly, but the team has because the manager is playing his own formation and players in different positions.

No one is saying we should be taking the league by storm. However, on the face of it, this is one of the weakest first divisions for a long time, or at very least one of the evenest. Theres enough quality in the squad to be, at least, competing for the play offs.

But what I'm saying is that bar a couple cup games the quality of the opposition that we had last season makes it difficult to gauge how we should be performing in this league. No one will ever know how we would of performed had Johnstone and Clark still at the club but we have no right to assume that because we were brilliant last year that was going to make us a title contender this season. The problem I had with your Hamilton point was just the disrespectful nature of how you said it and I felt angry that because of one good season we had become an arrogant monster, although in the end I think you cleared up what you were trying to say and to a degree I understand how you feel about it.

[Guest Flash]

I think a comparison with Chisholm is probably fairer. Making a complete arse of a talented squad, with decent cup form hiding his ineptitude.

Not defending Gus by any means, but he had to largely sign his own squad, and proved sadly that as well as not being able to get the best out of good players, he also had a tremendous eye for utterly shite players.

McIntyre was handed a fantastic squad on a plate and has royally fucked it.

How long a contract was he given?

I agree that a comparison with Chisholm is fairer. My point was, though, that he is either making a pig's ear out of a silk purse or we have all been kidding ourselves about how good the squad he inherited really is.

[Homer Thompson]

But what I'm saying is that bar a couple cup games the quality of the opposition that we had last season makes it difficult to gauge how we should be performing in this league. No one will ever know how we would of performed had Johnstone and Clark still at the club but we have no right to assume that because we were brilliant last year that was going to make us a title contender this season. The problem I had with your Hamilton point was just the disrespectful nature of how you said it and I felt angry that because of one good season we had become an arrogant monster, although in the end I think you cleared up what you were trying to say and to a degree I understand how you feel about it.

Thats a fair point, it is difficult to gauge the difference in quality. However, we destroyed the second division last season with, as you say, players well above that level. I dont think its arrogance to suggest they should be doing better this season - it certainly isnt meant that way. As a group we're, too often, guilty of downplaying our success and almost being ashamed of success. It isnt arrogant to say we had a bloody good team last season.

Just to clarify, Im not really bothered about who the manager is. I dont think McIntyre is a bad manager, but he clearly hasnt got to grips with this squad yet and his changes havent worked. Johnston, presumably, wouldnt have changed things but if he had, he would have received exactly the same criticism McIntyre has.

[FC United mk2]

Thats a fair point, it is difficult to gauge the difference in quality. However, we destroyed the second division last season with, as you say, players well above that level. I dont think its arrogance to suggest they should be doing better this season - it certainly isnt meant that way. As a group we're, too often, guilty of downplaying our success and almost being ashamed of success. It isnt arrogant to say we had a bloody good team last season.

Just to clarify, Im not really bothered about who the manager is. I dont think McIntyre is a bad manager, but he clearly hasnt got to grips with this squad yet and his changes havent worked. Johnston, presumably, wouldnt have changed things but if he had, he would have received exactly the same criticism McIntyre has.

Yeah I agree we do have a really good team who are definately capable of doing alot better and I would be concerned if reading what someone said yesterday that we had resorted back to lump the ball up the park tactics. I don't think it's arrogant to suggest we should be doing better than we are I just thought the way you came across in the Hamilton post by saying that last seasons team would of beat the 3 teams we had played would of been beaten easily or something to that effect and to me it came across disrespectful and abit too arrogant! Anyway listen I do see what you are saying but the fact is we can't compare this season to last season.

[overthetop]

I for one thought this season would be far more of a challenge. What I didn't expect was Queens in 9th place and 5points after the first 5 games.

[Senior_Coconut]

I think Alloa are a good barometer for us this season with us finishing 25pts above them last season I don't think it's arrogant to suggest we should be looking to finish above them this season as well.

[MB]

I for one thought this season would be far more of a challenge. What I didn't expect was Queens in 9th place and 5points after the first 5 games.

I did not expect that either. However, it is early days and there's plenty of time for McIntyre to find the right combinations. The step-up in quality is massive from second to first division (or league one to championship!) but this squad should be competing for a top four berth. We still might but we need to get our pressing game back. I'm firmly in the 'McIntyre is currently messing about with something that didn't need much tweaking' camp. If he ends up being more Chisholm than Gus then that's not saying too much.