DOC OUT

[kenmcblue]

Thanks for thoughts folks on balance of squad / finances and info from@Jimmy McNulty re St Mirren & Motherwell setups.

I Appreciate St Mirren are not fully cemented in the top league, it’s probably more the way they have went about improving over the last few years V’s our seemingly scatter gun approach to what seems like every recent season. JM’s explanation of St Mirren applying the Motherwell plan is very interesting

How Motherwell have had, as a provincial club, 40 years in the top league is a feat to equal what the Glasgow Mafia hoover up in trophies - again I Appreciate there have been some “Really Really Interesting” end of season Savings for them ???

[Parcbara]

Did someone not mention that Kirkwood was our head of recruitment. If it is, he should be punted.    We try to do things on the cheap. Look at the appointments of  McCann and McPake. I am surprised that McCann lasted so long with JN, given his strength of mind. Our recruitment strategy this year has caused us to be where we are. Frankly, beyond foolish in this league. Had it worked, it would have been success on the cheap. We never filled the  Baka or Boateng gaps. Instead we 'borrowed' far too many youngsters. Our chief loves an   'experiment'.  Motherwell and St Mirren have a football person at the helm of the playing environment.  They recruit far more appropriately than we do. As do Ross County. All three clubs  are  realistically  below us in size.  TK has been great for our club. JN, perhaps only in my opinion, hasn't.  He doesn't pick the team, but he is the enabler.  We have one striker, one central midfielder.  Crucial areas  neglected. Can't see that being the manager not wanting such players. I say this not to absolve the Doc of any blame. His constant changing has not helped us at all. 

edit to add

I think we would be better to have a football man running the football size, which would allow John Nelms to concentrate on the other opportunities.

 

On another point, regarding the stadium. When this was scoped, did nobody foresee the traffic issue? Did we not consult to check this before TK spent an awful lot of money getting to this point? And will the training facility ever see the light of day? If it does, it wont be for next season, which it was trumpeted to be? I believe that we are out of Gardyne at the end of this season, or at least that was the case back in August. 

[QuesoGrande]

1 hour ago, Parcbara said:

Did someone not mention that Kirkwood was our head of recruitment. If it is, he should be punted.    We try to do things on the cheap. Look at the appointments of  McCann and McPake. I am surprised that McCann lasted so long with JN, given his strength of mind. Our recruitment strategy this year has caused us to be where we are. Frankly, beyond foolish in this league. Had it worked, it would have been success on the cheap. We never filled the  Baka or Boateng gaps. Instead we 'borrowed' far too many youngsters. Our chief loves an   'experiment'.  Motherwell and St Mirren have a football person at the helm of the playing environment.  They recruit far more appropriately than we do. As do Ross County. All three clubs  are  realistically  below us in size.  TK has been great for our club. JN, perhaps only in my opinion, hasn't.  He doesn't pick the team, but he is the enabler.  We have one striker, one central midfielder.  Crucial areas  neglected. Can't see that being the manager not wanting such players. I say this not to absolve the Doc of any blame. His constant changing has not helped us at all. 

 

On another point, regarding the stadium. When this was scoped, did nobody foresee the traffic issue? Did we not consult to check this before TK spent an awful lot of money getting to this point? And will the training facility ever see the light of day? If it does, it wont be for next season, which it was trumpeted to be? I believe that we are out of Gardyne at the end of this season, or at least that was the case back in August. 

Kirkwood arrived in June 2024 so not sure how much involvement he had in the summer transfers.

With the six or possibly even seven figure outlay on the pitch, funds were always going to be tight this season. Profit from the McCowan sale would offset that but the net upside would be a few hundred K. 

I actually think the strategy wasn’t too bad. Carson, shaugnessy, Fraser and Murray as the spine of the team. Then the likes of Sylla and Clark R followed by talented but raw youngsters. That’s probably what the funds allowed and it’s not a bad model on paper.  Sadly shaugnessy and Fraser injuries scuppered the plan. We still had money for permanent signings of Koumetio, Samuels and others though so I agree that could have been better spent on experience rather than potential. 
 

[eyeothedug]

With tonight's team selection hopefully he is out sooner rather than later. Back to a crappy back 3 and midget midfield. 

[eyeothedug]

21 hours ago, kenmcblue said:

Thanks for thoughts folks on balance of squad / finances and info from@Jimmy McNulty re St Mirren & Motherwell setups.

I Appreciate St Mirren are not fully cemented in the top league, it’s probably more the way they have went about improving over the last few years V’s our seemingly scatter gun approach to what seems like every recent season. JM’s explanation of St Mirren applying the Motherwell plan is very interesting

How Motherwell have had, as a provincial club, 40 years in the top league is a feat to equal what the Glasgow Mafia hoover up in trophies - again I Appreciate there have been some “Really Really Interesting” end of season Savings for them ???

Yes St Mirren are a well managed club unlike us.

[Dondeh]

9 hours ago, Parcbara said:

Did someone not mention that Kirkwood was our head of recruitment.

What a ludicrous (and presumably expensive) title, for starters. 

[Parcbara]

7 hours ago, QuesoGrande said:

Kirkwood arrived in June 2024 so not sure how much involvement he had in the summer transfers.

With the six or possibly even seven figure outlay on the pitch, funds were always going to be tight this season. Profit from the McCowan sale would offset that but the net upside would be a few hundred K. 

I actually think the strategy wasn’t too bad. Carson, shaugnessy, Fraser and Murray as the spine of the team. Then the likes of Sylla and Clark R followed by talented but raw youngsters. That’s probably what the funds allowed and it’s not a bad model on paper.  Sadly shaugnessy and Fraser injuries scuppered the plan. We still had money for permanent signings of Koumetio, Samuels and others though so I agree that could have been better spent on experience rather than potential. 
 

I still think that our midfield looked very light at times  last season, seriously  worsened by losing LMcC and ET didn't even try to strengthen it, leading us to g have to face the season with, Sylla excepted, a diminutive midfield  frequently shown to be poor defensively.   That greatly compounded our defensive issues. 

[HK Blues]

16 hours ago, Parcbara said:

I think we would be better to have a football man running the football size, which would allow John Nelms to concentrate on the other opportunities 

I thought that's where we were at - I recall reading something to that effect a few months back. Was Strachan the 'football man'?

Whether it's happening in reality is, of course  a different matter.

[MATO DEE @]

Our midfield are small won’t  track back enough and lose the ball far to easily. This is why we have lost a sh*t load of goals this season. If and when we get relegated under Docerty the one positive is I can’t see any Burnley youngsters wanting to come up here to play in the championship. Please leave doc 

[Irene Marot]

Docherty just chats sh*t. Again he's on about us being hard done by. We were well beaten last night. 

I said to myself back in November I'd be more patient with him after he got a good run of results but he's testing it now

[Reverend Lovejoy]

Hard to see where we, and Docherty, go from here, we're in a mess and have time to get out of it but there's nothing to suggest we have the tools. 

The smart money's on automatic relegation with a record goals against tally, Shaughnessy has made a difference plus Reilly and Fraser are almost back to fitness but we're grasping at straws if we think they'll be enough, we're only delaying what seems like the inevitable and increasing the pain.....it's death by a thousand cuts. For me our problems are 100% at boardroom level and that filters down to the managers office, the training field, the players and the league table. Changing the manager won't change our fortunes enough to convince me otherwise.

How much more can our mentally scarred fanbase take?. 

[Dundeefc1783]

28 minutes ago, Reverend Lovejoy said:

Hard to see where we, and Docherty, go from here, we're in a mess and have time to get out of it but there's nothing to suggest we have the tools. 

The smart money's on automatic relegation with a record goals against tally, Shaughnessy has made a difference plus Reilly and Fraser are almost back to fitness but we're grasping at straws if we think they'll be enough, we're only delaying what seems like the inevitable and increasing the pain.....it's death by a thousand cuts. For me our problems are 100% at boardroom level and that filters down to the managers office, the training field, the players and the league table. Changing the manager won't change our fortunes enough to convince me otherwise.

How much more can our mentally scarred fanbase take?. 

Agree with a lot of this. 

If we change a manager we need someone who can change the club from top to bottom and be allowed to do so taking no sh*te from Nelms. Unfortunately that is very unlikely to happen.