Jaggernaut

With the club giving him a 2 year deal, he's going nowhere. Why they didn't give him a rolling contract is probably not a mystery, I think he has friends in high places. Most supporters I talk to wanted a change of direction in the coaching department, a fresh outlook, but the powers that be obviously wanted to watch the same old rubbish that we had to endure last season. So let's Strap ourselves in for the Billy Dodds Hoofball Sh*t show.

What do we really expect from the same manager and coaching staff that only saved their jobs last season because of a registration mistake from Queens Park? I fear it's going to be a long hard season if this is the standard that's on offer. Why do most of the teams that play us look sharper, pass the ball better and close us down, hit us on the break and create more chances? It's down to the coaching and the tactics that are implemented in the game, and Dodds is lacking on all fronts. When we eventually get the ball back our first thought is boot it up the park, just get rid of the hot potato instead of looking up and picking a pass to a teammate, like Airdrie were doing. I haven't made a prediction yet about what I think our final league position will be, but on our showing so far, I think we will struggle to get into the top half of the league this season, there are a lot of good teams this season, and a lot of them will be stronger this term. I hope I'm proved wrong, but we will need to improve 100% more than we have shown so far. We need a good centre back, another good midfielder and to find a good partner for Billy Mckay. I really can't sit through another season of boring ponderous football again.

Yes, I watch Dodds standing at the games while they pass it back and forth, and he doesn't shout at them to stop it, so they must be carrying out his orders, and when the ball goes to Harper, his first thought is to pass it backwards, instead of being proactive, he doesn't do it when he plays in midfield. Every other team his us hard and fast, while we seem to wait for our opposition to get back into their shape and then try and play through them, which in most cases, we can't.

It's easy to say that it's early in the season, and we treat the league Cup games as pre-season games, but even if we played Dumbarton in a real pre-season game, we would expect to beat them, and would be worried if we didn't. If we play the same tactics as the last few seasons, same coaches, same tactics, I can see the same outcome, boring ponderous football, passing the ball back and forth along the back four, and players looking for the backward pass instead of turning with the ball and driving forward. It doesn't matter what players they bring in, it's the coaching and tactics that are predicable.

We leave our form player, Doran, on the bench???? And we play a certain way because the team is coached by the same coaching team year after year, so nothing changes. We are so predicable in the way we play, that most coaches can counteract our tactics now.

That would have taken the biscuit!

I really think the club need to explain the thought behind the launch date and colour. Who had the final say on the strip? Was it Gardiner? Does the club want to be the wee rangers? Orange and red don't go together either, whoever thought that knows nothing about design.

I wholeheartedly agree. An orange kit on the 12th July, and some in our hierarchy having certain allegiances to certain clubs! you couldn't make it up.

It's not for me. Hopefully I'll never see them play in it, as I only go to home matches.

Yea, I like the V neck as well.

My season ticket came by post on Saturday. I've just activated it.

We saw Lewis just before the Elgin game, he came out of the player's entrance in training gear. He said hello and looked OK, I mean he wasn't limping or on crutches, so we thought we'd see him in the squad, but he wasn't.

Yes, I agree, Doran looked back to his old self, good pace and intelligent passes, good awareness for his goal, and he looks as fit as I've seen him for some time. Let's hope he can have an injury free season, as he can play down the wing or in the hole. I also was impressed with Gilmour, some good touches and drive, and he is quite vocal in the midfield, where we tend to be quite quiet.

That's LIVE football, I really don't think the football was lice!!!!!

Yea, myself and my son are going. Can't wait to see lice football again, and picking up our tickets for the Bonnyrigg and Airdrie games.

Our ex players Broadfoot, Oakley and Boyd all lining up for Morton next season, and all squads getting finalised, so it will be interesting to see who, if any, and I would expect there to be a few, trialists on saturday. It would also be great to see some of the younger players getting extended runs in the team.

I cannot believe that no one at the club wants to know what the core support of the club is feeling. Surely to gain the reaction of the fans, the club must look at social media and the fans forum? If not, they are coming across more and more how completely out of touch with the mood of the fans they are.

I check everything daily!

Ordered my new Season ticket over the phone on 20th June, still no sign of them in the post, she said they'd be sent out in two weeks, must be due anytime now.

A Highland League club can give its supporters more info than we can muster about our pre season games.

Are the club going to post any info for any supporters that want to attend these matches? Do they need tickets, is it pay at the gate? How much to get in? What stands are open? Maybe I missed the info, but I doubt it.

I remember several seasons ago there was a meeting up in the function suite, with John Robertson and Chairman Rae where all supporters who wanted to attend could come and listen to what their plans were for the coming season, and supporters could ask any questions or topics that were concerning them. Maybe that's what's needed again, a reset between club and supporters?

If this is true, and I really hope it's not, it will be all of Dodds Christmases coming at one time. His tactic of loving the old Hoofball will be getting laldy.

I really can't believe the ongoing lack of anything from the club. Surely someone at the club looks at their fans forum, to see what the mood of the support is and to try and give them some positive information at a time when selling season tickets is at its most important. Maybe they do, and they are so far out of touch that they don't care. I am on a few Facebook sites relating to various football teams, Championship, Highland and North Caledonian leagues, and when I was a boy, I took teams from every Scottish and English and followed how they got on. I still look for their results, and more often than not they have information about their team, pictures and players who've left and who had signed, and even Fort William has a better promotional side than us, a second tier Scottish Championship. No word about Billy Mckay, no word that I can find that Allardice has left apart from him being paraded on the county page. This is truly turning out to be the worst close season for apathy from the club I can remember. It certainly doesn't bode well for the mood around the club, with the new season rapidly approaching.

Yes, I think I was too quick to renew, I should have waited to see what rabbits they're going to pull out of the hat. Won't hold my breath.