bdu98196

14 hours ago, caley1 said:

Big changes are needed and Gardiner should only have 2 games left as he is doing nothing for  the wage he is taking out out of the club . 

While I get peoples dislike for SG being at the club (and I am no fanboy either), statements like this keep being made. However, nobody ever substantiates it with the costs involved or define the club performance metrics set out by the board and whether he has delivered or otherwise (and if this is considered to represent value).

It would also be interesting for fans to state what their expectations for SG performance would be?

14 hours ago, Moogthurso said:

If it was the boards priority instead of wasting money on co tract renewals for players managers didn't or need but were fan favourites.  

Or having a DoF when a Championship club?

19 hours ago, Moogthurso said:

This is why Robertson was so focused on this.

Interesting especially when you consider his cummulative time at roles within the club - manger 2 spells over 5 years and DoF 3 years - by my maths thats almost 8 years which is over a quarter of our existence - so plenty of time to have changed things for the better.

4 hours ago, Gringo said:

 There needs to be drastic improvement against Hamilton and I fully believe Dunc is incapable of doing that with this bunch of players. Hamilton will be a tough hurdle to overcome and I fear the worse. 

I hate Hamilton and this isn't cheering me up.

Still live in hope it'll all click with our team and before the season ends we will play total football and issue an absolute doing with free flowing goals and football.

12 hours ago, bishbashbosh said:

 Buy the pies, juices, moams

Agreed with that and understand how kids want but the catering costs vs quality we offer is shocking. Personally I grudge buying anything at the stadium now given its so poor.

1 hour ago, bishbashbosh said:

Not for me , I had 6 season tickets this year.Your suggestion costs me £60, clubs way £21 for Saturday. 
no brainier.

Is it fair on families who put their money up front buying season tickets. They deserve something back also ?

If you're only £21 then its likely you have free tickets due to kids - I dont think the poster was referring to having kids who would be free paying - more that adults/concessions etc should be flat rate £10 not the inflated prices.

Which by my projections would actually save you an additional £1

If we don't concede we can't loose. This isn't the time for expansive football and getting picked apart. Might not be popular but its about getting the job done.

10 minutes ago, robbo1985 said:

I think we will come through this but still can't understand why Keith Bray was allowed to go on loan

Because he's not ready for this level.

Not a single young player out on loan has excelled in lower leagues against part time players

1 hour ago, STFU said:

We've managed promotion to the top flight twice before without battery farms and the like.

Since 2017 we have amassed losses in the region of £3 million (not including what is being hidden on the 2022/23 accounts yet to be filed and whatever it is for 2023/24 - it could easily be topping £5 Million in total to date) chasing that for a third time.

If that level of spending can't even keep us comfortably in the Championship then I would constructively suggest that the first thing we need to do is change the leadership.

With gates of around only 2k fans, we are well behind most clubs in the Championship and even likes of Falkirk or Hamilton - so the level of spend is commensurate with the shortfall in income due to lack of alternate streams (£3m over 5 years is £500k per year so lets get that in perspective in relation to the clubs assets - property, facilities. players). Perhaps its the change in fan expectations and waking up to realise the size of club we are operating at and the premium costs associated with recruitment being outwith the central belt all means we are actually League One sized/structured as such have been punching for many years!!!

On 5/6/2024 at 8:10 PM, bdu98196 said:

We will absolutely batter these part timers and show them why the seaside leagues is no place for a club like ours.

2nd leg incoming folks!!!

Clean sheet, still in the tie and heading to the home leg - if this was in Europe everyone would be raving about tactics being spot on. Clearly Caley playing like a big team which is showing our and Duncs ambitions

1 hour ago, jed5697 said:

They have nothing to lose so I expect they will have a good go at us so will be an open game.

I expect the opposite, sit in and not loose the first leg then try hit on the break or a set piece. Unless we score first thats when they might open up but I think their focus will to still be in the tie on Saturday

Devil's advacate here but if all the youth loanees aren't good enough to get significant game time out on loan at part time clubs in much lower tiers then perhaps Dunc was right that they aren't good enough for Championship level.

We should be looking for our youngsters to kick on and show they are ready to step up and play higher levels which currently doesn't seem the case.

Worrying times if we don't have funds for experience as I don't fancy a team built on our youngsters.

11 hours ago, Robert said:

 as this Montrose team is no push over. 

This season they played Raith & Morton and lost both - that is their only higher tier opposition, they lost 13 league games this season in a lower teir and only had the same goal difference as Caley who finished 2nd bottom of the league above. We should be expecting to beat them and comfortably.

While we finished 9th, there really is little between us and most teams above us outwith DUtd/Raith & PT - and all of these are a step above League One by a decent margin, where other than Falkirik none look particularly well equipped to compete over 36 games in the Championship next season.

We will absolutely batter these part timers and show them why the seaside leagues is no place for a club like ours.

11 hours ago, The Mantis said:

As for Richie, anybody who saw us capitulate at Hamilton on a Tuesday night in January knew he should have been gone the next morning.

Can't wait to possibly play Hamilton in the play offs, such an odious club and not one that brings a lot of positive memories with that one top of the **** list

Without going over the same old points I've made before some of which are already above. Ponder this, in many sections of the media Dougie and hid Morton are lauded for an amazing season and yet only 3 points above us which turns out to be 5th and best if the rest. Similar the job of Brown at Ayr and Davidson at QP is again praised yet both within 2 points. Has Dunc been as poor as some fans suggest or is it an exceptionally tight season?

Point being we have been poor but it's at creating and scoring, our defence was 2nd best overall and we have positive goal difference. Still enough room for optimism for play offs and to build on.

Recruitment last summer was poor and Dodds tenure this season set us on a negative path. Whether he knew the cost cutting was coming and chucked it, who knows but Jan saw an axe yielded and influx of loans with blame allowed to be directed at Dunc when it's the board driving that philosophy. Perhaps the fact he isn't phased by this criticism and negativity suggests he's gotba 'thick skin' so is the right character to take the inevitable backlash when this summer more players are cut and deals struck to minimise player costs at the expense of known quality.

We should all remain positive

If results go our way and we finish 8th or above then Dunc has done what he was tasked which is avoid relegation and finished where many considered our expectations.

If we fail to get 8th place we go into the play-offs where he can still fulfill that objective, but brings us 4 additional games of football and thus reduces the often tedious downtime between end of season and the next lot of matches to get invested in (although we do have the Euros this summer).

Depending on results on Friday we could in the relegation play-offs with 42 points finishing 9th but only 3 off 5th. Wild.

Looking forwards to brushing up on my native language over the coming weeks

Dead rubber for Dunfermline, so fully expect us to take something from the game, but it really needs to be all 3 points or its squeeky bum time next week. Can see Arborath putting on a performance for the last home game of the season, although form suggests its the 3 points to QP.

It'll be a good time for one of our forwards to start scoring goals please and the defence to concentrate for the full 90 mins rather than the 89.5 we have been accustomed most of the season.

Big pressure on us otherwise next wk we will have to actually win a home game.

Not exactly much to be excited about and definitely not the end to the season we were hoping for given the cup final last season.

On 4/21/2024 at 1:36 PM, forresjags said:

Result didn't match the performance but more worrying is we finished the game with 8 loan players on the pitch.

 

Fully expect more of the same next year. Holistically if you consider the options - we are skint and will struggle to finance a team of permanent signings or the chance to go to money bags English clubs who will still pay for their youngsters to get some game time and pick up the costs - essentially free for us but we play them.

I doubt anyone at the club is excited at the prospect of not having any experienced signings of younger players we with quality we can retain to develop and try sell. The strategy is clearly making the best with minimal outlay or long term commitments possible.

As we head to the end of the season, if only we had an alternate income stream to use the facilities during the summer. If only someone had thought of a concert venue for some 'has-been' artists appealing to boomers.........

Everyone is saving their excitement to get past this next game fully aware of the stats this is a stick on goalless draw, knowing final game of the season it'll finally all click and we open the doors to 'total football' putting 6 past Morton.............all to be undermined by calls of it being a 'dead rubber' and Morton players had already mentally packed for their all-inclusives to Turkey

13 hours ago, Duke of Inverness said:

Inevitable meetings next season? We'll be in different leagues then.

You are underestimating how ***** the Championship is if you think Raith have any chance of winning the play-offs

We really need a win on Friday, not just for our position but to show Raith that normal service has resumed, which is an important physiological statement for the inevitable meetings next season again.

With Dunfermline & Morton still to play, its very much now a battle to get up the table and be 'best of the rest' since the play-off places are essentially decided.