Stephen1876

I could listen to Dools speaking all day - intelligent, eloquent and clearly thinks hard about the game. He appears to have a very clear idea of how he wants his team to play and the type of player he wants. He needs patience in the season ahead. I do think he could go really far in the game.

Very disappointed to see all three go and will be hard to replace, but completely understandable. All three (plus Tiff) have been excellent servants to the club. I wish them all the best, with the usual refrain of except against us Doc in particular signed presumably in anticipation of a promotion push to the top league but ended up playing in League 1. He could have walked away from that pre-contract but didn’t. Like everyone else, I think we may have a period of steadying the ship. However, being positive, we have the two best full backs and two best wingers in the league and Graham will still cause teams problems. There are also some echoes of the 12/13 team. McCall left, McNamara had done little but we finished his first full season very strongly after a mediocre campaign. If I remember correctly, our main man Paul Cairney left and we were hesitant about the year ahead. Let’s be honest - who had heard of of Aarons Muirhead and Sinclair, James Craigen, Lawless or SoD. Jackie did though build a brilliant team around those players, some experienced heads like Archie and the emerging Banzo and Welsh. It’s not all about money all the time, as much as it helps. Dools has had us playing some brilliant stuff - next test is now his eye for a player.

Agreed - one of the real challenges facing Dools was the extended season and late end to the playoffs, presumably because of the World Cup. We go to Peterhead four weeks on Saturday and the League Cup is not to be overlooked given it’s revenue potential. It’s a very short timescale in which to build a team - we all need to be patient if we don’t get off to a fast start.

Agreed - it’s not going to be easy, but a strategy is a long-term thing which may several plans within it. It would be good to see us develop a clear identity, particularly around the academy.

The news today is worrying if not surprising, and shows the disregard of the previous board and their failure to dispense their duties as Directors. In adversity does though come a (possibly long-term) opportunity. I feel for several years we have lacked much of a recruitment strategy and this presents a chance to follow one and develop a clear identity. We didn’t enter the 2012/13 season that positively but McNamara had a clear and affordable plan - a core of experienced players (e.g. Archie, Craig), supported by good lower league signings (the two Aarons) and young players cast off by SPL clubs (Lawless, SoD, Welsh etc). When we first went down to the Championship, we had a scattergun approach to recruitment. I have no idea what Caldwell’s approach was and McCall clearly liked experienced players he trusted with a spattering of young, mainly Rangers loanees (which certainly wasn’t awful). For me, we should now be building the club around a core of experienced players (Graham, Lawless, possibly Muirhead and Banzo or a signing like Paul McGowan or David Witherspoon) with a combination of: - The best of the academy like MacKenzie and Stanway (but the fans will need to be patient) - Talent from the lower leagues like Charlie Reilly or Callum Smith (although he is now at Raith) - Young talents who haven’t quite made the grade in the top league or England This could be supplemented by: - Part-time players who are good enough but don’t want to play full time, Eg Tam O’Brien. - Astute loans like Nouble (Arbroath), Chalmers (Ayr) etc. Morton were competitive this season finishing level on points with our far better squad, but could hardly put a team on the park at the start of the season. Further afield, the likes of Leyton Orient and Stevenage were tipped for mid table and the drop respectively and both went up. All about clever recruitment and building a good side rather than a good team of individuals. Next season will though probably be tough and the fans will need to stick with Dools and be patient with the young players.

I have nothing but respect for Tiff - was brilliant for us and a huge reason we got out of League 1. I’m surprised an English club didn’t fancy a punt on him but I wish him all the very best and thanks for some great moments and superb football.

Not a stat as such (or a stat at all!) but a coincidence that, if we go up on Sunday, all three professional clubs with which Christie Elliott played will have been promoted.

Slightly off topic but huge credit must also go to the ground staff this season - looking at the pitch last night, you could have been forgiven for thinking it was the first day of the season. It has allowed us to get the ball down and play in a way that was impossible last season and contributed to the turgid end to that season.

Likewise - it’s a truly amazing effort and I always look forward to reading the update after any game

I felt we played really well in the first half and we should have been out of sight. Had we continued like that in the second half, I think we would have won. However, we lost composure and desperately tried to win the game, it was too frantic. In the end, we could have missed out but scraped home. Fair play to Rovers - they upheld the integrity of the final day by playing with fight. I’d like to see Hodson come in on Tuesday with Holt moving back into the middle. That’s not having a go at Brownlie, I just think Holt is our best centre half. The two playoff games against the Championship sides are winnable but will undoubtedly be tough.

Should be out of sight here - need to take these chances in the second half

With respect to the title, throwing a two goal lead at home to Dundee was fatal - that would have been a six point swing on them. We also should have beat them at Firhill the other week. Lack of composure from Fitzy to put Tiff in and likewise from Mullen with the last kick of the game. What I would say is that neither Dundee nor QP have had an injury crisis like ourselves and ICT. Had we not been down the spine of the team (Holt, Doc, Tiff, Graham, half fit Muirhead etc) in that awful run of October into November, we would probably have picked-up a handful of extra points which would have left us in the hunt. ICT were even more unlucky in that respect, their injuries were unbelievable.

Incredible that nine of the ten sides have something to play for next week - one of the few benefits of the stupidly small leagues

The Dundee results tonight and in recent weeks just makes me realise what an opportunity we have missed this season. Btw didn’t realise Shaggy was a coach at Dundee.

It shouldn’t - but the result of tomorrow night’s game may impact the dynamics of our game. If Dundee beat Cove, Arbroath don’t really have anything to play for. Incredibly, given how they cut us apart a couple of times last season, Arbroath haven’t scored against us in four attempts this year (although no idea how they never won at Gayfield in February). Is Hodson another out for the season causalty?

It will probably dawn on them on Saturday

Brilliant result - well done to Dools and the players, especially after losing Hodson too. Cove have absolutely collapsed after a promising start this year

I do feel a bit sorry for Dowds. Started the season strongly with several goals off of the bench. However, the form and leadership of Graham combined with niggling injuries when Graham is out means he hasn’t really had a sustained run in the team (and when he had a mini-run during the six defeats on the spin, the rest of the team was under-strength. Whether there is a player in there or not remains to be seen but I do feel he has been a bit unfortunate.

Dundee website preview says they have had a bug in their camp this week too. Would help if we can play at a high tempo if they have a couple of players under the weather

I have a mate who is a Rangers season ticket holder and he was saying that you need to buy tickets to accumulate MyGers points which you then need if you want tickets for semi finals, finals etc. A number of fans therefore buy tickets for the likes of Sunday’s game even if they can’t make it

Two terrible teams and terrible officials. Cove have shipped 19 goals in four games and we haven’t even threatened outwith a couple of decent efforts from Turner. Why are we persisting with Hodson in midfield? He offers nothing offensively and his role should be to drop in when the two full backs go high, yet he just stopped at the goal, in absolute no man’s land.

Our pressure on the ball is awful and has been all season. Lost count of the number of times that one player put good pressure on but no one cut off the out ball - far too easy to play through. What a save that was from Sneddon at 0-0

Played to the finish I believe, don’t think there are any replays this year

Dundee’s game against Dunfermline in the Challenge Cup postponed again last night. They may well be facing the same issues as us last season with a backlog of fixtures and an unplayable pitch. Shame Dunfermline never had a midweek game on a heavy pitch

Need to bring Holt on for Muirhead, who is being roasted by Simon Murray. We have them limitless space in the first 15 minutes but we’re better after that. They look dangerous every time they go forward though