Caldwell

[Third Lanark]

18 minutes ago, allyo said:

 

 

They're not exactly facts. Having said that, I don't disagree with much of that.

But I'm also pretty confident another manager worth their salt would have come in and made the best of what they had; and I don't believe what we have is quite as bad as we've been showing.

Caldwell's interview on BBC yesterday almost suggested that he's been focussed on the transfer window ever since he arrived. He didn't have the luxury to do that, there was a job to do in the meantime. By failing in that job he has left us in a very difficult situation, where even a good transfer window might not be enough to save us.

Fair points allyo

[javeajag]

9 minutes ago, javeajag said:

I’m sorry I really don’t get the squad wasn’t really that bad ... it was/is dreadful ....

bell disappointing to say the least

mcginty woeful

scobbie average but bad 

storer what a laugh 

Melbourne who ?

brice inept 

Mutumbo the never scoring but not a striker 

Keown worse each game

Jeffries squad player at best 

that’s almost a team that Lazarus couldn’t get up the table 

Archie list the plot 

Oh and add in storey and spittal and who exactly could have got this lot promoted ? Yes Jim Goodwin and Yogi Hughes .... totally delusional 

[laukat]

19 minutes ago, allyo said:

Caldwell's interview on BBC yesterday almost suggested that he's been focussed on the transfer window ever since he arrived. He didn't have the luxury to do that, there was a job to do in the meantime. By failing in that job he has left us in a very difficult situation, where even a good transfer window might not be enough to save us.

Spot on.

MacKinnon came into a considerably poorer squad at Falkirk but knew he had to get points on the board before the January or else Falkirk would be detached.  As far as I can tell MacKinnon has had 15 league games at Falkirk and picked up 16 points. Caldwell has had 11 games and picked up 6 points. 

MacKinnon is not a managerial Messiah but he realised that he needed to make Falkirk hard to beat and not lose as many games. In this division not conceding first is key as no team really has the quality to break down a packed defence.

MacKinnon has managed 4 clean sheets, Caldwell 1 which to me shows where MacKinnon has made a difference and Caldwell's inexperience has let us down.

 

[Winter of '63]

Paul Hartley signed a full squad mainly from the English Lower Leagues for Falkirk...they were all hopeless and he was replaced by Ray MacKinnon who openly conceded that he had to dig in and be organised to accumulate enough points to keep in touch for a total overhaul at the transfer window.  That was a truly dreadful squad...they are now above Gary Caldwell's Thistle.

Nobody has argued that Archie didn't sign several duds but there was still a nucleus of good players who should be towards the top of what is a League of low standard teams...Morton were very poor both times I have seen them but are in the play-off position. Caldwell has made strange team selections, inexplicable substitutions and embarrassing post-match comments and instead of using the transfer window to push for promotion spot we are desperately struggling to avoid being relegated...Archie's flawed squad is no excuse for Caldwell's total failure to date.

However, my reaction to the "Archie Out" parrots last season was that changing a manager did not automatically improve a side...as we have seen. Realistically Caldwell had to be given the Transfer Window and he still has the opportunity to turn things round. The next two home League games will define the season...relegation with players of the quality of Bannigan, Slater, Erskine & Doolan and a relatively high transfer budget would be disgraceful and disastrous.

[lady-isobel-barnett]

1 hour ago, Sinistar said:

It will be interesting to see how many Jags fans will still be advocating giving Clownwell more time / the next 3 games / letting his new team gel / staying positive etc ... come 4.50pm next Saturday.

For reasons already posted I might be one of them. Not because he wouldn't deserve to get punted. More a case of the cure being worse than the illness at this stage of the season. 

[Third Lanark]

1 hour ago, laukat said:

Spot on.

MacKinnon came into a considerably poorer squad at Falkirk but knew he had to get points on the board before the January or else Falkirk would be detached.  As far as I can tell MacKinnon has had 15 league games at Falkirk and picked up 16 points. Caldwell has had 11 games and picked up 6 points. 

MacKinnon is not a managerial Messiah but he realised that he needed to make Falkirk hard to beat and not lose as many games. In this division not conceding first is key as no team really has the quality to break down a packed defence.

MacKinnon has managed 4 clean sheets, Caldwell 1 which to me shows where MacKinnon has made a difference and Caldwell's inexperience has let us down.

 

Not thoroughly convinced Falkirks signings were that much worse than ours, with the exception being slater.  Ours were injury prone, overweight (bell) some like mutumbo and Brice had barely played in years. Not convinced Falkirks were that worse at all

[AndyMac]

Championship Table

When you look at this table and the form over the past 5 games, it's interesting.

Alloa, are the form team in the division and the only club unbeaten in the last 5. If they maintain this kind of form they are heading for mid table and possibly a promotion play off spot.

Ourselves and Falkirk have similar kind of form, it's pretty mediocre. However, if we were both to marginally improve our form and pick up some more points, which is quite possible, others would then be dragged into the relegation dog fight. Right now, ICT's form does not look too clever.

Perhaps, other teams will implode or go into a tailspin as the season progresses? Let's hope so.

[Jaggernaut]

10 hours ago, ClydebankJag said:

Surely now he’s signed the new players we have to accept that he gets time to make it gel?

 

The next 3 games at home are huge. Decision time after those games I think if we haven’t done the business.

Anything less than 7 points out of those 9 then Caldwell should get sacked; no explanation needed. His "cure" is killing us more than the sickness he was brought in to treat. 

[Jaggernaut]

5 hours ago, Sinistar said:

It will be interesting to see how many Jags fans will still be advocating giving Clownwell more time / the next 3 games / letting his new team gel / staying positive etc ... come 4.50pm next Saturday.

I fear that the Caldwell fan club (unbelievably, there does appear to be such an unofficial entity on here) will meekly accept another single win and a couple of draws out of the next 11, and move on from "he inherited the dross from Archie," "his new players need time to bed in,"  "performances look better, if only team X hadn't won at Y and team B hadn't got a draw at A," to "now that it's his own squad, he should be given the target of getting us promotion back up to the Championship next season." 

[Jaggernaut]

The only thing resembling any possible hint of an excuse for GC so far is if the squad that Archie scrambled together in his final season and a half was truly much much worse than many of us believed.... and in fact the evidence against Archie in that respect stacks up more every week. 

[Auld Jag]

9 hours ago, Jaggernaut said:

Anything less than 7 points out of those 9 then Caldwell should get sacked; no explanation needed. His "cure" is killing us more than the sickness he was brought in to treat. 

I posted in November. If we didn't get a minimum of 7 points out of our December fixtures, serious questions should be asked of Caldwell. We only managed 4 points. I hope yesterdays performance is the start of a much needed revival. 

[jaf]

2 hours ago, Auld Jag said:

I posted in November. If we didn't get a minimum of 7 points out of our December fixtures, serious questions should be asked of Caldwell. We only managed 4 points. I hope yesterdays performance is the start of a much needed revival. 

We have beaten all of the 3 teams we are about to play at home earlier in the season.   The true extent of progress, or otherwise, will be shown in the next 3 games. 

[sandy]

16 minutes ago, jaf said:

We have beaten all of the 3 teams we are about to play at home earlier in the season.   The true extent of progress, or otherwise, will be shown in the next 3 games. 

True

[dl1971]

1 hour ago, jaf said:

We have beaten all of the 3 teams we are about to play at home earlier in the season.   The true extent of progress, or otherwise, will be shown in the next 3 games. 

Exactly

[dl1971]

13 hours ago, Jaggernaut said:

I fear that the Caldwell fan club (unbelievably, there does appear to be such an unofficial entity on here) will meekly accept another single win and a couple of draws out of the next 11, and move on from "he inherited the dross from Archie," "his new players need time to bed in,"  "performances look better, if only team X hadn't won at Y and team B hadn't got a draw at A," to "now that it's his own squad, he should be given the target of getting us promotion back up to the Championship next season." 

Caldwell fan club no.....just thistle supporters. Can't wait for your prediction for next Saturday.....

[KemoAvdiu]

14 hours ago, Jaggernaut said:

I fear that the Caldwell fan club (unbelievably, there does appear to be such an unofficial entity on here) will meekly accept another single win and a couple of draws out of the next 11, and move on from "he inherited the dross from Archie," "his new players need time to bed in,"  "performances look better, if only team X hadn't won at Y and team B hadn't got a draw at A," to "now that it's his own squad, he should be given the target of getting us promotion back up to the Championship next season." 

I don’t rate Caldwell either but drop the ‘Caldwell fan club’ stuff. Doesn’t help anybody to start dividing the fanbase into different factions. 

[jaf]

15 minutes ago, KemoAvdiu said:

I don’t rate Caldwell either but drop the ‘Caldwell fan club’ stuff. Doesn’t help anybody to start dividing the fanbase into different factions. 

Agree with this , however the problem remains the ghost of Archie. 

Anyone who criticises Caldwell seems to be called an “Archie lover/apologist”. 

Everyone needs to move on from Archie before we can unite as supporters  

Whether Caldwell turns out to be the correct appointment or not, only time will tell but whether he is will have absolutely nothing to do with Alan Archibald and everything to do with Gary Caldwell  

 

[Emsca]

On 1/5/2019 at 10:10 PM, Auld Jag said:

I respect your opinion. But we will need to agree to disagree. Just looking at the positives, not that there are many, could be one of the reasons we could end up with a double relegation.The board and Caldwell still going on about promotion. Admit we are in a relegation battle. Get us out of that and then see where we are. They are fooling nobody.

Happy to agree to disagree AJ.

I agree they are fooling no-one talking about promotion and I am sure privately they all know that survival in this league is the target now.

Wonder what the reaction would be if the Manager  came out and said " This was the only job I could get and I am a bit out my depth having never managed in Scotland before. My man management skills are questionable at best , I am arrogant and stubborn meaning when things start going against us in games I don't like to admit I was wrong and change tactics.We are in deep trouble and I am surprised the Board are going to compound their initial mistake by giving me money to waste in the January window."

Would that type of honesty get you onside?

[Auld Jag]

1 hour ago, Emsca said:

Happy to agree to disagree AJ.

I agree they are fooling no-one talking about promotion and I am sure privately they all know that survival in this league is the target now.

Wonder what the reaction would be if the Manager  came out and said " This was the only job I could get and I am a bit out my depth having never managed in Scotland before. My man management skills are questionable at best , I am arrogant and stubborn meaning when things start going against us in games I don't like to admit I was wrong and change tactics.We are in deep trouble and I am surprised the Board are going to compound their initial mistake by giving me money to waste in the January window."

Would that type of honesty get you onside?

Caldwell must realise he is in the last chance saloon, as if he fails with us I cant see him getting a football managers job at a decent level anywhere else. If we can get out of the relegation zone and end up near mid table. That would prove his January signings had been good and got us out of trouble. So that scenario would as you put it get me 'onside' and he would deserve another season to see what he could do. If we end up relegated or even in 8th I think he should go. I will be in the JLstand on Saturday and hope we can see 3 points staying at Firhill. If we can do that, it might show that we are turning the corner, after what has been  a truly miserable  season.  

Edited January 7, 2019 by Auld Jag

[Jaggernaut]

5 hours ago, dl1971 said:

Caldwell fan club no.....just thistle supporters. Can't wait for your prediction for next Saturday.....

No prediction from me for next Saturday...... maybe the slightest flicker of optimism? 

[Jaggernaut]

3 minutes ago, Auld Jag said:

Caldwell must realise he is in the last chance saloon, as if he fails with us I cant see him getting a football managers job at a decent level anywhere else. If we can get out of the relegation zone and end up near mid table. That would prove his January signings had been good and got us out of trouble. So that scenario would as you put it get me 'onside' and he would deserve another season to see what he could do. If we end up relegated or even in 8th I think he should go. I will be in the JLstand on Saturday and hope we can see 3 points staying at Firhill. If we can do that, it might show that we are turning the corner, after what has been  a truly miserable  season.  

I'd largely go along with that, though instead of him deserving "another season" I would say "the first half of another season", as by then we'd know whether his squad was likely to challenge for promotion. If the team was well out of the running for promotion in December, would he get another transfer window.... and then trundle on until the end of another mediocre season? That would look  like the start of another wilderness decade. 

[Auld Jag]

18 minutes ago, Jaggernaut said:

I'd largely go along with that, though instead of him deserving "another season" I would say "the first half of another season", as by then we'd know whether his squad was likely to challenge for promotion. If the team was well out of the running for promotion in December, would he get another transfer window.... and then trundle on until the end of another mediocre season? That would look  like the start of another wilderness decade. 

When Jack Ross first went to St.Mirren they had a bad run until the January window. After that they went on a great run that kept them in the league. It continued into the next season and they won the Championship. I hope we can see something similar at Firhill.

[Jaggernaut]

4 hours ago, Auld Jag said:

When Jack Ross first went to St.Mirren they had a bad run until the January window. After that they went on a great run that kept them in the league. It continued into the next season and they won the Championship. I hope we can see something similar at Firhill.

Yes; in fact I'd say we need to see something similar at Firhill. 

[cyprusjag]

We need a BIG win to inject some confidence into the team.Don’t really want to hear how “unlucky” we were or that we “dominated” the game but still couldn’t win.Caldwellshould be banned from using these words in the after match interviews.Just leave it at “we didn’t play well enough to win” and get on with it.We’re gonna start feeling sorry for ourselves and that would be fatal.

 

[Guest]

On 1/6/2019 at 1:47 AM, laukat said:

Spot on.

MacKinnon came into a considerably poorer squad at Falkirk but knew he had to get points on the board before the January or else Falkirk would be detached.  As far as I can tell MacKinnon has had 15 league games at Falkirk and picked up 16 points. Caldwell has had 11 games and picked up 6 points. 

MacKinnon is not a managerial Messiah but he realised that he needed to make Falkirk hard to beat and not lose as many games. In this division not conceding first is key as no team really has the quality to break down a packed defence.

MacKinnon has managed 4 clean sheets, Caldwell 1 which to me shows where MacKinnon has made a difference and Caldwell's inexperience has let us down.

 

And he, like our last manager was a defender fgs!!!!!!! Agree with all of the above posters but we are stuck with who we have and just have to hope the new players do their bit as do the original squad and keep us up .