Goggles & Flippers

Calm down and count to ten when the red mist descends. I never insinuated it would be OK, so the use of quotes is unfair, but I do think we've been slow starters under McCall but as a whole we will click to a degree, it can't and won't go on all season, just not anywhere near as successful as last year. As for the league, Ross County and St. Mirren are the shite I'm talking about. If you scroll back through my historical posts you'll see I said in March we were poor and our league placing flattered us, I got pilloried for that. We won ugly all season often by the odd goal and shipped goals against the top 5. That was always due to be exposed and it has this season, where did I think based on that we'd 6th or 7th give or take. I also agree there is a malaise about the club and I think the management do have to hold their hands up. Far from thinking it'll be alright, I also don't think the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse are trotting down Fir Park road.

Thread title "Where do we go from here?", well into this bloody thread as it'll probably get bumped all season. All the naysayers and oracles of impending doom, give us a break, yes its far from ideal but even if we're in the same position in or around the January window, there's enough shite in this league we'll just make it even if we're not firing on all cylinders. Sutton will get a purple patch as he always does and Ojamma is too good not to contribute, injured players will return and stability in formation and tactics will return. Away and ring out yer knickers

According to the naysayers on here, we'll already be down by April and St. Johnstone will be safe so it'll make no odds to them. If the thread was along the lines of Chris Humphrey vs Lionel Ainsworth then that's worthy of a debate and some tangible posts, but alas here we are.

Jonny Page has a couple of European goals too. As for the original premise, why not start a thread comparing a pineapple to an orange, same sorta thing.

And how will his workload affect the dross on the pitch with essentially the same guys who finished 2nd last year. I'm all for pointing fingers and shining a light, but his role, competency and delivery isn't the issue (and has no tangible link I can see) to what is on the park at present. So you're advocating giving people a bit of time to settle in and holding off the pelters? ......... Safe to say if you were an Arab, first sign of below par and you would have been the first sticking the knife in as you've done with half our current team.

Is it any of our business?

Will this thread be as hot a BBQ on the sun every Sunday/Monday after a defeat all season, if it will it's gonna get tedious. Bashing McCall I can understand to a degree (fitness levels and tactics/leaving things too late before changing) but Flow, come on, seriously? Gents, away and lie down in a darkened room and count to ten. As for what we'd do to change things around, do what the Europeans do, get them in from 9 until 5 and if they moan, to hell with them, I'm sure they'll get on just fine at East Stirling if they want to buy out their contract and get down the bookies by 1pm for the first race at Lingfield.

McCall out? Really? I'll agree the players on day 1 of the season were unfit and not prepared and that has to fall on him and those tasked with getting them fit and up to speed, but a lot of it goes on the professionalism of the players maintaining a certain degree of fitness over the summer. For that both the management and players need their knuckles wrapped and possibly a cattle prod up the arse. Best solution in my eyes, bring them in from 9-5 like everyone else and do a mixture of training, weights, tactical and opponent research, that jump from 2 hours a day and missing out on the bookies in the afternoon may be enough of a shock to make them actually care. However, what do those advocating him stoically walking away suggest would be the solution or likely successor? The grass isn't always greener and to be fair the 8th biggest team in the country while having an average finish of 3rd under his tenure deserves its fans not to be 2nd class in some of the knee jerk reactions on here.

Last season we rode our luck and I got pilloried last when I pointed out we had a shocking performances and results against the other top 6 teams prior to the split. Our league placing no doubt led a few into a false sense of security and no doubt superiority. This season we've been plagued with injuries and rarely, if ever, have we lined up with the same starting XI. Continuity is key but so is professional football players being able to adapt and overcome. The midfield has not worked cohesively since last pre-season, it was pointed out then and we managed to get away with it mainly because we played 18 games against the bottom six teams and got almost a 100% record against them, however they were absolutely woeful. Some have strengthened, others are working better as a team without major personnel changes, however we have pretty much looked amateurish, unfit and lacking any moral fiber since 30 minutes into the Starjnan game. Tactically we've been inept too often wither it being down to the players not having the intelligence, ability or fitness to carry out their instructions or our management being outfoxed by theirs. I'm not going to call for McCall's head, that is ludicrous, yes he's slow to change things and worries more about limiting damage than inflicting it. However, Hamilton are flying and despite winning promotion from the playoff, they're both the form team and high on confidence. It took a drubbing by Celtic last season off the back of the Albion Rovers result for us to put a run together and I can only hope today was the line in the sand this season.

To be fair, Accies are the form team and we aren't, their patch, plastic pitch, it was always going to be tough. Is everyone who is pouring scorn doing so because we finished 2nd last season and they were promoted from 12 places below us?

Is that a criticism?

Leaving a place where you've created a good atmosphere and you set the tone and agenda ...... English Premiership, so backroom wages beat what I imagine he can command here. Question has to be, is his stock as high today as it will ever get with us? If he thinks so, then he may be on his way, another 2nd place finish or silverwear is the only way he's going to increase it further.

Maybe appointing people on merit and ability opposed to association and family ties going forward would be the lesson learned here.

Sounding out prospective Christmas party customers like you're chatting to a bird on Tinder with foundy English is quite a bit below that standard of club communications in recent times ....... Jotters!

Imbecile and a liability

Yeah it may entice a number of floating supporters back but that's not going to be a huge amount, they club do have approx 2,500 season ticket holders who due to this initiative may choose to alter their buying habits which could affect the club adversely going forward.

Surely the better option in your circumstances going forward would be: 10 game flexi ticket = £155 5 game flexi ticket = £77 1 pay at the gate = £20 So £252 opposed to £295 early bird or £310 standard pricing East ticket. I've just saved you 20%, surely that is better value? Can't help but feel that a 10 game ticket should be £1.00-1.50 more expensive than the season ticket cost per game and the 5 game ticket £2.50-3.00. To use £15.50 as the blanket multiplier for these tickets is short sighted and a mistake I reckon. Both offer savings than paying at the gate but don't erode the value of season tickets to a) the club (£300+ money upfront in the summer before) and b) fan (why would you bother committing a lump sum in future when you have this scheme that is less risky).

Just a question, with family commitments, work, holidays, etc. In a 19 game home SPFL season how many games does your average season ticket holder miss through one of these? Looking at the pricing structure released, you can attend 15 games for £232 which I think would suit a number of season ticket holders. I think there's a good chance the club could be missing out on 25% of a decent revenue stream from a sizeable number of the support next season. If the pricing structure was weighted towards a season ticket in the east for example you have £295 Earlybird (not full price £310)/ 19 games = £15.50 and that £15.50 is the multiplier used to calculate the Flexi tickets why would anyone ever buy a full price season ticket ever again. It begs the question where the advantage of a season ticket going forward?

It works for me and my circumstances. However I suppose the club won't know the success until August next season when they'll find out if people will opt for these opposed to season tickets. If its the former, then that causes a potentially serious cashflow issue, however I've faith this has been considered before today's announcement. There is potential to have sub 1,500 crowds against unfancied teams on a February midweek, if you'd rather save one of your tickets for the weekend. Also, if it looks like we finish anywhere from 5th to 8th before the split I doubt many will buy a 5 game package to see out the season. At least with season ticket holders you've kinda compelled them to attend.

Yeah and despite that, it still managed a negative vote .... don't mind getting them if someone backs their decision up. A number of sensible and valid points in your post and well throughout and only your 18th so far, quite revolutionary for on here. fear not, you will descend to petty name calling and fantasy by about post 250

Did he, sure about that? ......... He tried to sell it to an individual or a group for a few years before he realised it wasn't going to happen so the WS idea was floated so he could distance himself from liability. Don't get confused with fan ownership being some noble gesture, it was because it was the only option available. You may not be closed to it but I think its safe to say he is.

What a nonsense thread, then I noticed its author and I thought "ahh well, that figures"

Way off the mark 8-16, its precisely because he wants shot of the liability that fan ownership was advanced as a proposition. He dabbled, tried to use his business acumen, got his fingers burned and sees it as a thing of the past now.

With our recent league form a lot on here have criticised the general local population for failing to recognise and attend. A lot of the fault has to lie with the club not capitalising. We are committed to put a product on the park at FP 19ish times a season, that doesn't alter, it's a fixed cost. The WellEvate scheme has tried to increase things but its impact won't be felt for a few years yet. Sometimes I just think they'd rather go out and get one advertising board or programme ad for £2k opposed to signing up half a dozen season ticket holders. Lapsed, former customers are among the easiest you will ever get. An extra 500 through the gates is £150k per year approx. That would allow the manager £3k per week to spend on players. It was only a few years back we had that coming to FP. When we went to the Cup Final in 2011, 18,000 approx attended, 18-20 (from memory) buses left Fir Park, not one had a season ticket form or list of the added benefits. It's just a chronic and repetitive list of missed opportunity. I sincerely hope this shortcoming is identified going forward as the dire impact on the club financially in the past year has only been offset by a 91st minute goal. 2nd Place SPFL 2013/14 +250k SPFL not represented in the CL 2014/15 -£100k Loss of Hibs/Hearts, gain of Dundee/Accies -£75k Lack of League sponsor -£100k Not progressing past Stjarnan -£300k Inter Milan? -£500k Of course there are quite a few guesstimates plus if's and but's there but overall it does not make happy reading.

I agree, dwindling support and interest in Scottish football from sponsors to TV exec's at present combined with 5-6 home games with teams who bring decent supports replaced with Ross County and alike with little or no developer interest in our current ground means it's a very hard one to sell or envisage unless MJC wins the Euromillions. Like anything through the trust, they tap into quango money and allow the first team and u20's get first dibs. Good deal all round with minimal club outlay and more importantly maintaining as much cash as possible for the player budget. Would have been nicer attached to Ravenscraig as the Muirhouse site is out the way but its probably because Ravenscraig carries a premium than this site is being considered.