David

So, the new owner gives the new manager a load of new players in the January window, but because we're not off and running by half-time in the first game it's jacket on a shaky peg time? Seriously? I really am glad that fans don't actually run football clubs, and instead leave it to proper businessmen and people who know how to actually do the job.

I'll tell you what, just seeing that still there from the video with the new manager and the new players all lined up fills me with confidence that we're at least making a fist of working our way out of this shite. Onwards & upwards!

Aye, and apparently they had high hopes for him until he suffered a fractured tibia and fibula in 2012.

Wee Dan is a decent back up keeper, nothing more really.

He did, which makes me think that he's realised that any plans he has for the club moving forward requires us to be an SPFL team next season and has moved to make funds available for short-term loans to see us through to the end of the season. At that point we'll see a whole host of guys out of contract, and there'll be more room for maneuvre by the manager.

Baraclough out!

New guy sent off as well!??!

1-0 down already. Maybe I don't want to hear it anyway

Anyone know if the BBC still do commentary for individual games? I haven't listened to them for a while, but can't find the option to listen to our game rather than the league cup semi-final.

I know this is doing the rounds on social media, but I thought I'd post it here nonetheless;

Because he's a wind up merchant most likely.

I wonder why big Jim Traynor didn't apply for the media job. That's the gig he had with the blue bigots, wasn't it?

I was more meaning the area outside the stadium. We've seen games cancelled because of the conditions being considered dangerous for fans on their way to games, haven't we?

Yeah, but the main sticking point with him was his injury problems, wasn't it? I think if he gets a run of games he'll do okay.

He looks to have decent credentials, it's just a shame that he probably won't be here beyond the summer.

He was seemingly a player in demand, and the fact that Notts County actually wanted to sign him but Forest didn't want to let him go hints at him being a quality player.

Pretty much. Once he has a solid idea of who's staying and going in the summer he'll have a better idea of the kind of budget he has to play with.

That's a positive then I guess, although a freezing night on top of ice & snow may prove to be an issue. Anyone been down at the stadium? How's the surrounding area looking?

Aye, he sounds like the kind of player who blows hot & cold. Not really surprising, as a player in his position who blows mainly hot would likely be outwith our reach. We'll just need to wait and see how he does.

What? I'm not sure what that even means? You made some points, I made some points, it's a discussion. Yeah, but circumstances play a part, don't they? It all depends on various factors as to how a new managerial appointment will affect a team. I don't think our squad now is anywhere close to having the quality that it had in it when Brown took over, and we were sitting higher up the table, so the threat of relegation wasn't quite as major an issue. What do you mean that a new broom should have swept clean? Are you meaning the staff who were there from McCall's era? If so, I'm not sure it's just as simple as telling them to hit the road, there are contracts that would need to be paid up I think, and I don't think we're in a position to do that at the moment. We'll maybe see a significant shift in the backroom staff come the summer. If you look back you'll actually see that I was an advocate of bringing someone in short-term until the summer, allowing us to bring someone in with a fresh slate. I'd mentioned the likes of Tommy McLean maybe doing the kind of job we initially brought in Craig Brown to do, or even leaving Black in charge. But we didn't do that, we appointment Baraclough so we really should be prepared to back him and give him a sufficient amount of time to do the job. Yeah, he's been here for less than two months, and in that time he's been working primarily with the squad of players that have gotten us into this mess. I'm not entirely sure what you expected him to do that McCall wasn't capable of? How many other companies would hire a new manager when they're experiencing an downturn in business and get rid of him when he didn't turn it around in less than two months? That's simply mental to be honest. Sorry mate, to come to the conclusion you have when the guy has been here for a grand total of 48 days is a bit off to be honest. I simply can't agree with it. I don't really think we are. We were a bit shit before he arrived, and we're still a bit shit. In order for that to change we need to offload some of the players who aren't performing and bring in replacements. He simply cannot do that to his full ability until the summer, can he? Really? From a period of 48 days and 7 games you've reached the conclusion that he doesn't have the aptitude to do the job? Despite him having a pretty poor squad to work with, and a decent amount of injuries to contend with as well? I guess everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but I find that kind to be baffling if I'm honest. I'm not fighting any kind of fight, be it good or bad. All I'm doing is resisting the urge to allow my knees to jerk all over the shop. We're in a relegation battle, and we're trying to bring in some players during the window to help us consolidate our current position and stay ahead of the two teams below us. That's our main concern. Replacing the manager any time before the end of the season is simply mental in my opinion.

Anyone know if we're due more snow tonight?

The circumstances then were completely different to those that Baraclough has found himself in. Brown took over a side that was sitting in 6th place when Gannon was sacked, and he had players like Jennings, Hateley, Ruddy, Reynolds, Jutkiewicz and Murphy to see him through until the end of the season. Gannon was a bit mental, but we weren't in as bad shape playing-wise as we were when Baraclough joined us. McCall had more background knowledge on the current squad than anyone and he was at a loss to figure out what the fuck was going on, wasn't he? Just because Baraclough knew some of our players and had an idea of what they were capable of doesn't mean he was going to be able to come in and sprinkle some magic dust to turn around our fortunes. He's brought in two players thus far, and one of them is a quality midfielder that knows the Scottish game well. The other is a bit of an unknown, but we can't really judge him until we've seen him get some game time. Yeah, there is. Sack Baraclough after eight game or so, stick Kenny Black back in charge and proceed to go through the entire process of recruiting a manager again, all the while admitting that we didn't know what the fuck we were doing in the first place, because that's what such actions will suggest. Why any other manager worth his salt would take us seriously after that is beyond me to be honest. Would you risk your reputation on a club that fired a guy a few months after he was in the door? I know that I certainly wouldn't. If we're wanting to survive relegation the best thing to go for is continuity. That means keeping the guy you hired, especially when he's only just gotten started in the job and has signed a couple of players. Let him do his job for fuck sake man. If this team falls into the Championship the blame lies at the feet of the current playing staff and the former manager, not the guy who was brought in late on to try and mop up the mess. Am I suggesting that our new manager be given use of a budget to rectify mistakes and issues that the club had before he was appointed? Yes. That's how it works, isn't it? The new guy is appointed and is then given the funds to do his own thing with the team.

It takes more than the time he's had for him to come in and basically change up the way we play the game I think, especially when I'm not all that sure he has the players to carry out the kind of football he wants to play at the moment either. Come the summer we'll have a whole host of players out of contract, with a lot of them moving on. He'll then be given the time and freed up wages to bring in some players that he believes will deliver his style and will get the job done. That's the point where I'll judge him. There really isn't any alternative to that, is there? Unless we want to pay the money to release him from his contract and begin the whole process again? All the while we'll be dropping points and all over the place.

What exactly were you wanting from him this early into his reign as manager? He's operating with the same players that McCall couldn't get fuck all out of, isn't he? He deserves at least this window and the summer to put his own stamp on the side. Judge him after he's had some time to do his own thing, not a few months into the job.

Ojamaa's full statement on social media;