Accies .V. Kelty Hearts - Sat, Dec 23rd

[Admin]

Your comments please...

[porcupine]

Having Fulton out with a suspected broken arm, Martin with a hamstring injury and Kilday with a calf injury means that there are good opportunities for others in the squad to step up to the plate on Saturday.

Regardless of these injuries, we just HAVE to win this one convincingly, and by a big score-line. Anything else would be quite unacceptable.

[Beckford]

Need a big reaction in this game!

A lot of talk at the forum last night of how the players were not "up for it enough" in the Falkirk game, which I agree with tbh. Felt we were bullied and bossed out of the game by a more streetwise, more aggressive and more organised team with a clear game plan. Yes, the injuries were a huge blow but we can't feel sorry for ourselves and need to bounce back quickly.

The previous defeat to Kelty should be motivation enough for the team, let alone the possibility of allowing Falkirk to open up a gap at the top.

That said come 5 o'clock tomorrow three points is the only thing that matters. If we are up for it and really have a go, a lot of the grumbles in the fan base from last week will disappear. However, if we do not look like a team with fire in their belly, the negativity will no doubt continue.

We have no devine right to win tomorrow so need to be at it from the off.

[StewartP]

Well Beckford, at it from the off we were not!

Henderson should score in the first half but otherwise it was fairly drab half and that’s being kind.

Tait was woeful today and should’ve been subbed before he got the 2nd yellow.

O’Hara gets pass makes for me as he puts a shift in. Too many players looked like they didn’t give a f**k. Rankin spoke of fight and desire to make up for last week where we didn’t turn up and today it wasn’t evident.

We struggled to string basic passes together and free kicks which should’ve gone in box in second half were played sideways (again!).

Can’t see Falkirk blowing it from here. They are a good side but is 2nd place good enough or even guaranteed on today’s showing?

[Beckford]

Agree. That was just more of the same today unfortunately. We may create a lot of chances but we convert so few. Without the deflection I don't think we would have scored if we had played untill midnight.

It was stated on Thursday that Rankin would have achieved the points target he was given for the halfway point by winning today. Well we didn't! The only stat that matters is the goals scored / points gained. Falkirk are now well on top and i don't see how we catch them unless they have a huge collapse or we have a phenomenal January window.

I still think Rankin will be given until the end of the season. Based on how things are going, it could be a long second half of the season

[monkeybones]

Give Rankin til the end of the season!?! Why? He will not turn it around. Every week he stays you will regret more and more the club not making an obvious change at this point.
He doesn’t have it, it’s clear. He is outsmarted by more canny managers. They would love to have this squad. We will cling to a play off place and fail to go up. So why wait?

[porcupine]

Give Rankin til the end of the season!?! Why? He will not turn it around. Every week he stays you will regret more and more the club not making an obvious change at this point.
He doesn’t have it, it’s clear. He is outsmarted by more canny managers. They would love to have this squad. We will cling to a play off place and fail to go up. So why wait?

Realism rather than pessimism from me here. On the last few weeks performances, we will struggle to keep in the play-off race and would be well beaten by any team at the foot of the Championship.
Whatever the players do during the week, or whatever plans the manager has made, there is no visible evidence that, as a full time squad, we are any better than all the part-time teams in this league.

Does one of our players have temperamental issues? The loss of a hardworking midfielder today for a game or two, on top of long term injuries to Scott Martin & Ryan Fulton, are likely to further damage our ability to see us winning games now.

Next game against FC Edinburgh, in a really poor venue to enjoy a football game, is one on which I'll pass. We were unable to compete against them at NDP, and as they scored two goals today, they have a better idea of where the goals are than we currently have. Predict another draw.

JR has apparently 'almost' signed an impressive player, and more signing are expected in January. Can't see Zanatta & Barjonas being with us beyond that date. Any signing(s) will have to be something special to get us out of this forever deepening trench we are in.

NOT a Happy Christmas, methinks, as far as Accies are concerned.

[Beckford]

Give Rankin til the end of the season!?! Why? He will not turn it around. Every week he stays you will regret more and more the club not making an obvious change at this point.
He doesn’t have it, it’s clear. He is outsmarted by more canny managers. They would love to have this squad. We will cling to a play off place and fail to go up. So why wait?

I didn't say I would give Rankin until the end of the season, I said I think he will be given until the end of the season! This is based on what was said at the forum. I have been as critical of Rankin as anyone on this and other forums. As of todays result, by their own admision, Rankin has failed to achieve the targets set by the board. However, the obvious question is IF they empty him who do we bring in? I am far from happy with how things are going, but he is being backed again in this window so I don't think it's likely that they will get rid of him.

[smc4761]

I am calling this one early;

Falkirk to win league
Cove to finish 2nd
Accies to finish 3rd

Rankin will be the manager until he loses the play off then its au revoir to him and Daz

Scott Martin is a huge loss and that has lready impacted with not one else really who can fill him for him. Same with Fulton, huge loss and again no great back up. Add in the fact that althogh we create lots we fail to finish teams off

Any good will that Rankin has with the fans has already started to wane and will only get worse

[Beckford]

Although I agree with your post and not defending Ranking in any way, the players have to be accountable too.

For me the lack of effort and poor performances has to be a factor. You could argue that the players are not playing for the manager but if that's the case there is a clear lack of professionalism. I have had plenty of bosses over the years I didn't particularly like or respected but I still gave 100 percent as I take pride in my work and wanted paid.

You can do everything you can to prepare players during the week, but if they don't turn up when the game kicks off switching formations and making subs is all you are left with (which I accept most of us recognise Rankin is garbage at)

We are always told the squad has a great bond, but for me that has not looked like a team playing for each other for while now. Guess what I am saying is I agree that Rankin does not look up to the job, is definitely not learning from his mistakes and I don't believe he will deliver promotion. He deserves the criticism he receives but there are more than a few players that should be criticised too.

[Stevie Clarke]

There's something about this league, the third tier, we've never won it. Second to Ayr in 1997 despite having the most free-scoring team in the league; second to Airdrie in 2004, which we were only too happy with after Morton's blow up and now this season. Second or third, it doesn't really matter. We possibly do have a better squad than Falkirk but in my opinion they certainly have the better manager and coaching team.

[AccieDownUnder]

I think what Falkirk have over us is character and leaders. They had 11 players last week who out fought and out worked our side. I feel we don’t have anyone willing to do the dirty work at times. I’d take their squad and manager over ours in a heartbeat. Rankin has assembled a team who wouldn’t say boo to a goose but are technically good. They could be 8 points above us soon and are still unbeaten, any chat of us having a better squad is laughable.