by Willie Wastle » Sun May 13, 2018 3:41 pm
The first thing to record is that it is an unprecedented achievement for Accies to stay in the top flight for five seasons. I saw enough in our first few games to anticipate it, and despite ridicule from one or two of the usual pessimists, it proved to be the case.
I couldn't have anticipated some of what went on to happen: a financial fraud that cost the club close to £1m, which would have been enough to destroy us in the past; one of our close competitors, Kilmarnock, reborn from relegation bankers with an inspired managerial appointment; loss of half a team in the course of the season - Devlin, Skondras, Donati, Gillespie, Docherty, Longridge; three dreadful losing streaks; and yet somehow we still managed to stay up with just 33 points.
You can cherry pick the evidence that Partick and Ross County were dreadful, that we had a shocking defensive record, whatever. I can cherry pick back that we scored a barrowload of goals, we secured decisive and unexpected wins at Ibrox, Easter Road and Fir Park, etc. You can't say we were lucky or unlucky over the season, we take the good and the bad, and it worked out we finished a place higher than last season. If Martin Canning takes the blame for the bad, he also deserves credit for the good.
Our club has a system. And it works. It doesn't have us competing for Europe or trophies, but it does have us competitive in the top flight, something that has eluded Accies teams throughout my lifetime, and all the way back to the 1930s. Part of that system is to appoint a head coach from within, and stick with them through thick and thin. It's an unusual approach in football, but I suggest other clubs try it. For every Steve Clarke appointment, there's a dozen Owen Coyles.
Perhaps another manager could get more out of our squad. Someone like Alex Neil, maybe. But I don't see another Neil around, and if the alternative to Canning is to promote someone like Dougie Imrie, I'll stick with what we have, please. There's no quick fix to propel us into the top six.
I fear for our prospects next season, with the departures of Crawford and Ferguson, probably Templeton and Sarris, and perhaps Woods, Redmond and others. But it's too soon for me to start bemoaning what could happen next season, when we should still be celebrating our latest accomplishment. 5-in-a-row in the top flight, 8 out of 10 seasons in the top flight since we won the Championship a decade ago. It's the best time I've ever known to support Accies.
sic a wife as Willie had, I wadna gie a button for her!