To stay or to go?

The season, unfortunately, would appear to be tailing off. As an eternal optimist, I will not give up hope of reaching the play-offs whilst it remains mathematically possible, but thoughts will inevitably turn to next season.

With regard to which players should be kept on, my attitude has always been that it is useless throwing out the baby with the bathwater: at our level, the sheer turnover of players from one season to the next is a major barrier to success. I would also stress that even if our current poor form continues, this season has been far from a write-off. We have a capable new manager in charge; next season he will have his own players at his disposal; and crucially, he has already proved (most notably in the period between November and February this season) that he can get Stenhousemuir playing some decent stuff.

Far be it from me to comment on every player in the squad, but I have a few points to make. Ally Brown seems a capable keeper, and is probably worth keeping unless we could get Willie McCulloch back. Willie was easily the best keeper in this league, yet will not be first choice for East Fife next year; I fear, though, that he may be tempted by another second division club. In terms of numbers, defence is perhaps our weakest area, but we are not without quality: McEwan has been outstanding this year, whilst Lyle's remarkable versatility makes him an essential part of the squad.

In the centre of midfield, Ferguson and Bucket are already under contract, whilst the wide midfielders - Hamilton and Dillon / McLaughlin - should, in my view, also be kept on. If, with better players around them, they continually fail to apply themselves, then they should be freed NEXT season - but they must first be given a chance. All of them, and especially Ross Hamilton, are confidence players whose quality can be a great asset. Up front, Hampshire is perhaps in the same category, though admittedly I have seen less of him, and he would ideally be backup to Dalziel and, if it is humanly possible for the club to persuade him to stay, Harty.

Which leaves us with the youngsters, with regard to whom I can only echo some comments made on the forum recently. If there are youngsters who are up to the task, they should now be given a chance. If those same youngsters have shown attitude problems at any point, now is the time to let bygones be bygones. I understand the importance of discipline, but I nevertheless believe that these players could be terrific assets in a more successful team. I would certainly like to see Rhys Galloway in the team for the remaining games: he is an excellent young player, but next season he will have formidable competition from incoming left back Chris McGroarty. Rhys at least deserves a chance to put himself in consideration.

In the meantime, roll on Stranraer, and in Coughlin we trust.

SHOOT!

In what was effectively the two most important matches of the season we managed to turn in our most insipid performances of the Coughlin era (Threave Rovers excepted). Quite how we managed to get through both these matches without seriously troubling the opposition goalkeeper once is quite damning. We do manage to create openings, but whether it is a lack of confidence or ability - you decide - we simply were not capable of getting the goals required. Defensively our team is strong. We don’t look like losing many goals and indeed the two goals we lost in the Arbroath came from a (debatable) penalty and deflected shot. Although Dumbarton deserve credit for having a shot at goal!! Over on the forum the debate has been reignited as to who should stay and who should go. Given that we now have next to no chance of promotion, we can resign ourselves to (yet) another season in the basement league, and face the prospect of another pre-season of players coming and going by the bucketful: Brown - keep. Has improved since his horror show at Threave and now looks like a very decent keeper at this level. Hillcoat - go; quickly. McEwen - my player of the season. Keep. Lyle - most improved player since Coughlin arrived? Keep. Smith - looks good. Strong no-nonsense defender. Keep. McCulloch - keep. I think we look a better team when he plays (at centre half) Gilbride - only on loan but I would imagine he would be released by Morton anyway. I would keep. Dillon - hopeless. Get rid. His crossing, even with his so called “better” foot, beggars belief. I have found myself squeal with anguish too many times this season because of this chap. Tyrell - keep, but only if he is going to play alongside a midfielder who can pick a pass. Because he can’t. Ferguson - will he ever be fit? Assuming he regains fitness, then keep, but maybe remunerate him on a “pay as you play” basis! He is a great player and I can’t help feel we would be closer to a promotion spot if he had remained fit all season. McLaughlin - this is a difficult one. He is a good player with nice touches. He looks a creative player, but he never actually creates anything! Having said all that he has started to turn in some decent performances recently and may be worth offering a contract for next season. Quitongo - great comedy value, hopeless player. Get rid. Gibson - he really is quite bad. Go. Hamilton - what a disappointment. I had high hopes for him on his return to Ochilview but he has been so disappointing. One of the main culprits in the “I don’t shoot” stakes. Lindsay - he’s a wee gnaff. Get rid. Hampshire - see “Hamilton” above. Came with a great reputation and has been hopeless. Has he scored a single goal all season? I can’t remember one. Go. Dalziel - hopefully he won’t prove to be a flash in the pan. Recent performances have not been great but prior to that he was really looking the part. I am not convinced he could cut it at the next level up but at this level he looks a decent player. Keep. Harty - keep, but I suspect he will want to play at least one level up next season. I had hoped it would be with us but that is not going to happen. So, all in all, another depressing season with very few high points which I won’t look back on with any great fondness. Following Stenhousemuir continues to be a labour of love.

Last minute madness

It is, of course, never over until the fat lady sings. On the stroke of full time, one moment of inspiration can be enough to win a match; by the same token, last minute lapses of concentration often prove costly. Yet this season, Stenny seem to have been affected by last minute madness even more than usual. The last two weeks provide two examples, with opposing outcomes. Thanks to Elgin's last-minute equaliser at Ochilview on Saturday, we have now gone five home games without a win (though admittedly losing only once during that spell). And whilst the more pedantic reader will point out that our winner against the Shire came on 86 minutes, it's still symptomatic of the same thing. These are far from the only examples: almost without exception, the same thing always seems to happen against Albion Rovers. This last-minute syndrome reminds me of the football I was watching last year, when I was living in Italy. Such things are weekly occurrances in Serie A. My 'local' side, Siena, secured their league status with a late winner over Lazio in the last game of last season; early on this season, meanwhile, Milan were the visitors, and the fates were reversed - it took a last-minute equaliser from Alessandro Nesta (of all people) to salvage a point for the European Champions. Cynics would suggest that this is indicative of match-fixing, but whilst corruption undoubtedly plays a part in Italian football, it cannot possibly account for last-minute action on a weekly basis. The real reason, I would suggest, lies in the defensive nature of the game in Italy: most sides are content to sit back for 80 minutes before finally trying to win the match in the remaining 10. Back in the SFL, of course, nothing could be further from the truth. Whilst many lament the supposedly lower quality of our national league, the pace and physical element to the game puts other countries to shame. As the team head for Arbroath on Saturday, they will be under no illusions about the task ahead. Arbroath are a quality side, but their slip-up in midweek has given us a golden opportunity to draw level with them in the play-off race. Let's hope, then, that any last-gasp goals are in our favour!

Derby Day Reflections

There is an unwritten rule which states that, at derby matches, the referee always favours the other side, and must be criticised as such. My own capacity to do so is inhibited by my non-attendance at last Saturday’s clash with the Shire – I was stuck down here in deepest Cambridgeshire as usual – but having watched the highlights online, I will have a go nevertheless. The penalty award seemed to stem from a Shire player being blown over by a freak gust of wind, and whilst that penalty was missed, the free kick which led to the second Shire goal looked similarly dubious. I am, of course, seeking to be provocative here. The decisions do appear dubious on the online highlights, but since the quality of ‘Shire TV’ isn’t the best, I cannot have absolute faith in my judgement. What I can have faith in, though, is the quality of our attacking play. Paul Tyrrell did well to pick out Eddie in the run-up to the first goal, and subsequently finished off a neat move for the second. With a great run and pass, Ross Hamilton started the move which led to his goal, and his return to fitness can only be good news, as anyone who witnessed his performance against East Fife, shortly before his injury last December, would confirm. The crowning glory, though, was surely Ian Harty’s glorious turn and shot for our last-ditch winner. I was interested to see John Coughlin’s interview in the Falkirk Herald last week: he reckons that a successful spell for Stenny could be Harty’s ticket back to a higher division. Rather than joining another club at the end of the season, though, our last-gasp victory means there is still a real chance for Harty to realise that ambition in Stenhousemuir colours. Our feet must remain firmly on the ground, especially now that Arbroath have returned to winning ways, but Harty adds an extra dimension to an already well-equipped Stenny side. Roll on next week!

Bye bye Firs Park

What may well have been my last ever visit to Firs Park (unless The Shire join us in the play offs of course!) , before it is absorbed by the local Retail Park turned out to be quite a thriller. Going in to the match, I must confess to a degree of apprehension. I feared the New Manager Syndrome, as this was The Shire's first match since Gordon Wylde became the latest in a long line of managers who have tried and failed to achieve anything better than last place in the Scottish League. How long they can continue to hold on to their league status despite displaying continued inadequacy remains to be seen. However, the sale of their ground, and what looks like another season propping up the other 39 teams, surely only means that they are delaying the inevitable. As for the match, well it marked Ian Harty's debut in a Warriors shirt. And it was a might impressive debut. His ability to control and pass the ball put me in mind of the last member of the Harty household to play for Stenhousemuir. The contrast was like night and day! I don't think there is a cat in hell's chance we would have won that game without him in the team. No-one else in our squad would have been prepared to take a shot from the position he was in. Too often the attitude this season seems to have been, why shoot when someone else in a much more awkward position can take a shot and miss! The presence of Harty in the team has given me renewed confidence about our ability to make the play offs at the end of the season. All in all it was a bizarre match, where we roared into the lead through the prolific Willie Lyle, only for the Shire to get their noses in front, while in between times missing a penalty (Andy Rogers likes a dive doesn't he?). Couple of belting goals they scored; one from Andy Brand who looks an excellent player - wonder where he'll be next season. We managed to get to half time on level terms with an equaliser from the not so prolific Paul Tyrell. His link up play with Eddie in the 2nd half was one of the highlights of the game. At long last he seems to have realised that the way to the opposition goal is forward, as opposed to sideways or backwards. McLaughlin remains infuriatingly inconsistent but if he could only perform like he did on Saturday more often he would be such a star for us. Second half, after a succession of heavy, late tackles, the ref finally lost patience with The Shire and reduced them to 10 men. Fantsatic I thought. Three points here we come, I thought. Hadn't reckoned on Joe Savage. Every time I have seen him for the Shire he has been absolutly brilliant. Saturday was no exception. I don't know if he saves his best performances for matches against us, but he is like a different player from the one who was as bad as it got towards the end of his spell at Ochilview. His was probably the pick of the bunch from a match that featured 7 quite excellent goals. Eventually, with the introduction of Ross Hamilton, we managed to stretch their backline even more and managed to get back on level terms through Hamilton, before Harty's sucker punch 5 minutes from time. So, a game to remember. While Firs Park might be a pretty unappealing venue, it is a unique ground, which I will be sorry to see go. Whether or not The Shire get a new home of their own, of whether they eventually disappear of the face of the footballing earth remains to seen, but at least it will leave some great, and not so great, memories.

Time to take Hart

It's been a few weeks since I posted, and during that time we've witnessed one of the most exciting Stenny signings of recent years. The arrival of Darlington striker Ian Harty is a terrific boost for all at Ochilview - we simply have to hope that he fulfils his undoubted potential.

Harty is certainly one of those players who, if raw talent were the only determining factor, would be playing at a higher level. We have had a number of other players in that category - Colin Cramb, Isaac English and John Paul McBride spring to mind. All were wonderfully gifted players who found themselves in semi-professional football due to a variety of extenuating circumstances - injury problems for English, disciplinary problems for Cramb. Yet surely those problems, paradoxically, worked to Stenny's advantage? Had the players' careers been trouble-free, I doubt we would ever have seen any of them at Ochilview. Harty is, perhaps, in the same mould - as a youngster at Stranraer, his talent was obvious, but for one reason or another, his career has hit the rocks.

By signing players of this nature, the club takes on the challenge of restoring them to their former glories. This obviously proves to be easier with some players than with others, but the likes of English and McBride demonstrate that it is possible. Can John Coughlin get Harty back to his best? Given his considerable coaching and management skills, I firmly believe that he can.

If he succeeds, our attack will be truly formidable, since Harty's likely partner - Scott Dalziel - has made a huge impression since joining in January. This can only bode well for our play-off push: despite falling to fifth place after the postponement of the Dumbarton game, the players have every right to feel confident in themselves. After all, no-one else can beat East Fife home AND away...!

Scotty Dazzler

Happy days are here again… after last week’s blip against Arbroath, and having successfully negotiated my release from domestic duties, I travelled to Methil not exactly with high hopes. I figured that if Steven Ferguson was back in the starting line up we would stand a chance, otherwise it would be backs to the wall, and 90 minutes of torture while we hold on to a 0-0 draw. Whether Ferguson would be fit was a mystery. One thing Campbell Money was good at was keeping us up to date with goings on at the club through his regular column. Since he left, Money/Coughlin Talks has not been updated, for whatever reason; so I had no idea what the prognosis was on Ferguson’s injury. Would he be fit or wouldn’t he? What about Ross Hamilton and Steven Hampshire? Surely there are goings on at the club that those without direct access to management and the board would like to know about. Back to the game – boy, is New Bayview a depressing, soulless haunt. Ochilview might not be the most impressive footballing theatre but at least it has a bit of character, and is most definitely “Ochilview”. East Fife’s new ground could be one any number of the new plastic grounds popping up over the country. When developing new grounds is this really all that is on offer? We played relatively well; very solid and difficult to get round. Bit like our manager I guess. East Fife, unlike their manager, lacked any sort of punch. While there is no doubt they are the best team in this league, I can’t help feeling that their Neanderthal tactics will get their comeuppance in the 2nd division. The tactic of punting high balls, occasionally in the direction of their 7’9” striker was less than effective, and McCulloch and Mailey coped easily enough with everything thrown at them. Up front Scott Dalziel is proving a more than capable player at this level. Up against 3rd division defences he looks a real handful. Very pacey; deceptively so. Whether he would be able to cope with the step up in leagues is another question. Hopefully he will get a chance to prove he can, next season!

So this weekend brings another big game with the visit of Stranraer. Should be interesting. Hopefully we will have some of our key players back from injury, but I suppose I’ll just have to wait until 3 o’clock on Saturday to find out.