Home and Away

Slightly unusual match on Saturday where we occupied the away dressing room (apparently) and most of our support was on the terrace. Official crowd was 511 but it looked like more from where I was sitting. As for the match itself, despite a few shaky moments, we ran out comfortable winners. The Shire started off well but faded big style and the 2nd half was reminiscent of seasons gone by where they did a favourable impression of a Pub Team. Things have improved on the pitch following the injection of some cash from their benfactor but without a home of their own, and relying on one man's generosity, I wonder just how long they have left. Once he gets bored where do they go? Will Spartans get their chance sooner rather than later? Stranraer are also in a perilous state, openly admitting that they screwed their finances up. It's a dicy business and I only hope our Board of Directors know what they are doing. Back on the plastic, Kevin Motion continues to rattle in the goals. Apart from his goals, his delivery from set pieces is fantastic. It always amazes me that "professional" footballers cannot hit a stationary ball more accurately than they do, but the reality is that a player who can hit a dead ball like Motion is a scarcity. In the old days of Terry Christie, one of his successful tactics was a player able to hit an vicious, inswinging corner (Adrian Sprott, Graeme Armstrong) to the near post where our striker would flick it on for an inrushing player at the back post. It was very effective but required a player who could accurately find that player at the near post. Motion seems able to strike a dead ball with that preciceness. Although having watched Stoke at the weekend, maybe we should just play for throw ins and rely on Ovenstone's long throws to create chances. We have seem to have so many options!

Stranger things have happened...

It's been a few weeks since I last posted, and readers will surely agree that it has been an odd time for football in general. Down south, for example, the final week of the transfer window turned into something of a silly season. Manchester City grabbed the headlines, of course, with their attempt to sign approximately 60% of the population of Europe on deadline day, though rumours of a last-ditch £50m bid for Kevin Motion proved to be unfounded. For me, though, the strangest goings-on were at Stoke City. I'm sure nobody was surprised to see a crowd of Manchester City supporters gathering outside their stadium when the Robinho signing was announced, but the sight of Stoke supporters doing the same for Danny Higginbotham - as broadcast live on Sky Sports News - was unquestionably a touch bizarrre.

Returning to more familiar circles, ex-Warrior Kenny Miller has been making headlines once again. Having achieved the unique feat of making himself equally unpopular with both halves of the Old Firm, last weekend saw him silence his critics amongst the Rangers support by doing what he does best - rising to the big occasion and socring goals. As the World Cup qualifiers approach, we can only hope that his rich vein of form continues: both Macedonia and Iceland are sides we should realistically be beating, but who nevertheless represent potential banana-skins. I'm especially looking forward to watching tomorrow's clash with Macedonia, or the 'Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,' as the intractable nature of Balkan politics obliges us to refer to them. One added incentive for the team is the very real possibility that two victories might take us ahead of England in the world rankings, for the first time ever: here's hoping!

The international break has, of course, fallen at a convenient time for the Warriors: our win over Cowdenbeath last week ensured that we would remain top of the league for at least two weeks. Such a disrpution to the rhythm of regular weekly matches is sometimes interpreted as a potential hazard for in-form teams, but as things stand just now, we have every reason to look forward with confidence to the resumption of league action on September 13.

Shirra Brilliance

Blimey, the last two visits to the football have been fantastic. Having returned from my summer hols where I had managed to fit in one more match (well, strictly, two matches) and another new stadium - Real Mallorca entertained Newcastle, Hannover and Berlin in the "Summer Cup" aka an opportunity to rip off the tourists; again - I returned just in time to catch our home match against Montrose. First half was appalling and put me in mind of the worst ever performances; again. It probably wasn't that bad, but it felt it. Second half couldn't have been any more different. A couple of changes and it was like watching a new team (Brazil?) We totally outclassed the opposition and could easily have gone on to win a match we had looked like losing an hour earlier. Scott Dalziel, who had spent the previous 45 minutes imitating his own shadow, managed to score with a couple of clinical headers, and finally, literally, John Ovenstone managed to head wide when he had all the time in the world to choose his spot. Ovenstone looks like Freddy Flintoff, and is a brute of a player. Not sure how he would cope against a nippy striker, but he isn't likely to lose many headers. On to Dumbarton for a rare away day for myself. Having missed kick off on each of my last three visits to The Rock, it was one extreme to the next. The expected roadworks and traffic congestion (Celtic were at home) didn't materialise and I arrived 45 minutes before kick off, just as the reporter from The Sun arrived in the car park. Like me he was looking forward to the game as he also had been at the Montrose game and thought "Stenny were a good team", he told a fellow reporter. I wonder if this was Scotland on Sunday's delegate? The same one who obviously hadn't listened too closely to the man from The Sun. He left before the end of the match and filed his report with the opening gambit "THE spoils were shared at the Strathclyde Homes Stadium in a dire 1-1 draw between Dumbarton and Stenhousemuir." If he had stayed till the end he would have realised that we were a good team this season, one who won't crumble under the slightest whiff of pressure from the opposition, and indeed one who fights to the end. What a delight to see our team push forward looking for a winner right to the last minute. Andy Shirra's goal was a belter, as was Kevin Motion's, and was a well deserved winner. Next weekend brings Cowdungbeath and an opportunity to resurrect our rivalry from two or three years ago. They are top of the pile at the moment which is a surprise to me. Still early days but this feels like an important match.

Club X 1-1 Stenhousemuir

I caught my first glimpse of 2008-09 league action on Saturday as we drew 1-1 with Annan Athletic, whom I still describe as 'Club X' in an attempt to keep myself amused. Attending the match - the first SFL game at Annan's Galabank ground - was an unquestionably odd experience, not least on account of the manifold difficulties we experienced in actually gaining access to the stadium. Am I the only one who wonders if unfinished refurbishment of away grounds is becoming a theme of our season? After the curious experience of Fleetwood in pre-season, where the lack of floodlights led some of us to question whether or not we'd actually get the game finished, Annan presented us with a new challenge: lack of turnstiles. These simple items of stadium-entrance equipment are, it would seem, a privelege reserved for home supporters only - at least until the redevlopment work is completed. Warriors supporters were forced to enter via the astroturf pitches, where - bizarrely - the Annan players were happily getting on with their pre-match warm-up. (Brian, aka Bozo from the website forum, was a notable exception to this rule, successfully gaining access through the home supporters' entrance despite his conspicuous Stenny colours. It must have been down to his cheeky smile.)

The match itself was a largely scrappy affair, in which we were unable to capitalise on our clear technical and territorial superiority. In terms of the performances of individual players, it was the proverbial game of two halves. Ferguson and Thomson, for example, put in strong performances in the first half before fading in the second, whilst for Lyle the opposite was true: after a lacklustre opening period, he was excellent after the interval, combining beautifully with Dalziel and Brand respectively in two well-worked attacks. Dalziel missed a sitter whilst Brand was a little subdued at times, but both still showed some decent touches, and it was good to see the latter continuing his prolific goalscoring start to the season.

All in all, then, two points dropped against relatively inexperienced opposition, but plenty of reasons to be optimistic. The two undisputed stars of the show, though, were Annan's sloping pitch - not conducive to brilliant football but certainly aesthetically pleasing - and Chris McGroarty's luminous blue boots, which injected some much-needed colour into the proceedings!

Here we go again...

After the disappointing defeat by Albion Rovers in the Challenge Cup, Warriors fans will be attempting to claim that the 'real' season starts this coming Saturday, with the visit of Elgin. Most observers would expect some changes to the side after such a poor showing; here's my take on the ideal line-up:

----------------------Bennett---------------------

McEwan --- Smith --- Ovenstone --- Lyle

---Love --------- Ferguson -------- Motion -

---------------------- Shirra ----------------------

--------- Hampshire -----Dalziel -------------

Good performances in midfield will be paramount, especially in wide areas - in previous season we've suffered from a lack of width, and we can't afford to fall into the same trap this time. Motion is the only decent candidate wide on the left (unless we put Lyle there and pick McGroarty at left back), whilst on the right, I think Love's pace and control could tear most teams to shreds. In central midfield, there is no better ball-winner than Ferguson - as proved against Fleetwood. On the basis of reports from the Airdrie match, meanwhile, it'd be impossible to leave out Shirra.

At the back, Smith and Ovenstone have impressed me greatly, whilst Thom will provide decent backup if he learns to be a bit less rash in the tackle. Bennett looks an assured keeper. Up front, Hampshire is looking fit and is probably the best candidate to partner Dalziel. The two players who've impressed me particularly, and who I'm especially keen to see picked, are Ferguson and Love.

I'm reluctant to make predictions about how we'll do this season, but I'm certainly looking forward to it: I have every faith in John Coughlin's capacity to bring the good times back to Ochilview. My formative years coincided with the 'golden years' of Second Division football, memorable cup runs, and quality coaches like Terry Christie, Graeme Armstrong and Brian Fairley - but since Brian's departure in 2001, we've only really had two or three decent seasons. Moreover, I think a lot of us perceived a great sense of negativity between 2001 and about 2004-5: from the backroom shenanigans in 2001-2 (Gordon Hill et al), to the abysmal league campaign of 2003-4: these were dark times.

These days, though, irrespective of what happens on the park, things are unquestionably more positive: we have a forward-looking board who do a terrific job at keeping us up to date with goings-on, a terrific artificial playing surface which is a great asset, and an excellent manager. As the new league season dawns, then, the message is simple: Bring it on!

Here we go again

It didn't really take too long before the optimism of the new season became a distant memory. 90 minutes in and it's as if it was all a bad nightmare; again. Albion Rovers are not very good but they made up for what they lacked in ability by putting a great shift from the first minute to the last. So while our team might have most of the possession and passed the ball about (the halfway line) we were ineffective. There were no killer passes. Too many times we got into position to cross and either cut back or if they did cross, it was straight to a defender. Up front is a worry, where Dalziel and Gibson don't cut it for me. Love came on and was a menace for the 15 minutes or so he was on the park, and he came the closest to scoring with a header well saved by the Albion keeper. We created very few clearcut chances. Dalziel sclaffed one shot which the keeper almost managed to help into the net but otherwise chances at a premium. It is still early days and too soon to get too depressed but it was not a good start today. We still have Brand and Brazil to come in to the team and they can only imrove things (surely) . As far as the team is concerned, my view was:- 1. Bennett - did ok. Almost pulled off a great save at the penalty but in truth had little to do. 2. Lyle - hopeless today. He was so lethargic and when he did get forward he was unable to deliver the ball into the box, preferring to turn back and pass the ball. 3. McGroarty - he was never my favourite signing, an opinion which remains unchanged. He literally did nothing. 4. Thom - seemed untroubled throughout the match. Reality is that while the Albion strikeforce were a couple of pests, they are unlikely to trouble the scorers too often. We will face better players than that. 5 Smith - didn't put a foot wrong. My MOM. 6 Tyrell - how on earth does he keep winning our player of the year award? 7 Shirra - had high hopes but he was disappointing today. Didn't get involved anywhere nearly enough. 8 Hampshire - he looked ponderous throughout the match and actually didn't look fit. Did nothing. Just like last season. 9 Dalziel - goodness me. Did he have his boots on the wrong feet? Looks low on confidence. 10 Gibson - ineffective. 11 Thomson - misplaced so many passes. Another player with a big reputation who had a disappointing debut. Surely he can only improve. As for the subs, Love was good. Caused them trouble and came closing to scoring. He must be close to a starting spot. Ferguson, when he came on looked old and slow. Despite this, I can't fathom how Tyrell starts ahead of him. My summer holidays start next week (boy, do I wish they had started yesterday) so I miss the next 3 or 4 matches. Bizarrely, by the time I return, in all likelihood we will be out of two cups before the end of the first week in August!

2008/2009 predictions

So, another season is almost upon us. As ever, I am fairly optimistic about our chances. Not sure how long it will last but hopefully a bit longer than last season. We seem to have built a squad of players, all of whom have performed well at this level. In the past we have put our faith in players who are in the twilight of their careers and who have come to Stenhousemuir for their last big pay day (ha!). So while there are no “names” in the squad, it is players familiar to most fans at this level, and who have generally created a good impression at their other clubs ie. their supporters didn’t want them to leave. So how do I think the league will turn out? Based upon what I saw last season and what I have seen and heard during the close season I think there will be one or two clubs in for a shock this season, one way or another. My prediction for the final league placings: 1.Dumbarton - look to have signed some decent players who come with big reputations (OK, I know it doesn’t always work out for the better but…) Throughout their team they have players who most other clubs would happily see playing for them - McEwan, Lennon, Murray and Carcary. It can’t be much worse for them than it was last season but I think they will have a squad and manager capable of getting them promoted. 2.Stenhousemuir - for the reasons above. Will we go up in the play offs? Who knows? 3. Montrose - were decent enough last season and Weir seems to be a good manager. 4. Berwick - they have made some disappointing signings; whether it’s just rubbish (Dillon, McGurk) or players that don’t want to play for them (Lister - that looks like that was a close escape) but McGonigal and Mooney will do OK I think. 5. Cowdenbeath - bit like Forfar, I’m not sure how they will do. Some good signings - Tomana - and some bad ones - McGregor, the little thug who would get sent off every week if he wasn’t suspended most of them. Again, bit like Albion, I don’t know what the future holds for them following the resignation of McDougall as Chairman and the property developers taking over the running of the club. Selfishly, I’m not looking forward to returning to darkest Fife this season - the place just depresses me. 6. Forfar - this is the team I am least confident about. Either they will have a disaster, be mid table, or get a play off spot! I have no idea. Disappointed Ally Brown didn’t end up back with us. 7. The Shire - almost like a proper team now, with proper players and a proper manager. All they need now is somewhere to play. Can’t help but feel they have simply been offered a stay of execution and that they are not long for this world. What do they do when their “sugar daddy” calls it a day? Don’t think they will be any where near good enough for promotion (Hillcoat is hopeless and Cramb will get bored) but I can’t see them finishing bottom. 8. Elgin - as long as Inverness continue to lend to them then they should be good enough to stay off the bottom. 9. Albion Rovers - the new Shire. They are broke by all accounts and their squad looks paper thin. Signing Dumbarton’s rejects from last season can’t fill their fans with confidence. And while there will be the odd gem to be found in the Amatuer ranks, I don’t think a team full of them is the answer. 10. Annan - they haven’t had time to get a strong enough squad together so I think it will be a season of toil for them. It will be interesting to see how the Annan public get behind them especially if they struggle. I still can’t fathom how Spartans didn’t get in. Hey ho. So, Saturday coming brings the start of the new season and while we have to wait a further week before the league starts it will be great to see competitive football again.