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Bad Starts


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Three seasons, three managers, three different ways of preparing the team and squad... and three consecutive poor starts:

Lennon 13/14 - First 6 league games returned 5 losses, 1 draw and we were knocked out the league cup to QOTS.

Craig 14/15 - First 6 league games returned 5 losses, 1 win and we did get through in the League Cup, beating Dunfermline.

Murray 15/16 - First 3 league games have returned 1 point and we were knocked out the league cup by Livi.

What is causing these dreadful starts to keep happening? All 3 mangers were in their post at the start of June, all 3 had more than enough time to prepare their squad. All 3 have failed to hit the ground running and as a result we are now playing catch up on our rivals for the third consecutive season.

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We haven't signed good enough players. We never addressed the glaring deficiences at CB position. We never signed an adequate foil / partner / alternative to an ageing Thompson.

Finally, rival managers proved themselves better organisers, better tacticians, better motivators, and knew their best XIs and where to play each player in those XIs.

Additionally, no other club was jinxed by a gypsy's curse on a legoland dinkydome.

In my opinion it was all of this.... or it was simply Cheesy's fault.

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Three seasons, three managers, three different ways of preparing the team and squad... and three consecutive poor starts:

Lennon 13/14 - First 6 league games returned 5 losses, 1 draw and we were knocked out the league cup to QOTS.

Craig 14/15 - First 6 league games returned 5 losses, 1 win and we did get through in the League Cup, beating Dunfermline.

Murray 15/16 - First 3 league games have returned 1 point and we were knocked out the league cup by Livi.

What is causing these dreadful starts to keep happening? All 3 mangers were in their post at the start of June, all 3 had more than enough time to prepare their squad. All 3 have failed to hit the ground running and as a result we are now playing catch up on our rivals for the third consecutive season.

Could you go back, say, 10 years out of interest?

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Could you go back, say, 10 years out of interest?

We even made a poor start in the 76/77 Season.

Some Pantpishers would've binned the Manager after 2 League matches.

Maybe have him sacked during the League Cup Section Games.

Edited by shull
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The first 2 were clueless. So far, the third one gives the impression of being the same as the first 2.

Is this the same clueless one who guided us to the League Cup win. Four consecutive seasons in the top flight and our best top flight finish of 8th in the SPL.

If that is clueless I will take that any day.

Bring back Danny all is forgiven

Edited by Dave The Buddie
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Is this the same clueless one who guided us to the League Cup win. Four consecutive seasons in the top flight and our best top flight finish of 7th in the SPL.

If that is clueless I will take that any day.

Bring back Danny all is forgiven

When did we finish 7th?

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Should never look back. The board went for a cheap option again. I wanted a bigger name but would never have given 2 year deal to any manager

I actually think the board's approach in usually appointing a younger manager with potential is the right one. The problem seems to be the amount of research and awareness is minimal. Murray deserves time of course. I would have thought the board should have an eye out for the next manager at all times. The last really good appointment was Alex Miller about 400 years ago IMO.

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Three seasons, three managers, three different ways of preparing the team and squad... and three consecutive poor starts:

Lennon 13/14 - First 6 league games returned 5 losses, 1 draw and we were knocked out the league cup to QOTS.

Craig 14/15 - First 6 league games returned 5 losses, 1 win and we did get through in the League Cup, beating Dunfermline.

Murray 15/16 - First 3 league games have returned 1 point and we were knocked out the league cup by Livi.

What is causing these dreadful starts to keep happening? All 3 mangers were in their post at the start of June, all 3 had more than enough time to prepare their squad. All 3 have failed to hit the ground running and as a result we are now playing catch up on our rivals for the third consecutive season.[/quote

More push from you we beat Hibs 1 0 in Lennons first league game still you might have missed it since you seem to spend most Saturday's posting on this site

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I actually think the board's approach in usually appointing a younger manager with potential is the right one. The problem seems to be the amount of research and awareness is minimal. Murray deserves time of course. I would have thought the board should have an eye out for the next manager at all times. The last really good appointment was Alex Miller about 400 years ago IMO.

Subjective matter of course, but I will always regard Gus MacPherson and Danny Lennon as being good St Mirren appointments. Gus got us up, kept us up, steered us through the stadium move, ovesaw a Challenge Cup win, a Div 1 win, a reserve League Cup win, a national cup final. Danny came in and bless his cotton socks, tried to move us away from what had become a turgid grind under Gus, and win us a bloomin' League Cup.

Sure, things turned sour for both men and it was time for a parting of the ways, but both did us a good turn.

Tommy Craig and the length of his last deal, then compounding that clusterf**k by throwing in Gary Teale? Still cannot believe the BoD inflicted that upon us. What kind of drugs were they on?

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The first 2 were clueless. So far, the third one gives the impression of being the same as the first 2.

You make a valid point in other threads stating we need a settled team rather than changing things around every other game , its not rocket science so cant understand why Murray cant see it.

Goals against Dumbarton last season make for scary reading in my book.

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Is this the same clueless one who guided us to the League Cup win. Four consecutive seasons in the top flight and our best top flight finish of 8th in the SPL.

If that is clueless I will take that any day.

Bring back Danny all is forgiven

We'd be bankrupt by now with all the rotten players we'd have to pay off. Danny was brilliant with the young players and developing them but when it came to bringing in players he was very hit and miss. Thats me being kind to the legend!

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Three seasons, three managers, three different ways of preparing the team and squad... and three consecutive poor starts:

Lennon 13/14 - First 6 league games returned 5 losses, 1 draw and we were knocked out the league cup to QOTS.

Craig 14/15 - First 6 league games returned 5 losses, 1 win and we did get through in the League Cup, beating Dunfermline.

Murray 15/16 - First 3 league games have returned 1 point and we were knocked out the league cup by Livi.

What is causing these dreadful starts to keep happening? All 3 mangers were in their post at the start of June, all 3 had more than enough time to prepare their squad. All 3 have failed to hit the ground running and as a result we are now playing catch up on our rivals for the third consecutive season.[/quote

More push from you we beat Hibs 1 0 in Lennons first league game still you might have missed it since you seem to spend most Saturday's posting on this site

Read the OP and then learn how to use the quote function.

Moron :lol:

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Last few years we've cobbled together sides made up of one year contracts and loan signings. Consequence is that at the end of each season whoever the manager is has to start pretty much from scratch in building a team which takes time hence inept start to each season from unfamiliar lineup.

Would sooner we invested some faith in long-term youngsters than short-term loanees.

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Last few years we've cobbled together sides made up of one year contracts and loan signings. Consequence is that at the end of each season whoever the manager is has to start pretty much from scratch in building a team which takes time hence inept start to each season from unfamiliar lineup.

Would sooner we invested some faith in long-term youngsters than short-term loanees.

But on the other hand, some of our best players of recent years have been short term loanees. We had 3 of them in the starting 11 in the League Cup final.

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But on the other hand, some of our best players of recent years have been short term loanees. We had 3 of them in the starting 11 in the League Cup final.

Lets see how Killie get on with the 3 year deals they have been handing out!

Its just the way it is for most teams in Scottish Football these days. Recruitment is a huge part of the managers job because of the amount of turnover of players there is each season.

Our recruitment over the last 2-3 seasons has been really poor. The centre back issue hasn't been addressed since McPherson left. Over reliance on Thompson for years which I think caused him to miss most of last season which in turn relegated us. Signing diddies and paying them off a few months later will cut into the budgets.

It maybe doesn't explain the bad starts but it has played a huge part in our decline.

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We'd be bankrupt by now with all the rotten players we'd have to pay off. Danny was brilliant with the young players and developing them but when it came to bringing in players he was very hit and miss. Thats me being kind to the legend!

At least Danny was hit as well as miss: Samson, Travner, Tesselaar, Dummett, Goodwin, McGowan, Teale, McGregor, Newton, Hasselbaink, Goncalves and Thompson were all good signings within our budget, DVZ, Carey and Cheesy were fine as well and he also introduced McLean, McGinn, Naismith, Kelly, Reilly into the first team and by the end of his 4 year term half the first team were products of the youth set up who had made the step up. There were also a few signings like Imrie, Harkins and Grainger which looked as though they should be good signings but they never worked out in the end. I realise we signed plenty of duds in Danny's time, but even there to give him his due, he usually dropped them pretty quickly rather than persist with them for half a season.

Personally I am not detecting Tommy Craig, Gary Teale or Iain Murray to have as many hits as Danny 'hit and miss' Lennon.

Edited by Dibbles old paperboy
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But on the other hand, some of our best players of recent years have been short term loanees. We had 3 of them in the starting 11 in the League Cup final.

A very fair point but the OP asked about reasons for our poor starts and it's deffo a big factor.

Look at our forward line for example. Delighted that Shankland has signed but at the end of the season that'll be him and young Gallagher away and we'll be starting from scratch again with an untried attack.

Edited by Alba
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