| CLUB NEWS |
| 5 November David McCallum retires It was announced on Friday that one of Queen's star players, David McCallum, has been forced to retire at the age of 27 with a knee injury. David, who had an cartilage operation when he was only 16 and had a long-term ligament injurya few years ago at Partick Thistle, had recently been suffering from a swolen knee, which was making him a doubt for almost every game. David however managed to play most weeks this season despite his injury, but after having exploratory surgery last week he was informed that he would have to stop playing competitive football. David was one of Kenny Brannigan's first signings, arriving in January 2003. He made 42 competative appearances for Queens, and scored 5 goals. Who can forget his 25-yard belter against East Fife in only his third match for QP, or his stunning last-gasp winner at Gretna? More recently was the free-kick which he scored in our opening league match vs Cowdenbeath this season, which somehow squeezed in at the keepers near post from a near impossible angle. David's dead-ball abilities and his great crosses will be sorely missed, and it's a real shame for him that his career has come to a premature end. I'm sure I can speak for all QP fans when I say all the best to David for the future, and thanks for everything. 27 August Billy Stark appointed manager Billy Stark will be the new Queen's manager from Monday, the club confirmed this morning. Remaining in charge for tomorrow's home game with leaders Gretna will be Bobby Dickson and Scott Murdoch, with Dickson apparently set to stay as Stark's assistant. In many ways this represents the last opportunity to prove himself for a coach whose managerial record to date, with Morton and St. Johnstone, is not sparkling. To be blunt, if he can't cut it at Queen's Park, he may not get the chance to cut it anywhere else again. There has been the now familiar talk of a divided committee unable to settle unanimously on Brannigan's sacking, let alone on his replacement, but it seems clear, from their refusal to appoint Paul Martin, who has long coveted the job, that a majority of the committee have found the opportunity to appoint a 'big name' coach too strong to resist. They have given him a two-year contract, so he has an amount of security from the off. In Stark's favour is the fact that he will have contacts and may be able to attract players to the club, always a problem for us as an amateur club; but in the past, when hearing him and seeing him on television, I have always rather doubted his drive and commitment to succeed, or if he was capable of seriously motivating a squad. His last tenure at St. Johnstone certainly hinted at a team lacking in the above qualities despite possessing decent footballers. At the moment, we have both; skilled players and a strong spirit and belief in the pool. Whether these have been damaged by Kenny Brannigan's exit, and if so, Stark's ability to raise the players again, will become clear in the coming weeks. Stark's first match in charge will be against Forfar in the Challenge Cup at Station Park on Tuesday. 20 August It's all over for Brannigan It was really only a question of when. Kenny Brannigan is no longer the manager of Queen's Park, the victim of his own blind stupidity and rage. For clarity, I'll state that I was not at Elgin on Saturday, thus obviously did not see the incident, so cannot form my own judgment based on first-hand evidence. From what I have heard, and pieced together, it seems clear that Brannigan struck Willie Canning, father of Steven and a committed supporter, several times, both with his fists and a bottle. Sadly, Brannigan refutes this, yet few would be inclined to believe him, and most importantly, not the committee. There is no doubt about it; Brannigan has disgraced himself, not only in his actions but in refusing to have the decency to admit to them. His comments to the press see him lashing out wildly at all targets, much like Saturday in fact; David Clarke, Willie Canning, the committee. 'There is no point in working with people like that' - I'm pretty sure your players would agree Kenneth. The search is now on for a new coach, with an interim replacement the most likely option. The obvious candidate is Paul Martin, who previously took the reins in 2002 following John McCormack's departure. The spirit and hunger shown by the team in that short spell suggest that Martin has what it takes to be given the job long-term, as do his own apparent affection for the club - he's at most home games. He wants the job - the committee, having done the sensible thing with Brannigan, must now do the same with Martin. Reduced to a footnote in the minds of most fans is the long awaited news that Derek Carcary has at last signed for Rangers. Despite being injured according to the club, Carcary had turned out for Rangers in at least one recent youth match, and typically the support were left in the dark over the issue for too long. I can't honestly say that I hope Derek does well at Rangers, but he has the talent to excite all fans of football for years to come, and hopefully the Scotland support at some stage. 13 August Stirling Albion 3 Queen's Park 2 - a Stirling effort That this Queen's team just doesn't know when it's beaten was amply proven yet again on Wednesday night at Forthbank. Two down at half-time, thanks to Glancy and McLean, neither of which had been well-defended, the game seemed all but over. Yet astonishingly, barely five minutes had been played in the second-half before we were level, Carroll heading home a Clark cross at the back post before Ross himself scored an extraordinary equaliser, cracking the ball home with a first-time volley 25 yards out after Molloy's powerful cross had found no takers inside the area. For a while Stirling were on the run, but they composed themselves, and won the game when McLean found himself with too much space 15 minutes from time and took full advantage. A large visiting support of around 150 were enthralled throughout the second half, and the comeback, our third in straight succession, suggests that the team spirit is very strong. We still need to tighten up at the back though, and a change of goalkeeper can't be ruled out with McCue's prowess at crosses and when kicking from ground in some question. An early injury to David McCallum, in fine form so far, is another concern, and this certainly disrupted the balance of the team for most of the game. But we made light of every obstacle, and had Agostini's late header dipped a little lower, we could have had extra-time. Instead it hit the bar, he was denied his first Queen's goal, and Queen's had to settle for second best yet again at Forthbank. 10 July Closed doors match: Queen's Park 1 Dundee United 2 At Lesser Hampden this afternoon the Queen's squad had their first semi-serious run out since pre-season training began, being narrowly beaten 2-1 by Dundee United. Ally Graham netted Queen's goal, heading home fellow veteran Paul Harvey's free kick. Sandwiching this were goals from James Grady and Aaron Conway for United. As well as fellow new signings Gavin Rushford, Shaun Molloy, Steven McGovern and Brian Blair, left-sided midfielder David Clarke also played, and has apparently been signed by Kenny Brannigan, following his release from Motherwell. This should be confirmed in the next few days. 7 July Harvey and Weatherston to stay; but what about Danny boy? Paul Harvey, perhaps surprisingly to some, has agreed to stay at Hampden for another season, joining young forward David Weatherston in committing himself. But there is still no confirmation of a number of players' futures, most significant among them being Danny Ferry. Ferry has been ailing with a stomach injury however, no doubt a major factor in the uncertainty. At the moment there's nothing to suggest he won't sign, other than the obvious fact that he hasn't yet. Stuart Kettlewell, Richard Sinclair, Martin Bonnar and David Stewart have also still to put pen to paper. 29 June Signings made and fixtures published Kenny Brannigan has completed his first captures of the close season with the signings of defenders Gavin Rushford from Partick Thistle and Brian Blair from East Fife, in addition to a new goalkeeper, Steven McGovern, who had been with Arthurlie and featured for Queen's as a trialist last summer. Derek Scrimgour has joined one of his local teams, Renfrew. Most of the squad have agreed to stay for next term, but there has still to be any word on Danny Ferry, Stuart Kettlewell and Paul Harvey. My hunch ( or is that hope ) would be that Harvey is leaving; I don't want to consider Ferry or Kettlewell doing likewise but if they decide to, there'll be no shortage of interested clubs. The new fixture list has also been published and can be found via the front page. Finally, at last night's QPSA AGM Jonny Whelan, who was in attendance, was elected as the association's new president, while the job of deputy went to another popular midfielder, Tony Quinn. All other posts remained with their previous incumbents. 8 June Released Rover wanted by Brannigan, says Teletext According to a story on Teletext's Third Division page, Peter Cormack, let go by Albion Rovers at the end of the season, will choose between Berwick Rangers and Queen's over where is he to play next season. I can't add much more to this except to suggest that Cormack is probably a decent player, experienced at the very least. 29 May Bell's Cup draw: Stenny make early return to Hampden Queen's will play Stenhousemuir at home in the opening round of the Bell's Cup on 31st July, our first game of the season and a week before the Third Division campaign will begin. Given that Stenhousemuir have just been relegated to the bottom division, and are likely to have a complete platoon of new players, it looks a decent draw. 22 May Whelan calls it a day Sadly, the rumours proved accurate: Jonny Whelan's appearance against Gretna on the last day of the season turned out to be his last for Queen's Park, and probably his last at any senior level. The midfielder, originally signed from TNS Llansantffraid in 1998, and a veteran of the Championship season, has decided to retire from the game altogether. Although this is me speculating, in all probability a contributory factor in Whelan's decision was his relationship with Kenny Brannigan, which is clearly not all it could be. There was reportedly at least one row between the pair during the season, coinciding with a period when Whelan couldn't sustain a regular first-team place despite the team's form hardly setting the world on fire. A tousy, wholehearted, inspirational player, Whelan could be clumsy at times but his sheer presence on the pitch always made Queen's seem more of a force, and a personality like his will be missed. What has to be hoped, nay prayed for, is that the equally popular Danny Ferry doesn't decide to follow his lead and leave the club. Also on their way out are John Thompson and Allan Dunning; Thompson scarcely impressed in his occasional starts at left-back, looking a trier but little more, while Dunning undoubtedly possessed bags of talent but at times lacked application, and clearly his relationship with the coach was not exactly harmonious. In the coming weeks others will come and go; I would guess that Harvey and Graham will be in the latter category, but they won't be the only ones. 18 May Scottish Youth League Cup Final: St. Mirren 2 Queen's Park 3 ( aet ) Queen's Park's goals were scored by Bryan Felvus, John Weir and David McLaughlin. Twice the young Hoops trailed but showed no fear throughout and recovered, with the eventual winner a thing of beauty, from David McLaughlin, a looping volley from the edge of the area. The full Queen's team was: Crawford, Lennon ( Gibson ), Livingston, Brophy, Trouten, Molloy, Russell, Weir, White ( Martin McLaughlin ), Weatherston ( David McLaughlin ), Felvus. Not used: McElhinney, Mathers. 15 May Carcary and Ferry clean up at end of season awards As expected, Danny Ferry and Derek Carcary swept the boards at the annual Player of the Year awards in the Social Club after today's 1-1 draw with Gretna, the last game of the season. Carcary claimed Travel Club Player of the Year, the committee's Young Player of the Year and queensparkspiders.co.uk's Goal of the Season award for his mesmerising run and finish in the 4-0 drubbing of Elgin in March. Ferry, out through injury for the final weeks of the season and, it has been rumoured, possibly leaving the club this summer, claimed the Player of the Year awards from both the supporters' and the committee. In attendance was Malky Mackay, the son of that is, to present Danny with the supporters' award, and of course he got a huge cheer as an all-conquering ex-Spider returning to his roots. 27 April Carcary makes debut in Scotland victory Derek Carcary played the full 90 minutes for Scotland's under-18 team during their 1-0 win over Hungary in Galanta, Slovakia yesterday and will surely play again today against the host nation. 17 April Queen's Park 0 Stranraer 2 Stranraer completed the whitewash over Queen's this season with another emphatic win, one that could have been more embarassing for the home side had Stranraer actually bothered to score more goals. Kevin Finlayson ran amok once more, being pivotal in the build-up to both goals, while at the other end Derek Carcary rarely got the support he needs to make an impact against a hard-nosed defence. Kenny Brannigan, as usual, was giving it his all verbally from the touchline, but as ever it all seemed hollow. Many among the support seem to be coming towards the end of their tether with the manager, even those with the restraint not to make their feelings loud and clear during games. Rulers without popular support are always doomed in the end; but with Brannigan enjoying the continued support of a majority of the committee, his position looks secure for the near future at least. And without new people willing to stand for committee, and with the clout to get themselves elected, not too much is likely to change. Incidentally I've not seen a Queen's team with a weaker defence than the one we have at the moment; it's always been a strong backbone that compensated for our impotence in attack, but without Ferry, Fallon, Moffat and Agostini, who bizarrely can't even make the starting XI nowadays, it's become a confused mess. Kenny Brannigan has destroyed it, much as he has destroyed players' confidence and faith in his ability to coach them. 17 April Carcary rewarded with Scotland call-up Derek Carcary, easily the most exciting talent to emerge at Hampden in years, has been named in the Scotland under-18 squad for a trip to Slovakia towards the end of April. An honour for both player and club, it nonetheless poses some problems for Queen's; firstly, even more scouts and coaches of big clubs will be alerted to his potential by good performances in these games, and secondly, he will certainly miss the matches against Peterhead and Albion Rovers on 24 April and 1 May respectively. Every silver lining has a cloud. 28 March Stirling Albion 0 Queen's Park 0 - defensive tactics cost us dear Its been a frustrating season, but it surely hasn't got any more difficult to watch than it did on Saturday. A nine-man Stirling Albion team, top-of-the-league or not, were there for the taking during the final 20 minutes, but the inflexibility of the team, and the blatant lack of any goal threat without Derek Carcary on the pitch, let them off the hook. Kenny Brannigan was clearly determined for Queen's to sit tight throughout the match, and while that plan had worked up to a point, he should have been capable of adapting the formation better to the changed circumstances brought about by the red cards. Queen's at times actually looked contented to settle for a draw in the late stages, showing a terrible lack of urgency and pace, and only one chance was created, Weatherston's close range attempt being well-parried by Hogarth. We have now equalled last season's points tally, and secured a draw against the league's leading club; but given how the match turned out, it's anything but enough. 13 March Albion Rovers 3 Queen's Park 1 Defeat at Cliftonhill was extremely hard to accept, especially given that Queen's had been in the lead, but most unaccceptable was the performance of referee Martin Sproule and his two 'assistants' ( using the term very loosely ) who contrived to deliver as many blows to Queen's's chances of winning the game as they could possibly muster. Jonny Whelan's sending-off was strange and the penalty-kick decision botched ( according to some, the referee had appeared to initially signal for one ), but do we expect better any more? Queen's did not defend well, and struggled to cope with the elusive Paul McManus, who scored two of Rovers's goals. In this department they were weakened by an injury to Agostini, and while David Stewart did his best as a substitute he is simply not quite as good a defender. Too often Carcary and Carroll were left stranded in attack, and far too many slack passes were made; the team was short on invention and relied on Carcary to open up Rovers on his own for much of the match. But the effort was strong; we just can't allow this result to put us off course for the rest of the season. 6 March Queen's Park 4 Elgin City 0 - it's getting better In fact this was Queen's biggest home league win for nearly seven years, since a certain team from the North Lanarkshire region were beaten 5-1, and it hinted strongly that things maybe aren't as bad at our club as we thought. They're not perfect by any means, but the players gave a fitting performance to mark the passing of former President Martin Smith, and the formation again functioned well, not that an awful Elgin team were ever likely to stretch it too much. Undoubtedly Elgin's two dismissals catalysed their crumbling in the final few minutes, but there was only one team ever remotely worthy of winning the game in any case. As for Derek Carcary? Among the top 5 best young players in the country, and one of the fastest in Britain. God help Albion Rovers next week. 4 March East Stirlingshire 2 Queen's Park 4 - could we get 4 in a row? The prospect of 4 wins in a row for the first time in nearly 4 years for Queen's Park isn't entirely a world away following a fairly convincing defeat of East Stirling at Firs Park, a result which lifted us above Albion Rovers, who we play a week on Saturday, into seventh spot. Kenny Brannigan's starting eleven was better balanced than recently, with Clark restored to the centre and Dunning and McCallum providing natural width. The players noticeably gained in confidence as the match progressed, well aware of the inferiority of their opponents, and while this did lead to some complacency in defence, more importantly perhaps, it gave us the chance to see near-constant attacking from a side determined to score as many goals as possible. Elgin will bring more of a challenge on Saturday, but maybe not by much, and this game is an absolutely pivotal one; for Kenny Brannigan's own credibility, amongst players and fans, would take a quantum leap were we to secure wins in the next couple of games. 28 February Queen's Park 1 Peterhead 0 - miracles do happen It was a hard slog but a re-shaped, at times breathtaking and at other times just breathless Queen's side managed to see off Peterhead in a result which lifts some off the load from Kenny Brannigan's back. With Steven Fallon the latest player to show their dissatisfaction at the current running of the club, the signs before the game were not good and indeed it seemed Queen's could well have been at their lowest ebb of the season. Yet the players fought hard, got the rub of the green with the goal, and held on to it against a team playing some really poor football. But keeping a clean sheet in itself is now a momentous event for a side that's been shipping goals spectacularly in recent games, no matter how ineffectual the opponents. In fact Queen's looked more likely to score a second than concede an equaliser and could have had the game tied up via numerous breakaways in the second half. But in the end, it didn't matter. This result will not have fans drastically changing their minds about Kenny Brannigan, but it postponed the unfurling of the protest banners ( t-shirts? ) for 3 days at least. Given that our next two games are against the league's worst sides, we could be looking at 9 points from 9. Fail, and a whole range of protest merchandise could be set for launch. |