Darren Magee has parted company with Queen's Park. The former Dundee midfielder was signed in June from Junior Cup holders Linlithgow Rose but injury meant he was sidelined for the opening games of the season. In the event, Magee failed to make a single appearance for the club during his 5 month stay. His registration was cancelled back on 27 November, around a week after John McCormack moved to Morton. Quite possibly Cowboy's departure ( he had also been managed by him at Dundee ) hastened Darren's.
7 Dec Morton 1 Queen's Park 1- but it should have been an away victory
To see Queen's outplaying Morton again beforehand was hard to imagine, but it happened, and to a possibly greater extent than the game at Hampden several weeks ago. Despite John McCormack's knowledge of Queen's style and personnel, and the furore over the last couple of days regarding the identity of the club's new coach, Queen's had by far the better of the first half, as Paul Martin clearly succeeded in getting his players fired up and totally committed for what proved an enthralling battle. Queen's were again guilty of failing to translate their dominance into goals during the first-half, and paid for it when Alex Williams fired Morton ahead just before the hour mark. Queen's saved a point after 82 minutes, Moffat scoring a penalty awarded for a foul on Whelan by Morton keeper Coyle. Anything less than a point would have been criminal as far as Queen's were concerned; even a draw is worthy of an out-of-court settlement. Click here for the full match report.
6 Dec Morton v. Queen's Park
Despite reports to the contrary, Steven Moffat is likely to be fit for tomorrow's clash, despite suffering from 'flu earlier in the week. Chris Fisher is now fit but is likely to start on the bench, if he is involved at all. John Gallagher also returns, though will almost certainly not start. Taggart and Menelaws are still sidelined. White has a chipped bone in his foot and will be out until after Christmas. Danny Ferry, having lost a lot of weight, is nowhere near fit but should return within a reasonable timescale, which is heartening news, given the negativity around in the run-up to this game. Paul Martin and David Hunter remain in charge for the match, as was always certain to be the case; however they could find themselves occupying the positions for even longer, hardly ideal given both have other commitments which demand a large amount of their time. Who the new coach will now be is anyone's guess.
Last Queen's Park win over Morton came some 40 years ago, but the Spiders came close to springing a surprise in the last meeting of the two teams just 4 weeks ago. Despite dominating, it took a Steven Canning goal seven minutes from time to secure a 1-1 draw for Queen's. A performance like this from Queen's tomorrow will make for a fine game, but I find it hard to envisage such a strong and commanding display against Morton again.
6 Dec Munro rejects job and the search goes on
Iain Munro has decided not to accept Queen's Park offer of the position as coach at Hampden. The club have released a statement on the official website in order to clear up any speculation about the situation, and state that they "regret the conjecture" surrounding the appointment- at least in part, their own fault. The club now look distinctly unprofessional as regards to the Munro affair ( appropriate perhaps ), though perhaps unfairly. After all, it's him who has left Queen's in the lurch. But the implication that the job was only going to be given on a short-term basis suggests a lack of foresight and ambition - all things associated with Queen's Park, in the past and now. No appointment is likely for a while yet, and the fear is that performances on the park could be affected by this uncertainty. With this news, and Danny Ferry's absence through illness, we are hardly in the best of shapes in which to play possibly our hardest game of the season tomorrow.
4 Dec Ferry admitted to hospital
Queen's captain Danny Ferry was admitted to Stobhill Hospital on Monday with a suspected blood clot. One of Queen's's best players so far this season, Danny suffered a similar problem last season after a leg injury. Having missed the game against Stirling Albion last Saturday with the flu, he is now certain to miss Saturday's match against Morton but beyond that I can't say when he could be back. We all hope that there are no serious concerns over Danny's health and that he returns, fully fit, very soon.
We still await an announcement over the appointment of a new coach, with nothing really new to add to what has already been said.
3 Dec Munro set to be confirmed as manager
According to today's Evening Times, Iain Munro will be announced as the new coach of Queen's Park soon, however he seems unlikely to take charge before Saturday's match at Cappielow.
Kenny Brannigan will not be coming to Hampden though, at least not in the immediate future. The veteran ex-Spider will continue in his role as player/coach at Airdrie United. The Times article did state however that the Queen's commitee are considering the future appointment of a player/coach, which could happen after Munro has "assessed the staff" at Hampden. Could Brannigan be this man? And does this cast doubt over the longevity of Munro's tenure at Hampden? A little ambiguous, methinks. Still, the club have yet to say anything officially on the matter of the identity of the new coach, and so a full analysis of the circumstances can only be made after this confirmation is made.
2 Dec Munro and Brannigan for Hampden?
The Sunday Mail yesterday reported that Iain Munro, the former St. Mirren midfielder, and ex-Queen's Park defender Kenny Brannigan could take over as the new Queen's Park managerial team. The article did not greatly expand on the possibility of these appointments, but stated that the club had still to take a final decision, and that certain details "still have to be ironed out" before a final decision is taken. Munro has managed Dunfermline, Dundee, Hamilton and Raith Rovers in the past, while Brannigan is currently on the books at Airdrie United as a player, and is a regular in their defence. Although I am naturally sceptical about the story, there is probably truth in it, and it seems an appointment could well be made before the showdown against Morton at Cappielow on Saturday. Just exactly how the two would function at the club is very unclear, given that the post of coach is meant to be a part-time one; will Munro and Brannigan be joint-head coach? This, and many other questions, will be answered in the fullness of time, and this site will be providing information throughout the week, and beyond, on the latest position.
More December 2002 news