| CLUB NEWS |
| 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. 15 February Queen's Park 1 Stirling Albion 4 - no regrets if Brannigan leaves Kenny Brannigan's reign at Queen's, hardly glittering at any time, sunk to its murkiest depth on Saturday after another heavy defeat for a mis-shapen, badly-coached and demoralised side. Queen's left their brains in the dressing room, or perhaps farther afield, letting in two pathetic goals in only the first 8 minutes and looking an easy second-best for the whole game. David Stewart's header on the half-hour mark did bring us back into the game for a short time, but any wild hopes were shattered the precise moment that Paul Harvey struck Stirling's Andy Smith following an off-the-ball collision between the pair. Queen's let in two more after the break, and Harvey, the first player we've had correctly sent-off this season, is not the only one who should never be allowed to pull on the jersey again after his outrageous stupidity; Reilly should also be dumped, but getting rid of these two, or any other player, will solve nothing unless change is made where it matters most. Matters have reached a head for Kenny Brannigan; exposed as a manager lacking in tactical sense ( his team selections in recent weeks have demonstrated a pig-headedness and idealism not compatible with success in the Third Division ) and man-management ability, the most absurd fact of the whole situation is that he was given a new contract only a matter of weeks ago. How the committee should be squirming at their foolish short-sightedness. 7 February Cowdenbeath 5 Queen's Park 1 - 15 goals let in over the last 6 games Make no mistake, this is a terrible result for Queen's, no matter how poorly it reflects the difference between the sides on the day. There was little in it, but Cowdenbeath exposed gaping holes in the Queen's back line to demolish us as emphatically as their relic of a ground should be. Once again too many players failed to perform, with the lack of any consistency a true indictment; perhaps the couple of weeks without a game lost some players their edge but this hardly excuses a lumbering performance from Reilly or Clark's invisibility. Then again, perhaps the strange positioning of certain players, which continued for this game as both Clark and Fallon played wide when both are centrally-minded, was a bigger factor. Does Kenny Brannigan not realise that we are crying out for wide players? Isn't it obvious when both guys that are played there would rather not, at least based on the way they've played there? If only we knew what had happened to David McCallum, who like others before him has disappeared from view altogether. And the defence needs sorting out. All Brannigan could do, however, was make a bad situation worse by pulling off Agostini midway through the second-half, with the score at 3-1, in favour of Graham and leave us further weakened at the back. Today was just another one of those results which leads you to the conclusion that Kenny Brannigan is probably not the man to manage this club; we should never be thumped like this against such mediocre opponents. 1 February Ins and outs at Hampden There may have been no match yesterday but there is still a fair bit to mull over as transfer stories, some unconfirmed, rattle around as the deadline first approached, then passed. As already stated Queen's have brought in a new player, Martin Bonnar, who will now have to wait until next Saturday's game at Cowdenbeath to get the chance for his debut. That's a definite; more hazy are the futures of 4 players already at the club. It has been said that Paddy Gallagher and Steven Moffat will miss the rest of the season owing to work commitments ( in Paddy's case, he is taking up a new job in London ). Another story was that both players had been released but would be free to return come the summer, if they wanted. Apparently Moffat is considering quiting football altogether and I would be surprised if we ever saw him in a Queen's Park jersey again; Gallagher had looked sharp when playing recently and while we'll be without him for a while at the very least, he was never a key player and quite possibly wouldn't have been kept on for next season anyway. The same is surely true for Moffat. It would be nice if things were a little clearer but such is football; one thing is for sure, neither Moffat nor Gallagher will be part of the squad for the remainder of the season. But will Andy McGinty and John Thompson? A source has claimed that both players are being transferred to junior clubs. As I know nothing more about this just now, I'll hold fire on making further comment. 30 January Ex - Accies midfielder joins Spiders Queen's have made a late swoop before the end of the transfer window to sign former Hamilton Accies midfielder Martin Bonnar. He played against Queen's in the Scottish Cup last season and has recently been playing his football for Cumnock Juniors. 26 January Queen's receive SFA warning The club has been issued a warning by the national association for our poor disciplinary record this season, which stands presently at 6 red cards and a high - though partly unwarranted - number of yellows too. If the club were to be fined at the end of the season, assuming the level of cards dished out was maintained, this would be a first; but it shouldn't happen, many of the earlier sendings-off being little other than bad luck ( Kettlewell at Stranraer, Sinclair at Montrose, Carroll at Peterhead all spring to mind ). 24 January Queen's Park 1 Montrose 1 Another strong display from Queen's hinted at the collapse against Stranraer being little more than a bad day's work, as Kenny Brannigan began his now confirmed extended stay at the club with a point which was little reward for the team's efforts. Particularly in the second half, Queen's commanded the play, with Derek Carcary scaring the wits out of the Montrose defenders and winning a penalty in 65 minutes with his searing speed. Reilly converted, Queen's strolled through most of the next 20-odd minutes, but were let down by an aimless goal-kick and slightly hesitant defending which led to Kerrigan's late rebounded equaliser. Such a showing allows us to travel to East Stirlingshire with confidence ( wouldn't we have anyway ? ) but the failure to pick up all three points was very hard to take. Steven Reilly's goal means he has six for the season, five of them penalties, and Queen's have still not beaten Montrose in the league since winning the championship nearly 4 years ago. 21 January Glasgow newspaper The Evening Times has reported that Kenny Brannigan has been given a new two-year contract, contrary to what the official website said would be a 12-month deal. Club Secretary Alistair Mackay said: "We are astounded at the report at the weekend - we have just given Kenny a two-year contract. The club would like to know where these rumours started. Since he joined us, Kenny has worked tirelessly to restructure the club and is now hopefully able to see the fruits of his labour. The two-year contract is ample proof of the confidence we have in him." So confusion reigns, but I would imagine McKay is simply getting his numbers confused; put 2 and 2 together if you want, but don't ask McKay to as he obviously can't tell 1 and 2 apart. 20 January Brannigan to remain in charge for next season The club today broke the news that Kenny Brannigan will be Queen's Park coach for the rest of this season and the next one, quelling speculation about his future amongst supporters after a rocky period of results prior to Saturday's win. The news, when a decision was only expected at the end of the season, is perhaps surprising but then the committee's faith in the coach is probably not - after all, they appointed him only just over a year ago, and several members of the elite clearly have a lot of hope invested in him given the enthusiasm with which he was courted; allegedly, they started to do so even before John McCormack had quit the club! In all honesty Kenny has not convinced most supporters so far, with his managerial style and tactical ability called into question especially over the last few weeks, but above all the treatment of several players who appear to have fallen from grace with the coach has raised questions - namely Richard Sinclair, Allan Dunning and Steven Canning, all players who have shown in the past what they are capable of doing. But the uncertainty of some fans about his suitability was present from the start, partly a product of his past 'exploits' when playing against Queen's Park; winning acceptance among both fans and players given his uncompromising performances when turning out against us in recent seasons was a challenge he always had to face. The challenge before him now is to justify the faith of the committee by getting a sequence of strong results together - Saturday's victory was a huge step in the right direction - and to do this he will need to find a settled and cohesive eleven, something which has eluded him so far. 17 January Gretna 0 Queen's Park 1 - turnaround of the century Well, what was that? And where did it come from? It was a brilliant result; and it happened because there's more resilience in this Queen's team than what we've come to expect. Facing a Gretna team who never look as surefooted on home turf as when playing away from home, Queen's were never likely to get thumped as they were last week. But it was soon clear that things were going to be very different. Queen's competed throughout, with another re-jigged lineup gluing together much better than last Saturday's, and created several chances in a gripping first half. The game didn't live up to those standards in the second half, but with Gretna pushing forward more, Queen's exploited the space generated, and in the 88th minute a marvellous header from Reilly sealed three very proud points. Undoubtedly, the star player ( and there were some other good shifts put in ) was Derek Carcary, the most exciting prospect I've seen in a Queen's jersey and a guy who could travel a lot further in the game than Gretna, provided he has the will and application to do so. 10 January Queen's Park 0 Stranraer 4 - an absolute disgrace If we look back on this match in six months as a watershed it'll be obvious why. An unbelievably ragged Queen's side were demolished by a goal-hungry but none too brilliant Stranraer team, assisted hugely on their way by atrocious defending as Queen's did what they've threatened to do for weeks - completely lose the plot. And to say that Kenny Brannigan takes his share of the blame is an understatement. The collapse of the defence during and after the first goal exposes Brannigan's naivete and his paucity of tactical knowledge; why was David Stewart, signed on the morning of the game, allowed to fill in for Steven Fallon while the erstwhile sweeper was shunted out of position? And was there any good reason why Richard Sinclair could not be played, despite being free from suspension? Why was Steven Canning, invisible recently, given another chance and in an attacking role he is not best suited to anyway? His decision to start Stephen McAuley on the bench was just as puzzling, and this was when there was a near-full squad available to choose from. Those who you wouldn't have quibbled with their being selected didn't exactly shine either, with Agostini giving possibly his poorest performance in the jersey while Reilly and Kettlewell could do no more than resort to roughhouse tactics in an attempt to salvage the situation. Queen's heaviest defeat at home for four and a half years, it's the lowest depth we have ploughed under Kenny Brannigan's management and the coach has the task of finding answers - and soon - before Elgin and East Stirling begin to see light at the end of their tunnels. 9 January Queen's Park vs. Stranraer - how about some good football, the way we used to play it? The official website hinted in their preview of tomorrow's match that a new signing could have an involvement - almost certainly David Stewart, whose transfer should be ratified shortly. If he is not registered in time for tomorrow's game there is always the possibility of him being used as a trialist; however this is merely conjecture and in any case, with Sinclair returning from suspension and no new absences, Kenneth's options at the back are greater than they have been for some weeks even without the new man. Indeed for every position the coach has the rare luxury of having several choices of who to play; the remaining players sidelined are Allan Dunning, Tony Quinn and Derek Carcary, with the latter pair well on the way to being fit for first team duty again. Aside from Sinclair, the three other players that were suspended for the Albion Rovers match - Scrimgour, Carroll and Kettlewell - are all back with Scrimgour a sound bet to start. This season's previous duel with Stranraer ended in a 1-0 win for the southern side; a game I had the misfortune, or otherwise, to miss but which i have been reliably informed was a bit of a shocker. Our home record against Stranraer is actually quite good, though we haven't played them at Hampden for three years; 19 March 2001, we won a key game 1-0 thanks to Mark Gallagher's goal and at that point it was inconceivable that we could be relegated. Alas... The Stair Park team have been pegged back by Gretna and sit in joint-second place with their fellow southerners, meaning that a win is all the more crucial for them. To get anything from the game Queen's will have to defend more stubbornly than has been the norm, but the main complaint of the season has been the alarming deterioration in the standard of our football - it is time that the players began to pass the ball, dribble with the ball, and control the ball as well as they are surely capable of doing. Patently confidence is not at its highest but getting a win over one of the promotion-challenging sides could make a big difference on that count. 8 January Stewart on his way David Stewart of Forfar Athletic seems certain to sign for Queen's, we were informed this evening. The player has apparently fallen out with Forfar manager Ray Stewart and so has no future at that club. Whether or not the deal will go through in time for Saturday I can't say but it does seem unlikely that Stewart will feature against Stranraer. 7 January Possible signing Kenny Brannigan is reportedly keen on bringing in Forfar Athletic defender David Stewart to bolster his defence. The player is 25, and was the former captain of Dumbarton before a serious car accident forced him onto the sidelines for a lengthy period there. He moved to Forfar during the summer and has made 11 league starts this season. What with various injuries and suspensions recently, Queen's have found themselves short of central defenders and so signing an extra one is an obvious priority. 3 January Queen's Park 1 Albion Rovers 1 A match Queen's could have won, especially after taking the lead with an hour gone. Rovers posed no threat at that point but casual defending led to a McManus equaliser within 10 minutes. David Crawford had a steady debut but too many others under-performed: Steven Canning has not been good enough this season and the decision to keep him on is proving a mistake. The likelihood is he'll be released by June. Reilly, McAuley and Graham were also not nearly at their best ( though for Reilly there was the bonus of not being booked ). On the other hand, Paddy Gallagher was extremely lively, constantly darting forward from the middle of the park and when shifted into attack, he scored almost immediately, if fortuitously. The lack of ruthlessness in the Queen's team was again all too apparent and we remain eighth in the league. |