We all got carried away at Arbroath last year.
It was hard not to. What an amazing season we had. The memories we created will stay with all Arbroath fans forever.
The whole town was buzzing and they all came with us on the journey.
It was brilliant to see the community buy in and we enjoyed record season ticket sales of around 1500.
You then saw the work we carried out in and around the ground in the summer.
The club has invested significantly in infrastructure and has increased the revenue base.
We’d all love nothing more than to be up there again this year, challenging for promotion and bringing in even more money to the club.
But it’s time for a bit of a reality check.
Loss of key players has cost Arbroath
Any team that loses three players of the quality we did would take a hit and that’s just the start.
We have a horrendous time with injuries since the start of the season and, as one of just two part-time teams, we are always going to be up against it.
I’d therefore urge all Arbroath fans to stick with us.
We aren’t marooned at the bottom. Yes it’s a battle but we can still turn it around and climb the table.
We still have a core of the squad who were so successful last year and in this league there are always going to be a lot of highs and a lot of lows.
A lot of praise came our way last year and now we are getting a little bit of stick.
No one likes stick but it’s especially not nice when it gets personal, so it’s time for us to show our togetherness.
Stay with us on the journey – because Arbroath can and will be back.
Tayside keeper merry-go-round
It’s been a bit of a merry-go-round for keepers in Dundee this year.
At Dundee United we’ve seen them shift between Mark Birighitti and Carljohan Eriksson as they’ve lost quite a few goals.
At Dundee I was sure Adam Legzdins would be first choice, but they’ve had Harrison Sharp and Ian Lawlor in goals. It’s been any one from three.
It now seems that Gary Bowyer has settled on Lawlor, with two consecutive clean sheets.
Competition for places at keeper level is healthy. At Arbroath we have an excellent keeper in Cammy Gill who is keeping Derek Gaston on his toes.
Gats, for me, has been outstanding this year and it’s in no small part to the role Gill has played.
World Cup going into overtime
Saudi Arabia beat Argentina. @adidasfootball | #FIFAWorldCup
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 22, 2022
The World Cup has already thrown up its share of surprises – with the Saudi Arabia win over Argentina the standout.
That proves that any team can win, on any given day.
But one thing that sticks out to me is the length of time being added on. In the England game the other day there was 24 or 25 minutes added time.
I couldn’t see that catching on in Scotland. A few supporters buses would leave the fans stranded if the games lasted that long!
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