Season Review 2006/7 Part 4

We started the bottom six fixtures with a trip to Inverness. We have been doing quite well up there recently but on this occasion we were simply awful. They scored twice in the first half and we failed to even register a decent shot on target. All kinds of threats came from our manager but pretty much the same side took to the field the next week against our bunny, Falkirk. We took a two goal lead and were comfortable until an astonishing start to the second half saw us go 3-2 down. We did equalise immediately through David Clarkson - honestly! - but a draw was very disappointing. By this point Dunfermline had been starting to pick up points and St Mirren had rediscovered their winning touch too. Our next game was at East End Park and a win - or even a point - would see us safe.

And what a time we picked to turn in an absolutely horrific performance. We looked totally apathetic and were thrashed 4-1. We were down and out inside fifteen minutes as it was 2-0 by then. To make matters worse our two best players, Reynolds and McDonald were both sent off. Our next game was against St Mirren at Fir Park and we went into that knowing we had another chance to survive with a point. We also knew that two defeats and some bad results elsewhere and we would be going down.

The doomed management team

McCormack stepped up in the absence of McDonald and his two goals had us cruising by the start of the second half. Remarkably we fell apart once again. Meldrum had been brought in for Smith who had been disappointing but he sold an incredibly cheap goal to let the Buddies back into the game. They equalised shortly after and scored a late winner. Only a few minutes before that goal Dunfermline had been winning in Inverness but thankfully the hosts equalised and then went on to win the match. We were safe but by now the tide was firmly turned against Maurice Malpas and it was hard to defend him. In vital games we had looked awful and thrown away two 2-0 leads inside three games.

We travelled to Tannadice for the last game of the season but despite McDonald being available again he had to return to Australia for family reasons. This meant there was no chance to say farewell to one of our best strikers in recent years but given his comments in the media many were glad to see him go. Meldrum redeemed himself a bit with a handful of decent saves but it is clear he does not have what it takes to be a number one. We can only hope Smith recovers his form. We did hold on for a 0-0 draw but this meant we finished the season with just one win in the last thirteen games. Grim stuff.

But the season wasn't over there! Oh no. There were stories about a potential takeover from Tommy Coakley which at one point looked certain and then fell through. When Malpas revealed to the media that the new owner would have kept him in his position it looked certain he had seen out the storm. Suddenly though it was announced he was off after resigning over the decision to replace Paul Hegarty with Scott Leitch.

Astonishingly it does seem as though we are approaching managers on the condition that they take over with Leitch as assistant although presumably everything can be negotiated. Coyle, McGhee, Nijholt, McLean and McAllister seems to be the shortlist but it does look as though we are losing ground in relation to other clubs approaching signings targets. Paul Quinn signed on for another two years but Kevin McBride high tailed it down south. We might get Vadocz to stay or we might not but we really need a complete overhaul of the squad. We have way too much deadwood but until the new manager is appointed we can't really progress.