Faramir

19.8.03
Livingston (0) Arbroath (1) League Cup 2nd round
Livingston- None
Arbroath- Barry Lavety 21
MOM- Gary McGlynn, Livingston

"It still surprises me that they didn't think we could compete against them. They really thought they were going to get a measure of revenge- particularly against you," said Gond wonderingly.

"They should have known we would be prepared to give them a tough match- even at Almondvale. After all, we had already played them evenly in that preseason friendly..."

"Still, their fans aren't very happy seeing them lose to a Division 2 side- even if you are managing them."

"We wouldn't have won if Craig Wight hadn't played extremely well in net. So far, a few of my worries about steady work have been dampened with his play this season."

"I thought Michael Moore played very well up front too- his nice flick on was what set Barry (Lavety) up for our goal."

"Were we the only Division 2 club to get through the round?"

"No, Alloa and Stranraer also made it. But they beat Division 1 clubs, not an SPL one."

***

23.8.03
Arbroath (4) Stenhousemuir (1)
Arbroath- Gareth Munro 11 Ruben Hazell 21 John Elliott 53 Luis Laguardia 74
Stenhousemuir- Willie Stewart 45
MOM- Ruben Hazell, Arbroath

"That match was a lot closer than the scoreline will show in the morning," sighed Faramir.

"David (Hay) did benefit nicely from his posts- they hit three of them in the first half and all bounced away," answered Gond.

"Still, he did play a solid match overall. It was a good match in a lot of ways- although Kieren (Burchell) deserved a goal for all the good work he did up front."

"I think the players are realizing that they won't be stuck on the bench- they are realizing they will get chances to contribute. I know that is helping in practice intensity if nothing else."

"The whole idea is to keep them fresh and ready to jump right in if- rather when- we get injuries during the season."

Faramir

27.8.03
Arbroath (1) Stirling (1) Challenge Cup 2nd round (Arbroath wins on Penalties)
Arbroath- L.Laguardia 17
Stirling- S.Baillie 68
MOM- Chris Reid, Stirling

"It would have been a much easier win if we just could have gotten that second goal off Reid," said Gond as he shook his head in slight amazement.

"We had plenty of chances at it- good chances. Still, I was really pleased by Wight's performance in the penalties. To save 2 of them and intimidate the third to missing wide- that was a creditable performance."

"I saw the draw when we entered the dressing room- we have Airdrie in the Quarterfinals. I also heard that they will have to reschedule our match against Celtic in the League Cup 3rd round."

"Pity." grinned Faramir. "We won't have Stuart for the next couple weeks. That gash needed a bunch of stitches to finally close it, so he needs some time to heal up."

***

Foreign Comings and Goings at Arbroath
Arbroath today announced the signing on free of Swedish rightback Rickard Jonsson. The 26 yr old is expected to be the backup for Ruben Hazell and may see playing time in the near future. He was signed from a rolling contract at Boden. Leaving Arbroath for Italy is 22 yr old SC Kevin Heenan. Italian side Lucchese made a successful transfer bid to land the promising forward, and Heenan was eager to move to gain a regular place on the first side.

***

30.8.03
Arbroath (3) Stranraer (1)
Arbroath- John Elliott 28,42 Barry Lavety 35
Stranraer- Ryan McMullen 62
MOM- John Elliott, Arbroath

"Another impressive match from John (Elliott). He is really developing into a team leader," stated a satisfied Gond.

"He proved he can beat you in ways other than ball control. That free kick for the first goal was one of the prettiest I have seen in awhile."

"Barry's goal was no slouch either, he has a nice touch around the net."

"Just heard back on Philip (Creaney)."

"And?"

"Torn knee ligament. He will be out three months minimum."

"Ouch!"

"I will likely go over some scouting reports later. We may need another midfielder soon- as cover- since all our midfielders on reserves are also injured."

"What about David (Arbuckle)?"

"It will be announced tomorrow, but I just made the agreement to let him move on free transfer to Airdrie."

"Before we play them in the Challenge Cup?"

"I couldn't delay it. I also wanted to get his wages off the books for us, that was the main reason I was letting him move anyways."

Faramir

3.9.03
Airdrie (2) Arbroath (3) Challenge Cup Quarterfinal
Airdrie- Michael Craig 33 David Arbuckle 45
Arbroath- Gareth Munro 37 John Elliott 72 Michael Moore 88
MOM- Luis Laguardia, Arbroath

"You know, if we had lost this match, Sammy Gohl would have had you on the rack for letting Arbuckle go to them to beat us," teased Gond.

"Yes, I know- dodged the bullet there. But, remember who it was the Luis (Laguardia) beat on the dribble to set up Michael's (Moore) match winner," grinned Faramir. "Just proves that although David is a fine player, he also has very limited pace and defensive skills."

"That was a gutsy move though- subbing on Moore for Barry (Lavety)- most managers won't take out the player considered the best on the club."

"Barry wasn't having a good match, and I think he was getting a little distracted at the rough coverage. Michael is a bit more slippery, so was able to slip the coverage when we needed him to."

"It was another match that left the home fans muttering- how did they beat us?"

"Well, there will be another bombshell this week, and I already know what Sammy will write about. But that's ok, I don't mind the heat for this one..."

"Why? What's coming up?"

"A certain keeper that we have been wanting..."

"Oh? They agreed to sell him then? Yes, I think you're right about Sammy's commentary."

***

Arbroath Remains Busy
Arbroath remained an active player on the transfer market as they almost immediately splashed out the proceeds of the sale of Kevin Heenan. They announced the transfer purchase of promising 21 yr old keeper Ian Ritchie from Airdrie for a reported amount of 140K. They also announced the signing on free of midfielder Colin Waugh and defender J'Loyd Samuel. Waugh, a 21 year old MC, was released by Cowdenbeath before the season. His arrival helps fill the void suffered by Arbroath when Philip Creaney went out with a knee injury. Samuel, a 24 yr old D/DMC, was released after last season by Aston Villa. He is expected to help with backline depth, as Stuart Malcolm is out for a short while due to repairs to a deep cut he suffered.

Fix at New Broomfield?
by Sammy Gohl
According to the published reports, Arbroath had been in ongoing discussions with Airdrie over keeper Ian Ritchie for quite some time. Apparently, the two sides agreed to a sale of Ritchie and Airdrie allowed Arbroath manager Faramir to begin contract discussions with the youngster before their Challenge Cup Quarterfinal showdown. It is rumored that one of the conditions that Faramir demanded to was for the youngster to play at less than his peak in the match. Additionally, Arbroath allowed David Arbuckle to come over to Airdrie on free transfer and the supposed trade-off was for Arbroath to allow Arbuckle to score- making the Airdrie leadership of Sandy Clark look very good, before they had to announce the sale of Ritchie. Both Clark and Faramir vehemently deny any wrong doings in the transfer matter, insisting the timing is purely coincidence. This writer can't help but wonder if there was a back room deal- given the fact that heavy underdog Arbroath was able to defeat the Division 1 side at New Broomfield and that the smaller side was able to reward funds-starved Airdrie with a significant amount for Ritchie, based on their sale of forward Kevin Heenan.

"You knew it was going to happen," sighed Gond.

"Yes, but Ian is the keeper we need for the future. I like Wight much more now, but he has already indicated how much of a boost in wages he wants- and I couldn't agree to that. Ian was willing to commit to a more comfortable amount and he is one of the top young keepers in Scotland. This is the deal we needed to make."

Faramir

6.9.03
Montrose (2) Arbroath (1)
Montrose- Steven Kerrigan 13 Barry Sellars 26
Arbroath- John Elliott 9
MOM- John Elliott, Arbroath

"Why they gave the MOM honours to John (Elliott), I don't know. Stefan Magnusson was clearly the MOM in my eyes."

Gond nodded, "Quite a debut for him wasn't it? I know John didn't really want to acknowledge the honour, he knew they were going to boo the award not being given to Magnusson."

"We threw everything we could at Magnusson. We had 22 shots, 20 of them on the net. They only had 4, and this was the first bad match for Wight."

"Think he was unnerved by the addition of Ian (Ritchie)?"

"Maybe. I told him he would still be getting a lot of playing time. He knew I was going to transfer list Alan (Frame), so I was hoping he wouldn't take it that way."

***

Another to Italy
Arbroath announced the transfer sale of keeper Alan Frame to Italian side Cesena. The 21 yr old Frame had been considered the third string keeper at Arbroath and the arrival of Ian Ritchie from Airdrie meant that he was surplus to the club's needs and ripe to be sold. Frame hoped to establish himself in the starting lineup at the Italian side.

***

10.9.03
Queen of the South (2) Arbroath (3) Challenge Cup Semifinals
Queen- Warren Hawke 38,44
Arbroath- Luis Laguardia 21 Michael Moore 48,97
MOM- Michael Moore

"Did you know we outshot them 17-7 for the match?" asked Gond.

"No. I thought it was much closer than that- seemed much closer at least. It was certainly a taut match."

"I was a little worried after those two weak goals by Warren Hawke on Ian (Ritchie), but he really lived up to your confidence in the closing moments."

"I was a bit worried myself, but he seemed rock solid at the end- those last two saves he made were terrific. Speaking of terrific, Michael (Moore) is even better than I first thought he was. He has a sniper's touch around the net."

"The deflection he made on that last goal was unreal, I was certain he wasn't going to even get a head on the ball."

"Luis (Laguardia) cemented himself in the first team today. He gives us many more offensive dimensions than Chris (Jackson) and it takes some of the pressure off John (Elliott)."

"Now we have Peterhead in the finals- they upset Stenhousemuir."

Faramir

13.9.03
Arbroath (1) Queen of the South (1)
Arbroath- Gary Shearer 84
Queen- Murray Brown 38
MOM- Paul McAnanemy, Arbroath

"A fair result I would say- especially given who wasn't in our lineup," commented Gond.

"Actually, I think we were a bit fortunate. We didn't play very well or consistently on offense today. That wasn't too surprising given who I used in the lineup- but still we only had a handful of chances. They had much better ones and Ian (Ritchie) earned his keep early on."

"Gary (Shearer) made a nice move on the goal he scored. He really is a lot better player than I first took him for when I saw him in practice. By the way, why did we go with virtually our 2nd string starters? They went with their regulars..."

"It's a long season Barry. Too long to be burning out your best players in a midweek match following a grueling extra time Semifinal. We have the depth to make it work, well I think we do at least- so we rest players as needed."

***

20.9.03
Brechin (0) Arbroath (1)
Brechin- None
Arbroath- Michael Moore 63
MOM- Mark Cairns, Brechin

"We didn't really do all that well offensively, despite outshooting them 16-2," grumbled Gond.

"I was happy with our defensive effort, but you're right- we missed way too many chances offensively. That was why I subbed on Michael (Moore) for Gareth (Munro) in the first place- Gareth was standing around too much and not flowing to the ball."

"It looked like John (Elliott) was trying to force a bit too much of the play today. Instead of taking the opportunities they were giving him, he was trying to stuff it down their throat and kept getting bumped off the ball with good tackles."

***

More Signings at Arbroath
Arbroath continued to explore the free list as they announced two more signings today. The new additions were Arnar Jon Sigurgeirsson and Thomas Beech. Sigurgeirsson is a 25 yr old Icelandic AMR who has capped on the 'B' side. He was released from KR before the season. Beech is a 23 yr old DMC, who had played the past several seasons with Leek before his release.

Faramir

27.9.03
Arbroath (3) Alloa (0)
Arbroath- Kieren Burchell 4,42,68
Alloa- None
MOM- Alex Burke, Arbroath

"Once Kieren (Burchell) finally hit that first goal- it was like the floodgates had opened," smiled Barry Gond.

"It is a lot easier to relax and play your game when you finally have that first one out of the way," agreed Faramir.

"Stuart (Malcolm) finally seemed fully recovered today- he was moving very well."

"The whole backline gave a good account of themselves, and I thought Craig (Wight) did some good work as well in net- when they managed a little pressure."

"That was also Alex's (Burke) finest match so far."

"There is an unfortunate side effect on that though. Dundee was scouting him again today, they have been off and on for the last month, and I am pretty certain they will make an offer on him. Alex already had told me he wants to move to a big side- so if I can negotiate something reasonable- I will let him go. No sense in having him upset the rest of the squad with being unhappy if we prevent him from moving. I think we can replace him with Gary (Shearer)."

***

1.10.03
Arbroath (0) Celtic (2) League Cup 3rd round
Arbroath- None
Celtic- Stilian Petrov 14 Chris Sutton 80
MOM- Chris Sutton, Celtic

"That actually went better than I thought it would," stated a disappointed Faramir.

"Well, it would have been fun to knock them off, but they showed they have a few more class players than we do," replied Gond.

"Until Sutton's goal we were right there with them though. If Robert Douglas hadn't been so sharp, we may well have been even with them."

"Craig (Wight) was pretty solid again today. He didn't make any mistakes and had no chance at all on the goals."

"We certainly made them notice us. The fans were pretty happy with the performance too- they haven't seen an Arbroath side that could even stand up to an Old Firm club in a long time."

Faramir

4.10.03
Arbroath (4) Berwick (2)
Arbroath- Billy Macdonald 7 Luis Laguardia 11 John Elliott 25 Michael Moore 90
Berwick- Craig McPherson 19 Martin Glancy 86
MOM- Gareth Munro, Arbroath

"It was nice to finally see Billy (Macdonald) become a force in the midfield today," remarked Gond.

"He did a great job in closing down their attack today- and that goal he scored was a nice shot, I didn't think it was going in."

"Ian (Ritchie) didn't have a wonderful match, but the backline was solid in front of him."

"So far, I would stake our backline against many of the SPL clubs. The rest of our club isn't that far off either."

***

"I guess Dundee didn't want him as bad as Blackpool did," commented Faramir as he got off the phone.

"Either way, that is a lot of money for him," replied Gond.

Blackpool Buys Burke
Blackpool outbid Dundee to sign Arbroath's Alex Burke on transfer. The reported reward to Arbroath was over 500K for the ambitious winger. Burke stated that he would be happy to be used on the wing again instead of the more versatile midfield role he was being asked to fill at Arbroath.

***

12.10.03
Peterhead (0) Arbroath (3) Challenge Cup Final
Peterhead- None
Arbroath- Gareth Munro 27 John Elliott 45 Chris Jackson 64-P
MOM- Chris Jackson, Arbroath

"Looks like Chris (Jackson) was pleased to get back into the lineup," chuckled Gond.

"He played as well as anyone could in the midfield today. Peterhead must be scratching their heads after that, the talk was the loss of Burke created a hole in our midfield- I think it filled in rather nicely."

"Craig (Wight) shone up nicely again today, with him and Ian (Ritchie) we seem pretty well set at keeper for now."

Faramir

18.10.03
Stenhousemuir (1) Arbroath (5)
Stenhousemuir- Michael Tolland 87
Arbroath- Barry Lavety 7 Michael Moore 9 Arnar Jon Sigurgeirsson 19 Luis Laguardia 83 Billy Macdonald 90
MOM- John Elliott, Arbroath

"You know, we actually may be better off without Burke," said Gond thoughtfully.

"Did you think that hadn't crossed my mind. He wasn't particularly happy about playing anywhere but out along the wing- he loved those flashy sideline runs- but the rest of our midfielders don't seem to mind the middle."

"Plus we got a bunch of money for him," grinned Gond.

"Yes, there is that. Eventually, we may spend some more of it- but for right now we are fine."

***

25.10.03
Cowdenbeath (0) Arbroath (5)
Cowdenbeath- None
Arbroath- John Elliott 2 Billy Macdonald 3 Chris Jackson 12 Michael Moore 75 Gary Shearer 80
MOM- Gary Shearer, Arbroath

"We are hitting on all cylinders right now," exclaimed a happy Gond.

"Practice is making perfect Barry. Actually, everyone understands their role now- we really fit together well as a team and it shows."

"You know the most impressive part of the last two matches- five goals in each match and it was five *different* scorers in each match. That it is proof of good execution."

Doctor Who

Still excellent stuff :thup:

Faramir

Thanks Doc- You are still doing great on yours as well. Sometime next year I will actually catch this story up to how far you are along in play.

***

"Is he willing to come here on loan?" asked Gond.

"He said he would, as long as he can see some playing time- I think we can arrange that."

Arbroath Loans Angelo
Arbroath today announced they had completed negotiations and Dundee United would be loaning them young Italian defender Angelo Schembri (II) for the remainder of the season. Arbroath manager Faramir originally brought the 19 yr old Italian DRC to Dundee on transfer purchase and it was reportedly this relationship that was the basis for his accepting the loan to Arbroath.

***

1.11.03
Arbroath (4) Forfar (0)
Arbroath- Gareth Munro 4,16,38 Kieren Burchell 57
Forfar- None
MOM- Gareth Munro, Arbroath

"Very forceful performance by Gareth (Munro) today," said Gond.

"Also an elusive one- they badly wanted to mark him out, and couldn't."

"It didn't take Angelo long to get injured."

"That was my fault, I shouldn't have thrown him right into match play for us- he hadn't been in heavy training in awhile."

"At least he is only out a couple weeks."

***

Arbroath Gives One Back
After raiding Clydebank for both Alex Burke and Barry Lavety, Arbroath gave one back when they sold promising young midfielder Stuart Merron to them for around 70K. Merron was lodged 4th in the Arbroath depth chart and was hoping to earn a chance at regular play with the move.

***

Caldwell Chooses Arbroath
Steve Caldwell chose to sign with Arbroath on free transfer. Despite being courted by numerous European sides, the 23 yr old Scot DC chose to come back to Scotland. Caldwell will likely move into the backline rotation already featuring Stuart Malcolm, Mark Wilson and J'Loyd Samuel. Caldwell, who has already Capped for Scotland was released by Newcastle before this season.