retired_destiny1124

6.3.04
Montrose (1) Arbroath (5)
Montrose- Steven Stewart 5
Arbroath- Mark Boyd 1 Billy Macdonald 41 Barry Lavety 45 James Coppinger 55 Isaiah Rankin 74
MOM- Angelo Schembri (II), Arbroath

"That was a great way to clinch the Division Championship, but I wish we could have done it at home," lamented Faramir.

"Our fans that made the trip are still out there singing," smiled a happy Gond. "I was also told we could expect quite a reception when we get back to Arbroath."

"I think the Board are overjoyed- they badly wanted to go back to Division 1."

"Well, that was what they told us they expected of us. I am glad we could deliver on that. Now we just need to finish out the season."

"We will be featuring more of the roster the rest of the way. I want to get some of the players who haven't played much in."

***

"Here is the deal Barry. The Board loosened the purse strings once we clinched the Division Championship. All of that money we had been carefully hoarding is available. So, the first thing I did was take another crack at Dundee United."

"And?" said Gond expectantly.

"They agreed."

Gond slammed his hand on the desk, "That's great news! How much though?"

"It took an offer of 1.2 Million. He agreed to a contract with a minimum fee release, but his agent also was willing to rework the contract once he is actually our property. So, with a little bit more bonus money thrown into the pot and slightly higher wages- he is on a relegation release fee and not a minimum fee release. He is getting top wages- but I know he is worth it to our backline."

Gond shook his head, "I didn't think they would let him go- he will be an asset for us."

Arbroath Splurges on Schembri
Arbroath had been in discussions all season about making their loan of young defender Angelo Schembri (II) a permanent move. Dundee United had politely listened to the proposals and turned them down- until now. Arbroath had a record bid of 1.2 Million accepted for the 20 yr old Italian DRC. Schembri stated he was pleased to join the club on a permanent basis and that he was looking forward to Division 1 play next season. Schembri is one of the tri-captains of the Arbroath squad, along with newcomer Mark Boyd and veteran Chris Jackson.

***

"Well, he hadn't written about us all season, we were too small to be bothered with in his estimation. So, it wasn't a surprise that he decided to jot something about us as we gained a little telly exposure," shrugged Faramir.

"Minnows!" snorted Gond.

Minnows Get Swallowed
by Sammy Gohl
Division 2 Arbroath hosts Rangers in the 5th round of the Scottish Cup. Hopefully, the fans at Gayfield Park will gain solace in their ale and good food, because their club of minnows have no chance against the 'Gers. Rangers come into the match comfortably atop the SPL and not having lost in Scotland since December. They are on course for a treble as they pushed aside Celtic in the League Cup Semifinal and will face Motherwell on March 21st favored to gain the Cup. They arrive in this match off a close, disappointing 2-1 loss to Bayern Munich at Munich in their 2nd phase Champions Cup Group and will clearly be looking to atone for falling short. My prediction of the winning margin for 'Gers is 4-1.

retired_destiny1124

Arbroath (2) Rangers (1) Scottish Cup 5th round
Arbroath- Billy Macdonald 5 James Coppinger 20
Rangers- Shota Arveladze 12
MOM- James Coppinger, Arbroath

"Lovely!" beamed Faramir.

"All of that and more," smiled Gond.

"Minnows. It may take Sammy awhile to live it down. He gave the boys the perfect motivation."

"Did you see him at the end of the match. He was pale as a ghost-- all our fans were holding up his article and chanting 'minnows' at him in the press box."

"Coppy (James Coppinger) had a superb match. His goal really was something of beauty."

"Ian (Ritchie) proved all the faith you had in him wasn't misplaced- he made three game-saving stops in the closing stages on them. Our whole squad played an excellent match."

"We can enjoy it for a day at least. Back to work on Tuesday though."

***

"Nice prize it is," sighed Faramir.

"No doubt Sammy is chortling. Out of the frying pan and into the fire," answered Gond.

"Well, we want to beat them and the road to the Scottish Cup goes through Celtic. At least the match will be at Dunfermline's East End Park."

***

"What do you think Barry?"

"He's a nice step up from what we have in midfield now, not that they haven't played well, but..."

"That seems an amount that is affordable for a player of his caliber, I think we go ahead."

Arbroath Grabs Gibson
Arbroath announced the transfer purchase of winger Robin Gibson from Wrexham today. Gibson, a pacey 24 yr old Welsh AMR, was happy to move to Arbroath as he had just returned from being on loan to Conference side Leigh RMI for three months and didn't seem to have a place on the current Wrexham side. The reported transfer purchase cost was around 65K.

retired_destiny1124

17.3.04
Stenhousemuir (3) Arbroath (3)
Stenhousemuir- Gavin Duncan 21 Willie Stewart 68 John Ritchie 75
Arbroath- Jose Cano 19 Michael Moore 52 Robin Gibson 56
MOM- Robin Gibson, Arbroath

"I have to second guess myself on this one," sighed Faramir. "I left Luis (Laguardia) out too long after that injury- I didn't realize how badly broken his nose was- he was having a bit of a time breathing well..."

"It didn't help that Ian (Ritchie) just lost his concentration when we took that 3-1 lead. Of course, he wasn't alone- I think the whole squad let up too much."

"True. Robin (Gibson) had a pretty exciting debut overall- it looks like he may really benefit us."

"I was especially impressed with his quickness, we already knew he could fly- but that goal he scored was because he was much the quickest to the ball."

***

20.3.04
Arbroath (3) Berwick (0)
Arbroath- Gareth Munro 5,31 Mark Boyd 59
Berwick- None
MOM- Mark Boyd, Arbroath

"That was an excellent effort- Berwick needed a good result to try and hold on to 2nd place and we only allowed them 2 shots on goal for the match," stated Gond.

"Our execution was about as good as I have seen it this season. Both goals that Gareth (Munro) scored on were the end result of picture perfect passing."

retired_destiny1124

27.3.04
Arbroath (2) Brechin (0)
Arbroath- Kieren Burchell 12 Michael Moore 80
Brechin- None
MOM- John Elliott, Arbroath

"Very workmanlike effort- not a lot of flash, but we got the job done nicely," said a satisfied Gond.

"Did you remember this is Coppy's (James Coppinger) last day on loan? I will call Newcastle and see if they will loan him for the rest of the season, but considering how unhappy they are that we signed him- I don't know if they will let him come here."

"At least Robin (Gibson) looks like a solid fill-in for him- if that is the case."

***

Faramir hung up the phone, "Newcastle turned me down flat."

Gond looked up from the scouting reports, "Well, it was to be expected."

"On the other hand, we did get an agreement on contract..."

"He signed? After turning down Chelsea's offer?"

"They weren't willing to say he would be more than a hot prospect. With us he knows he will be getting a lot of playing time."

"He is one of the best midfield prospects in Scotland- it would be great to add him."

Arbroath Buys Harvey
Arbroath today announced that they had bought out the minimum fee release on Forfar's promising midfielder Stuart Harvey. Harvey, a 19 yr old AMFC, had emerged from Forfar's youth program this season to become a surprising force in their offense. He was reportedly very happy to make the jump to a club that will be moving up to Division 1 play next season and stated that he had turned down a previous offer from Chelsea because of their unwillingness to commit to playing status. He said he was pleased to stay in Scotland to develop further as a player.

***

3.4.04
Stranraer (0) Arbroath (3)
Stranraer- None
Arbroath- John Elliott 3 Mark Boyd 22,62
MOM- Mark Boyd, Arbroath

"Mark (Boyd) continues to impress me," supplied Gond. "He is so smooth out there- a joy to watch."

"He was certainly a fortunate find. Good scouting work actually. The win was nice, but losing Mark (Wilson) for the rest of the season is going to hurt us. He would have helped a lot against Celtic."

"At least we still have Steve Caldwell to fill in."

"True, but Mark is better than Steve is- we'll just have to make do though."

retired_destiny1124

10.4.04
Celtic (2) Arbroath (1) Scottish Cup Semifinal
Celtic- John Hartson 13 Paul Rudden 38
Arbroath- Mark Boyd 78-P
MOM- Greg Strong, Celtic

"Two things beat us today- Robert Douglas played superbly and Celtic is a much stronger club than us," said Faramir as he shook his head in disappointment.

"Stronger? Do you mean their quality?"

"No. Physically stronger. You saw the way Hartson and Shearer moved Stuart (Malcolm) and Steve (Caldwell) around- they are just a lot bigger club than us. Technically, likely they are superior- but we outshot them for the match and if Douglas doesn't play the type of match he did- we should be at least even with them."

"I heard Sammy is overjoyed to write his summary."

"Let him. I am proud of the way we played. We never quit and we never gave in. They are better than us- today, but we are improving every time we play a quality club like them."

Celtic Reaches Scottish Cup Finals
by Sammy Gohl
Celtic proved that Arbroath's win over Rangers was nothing more than a lucky fluke as they dispatched the Division 2 side in an easy 2-1 win. They rolled over Arbroath's mediocre side for two first half goals and then had to survive a terrible call from the referee that allowed Arbroath a glimmer of hope with a late second half penalty. Arbroath's Board would do well to consider whether their promotion to Division 1 should also feature a more mature manager to guide the club, else they will likely wind up relegated back again after next season.

"He has already made his 'gloom and doom' prognostication," laughed Gond.

"Just avoiding the offseason rush, I am sure," grinned Faramir.

***

14.4.04
Arbroath (2) Forfar (1)
Arbroath- Mark Pearce 4 Stuart Harvey 71
Forfar- James Ferrie 86
MOM- Stuart Harvey, Arbroath

"I think Stuart (Harvey) enjoyed his debut," chuckled Gond.

"Maybe, but I think it was slightly bittersweet also. After all, he did come up through their youth program. He knew he would be playing higher football at some point- but I don't really think he expected it this season."

"True, but then I give him credit for going full tilt in his first match with us. He made some tough tackles and though I don't really think he is a great passer- he made the 'good' pass each time."

"I didn't really plan to try him there, but with John (Elliott) tired from the Celtic match- it made sense to give him a shot in the lineup right away."

retired_destiny1124

8.5.04
Arbroath (5) Cowdenbeath (0)
Arbroath- Isaiah Rankin 2 Mark Boyd 6,28 John Elliott 33 Luis Laguardia 90
Cowdenbeath- None
MOM- John Elliott, Arbroath

"That was a fine display to bid adieu to Division 2 on," offered a cheery Gond.

"Our fans certainly enjoyed it. Now all we have to do is start preparing for Division 1 play."

"How much of a break are we taking- before coming back for summer practices."

"Beginning of June should be soon enough. Take a couple weeks off- then we will get back together and go over scouting reports to see how we can improve the club for our return to Division 1."

retired_destiny1124

"Thought you might want to read this," said Barry Gond as he flipped the magazine on the desk.

"A preview of the season? What does it say?" asked Faramir.

"It's actually not too bad. Sammy didn't write it obviously."

Faramir picked it up and began reading.

Arbroath- Division 1

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Ritchie, Ian GK SCO 22 £1.1K 2.6.09 £80K Hamilton, Brian GK SCO 21 £875 15.6.08 £65KHay, David GK SCO 24 £130 4.6.07 £26K Lee, Tim GK ENG 17 £110 17.5.08 £28KZonneveld, Mike D/M L HOL 23 £3.6K 26.5.07 £210K Griffiths, Thomas Paul D L ENG 22 £750 16.6.08 £60KMagnusson, Thomas D C SWE 26 £3.6K 7.5.07 £180KMalcolm, Stuart D C SCO 24 £525 16.6.08 £180KFisher, John D C SCO 20 £150 8.6.07 £50K Gallagher, Stephen D C SCO 23 £375 18.6.05 £85K Pressley, Steven D RC SCO 30 £1.7K 8.5.07 £300KSamuel, J'Lloyd D/DM C TTO 25 £1.2K 28.6.08 £120K Brown, Kevin D/DM RLC SCO 18 £100 17.6.08 £110K MacLeod, David D C SCO 16 £85 13.6.06 £18KSchembri (II), Angelo D RC ITA 20 £3.4K 7.5.07 £110KHazell, Reuben D RLC ENG 25 £850 12.6.08 £85K Willoughby, Kirk D R SCO 23 £190 8.6.07 £110K Brown, Graeme D R SCO 18 £95 6.6.07 £28K Jonsson, Rickard D R SWE 27 £475 23.6.07 Free Macdonald, Billy DM C SCO 27 £450 20.6.06 £180KSpiller, Danny DM C ENG 22 £775 7.6.06 £18K Lewis, Neil DM C WAL 19 £200 7.5.09 £95K Sousa, Francisco David DM C ESP 24 £210 3.6.06 £35K Boyd, Mark AM C ENG 22 £220 28.5.08 £50KHarvey, Stuart AM/F C SCO 20 £1.9K 28.5.10 £100K Shearer, Gary M C SCO 24 £90 6.6.07 £30K Jackson, Chris M C SCO 30 £375 7.6.07 £50KWolf, Peter AM C GER 20 £3.4K 27.5.07 £140KElliot, John F RC SCO 24 £2.5K 2.5.09 £450K Laguardia, Luis F C ESP 27 £850 7.6.08 £130KCano, José AM/F C ESP 25 £750 10.6.08 FreeCoppinger, James AM/F C ENG 23 £2.7K 9.12.09 £140K Gibson, Robin AM R WAL 24 £1.8K 15.5.09 £80K Dorrian, Ryan M C WAL 19 £150 24.4.09 £35K Creaney, Philip AM C SCO 21 £325 6.6.06 £24K Sigurgeirsson, Arnar Jón AM R ISL 25 £600 14.8.07 Free Vassell, Darius S C ENG 24 £1.8K 13.5.07 £450K Sjölund, Daniel F C FIN 21 £1.8K 1.5.09 £250KMoore, Michael S C SCO 23 £210 1.6.07 £210K Munro, Gareth S C SCO 21 £90 10.6.07 £75KPearce, Mark S C ENG 19 £110 5.6.07 £60K Rankin, Isaiah S C ENG 26 £1.5K 28.6.09 £210K Shields, Paul S C SCO 22 £800 1.5.07 £575K Burchell, Kieren S C SCO 20 £250 7.6.07 £55K Clarke, Trevor S C ENG 20 £170 5.6.06 £85K Brownlie, Paul S C SCO 24 £425 23.6.06 £140K Steele, Kevin S C SCO 22 £500 19.6.06 £325K</pre>

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">============================================= =========================== 2004/5 Transfers========================================= ===============================Date Player In From Fee-----------------------------------------------------------------------30.5.04 Peter Wolf Free TransferFree1.6.04 Thomas Magnusson Trelleborg £40K 9.6.04 Steven Pressley Hearts £650K 28.6.04 James Coppinger Newcastle £500K 30.6.04 Paul Shields Free Transfer Free 30.6.04 Darius Vassell Aston Villa Bos 25.7.04 Mike Zonneveld Free Transfer Free Date Player Out To Fee-----------------------------------------------------------------------6.6.04 Mark Wilson Celtic £750K 9.6.04 Tom Beech Queen's Park Free 9.6.04 Paul McAnenay Ross County £40K 23.6.04 Barry Lavety Motherwell £650K 6.7.04 Steve Caldwell Offenbach £950K 7.7.04 Colin Waugh Swindon £55K </pre>

Arbroath is the wild card in Division 1 this season. Will they be the club that thoroughly dominated in Division 2 in returning to Division 1 after being relegated? Or will they be the stumbling club that fell to Division 2 in the first place. Given the turnover in the squad and the apparent improvement in quality, they look like they are a club that can't be ignored. It may be unrealistic to think they can contend for promotion, but it is hard to completely count them out of the mix- given their personnel and their manager. The loss of two promising Scot defenders- Mark Wilson and Steve Caldwell- seems offset by the addition of veterans Steven Pressley and Thomas Magnusson. Likewise, the loss of Barry Lavety up front seems overbalanced by the addition of Darius Vassell and promising Paul Shields. The backline appears to contain a lot of quality and was helped by the signing of Mike Zonneveld after his release by NEC. The unknown factor in the midfield will be the 20 yr old German- Peter Wolf- who signed on after being released by Jena. Wolf played superbly against difficult competition in Arbroath's slate of friendlies and reportedly may force John Elliott into a reserve role. They will be benefitting from a full season of work from James Coppinger, who only played part of last season while on loan from Newcastle.

retired_destiny1124

7.8.04
Morton (2) Arbroath (5)
Morton- Stuart Lovell 11 Ryan Waddell 25
Arbroath- James Coppinger 2 Isaiah Rankin 13,85 Mike Zonneveld 28-P Peter Wolf 33
MOM- Peter Wolf, Arbroath

"Well, if nothing else- our new look is awfully explosive," commented Gond as he glanced over the stat page.

"I know John (Elliott) may be a bit unhappy with developments- but Peter (Wolf) is a terrific midfielder and should be a very good player for us."

"John is a good player too."

"Yes, he is- but I have seen him get marked out of too many matches. We can't afford to have him not involved in the offense and it will happen more at Division 1 than it did last season."

"Overall, that was a good performance- in a road match no less- to begin with."

"Likely a few clubs will take notice of that. Between last season and that match, I don't think we are going to be sneaking up on anyone..."

***

10.8.04
Elgin City (0) Arbroath (3) Challenge Cup 1st round
Elgin City- None
Arbroath- Thomas Paul Griffiths 18-P John Elliott 20 Stuart Malcolm 71
MOM- John Elliott, Arbroath

"As holders of the Cup- it was nice to get the first round win," smiled Faramir.

"That was a pretty encouraging display of how much depth we have on the club this season," commented Gond.

"John (Elliott) was certainly out to make my decision on not starting him difficult- he keyed the win with those impressive runs that he had today."

retired_destiny1124

14.8.04
Arbroath (4) Raith Rovers (1)
Arbroath- Mark Boyd 17,37 Steven Pressley 45 James Coppinger 55
Raith- Alex Rae 70
MOM- Mark Boyd, Arbroath

"Another terrific match from our midfield!" blurted Gond.

"That was the difference, wasn't it? They never really had a good possession in our end- until they scored. By then, it was much too late."

"Pressley really has been a solid addition for us so far- I hadn't realized how much of a team leader he could be."

"Nothing against Mark Wilson and Steve Caldwell- but in Pressley and Thomas Magnusson we have two central defenders who are better- it could be a real key to how well we do this season."

***

17.8.04
Arbroath (3) Cowdenbeath (1) Challenge Cup 2nd round
Arbroath- Robin Gibson 20 John Elliott 22,28
Cowdenbeath- Mark Druce 83
MOM- Ruben Hazell, Arbroath

"Still clicking on all cylinders- no matter who we have in there," said a satisfied Faramir.

"All those friendlies that we played- seem to have really benefitted our quick start."

"It wasn't just how many we played- it was the quality we played. When we beat Auxerre and then did well on our road trip to England- it helped the club gel before the season even started."

"Cowdenbeath was much improved over the squad we beat in our last match in Division 2 last season- they were a lot quicker out there."

"I thought so too- they were primed to give us a battle today, but Craig Hinchcliffe didn't play all that well for them in net- that kept the match from being closer."

retired_destiny1124

21.8.04
Arbroath (3) Partick Thistle (0)
Arbroath- Mark Boyd 65 Darius Vassell 73,78
Thistle- None
MOM- Darius Vassell, Arbroath

"We certainly didn't play well in the first half, but that second half was pretty good..." offered Gond.

"It didn't help that we lost Isaiah (Rankin) in the first half. Having to move Coppy (James Coppinger) up there- where he hadn't ever really played for us- threw us a bit out of whack for most of the first half."

"Darius (Vassell) certainly showed his form in the second half. They did a good job in the first half on him, but he overpowered their backline in the second half."

"He is just a horse in there- strength and stamina to keep going. I think we did a much better job of breaking down their defense in the second half too- with Peter (Wolf) and Mark (Boyd) really keying the effort."

"Don't forget Ian (Ritchie). He had his best match so far this season- really made the big stops that we needed him too."

"This win is going to boost us- I know the press is starting to pay more attention, since Partick was the favorite for promotion going into the season."

***

25.8.04
Arbroath (1) Montrose (0) Challenge Cup 2nd round
Arbroath- J'Lloyd Samuel 2
Montrose- None
MOM- Craig Weir, Montrose

"That wasn't exactly a stellar performance, but we did get the job done," observed Gond.

"Very steady performance at least. J'Lloyd (Samuel) surprised everyone when he made that run all the way from the backline."

"He finished the run off with an excellent strike too- that was worthy of one of our forwards. It sure didn't seem like it would be the only goal in the match."

"Give them credit. Weir backstopped their defensive efforts and kept them in the match. We may have had more speed, but they wouldn't let us use it."

"How long is Ian (Ritchie) out for?"

"Fortunately, only about 10 days."