Where Did It All Go Wrong?

So here we are. A few doors opened on the advent calendar and the Pars are sitting not-so-proudly in the First Division relegation play-off spot. Fourteen games played, and only three wins. Worse still, we've only scored 8 goals. And even more remarkably, only three of those have come at East End Park! To call the current situation at our beloved club a crisis would be the biggest understatement since Adolf Hitler was described as 'a bit of a rogue'! Something is seriously, seriously wrong at the Pars.

Take a trip to a local boozer after a Pars game and you'll find two sets of supporters; the ones that blame 'that useless clown' Stephen Kenny, and those that lay the blame solely at the feet of the 'under-achieving, overpaid, spineless bunch of players'. It's either one or the other according to some, no grey areas, black and white, simple as! So what is it? Is it a duff manager, one that's only ever managerial achievements were attained in a so-called 'part-time pub team' league? Is it a group of over-rated players whose only moments of note in the last few years include a Scottish Cup final and a meek relegation below a very poor St.Mirren side? Is it both? Is it neither? Could this all in fact be down to bad luck and an injury-list so long you could fill the bottom deck of a bus with?

Everyone's got their opinions and rightly so, everyone is of course entitled to air their views, it's a free country and, god knows, freedom of speech is supposedly one of the last few remaining rights we can hold on to in this increasingly draconian and Orwellian-esque state. In saying that, just because you are free to say what you like, it doesn't make those of you that sit watching Gillete Soccer Saturday or Ceefax on a Saturday afternoon before rushing onto your keyboards to pass damning judgement as each goal flies in any less of a dick!

However, that of course doesn't mean that those of us who go week in week out assume everything will come up roses and a memorable winning-streak is just around the corner. Its not! Far from it! In all my years watching the Pars this is undoubtedly the worst side I have had the misfortune to see. The performances this season have been nothing short of pathetic, an absolute disgrace to the fans and the club. I would quite honestly argue with any fan of any other club in Scottish football who genuinely feel that their group of players are more spineless and ill-deserving of this profession than our current crop! Some Clyde, QOTS and even Morton fans, amongst others, are wanting their respective managers out but I would be willing to bet every single one of them would sooner be in their own position just now than join us Pars fans in the depths of despair and general incompetence. Aside from Stevie Crawford and Paul Gallacher I quite honestly would not blink an eye or feel any compassion if every single player, to-a-man, were to leave East End Park. Some are simply not good enough, several look de-motivated, and others - quite frankly - look like they couldn't give a fuck!! This, for one, is not on!!

Yet, and believe me I know that a large number of our current players are definitely more-than culpable in this mess, I feel that before we can progress any further as a club - fuck me, moving up to third bottom would be enough! - then the club/board need to act and call time on Kenny's reign at the club. The guy for me, for all he is a decent human being and has undoubtedly given his heart and soul into running this club, is out-of-his-depth. His inability to change tactics during the a match, his baffling team selections and the all-round failure to act upon the one single problem that has blighted us from day one of his reign, the shocking lack of midfield/forward creativity, are a few reasons why Kenny dons the figure of a beleagured manager punching, unsuccessfully, above his weight. But for me, the single most defining factor in Kenny's failure has been the fact that he is simply unable to motivate this group of players for the bread-and-butter, saving any real motivation only for the 'showpiece occasions'. This, in a league where players don't give a toss for ability or reputation and will fight and scrap till the last minute, simply will not wash and is the reason why we are currently staring into the very real prospect of second division for this club, a future which would almost certainly be the death knell for this club!

Some say Kenny has been undermined since day one by the 'jobs-for-the-boys club' at East End Park - for those not in the know, this 'club' apparently includes Jim Leishman, Craig Robertson and Scott Thomson among others. Now, lets just say for a minute this is true. That Leishman and his cronies have been plotting to oust Kenny since he arrived from the Emerald Isle over a year ago. Surely any manager - man, for that matter - worth his salt would dig his heels in, show some bollocks and fight back in the face of such provocation and bully-boy tactics, no?! Would you imagine a young Alex Ferguson putting up with such shite?! Roy Keane? Jose Mourinho? Even Jimmy Calderwood come to think of it? No chance, not for one minute! And if this is the case, that Kenny has been undermined and results have suffered because of this plotting and scheming then, I'm sorry, but this is not the kind of manager I want to lead my club. I, and DAFC, as a club need a manager whom would weed out such cancerous problems at the club and meet them head on, not let them fester and destroy a once-great club months down the line. However, for the record, I for one don't buy into any of this conspiracy theory shite. Having met Leishman, Robertson and Thomson all in years gone by, albeit briefly with the latter two, one thing they are is Pars through-and-through and any notion that they would seek to debilitate an Athletic manager's reign whilst in turn causing a detrimental affect on the club is a scandalous accusation!!

With strong rumours circulating locally about the board attempting to agree a compensation package with Kenny, managers names are predictably getting thrown about as to who, if indeed anyone, will be the next Pars manager. Two names I've heard from a number of strong sources - none of which include internet forums - include John Robertson and Dick Campbell. Would either of these managers be the right men to take the reigns at the Pars? I honestly don't know. Both would undoubtedly, in my mind, improve the current debacle but I genuinely couldn't tell you if either would be the right man to take the Pars forward. Whoever does manage the Pars in the near future needs to clear out the mass amount of deadwood at the club and install a one-for-all, never-say-die attitude within the club if we are to compete in this league. The problems undeniably go much deeper and aspects such as youth policy need major reconstruction however first and foremost a winning, battling culture needs to be reinstated at the club. Whether this is with the name Kenny, Robertson, Campbell, Thomson etc on the manager's door remains to be seen but this HAS to be our number one priority.

Whether Kenny will be in charge against Clyde this Saturday I don't know, if I was a betting man I'd say he will be. Regardless, I'll be there supporting the Pars and giving 110% to the players and manager, whoever that may be, until the final whistle. A defeat on Saturday and surely Kenny's position is untenable, although in my opinion it has been for a good while now. All I can ask from Kenny is that if this is your last chance then make it count, use this game to turn it round and take the Pars off the long road to ruin and onto the road of recovery. If not then, I'm sorry, you're a decent guy but, in all honesty, it's surely time to get to fuck!