Troubled Visions- Faramir's Dream (Lord of the Rings Challenge)

[Faramir]

12.8.03

Berwick (1) Arbroath (2) Challenge Cup 1st round

Berwick- Martin Glancy, 62

Arbroath- Luis Laguardia 34 Gary Shearer 82

MOM- Stuart Malcolm, Arbroath

"That was a very nice goal by Gary (Shearer)," stated Gond.

"Timely, too. Both he and Philip had good debuts. I was also pleased with how well Laguardia did stepping in for Elliott. Now is the time to find out how our depth can help us- or at least we can sort out the best use right now, so we will know for later in the season."

***

16.8.03

Berwick (0) Arbroath (2)

Berwick- None

Arbroath- John Elliott 3 Barry Lavety 42

MOM- John Elliott, Arbroath

"I hate it when we have back-to-back matches with the same club," flatly commented Gond.

"Even worse is when both of them are on the road. Still we came through both with flying colors."

"They did seem a bit unable to handle our lineup changes."

Faramir nodded, "Our regular lineup has a bit more pace, and they had trouble adjusting to it. I was really happy with John Elliott's performance- he could be a really good player for us."

[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

[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.

[Faramir]

8.11.03

Queen of the South (2) Arbroath (2)

Queen- Murray Brown 57 Graham Connell 76

Arbroath- Barry Lavety 10 Luis Laguardia 64

MOM- Stuart Malcolm, Arbroath

"It would be much easier to earn a good result if we could play good defense. We were atrocious- other than Stuart- in this match," said a frustrated Gond.

"Craig (Wight) held up his end of the bargain- at least earning us a split of the points. You're right though, that was the worst effort from our backline this season."

***

15.11.03

Arbroath (1) Brechin (0)

Arbroath- Barry Lavety 83

Brechin- None

MOM- Thomas Paul Griffiths, Arbroath

"Barry (Lavety) deserved to get that match winner, after losing his goal in the first half on the offside call," remarked Gond.

"He certainly did. John Elliott deserved better also, for all the work he put in- and Ian (Ritchie) also earned a lot of goodwill with a terrific performance."

"It was a tough win to earn, but I know the boys are happy we grabbed this one at the end."

***

22.11.03

Stranraer (0) Arbroath (1)

Stranraer- None

Arbroath- Barry Lavety, 15

MOM- Keith Gallagher, Stranraer

"I think our points that we have been trying to make to them have finally sunk in," mused Faramir.

"Which ones specifically?" asked Gond with a smile.

"Well, what I saw today was our emphasis on defense has taken hold. They have finally bought in to the fact that if you can exert a consistent, determined defensive effort every match- you will have a chance in almost every match. The offensive displays are exciting to produce, but a solid defensive effort will win you close matches like todays."

***

Barry Gond looked at the faxed sheet and cheerily muttered, "One borrowed and one blue..."

Faramir laughed so hard he fell off his chair.

Arbroath Moves Again

Arbroath continues to explore gaining additional players and two more will join the club tomorrow. Arbroath completed the transfer purchase of Spaniard Jose Cano for a small sum from Figueres, where he was unhappy about reduced playing time. In a suprise move they have also loaned promising midfielder James Coppinger from Newcastle until March. Cano is a 24 yr old MC playmaker that will likely provide cover for John Elliott. Coppinger is 22 and will almost certainly have some significant playing time on the club.

[Faramir]

29.11.03

Arbroath (4) Montrose (0)

Arbroath- Barry Lavety 19,26 Jose Cano 48 Danny Spiller 68

Montrose- None

MOM- Barry Lavety, Arbroath

"Nice debut by Cano. Looks like we finally have an alternative to John Elliott in running the offense," declared Gond.

"I hope so, I am wondering how much longer it will be before the Old Firm clubs come sniffing around for John and his minimum fee release. On Coppinger, I have my fingers crossed- actually for Schembri too- I would love to be able to make it attractive enough for them to stay..."

***

"How Much??"

"A wee little bit Barry, only 700K," grinned Faramir.

Dundee Purchases Fallon

In a bid to help their injury depleted backline, Dundee today announced the transfer signing of Arbroath's Steve Fallon. Fallon, who was the skipper for Arbroath last season, had been seeing very little starting time at the new look Division 2 club and was overjoyed to get a chance to jump to the SPL. Arbroath was quite content to accept a substantial (but not announced) transfer amount for Fallon.

***

6.12.03

Arbroath (3) Stenhousemuir (0)

Arbroath- Gareth Munro 23,90 Kieren Burchell 83

Stenhousemuir- None

MOM- Gareth Munro, Arbroath

"I feel sorry for David (Platt) because that loss will likely lose him his job," commented Faramir.

"If you lose 11 straight matches- I think you should assume your job is in severe jeopardy," answered Gond.

***

"Revolving door time Barry."

"What now?"

"Inverness just came through with a bid of 100K for Craig Wight. Considering we have Ian for the future and Craig won't resign a contract, I am going to accept it. I took a quick look at our shortlist and made an offer on Ayr's Brian Hamilton to be Ian's backup- they accepted 20K, and I am certain he will accept the contract offer."

"Merry-go-round then..."

Arbroath's Switching Keepers

Arbroath today announced they had accepted a transfer offer from Inverness Caledonian Thistle for keeper Craig Wight. With Ian Ritchie apparently holding the starter's job, they were willing to accept the 'substantial' bid from Inverness. They seemingly turned around and splashed a portion of that bid back out as they announced the transfer purchase of 22 yr old Brian Hamilton from Ayr to become the backup keeper.

[Faramir]

20.12.03

Arbroath (2) Cowdenbeath (1)

Arbroath- Gary Shearer 21,28

Cowdenbeath- Steven Evans 3

MOM- Gary Shearer, Arbroath

"I was a bit worried about Brian's (Hamilton) debut- especially after Evans scored on that shot," said a relieved Gond.

"He did right himself after that, and made several outstanding saves down the stretch- I was pleased with it overall."

"Why did you throw him right into the lineup?"

"I wanted to test him- this seemed like the right club to do that against- they certainly showed more offense today than they had in their last several matches. Good thing Gary (Shearer) came with his sharp shooter glasses on today."

***

27.12.03

Alloa (0) Arbroath (1)

Alloa- None

Arbroath- James Coppinger 4

MOM- Angelo Schembri (II), Arbroath

"Good thing Coppy (James Coppinger) got that first goal, we misfired a lot today," stated Gond.

"Barry (Lavety) should have had several goals, but his aim was just a wee bit off today. It was a good effort and I was very pleased with the steady work that Ian (Ritchie) gave us in net today."

[Faramir]

"That's a lot- might be one of the most expensive purchases ever for this club," whistled Gond.

"He's worth it. I like our forwards a lot, but he is an EPL class level player and other than Lavety, I don't know if ours will really pan out above Division 2."

Arbroath Splashes Big for Rankin

Arbroath has been building an impressive war chest of transfer funds for months now and they finally went out and used some of those funds in announcing the transfer purchase of forward Isaiah Rankin from Barnsley for around 230K. The 25 yr old SC hadn't been used much and was looking for a good opportunity to gain playing time. He will certainly be featured soon in the starting lineup for Arbroath.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

************************************************************************************************

Scottish Second Division - Wednesday 31st December 2003

************************************************************************************************

================================================================================================

2003/4 Table

================================================================================================

Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1st Arbroath 19 9 1 0 29 6 7 1 1 21 5 50

2nd Berwick 19 6 2 1 16 9 4 2 4 15 15 34

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3rd Brechin 19 8 0 2 22 8 1 3 5 11 14 30

4th Queen of Sth. 19 3 6 1 17 15 2 5 2 8 9 26

5th Stranraer 19 5 3 2 18 15 1 4 4 10 14 25

6th Alloa 19 5 1 3 13 11 2 2 6 13 20 24

7th Forfar 19 3 3 4 12 14 2 3 4 19 23 21

8th Cowdenbeath 19 3 3 3 14 17 2 3 5 13 17 21

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

9th Montrose 19 3 3 3 15 16 2 2 6 9 20 20

10th Stenhousemuir 19 1 3 5 10 19 1 0 9 11 29 9 </pre>

[Faramir]

3.1.04

Arbroath (4) Cowdenbeath (0) Scottish Cup 2nd round

Arbroath- Michael Moore 15 Barry Lavety 25 Jose Cano 30 Luis Laguardia 64

Cowdenbeath- None

MOM- Chris Jackson, Arbroath

"Good show for the Gayfield crowd, wasn't it?" asked Gond.

"They certainly got to see a lot of our offensive capability. Chris (Jackson) deserved his MOM honours for the job he did in directing the offense. We did an excellent job keeping their forwards marked out."

"I thought you planned on featuring Isaiah Rankin today?"

"He hasn't seen enough practice time with us yet. I want to work him in soon, but have him completely familiar with our approach when he plays."

***

5.1.04

Berwick (1) Arbroath (4)

Berwick- Paul Patterson 51

Arbroath- John Elliott 36 Thomas Paul Griffiths 39-P James Coppinger 53 Gareth Munro 74

MOM- John Elliott, Arbroath

"That was a fine match for us. They were really looking to knock us down a peg, but the boys really kept them under pressure throughout the match," stated a pleased Faramir.

"It was great to see Coppy (James Coppinger) starting to fit in so well- he really performed well today."

"I think the fact he played so well kept them from leaning so hard on John (Elliott)- that is the best he has played in quite a few matches."

"Did you realize that he broke the club record with that MOM today?"

"No, I didn't. Five is a record? They must not have had many quality players before this..."

[Faramir]

"The trimming continues?"

"He wasn't going to help us- and was starting to become unhappy about not starting," answered Faramir.

McInally Moves to St.Johnstone

Winger David McInally was sold to St.Johnstone today for a reported purchase price of 275K sources at Arbroath confirmed. McInally, who had been a regular last season, had only been infrequently featured this season and the parting was to the mutual satisfaction of McInally and the club.

***

"How did you manage that?" asked Gond in wonder.

"Offering him as much as I could on weekly wage, a minimum fee release and a pretty large signing bonus. He is worth it and I hope next season to rework the contract with a higher min fee release. It's still a bit of a gamble, given the release and how much the tribunal says we pay for him- but we have enough funds to make the gamble."

Arbroath Signs Coppinger

In an extremely surprising move, Arbroath was able to convince loaned James Coppinger to sign a contract that will become effective on June 28th. Coppinger, a 23 yr old AMFC who originally came on loan from Newcastle until the end of March, surprised many pundits with his willingness to sign with Arbroath. He discussed his reasons, stating that "he was excited at the direction of the club and impressed with the kind of commitment that allowed Arbroath to bring highly regarded striker Isaiah Rankin to the club. Reportedly the tribunal set the compensation to Newcastle at 500K and there are rumours of a very substantial signing bonus awarded to Coppinger- which likely makes the total cost of the signing at least 800K.

***

Ross County Purchases McColligan

Arbroath announced today that they had accepted a transfer offer on winger Brian McColligan. The 23 yr old AML had been a regular last season at Arbroath, but had been a regular on the reserve side this season. He was reportedly happy about the chance to move to a club where he might gain more senior side time.

[Faramir]

17.1.04

Brechin (3) Arbroath (5)

Brechin- Mark McLauchlan 3,68 Barry McColl 75

Arbroath- John Elliott 2 Barry Lavety 15 Isaiah Rankin 70 Luis Laguardia 76,79

MOM- John Elliott, Arbroath

Gond shook his head while glancing at the stat sheet, "I guess you just have to outscore them sometimes..."

"Well, if Ian (Ritchie) doesn't have that one bad spell, this would have been an easy win. Still, I can't be too hard on him- he had been playing very well before those two goals. Our defensive coverage wasn't nearly as good as usual."

"I think we were trying to jump into the attack too much. We were forcing the play too much."

***

24.1.04

Arbroath (4) Stranraer (0)

Abroath- John Elliott 4,16,68 Kieren Burchell 9

Stranraer- None

MOM- John Elliott, Arbroath

"Very impressive performance from John," smiled Gond.

"There is a downside though- he is starting to get noticed by the bigger clubs. He has already told me he wants to move to a bigger club, so if any of them meets the min fee release on him, he will be gone."

"That would be disappointing, but understandable."

"Mark Wilson has also told me more or less the same thing- he wants to move to a bigger club."

"Is there anyone interested in either of them?"

"Not specifically. Not yet at least. I expect we will see more scouts since our success this season is starting to draw press coverage."

[Faramir]

31.1.04

Morton (1) Arbroath (3) Scottish Cup 3rd round

Morton- Emilio Bottiglieri 25

Arbroath- Francisco David Sousa 3 John Elliott 44 Isaiah Rankin 69

"You know, it is pretty funny to see a Division 2 club going to visit a Division 1 club in a Cup match and see the odds be even," chuckled Barry Gond as he read through the paper.

"Bookmakers are realistic," grinned Faramir. "Pretty hard to ignore how well we were playing coming into the match- nor the fact that we likely have better personnel than Morton has."

"I think we proved that out just fine- 20 shots was quite a barrage on Craig Coyle."

***

"Newcastle is going to get tired of hearing from you," said Gond with a hint of laughter in his voice.

"Our money is as good as anyone else's," smiled Faramir. "Still, he wouldn't have agreed to come here if Coppy (James Coppinger) hadn't already committed to coming..."

Arbroath Buys Boyd

Arbroath announced the transfer purchase of midfielder Mark Boyd from Newcastle today. Boyd, a 22 yr old AMC out of the Newcastle youth program, agreed to a contract with Arbroath and was apparently very happy to rejoin teammate James Coppinger in the Arbroath midfield mixture. Boyd will likely see playing time on the senior side after a bit of training. The reported purchase price to bring the youngster was around 100K.

***

7.2.04

Forfar (1) Arbroath (4)

Forfar- Stuart Harvey 4

Arbroath- Barry Lavety 28 Stuart Malcolm 61 John Elliott 66 James Coppinger 90

MOM- James Coppinger, Arbroath

"It might have been a different match if John Duffy hadn't gotten that 2nd yellow card to open the second half," commented a relieved Gond.

"At least the boys were able to take full advantage of it- they really kept up the pressure after that. Stuart (Malcolm) picked a very opportune time to score his 1st for us."

"Elliott's goal was a big one too- that took the fight out of them."

"With his acceleration and pace- there aren't too many players who can match up with him in Division 2- his goal also broke the scoring record for one season -- 16 now."

[Faramir]

14.2.04

Arbroath (4) Queen of the South (1)

Arbroath- Kieren Burchell 5,62 Mark Boyd 24 James Coppinger 50

Queen- James Woods 26

MOM- Mark Boyd, Arbroath

"I thought you were a bit touched when you told me that Mark (Boyd) reminded you of Mark Kerr- but you were right," said Gond as he shook his head.

"He is not as polished as Mark Kerr- yet, but he is completely smooth out there- great technical skill in the way he does everything. Not only that, but he is team leader- something I couldn't really say of Kerr."

"Well, Kerr is still younger than him too- to be fair."

"True, I had forgotten how young he was when he came to prominence with us at Dundee United. I feel we have the makings of a great midfield though- with Boyd there now too."

***

21.2.04

St.Johnstone (2) Arbroath (3) Scottish Cup 4th round

St.Johnstone- Ross Matheson 20 Grant Murray 71

Arbroath- Barry Lavety 33 Isaiah Rankin 36 Luis Laguardia 63

MOM- Shaun McSkimming, St.Johnstone

"That was an interesting match," commented Gond.

"You think so?" grinned Faramir. "I thought it was a bit harrowing- especially at the end. Fortunately, Ian (Ritchie) was very solid down the final minutes."

"He was. Our backline didn't play nearly as well as I have seen them in other matches though."

"There backline didn't play all that well either, at least we took better advantage of our chances today."

"That was the difference in the match- getting those two goals within 3 minutes by Barry (Lavety) and Isaiah (Rankin) really changed the nature of the match."

"We got the booby prize though- our 5th round opponent is Rangers."

Gond winced and shook his head in resignation.

[Faramir]

25.2.04

Cowdenbeath (1) Arbroath (4)

Cowdenbeath- Stewart McCall 10-P

Arbroath- Isaiah Rankin 25 Barry Lavety 51 Danny Spiller 59-P Mark Boyd 69

MOM- Ruben Hazell, Arbroath

"We weren't very sharp in the early going and that penalty was caused by a bad judgement on when to force the play," grumbled Gond.

"The luxury of having forwards the caliber of ours is that they are good at making the other club pay when they don't cover well- and Isaiah certainly did that. Once we evened the match, we played more relaxed and a lot better the rest of the way."

***

28.2.04

Arbroath (1) Alloa (1)

Arbroath- Thomas Paul Griffiths 8-P

Alloa- Stewart Bovill 9-P

MOM- Stewart Bovill, Alloa

"I guess we were due for that type of match," sighed Gond.

"Our effort would be graded very lacklustre. We didn't move the ball very well at all and sat back too much on defense. Ian (Ritchie) kept this one from becoming a loss."

"What's really strange is that we clinched promotion to Division 1 with one of our poorest performances."

"True, but it is very nice to have promotion in hand with 10 matches remaining."

[Faramir]

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.

[Faramir]

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.

[Faramir]

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."

[Faramir]

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."

[Faramir]

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."

[Faramir]

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."

[Faramir]

"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 £65K

Hay, David GK SCO 24 £130 4.6.07 £26K

Lee, Tim GK ENG 17 £110 17.5.08 £28K

Zonneveld, Mike D/M L HOL 23 £3.6K 26.5.07 £210K

Griffiths, Thomas Paul D L ENG 22 £750 16.6.08 £60K

Magnusson, Thomas D C SWE 26 £3.6K 7.5.07 £180K

Malcolm, Stuart D C SCO 24 £525 16.6.08 £180K

Fisher, 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 £300K

Samuel, 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 £18K

Schembri (II), Angelo D RC ITA 20 £3.4K 7.5.07 £110K

Hazell, 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 £180K

Spiller, 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 £50K

Harvey, 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 £50K

Wolf, Peter AM C GER 20 £3.4K 27.5.07 £140K

Elliot, John F RC SCO 24 £2.5K 2.5.09 £450K

Laguardia, Luis F C ESP 27 £850 7.6.08 £130K

Cano, José AM/F C ESP 25 £750 10.6.08 Free

Coppinger, 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 £250K

Moore, Michael S C SCO 23 £210 1.6.07 £210K

Munro, Gareth S C SCO 21 £90 10.6.07 £75K

Pearce, 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 Transfer Free

1.6.04 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.

[Faramir]

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."

[Faramir]

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."

[Faramir]

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."

[titto]

Great story, and I love the Sammy Gohl-Sméagol thingy

[Faramir]

*tips his cap to titto* You are likely not the only one who caught on that, but you are the first to mention it- most of the characters have counterparts in LOTR

***

28.8.04

Ayr (2) Arbroath (0)

Ayr- James Grady 7 Charlie King 77

Arbroath- None

MOM- Paul Lovering, Ayr

"No secret to winning this one- they put the clamps on us defensively and let Garry Gow gather up all our shots," said a dissatisfied Gond.

"If we could have put more shots on net, it may have been a closer match- we missed the net with many shots."

"We didn't play as well defensively either- it was just not our best effort."

"True, and that is the part we will have to change- we need a better effort every time out against this level of competition."

***

1.9.04

Brechin (3) Arbroath (3) Challenge Cup Quarterfinal (Brechin advances on Penalties)

Brechin- Paul Mortimer 16 Chris Templeman 20 Jonathan McKeith 119

Arbroath- Gareth Munro 25,54 Kieren Burchell 99

MOM- Gareth Munro, Arbroath

"You know, I don't mind losing the penalities near as much as giving up that late goal to McKeith. I felt certain we were going to win that match," sighed Faramir.

"Well, we also had plenty of chances to win during penalties- three straight misses with the match on the line wasn't exactly an exemplary performance."

"True. Despite his work on the penalties- Brian's (Hamilton) perfomance in net was hugely disappointing. If he just plays a steady match- we win. Instead, we had to fight back from 2-0 early because of his misplaying both goals. He should have had McKeith's also, he was clearly out of position on it."

"At least we got good perfomances from Robin (Gibson) and Gareth (Munro)- without those two, we wouldn't have made it to extra time."

[Faramir]

4.9.04

Arbroath (3) Ross County (0)

Arbroath- Mike Zonneveld 11 Daniel Sjolund 17 John Elliott 90

Ross County- None

MOM- Darius Vassell, Arbroath

"Steven (Pressley) and Thomas (Magnusson) both showed a lot of leadership out there today- they kept things very calm around Brian (Hamilton)," observed Gond.

"It was a good thing they did, we let them control entirely too much of the flow of play today. We took advantage of our chances much better than they did- but they had as many opportunities as we did."

"Darius (Vassell) was the force again up front."

"Not like they were draped all over him," chuckled Faramir. "He kept his composure nicely and forced them into defensive mistakes."

***

"Another one? Why?"

"Because he is the type of ballhawking defender we need- someone who will tackle everything in sight. I plan on transfer listing Danny Spiller as well- he is a good midfielder, but he gets too caught up in moving up the pitch- not something I want our defensive midfielder doing."

Arbroath Deals for Dunga

Arbroath today announced the transfer purchase of Portugese midfielder Dunga from Gouveia. The 26 yr old DMC has been a stellar performer for the Portugese side for the past three seasons and was excited to get an opportunity to move up in competition. The agreed transfer price was reported to be 10K.

***

Arbroath Values van de Wey

Arbroath outbid several clubs, including Aston Villa, for the right to purchase promising 19 yr old Dutch keeper Frank van de Wey. Though van de Wey had yet to appear in a senior match, the bidding on him was intense and Omniworld had a total of 6 accepted bids. van de Wey apparently chose Arbroath because of the promise of playing time on the senior side.

***

11.9.04

Clyde (2) Arbroath (4)

Clyde- Brian Kerr 66,75

Arbroath- Darius Vassell 5,50 Paul Shields 15 Luis Laguardia 82

MOM- Darius Vassell, Arbroath

"Ok, you're right- it was a mistake to send Frank (van de Wey) directly into match play- without practicing much with us yet," stated Faramir.

"He was fine for quite awhile, but he got badly flustered when Kerr scored those two headers past him. I think he will be good- but he needs some development time."

"Vassell overpowered another backline- that is why we survived van de Wey's rocky stretch."

"He was superb, in the air nobody had a chance to challenge him today."

[Faramir]

18.9.04

Arbroath (3) Inverness Caledonia (2)

Arbroath- James Coppinger 41,63 John Elliott 81

Inverness- Mark Gallagher 1 Brian Smith 16

MOM- James Coppinger, Arbroath

"Whew! That was a lot of work to gain that win," claimed an exhausted Faramir.

An equally tired Gond replied, "Well, if Ian (Ritchie) wasn't rusty from not playing- we wouldn't be two down in the early going."

"Yes, he wasn't his usual steady self, but I wanted him in this match to knock some of the rust off for playing Livingston in our League Cup match."

"That was a nice adjustment offensively. Once we pushed them into their end- they started playing tentatively and making mistakes."

"It was the obvious choice- they are a young club- if we could rattle their confidence, then we can turn the match."

"Well, it almost didn't work."

"That was only because their 17 yr old keeper was playing out of his skull- how much did we outshoot them on the match."

"26-5."

"All but one of those five came in the first 20 mintues- after that we stayed in their end most of the rest of the match."

***

22.9.04

Arbroath (3) Livingston (1) League Cup 3rd round

Arbroath- Darius Vassell 22 Peter Wolf 25 James Coppinger 39

Livingston- Thomas Courts 38

MOM- Mike Zonneveld, Arbroath

"They certainly aren't enjoying meeting us in Cup Competition," chuckled Gond.

"No, we haven't exactly been kind to them in our matches."

"I can't really pick out a fault with our play in the match."

"Neither can I. Even the chances they had weren't that great. That corner they scored on was a bit of an odd goal and I don't really blame Ian (Ritchie) since the ball deflected off two players before Courts knocked it in."

[Faramir]

25.9.04

Arbroath (3) Morton (0)

Arbroath- Peter Wolf 24 Isaiah Rankin 29,52

Morton- None

MOM- Isaiah Rankin, Arbroath

"Isaiah (Rankin) looked very sharp- for just coming off a month of injury time," commented Gond.

"It was good to see him back at full speed. He has been aching to get back into the lineup for the past week, but this was the first time he was cleared to play."

"Dunga also gave us some good work. I understand better why you wanted him."

"He won't be an offensive force, but he really does a good job on the opposing midfielders. He played very well in his first full match."

***

2.10.04

Arbroath (3) Queen of the South (0)

Arbroath- Billy Macdonald 28 Gary Shearer 66 Darius Vassell 88

Queen- None

MOM- Angelo Schembri (II), Arbroath

"Angelo (Schembri) and Mike (Zonneveld) did a stellar job of shutting down their wingers, they really shut off the flow of Queen's offense to their forwards," said a relective Faramir.

"That is why they only wound up with 2 shots for the entire match."

"Of course our offense wasn't exactly pretty. We really only came on once Elliott was out- I guess his heel was bothering him more than he let on before the match, it was a mistake to start him today."

***

"The question is do we need another forward? It isn't like we don't have a bunch of them," grumbled Barry Gond.

"I think he is a cut above some of ours- take a look at his scoring record. That is a natural goal scorer at whatever level he happens to be playing. For only 24K, I think he is a bargain- remember we may well lose Darius (Vassell) on his minimum fee release at some point."

"I still think his skills look like Isaiah Rankin's- I don't see him earning a lot of playing time."

Arbroath Picks up De Loenen

Arbroath today announced the transfer purchase of forward Nick De Loenen from Belgian side Willebroek. While at the Belgian side De Loenen had scored 104 goals in his 3-1/2 seasons. He was pleased to be able to join a successful club and reportedly hopes to earn some senior playing time.

[Faramir]

16.10.04

Airdrie (2) Arbroath (1)

Airdrie- Stuart Taylor 23 Michael Craig 48

Arbroath- Thomas Magnusson 69

MOM- Tony Warner, Airdrie

"I was convinced we would even the match when Thomas (Magnusson) scored," sighed Gond.

"So was I. It seemed like we had finally found the crack in Warner's armour- but it wasn't to be."

"Warner was sizzling down the stretch- that shot of Michael's (Moore) that he tipped over the net and also the snared header from Darius (Vassell)- those were both game savers for them."

"We needed to generate a little more offense earlier in the match, we left things until much too late today."

***

Raith Rovers (0) Arbroath (4)

Raith- None

Arbroath- Daniel Sjolund 29,67 Peter Wolf 35,69

MOM- Daniel Sjolund, Arbroath

"They knew they were in deep trouble when Dennis Connaghan drew his redcard," wryly commented Barry Gond.

"It surprised everyone- including the referee. Isaiah (Rankin) and he had some words, but there hadn't been any pushing before he went and knocked Isaiah."

"With only 10 men, they couldn't keep up the good defensive coverage they had shown early in the match."

"When that happened it was just a matter of time on our ball movement, because our passing was very crisp today. Daniel (Sjolund) was very active up front and definately earned his pair of goals."

[Faramir]

30.10.04

Partick Thistle (4) Arbroath (3)

Partick- Paul Walker 1 Michael Stewart 19 Martin Hardie 32 Gordon Houston 67

Arbroath- Billy Macdonald 37 Peter Wolf 82 James Coppinger 90

MOM- Billy Macdonald, Arbroath

"A very frustrating loss," lamented Faramir. "They destroyed us with crosses in the first half."

"You were quick to pull Steven Pressley and Stuart Harvey today," offered Gond.

"Well, they were both at fault on the 2nd and 3rd goals that Partick got- the first one Ian (Ritchie) should have had- but those next two were just being lazy on defense- I can't abide with the lack of effort."

"We didn't have a very good match overall offensively," muttered Gond.

"They gave us some chances, but you're right Barry- our execution wasn't there today. Despite the close score- this match was really much more theirs than ours."

***

6.11.04

Arbroath (3) Clyde (2)

Arbroath- Peter Wolf 45 Paul Shields 53 Daniel Sjolund 58

Clyde- Jamie Mitchell 28 Kevin Miller 41

MOM- Peter Wolf, Arbroath

"That was a great comeback and a win that we badly needed," chattered Gond as he warmed his frozen hands.

"We have to quit digging ourselves into a hole early in the match- it happened against Partick and it happened again here. Fortunately, they weren't able to react to our formation change- and the boys really took advantage of their chances."

"Daniel's (Sjolund) match winner was a very pretty passing sequence- if we could do more of that it would certainly make us more productive. How bad is Thomas' (Magnusson) injury?"

"Bad. It will take at least a month to heal up. With Stuart (Malcolm) out for the 4th time this season with injury and with J'Lloyd (Samuel) away on National duty- we may have to use Ruben (Hazell) or Kevin (Brown) in the middle."

[Faramir]

13.11.04

Ross County (5) Arbroath (3)

Ross County- Mark McCormick 5-P,14 John Paul Burns 17 Russell McBride 40 Paul Murray 75

Arbroath- Darius Vassell 26,80 Thomas Paul Griffiths 63

MOM- Darius Vassell, Arbroath

"I think we need to sit Ian (Ritchie) down for awhile," sighed Faramir. "That was truly a terrible performance for him today and I think his confidence is shot."

"We didn't give him a lot of help defensively, but you're right- he was the reason we lost today. I disagree with sitting him though- give him a chance to work through it- he is still the best keeper we have."

"Your point is well taken though- we have to get back to playing better defensively- we haven't done enough of that lately. Let's spend some more time on practice pitch on it."

***

20.11.04

Arbroath (4) Ayr (1)

Arbroath- Peter Wolf 25 Darius Vassell 53 Mark Boyd 81 Daniel Sjolund 90

Ayr- Warren Hawke 78

MOM- Darius Vassell, Arbroath

"That was a spirited match," exclaimed a happy Gond.

"About what you could expect in a battle between two clubs tied for first place," replied Faramir. "It was a huge match for us to show that we had gotten back to the basics on how we were successful and the boys did a marvelous job."

"Our offensive execution was impressive, but Craig Nelson was superb in net for them today- we should have had more goals than what we did- especially outshooting them 25-5.

"At least we showed the finishing touch today- and we put them away after Hawke got them back into the match. By the way Barry- thanks. You were right that we needed to get Ian (Ritchie) back out there- it was the right choice."

[Faramir]

27.11.04

Queen of the South (0) Arbroath (4)

Queen- None

Arbroath- Mark Boyd 25,84 Daniel Sjolund 48 John Elliott 68

MOM- Mark Boyd, Arbroath

"We seem to be back on the beam now- both offensively and defensively," observed Gond.

"It certainly looks that way. We outshot them 21-2 for the match and really throttled them in the midfield- I don't think they got more than a couple good passes anywhere in our defensive area."

"Mark (Boyd) showed his leadership again today- he was the key to the win."

***

1.12.04

Arbroath (1) Partick Thistle (0) League Cup Quarterfinal

Arbroath- Robin Gibson 45

Partick- None

MOM- Ross Forsyth, Partick Thistle

"A lot of the press are wondering why you didn't start Ian (Ritchie)- and also why you chose van den Wey over Brian (Hamilton) in goal."

"Ian was late to practice that day this week and frankly I thought his attitude wasn't too great- so van de Wey got the nod. I thought about starting Brian, but he hasn't played all that well in Cup matches- so it seemed a better choice to sample van de Wey's wares."

"Sure looked like the right decision- he is showing lots of improvement over when he first joined us."

"There were a lot of good efforts out there today, and another example of how much depth we had, since we didn't beat them with all our regualar starters in the lineup."

"It was nice to dish up just a small taste of revenge for that last loss to them."

"That was a pretty ironic draw for the Semifinal wasn't it?" asked Faramir.

"We are bound to see some old friends across the way," replied Gond to the Faramir's comment on their League Cup Semifinal opponent being Dundee United.

[Faramir]

4.12.04

Arbroath (4) Airdrie (0)

Arbroath- James Coppinger 5 Darius Vassell 46 Mark Boyd 60 Daniel Sjolund 71

Airdrie- None

MOM- Mark Boyd, Arbroath

"A capital performance, that's what it was," stated Gond emphatically.

"We certainly had their number today- that is the first time I can remember us really dumping them."

"I think the main reason we had our way with them today was that our backline consistently stood up and challenged them as they tried to control the ball in our area."

"You're right about that, they never really had a good shot- they had to hurry everything or take a long shot."

***

11.12.04

Inverness Caledonia Thistle (2) Arbroath (2)

Inverness- Stuart McCafferey 58 Jesus Garcia Sanjuan 72

Arbroath- Paul Shields 47 Mark Boyd 87

MOM- Mark Boyd, Arbroath

"It would have been nicer to win, but gaining a draw was better than the loss we were staring at," sighed Gond.

"If not for Ian (Ritchie) and his outstanding effort today- we wouldn't even have been a position for that. They really did outplay us for most of the match today."

"There didn't seem to be anything really wrong with our play, it's just that they were much sharper than us."

"That's an accurate summation, we didn't play badly- but they played much better."

[Faramir]

18.12.04

Morton (3) Arbroath (1)

Morton- Colin Milne 13,32 Dene Shields 42

Arbroath- James Coppinger 68

MOM- Colin Milne, Morton

"They certainly took advantage of Frank's (van de Wey) inexperience- Milne had a field day with his looping shots over him," said Gond with frustration.

"My fault on that- it was a mistake to play him on the road in this match."

"He wasn't the only problem- we never really did get much of an offensive attack going."

"It was just a tough match- and we got the result we certainly deserved."

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

************************************************************************************************

Scottish First Division - Sunday 19th December 2004

************************************************************************************************

================================================================================================

2004/5 Table

================================================================================================

Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1st Arbroath 19 9 0 0 30 6 4 1 5 27 22 40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2nd Ayr 19 6 3 0 16 8 6 1 3 16 15 40

3rd Partick Thistle 19 7 2 0 25 11 5 1 4 12 13 39

4th Raith Rovers 19 6 1 3 17 13 3 3 3 14 19 31

5th Airdrie 19 5 4 1 10 6 2 2 5 11 17 27

6th Morton 19 5 0 5 20 17 2 1 6 13 21 22

7th Inverness C. Thistle 19 4 4 2 16 11 1 1 7 11 19 20

8th Ross County 19 3 2 4 20 21 1 3 6 9 19 17

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

9th Clyde 19 2 2 5 10 15 1 4 5 9 16 15

10th Queen of Sth. 19 4 1 5 18 21 0 2 7 7 21 15

</pre>

[Faramir]

26.12.04

Clyde (0) Arbroath (3)

Clyde- None

Arbroath- Daniel Sjolund 3 Billy Macdonald 41 Mark Boyd 58

MOM- Mark Boyd, Arbroath

Faramir smiled when he looked up from the stat sheet, "That was the kind of effort that we needed to make defensively to win this match."

"It took some of the pressure off when Daniel (Sjolund) notched that early goal. We were very nervous from the opening whistle- but settled down after taking the lead."

***

3.1.05

Arbroath (1) Partick Thistle (0)

Arbroath- Daniel Sjolund 80

Partick Thistle- None

MOM- Greig Milligan, Partick Thistle

"A big win for us, without a doubt," said a relieved Faramir.

"It looked like it would wind up a scoreless draw- they were doing a very good job of keeping Darius (Vassell) and Daniel (Sjolund) under wraps."

***

"Do we really need another young keeper?"

"No," chuckled Faramir, "but at the price- he is a bargain. I think he is worth it and all of scouts who have seen him think he is too."

Arbroath Collects Another Keeper

Despite the fact they have several keepers under contract, Arbroath added another to the mix when they completed the transfer purchase of Andrew O'Donnell. O'Donnell, an 18 yr old out of the Inverness Caledonia Thistle youth program, had been playing on the senior side this season- but had apparently earned the enmity of club officials for several inappropriate comments following disappointing matches. The reported transfer sum was 30K.

[Faramir]

8.1.05

Arbroath (2) Raith Rovers (0)

Arbroath- Daniel Sjolund 27 James Coppinger 67

Raith- None

MOM- Daniel Sjolund, Arbroath

"It isn't getting any easier- that's for sure," commented Gond.

"Every match has been a tough one lately. We were fortunate to grind this one out."

"Am I imagining things, or has Daniel's (Sjolund) touch around the net improved?"

Faramir laughed, "He hasn't always shown it in practice- but yes he seems to be finishing things off just fine in the matches."

***

15.1.05

Arbroath (2) Ross County (2)

Arbroath- John Elliott 1 James Coppinger 85

Ross County- Derek Holmes 9 Mark McCormick 30

MOM- John Elliott, Arbroath

"That was a bad choice on my part," sighed Faramir. "I shouldn't have started Andrew (O'Donnell) just yet."

"He was like a deer in the car lamps," agreed Gond.

"Still, we needed to give Ian (Ritchie) a match off- and this seemed like the best opportunity."

"If Jonathan Gould doesn't play as well as he always seems to against us- we win the match. We outshot them 21-4 and we had many, many great chances in ours..."

"At least Coppy (James Coppinger) was able to salvage a draw for us."

[Faramir]

"That pretty much means we are out of funds for anything else this season, right?"

"True. That is the end of transfer funds. I don't really think we need anything else though- I really like our club as is. Also, he was willing to sign with a relegation release fee and skipped the minimum fee release- I wouldn't have completed it if his agent hadn't been willing to negotiate that."

Arbroath Lands Langfield

In a surprising move, Arbroath completed the transfer purchase of unhappy Jamie Langfield from Hearts. Hearts had been struggling this season and the 25 yr old had found himself sitting on the bench a lot lately. He was happy to move to a club that promised him a starting role. The purchase was especially surprising considering that Arbroath had just purchased Andrew O'Donnell and already had promising youngsters Ian Ritchie and Frank van de Wey on hand. Reportedly, Langfield was brought in to give some veteran presence to a keeper core that has appeared a bit unsteady at times for Arbroath as they fight for top spot in Division 1.

***

Ayr (1) Arbroath (1)

Ayr- Darren Moore 6

Arbroath- John Elliott 45

MOM- Mark Boyd, Arbroath

"That was truly a strange match," ruefully commented Gond. "But, Jamie (Langfield) already paid huge dividends for us in this one."

"I still wonder about both the redcards handed out. Losing Coppy (James Coppinger) at 18 minutes to his questionable one almost killed us, but John (Elliott) came up with a sensational goal past Craig Nelson."

"Then they get their redcard at 62 minutes when Paul Lovering is sent off and *then* they lose Nelson to injury. Too bad we couldn't take advantage of the loss."

"It wasn't for a lack of trying- we peppered Garry Gow. Jamie did save us in the closing moments- I thought Eddie Annand's blast was going in- until he tipped it over the net."

"A win would have been nicer, but the draw keeps them from overtaking us."

[Faramir]

29.1.05

Morton (1) Arbroath (0) Scottish Cup 3rd round

Morton- Brian Crawford 79

Arbroath- None

MOM- Ged Elliott, Morton

"John Connolly deserved the MOM honours more than Ged Elliott," stated Barry Gond. "He really stopped a couple beautiful shots..."

"It was a great duel between him and Jamie (Langfield). They just played a little better than us this time around. We have nothing to be ashamed of though because this was a great match for both sides."

***

5.2.05

Arbroath (2) Inverness Caledonia Thistle (0)

Arbroath- Peter Wolf 45 Steven Pressley 56

Inverness- None

MOM- Steven Pressley, Arbroath

"I was pleased with how aggressive we stayed- despite losing Darius (Vassell) to injury and then losing Mike (Zonneveld) to his redcard," commented Faramir.

"Peter (Wolf) made a fantastic run to get us the lead. The way ICT is playing, that hurt them badly- having to come from behind even with an extra man. They are really struggling."

"Ian (Ritchie) played well too- he certainly seems fine with how things have worked out- at least at this point."

[Faramir]

12.2.05

Arbroath (2) Morton (0)

Arbroath- Gareth Munro 52,74

Morton- None

MOM- Gareth Munro, Arbroath

"Hmm, we finally find someone who can solve John Connolly and it is only due to injuries and dumb luck," chuckled Faramir.

"Hey! At least you had the right person in at the right time- he looked really sharp for having been starting for the reserves most of the season."

"Shows you what I know- I should have had him up here."

"He wasn't the only key to the match- another stellar performance from Jamie (Langfield) helped us survive the pressure they applied."

"So far, so good- we seem to have solved the keeper problem for now at least."

***

Arbroath Sells Hamilton

Faced with a glut of young keepers, Arbroath completed the sale of Bryan Hamilton today. Portsmouth paid an estimated 180K to purchase the 24 yr old keeper. Hamilton, realizing he had dropped in the pecking order at Arbroath was anxious for the move.

***

16.2.05

Dundee United (0) Arbroath (3) League Cup Semifinal

Dundee United- None

Arbroath- Gareth Munro 18,85 Mark Boyd 21

MOM- Mark Boyd, Arbroath

"That was a stunning bit of play from our boys," cheerily commented Gond.

"They were warned that we matched up well against them- they still took us too lightly. Maybe they thought with all injuries to Darius (Vassell) and Daniel (Sjolund) we wouldn't have much offense."

"If so, then they were sadly mistaken. Mark (Boyd) was terrific today- both in play and leadership. Jamie (Langfield) also gave us the kind of work we have needed this season."

"He made the difficult saves early- then we broke it open."

[Faramir]

26.2.05

Arbroath (3) Queen of the South (0)

Arbroath- Mike Zonneveld 14-P Peter Wolf 20 Gareth Munro 78

Queen- None

MOM- Gareth Munro, Arbroath

"More good work from Munro. He seems intent on establishing his place," said Gond.

"He has already done it. I was foolish not to use him more," offered Faramir as he shook his head at his thoughts.

"It was another match where we looked set to pummel the opponent- but then we let them hang around again."

"A win is good enough for us at present."

***

5.3.05

Airdrie (2) Arbroath (3)

Airdrie- Michael Craig 2,54

Arbroath- Peter Wolf 64 James Coppinger 79 Billy Macdonald 82

MOM- Michael Craig, Airdrie

"That was an amazing comeback! I thought they had us for sure when Craig scored his 2nd goal against us," stated a relieved Gond.

"We didn't do ourselves any favors until after that goal- with all the misses over the nets and hitting the uprights three times in the first half."

"Though we lacked execution today, we never lacked heart."

"True- this win was a testament of the club never quitting."

[Faramir]

20.3.05

Arbroath (2) Celtic (2) League Cup Final (Arbroath win on Penalties)

Arbroath- Gareth Munro 49 Peter Wolf 55

Celtic- Stilian Petrov 34 Alan Shearer 63

MOM- Peter Wolf, Arbroath

"Terrific match- a bit too much for my nerves," smiled a tired Faramir.

"I hate shoot-outs!" stated Gond emphatically, "Still, we won the League Cup- do you believe it?"

"I am still in shock," admitted Faramir. "When John (Elliott) drilled it past Robert Douglas- I was hoping...praying that Michael Hughes would miss. Jamie (Langfield) makes it all academic with a brilliant parry of his penalty..."

"It was a great match. They almost overpowered us with Shearer and Hartson- but the backline did their best and it was enough."

***

23.3.05

Raith Rovers (2) Arbroath (0)

Raith- Leigh Hinds 60 Steve McManus 83

Arbroath- None

MOM- Steve McManus, Raith Rovers

"The fall from grace was quick," sighed Faramir. "They just plain outplayed us in the match."

"Samuel Monnin played well in net for them- he made some huge saves that kept us from getting back to even and then McManus crushed us."

"It was a good match- disappointing for us- but we didn't play badly, they just played better."

[Faramir]

26.3.05

Partick Thistle (0) Arbroath (2)

Partick- None

Arbroath- Billy Macdonald 7 Mike Zonneveld 66-P

MOM- Thomas Magnusson, Arbroath

"Tooth and nail all the way, but you could sense their desperation when Michael Stewart's goal was waved off on the offside," stated a relieved Gond.

"It was a match we badly needed. Now we need to come back with just as strong an effort against Ayr next week and I will feel a lot better about things."

"Jamie (Langfield) justified your choice again today- Kenny Arthur was superb in their net, but we don't win this unless Jamie also plays well- and he did."

"The entire backline deserves credit- they did a nice job controlling play in and around the area."

***

2.4.05

Arbroath (4) Ayr (1)

Arbroath- James Coppinger 42 Peter Wolf 49 Mark Boyd 84 Dunga 86

Ayr- Scott Chaplain 88

MOM- Mark Boyd, Arbroath

"Our two biggest matches of the season- and we came up trumps in both," said Gond triumphantly.

"It was one of our strongest performances to be sure. We did an excellent job controlling the flow of play and forcing them into defensive errors. It took awhile to solve Craig Nelson in net- but we did."

"I thought one of the keys was the play of Angelo (Schembri)- he continually ran the flank and carried the play into their end."

"You're absolutely right Barry- he put a lot of pressure on them, since they really couldn't figure out a way to stop his runs."

"Now, we have 6 points on Ayr, and 7 on Partick Thistle with 5 matches left."

"It is right where I was hoping we would be- after these matches with Partick and Ayr."