Last term Arbroath suffered the worst capitulation witnessed from an apparent title contender since the infamous Greenock Morton side of 2004. Thankfully for the Red Lichties and their fans, new seasons bring with them promises of a more positive future. Austin McGill has a look at the summer shake-up.
On the 27th of December 2014, Arbroath beat East Fife 5-1. All was well at Gayfield as the Red Lichties sat atop of the League Two table. Allan Moore had guided Arbroath to a fantastic first half of the season, and their lead over Albion Rovers and Queens Park seemed almost unassailable. However, come May, Moore would be out of a job, Albion Rovers lifted the trophy and Arbroath scraped into the last play-off place.
As anyone who follows lower league Scottish football will know, Arbroath bottled the League Two title in spectacular fashion. After that East Fife game, their next win would come a full three months later on March the 14th. Moore would be sacked on the 12th April, and his assistant, Todd Lumsden, was appointed as manager of Arbroath on the 30th April.
A massive rebuilding job ensued. After losing 3-2 on aggregate to Queens Park in the promotion play-off semi final, five players were released, five loan deals ended and a further two players rejected contract extensions. 12 players in total had departed and it left Lumsden, and his assistant Stevie Hislop, with the task of assembling a completely new squad.
The duo started by adding East Fife ‘keeper Allan Fleming and Stirling Albion striker Lewis Coult. In the coming weeks Martin Grehan, David Gold, Andy Munro, Craig Wilson, Graham Hay, Jamie Reid and Calum Brodie
were signed. Kane Hester, Sergio Cecilia Alvarez and Jamie Clarke were then added after impressing on trial. All of the new boys signed permanent deals as Lumsden made good on his word when he told fans in a pre-season meeting that he didn’t want to rely on the loan market for players. This was one of the key attributes to Arbroath’s downfall last year, as sub-standard loanees were brought in around the New Year period.
Lumsden and Hislop’s ability to motivate will be vital when the going gets tough. Lumsden’s predecessor Allan Moore was criticised for his lack of man management skills, and many believe he lost the dressing room. Lumsden was also critical of last season’s squad make-up when he stated that the new group had a winning mentality, unlike the players they were replacing. All in all, Allan Moore’s signings were nothing to shout about, with the pick of the bunch having already been secured by outgoing boss Paul Sheerin. Lichties fans will be hoping that
Lumsden and Hislop have a better eye for a player.
While pre-season was a relative success, with only one defeat against a Rangers XI and all the other games being wins with clean sheets, some Arbroath fans questioned just how much Lumsden had to do with the catastrophic second half of last season. Many were happy to blame Moore and give Lumsden a clean slate, but others have been understandably sceptical. Although, the players’ positive reaction to his appointment could indicate that they also believe the capitulation was solely down to Moore.
The promotion battle within League Two is bound to be tight this year, with Clyde, Stirling Albion and Queens Park all fancying their chances at winning the league. If Arbroath are to mount a serious challenge, this term’s players must show more backbone when the going gets rough. An eight point lead at the top of the table at any point this
season is unlikely.
Two difficult cup draws have made it hard to have any real insight to how the team would play in a competitive league match, but with Elgin City up first, Arbroath will need to be firing on all cylinders if they want to take three points on the opening Saturday.
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