Poll Results

Q: Who is to blame for our current position?

Results:
The Berwick Rangers F.C. Board - 39%
John Coughlin & Co - 31%
Michael Renwick & Co - 26%
The Players - 2%

Some interesting results here, with the polling quite evenly split between the Board, John Coughlin and Michael Renwick. Only 2% blamed the current playing squad.

Some of you may be thinking that I ran this poll to make trouble - I was simply interested in what the rest of you thought, as I still can't make up my own mind. And the results of the poll prove that opinion is well and truly split.


Where did it all go wrong?

Lets rewind just 8 months, we had just won the league and things couldn't really get any better. John Coughlin said in the press that he hopes to strengthen the squad in the summer, with three or four solid additions to an already championship winning squad.

John brought in Scott Gemmill from St. Mirren, where he has previously scored 20+ goals for the reserve squad. Tommy Lennox came from Albion and Paul McMullen arrived from Stranraer (take a look at this goal he scored last season - or this goal). Paul was obviously quite decent for Stranraer.

We also welcomed (!) back Kevin McLeish who had a season with Stenny. I honestly thought, at the time, that we would have quite a good season. All of these signings came quite highly rated and added to the likes of Danny Swanston, Gary Wood, Iain Diack, Gary O'Connor and the likes, as well as Ian Little returning from long term injury I thought they would form a squad more than capable of holding their own in the Second Division.

We did lose some key players last summer and early season; Grant McNicoll was freed and Kevin Haynes was sold to Bathgate. Gary Greenhill's departure to East Fife and the news that Danny Swanston was off to Tannadice in the New Year didn't bode well. It was about this point in early October where we hadn't picked up many points and John Coughlin decided to jump ship to Stenny.

Why he went I guess we'll never really know - my guess is that he saw the writing on the wall for Berwick and didn't want to be associated with a club heading for relegation. His hands were tied when it came to signing players with the board choosing to use the transfer fees from Haynes, Swanson and Greenhill to reduce the debt at the club. Having no money to spend on bringing players in may have been the final straw for John Coughlin.

So the board were left to find a replacement, pointing out in the press that they were not going to rush into making an appointment. Jimmy Crease took over team affairs for a trip to Cowden where we lost 3-1. A few days later the Berwick rumour mill was working over time, claiming that ex-Hearts midfielder Lee Makel would be offered the job. Eventually we learned that Michael Renwick would be taking over.

Who? That was the reaction of most Berwick fans. His name rang a bell, firstly I thought of Falkirk and then I remembered he had been at Hibs for years. A quick look at Soccerbase confirmed that he had spent 8 years at Hibs, only playing 36 games.

I was happy to give the new manager a chance and be patient, as you have to be when I new guy comes in. But as the weeks rolled on the results still weren't coming. He made an 'emergency signing' for our game at Brechin on December 1st, Kevin Davison.

This was followed by more loan signings in Murdoch, Staunton, Ayre, Logan and Tolmie. Many fans on P&B have said what I have been thinking - loan signings are not the answer. Consistency in your squad and a group of players that actually care if they get beat is far more important.

A season of shit finally came to a head at Peterhead with the club's second worst ever defeat, a 9-2 defeat at Balmoor. Some have questioned Renwick's signings and tactics and rightly so.


Who is to blame then?

The rot started with John Coughlin's transfer activity in the summer. He should have never let Grant McNicoll or Gary Greenhill leave. It was a shame Kevin Haynes couldn't get back up to fitness, he would have given Second Division defences something to think about. We were always going to lose Danny I suppose.

He brought in players that were no better than what we already had. The likes of Steven Noble and David Greenhill were pushed back to bench status. Gary Wood playing up front would have given us a lift but he was locked in at the back for every game until he got injured.

Injuries have not helped, Thommo and Fraser were always masters of the engine room and without them we always look a little bit light in midfield, which in turn heaps pressure on the two centre halfs.

The appointment of Michael Renwick was seen as a mistake by most, but in all honesty who did we have to choose from? Experienced managers were hardly beating down our door.

Who is to blame? I still don't know. One thing I do know is we will be back in the Third Division next season, where do we go from there?