January 2018 Transfer Window

[Ronnie 585]

Flynn not in Oldham squad today. His squad number (7) has been taken off him too. The young lad Benyu on loan from Celtic has it now.

Oldham posted yesterday Flynn contract was terminated so technically he is now a free agent with no club.

[Hambud 2,241]

Well seeing as Flynn is predominantly a right sided winger the original question was who gets dropped to accommodate him. Who else apart from Mcshane would anyone drop obviously not Morgan or Mcginn so comes down to a choice between Mcshane and Magennis and from Jack's first day he has talked up Magennis's ability and how he is a central midfielder playing out wide so as much as Mcshane is/has been good this season I can only see Jack going one way and that's Mcshane makes way.

All winning teams have unhappy players sitting on bench or in stand just ask Gregor Buchanan.

All fair points though my points were mainly about McShane being under rated and getting a hard time from saints fans.

I think there will be times Jack picks his midfield to suit matches rather than the midfield picking itself just now so its good to have competition.

[17/03/13 178]

5 minutes ago, Ronnie said:

7 minutes ago, 17/03/13 said:

Flynn not in Oldham squad today. His squad number (7) has been taken off him too. The young lad Benyu on loan from Celtic has it now.

Oldham posted yesterday Flynn contract was terminated so technically he is now a free agent with no club.

Cheers. I never actually took note that someone previously posted that he had been officially released

[Ethan 158]

2 hours ago, Julian Banjos said:

JR confirming on the radio that two midfielders will join on Monday, one permanent and one a loan.

Flynn and Hill then. One more player to follow 

[northstbuddie 680]

Whoever comes in, let's hope they don't upset the present equilibrium.

We ended up being relegated from the SPL because of a habit of disrupting the dressing room over several seasons without justification in many cases.

[Drew 19,105]

3 hours ago, 17/03/13 said:

Flynn not in Oldham squad today. His squad number (7) has been taken off him too. The young lad Benyu on loan from Celtic has it now.

His contract was terminated yesterday.

ETA - apologies, missed Ronnie's earlier post.

Edited January 13 by Drew

[Dan Is The Man 488]

A wee Flynn double.

[Slartibartfast 5,656]

A wee Flynn double.

Ex-Saint Mark Howard in goal for Sheffield, too.

[WirralSaint 785]

15 hours ago, Ronnie said:

15 hours ago, renfrew said:

Yes and I am glad it is the manager and not me that decide.

In all seriousness got to be Mcshane that gets dropped thought that was pretty obvious.

We've players scoring goals which is great but these usually come because someone has given them that opportunity.  As well as working his butt off winning ball McShane is virtually the top creator of goals in the league?   +5 goals being our best penalty taker.  I'd not rush to drop him any time soon.

Edited January 14 by WirralSaint

[Kemp 2,796]

14 hours ago, Soctty said:

The guy who has created the most goals for us this season?
Really?

McShane is not the creative force in the team.  Often his passing, final ball & shooting is suspect at best.  I appreciate this is at times due to him taking risks (not playing the easy ball) but too often a move breaks down through him  Thankfully he has mainly been taken off corner duty as they were a nightmare to watch.  The bigger problem is that when the going gets tough he completely disappears.  You want your central midfield to be able to get a grip of the game when the opposition has you pinned back and he is not able to do that at all, even against weak opposition like Morton.

He is a decent player, and overall has done reasonably well for us this season.  But he is clearly not at the level of McGinn or Morgan and clearly not good enough for the Premier League, and it is quite obvious that he will be the one spending more time on the bench now the two new signings are coming in. 

[Soctty 3,111]

5 hours ago, Kemp said:

McShane is not the creative force in the team.  Often his passing, final ball & shooting is suspect at best.  I appreciate this is at times due to him taking risks (not playing the easy ball) but too often a move breaks down through him  Thankfully he has mainly been taken off corner duty as they were a nightmare to watch.  The bigger problem is that when the going gets tough he completely disappears.  You want your central midfield to be able to get a grip of the game when the opposition has you pinned back and he is not able to do that at all, even against weak opposition like Morton.
He is a decent player, and overall has done reasonably well for us this season.  But he is clearly not at the level of McGinn or Morgan and clearly not good enough for the Premier League, and it is quite obvious that he will be the one spending more time on the bench now the two new signings are coming in. 

Moves also often break down through McGinn dwelling on the ball or trying risky passes - I'm not calling for McGinn to be dropped. It's part of being a creative player that you don't go for the easy option every time.

I've said numerous times we need a more defensive player in the midfield at times. That doesn't mean I want to drop part of the midfield that has us 8 points clear at the top of the league, it means we need to maybe change it for certain games or situations.

You may find it obvious that McShane will be the one spending more time on the bench but I'm of the opinion that new signings will serve to give more competition in the squad, and push players to more consistent performances.

The whole team has been brilliant this season. What's needed is more bodies in midfield to allow us to give players a rest and push everyone up another level in their performance if possible. Singling one guy out for criticism - especially the guy who's created most goals for us - seems strange to me.
 

Edited January 14 by Soctty

[Hambud 2,241]

Moves also often break down through McGinn dwelling on the ball or trying risky passes - I'm not calling for McGinn to be dropped. It's part of being a creative player that you don't go for the easy option every time.

I've said numerous times we need a more defensive player in the midfield at times. That doesn't mean I want drop part of the midfield they has is 8 points clear at the top of the league, it means we need to maybe change it for certain games or situations.

You may find it obvious that McShane will be the one spending more time on the bench but I'm of the opinion that new signings will serve to give more competition in the squad, and push players to more consistent performances.

The whole team has been brilliant this season. What's needed is more bodies in midfield to allow us to give players a rest and push everyone up another level in their performance if possible. Singling one guy out for criticism - especially the guy who's created most goals for us - seems strange to me.

It's becoming a bit similar to the old Jack Baird thread where it was "fact" Gary Mackenzie and Harry Davis would start every game.

[Soctty 3,111]

It's becoming a bit similar to the old Jack Baird thread where it was "fact" Gary Mackenzie and Harry Davis would start every game.

Aye, folk posting they don't see what McShane brings to the the team, to be told he's the top assister. They then deduce that assists don't mean you're creative...

 

Jack knows, and he'll make the right decisions at the right time.

 

[Drew 19,105]

McShane was one of our best players yesterday.

[Soctty 3,111]

Just now, Drew said:

McShane was one of our best players yesterday.

Can't have been - he's anonymous...

[djchapsticks 4,670]

33 minutes ago, Drew said:

McShane was one of our best players yesterday.

He was excellent yesterday. But I can see what some of the detractors mean (not that I am one of them), in that McShane is either highly impressive or completely anonymous. You very rarely get the middle ground with him.

For my liking though, he's generally a very good player. Reminds me a bit of Steven Thomson.

[JJ McG 3,640]

McShane has  been a very good signing for us, I'm glad he is with us and not 1 of our rivals.

[Big Yards 620]

17 minutes ago, djchapsticks said:

He was excellent yesterday. But I can see what some of the detractors mean (not that I am one of them), in that McShane is either highly impressive or completely anonymous. You very rarely get the middle ground with him.

For my liking though, he's generally a very good player. Reminds me a bit of Steven Thomson.

Nothing like Thomson. He was a dogged, hard tackling, box to box midfielder. 

[Hambud 2,241]

He is just entering that hallowed age group of 25-29 yr old which is widely regarded as when players are at their best.

How often have we seen guys have that time of their careers elsewhere and wondered "why didn't they do that for us".

Let's hope it's us that see him through that period of his career and not some mob like Motherwell, Killie, Partick or Hamilton.

[Kemp 2,796]

1 hour ago, Hambud said:

2 hours ago, Soctty said:

Moves also often break down through McGinn dwelling on the ball or trying risky passes - I'm not calling for McGinn to be dropped. It's part of being a creative player that you don't go for the easy option every time.

I've said numerous times we need a more defensive player in the midfield at times. That doesn't mean I want drop part of the midfield they has is 8 points clear at the top of the league, it means we need to maybe change it for certain games or situations.

You may find it obvious that McShane will be the one spending more time on the bench but I'm of the opinion that new signings will serve to give more competition in the squad, and push players to more consistent performances.

The whole team has been brilliant this season. What's needed is more bodies in midfield to allow us to give players a rest and push everyone up another level in their performance if possible. Singling one guy out for criticism - especially the guy who's created most goals for us - seems strange to me.
 

It's becoming a bit similar to the old Jack Baird thread where it was "fact" Gary Mackenzie and Harry Davis would start every game.

The Jack Baird of just a few months ago wouldn't have been anywhere near a fully fit first team.

There are various areas of the team still to be improved.  The distribution from the back, the decision making in the final third, set-pieces, conversation rate of chances etc.  Jack should be building a team to compete in the Premier League now, and hopefully these two new signings will be of that quality.

[Soctty 3,111]

6 minutes ago, Kemp said:

The Jack Baird of just a few months ago wouldn't have been anywhere near a fully fit first team.

There are various areas of the team still to be improved.  The distribution from the back, the decision making in the final third, set-pieces, conversation rate of chances etc.  Jack should be building a team to compete in the Premier League now, and hopefully these two new signings will be of that quality.

At this point, permanent signings need to be Premiership ready, such as Flynn, and also able to really push those in possession of the jerseys at the moment, without anyone going straight into what is a winning team which is top of the league by an increasing distance. A difficult balance to striker.

Regarding Baird, bar an off day at Cappielow early in the season, he's been our standout centre back for most of the season.

[Ayrshire Saints 2,445]

21 hours ago, Ronnie said:

Well seeing as Flynn is predominantly a right sided winger the original question was who gets dropped to accommodate him. Who else apart from Mcshane would anyone drop obviously not Morgan or Mcginn so comes down to a choice between Mcshane and Magennis and from Jack's first day he has talked up Magennis's ability and how he is a central midfielder playing out wide so as much as Mcshane is/has been good this season I can only see Jack going one way and that's Mcshane makes way.

All winning teams have unhappy players sitting on bench or in stand just ask Gregor Buchanan.

No one will be getting dropped. Any new addition will need to wait their turn. Why would anyone want to disrupt the team on a run like this, would be utter madness. I really don't get this clamour to get McShane (or anyone else for that matter) out of a starting 11 when the team are performing so well.

[Drew 19,105]

First and foremost, we need the players to gain promotion. Whether or not they are ready for the step-up is a secondary factor right now.

The second acquisition tomorrow is a loan, so won't really factor in the equation. Flynn certainly has all the credentials to be top tier quality.

On their day, I can envisage our current squad matching many of the teams in the Premiership. They would need time to adapt, though. I suspect that is why we were spanked by a very mediocre Thistle.

Much as it would be great to throw money at box office signings, the outcome of the season isn't by any means guaranteed. If we gain promotion, the club will be able to budget for bringing better players in.

First things first. Let's win this league!

[proudtobeabuddy 1,523]

Unless a new player is outstanding and far better than anything else you have then it makes better sense to ease them into the squad, which is of course exactly what Jack will do. It brings much needed competition to the players currently in the team and keeps them on their toes.

[Drew 19,105]

16 minutes ago, Kemp said:

The Jack Baird of just a few months ago wouldn't have been anywhere near a fully fit first team.

There are various areas of the team still to be improved.  The distribution from the back, the decision making in the final third, set-pieces, conversation rate of chances etc.  Jack should be building a team to compete in the Premier League now, and hopefully these two new signings will be of that quality.

The Jack Baird of a few months ago was a pivotal figure in securing our Championship status. Are folk forgetting that Davis was injured after playing half a dozen or so matches, and wasn't around during the run in when we were all but wiping the floor with the opposition?

I'm sticking my neck out here, but even since Davis' return, and as good as he clearly is, in my opinion, Jack has been the more solid of the two. That's entirely understandable given Harry was returning from a bad injury.