Punt or Keep - Summer 2018 edition

[TopCat]

Some good replies. Enjoyed reading them.

I never heard or watched the interview, but was told that JR mentioned the word ‘brutal’ to Kris Commons and Boyd during the week.

This is great news.

It’s a common trap for a manager of any promoted club in any country to put too much loyalty in the players who got promoted.

A good manager will orchestrate a brutal and widespread cull. ‘ You were a great championship player. Thanks. Bye ‘

I hope Jack does that. Misplaced loyalty would be a horrible mistake.

Infact I hope his punt and keep list is harsher than mine was.

[davidg]

I agree with most of TC’s post, I would probably keep Eckersly though and possibly let MacKenzie go and hunt another CH to partner big Harry. 

[Jack the lad]

1 hour ago, davidg said:

I agree with most of TC’s post, I would probably keep Eckersly though and possibly let MacKenzie go and hunt another CH to partner big Harry. 

Big Harry's not actually that big though and can get bullied, as we saw in the Livi away game.

[Seaside Nipper]

Let JR get on with it. He’s built something that has realised tangible results. He has a plan, he has a way of working that so far has delivered and a team that dominated the campaign.
He is respected and liked by many in the game. The present media darling.
I’m sure he’ll have no shortage of potential players to consider for mixing into team St Mirren for next season.
Hope we are a breath of fresh air next season and have some style.
Recruitment should be interesting.

[Bud the Baker]

25 minutes ago, Seaside Nipper said:

Let JR get on with it. He’s built something that has realised tangible results. He has a plan, he has a way of working that so far has delivered and a team that dominated the campaign.
He is respected and liked by many in the game. The present media darling.
I’m sure he’ll have no shortage of potential players to consider for mixing into team St Mirren for next season.
Hope we are a breath of fresh air next season and have some style.
Recruitment should be interesting.

Exactly - he had a plan for the Championship, which clearly worked, and has indicated he has a different one for the Premiership.

[Drew]

Stelios had a good game yesterday. I imagine he will have given the manager a wee bit of food for thought, but I still don't expect to see him at the club next season.

Whatever happens with the squad - and we expect a lot will happen - I am grateful to each and every one of those players who had a part in delivering such a fantastic season. I wish them nothing but success in their future careers.

[the barrhead teacher]

Have faith in jack to punt whoever he considers not up to premiership standard but only where he is confident that he is in a position to bring in a stronger individual. Hope we persist in blooding and developing some of our younger players too.

[aldo_j]

4 hours ago, Drew said:

Stelios had a good game yesterday. I imagine he will have given the manager a wee bit of food for thought, but I still don't expect to see him at the club next season.

Whatever happens with the squad - and we expect a lot will happen - I am grateful to each and every one of those players who had a part in delivering such a fantastic season. I wish them nothing but success in their future careers.

Really? I thought he was quite poor positionally and with decision making. Just don’t feel he’ll make the cut.

[Tommy]

Stelios I think is worth keeping as back up since he can play on both sides of the pitch. Never seems to be injured is an other plus.

[Drew]

20 minutes ago, aldo_j said:

Really? I thought he was quite poor positionally and with decision making. Just don’t feel he’ll make the cut.

All about opinions, right enough. I thought he was pretty solid, tracked back well, and always offered something going forward. He had a couple of dodgy moments, but recovered well.

2 minutes ago, renfrew said:

Stelios I think is worth keeping as back up since he can play on both sides of the pitch. Never seems to be injured is an other plus.

I see him more as a wing back as opposed to a full back. Whether Jack believes he would do a job next season might depend on the tactics he is most likely to favour.

As you say, though, he is a decent utility player. Whether he could make the step-up, though, is perhaps open to question.

[David Mc]

Have faith in jack to punt whoever he considers not up to premiership standard but only where he is confident that he is in a position to bring in a stronger individual. Hope we persist in blooding and developing some of our younger players too.

This exactly.

[Isle Of Bute Saint]

Good to read Gavin Reilly wants to stay with Saints he has not been offered a deal yet but hopeful it will be sorted soon. 

[TPAFKA Jersey 2]

On 22 April 2018 at 10:43 AM, Seaside Nipper said:

Let JR get on with it. He’s built something that has realised tangible results. He has a plan, he has a way of working that so far has delivered and a team that dominated the campaign.
He is respected and liked by many in the game. The present media darling.
I’m sure he’ll have no shortage of potential players to consider for mixing into team St Mirren for next season.
Hope we are a breath of fresh air next season and have some style.
Recruitment should be interesting.

I agree with all of this with the exception of the use of the term "team St. Mirren".

Please never ever do that again.

[Seaside Nipper]

I agree with all of this with the exception of the use of the term "team St. Mirren".
Please never ever do that again. [emoji14]

You are correct.
I should have kept that for the new style of St Mirren baseball caps and tee shirts

[Desnold]

22 hours ago, Drew said:

All about opinions, right enough. I thought he was pretty solid, tracked back well, and always offered something going forward. He had a couple of dodgy moments, but recovered well.

I see him more as a wing back as opposed to a full back. Whether Jack believes he would do a job next season might depend on the tactics he is most likely to favour.

As you say, though, he is a decent utility player. Whether he could make the step-up, though, is perhaps open to question.

For me, Stelios has made too many costly mistakes in the defence, conversely, he has made a great contribution going forward. Would he be better suited to playing a wide midfield / winger role without having to worry about defending?

 

edit: I would definitely keep him though

Edited April 23, 2018 by Desnold
add a further comment

[Sweeper07]

2 hours ago, Desnold said:

For me, Stelios has made too many costly mistakes in the defence, conversely, he has made a great contribution going forward. Would he be better suited to playing a wide midfield / winger role without having to worry about defending?

 

edit: I would definitely keep him though

Stelios seemed to be always fit, but

Not got the positional sense for midfield and for a full back, his ability to header is so weak.. great going forward though and no one knows what he is going to do...can score and set up goals..

He is sometimes a great and sometimes a terrible player ... at this level...Too maverick for the next one though... wish him well and suspect another Championship team will sign him up or he may end up at Dumbarton with his pal.

He definitely improves with a run in the team - did fab early doors when Eckers was out.

A character - but we cannot be sentimental..

Eckers too is getting on... great player, but hoping we get another left back who can really challenge him for the starting 11 and by the season after next be ahead of him - continuous improvement - this is what we all want - RIGHT? 

[Sweeper07]

On ‎20‎/‎04‎/‎2018 at 10:59 PM, djchapsticks said:

Yeah. Think it's relatively well known now that Robbie Muirhead was our first choice forward in January and would have fit that big mobile forward role perfectly. 

For whatever reason though, it didn't work out though and he stayed put. 

Robbie might well be available in the summer  - his team got relegated to the 4th tier in England but his stats are not impressive for a striker

played      46      scored     5.      He is still young and is 6 '3"   Jack's magic wand needed (no crude comments please)

[shull]

Stelios is fair game for criticism for his mistakes. 

The guy who is in goals and has made many more mistakes is absolutely immune from criticism. 

Some dudes think he is God. 

 

 

[Luther G. Presley]

Stelios is fair game for criticism for his mistakes. 
The guy who is in goals and has made many more mistakes is absolutely immune from criticism. 
Some dudes think he is God. 
 
 

I’m hoping Samson is at best our back up keeper next season, we definitely need someone better in goal as we are going to have spells in every game where we are under a fair bit of pressure, Samson for the odd good save now and then just isn’t good enough for the top division in my opinion.

[ged62]

Now on to B&W army members. TOPCAT, PUNT [emoji6]

[SaintGlenburn]

I cant believe these boys have just lifted the club back into the top league and this kind of chat is happening.

Every one of the starting 11 and regular subs should stay IMO barring Sutton and Morgan for fairly obvious reasons. Players like Stelios, Gary Mac and even Sammy may well not be first pick but as squad players will be needed. We have 5-6 boys rarely used plus the 2 mentioned adding in Smith and Hill which makes it a very small squad.

Recruit half a dozen players good enough for the first team and we are golden.

They all deserve a crack at this.

[ged62]

Just read Shulls post PUNT him too [emoji6]

[djchapsticks]

2 minutes ago, SaintGlenburn said:

I cant believe these boys have just lifted the club back into the top league and this kind of chat is happening.

Every one of the starting 11 and regular subs should stay IMO barring Sutton and Morgan for fairly obvious reasons. Players like Stelios, Gary Mac and even Sammy may well not be first pick but as squad players will be needed. We have 5-6 boys rarely used plus the 2 mentioned adding in Smith and Hill which makes it a very small squad.

Recruit half a dozen players good enough for the first team and we are golden.

They all deserve a crack at this.

Can't agree mate. There is no room for sentiment in football, especially with funds as tight as they are for provincial clubs and Jack Ross in already publicly identifying that he needs in the region of 9 new players is surely also of this opinion given we already have a fairly large squad. He'll almost certainly trim several bodies to bring new guys in.

Guys like Gus McPherson stuck with certain players for far too long as they ticked us over and gave us 11th place year in, year out.

I think Jack already has a clear vision of who he wants to keep and who he wants to move on. I'd imagine a few of those he wants to move on will have some time remaining on their deals and the fact that they have just been in a squad that won the Championship means that they'll get a pretty decent crack at potential new clubs.

[SaintGlenburn]

I think the below squad plus 6 new prem standard signings

 

Prem standard GK

Sammy

 

Prem Std RB/LB [emoji4]

Stelios

Eckersley

Prem Std CB

Eta Gary Mac

Bairdy

Davis

 

McGinn

Prem Std LM

MaGennis

Mcshane

Flynn

Prem Std CM

Hippo

 

Smith

Mullen

Prem Std CF

Reilly

 

The types of player i would add would be GK sammy younger, RB/LB Thistle have a few good uns, CB Scott Cuthbert type, CM someone like Dorman, LM Lewis if possible?, CF Thommo type.

 

 

[faraway saint]

Just now, djchapsticks said:

Can't agree mate. There is no room for sentiment in football, especially with funds as tight as they are for provincial clubs and Jack Ross in already publicly identifying that he needs in the region of 9 new players is surely also of this opinion given we already have a fairly large squad. He'll almost certainly trim several bodies to bring new guys in.

Guys like Gus McPherson stuck with certain players for far too long as they ticked us over and gave us 11th place year in, year out.

I think Jack already has a clear vision of who he wants to keep and who he wants to move on. I'd imagine a few of those he wants to move on will have some time remaining on their deals and the fact that they have just been in a squad that won the Championship means that they'll get a pretty decent crack at potential new clubs.

Indeed.

Mentioned before, look at the run we had last season, did JR keep the same team.......................

Rarely, if ever, has a team moved up a league and survived if they don't recruit.

The current team would struggle to survive IMO.