kevo_smfc

I've suggested it many times on here, but you have a ridiculous amount of car parking space and a train station that runs trains to Glasgow and Gourock.
Monthly car space rental right there. Free money!!!

No, I don't think new owners will splash the cash. However, I beleive new owners will bring a fresh impetus and fresh ideas, unfortunately the current board are tired and commercially we are poor.
You talk about the new owners making their money back, I guess it depends on what their overall goals are. You are making the assumption that they'll make their money back by taking money out the club. But what if they take the 'Fergus McCann' approach? They buy the club for £2m, transform the product on and off the park and selling for £4m in 10 years...is that bad for the club?
We can't just keep saying that the current board have done no wrong and to keep them going. If they don't want to be there then how can that be beneficial?

Let's just assume for a moment that the majority of fans want a 'Community' owned club, which in today's market is one of the favoured options as to where it could finish up. To achieve that, it it would appear the only way that might come to fruition is to pay the directors what they want to sell their shares.
Now in any negotiation, they might ask for their perfect 'get me out of here' figure in the hope of getting something near that, but at some point they are going to sell. So, if we are to become a 'Community' owned club we will have to put our money where it hurts, into the hands of the shareholders.
Either that, or the shareholders will keep holding on until some mythical party comes along that is attracted to the idea of 'owning' a relatively low key mid-ranking Scottish football club.............................. they best not hold their collective breaths!
Whatever happens, no matter who owns the club, or ultimately runs it, Saints are going to have to continue to survive on the breadline:
1. There is no money at present (or in the foreseeable future) in Scottish football to support quality players, or a profitable football business (unless you have a large fan base).
2. Under a community owned set up we would have to run the club as a non-loss making venture.
3. The only way we can make any sizeable amounts of money is to keep developing a youth set-up and hope that it turns out at least one player every two to three years that can be sold.
I fear that the state of limbo we are in suits no-one. The BoD's, the fans, the players and the management are all disillusioned.
My main fear for a community based model, is who with the right business sense is going to run, lead and manage this organisation and take the difficult decisions such as sacking the manager or weighing up the financial downsides of not sacking the manager. Yes we all believe we, as fans, have a collective knowledge of how things could be done better, but in the cold light of day it's not as easy as some would like to think.
In saying the above, I'm certainly not supporting the Manager, nor am I trying to be sympathetic to the Board, all I'm saying is that the state of nothingness that exists at present is permeating all the way down the club and is reflected on the field as much as it is off the field.
What's the answer....................... some fan needs to win the Euro millions jackpot, otherwise, we're stuck!

Kev, I`ve nothing bad to say against him personally ( same as most people ) but to answer your question , NO
He simply has to leave our club. I like the idea I think Farmer John mentioned the other day `gardening leave` We cant afford to pay him off , so let him keep his wage , but lets remove him from team duties ? Worth a try ?

If you can fool CK into thinking your kids birthday party is a corporate event then he might be interested.

Thank fuck the BoD DIDN'T sell to the fans!
The lunatics would have taken over the asylum!
I hope to god that St. Mirren never suffers from fan ownership.

London: that renowned hotbed of undiscovered and affordable footballing talent.
My theory is, he panicked. His mouth was boasting of a fictional scouting trip before his brain knew what was going on. But then he panicked. "Quick, brain, name a city."
"London!" came the response.
And thus, Tommy was off to London.

This is what happens when so many people call for the heads of managers who are doing an essentially decent job - Gus, Danny... it's like the boy who cried wolf.
Sadly, as we are seeing, failing to progress is nowhere near as big an issue as actually regressing.

That's it. I've had it.
Season ticket or not, I am now finding it extremely difficult to even contemplate going on Saturday. I've followed my beloved club through thick and thin, home and away for well over three decades but I have NEVER felt as disillusioned with or disassociated from the club as I do now.
It is rotten from top to bottom and I see no attempt to fix it.
My 11 year old son officially now "can't be bothered" and the mere suggestion of a Saints top for Xmas was met with a snort of derision.
That hurts. Big style.

Goodwin growing his hair is very important. As soon as his Ravanelli silver fox look is complete, he's getting played up front and our season will be saved.

Every supporter who does go tonight should be given a medal for valour and dedication over and above the call of duty. Either that, or a free drink voucher for the supporter's matchday tent and a St Mirren blanket to keep them warm.

Mark was a community coach, nothing to do with the first team or u20s

I don't read that no voters shit rag.
If and when this young laddie gets a "write up" in the National or the Sunday Herald then I will certainly read it.

After speaking tonight I am going to give tommy more time. He spoke openly and passionately about the team. Fair play to him and Stewart gilmour for taking the questions and not hiding. He asked to be judged with a full team so I am happy to do this. It's tough but let's pull together and get us up the league. Yes it's a change of opinion but with our better players coming back I think tommy can turn this around.

The money given through their business is their money.
Hospitality and meals?
They don't get a meal before each game, boardroom guests get a very small selection of finger buffet snacks, sausage rolls etc.
Bryan McAusland occasionally takes a table at hospitality, only Bryan and the club will know if this is paid for, I'm sure it would be.
Free drinks etc, I'm sure someone would have stuck them in for drink driving by now....
The 100k or more in short term loans, they may be able to afford it and that's why they are in such a position of trust.
18 months ago when we were lifting a national trophy they weren't getting any flack from the fans. Now we're not performing they're quite rightly getting it tight about appointing TC, but to accuse them as freebie chasers is ignorant and ridiculous.
Maybe that's what goes on at Thistle but then again, I couldn't give a toss.

i dont think they do put up money without return,but that they have put their money at risk of losing some or all of it, there are not many of them who do this though and it's the hangers on who get freebies that i object to, i also object to visiting directors getting freebies, in an ideal world we would have no freebies and no elite seats in our grounds, your arguing against the establishment here and sadly it's not going to change,i would like it to change just as much as you do mainly because they get detached from the normal fan and treat us with contempt, there are too many at our club who are there only for business reasons and only that, SGG and a couple of others have put cash at risk - maybe they can afford to lose cash maybe not but one thing for sure is there would be no SMFC as we know it without their loans, incidentally i have no evidence to suggest they dont pay for their own food and or drink, i just dont begrudge a meal and a drink to those who put cash at risk

Has Jim Goodwin kicked / shoved anyone yet?

Sad to admit it though I agree this is the worst team, even above Gretna to have played in the spl. On current form we shouldnt be playing in this league.
With the exit of hibs and hearts we really should have grasped the opportunity to progress as a club on the park. Unfortunately we have moved so far backwards, we would struggle to stay afloat in the championship.

The case for and against Tommy Craig as manager should rest on results, performances and how last year's players are doing this season under the new manager and finally how his summer signings have done.
Results and performances have probably been well covered on BAWA.
Last year's players this year under TC:
Marian Kello: a shadow of last year's player and now dropped after costing too many goals.
Jason Naismith: has earned a Scotland U21 call up and looked a goal threat going forward but has regressed defensively to an alarming extent.
Marc McAusland: had a terrible, error-strewn start to the season, Possibly settling down a bit now.
Jim Goodwin: Sent off in first game of the season. Retrospectively red carded after less than 10 league games played. Inbetween times when he found some form it coincided with our purple patch where we picked up our 8 points.
Sean Kelly: started the season out of the starting XI and since returning to it during our injury crisis has alternated between left back and left midfield.
Gregg Wylde: An inconsistent, patchy, erratic start to the season (continuing form from before the summer?) before succumbing to injury.
Kenny McLean: resigning him was viewed as a major coup for the club and it still may turn out to be. While performances have been well below the standard he set last year and he has been very inconsistent he is also our joint top scorer.
John McGinn: Another who has yet to show what he is capable of this year, and yet when he has been injured, his dig and ingenuity and attacking instincts are sorely missed even when he isn't on form.
Gary Teale: could be argued that since he hasn't been out injured all season this year, this season is an improvement, Not shown anything like the form he displayed during the cup winning season. Dropped to bench to make way for young debutantes on a day the team cried out for some seasoned pros when facing the guile of a well drilled and competent Hamilton Accies side.
Thomas Reilly: getting a regular start and has surprised some with his willingness to get stuck in. Has largely spent the season being played out of his natural position. It maybe doesn't come as a ringing endorsement that he seems further down the striker's pecking order than Ball, Marwood, or Caldwell. Yet possibly the biggest shout from last year's squad of a player who may have progressed and improved under TC.
Steven Thompson: an injury plagued season so far. The received wisdom suggests getting him fit and back among the goals will be our principle hope of avoiding 12th or 11th place.
Summary: you can make a case for Reilly having a better season under TC this year, but the other 10 have either plateaued or gone backwards.
Summer Signings:
Ellis Plummer: looked a player, even if it was open to debate whether central defence was his best position.
Adam Drury: still finding his feet, form has been patchy but is our joint top scorer.
Isaac Osbourne: signed after the season started with a known record of injury problems. After a few decent games has been out injured!
Jeroem Tesselaar: arguably our best summer signing so far. One of our better and more consistent performers in a bleak season.
Ross Caldwell: the first player to score for us this season, and with a double too, and has subsequently been kept out of the starting XI. When he has been given a chance in the starting XI it has usually served to underline why he has often been given a place on the bench.
James Marwood: works hard enough, creates space for others, but looks like he might not find the back of the net this side of Christmas (and folks used to think Dargo and Mehmet had a poor goal return for forwards!)
Calum Ball: arrived looking like he had Carey-style issues with his weight, and some signs of promise. Some assumed that once he got match fit, lost some weight there could be the makings of an OK SPL standard striker in there. As we head in to December he looks to have lost confidence after a few missed sitters and still doesn't look fit enough for SPL standard football.
Summary: Tesselaar has been alright, but he was already a known quantity.
Overall summary: Tommy Craig inherited almost a starting XI of players who have played for the first team the previous season or the one before. A few issues which needed resolved were defensive weakness (particularly in central defence) and it was expected that after DL had got Barron, DVZ, and Mair off the payroll the previous season and after McGregor left for Sevco that a serious rebuild was needed. The squad was also light on striking options, and in Goodwin, Teale and Thompson 3 senior pros one of whom had known disciplinary problems, one had spent the previous season injured on the sidelines and one had a planned operation over the summer. Tommy Craig was given a reduced budget to work with and elected to sign 2 defenders to replace the 4 who went out the door last season, and fill the squad by promoting young players from the U20 squad, signing young players on loan, and signing other young players largely untried and almost exclusively unproven at SPL level (with the exception of Osbourne and Tesselaar).
Now, if we had been sitting 7th or 8th or higher after all those gambles on TC's part with a younger and cheaper squad then I think most fans would be behind him and saying he was doing a good job. Instead, we have failed to score in 8 out of 14 league games, failed to keep 1 clean sheet in any competitive match this season, and taken 1 point out of 7 home games and lost 72% of league matches under Tommy Craig. Kinda makes you wish that he bought a few more defenders, didn't only go down the bring in young, inexperienced guys route, and had considered replacing Teale and / or Goodwin with other seasoned pros with plenty of SPL experience.

The board wouldn't advertise the post, they dressed up a lazy / very cheap option in a continuity guise. Continuity from what.... last season's now acceptable performance!
The board wouldn't pay the money for recognised players, seemingly happy to get rid of the little talent we had.
McCall or Butcher coming here - no chance. Sad reality. We are rotting away during this sale. Simple.

Far from being cheap this could be the most expensive appointment ever.
Lost revenue, cost to replace him and his background team and possible loss of league status.

I have agreed with most here, but why is it a great run? We have showed with a League Cup win what we can achieve, also a LC final appearance, this is surely where Saints are, a SPL, albeit bottom 6 club. We are not Dumferline or Morton or even Falkirk? Why in Nov should we even talk about going down with pride. I will answer all of the above, its not TC, DL GM, JC or even TH its a BOD who delivered in 2009 and have been on the retreat ever since, starving the club of league, consistency with a string of poor appointments, fact is DL at least brought in good loans, terrible manager though, basically out his depth, the squad that did so well by winning LC has been ripped apart, and we keep thugs and mugs. TC has no clue, but he has a 2 year contract, the BOD thought hmmm this means we don't even need to interview, basically they are disengaged. So by their reckoning, now get shot of TC, JG and GT and apt Thommo and bring in a cheap God, maybe Fergie fancies a new challenge lol

it is different, we've been through worse over the years me personally i have been to every game this year and have never left early in so much games as this season i go on one of the buses but took the car yesterday and was at polmadie at the final whistle !!

I think if Ross County were ahead of us and by a considerable amount of points, the board would consider TC's position.
As long as we are where we are at the moment, they wont do a thing about replacing him.

Just wait for TC's post match interview "Well Tommy what can you take from that" TC's reply " It was my birthday the other day and i still have some cake"