Saint Garf

I agree, but I'd rather sign no-one and give the young players a chance than waste the last of our budget on some has-been just for the sake of making a signing...

Some folk on here would love that...The window doesn't shut for a while yet, even then, it's likely that any players we sign will be free agents, meaning the closure of the transfer window is irrelevant. Yes, I would like us to have done the business by now, but we haven't, the worst thing we could possibly do is waste what little cash we have signing someone just for the sake of it...I'd much rather we waited a week or 2 and got the right man for the job...

What would it say to those lads that a clown like Riordan would be given a game ahead of them despite his baggage?
Nah, all wrong.

When i hear a rumour like this I'd usually say something along the lines of "love to see it happen, but it seems unlikely"...but this one's a total fantasy, the fact that it's had 8 pages of discussion is baffling...

There's one thing I can be absolutely certain about. There's not a single fan on here other than directors who has the faintest idea what it takes to sign a player worth having in this day and age. In that context, talking about "ample time" is pompous pish.
Danny has no more control over making good strikers decide to sign a Saints contract than you have.
We can only sign players who want to come here and play for the amount we are able to offer.
Not one of us knows exactly why he's having trouble getting bodies into the squad. Not one of us.

I don't get the people who say they don't rate him, how can you judge him on what we saw the other night? He wasn't on for a very long time and, for what it's worth, I was actually quite impressed, didn't have a lot of the ball, but didn't put a foot wrong when he did. Some people are just determined to moan about things.

I think people need to calm down a bit. Let's face it...McGowan re-signing is better than any player we could have dreamed of bringing in, Grainger is by far the best available left back within our price range, I also think Harkins is a class act and I don't think we'll miss any of the players who were allowed to leave. So, with that said, if we get a striker and maybe a natural left mid, or an attacking mid to let Harkins play wide left, we'll have a strong squad and I'd be pretty chuffed with our business in the transfer market...

...while I'm at it, will people wrap it with this "we need to sign a centre half" pish...we have Mair, McAusland, Goodwin, McGregor, Barron, Naismith, Kelly and Van Zanten, who have all, at one time or another, played at centre half, throw in Grainger and that's 9 options. Now, you can argue 'til you're blue in the face about the quality of these players, but the fact is, they're here, they're all getting paid, and with our budget, there's no way in hell we would use up a wage on another centre half, it's not going to happen, get over it...

...while I'm at it, will people wrap it with this "we need to sign a centre half" pish...we have Mair, McAusland, Goodwin, McGregor, Barron, Naismith, Kelly and Van Zanten, who have all, at one time or another, played at centre half, throw in Grainger and that's 9 options. Now, you can argue 'til you're blue in the face about the quality of these players, but the fact is, they're here, they're all getting paid, and with our budget, there's no way in hell we would use up a wage on another centre half, it's not going to happen, get over it...

I think people need to calm down a bit. Let's face it...McGowan re-signing is better than any player we could have dreamed of bringing in, Grainger is by far the best available left back within our price range, I also think Harkins is a class act and I don't think we'll miss any of the players who were allowed to leave. So, with that said, if we get a striker and maybe a natural left mid, or an attacking mid to let Harkins play wide left, we'll have a strong squad and I'd be pretty chuffed with our business in the transfer market...

...while I'm at it, will people wrap it with this "we need to sign a centre half" pish...we have Mair, McAusland, Goodwin, McGregor, Barron, Naismith, Kelly and Van Zanten, who have all, at one time or another, played at centre half, throw in Grainger and that's 9 options. Now, you can argue 'til you're blue in the face about the quality of these players, but the fact is, they're here, they're all getting paid, and with our budget, there's no way in hell we would use up a wage on another centre half, it's not going to happen, get over it...

...while I'm at it, will people wrap it with this "we need to sign a centre half" pish...we have Mair, McAusland, Goodwin, McGregor, Barron, Naismith, Kelly and Van Zanten, who have all, at one time or another, played at centre half, throw in Grainger and that's 9 options. Now, you can argue 'til you're blue in the face about the quality of these players, but the fact is, they're here, they're all getting paid, and with our budget, there's no way in hell we would use up a wage on another centre half, it's not going to happen, get over it...

We only have Parkin and guy still to replace from last season. It wouldn't exactly have been a huge loss if they were still here but weren't available for ICT.

I don't get the people who say they don't rate him, how can you judge him on what we saw the other night? He wasn't on for a very long time and, for what it's worth, I was actually quite impressed, didn't have a lot of the ball, but didn't put a foot wrong when he did. Some people are just determined to moan about things.

I don't get the people who say they don't rate him, how can you judge him on what we saw the other night? He wasn't on for a very long time and, for what it's worth, I was actually quite impressed, didn't have a lot of the ball, but didn't put a foot wrong when he did. Some people are just determined to moan about things.

I have to say it crossed my mind that the Newcastle staff couldn't have helped being impressed with Reilly tonight. Not just with the performance he put in, but with his confidence and composure. He was assured enough to take on these top class players. He really didn't look out of his depth, and that's after just a handful of appearances for the first team. Had high hopes for him last season and he was very unlucky with his injury. Could be a very important player for us this time around.

I have to say it crossed my mind that the Newcastle staff couldn't have helped being impressed with Reilly tonight. Not just with the performance he put in, but with his confidence and composure. He was assured enough to take on these top class players. He really didn't look out of his depth, and that's after just a handful of appearances for the first team. Had high hopes for him last season and he was very unlucky with his injury. Could be a very important player for us this time around.

I have to say it crossed my mind that the Newcastle staff couldn't have helped being impressed with Reilly tonight. Not just with the performance he put in, but with his confidence and composure. He was assured enough to take on these top class players. He really didn't look out of his depth, and that's after just a handful of appearances for the first team. Had high hopes for him last season and he was very unlucky with his injury. Could be a very important player for us this time around.

I had decided not to go, but, as always, I'm now considering it. I'm sure by Friday night I'll have fully talked myself into it.

Cracking signing the deal is concluded.
There's literally no other better realistic option at left back.

He was a stand-out in the left back position against Dundee by all accounts.
I entirely agree that he was inconsistent, but an element of the manager's job is to address this.
When Charlie Adam joined Saints on loan he wasn't in the best of shape and stories circulated regarding his attitude etc., yet he was quickly whipped into shape. It can be done.
I think an Andy Millen type character in the coaching staff gets the best out of guys like Carey. A seasoned pro who looks after himself and is driven to be the best he can be, and expects nothing less from his charges.
I wonder if sometimes Danny tries a bit too hard to be mates with the players and this can cause friction when he has to confront things head on. Maybe I'm way off the mark on this, right enough.
In any event, if a player doesn't look after himself and/or mouths off etc., surely he should be fined or disciplined in some other way. Behaviour modification etc...
My tuppence worth is that Carey has sufficient talent to justify a bit extra work and investment (not financial). I think Danny got it spot-on with his approach to nurturing McGowan, but perhaps a different approach is required with a player who clearly has a different temperament. In saying all this, there is not the remotest possibility that Carey will be back at Saints, so it is all a bit academic.

Carey has talent but, sadly, not as much as he thinks he does. He gave the impression of being a big game player, usually saving his best performances for the toughest matches, but in my opinion the only thing that changed for him in these games was his attitudes towards the opposition.
For me, his best game for us was the semi-final against Celtic, why? Because he knew he was up against a good winger and that meant he stayed focused and kept things simple for the full match. He put in a solid defensive display and looked very comfortable. However, when it came to playing against Dundee, Kilmarnock, Ross County etc, he fancied himself a little too much. He got caught on the ball trying to repeatedly skin his man and wasted possession constantly attempting 40 yard Hollywood passes. If he could play every match with the approach he took when facing a top winger then he would be an asset at left back, unfortunately, when we play a smaller team he seems determined to prove he's the next Dani Alves...
I was disappointed to see him leave, because he has potential, but he also had a lot to learn about defending, and required a serious attitude adjustment...

This tread has become uncoupled, derailed , off -topic and is heading towards Madness. .

I know you did...it was me that hit it off you

Great game tonight, won't be able to play next week, so I'll likely be out of it for a good while. Nice to sign off with a win too!