nedflanders123

The money has been used to retain players like McGowan and run the club without the need to increase our debt like other clubs are doing. It also goes towards paying players wages while there is no income for the club during the close season. How else would be be able to do that without retaining a reserve of money to cover the time when we are not playing any games? Money is and always will be a problem for a team with a small core of fans and trying to retain quality when other clubs appear to be able to offer more. If there were more players like Thommo in football then we would be able to hang onto them but money rules and clubs offering more will more than likely outbid us or take our players away at the end of contracts. The directors have put a lot of money into the club and I would rather they sold the club to the right buyer than the first bidder who may not have the club's best interest at heart. They are to be commended for sticking to their principles and for taking time. The directors also have a wage so no idea what you mean by them taking money out?

And there is nothing to suggest that this will be the case. Wait and see what happens first. There has been little transfer activity around Scotland at the moment and there is a reason for that - no money and clubs reducing squad size. Bringing in any player needs to be something that is thought through and not simply a rush job because the fans demand it particularly when money is so tight.

No we won't. Either Danny brings in the quality needed or we go with our youth players. There is no point in bringing in players no better than whatg we have. I agree we do need experience at left back and perhaps another front man but other than that we live within our means.

This is clearly a wind up. How can a team that won the League Cup and finished in a similar position where they have finished before (with more points) be considered as us enduring our worse season since promotion? Sometimes I despair.

Big Yards, noone shot you down mate. I think there needs to be a bit more realism here. Firstly, to claim the BOD are not ambitious is way off the mark. We have a new ground, training facilities, a manageable bank balance and a club that has managed to remain within the SPL on a very small/limited budget. We brought in class players in Thommo, McGowan and Teale. We won the League Cup last season too. What is ambition for a small club like St Mirren? For me, in this day and age it is to remain in the top league and to have a decent cup run. If we manage to get into the top 6 then that is a bonus to me. European football is not the holy grail any more and we are not equipped to play against the more experienced sides in Europe and are unlikely to survive more than 1 round. That is simply realism and not a negative approach. The decision to go with youth is something Scottish football is applying and not just St Mirren and has nothing at all to do with Hearts situation. Last season, Killie, Dundee Utd and Hearts introduced a lot of young players mainly because they cannot afford to bring in the experience without going further into debt. On the issue of willingness, if the club had the finances to buy and sustain paying out more for players and wages then they would probably do that but we are no different from most other clubs and the way forward is, like it has always been for our team, to bring in our own homegrown talent. The game is skint mate and would you like us to spend money we do not have and become immersed in debt or would you like us to live within our means and plan a future that relies mainly on bringing on young talent with the addition of experienced players?

Who relies on other teams - the fans? The club don't. We are sorting ourselves out but patience is required. Danny has been criticised for bringing in a lot of players early and most of those (in his first season) were not good enough for the SPL. Now, he has not bought a load of players (meaning the club would be paying wages for them sitting on the beach) and he is being criticised. We have no idea what is happening behind the scenes and as Danny is in his final year as manager, would it not be prudent to wait and see what happens? He has the club's best interest at heart and knows our weaknesses. Let's give him time to do his job before a ball is kicked in earnest. I think Danny has a few aces up his sleeve. As a final note, while clubs have rushed out and bought players, can you honestly say that they are going to make the purchasing team much better? Too many unknowns here so we need to wait and see. Motherwell will win a watch if they manage to tie down McFadden but other than that I have not lost any sleep.

Norrie, other than McFadden (quality player) the others you mentioned were not considered good enough for their previous clubs and I don't consider any of them earth shattering signings. We have no idea what is going on behind the scenes in terms of getting players in or whether there is a budget to bring more on board. The other thing to consider is that the club could have made numerous offers to players and they were turned down due to a) the salary being too small or other clubs outbidding us. Of the players you mentioned leaving, I would only have shed a tear for Goncalves and the Newcastle boys. Samson is a good keeper but there are equally other good keepers and we need to wait and see how good the two boys we have brought in are. There is also time to bring in a left back and another striker is that is deemed necessary by the management team. Finally, I understand the concerns but the continuation of St Mirren as a solvent club operating within its means is paramount and a number of those clubs bringing in new players have likely done this by stretching their player budgets. If remaining with our budget means we operate with more young guys coming through then sobeit. Far better to have a club that survives than one that does not balance the books and ends up in administration or worse liquidation.

Then you play someone like Harkins or McGowan up front. Personally, I think there will be at least one more striker brought in as cover but even that does not guarantee that we will not have a situation where all our strikers are injured or banned. Let's just wait and see what the season brings.

Thanks for you comments mate. Yes, been collecting since 1970 and have a large and ecletic taste in music from the classic pop bands of the last 4 decades to all sorts of rock music; jazz, symphonic, classic and fusion. I still find some great bands from around the world and there is a whole world of great pop and rock outside the UK and USA. Scandinavia have and are continually producing some great pop and rock while Poland is a hotbed for the more progressive scene. Been a gig goer for 40 years or more and have seen most of the big acts at their peak; Bowie concert in 73 was the highlight as was Dire Straits in 1987. It is a passion of mine but won't say any more as it will send others to sleep. If you want some great prog sent you way then pm me and I can sort something out. I am sure I can surprise you with new names and new sounds.

Prog rock is just a term and I really dislike labelling. Many good acts are labelled wrongly and to be honest prog rock covers such a wide range of artists and musical styles. I gives a hint for a step towards a style of music that fans can relate to. You would be surprised by just how accessible a lot of 'prog' music is and its not about 25 minutes tracks and 10 minute guitar noodling. Too many people think of Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer and Pink Floyd when you mention prog rock.

Horses for courses but is that the best you can add to the thread? I was simply trying to enlighten others of a lot of good music out there beyond the realms of the crass top 40 where most of those will be forgotten in a year or two.

No matter how quiet a club can keep their business, it is player's agents who tout them to other clubs. As long as you have agents then players will go to the club that offers more courtesy of the info from agents. Our club are dammed if they do and if they don't.

Neil, it is always possible that Danny was interested in any of those player but that they were made a better offer elsewhere. A fact of life and something that is privvy to the manager and others within the club. It could also be that Danny did not rate them as much as some on here. No idea why Easton is being lauded so much when he was a failure down south and no other major club (North or South) thought him good enough to take on board (as good as some on here rate his).

Well said. There are things in life more important than football. It is just a game after all even if it is one that we are all so passionate about.

Ifs and buts. Hearts will not go into liquidation before the season starts and are likely to simply come out of administration. We don't know this of course but this is the most likel scenario. Any club simply being asked to come up - should Hearts go into liquidation - will be as unprepared as Dimdee were and no matter what anyone says, there is a gap in quality between the SPL and 1st Division. If it was Morton then, like Dimdee, they have been planning for a first division campaign and would have little time to bring in the players required to survive in the SPL. Finally, why is everyone assuming it would be us struggling at the bottom? There is every likelihood that 4-6 other teams will be there. Hibs have not replaced Griffiths (their only real scorer), ICT are unknown, RC are unlikely to repeat their heroics of last season while Motherwell and Aberdeen are inknown at this time. Killie will be similar as will Fakes. The thing is, we simply do not know how things are going to pan out otherwise I would be sunning myself in the Bahamas than sitting in a bloody office sweating my cobs off. Too many worries over too many hypothetical situations. Chill FFS

The League cup was a fluke? FFS we beat Aberdeen, Celtic and Hearts. How can that be a fluke? Some fans on here dumbfound me. Other than the period 77-80, I have witnessed St Mirren as a team always struggling at the wrong end of the table, been relegated twice and won promotion. We have remained in the SPL while other bigger clubs have gone down and all with a limited budget and small playing squad. Just what do people expect with very little money floating about and clubs that offer more mean that our squad will be continually limited in size and talent. We have no divine right to be up in the top 6 challenging for anything and some fans aspirations need to take into account the real world we live in. Survival in the SPL is the No1 priority for Danny Lennon and the BOD - anything else will be a bonus. I would like us to be up there challenging and away from the fear of the drop but I am realistic enough to know that keeping a tight ship and the club running at minimal loss is far better than trying to achieve a higher position by putting out money we simply do not have. Other than Celtic who will win the league and staying up, any other position means sod all. Europe is a myth and any Scottish club is way behind those they draw in the various Euro cups and, again, other than Celtic, the revenue is minimal to what you may have to pay out to get one of those Euro places. Expectations is one thing but that has to be based on knowing who the full squad are, the strength of the opposition and our own strengths. We just need to temper that expectation at times with a dose of reality. Danny will be working on things behind the scene and should not be villified for not producing a number of new players (all requiring to be paid a wage remember) simply because other teams have brought in players. None of those players brought in by other clubs have caused me any sleepless nights so I am not worried. Patience is a virtue - let's just wait and see what the next 3 weeks brings in terms of new players.

You do really surpass yourself sometimes. Even for you that kind of statement based on absolutely no evidence is hilarious. On what grounds do you feel that Hearts will have a swing of at least 20 points over us when a) you have no idea how strong Hearts will be and we have no idea of our final squad. Knicker wetting of the most extremem type and continuous moaning for the sake of it. Btw, you do realise there are another 10 teams (discounting Celtic) in this league and they have all lost quality players. Few, if any, have replaced that quality and I don't hear the Motherwell fans bleating about how they will struggle and they finished a strong second. At least wait until Danny has finished his rebuilding job and for the first quarter of the season to be played to see how we are doing against the opposition.

Well as a serious collector of music I have to say that Glastonbury was not what it used to be and that some of the acts were rank - Rolling Stones were overhyped, out of key and Jagger could never sing. Couple of decent performances but overall when the likes of Bruce Forsythe took to the stage then serious questions need to be asked. Favourite artist or band depends on what genre of music we are talking about. I am a rock fan first and foremost with a leaning towards progressive rock so bands like Hogarth era Marillion would be my favourite. Old school stuff like Yes and Genesis etc are in there while there are some terrific prog bands and a whole area of excellent music around outside the UK like Riverside, RPWL, Spocks Beard and Gazpacho to name but a few while in the UK there are Porcupine Tree, Magenta, Big Big Train, Steve Hackett and Pendragon carrying the flag of rock. Pop wise, it would have to be bands like Supertramp, ELO and Queen as personal favourites while long standing act like Depeche Mode, Bruce Springsteen and Chris Rea are up there for me.

The problem Lex is that a lot of players are unwilling to take a 1 year contract and will always seek something that brings a bit more security. They make take a smaller wage but over 2 years it is still much better than the gamble of a 1 year deal with perhaps nothing at the end of it whether you are good or bad - football is skint and getting something above 1 year brings greater security in this age of austerity. The bottom line is that we do not know whether Doris was on the radar or whether his decision to come or not is down to wages, length of contract or any other reason. Who really care anyway, there are plenty of other players out there and Danny, as in the past, will be measured on who he brings in, his tactics and results. I am sure there will be a couple of surprises before the serious stuff begins in early August.

Bankrolled? The money being talked about would pay a top EPL player a month's salary. A club only gets bank rolled when an Arab turns up with mega bucks.

There was no way Dundee were getting 7000 through the gates last season other than a couple of games near the end of the season when they began to pull back points on us. They are on a par with us gate wise and likely get a few more for the derby game and when they are top of the league. Ok just seen you last post where it was United you were looking at.

If it down to money then something is clearly amiss. A lower league club skint against a well run club in a higher league? Personally, I am not interested in reasons why a player does not come to our club. We have a budget and if we can attract good quality player then fine. If we cannot because we operate differently from those heavily in debt then sobeit.

Perhaps but they need a good enough team on the park. Commitment will only take you so far and if they use a lot of their young players then there is always the danger that they are a)not prepared for a long slog or not good enough at this level and c) burn out very quickly. No doubt that the ground will be full but firstly they have to get out of administration and all that that carries. Gary Locke has some job on his hands should Hearts survive in this league. There will be signing bans, fines and the possibility of liquidation if they cannot secure the finance to continue to pay their bills. Personally, I would have had them relegated last season but they used the loop hole to stave off announcing administration until the end of the season.