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Punt or Keep - Summer 2018 edition


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Obviously a hugely important transfer window coming up for the club. With us losing our best player and moving up a division I’m sure we agree that there needs to be a lot of inward activity should we want to be competitive in the premier league. But who in our current squad should we keep?

 

Samson - Keep. One of my players of the year. The paisley panther, the ginger ninja, the legend that is Craig Samson. Expect and hope he will continue as first choice next year.

 

Ross Stewart (GK) - Punt. I think we need a new goalie in the summer. Someone with experience who’s capable of pushing Sammy for the number 1 jersey. Young Ross is clearly nowhere near the first team so unless he wants to stay on as third choice he should be punted.

 

Gary Irvine - Punt. Forgot he was still here until the other night. After that performance it’s no wonder he struggles to get on the bench most weeks.

 

Liam Smith - Keep. Obviously won’t be our decision, but I’ve been really impressed with Liam this year. Listening to Hearts fans they seem keen to have him back as right back has apparently been a bit of an issue for them. However we should be certainly asking them if we could either extend the loan or sign him on a permanent basis.

 

Harry Davis - Keep. No doubt about that. Only issue with Harry is that he’s had several bad injuries over the last few years. If he can keep himself fit I’ve no doubt he’ll be a solid performer at Premier League level.

 

Gary McKenzie - Keep - Similar to Harry in many ways. Clearly he is good enough for the Premiership, the question mark is over his fitness.

 

Jack Baird - Keep. Given the injury problems of our two first choice centre halves Jack has played a lot of football this year. He’s been excellent, that performance at Dunfermline where he scored the winner and made several game saving blocks will live long in the memory. Suspect he will play a big part next year too.

 

Massimo Donati - Punt. He looked all of his 37 years against Falkirk, no way he could cope in the Premier League. Not sure if he will be kept on in a coaching capacity but he’s certainly got nothing to offer us in playing terms.

 

Adam Eckersley - Punt. Tough one but Adam looks like his legs have went. Often felt that full back is a young mans position with the amount of running that’s required. Adam just can’t get up and down the line effectively and this will be even more exposed at Premier League level. He’s 33 this year so I think his time with us up.

 

Stelios - Punt. Easy one. Not sure if Stelios is even a Championship player, he’s certainly not a Premier League one. His performance against Aberdeen was a horror show. Was at fault for a goal against Falkirk. Expect he will sign for Dumbarton or Ayr.

 

Ian McShane - Punt. He’s struggling to get in the team in the Championship. Flynn has been a significant upgrade and I don’t think McShane is Premier League standard.

 

Ryan Flynn - Keep. Think he’s been good since he came. Plenty of experience at a good level. Expect he will be a big player for us next year.

 

Stephen McGinn - Keep. Not entirely convinced McGinn is up to it at Premier League level. He was terrible against Thistle and Aberdeen and even last week at Tannadice he struggled badly. I can’t see him being a regular starter but I do think there’s a place for him in the squad.

 

Mark Hill - Punt. Looked out of shape against Falkirk. And rubbish.

 

Cammy Smith - Keep. Cammy clearly has a bit of quality about him. He’s one of a very few players we have who I think will make the step up to the Premier League seamlessly and be a regular starter next year.

 

Lewis Morgan - Keep. We should be going to Celtic with the begging bowl asking if we can extend his loan for another season. Or till January at least. That would be signing of the summer if we pulled that off. Doubt we will, but we can but dream.

 

Kyle Magennis - Keep. Kyle’s obviously completely unproven at a level higher than The Championship, but he’s certainly earned the chance to go there with us. As with many of our players, he’s going to need to step up his performances a level if he’s going to have an impact in the Premier League.

 

Jordan Kirkpatrick - Punt. Another one to add to the long list of part time players we’ve signed who’ve not been good enough for full time football. Wasn’t surprised to see him shipped out in January and surely we won’t see him again.

 

Ross Stewart (st) - Punt. See above.

 

Nathan Flanagan - Punt. This promising youngster is the same age as Lewis Morgan . Doesn’t appear to have done much at Elgin so it’s puntsville for him.

 

Miles Hippolyte - Punt. He’s never been a Premier League player and he never will be. Thought scoring the penalty aside he was rubbish against Falkirk.

 

Josh Todd - Been here a long time now and he’s never managed to hold down a place. Not done enough to get a new deal.

 

Danny Mullen - Keep. Not been entirely convinced by Danny since he’s came in, but I do think he’s been an upgrade on Reilly. And so does Ross clearly as Gavin’s been punted out the side to accommodate him. 2 goals in 12 games for a striker in a team top of the league isn’t exactly setting the heather alight though. That will certainly need to improve if he’s going to be anything more than a bit part player next year.

 

John Sutton - Punt. Obvious punt, best of luck to a fantastic servant and can see him doing a job for Dumbarton/Ayr next year.

 

Daryl Duffy - Punt. What a strange signing. Did he ever actually play a minute of football for us?

 

Gavin Reilly - Punt. Probably the most controversial of choices, but I just can’t see Reilly doing it in the Premier League. His goal return has been good this season, but if you look at who the majority of his goals have came against it’s no surprise that Jack signed Danny Mullen and stuck Gav on the bench. I would hope we sign at least 2 proven Premier League standard goal scorers in the summer. The fact is that Reilly can’t get a start just now, I can’t see how he’s going to be of any use among a stronger pool of strikers next season.

 

 

Oh and Ross and Fowler - Keep. Done a fantastic job.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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6 minutes ago, TopCat said:

 

 

 

Obviously a hugely important transfer window coming up for the club. With us losing our best player and moving up a division I’m sure we agree that there needs to be a lot of inward activity should we want to be competitive in the premier league. But who in our current squad should we keep?

 

Samson - Keep. One of my players of the year. The paisley panther, the ginger ninja, the legend that is Craig Samson. Expect and hope he will continue as first choice next year.

 

Ross Stewart (GK) - Punt. I think we need a new goalie in the summer. Someone with experience who’s capable of pushing Sammy for the number 1 jersey. Young Ross is clearly nowhere near the first team so unless he wants to stay on as third choice he should be punted.

 

Gary Irvine - Punt. Forgot he was still here until the other night. After that performance it’s no wonder he struggles to get on the bench most weeks.

 

Liam Smith - Keep. Obviously won’t be our decision, but I’ve been really impressed with Liam this year. Listening to Hearts fans they seem keen to have him back as right back has apparently been a bit of an issue for them. However we should be certainly asking them if we could either extend the loan or sign him on a permanent basis.

 

Harry Davis - Keep. No doubt about that. Only issue with Harry is that he’s had several bad injuries over the last few years. If he can keep himself fit I’ve no doubt he’ll be a solid performer at Premier League level.

 

Gary McKenzie - Keep - Similar to Harry in many ways. Clearly he is good enough for the Premiership, the question mark is over his fitness.

 

Jack Baird - Keep. Given the injury problems of our two first choice centre halves Jack has played a lot of football this year. He’s been excellent, that performance at Dunfermline where he scored the winner and made several game saving blocks will live long in the memory. Suspect he will play a big part next year too.

 

Massimo Donati - Punt. He looked all of his 37 years against Falkirk, no way he could cope in the Premier League. Not sure if he will be kept on in a coaching capacity but he’s certainly got nothing to offer us in playing terms.

 

Adam Eckersley - Punt. Tough one but Adam looks like his legs have went. Often felt that full back is a young mans position with the amount of running that’s required. Adam just can’t get up and down the line effectively and this will be even more exposed at Premier League level. He’s 33 this year so I think his time with us up.

 

Stelios - Punt. Easy one. Not sure if Stelios is even a Championship player, he’s certainly not a Premier League one. His performance against Aberdeen was a horror show. Was at fault for a goal against Falkirk. Expect he will sign for Dumbarton or Ayr.

 

Ian McShane - Punt. He’s struggling to get in the team in the Championship. Flynn has been a significant upgrade and I don’t think McShane is Premier League standard.

 

Ryan Flynn - Keep. Think he’s been good since he came. Plenty of experience at a good level. Expect he will be a big player for us next year.

 

Stephen McGinn - Keep. Not entirely convinced McGinn is up to it at Premier League level. He was terrible against Thistle and Aberdeen and even last week at Tannadice he struggled badly. I can’t see him being a regular starter but I do think there’s a place for him in the squad.

 

Mark Hill - Punt. Looked out of shape against Falkirk. And rubbish.

 

Cammy Smith - Keep. Cammy clearly has a bit of quality about him. He’s one of a very few players we have who I think will make the step up to the Premier League seamlessly and be a regular starter next year.

 

Lewis Morgan - Keep. We should be going to Celtic with the begging bowl asking if we can extend his loan for another season. Or till January at least. That would be signing of the summer if we pulled that off. Doubt we will, but we can but dream.

 

Kyle Magennis - Keep. Kyle’s obviously completely unproven at a level higher than The Championship, but he’s certainly earned the chance to go there with us. As with many of our players, he’s going to need to step up his performances a level if he’s going to have an impact in the Premier League.

 

Jordan Kirkpatrick - Punt. Another one to add to the long list of part time players we’ve signed who’ve not been good enough for full time football. Wasn’t surprised to see him shipped out in January and surely we won’t see him again.

 

Ross Stewart (st) - Punt. See above.

 

Nathan Flanagan - Punt. This promising youngster is the same age as Lewis Morgan . Doesn’t appear to have done much at Elgin so it’s puntsville for him.

 

Miles Hippolyte - Punt. He’s never been a Premier League player and he never will be. Thought scoring the penalty aside he was rubbish against Falkirk.

 

Josh Todd - Been here a long time now and he’s never managed to hold down a place. Not done enough to get a new deal.

 

Danny Mullen - Keep. Not been entirely convinced by Danny since he’s came in, but I do think he’s been an upgrade on Reilly. And so does Ross clearly as Gavin’s been punted out the side to accommodate him. 2 goals in 12 games for a striker in a team top of the league isn’t exactly setting the heather alight though. That will certainly need to improve if he’s going to be anything more than a bit part player next year.

 

John Sutton - Punt. Obvious punt, best of luck to a fantastic servant and can see him doing a job for Dumbarton/Ayr next year.

 

Daryl Duffy - Punt. What a strange signing. Did he ever actually play a minute of football for us?

 

Gavin Reilly - Punt. Probably the most controversial of choices, but I just can’t see Reilly doing it in the Premier League. His goal return has been good this season, but if you look at who the majority of his goals have came against it’s no surprise that Jack signed Danny Mullen and stuck Gav on the bench. I would hope we sign at least 2 proven Premier League standard goal scorers in the summer. The fact is that Reilly can’t get a start just now, I can’t see how he’s going to be of any use among a stronger pool of strikers next season.

 

 

Oh and Ross and Fowler - Keep. Done a fantastic job.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You want to keep Jack now? The worm has turned:o

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14 minutes ago, Drew said:

Stephen McGinn - punt? :lol:

There's many holes to pick in Lex's latest passive aggressive ramblings against the players he doesn't like, however (unless he's edited his post) he does say we should keep McGinn.

Looking forward to the club spending money telling players under contract like Eckersley and Hippolyte to sod off :lol:

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Just now, Stu said:

There's many holes to pick in Lex's latest passive aggressive ramblings against the players he doesn't like, however (unless he's edited his post) he does say we should keep McGinn.

Looking forward to the club spending money telling players under contract like Eckersley and Hippolyte to sod off :lol:

Ah, my mistake (I don't think he edited it, in fairness).

I was drawn immediately to his 'not up to Premiership' level assertion and jumped on that.

Apologies to Lex for the misrepresentation. You're still talking pish, however:P

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Agree with most of the above. We need a better keeper to challenge Sammy (I'd even go as far to say as we need a new number 1 for the SP) 

Eckersley seems like a very strange one. He has a year left and been fantastic. 100% keep. 

Reilly deserves a new deal, I think he must feel hard done by with Mullen playing so much. I think they'll both do a job but rate Reilly higher.

Hippolyte isn't match fit and had a bad injury, seeing hints of what he can do when back to his best. Punt would be extremely harsh and costly. 

Flannigan apparently hasn't been doing great on this loan or the last one but he might be worth an extra year to see. Given what will likely be low wages, I might be tempted to give him a new contract. 

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6 minutes ago, LargsBud said:

What do you think the chances are of keeping Liam Smith?

He has been excellent this season and one of our best players IMO. He's went slightly under the radar, being a right back. I really hope we can keep him and he will be a huge asset in the premier league. 

Ross on the radio, he will return to Hearts. 

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Agree with most of TC's post.

I'd keep Eckersley though and Reilly would be a decent squad player.

We need a new central defender, central midfielder and a replacement for Morgan on the left plus a striker.

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6 minutes ago, zico said:

Agree with most of TC's post.

I'd keep Eckersley though and Reilly would be a decent squad player.

We need a new central defender, central midfielder and a replacement for Morgan on the left plus a striker.

7 to 8 players inbound according to Jack Ross 

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I'm not narrowing it down by naming individuals the way Lex has , but he is correct in that there will be some surprise departures to make way for the glut of incoming players. JRs a fox , and he won't let anything slip about comings or goings until the time is right. If anyone eg McGinn is playing hardball over a new deal they'll be gone .  Last summer, I asked JR face to face , with no-one else in ear shot , if Harry Davis would he back , he replies , straight-faced , "no , Harry will sign for an English club" , 3 days later we re-signed him ^_^

Edited by billyg
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Despite the apparent outrage, it seems that most folk actually don't disagree with most of TC's post!

The only 2 'controversial' punts were Eckersely (who he states is a tough one) and Reilly who has been benched by the manager in the past few games and is out of contract.

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3 minutes ago, zico said:

Despite the apparent outrage, it seems that most folk actually don't disagree with most of TC's post!

The only 2 'controversial' punts were Eckersely (who he states is a tough one) and Reilly who has been benched by the manager in the past few games and is out of contract.

The thing I found most controversial about his post was that he wasn't wanting shot of Jack 'tick tock' Ross! :o

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3 hours ago, TopCat said:

 

 

 

Obviously a hugely important transfer window coming up for the club. With us losing our best player and moving up a division I’m sure we agree that there needs to be a lot of inward activity should we want to be competitive in the premier league. But who in our current squad should we keep?

 

Samson - Keep. One of my players of the year. The paisley panther, the ginger ninja, the legend that is Craig Samson. Expect and hope he will continue as first choice next year.

 

Ross Stewart (GK) - Punt. I think we need a new goalie in the summer. Someone with experience who’s capable of pushing Sammy for the number 1 jersey. Young Ross is clearly nowhere near the first team so unless he wants to stay on as third choice he should be punted.

 

Gary Irvine - Punt. Forgot he was still here until the other night. After that performance it’s no wonder he struggles to get on the bench most weeks.

 

Liam Smith - Keep. Obviously won’t be our decision, but I’ve been really impressed with Liam this year. Listening to Hearts fans they seem keen to have him back as right back has apparently been a bit of an issue for them. However we should be certainly asking them if we could either extend the loan or sign him on a permanent basis.

 

Harry Davis - Keep. No doubt about that. Only issue with Harry is that he’s had several bad injuries over the last few years. If he can keep himself fit I’ve no doubt he’ll be a solid performer at Premier League level.

 

Gary McKenzie - Keep - Similar to Harry in many ways. Clearly he is good enough for the Premiership, the question mark is over his fitness.

 

Jack Baird - Keep. Given the injury problems of our two first choice centre halves Jack has played a lot of football this year. He’s been excellent, that performance at Dunfermline where he scored the winner and made several game saving blocks will live long in the memory. Suspect he will play a big part next year too.

 

Massimo Donati - Punt. He looked all of his 37 years against Falkirk, no way he could cope in the Premier League. Not sure if he will be kept on in a coaching capacity but he’s certainly got nothing to offer us in playing terms.

 

Adam Eckersley - Punt. Tough one but Adam looks like his legs have went. Often felt that full back is a young mans position with the amount of running that’s required. Adam just can’t get up and down the line effectively and this will be even more exposed at Premier League level. He’s 33 this year so I think his time with us up.

 

Stelios - Punt. Easy one. Not sure if Stelios is even a Championship player, he’s certainly not a Premier League one. His performance against Aberdeen was a horror show. Was at fault for a goal against Falkirk. Expect he will sign for Dumbarton or Ayr.

 

Ian McShane - Punt. He’s struggling to get in the team in the Championship. Flynn has been a significant upgrade and I don’t think McShane is Premier League standard.

 

Ryan Flynn - Keep. Think he’s been good since he came. Plenty of experience at a good level. Expect he will be a big player for us next year.

 

Stephen McGinn - Keep. Not entirely convinced McGinn is up to it at Premier League level. He was terrible against Thistle and Aberdeen and even last week at Tannadice he struggled badly. I can’t see him being a regular starter but I do think there’s a place for him in the squad.

 

Mark Hill - Punt. Looked out of shape against Falkirk. And rubbish.

 

Cammy Smith - Keep. Cammy clearly has a bit of quality about him. He’s one of a very few players we have who I think will make the step up to the Premier League seamlessly and be a regular starter next year.

 

Lewis Morgan - Keep. We should be going to Celtic with the begging bowl asking if we can extend his loan for another season. Or till January at least. That would be signing of the summer if we pulled that off. Doubt we will, but we can but dream.

 

Kyle Magennis - Keep. Kyle’s obviously completely unproven at a level higher than The Championship, but he’s certainly earned the chance to go there with us. As with many of our players, he’s going to need to step up his performances a level if he’s going to have an impact in the Premier League.

 

Jordan Kirkpatrick - Punt. Another one to add to the long list of part time players we’ve signed who’ve not been good enough for full time football. Wasn’t surprised to see him shipped out in January and surely we won’t see him again.

 

Ross Stewart (st) - Punt. See above.

 

Nathan Flanagan - Punt. This promising youngster is the same age as Lewis Morgan . Doesn’t appear to have done much at Elgin so it’s puntsville for him.

 

Miles Hippolyte - Punt. He’s never been a Premier League player and he never will be. Thought scoring the penalty aside he was rubbish against Falkirk.

 

Josh Todd - Been here a long time now and he’s never managed to hold down a place. Not done enough to get a new deal.

 

Danny Mullen - Keep. Not been entirely convinced by Danny since he’s came in, but I do think he’s been an upgrade on Reilly. And so does Ross clearly as Gavin’s been punted out the side to accommodate him. 2 goals in 12 games for a striker in a team top of the league isn’t exactly setting the heather alight though. That will certainly need to improve if he’s going to be anything more than a bit part player next year.

 

John Sutton - Punt. Obvious punt, best of luck to a fantastic servant and can see him doing a job for Dumbarton/Ayr next year.

 

Daryl Duffy - Punt. What a strange signing. Did he ever actually play a minute of football for us?

 

Gavin Reilly - Punt. Probably the most controversial of choices, but I just can’t see Reilly doing it in the Premier League. His goal return has been good this season, but if you look at who the majority of his goals have came against it’s no surprise that Jack signed Danny Mullen and stuck Gav on the bench. I would hope we sign at least 2 proven Premier League standard goal scorers in the summer. The fact is that Reilly can’t get a start just now, I can’t see how he’s going to be of any use among a stronger pool of strikers next season.

 

 

Oh and Ross and Fowler - Keep. Done a fantastic job.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Would you keep Jack Ross?

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