Stenhousemuir V StMirren 9 July

[TPAFKA Jersey 2]

2 minutes ago, Eric Arthur Blair said:

FT 1-1

How thouroughly uninf**kingspiring.

[magnus]

26 minutes ago, djchapsticks said:

Not at all. 

Popescu and Hladky had several appearances at the top division in their countries before joining us. As did Tomas Malec and Filip Hlohovsky who were both unsuccessful in their trials with us. 

Tonight you have 6 guys on trial, 3 of whom not only haven't had first team experience but are seemingly untraceable on Google. The other three are Louis Longridge, Oan Djorkaeff and a Haitian International holding midfielder who has just been released from a French fourth division side. 

Suppose most of us expected new faces of similar calibre to what we managed to conjure up in January and not pissing about wasting time giving a shirt to guys who haven't done anything and clearly aren't going to cut it. It was the same at the Sunderland game last season where we handed out 3 shirts to guys who were just nowhere near the standard needed, and that was among last seasons squad at this point!!! 

It's a strange process. Seems we are content to let top players like Hodson, Popescu, Muzek and Duckens leave and not have any replacements lined up early enough to be able to say hello to each other and the rest of the team before the season starts. Games like tonight would make more sense if it involved the core of the team getting some game time with the new signings. 

[Sweeper07]

2 hours ago, djchapsticks said:

Six trialists tonight. 3 starting, 3 on the bench. 

Admittedly, I'm quite disappointed that we're going down the route of so many trialists coming in. One or two is fair enough but it's not exactly a path that's yielded that many results in the past. 

I'd have hoped we had an actual signing strategy in place instead of bringing loads of folk in to see what they're like. 

Oh and someone was mocked for highlighting that we were looking at trialists before JG arrived . . . 

[Dibbles old paperboy]

20 minutes ago, buddies1877 said:

New year still same old shit moaning about trialists who cares if Jim wants to have a look at players that’s his choice in fecking meaningless games.


Just wait for the loan players to get signed up for another round of moaning......
 

Goodwin doesn't want to use many loan players at the club and would rather build his own squad. I'd imagine if we end up making lots of loan signings things haven't gone to JG's plans... but not to worry the BoD expected Kearney to leave and had made contingency plans blah blah blah.

So far I'm not sure whether I detect Goodwin's hand in signing Andreu and us being linked with Stevie May (he played with both at Accies I think) or whether it is a return to Gus' policy of picking up out of contract / unwanted players from other Scottish clubs.

[munoz]

2 minutes ago, magnus said:

It's a strange process. Seems we are content to let top players like Hodson, Popescu, Muzek and Duckens leave and not have any replacements lined up early enough to be able to say hello to each other and the rest of the team before the season starts. Games like tonight would make more sense if it involved the core of the team getting some game time with the new signings. 

I fear that the lack of cash rumour might have more legs to it than some people gave it credit for. 

Worryingly thin squad with our first competitive game this weekend. 

 

[Dibbles old paperboy]

I wouldn't necessarily read too much into the result or performance. We used to have double training sessions before the pre-season games against Dumbarton and our players often looked sluggish compared to part-time Dumbarton in those games.

The key thing at this stage of the season is Goodwin bonding with the existing players and getting his methods across and making progress with recruitment for the season(s) ahead.

[magnus]

1 minute ago, Dibbles old paperboy said:

Goodwin doesn't want to use many loan players at the club and would rather build his own squad. I'd imagine if we end up making lots of loan signings things haven't gone to JG's plans... but not to worry the BoD expected Kearney to leave and had made contingency plans blah blah blah.

So far I'm not sure whether I detect Goodwin's hand in signing Andreu and us being linked with Stevie May (he played with both at Accies I think) or whether it is a return to Gus' policy of picking up out of contract / unwanted players from other Scottish clubs.

We must totally exploit the loan deal market. It gives us access to better players that we have no chance of ever being able to afford or sign. I would have thought the plan has to be a blend of core team, max number of top loan players and maybe a breakthrough player or two from the academy.

[magnus]

2 minutes ago, munoz said:

I fear that the lack of cash rumour might have more legs to it than some people gave it credit for. 

Worryingly thin squad with our first competitive game this weekend. 

 

How can that be though? Over a million for finishing 11th, money from McGinn, decent crowds. How shit is this Board at money management? If we are skint GLS should hang his head in shame. 

[munoz]

2 minutes ago, magnus said:

How can that be though? Over a million for finishing 11th, money from McGinn, decent crowds. How shit is this Board at money management? If we are skint GLS should hang his head in shame. 

If we aren't skint, you've got to wonder why we are giving a trial to players with hardly any 1st team experience between them. 

Still, early days. 

[Dibbles old paperboy]

3 minutes ago, magnus said:

We must totally exploit the loan deal market. It gives us access to better players that we have no chance of ever being able to afford or sign. I would have thought the plan has to be a blend of core team, max number of top loan players and maybe a breakthrough player or two from the academy.

Goodwin made good use of loan signings while at Alloa, so I think he has shown he has a good eye for young up and coming players, but he also regards relying on loan signings for the bulk of your signings as being short-termist and it is better to sign your own players and develop them over a few seasons and have the option of selling them on at a profit or getting the benefit of having them improve over 2-3 seasons. He has said it's not a good model to be signing a new squad once or twice a season.

I'd be surprised if we make more than 3-4 loan signings in this window.

[David Mc]

Is it beyond the bounds of possibility we are negotiating with a number of players who didn't play tonight.  And that the trialists were an opportunity to look at some outliers.

[magnus]

1 minute ago, munoz said:

If we aren't skint, you've got to wonder why we are giving a trial to players with hardly any 1st team experience between them. 

Still, early days. 

Hopefully it's early days I just cant believe Saints are not sitting with a comfortable wedge of cash. 

[magnus]

2 minutes ago, Dibbles old paperboy said:

Goodwin made good use of loan signings while at Alloa, so I think he has shown he has a good eye for young up and coming players, but he also regards relying on loan signings for the bulk of your signings as being short-termist and it is better to sign your own players and develop them over a few seasons and have the option of selling them on at a profit or getting the benefit of having them improve over 2-3 seasons. He has said it's not a good model to be signing a new squad once or twice a season.

I'd be surprised if we make more than 3-4 loan signings in this window.

Totally agree. And the loan guys have to be the right type as well. It says a lot for the dressing room atmosphere last season that a couple of our loan guys were happy to sign up had the money been right.

 

[Ethan]

6 minutes ago, David Mc said:

Is it beyond the bounds of possibility we are negotiating with a number of players who didn't play tonight.  And that the trialists were an opportunity to look at some outliers.

I would say you hit the nail on the head. Does anyone seriously think this will be our team going into the new season. This was a bounce game nothing more nothing less. We gave some trialists a run out and rotated the squad. We will have better coming in just be patient. 

[magnus]

4 minutes ago, Ethan said:

I would say you hit the nail on the head. Does anyone seriously think this will be our team going into the new season. This was a bounce game nothing more nothing less. We gave some trialists a run out and rotated the squad. We will have better coming in just be patient. 

Post Stubbs,  wee Tommy and Murray anything is possible. #scarred

[Cornwall_Saint]

24 minutes ago, magnus said:

It's a strange process. Seems we are content to let top players like Hodson, Popescu, Muzek and Duckens leave

Think you are looking into this too much.

We went after Hodson but Gillingham, like most English League One sides, were able to offer him a better wage.

The Duck would most likely command a transfer fee out of our price range as he still has two years left of his three year deal at St Truiden.

We were definitely in for Popescu, but it appears the goalposts were moved last minute and we’ve been outpriced now. Possibly something to do with Dinamo not being in a great state financially, possibly Popescu’s agent making demands we can’t meet. 

As for Muzek, again we did offer him a contract. I doubt there is much money in the Moldovan league, but Sherif are one of the “big boys” there and as a result may be able to offer better. Likewise it’s closer to home for him, and Sherif are regularly competing in Europe - Indeed they are in the Champions League qualifiers, something we definitely won’t be able to offer.

[Dibbles old paperboy]

14 minutes ago, magnus said:

How can that be though? Over a million for finishing 11th, money from McGinn, decent crowds. How shit is this Board at money management? If we are skint GLS should hang his head in shame. 

Myself and others suggested we were burning through cash mutually consenting Alan Stubbs, Darren Jackson, Oran Kearney (complete with gagging clause added), Nicolai-Brock-Madsen, Hayden Coulson, Alfie Jones, Jeff King, Cole Kpekawa, shelling out money for Josh Heaton... 2 managers and a first team coach in under 12 months and a handful of players and then having to hire replacements for players and staff we have just paid off.

If we're skint at the start of the season it is not a surprise to some of us. I think I posted elsewhere that since the summer when GLS became chairman 3 years ago we've released and signed around 80 players and blown all the money brought in from selling Jason Naismith, John McGinn, Kyle McAllister, Stevie Mallan, and Lewis Morgan as the wage bill has risen steeply and because we have signed and released so many players and gone through 4 managers, 3 assistants, 2 first team coaches in that time as well and hired a new director of football.

[W6Saint]

5 minutes ago, Dibbles old paperboy said:

Myself and others suggested we were burning through cash mutually consenting Alan Stubbs, Darren Jackson, Oran Kearney (complete with gagging clause added), Nicolai-Brock-Madsen, Hayden Coulson, Alfie Jones, Jeff King, Cole Kpekawa, shelling out money for Josh Heaton... 2 managers and a first team coach in under 12 months and a handful of players and then having to hire replacements for players and staff we have just paid off.

If we're skint at the start of the season it is not a surprise to some of us. I think I posted elsewhere that since the summer when GLS became chairman 3 years ago we've released and signed around 80 players and blown all the money brought in from selling Jason Naismith, John McGinn, Kyle McAllister, Stevie Mallan, and Lewis Morgan as the wage bill has risen steeply and because we have signed and released so many players and gone through 4 managers, 3 assistants, 2 first team coaches in that time as well and hired a new director of football.

If we were skint Andreu wouldn't have been signed.

If we were skint Hladky would be gone at the first sign of a bid.

If we were skint Popescu would never have been something we could even consider.

If we were skint Jim Goodwin certainly wouldn't be here.

[Dibbles old paperboy]

8 minutes ago, W6Saint said:

If we were skint Andreu wouldn't have been signed.

If we were skint Hladky would be gone at the first sign of a bid.

If we were skint Popescu would never have been something we could even consider.

If we were skint Jim Goodwin certainly wouldn't be here.

Andreu was out of contract. Popescu never materialised, let's see how long Hladky is with us... and last season we were linked with Adam Rooney and Anthony Stokes before settling for Jeff King and Cody Cooke supplementing Danny Mullen.

Edited July 9, 2019 by Dibbles old paperboy

[thomsons dropped it]

You would need a clothes line a couple of miles long for all the wet knickers on this thread..........

[the barrhead teacher]

Give the man a chance only been in the job two weeks

[santaponsasaint]

Was at the game tonight. Trialists never impressed much. But it's hard to do that in bounce game. Can't see us signing any of them that played tonight. Hladky was class as usual. Bairdy was only player who played the 90mins. Pretty poor game TBH but these games usually are. On to Sunday when it means something.

[Balmullo Bud]

Interesting to see all the trialists tonight, but disappointing at the same time. None of them particularly stood out, but neither did any of our first team regulars against a division 2 team. Preseason friendlies are normally pretty mundane affairs.
Djorkaeff was busy and industrious, but could have got better final balls in and the big CB in the second half(22) looked good on the ball, but could’ve defended better. Wee holding midfielder(16) had a great touch, but would need to see more of him. Rest were nothing to write home about. There’s a lot of focus on Hladky at the moment and when he was called into action he was excellent again. He really is a class act. We’ve hopefully got something a lot better in the pipeline than the trialists on show tonight. Can’t read too much into the game, but great to see Goodie in his Saints trackie standing at our dugout.

[magnus]

32 minutes ago, the barrhead teacher said:

Give the man a chance only been in the job two weeks

I don't think anyone has questioned "the man". Goodie is hugely popular and rightly so. He is the right man for us now that OK is away.  The questions are more around the process our Club adopts when preparing for a new season. GLS is on record saying he knew OK was leaving. Gus is there to identify new players and ensure continuity regardless of managers leaving.

Jim Goodwin is on record saying the Cups are very important to him and the Club yet here we are with a cup game against Dunfermline looming and we are 4 top players down on last season and instead of watching our new signings play a friendly we are seeing 6 very speculative trialists.

It just gives the appearance that the Club thinks the season starts proper at Christmas. No knicker wetting just saying.

Edited July 9, 2019 by magnus

[St.Ricky]

Was at the game tonight. Scrappy match. Decent play going forward but not tight enough at the back. Too many changes for me personally to make any judgements other than I liked the play of Hladky, P McGinn, Baird, Andreu, Magennis and Djorkoff. Some excellent play from the wing by Djorkoff but no tall players in the middle to aim at in the first half.