weeyin

Good to hear Robinson say in his post-match today that he is still looking for a bit of pace up front. While guys like Sutton and Higdon were about as mobile as the Exxon Valdez, they benefited from speed merchants around them and a lot of our success has been due to pace on the break.

Exactly. Like I said in an earlier post, we have a wage structure and need to stick to it. As soon as you make an exception, you have no structure and instantly cause unrest among the players. When Moult moves on, it won't be because he couldn't get an extra few quid out of us. It will be because a better team, offering more career development opportunities comes in for him, and bumps his salary to a level we can't compete with. Also, crowdfunding a player's salary is mental. If you want to throw extra money to the club, give it to the Society before the end of the year, and it will be worth double.

Robinson is spot on and I think it's good that he's setting fans expectations. Given the chat on here, some people need a wee bit of a reality check on what we can afford. When Moult leaves it will likely be for about double his current salary, so paying him and extra 500 quid a week now isn't going to prevent that. The club has admitted in previous years that it let salaries and bonuses get out of hand based on poor planning and an assumption of high league finishes. We need a wage structure at the club and to stick with it. As soon as you make an exception, then you no longer have a structure and you risk causing unrest other players. Of course, there are a lot more creative ways to structure a new deal than a flat weekly increase. Appearance money, goal targets, league position win bonuses, cup bonuses etc. that could average out to more than 500 quid a week. After the last few seasons, it's about time players started doing enough to get some more win bonuses under their belt.

Last year we were killed in the second half of the season due to lack of cover at the back. If we have 8 choices there this season, that is fine by me.

It will all be kickabouts until the Rangers game. Even the League Cup games I expect will be trial formations and giving youngsters a few games. As Robinson said yesterday (and every other manger says too) pre-season fixtures are about 2 things. Getting game time and avoiding injuries.

Seems to be the modern way. Full backs often more likely to play like wing-backs than defenders. Can't say I'm a big fan of that approach, but I'm constantly reminded I'm old and know nothing about this game.

It's always amusing to read the critiques of an early pre-season game. When we play them behind close doors, people complain. When we play them in front of fans, it's panic stations that we aren't a well oiled machine after a few days back in training.

So exactly what you'd expect with 5 weeks of preseason before we kick off our league campaign. Certainly, exactly what I'd expect at this stage.

I imagine there will a twitter commentary too.

Again, though, I suspect Robinson knows this. He has experience of both leagues and, as he mentioned in his interview, sees unfulfilled potential in Dunne he hopes to encourage. In general, we can't afford players from exactly our level our above, so most of our signings are going to be lower league guys we hope to develop. At the very least, maybe let's just give him a chance to show what he can do before moaning. Although I do realise there are a lot of posters who prefer the latter.

More weight than the thoughts of our manager who had him as a player at Oldham?

TBF, it's the journos that ALWAYS ask that OF question to every English player we sign. I have some sympathy with the interview process too - here ye go, son. We just signed you now go and speak to the press on camera. The gaffer's interview that was just posted gives more insight into why we signed him and what his hopes are for him. Maybe even more insight than the Blackpool fans. Seems like we are looking for a right-sided defender now and waiting to see how the trialists perform in the next couple of games.

Fans are idiots.

Odds on at least 2 papers reporting a "Dunne Deal"?

I think you're right about 2/3 signings. The good news is the transfer window doesn't close for almost 9 weeks. The bad news is by the time the transfer window closes in almost 9 weeks it could be 4/5 signings we need. Although I'm sure we have targets to replace our most likely leavers.

Summer fitba' though, eh? Isn't that what I keep hearing people want?

I thought that too, but looking at his stats, that doesn't seem to be the case. According to Wikipedia, he has scored a grand total of 18 league goals since 2011; twelve of which came in his stint at St Jonstone from 2014 - 2016. If that makes him worth half a million, Moult's last two season's tally must put him past the 1 million value.

The key factor in the striker equation is will Moult stay. If he does, then we need to make sure we have options that play well with his style. If not, then we need to be thinking partnerships when we bring in fresh blood.

The Scotsman reckons St Johnstone are looking to re-sign him.

No' when I was a player.

The warm up areas will be to prevent things like the Celtic fracas, and to keep players of our snooker table of a pitch as much as possible. In general, however, the board seems to have learned from its mistakes and is aiming for a breakeven budget, so not too concerned at this stage.

Maybe some of the youngsters. Plus Hennighan, obviously.

Or maybe - just maybe - professional scouts and coaches whose livelihood depends on these things know more about identifying players they can develop than the punters who can't see passed their own biases.

It's always amusing that the same people who complain that we never get big fees for players are the same ones who post how poor our players are. "Heneghan is shite, and won't ever improove!" "What do you mean we flogged him for 50k? We were robbed!"

As our GM pointed out, Cadden is under contract until 2019, so we certainly have no need to sell him on the cheap.