weeyin

We picked up a "struggling" Skippy. McCormack couldn't hack it with Rangers. Dom Thomas was "too wee" for Celtic. Ojamaa couldn't make the step up from Derby's Academy side etc. etc. Sometimes players a mince, other times they are just a bad fit for a team, sometimes a bit of both. I'll be really happy when the season starts, though, and we can start slagging off players in competitive matches.

Kerr is one those players a section of fans took an instant dislike to. The same ones that complain when we don't play youngsters and then complain when we do that they aren't the finished article. I have no idea if he will develop into a decent central defender, but I won't be surprised if he gets a new club at a decent level. He's definitely better than many on here give him credit for.

Now the complaint will be "too many weights and not enough speed work" the first time McManus gets turned by a striker.

Between that and McCall's effort to pick up the ball at Ibrox, it's the comedy gift that keeps on giving.

Don't forget Kendo Nagasaki.

I think it it was indecision as much as anything thing else. The fact that he had sufficient time to just slap the ball to safety, fall down, stand up and stroll over to wherever it landed to pick it up again, just adds to the comedy.

Maybe a generational thing, but the wrestler was the first thing that sprung to mind when I read it.

Or he didn't travel with the team, he travelled on his own. Or 'Flow was telling porkies so as not to alert other teams.

See, I don't believe that. I can point to a thousand examples where teams that are playing poorly look unfit. However, that is usually down to a lack of confidence. Players dwell on the ball afraid to take risks. Players are afraid to commit to tackles. Players abdicate responsibility so if a team mate screws up they will take the pesters instead. Players lacking in confidence also tend to hide, and that reduces the options. Plus some players are carrying knocks but forced to play. Teams that stink always look a yard slower, but that is almost always psychological. I also think that there was an inevitable lull after the prior season's league success. Great teams struggle to be consistently good and have to continuously refresh personnel even when they succeed. As counterintuitive as it sounds, I think our ability to quickly retain pretty much the same squad as the prior season was actually detrimental. A few fresh faces in key positions might have kept some of the old guard on their toes.

I seriously doubt foot golf was our downfall last season. We had the same training regime the season before and won 2nd place in the last minute of the last game. The malaise was much deeper than that, and I guarantee there will be similar games played during this pre-season - you can't just run hard for 6hrs a day. Jock Wallace had our guys vomiting after running up and down the dunes at Gullane, and that team was mince.

Maybe they drove him past Murray Park on the way from the airport.

I see in the Times article, Moult also just completed his UEFA B Licence. Pretty impressive for a youngster.

Except it wasn't just injuries. All of his managers at Everton, for example, spoke of how talented he was in one breath and in another breath spoke of how frustrating it was that he couldn't fit into the team. Same comments at international level. I have watched guys like Stevie Nicol move from Ayr Utd. to Liverpool, Graeme Sharp move from Dumbarton to Everton, Steve Clark move from St. Mirren to Chelsea, Andy Gray move from Dundee Utd to Aston Villa, Pat Nevin move from Clyde to Chelsea, Alan Hansen move from Partick Thistle to Liverpool, Gordon Strachan move from Aberdeen to Manchester Utd., Kenny Dalglish move from Celtic to Liverpool and James McCarthy move to Wigan all with great success. Plus, of course, as I mentioned earlier I watched with pleasure and some pride as McLair, McAllister and Lambert went on to greater things. Faddy had equal or better gifts, but didn't quite pull it off at the highest level. That doesn't mean I think he is a failure in any way. I have nothing but admiration and respect for his talent and, more importantly, the way he has conducted himself and his loyalty to our club. In a profession full of ass-hats, I'd happily point any youngster towards him as a role model. I just think he didn't quite reach the level his talent would allow. Maybe it was his decency that held him back a little, or his joy of playing the way he loves rather than than feeling constrained by tactics. Or maybe he was just born 25 years too late when earlier generations could accommodate mavericks like Charlie George and Rodney Marsh in their ranks. Regardless, I'm not trying to be hard on him. It was a pleasure to have him at our club. I just feel he had more in him than his record suggests.

We have obviously been happy to invest, but not sure how that will impact loans. If it's with a view to bringing back players on a permanent basis like Laing, then I guess that is OK.

It's July 4th weekend here, and our company gave us Thu and Fri off. Went up to the UK store today to get some provisions (like square sausage) then fired up the BBQ with venison, buffalo burgers and duck hot dogs. Sitting on the deck now with some booze and a fine cigar. 7:23pm and still 75F. It's OK.

And it's the fact he didn't make the most of his gifts that was disappointing. McLair and McAllister went on to win European trophies (as did Lambert). There's more to football than talent alone - that is why Andy Ritchie - one of the most naturally gifted players I have ever seen - didn't make the big time. McCarthy bosses that Everton team the way Faddy should have done. That's not a slight on Faddy. These things are complex, especially when you take injuries into account, and he can be a joy to watch. I just feel he had another level in him that went unfulfilled.

I think McCormack's record is better - especially when it comes to goals (almost one every two games during his time at Cardiff and Leeds). McFadden should have had the impact at Everton that McCarthy has now. I understand why people love him, and he deserves all the plaudits he receives - especially for being a stand-up guy with a commitment to our club. But I always felt a little disappointed that, after he left us, he never quite fulfilled his potential in the way guys like McLair and McAllister did.

I did, yes. Strip prices, like gate prices, are an industry wide issue and anything "official" seems to have a 300% markup applied.

Likewise. Plus I'd say he's had a more successful career down south.

Not to kick off a debate in the ins-and-outs thread, but from his peers, McCormack would give him a run for his money.

The shop's wage bill isn't relevant, though. If you bought a shirt of equivalent quality that had nothing to do with football, it would probably be a third of the price.

By that logic, we should only ever sign current SPFL players. We are the kind of club that needs to be adopting (or re-adopting this strategy). Even if only one of three turns out good enough to sell on, that will keep us in the black. One the reasons I enjoy following a club our size is the enjoyment of watching players come in and develop, from the likes of McAllister and McLair to Faddy and Erwin. Not to mention guys like Arnott and Gahagan that we brought in from the Juniors. Anyway, if you slate pretty much every signing we make, you are bound to be right once in a while. You were on Higdon's case for long enough and that tuned out OK.

If you hate it, it means you also hate Wullie Pettigrew. That's a scientific fact.

Speaking as a old man, I'm looking forward to the release of the club Thermos and traveling rug.

That's true - but sadly, due to a poor choice of subsequent employer, we'll never know how that early rise to prominence affected his later career.