Kmcalpin

I suspect that KVV will be on the bench and will be given 10 minutes or so. Absolutely no point in McInnes signing him and then waiting on him getting up to speed. They've no time for that. Anyway this game is about us. Its an important game and a chance to get one over on our rivals. There's a chance that some folk are building Killie up to be something they're not. However the game unfolds, they'll prove a very hard physical test.

If that is the case, and there's nothing wrong at all with him thinking that, then I hope he had the decency to tell SK of his thoughts in good time.

They'll pay us what we're legally owed as per the contract signed. Whether that was a good deal or not is another matter.

We need to go into tomorrow's game with a positive attitude. A draw would be OK but we really want a win. Let's get behind the team.

Mark Ferrie's loan ended and he was on the bench last Saturday. The very few times I've seen him he just doesn't look ready for first team football.

Sorry that you're leaving. Certainly this site has been in meltdown since last night and things got a bit personal at times - never nice to see. P&B was also in meltdown last night too as I wrote before; maybe even a bit more in your face than this site was. Both sites have their strengths and weakneses and there's room for both. Personally I find P & B to be a bit of an echo chamber at times and perhaps too theatrical and "high level" for me, but each to their own. Yes, this site can be very negative. As you say, keep the faith.

That's right. Jim McMahon personally paid for it.

Not sacking him would have been catastrophically disastrous. We would have been relegated. There was so much wrong with his tenure both on and off the field. The huge and very costly mistake was appointing him in the first place.

Its very hard for most of us to tell. Presumably the manager tells the recruitment department what positions to look for and also what kind of player he wants to fill those positions. Each manager will, of course have their own preferences to suit their preferred way of playing. Is the manager identifying the right positions? Is he identifying the right player profiles? if the answer to those questions are yes, is the Recruitment department identifying appropriate players? You seem to be saying no, it isn't, at least in part. If the right positions and types of player identified are correct, are the manager/Recruitment department's targets unrealistic? Going by our unsuccessful striking shopping in the window are their expectations wrong? How does the Conor Wilkinson acquisition fit with those questions? A lot of questions but no answers for most of us.

We're on the same page. I don't think Elliot will be be on a huge wage, but I don't really understand his signing. Given that he hasn't played for months, he'll be no quick fix, which is what I think we need right now. An undiscovered gem? Maybe. My fear is that if he turns out to be a real find in say 2 or 3 months time, then a St Mirren or Kilmarnock will come along and hoover him up in the summer.

I get what you're saying. Whatever SK's weaknesses, and we all have them, are, I don't think lack of work ethic is one of them. However I quickly learned when younger, that despite what elders told me, hard work alone doesn't guarantee success. I agree that we needed to strengthen the wing back areas, but I think he's slightly overdone that, say by one wage? Now, I've no idea what wages/contributions we forked out to land them but surely if we had repurposed one wage to add to offers for strikers, that might have helped in attracting one.

No, failing to bring in KVV isn't a problem for me. Killie and to a very slightly lesser extent St Mirren offered silly money, if rumours are to be believed. We shouldn't even have contemplated matching that. FWIW, I never, at any time, thought it was realistic to land him.

Yes, the next 3 games are huge. The Directors gave SK time; has he used it to good effect? If we haven't boosted the strikeforce (we've still to see Vale in action of course) then we have to have strengthened the defence to the extent we stop conceding soft goals. He has to convert draws into wins. If we haven't improved our potency up front and still soft concede gift goals, then both he and the team are in big trouble.

I seem to recall that part of the problem was that he was one of our first Bosmans and walked away for nothing at the end of his contract; no fee. That irked quite a few fans.

Purestate's assessment of our wing backs is pretty much spot on but did we need to sign so many? Could the wages being expended on one maybe have been used to up the offer to a striker?

"I'm sure we'll get a 30 minute video in September explaining this whole shambles of a day." "Yep - there is no spin that can take away from the fact that we didn't manage to get a main striker in" "As others have said, I'm happy with the incomings, but not shoring up the forwards is piss poor. I'm not buying any hard luck stories either, this is an issue of competence, and we fucked it." "If Spittal gets injured then we might not score again this season" "Strap yourself in for a play-off defeat to Raith Rovers." "Looks like we’ve absolutely fucked it unless this Vale guy turns out to be decent." "I'm quite happy with all our incomings but the lack of a striker is absolutely shambolic when Mika left on the 18th of January." "Looks like we’ve fucked it. " "Looks like there's a lot of weight on Theo's shoulders now. If he gets us through the season without a relegation, I reckon we ought to get a statue up of him." These are quotes not from these boards but from the venerable patrons of P & B tonight. Their concerns, as are many of those on here, may be misplaced or premature, but they do demonstrate widespread concern. I know sourcing a striker is far, far from easy, but hopefully we'll hear something in the next day or two.

He should never have been signed. Thats no reflection on him as there is a player in there. However he just didn't suit our style of play. That should have been known before he was invited to put pen to paper. Obika? We knew full well that he had serious injury problems. Why then give him a 2 year deal? Biereth? A year long loan with a club like Arsenal who have previous for recalling players - a bit risky. Bair - a long term project, who performed better than expected. Shaw - a panic signing. We are where we are with strikers, but I hope we have someone lined up to come in over the next few days. If we don't, thats a serious failure.

Probably 0.

From a rumour I heard our interest in him was rebuffed a day or two ago. Not really gazumped at the last minute.

Squad composition does seem a bit odd now. Definitely a bit short in central defence and up front and awash with wing backs.

I'll be extremely disappointed if we don't sign another striker tonight or in the next day or two but am keeping my powder dry for now.

Yes, we badly need another striker folks but be patient.

The difference in gate mmoney is chickfeed. Not a factor here.

Thanks. That makes perfect sense.

Why nothing of course. I don't need to know anything, but this is a discussion forum and I'm interested in all things MFC. if you take a hard line, then I suppose you could say, with a modicum of justifcation, its none of our business. From the tone of announcements, if he's expected to be out for 2 or 3 months, then I agree its quite possible / likely that he won't feature for us again. If he does play again, then it might only be for a game or two. Given that, what is the purpose of keeping him on loan, if we have a choice? I'm not asking for detailed medical update - only the clubs and player will and should know that, and that might, with the best will in the world, be overly pessimistic. Yes, this is the last day of the window and other things are going on.