MelvinBragg

From what I hear, the U20s basic wage is smaller than you've heard but their appearance fee if they break into the first team is in four figures...

Only going by what I was told by a U20. Only point I was trying to make was that I felt a wage of £2.5k wouldn't frighten us off of Jackson Irvine. Was it not the fee that Celtic were looking for..?

Apparently. And not told to me in a "Did you hear this???" way but in a very matter of fact fashion. Don't get me wrong. My understanding is that if a U20s player doesn't feature for the first team, they earn a very very very small wage...

Very small basic wage, substantial appearance fee. £2k perhaps overstating it. Nearer £1700. Good source...

My understanding is that some of our U20 players can earn up to £2k a week if they feature for the first team. Doesn't seem likely that a wage of £2.5k should frighten us...

If we're looking for a ball winning midfielder, someone to break up opposition attacks then it's unlikely we'll find this player in the loan market. Players loaned out from EPL or Championship clubs tend to be young players. Very rare to find a 19/20 year old with the positional awareness and discipline to play that role. More likely to find that kind of player among the free agents out there. Having said that, a player that may be available on loan and could do a job would be Andy Murdoch at Rangers. Generally seen as their best midfielder last season (not saying much, I know) and is out of the picture at Ibrox now...

To make it clear, not saying that I'd go for him but wouldn't surprise me if the club did. At this point, I think if we bring in two more players then at least one of them will be a loan signing...

No names doing the rounds but it wouldn't surprise me if Conor Grant was a player to come in if we're looking at two midfielders. Doesn't seem anywhere near the Everton first team and Baraclough knows what he's capable of. I could be a mile out but wouldn't be stunned if he arrived...

I'm sure Frazzle said that he wasn't judging him on the little he saw of him. In the same way it's difficult to say someone "looks the part" on the basis of 30 minutes. Unless he's replacing Sutton more in his aesthetic qualities...

When does the transfer window close in Scotland?

Three in three. Penalty or not, bodes well..

To an extent, I agree. My first thought was that I thought we were looking for young guys with potential for a transfer fee later on? On the other hand, we do have three or four players over 30. And a few in their early 20s. We don't have many players in their prime (24-29) and those we do have aren't that experienced (thinking Law, Johnson). Therefore you could argue we have a squad of players that either have potential or their best days are behind them. Maybe we need a couple of players to do a job here and now...?

Kallum Higginbotham against Josh Law. The fear...

Again, that can't be right? Our young players aren't good enough. They can't have outshone their more experienced colleagues. Against a lower league side granted but at least Thomas and Leitch played their part. Disappointed with Johnson's apparent loss of form. Thomas deserves his shot...

Given Kilmarnock scored four tonight, fear is that winning tonight would just delay the inevitable by a couple of days...

I know you said 'if', but gonnae no...

Surely not? Apparently our young players aren't ready for first team action. Should I base their readiness on a game against East Fife? No, but they still seem more ready than some of their senior counterparts...

Would be a neat trick as Leitch is on the field...

Certainly grounds to be surly...

Good to see Luke Watt back on the bench...

Correct, sir...

Ah, the club ethos of developing our own young players working well, I see...

St Mirren trying to compete with Hibs for second this season by going down last season's Rangers route of signing veterans who've played in the SPL...?

I don't want to come across as the grammar polis but please use commas, full stops or take a new line when you start a new sentence. Reading that gave me a sore head...

For me, things didn't fall to bits until Leitch was replaced by Clarkson. What shape we had was lost right then and it was no surprise we lost a goal a couple of minutes later...