MelvinBragg

Interesting that we've not used the loan market yet this summer. Whether that's simply down to the fact that English clubs haven't finalised their squads yet (although this didn't stop Aberdeen picking up a goalkeeper from Liverpool) or whether it's a conscious decision by the club, I don't know. Maybe even the fact that some of the players that we had on loan last season didn't feature as much as their parent club (thinking O'Brien and Grant) would have thought and would that put some clubs off from loaning us their players? Surely if you're loaning players out, you want them to feature regularly? Just a point I raise, simply because I expected our goalkeeper signing to be a loan signing, be it George Long or another player. The Craig Samson rumours does open up the idea of an experienced signing but that seems to go against the approach the club are mostly taking with the likes of Moult, Kennedy, Laing and Johnson being players to develop and sell. The boy Atkinson (and he is just a boy) would fit the profile there but goalkeeper is a position where it feels like a massive risk to go with such an inexperienced player. This is a massive decision. Not a huge fan of Twardzik but I'd rather wait and get the right signing in even if it means starting the season with only Twardzik and Brett Long...

Watt and Cadden are the youth players I'm most excited about...

Nah, save some goals for the real stuff...

Are we basing our opinions on Twitter now? And he did set up the goal...

Looks decent? On what basis??

Interesting that the trialist is starting behind what you could consider our first choice back four. Smart move to see how he interacts with them...

Must confess that I've been expecting us to bring in a goalkeeper on loan. A trialist suggests we are looking at a free agent. Surprised...

Interested to read we're expecting a decision on McDonald in the next couple of days. Obviously Baraclough is keen but wants him to get some sort of preseason training...

Don't really care if we get the same PR, doesn't bother me where United got these players from. What I'd like us to emulate is the amount of money they make...

Middle of their season is it not? They might be a bit sharper because of that...

Dave won't agree there. He's not a Lasley fan...

Surprised that Cadden hasn't featured this preseason. Is he injured..?

Bobby Russell Anders Iniesta to name to players who play in the same position as Leitch. And I'm not saying he's in their class just that you don't need that much pace if you have positional sense and a range of passing...

I agree with you that Watt (and possibly McLean) are at the front of the queue at the moment but that could change. Lasley misses a couple of games and Leitch comes in and does a good job, suddenly he makes himself a good option for Baraclough. On the subject of young players, is Cadden injured or has he dropped out of the picture altogether..?

Not as exposed as the weaknesses of Hutchinson or McManus were that day. Is Leitch going to make us a massive fee one day? Possibly not but on occasions he's shown enough to suggest he could be a solid SPL footballer. I don't have time to list all the players who have had excellent careers despite not being blessed with pace...

Because Scotland has too many clubs for a nation of its size, the SFA is spread far thinner than the FA?

People can't have it both ways. Fans always cry out for young players to get a proper chance (remember on here, the complaints that Dom Thomas was only getting 15 minutes here and there) yet they want two or three more signings for cover. How are the likes of Leitch, Thomas, McLean, Watt and Moore going to get a chance to prove themselves if when an experienced player is injured or suspended, another is waiting in the wings to step in? People talk a good game about buying into the club's plan of developing and selling young players but seem not to realise that means taking a risk here and there. If Thomas, Leitch, Erwin or Moore played for Dundee United, they'd have had a lot more game time under their belt before now. Maybe why they get bigger fees? They can sell younger or with more first team experience. One more midfielder will be enough in the middle of the park. Any more than that simply stifles young players. McDonald is a good player but signing him and playing him with either Moult or Fletcher, how does that add value to whichever of the two are not playing. I'm not saying don't sign him, just not sure how it would fit with the plan the club have in place...

As much as you sometimes talk pish, you are 100% correct there...

Cummins had a few honking games for us but when he first came into the team had a few good games as well. Not as inept as some Motherwell fans remember. Irrespective of what we think of them, good to see most of the players we released have picked up clubs at a decent level...

As well getting the mistakes our of the way now...

One of the new strikers has scored already... Results in preseason mean nothing...

Any subs?

First thing I noticed too. Looking closer at the line up, could be 352 with Chalmers playing centre half...

I see official MFC twitter has him listed as a trialist...

As a trialist..?