MelvinBragg

Our 17th signing of the summer apparently. Trying to work out how many players we had left from last season to work out the size of squad.. By my maths, we had eleven(not including Nicholson as they announced him as a new signing or Wilson as he was way out of last season's picture) including the injured Slattery. Squad of 27-28 by my reckoning...

To me, the plan will be to only use two proper midfielders when Watt is fit to start with him and Maswanhise playing off a striker. On that basis you could play Miller and Zdravkovski and have Sparrow and Halliday on the bench. I think the addition of Watt's footballing brain is to make up for the lack of one in three of our four midfielders. And also to make up fir the fact we can't find another midfielder with that brain. I suspect Paton and Nicholson were supposed to fill that particular void...

My first thought if Vale returns is 'OK, how long are Stuperavic and Stamatelopolous out for?'. I can only assume that they're perhaps out longer than was first assumed. That would leave us with Robinson, Ebiye and Watt plus Maswanhise who's a winger. So perhaps another striker would be useful? But if either of the other two are back shortly, it seems like overkill...

Neither Van Veen nor Vale make any sense to me.. Stamatelopolous will be back soon, Watt, Robinson, Ebiye, Maswanhise and Stuperavic also to return, how many attacking options do we need given we play with one out and out striker normally? Midfield, it really depends on how far away our injured players are. We're operating with four midfielders available at the moment so one injury there away from being really short. Not sure when Paton or Nicholson are due back, to me those two would make a huge difference.. I'd like to see a loan midfielder come in before Friday. But if it doesn't happen, I'll not be panicking. I'd rather not sign anyone than just bringing a player in who isn't able to contribute...

I expect us to win 5-0 with quality of football not seen since Lambert and O'Donnell dovetailed in McLean's last season. Why? Because I'm missing the game. So if it comes to pass, thank me later...

I'd argue given the size of the squad, rather than a Spittal replacement, we need to find a way of playing that doesn't require a Spittal replacement. Whether that's 352 with a flat midfield three in an early Stephen Robinson style or 433 with a flat midfield three and Watt and Maswanhise either side of a striker, I don't know. And don't particularly care. Just find a system that suits the players we have...

That ends after the group stages apparently. Hence him playing today...

Went with McGinn. He makes a huge difference to Gordon's game as well as he only has to worry about Casey and not Blaney as well. Was shifted about as subbies changed things and just got on with it. Watt and Maswanhise made a huge difference when they came on simply by instinctively looking forward whenever they got the ball rather than sideways. But I tend not to give MOTM to a sub..

Cheers...

Just a question.. In the group stages, games go straight to penalties. Does the same apply tomorrow in the case of a draw or are we back to thirty minutes extra time?

To be honest, it doesn't matter whether he appears as a striker or a midfielder on the team lineup. His job is going to be to link the midfield to the forwards...

I think the lack of other creative players for the foreseeable future means that he will be used from the bench a fair bit. Maybe out on loan in January if Stuperavic, Paton and Nicholson are all back...?

I don't disagree but with Nicholson's absence (unless you're playing Watt as a creator rather than a number nine which I we will do), a lot of responsibility in midfield being loaded on the shoulders of two weans...

I know he's shite but you've missed out Halliday. I also suspect Wells might get more minutes than you'd think...

Tony Watt is, I'm pretty sure, your attacking midfielder. Whether you like it or not. He's spent a lot of his time at Dundee Utd either on the bench or in the middle of the three in a 4231...

I did not know this obviously. Thanks...

That would be my guess as well...

Are we sure about this? He played as a sub vs Ayr United in the group stages...

😂 Pretty sure he's cup tied, or you could put money on it..

Surely even we're not daft enough to sign Watt to play as a number 9. Kettlewell's obsession with playing two number tens off a striker makes me suspect that Watt has been brought in to play that role and create so more a Nicholson/Stuperavic replacement. Surely...

Pretty much every single player we sign is a gamble on one level or another. They're either unproven at our level, older guys whose best days are behind them and we're hoping to squeeze a couple of seasons out of them or guys who have had injuries that we might not have been able to sign if they didn't have a couple of dents in them. And most clubs our size are doing the same thing (St Mirren signed Dunne and O'Hara from ourselves with their injury records, Dundee United went for Moult). Are other clubs simply being luckier or are their flaws in our training methods or physio/medical approach? That's a separate question.. Even our signings that have worked out in the past have been gambles Moult, Kiprè and Marvin Johnson? All unproven at our level. Aldred? Persona non grata at a shite Bury team. Chris Porter, we were told that we would never keep him fit. Tony Watt? Lazy, wouldn't apply himself. Basically there's no guarantees when we sign any player one way or another.. The only signing I perhaps have an issue with is Callachan. While Halliday (played loads of European games, experienced player to help an inexperienced midfield) and Nicholson (decent pedigree) have records that you could argue justify a gamble on them, I'm not sure you could say the same about Callachan's history...

Went for Robinson. Ross County looked more comfortable when he went off..

Did you see him for Killie? Anyone who would take him back after seeing him play for Killie is off their head...

I'm assuming those who said Partick never looked like scoring didn't see Graham blazing over an open goal. Or the easy chance they missed in the first half.. They had chances. We had a couple too but let's not pretend they created nothing...

Playing Miller as a ten is a ridiculous decision...