MelvinBragg

I did see some chat of us being interested in some guy called Kofi Balmer from Crystal Palace. We were linked with him last summer and apparently both St Mirren and ourselves are interested this summer...

As one of my mates said to me, if O'Donnell is the worst player we sign (re-sign) this summer then we'll be fine. If he's the best, we're fucked...

I'm no fan of O'Donnell but Devine wasn't great either...

Ah. Must confess to being vaguely aware that there were changes post Brexit but details had passed me by...

Not wishing to be funny, but how does this guy qualify for a work permit?

Maybe he likes it here? Also possible (and for me, this is the likely scenario) that given he was coming to the end of his contract, his agent has already had a look at what other offers are out there and for a guy that has seen very little first team action in two years, clubs weren't exactly knocking down his door? I think the rush to assume Oxborough will be our number one next season is premature. I reckon when we see who else we sign in terms of goalkeeper, we'll know more...

I hate the League Cup group stage. Or maybe more accurately, I hate when it's scheduled for. The gap between football seasons is way too short. I remember going to last season's group games feeling no real enthusiasm for it. Never mind the squad not being ready, I'm not ready for football back at that point...

There are more goalkeepers that are not first choice than there are first choice goalkeepers. It could be that Oxborough realises that there are very few first choice goalkeeping slots available, even less at clubs that might be seen as attractive. Equally likely as his being promised something. And I'm not saying that's definitely the case but Oxborough is not 19, he's been around football for a number of years. It could be he's just more realistic than some other keepers...

A few points have been made on here following the lists released by the club. • Like most, I'm kind of surprised that Mugabi has been offered a contract. Not that I think he's any worse than Blaney or Casey but given how little he played the last couple of months, the game against St Johnstone felt like a sentimental chance to say cheerio. If he was the first centre half on our bench, I wouldn't be upset. We've had worse defenders... • I think it was Dave who seemed surprised that we offered Oxborough a contract when he wasn't deemed good enough when Kelly lost form. We have to remember that Kelly was club captain and clubs very rarely drop goalkeepers... • Before getting upset at our offering Slattery (and Mugabi and O'Donnell for that matter), maybe consider that we don't know what they've been offered Slattery offered pay as you play? O'Donnell and Mugabi offered terms of a bench player rather than a first pick. I reckon if we'd offered these players what they were after then they'd be on the same list as Oxborough and McGinn... I've been pretty uninspired by the names we've been linked with but will wait and see what the squad looks like as the league cup and then the league starts...

Let's hope that this is just an off night for Easton, have seen nothing to suggest he's good enough...

Casey is a bombscare. Not suggesting any of other defenders are fantastic, but he's no better than them...

To me it looked like 352 as usual with bizarre choice to play Nicholson at wing back. Which might partly explain why he was poor..

I tend to agree. I seem to remember he was injured a fair bit though at Fir Park...

Apparently we offered Simon Murray a contract when he was at Queens Park and he laughed at our offer...

Indeed. I'd also be happier if he played a bit closer to Bair...

Talk of Ryan Jack and his injury record got me thinking about a conversation had at Fir Park earlier this season. Should we be looking at our physio department? Dunne and Moult couldn't stay fit at Fir Park and now they're available for selection most weeks. And the number of injuries we've had this season seems a lot...

I think there may be a distinction there. The Society as an organisation aren't involved in negotiations. But as members of the board of directors, the society reps on the board may well be involved in negotiations or at least privy to information...

I know. Hence "I thought". Don't get me wrong, he wasn't alone in having a bad day at the office. Spittal wasn't great, Bair (although starved of supply) didn't do much other than his goal (and yes, I know if a striker scores a goal every week and does nothing else, you'd take that). For me, O'Donnell, Gent and Zdravkovski were the best of a bad bunch...

I thought Casey was atrocious...

Unlike Van Veen himself...

I'd guess that the keeper may be among them. Probably O'Donnell...

Given Obileye's performance against us recently, I'm kind of hoping so...

That name popped into my head as well. The thing is that there are bound to be a few good keepers not getting first team football, it's the nature of the position. Remember signing Carson and Gillespie in successive summers? George doesn't strike me as a terrible keeper but there may be better options out there...

Apparently a PCA with Kilmarnock. Given he's played with Accies and Livingston, he clearly has some kind of plastic fetish. Don't let him near your daughter's Barbie...

I had actually heard it was Obileye, the centre half we had a PCA with. Nothing I've see of him suggests he's better than what we have (but then I'd have said that of Bair). Maybe cheaper than renewing Mugabi if we're cutting costs?