MelvinBragg

If you have no money for a centre midfielder but have spent a wage on a central defender that is a slight upgrade on what you have but it leaves you with two first team central defenders taking a wage for sitting on the bench, it seems like bad planning to me...

By my reckoning we have lost Pearson, Leitch, Gomis, Fletcher, Law, Hall and have resigned several players on reduced terms. Surely savings made there should be enough for more than four new faces (not counting Brill as pretty sure our contribution to Ripley's salary accounts for his wage. If things are that tight budget wise, it makes the signing of a centre half all the more puzzling...

I tend to agree but just throwing it out there. Strikes me as a signing we'd make if McCall was still in charge...

I see that one of our nightmare opponents, Gary Harkins has been told by Dundee that he's free to find a new club. Someone we might consider if we're short in midfield...?

Oh aye, should have said that I reckon getting a player on loan through the deal will suit us but the chances of us getting a fee north of £1m are slim...

Probably would suit us as by the sounds of it, Manning is a player who plays in a similar position and it would save us having to find a replacement...

I agree. I am kind of amazed by the people saying it's only the league cup, treat it like preseason, not that worried about it... Given our recent record in the cups is a stick that is used to beat the club and previous managers, to suddenly dismiss one of the two trophies we have a realistic chance of winning seems to me a bit daft...

£1.6m?? Has someone been sniffing glue? I think Johnson's a smashing player but no better than Murphy was when he left. I know their contract situations are different but still...

So who was our trialist last night, anyone know?

I was wondering if we might look to move Laing on as part of the wheeling and dealing to bring a midfielder in...

The question is, is Chambers better than Humphries was when he was here?

Where did you hear/see that?

Figure that it's an either/or situation with Ainsworth and Thomas. If Ainsworth stays then, Thomas out on loan is an option. If Ainsworth leaves, Thomas may well be needed...

Or the U19 international we signed that's a left back...

Sounds like it. Bit of a ridiculous situation if a player is good enough to catch Burnley's eye but we don't seem to offer this player a contract early enough...

Dunno. It does say that we wish him well...

Outwith the Old Firm and Shinnie, are there any left backs markedly better than Hammell in the SPL? None leap immediately to mind. Given his age, should we looking to develop a successor? Of course. Will it be easy to find someone as consistent? Answer would have to be no. As Lobey_Dosser points out, the prospect of losing McDonald and Pearson and trying to replace them with players that will contribute as much is a lesson that while we'd like to replace guys the wrong side of 32, it's not always that easy...

An 18yo Northern Ireland left back we signed from Sheffield Wednesday this summer, Josh Stachini... EDIT Seen him listed various places as a midfielder, am told he's a left back though..

Don't you know that sensible questions like that aren't allowed on this forum?

Oo er, missus.. On a serious note, he's had his injuries in the last couple of seasons but managed 28 games in the season just finished so not the total crock some are making out. If he's taken a sizeable pay cut, a handy player to have around for Chalmers and Stachini to try and watch and learn from with a view to one of them taking over...

Given our previous struggles in cup games against lower league sides, could argue there will be more pressure/expectation in those games for young players to have to handle...

I agree with much of what you say and my post was (surprisingly, given my track record, I'll grant you) not a dig at McGhee specifically. I am not expecting all our transfer business done by 16th July. But I do feel that to be starting preseason training with only one recognised centre midfielder (aged 36) strikes me as bad planning by the club. I don't pin this on McGhee as I imagine that he has already identified his targets for that area. And I am aware that some deals take longer than others for any number of reasons. But I'd have hoped that it would have been a priority for the club to sort this as soon as the Pearson deal was even hinted at. It's not only Rangers I'd be concerned about from our league cup group if we're going in short in midfield...

2 or 3 new players, wasn't specific on midfielders but you'd have to imagine it's the priority given we've let Gomis and Leitch go and now Pearson has left. Under three weeks to our first competitive game...

If they get McDonald for nothing, they can sell Cummings for cash...

McFadden hasn't signed and he's not a midfielder. And it's Richard Tait not Paul. But your general point holds...