He definitely doesn't get the time you'd think he would, given the number of goals he's scored from midfield. Postecoglou, Rodgers and Clarke all seem to have reservations about playing him for some reason. Be interesting to see how he gets on at his next club.
No, you look for someone better and if you find him, then you bin the manager. If you don't, stick, don't twist.
Ross County didn't really look for better than Mackay, they just got fed up with him and took the lazy option of bringing in an old pal. Now they're going to pay the price.
Problem is, most clubs have to move players out before they can bring new guys in, so when you've cut the squad to a certain point - like us - you're basically forced to bring bodies in, whether they're the ones you wanted or not. Like Oli Shaw, I assume.
By the way, is he gone or not?
They might not rate him now, but they did not so long ago. If he's not happy there, why give him the chance to get it right up you if there are options (with more money, no doubt) elsewhere?
Even if we were in for him, if we couldn't match a League One side's wage demands to get Fraser on loan, how could we possibly afford to outbid and outpay another side from that division to get Nouble?
He sounds like a guy who doesn't fancy going in on Monday. Levein sounded scunnered in his interview too. Maybe the pair of them have woken up to the realities of managing a provincial club in 2024.
You don't need that many decent players to survive in this league. If we can add two or three of them in the right positions we should be ok, starting up front.
We have a shit, threadbare squad, hee haw money to bring in decent players, and with only days left to bring in anyone, you think they're going to start looking for a new manager? Ok, let's say they do - who d'you fancy, Frail, Foster or Clarkson?
The need for survival in the top division pushes the need for constant panic signings. Is there a desire to reset along the lines of our own youth system providing the basis of the first team? Who knows. Talk of a bigger league introducing a wee bit of breathing space for clubs like ourselves doesn't convince me. How big would that league need to be before we could feel relegation wasn't still a realistic possibility and gamble on change? Feels like the club is a hamster on a wheel at the moment.
I agree with everything you're saying, but I do worry about how we get 'round the youth development issue. Clubs like ourselves seem to be in a position where young guys showing any talent will be snatched by bigger vultures for negligible financial compensation before they've had a chance to contribute much, or anything, to our first team. The ones we're left with probably won't make it at our level.
If we don't get the playing benefit from our youths, we need to get the pay up benefit, but getting guys like Johnston or Miller to sign 5 year deals obviously isn't going to happen.