Inthebasement

Not sure Goodwillie will have any profile in England now. The evidence that he is a diamond in the rough type prospect is pretty limited. He was massively overhyped in Scotland due to a few decent months and a goal at Ibrox. Suddenly he was Scotland's future and a multimillion pound prospect, but was still often an understudy to Jamie Murphy at Scotland under21 level. You have to ask why he failed in a second spell at his hometown club - the same media that hyped him up describe it as a 'loss of confidence' but it looks very like having been found out.

Somewhere near Wishaw, eddiemunster sweats over his keyboard. It's been eight hours now and still no perfectly formed and foulmouthed one-liner to humiliate this wayward young poster. Mileoot... naw.... bawheid, crispy pan.... naw naw naw, the tones right - BUT NOT FOUL ENOUGH!

Sutton and Boyd both base their game around the back post, and both are notorious for lacking pace and the inability to play effectively without a second striker moving off them. It would be like playing too right backs. IMHO of course, you never can tell...

I take it all the Boyd talk is from fans who want to drop Sutton?

Really liked Anier, and in particular his debut goal, but this could work out alright for us. We really need a pacy number 10 to work with Sutton, Anier was more like a second number 9 at times. Think it'll be a link up type striker we go for, possibly one that can play wide also. So not Faddy, Higgy, though OJ would obviously be perfect. Would bloody love to see JOB or Burke at the club but don't think either can play as one of two up front. Probably someone we have never heard of from league one.

Hutch has been immense for us. Even on his worst dips in form no one considered dropping him for any of our back up options.

All players look around and look to negotiate the best possible offer - we lost half the team last year for principally financial reasons, and European football didn't make a bar of difference. It's great that we are getting our business done fast this year but Ainsworth is worth haggling over and delaying on if necessary. In truth he transformed our team last season with pace, assists and goals from nothing. I think he'll sign anyway.

Maybe not, though there has been talk of a linkman / playmaker type player being wanted. Who do we have at present to play that role, i'd say vigurs at a stretch and that's it. It is not mccall's normal approach of course (this being ball carriers wide, battlers in the middle and two striker partnerships) but he may be looking at increasing his options.

McCall sings McGowan's praises six times a season and may well fancy himself to do a rehabilitation job on a very talented 26 year old playmaker. A plausible signing which could go either way, and by a long way not the only player we have ever taken a chance on despite some baggage...

Great news on hammy! JOB was our best player at the time of leaving, convinced he would would be a massive signing for us. I realise he divided opinion but to be fair it was a process of gradual improvement as he arrived very raw. He now has 121 championship appearances and at 27 is pretty much in his prime.

As with most of the comments above I think this has to be a sad but strong decision. Hard to know what his salary expectations were but difficult to justify him being at the top earning bracket never mind way above it. Still have a nagging feeling he could sort out his fitness and produce a couple of good years at a decent level. Football is full of late and surprising comebacks from players with genuine quality, and a good few Scots spring to mind. Really hope it happens for him.

I understand Everton are putting together a formal relationship with Dundee for player development purposes.

YOS!

Out of interest why do we think ainsworth will be away? Seems to like it here, the boy has suggested previously he was close to packing it in. Well worth tying up in my opinion, real talent and potential for improvement to a decent level, he reminds me of JOB in that respect. And yes we definitely tie up las who remains our key player.

Anier was a brilliant signing, we've really missed him. Specialist in getting a goal when we're playing mince.

What a miserable decision from hibs, i am convinced the claims inrelation to fan complaints are lies, they should procuce figures/ evidence. Going to the game today, but my sympathy and support is with the bois. They have transformed the home and away experience particularly as their numbers have doubled this season and last. What i particularly admire is the positivity of their agenda and support, it was only a few years ago that the songbook we carried to edinburgh grounds consisted almost entirey of references to aids, gays, addicts and refugees, all very grim. Now it's about our tean, our players. I also recall the away visits to tannadice without the bois, and in particlar the game they originally boycotted / were refused entry. We pulled of a great battling performance that game but the remain support were too cold and disprate to congratulate the team. I also think that the fans actively critising the boycott approach as petty should bear in mind that fans have very limited means with which to make a point. Shouting on forums has no impact in club boardrooms. All of that said, if the response is a boycott is should be undertaken with eyes open. There is a real risk here of damaging the team here, and if hibs win today and their own drum is banging you can be damn sure no one within their club will be concerned by the couple of grand lost at the gate. Have the bois considered any other action to protest this decision other than non-attendence? I would suggest that anything which embarrasses hibs and draws attention to this decision should be consided and wonder if non-attendance is an effective way of pushing this message?

I think yesterday's shut out definitely proves that gunnar is the best goal keeper well could even hope to sign and anyone even thinking otherwise should fuk off and support accies and blade themselves too and also wasn't even at the game anyway. It's the same as higgy and davie cooper! Who's with me dobbers?

As modern fooballers go vigurs is very very slow to press, easily the worst in our team and yesterday was no different. This is a big problem with his game and it becomes more apparent against decent opposition rather than the hearts youth team. I don't think he is lazy, but he doesn't seem switched on half the time and mentally and physically he is a sluggish player even by spl standards. It is a straightforward and reasonable observation and the fact he can also deliver quality through balls when given space doesn't prove his doubters wrong - amazingly it is possible that he has really good and really bad aspects to his game at the same time. We will not get big offers close season for vigurs because of these shortcomings and i'd wager mccall, who introduced a pressing midfield within a fortnight of arriving at fir park, privately regrets the signing. I am not looking to be unduly negative but several comments above suggest a few good balls show all vigurs doubters to be football dullards and boo boys.

I'm just old enough to remember, but mainly I think you are referring to not having a roof? That was definitely miserable. But presuming safe standing would be roofed I'd be massively in favour I can't get used to sitting even now. Think I'be posted before, that safe standinding across the entire east stand, renovating the main stand, and adding a plastic pitch, is the cheapest route to regenerating our ground and club.

Totally agree, if we're winning this cup it's the best possible draw. Better meet them at the arc than hampden. If we get through this we'll be installed as favourites for the cup, a crazy prospect. Also, if you know anything about the Aberdeen fan mentality, the absence of the old firm means they will fill our away stand come the tie - should be à decent night. Also think we'll be stronger in a month than now. It's been uninspiring in some ways but we are improving every week.

This has probably been done to death but Gannon deliberately sent us to get slaughtered against Celtic in order to make a point to world about the kind of manager he thinks he is and the budget he had to work with. Everyone knows about the atmosphere at Fir Park for the OF visits - plainly not the time to hand out youth team debuts. If you are still carrying a torch for that prick take a look at yourself, I cannot think of any Well manager, even Malpas, who put his own weird agenda over the good of the club and it's fans and sent us out to lose. An unforgivable arsehole. Time for bed.

A lot of undue negativity, we have been disappointing but are not so far from finding some shape and will then surely be at least as good as ICT. We have good players all over the park. We looked impressive for large sections of the Kuban away game. IMO McCall will find a winning formula as soon as he stops trying to squeeze all the new signings into one system, a couple of our 'bigger' players need dropped and there is the making of a decent side, albeit maybe not as balanced or developed as we had last year. We can't play Vigurs, Lawson and Las unless we go to one striker, and that one striker cannot be ever be Sutton. This could go either way and both teams will score.

Anyone heard anything on ticket sales - has the south stand been opened?

Certainly far from ideal that we would go three at the back in Europe without getting used to it first, but from comments by McCall I think that is what we will do. We look a pretty poor 4-4-2 at the moment with pretty much all of our wingers and strikers lacking the pace to break effectively. My line up: Gunnar Ramsden (WB); Hutch; Mick; Hammell; ZFA (WB) Las; Lawson; Vigurs Faddy; Anier Faddy can drift to link up with midfeild. Ramsden to play it safe, I can't see him spending too much time pinning back their full back. As other have said above, wouldn't mind seeing Carswell, who I like a lot, probably in place of Lawson at this point as Las has the experience. Lawson's passing range would be missed however if we are playing wingbacks. We used to rely on Law to find Humphry sitting on the wing from distance - Las will rarely try a long flighted pass. I also don't think it is out the question that Carwell could do a job at right wing back if required. Personally think Faddy and Sutton are too slow to play up front together, we need more pace and pressing. McHugh needs more game time before starting a game like this, and he's a good impact sub. Sorry to say I can't see Sutton doing much for us at all this season, odd signing for me though I hope I am wrong.

Pretty much exactly my thinking - we are kind of between systems at the moment, as we don't have a right side whether it is wing backs or a full back / winger combination. A fit Wilson could bring the balance required and with a back 3/5 and we can better fit in our present midfild attack. Would love to have Humph back right now we'd be looking really strong... If we do go three at the back, how do we fit in Faddy behind the strikers though? Wouldn't we have to play lawson and las centrally and let vigurs sit behind. Faddy will have to be one of the two strikers, as he's never part of a midfielf three - no?