I know I'm clutching at straws but there was probably more money going on VDG at the time than anybody else. If it was going to be anybody else they'd keep taking the money right?
Time for McCall to go. A new man coming in will have the same players to work with but if he can organise them and have them fighting for everything that would be a start. look what Gordon Strachan's done with Levein's duds.
Better to make the change now than in 5 games time when we haven't picked up any more points.
My opinion is also based on some experience in this field - 20+ years playing and still one of the fittest in any team I play in :-)
I agree that we should have been back earlier to build base fitness but disagree that a friendly between the Europa games would not have benefitted the team.
I don't get the point about being more knackered if we played a friendly. IMO, for a professional athlete to be tired after 30 mins against a part-time team is a disgrace at any time never mind 2 games in a row. How could playing a friendly in between make that worse? The 'training' obviously didn't work did it?
I don't agree with much of that. I might be old school but I think you're better off combining fitness with sharpness and playing a game. Tactics can be discussed and practised on rest days as they are not particularly physical activities.
I think you're underestimating professional athletes as I know plenty of amateurs that could easily cope with with 2 games a week while working on fitness.
Have you ever heard footballers say that they prefer games to training? Also, have you ever heard footballers saying that the best way to get match fitness is by playing games? I think they know what they're talking about.
Knackered 5 days after a pre season friendly? A game where you can play a weakened team at 75% effort and make virtually as many substitution as you want?
Seriously?
I was replying to David who said :-
"Finishing second when you're competing with teams like Hearts, Hibs, Dundee United & Aberdeen is ALWAYS a great achievement".
Not when they're dross it isn't, regardless of budget.
The best way to get match fit is by playing football. That's why teams play pre-season friendlies and players coming back from injury play in bounce games. Friendlies aren't as good as competitive games but they're the next best thing so for us to be going into the Europa League on the back of one decent friendly was a joke. Absolutely amateur.
As far as I remember it was Alan Martin who chose to leave us rather than us releasing him. He was highly rated and a regular in the Scotland under 19's at the time he decided to leave us for Leeds.
No. Looks like they're drip feeding the signings to keep the feelgood factor going. Keith re-signing will probably coincide with another push on season tickets.
The only rule I've seen that mentions 3 years is the one for membership of the national association. It's all in article 12 of the UEFA fair play rules.
Where did you see the rule about 3 years of accounts?
Is the UEFA rule not that they have have to have one year of accounts but that they have to have been a member of their national association for three years?