2021/2022 Rebuild

[Great Balls of Shire]

18 hours ago, MJC_mkII said:

Correct. I grew up with an intense dislike of Partick Thistle mostly down to a combination of the media’s live in for them (and that was way before the days of the internet/social media etc) and the fact that we more often than not struggled against them.

Even in the mid 90s when we were finishing second/third we always found Thistle a bogey side. I remember us needing a Nicky Walker own goal in stoppage time to rescue a point at home against them circa 95 and then Alex Burns (who was hopeless for us) scored for fun against us for them in 02/03 when we couldn’t buy a win against them.

That, and their fans are irritating wanks.

Remember  a score before I started going....8-3  to Thistle,  early 70s? Think our team must've been out on the Friday night 

[mfc]

Just now, andalg said:

Mugabi and Lammie 

I would really like both of those to sign new contracts,alexander said a few weeks ago that new offers were on the table so we have to assume that both of those have been offered new deals.for me we will need to use any money that we get for watt to bring in a replacement,it would be crazy not to and could undo all our good work in the first half of the season,as things stand van veen looks to be the only one that could score on a consistent enough basis and we can't just rely on him,the way he is he could be suspended at anytime.

[MJC]

Given that Watt was our main goalscorer then I think we need to be looking at bringing in another striker before the window shuts and if that means spending some of the “six figure sum” we received for Watt as opposed to tying down OOC players or putting into the club coffers then so be it.

[Yorkyred]

We need to now invest in a new striker.

[Well Well]

16 minutes ago, MJC_mkII said:

Given that Watt was our main goalscorer then I think we need to be looking at bringing in another striker before the window shuts and if that means spending some of the “six figure sum” we received for Watt as opposed to tying down OOC players or putting into the club coffers then so be it.

 

15 minutes ago, Yorkyred said:

We need to now invest in a new striker.

GA has already said he was not looking to replace Watt. See about 5 minutes 50 secs in.

 

[weeyin]

The number of good striking options available in January is pretty limited. The number of striking options available in January that we can afford is even more limited.

I'd rather we went with the 5 we have available than bring in someone that doesn't improve the squad.

[Happy Dosser]

13 hours ago, weeyin said:

The pitch is a problem mostly because of their recent sharing with Queens Park.

The reason I don't have a soft spot for them is because when I first started watching Motherwell, Thistle used to be our bogey team and regularly get a result regardless of the form book, My old grandpa used to wind me up about it. He wasn't a Thistle fan, he just enjoyed a good wind-up (like most good grandpas) - and I was young and impressionable.

I don't hate them, though, and would have been quite happy to see them beat Killie on Friday.

 

I think Firhill has long had a problem with the pitch. It's next to the canal and one Thistle fan told me it was actually below the level of it (don't know if that's actually true). 

I remember a cup replay in the 70s after a 1-1 draw at Fir Park when Jim Herriot broke his leg in a clash with Willie Pettigrew. (he went in with his legs rather than his head/hands). There was so little grass on the pitch that the glare off the bare clay  from the floodlights gave me a splitting headache. My memory is we won with an amazing long-range header from Willie Watson (ex-Man Utd), an excellent full back whose overlapping was impressive too.

[weeyin]

Now you're making me nostalgic for 70's pitches. (the fact that Wullie P excelled on these makes him even better).

 

[Happy Dosser]

1 minute ago, weeyin said:

Now you're making me nostalgic for 70's pitches. (the fact that Wullie P excelled on these makes him even better).

 

Yes, an absolute bowling-green, innit?  .  Around this time it was a pleasure to go to Celtic Park because we had a purple patch of victories there  and Wee Bobby and Willie P gave the likes of Fat Pat and  Big Roddie absolute nightmares.

Always a pleasure to see that footage again!

[Kmcalpin]

2 hours ago, Great Balls of Shire said:

Remember  a score before I started going....8-3  to Thistle,  early 70s? 

I've wiped that game from memory. 

[Well Well]

7 minutes ago, weeyin said:

Now you're making me nostalgic for 70's pitches. (the fact that Wullie P excelled on these makes him even better).

 

Stuart Rennie in goal didn't look too clever for Celtic's first

[Kmcalpin]

48 minutes ago, weeyin said:

I'd rather we went with the 5 we have available than bring in someone that doesn't improve the squad.

But, 3 of them are wingers.

[weeyin]

10 minutes ago, Kmcalpin said:

But, 3 of them are wingers.

I don't think GA uses wingers does he? Just forwards that play either side of the centre forward and keep rotating - which isn't quite the same thing. He plays the modern game of using full backs to deliver crosses.

If we want to find a goal scoring centre forward in January then more power to us, but I'd be pleasantly surprised if there are any avaialble to us.

[C&A not the shop]

I think another option for the middle of the front three would be good to have, someone like Rudden. A younger striker that's not going to start every game but offers something off the bench or instead of KVV when he's injured/suspended/out of form.

I don't think we have anyone else that's going to fit that position so we really rely on KVV being available. 

[Kmcalpin]

12 minutes ago, weeyin said:

I don't think GA uses wingers does he? Just forwards that play either side of the centre forward and keep rotating - which isn't quite the same thing. He plays the modern game of using full backs to deliver crosses.

If we want to find a goal scoring centre forward in January then more power to us, but I'd be pleasantly surprised if there are any avaialble to us.

Irrespective of what we call them or how we categorise them, we haven't seen much of Woolery, Roberts or Amaluzor play in the middle.

[weeyin]

8 minutes ago, Kmcalpin said:

Irrespective of what we call them or how we categorise them, we haven't seen much of Woolery, Roberts or Amaluzor play in the middle.

Shields can play through the middle, though.

But it doesn't really matter what I think. Like I said, if we can convince a team to give us their goal scoring centre-forward in January, then more power to us.

[Spiderpig]

That's the Watt deal done according to the BBC a fee has been agreed and he's off as of today

Tony Watt: Dundee United move close as Motherwell agree fee - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60025140

[Well Well]

2 minutes ago, Spiderpig said:

That's the Watt deal done according to the BBC a fee has been agreed and he's off as of today

Tony Watt: Dundee United move close as Motherwell agree fee - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60025140

The Manager had already confirmed it in his pre game interview

[FirParkCornerExile]

3 minutes ago, Spiderpig said:

That's the Watt deal done according to the BBC a fee has been agreed and he's off as of today

Tony Watt: Dundee United move close as Motherwell agree fee - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60025140

Good best for all concerned. Still can quite fathom what value there is for Dundee Utd to pay probably in the region of £750,000 over 3 years to win exactly the same as us. Especially for a club with hefty debt and being bailed out by fans pretty regularly. 

[David]

12 minutes ago, FirParkCornerExile said:

Good best for all concerned. Still can quite fathom what value there is for Dundee Utd to pay probably in the region of £750,000 over 3 years to win exactly the same as us. Especially for a club with hefty debt and being bailed out by fans pretty regularly. 

It makes zero sense, really. Well, except for Tony Watt. He'll happily take their money and will be laughing all the way to the bank.

[Spiderpig]

33 minutes ago, Well Well said:

The Manager had already confirmed it in his pre game interview

Thanks, never saw the interview

[GazzyB]

Disappointed he is away now tbh. Not because I'd want him playing for us, but because it will undoubtedly strengthen Dundee Utd who are a few places behind us. I just hope we got a decent fee for him.

I see Roberts as a replacement for Watt more than Shields, who has done well out wide but is more suited to through the middle imo.

Edit - re the discussion above about wingers and forwards, I thought Watt and Woolery played more as wingers than forwards, they did a power of tracking back.

[David]

17 minutes ago, GazzyB said:

Disappointed he is away now tbh. Not because I'd want him playing for us, but because it will undoubtedly strengthen Dundee Utd who are a few places behind us. I just hope we got a decent fee for him.

Depends how they utilise him really, doesn't it? Still, if we keep on keepin' on then we'll be fine. 

[weeyin]

Signed him for free. Got the best out of him. Sold him for a few quid when he was soon to be out of contract.

Would have liked it if he had stayed for another couple of seasons, but we certainly did OK from the deal.

[fizoxy]

Getting some money for him is pretty decent business. Not sure of it's good business on Utd's part though, bit time will tell on that.

I'd have been fine with him playing out the season for us (we're going to have to get used to these things, players arent going to wait until they are out of contract to look for their next deal), as he's a good player, but he does come across as a bit of a dick, so I'm not going to cry about him being gone.

It seems that Tierney is viewed as an attacking player, so I wouldn't be surprised if we held off on bringing in another forward. Roberts can operate in the same wide areas Watt was effective in, so maybe this is his chance.