OrlandoDon

Gow, Riordan......... Bus, Duff. Do we notice the difference between what we want and what we get? We missed out on a few players I would have taken - Lappin, Stephen Hughes, Paul Gallacher at Dunf. for example - I hope JC and WM have signings lined up as 1/2 a team are leaving in about 8 weeks.

"I dont think Calderwood should go anyway. If we are the same next year then some questions need to be asked" We have been pish this year and we are getting worse by the day. We've had very very few good performances and are clearly worse than last year. We got great draws in both domestic cups, lucked a win in the QF against the tic, and still couldn't reach a final for yet another year. QOS in f**king Europe instead of us! We scraped into top 6 - woopie f**king do! The Europe run - in which all the results went for us - hides the fact that were are pish. We have a clueless manager and a paper thin squad, many of which are leaving in the summer. Sorry, but where now - blame JC, WM, SM?? JC has had 4 years to build the foundations for a team/club and we have nothing to show for his 4 yrs.

Sorry, dont agree, JC is responsible. He is responsible for the product on the park. He prepares, trains, motivates.... it is his job to make sure the players are prepared for games like this. You can blame Milne and WM but JC still has the players/resources to beat QOS and most of the average teams we played this year. He just doesn't do his job well. Most of the players needing cut are players he has brought in - yes he cuts the squad, but who does he bring in? He doesn't inspire in the transfer 'freebie' market whereas there are other coaches who do better on mediocre budgets, Time up JC.

Quoting JC after the game - "For some strange reason Queens were better than us and defensively we were awful, as we have been all season." No wonder. Have we ever had a consistant back 4 all year. Changing the back, changing the keeper all season - what exactly do we do in training - it's April and we're still chopping and changing. No wonder we lose goals at an alarming rate. JC has had an entire season to fix the defense which he hasn't done and this has cost us all season. He's had more than enough time to train a 'post Anderson' defense. The fans have been outstanding yet again but we're let down yet again. Time for a change - everyone can see that. JC is clueless - 4 years into the job and we've no foundation to even build a team for next year. I certainly don't trust him to rebuild.

Sounds like another 'come and get me' plea. Basically he wants more money but doesn't have any decent offers - he wants to leave but we're the best offer so far, hence the contradiction.

Leighton or John 'Budgie' Burridge.

In a 16 team league with 2/3 for CL spot you should have 4/5 teams maybe competing for those spots, plus a 3rd/2nd botton play off with 2nd and 3rd from div 1 would give plenty of meaningful games. However, I do feel that 'meaningless' games allow teams to simply go out and relax and play - you can introduce younger players and give them an opportunity. With every game so important you don't usually get to blood youth appropriately and the games are full of fear factor that usually lack quality. The average Scottish fan wants instant entertainment, ball in the box etc and instant gratification - the 16 team league doesn't necessarily give that though.

I wouldn't exactly say clubs are being greedy. Most clubs are struggling to survive and, like ourselves, are servicing debt rather than rolling in money. A 16 team league, playing each other twice, would be 30 games in a season. Add the Scottish Cup and League Cup (maybe a home and away 2 game semi again??) plus Europe, international fixtures etc and that is more than enough. We may play a few less games but that may help the injuries heal, the pitch recover etc. However, again, less games means less money for clubs so clubs won't vote for that. Something has to change though as the product is not good. A revamped league, plus a 2/3 champ league play off, 2 up 2 down would create a lot more interest in my opinion (even in a 16 team league have third and second bottom and second and third from the 1st div. play a semi and a final for promotion like in England). Something needs to change.

I think most managers coach not to lose now for the sake of their job - gone are the days when managers get 3 or 4 years and if a team goes on a bad run then the manager loses his job. They coach not to lose because playing well and losing gets you sacked. Fans like exciting games but business is business and losing means lower league spot and less money. I would love a 16 team league and have said that for years but it will never happen. No team can afford to only play the old firm twice, too much revenue lost. The SPL can be pretty boring playing the same old teams 4 times, plus the same again in the cups. I'd love 2 play 3 for the 2nd CL spot, 2 up two down - make it more exciting.

How about Gazza - good for the dressing room and players nights out

You mean mutter 'who?'

Steven Thompson to replace Lee Miller? Paul Gallacher to replace Soutar? Definitely sign Maybury to replace Hart. Whatever happened to Burton O'Brien? A replacement for Nicholson?

We've rarely played a good game in the league. Only a handful of good performances all season. Numerous dire games which are hard to watch. Great European run, especially the Copenhagen and Bayern home games. Bottom six finish in my opinion. Thumped out the league cup by a gash Utd. A number of heavy defeats which I thought we'd said goodbye to a few years ago. We have an underachieving team. A poor, tactically inept coach. We'll lose about 1/2 our team to transfers over the Xmas and summer windows. We'll scrape a semi win with a very poor performance, maybe even after a replay. I do think we'll win the final against the huns, and that means Europe next year! What a bizarre season.......

Realistically......... we should be third as there is no 'real' reason to we cannot be there. Then again, Milne and JC could be a reason. Hearts are imploding and we are on similar grounds to pretty much everyone else.

Paul Gallacher? I think his loan deal and contract at Norwich expires in the summer.

I would say it is fair to expect to be at least the 3rd best team in Scotland as we should have the players, funds, resources etc to do so. We expect to be competitive against the old firm, getting a win, draw here and there and certainly not getting cuffed. We should certainly be top six, and competing for a Euro spot every year. I don't see why a cup final every year or two is unrealistic - certainly if we avoid an old firm draw I'd expect us to beat every other team as we should have the players to do so. In recent years we always get knocked out by diddie teams which is unacceptable. An SPL title would be nice but I don't know any dons fans who expect that at present given the old firm resources. We should also be going in to old firm games fired up and trying to win as we have nothing to lose (as I think we did in the cup QF yesterday.)

Grinding my gears;-) What pisses me off is that most times we make our signings too late, address expiring contracts too late, and are searching through the remaining pish to fill our team/squad. I think the summer we got Smith, Nicholson, Lovell etc was the first time we had been proactive in years and suggested we'd finally learned, but like many things this year, it seems we are going backwards again. We need to make a decision on who stays, goes, and get the new players signed before the summer.

What kills me is that I don't think Lovell is a fans favourite. I just think most fans feel he's not been given an extended run when fully fit. I still feel Lovell and Miller would be a good partnership but they never play together for an extended run of games. Lovell has shown promise and can score but from what we see JC 'has his favourites' too!

I agree 100% as I rate Hammell, just trying to understand JC/the board. Maybe we're buying Ashley Cole in the summer since he's out of favour at Chelsea??

The comment about trust was partly tongue in cheek but I doubt JC will see out that 3 yr deal. As for January, players prices are inflated and you get the panic buys. If the club/board is smart then the Hart, Anderson, Clark, and Euro money is all being saved to get players in the summer. They've said money is there to spend and the transfer and Euro money would be put back into the squad. JC will look at Bus, Maybury etc as they are cheaper than Hammell and may be better value for money - not saying the are or will be but I assume that is the 'logic' behind that. It will be interesting to see who the manager will be in the summer to spend if our current form continues.

Maybe because they don't trust him with money any more or have doubts about him being at the dons in the summer and into next season??

Honestly, I think Mark McGhee would be here in a heartbeat. From comments he's made in the past about us and having been here before he still has us at heart. Plus I think he's a good coach and his Jan signings were certainly more inspiring than ours!!

Ross Wallace on the Sunderland transfer list also??

I wish the list was around when Charlie Nicholas signed for us - don't want that c**t as he was crap at Arsenal! Beattie and Miller are better than much/all of our squad. If we can afford them get them in!!

I think Miller is in charge of football operations at all levels. JC is in charge of signings - Miller gives him the budget. JC has demonstrated he cannot spot a signing and should be held accountable but so should Miller as he approves the signings. Don't know if Miller scouts players and gives opinions - you trust your management team and pay scouts to do that but if we've hired the wrong people who are incapable then you have to question Miller and Milne.