RicoS321

You're deluded if you think we could have afforded Murphy, Goss and Martin (or even any one of the three) in January. We might have sneaked one with a huge amount of goodwill and wages being paid for us, but not with a hun offer on the table - we'd have been outbid in a shot. Jack will probably have doubled his wages going there in the summer too. They're at least three times our budget. Guys like Windass, Tavernier Candeis and even Morelos (despite his sitter-missing) are good - well paid - players that needed semi-competent coaching and organising. Murty has done absolutely zero to show that he's in the same league as Deek in terms of organising and running a club (hence why they needed Jimmy Nic). He's an assistant that's landed on his feet in terms of timing. Deeks tactics have been poor but that doesn't make Murty a genius. He's (Murty) got a massive amount of room for error.

That's an interesting squad like. The strikers are the main worry for me. Not much proven among that lot, but it'll be interesting to see Ryan Christie play as the main man.....

In the latest Scotland squad. Top work McLeish, hugely deserved. Definitely the only dons player deserving at the minute.

Always assumed he'd be one of those. Although often these things don't come out until post-death.

What has El Salvador ever done to you?

It's a similar situation to previous seasons with McGinn (instead of Christie). McInnes will stick with these guys for the entire match, or a large part of it, despite having a poor game. It's the old "but he's got the capability to produce something from nowhere" school of thought. It's true in part, however it ignores the multiple game streaks of poor form (McGinn early last season, Christie recently) where they have played several 90 minutes without producing and also playing badly in general. He doesn't have to drop them, just take them off early when it's clear that they're not performing. Ball was defending better and using the ball better and so he should have stayed on the pitch. Christie should have been hooked at half time for GMS or whoever (the choices aren't great) and given the replacement a good run at it.

We played pretty much the same formation as we have in every other game over the last few years. When McGinn, Christie, May and Rooney play as badly as they did today then we're on a hiding to nothing. With GMS and Stewart the massively underperforming replacements too, we've got serious personnel issues. I'm assuming Wright is dead also?

I watched it all on iPlayer one night. Bit of a pile of pish, but reasonably entertaining nevertheless. Not really my usual watching due to the annoyingly stupid decisions of the main characters rendering things too unrealistic in these horror type things.

If, and it's a big if, we did get through, I'd love to see a well organised boycott of this shite. Fucking ridiculous time to be playing in fucking weegie land.

Aye, I'd agree with that. He has some decent qualities that we can definitely utilise - a decent touch and good movement. It's just he's doing a lot of it in the wrong areas of the pitch. I don't think we should have paid the money we did for him, or sign him at all as I thought that his peak period was at St Johnstone and he had shown little of replicating it. He worked really hard to set the standard he did there, and I think we were on a hiding to nothing getting that from him here. That said, he's still got a lot of good attributes and we can definitely get a lot of goals from him played correctly. I also don't buy that he doesn't fit our system. If we choose, we can easily ask him to play the Rooney role - he's definitely capable as his 20 odd goals in a season at Saints was testament to. The problem just now is that we're trying to shoe horn him and Rooney into our system of one striker and that will never work (apart from against hibs that time...). It means that we've always got one of the two playing out of their natural role, because we never actually play with the two close together up front (we did for a bit yesterday, but then Killie just spread their defence and that forced Rooney back). Also, has anyone noticed how much worse a player Christie is with McGinn in the side? Christie was only okay for us in his initial period and he's back to that level again. I don't know if it's cause McGinn constantly comes inside, but it does seem to affect Christie who is forced further back at times as they both want to play the free role. It's noticeable.

Fuck, that was awful. And cold. Shinnie, McLean and McKenna a'rite, the rest atrocious. Rooney out wide is criminal, and punting it to May just a waste. Anyway, both teams were horse and we're still in the cup. Until next Tuesday, anyway.

Apparently supposed to be back in training some time in March, so more likely April when we see him. Could really do with him for the post-split fixtures.

^^^This. The charlatan should have been telt to get to fuck in January. Pointless sub on so many occasions. Zero benefit to us.

Surely the joke is the opposite? The martyrs risking themselves (I ken, there's zero risk in the NE at the moment) to get to their meaningless jobs? Our absolute certainty in the importance of the work we do that a couple of days will make a massive difference. We've attached such a god-like status to work that taking a few days off is deemed ridiculous, almost treasonous. Yet most of us probably sit in bull-shite jobs that could go tomorrow with little effect on the way the world moves. We should be encouraging folk to take the time off, spend it with kids or whatever when the weather is fun (for the kids of course...) rather than sitting through hours of frightened traffic all heading in the same direction. Fuck work, sna's ace. Edit: that wisnae a direct response to you DD

Thank god he's a fit and proper person though, otherwise the huns could have been in the shite.

Nah, it was far more nuanced than that min.... Basically, I think he should be getting a 50% return on good (or good enough) players and it's unfair to expect anything more. Up until this season I thought he'd just about got there. My issue has always been the glaring errors when signing players that he should know are not good enough, such as Tansey, Maynard, Goodwillie, Storey etc. These are easy mistakes to cut out. If we exclude those - which you obviously wouldn't - then he's still doing okay, with the massive caveat and generosity of counting May and GMS as decent signings. I think they both could prove good (not amazing, but first team regulars). They aren't value for money at the moment and I think they are the difference between us having/not a good season. Still plenty of time for them to turn that round. I've also said that we should cut him a bit of slack in January because it's difficult to get season-changing signings without sinking a fortune (or trading insolvently like the huns). Overall, I'm pretty apprehensive about letting him out with the kitty in the summer again, but far better clubs than us have managers who don't have the ultimate/only say in these things and I think that is a strategy that should work for us. McInnes identifies areas where he needs players and the recruitment team identify the best targets and a consensus is reached with the manager (rather than McInnes arbitrarily deciding he likes the look o thon Tansey). Lennon's Celtic days had this approach, and they were reasonably successful at picking up good players.

Meh, end of the season see how the land lies. Our baseline expectation is 3rd place and two semi-finals, or one final with a good draw, or one cup win with an even better draw. A good draw being if we don't get either of the two teams who pay more in wages than us. On one of the other threads recently I attached the study done in Engurland between 2001 and 2012 (and there's no reason to suggest Scotland is different in this regard - in fact probably worse given 4 games a season) that there is a 90% correlation between player salaries (total) and league position. That is quite staggering. It means that we have a 90% chance of finishing third place this season. It also means that only 10% of that positioning can be affected by improved (or shite opposition = -10%) management. I don't believe McInnes does/can get that additional 10% (or even close - very few managers do), and think he's pretty much bang on that baseline expectation. Similarly, I don't think he'll get us below that baseline either. He's steady. For me, most of his issues lie in the transfer market and I think a lot of his tactical decisions would be covered up if he'd got that part right. I'd argue that's the case for both Rodgers and Murty - and in general is supported by the evidence of salary versus league position. In Murty's case, the introduction of Murphy, Goss, Martin and so on will be the buffer they require. Out of our season's signings, zero have been successful apart from loanee Christie and known quantity McGinn. Had we got, say, Moult instead of May and GMS then we'd be having an entirely different season with some of the losses turned into draws/wins and a better league cup and european performance. Had we got an actual central midfielder instead of Tansey then we'd also be better off. Our poor transfer showing has meant that we've had absolutely zero leeway in terms of tactics and that's totally evident when we play better teams. The problem for me is that transfers are season specific and we could get lucky next season (I think Devlin is a good start FWIW) and that could improve McInnes' return and belief in his squad. I think that if we don't replace McInnes, then we should at least look to beef up the player scouting/acquisition team as it's clearly an area he is pap in and needs support. We can't afford another season of very bad value in the transfer market. We have a lot of key purchases to make again too. As ayrshire points out, there have only been a handful of successes.

Did Trump not poof out of 'Nam, citing piles or something? I think I might have made that up.

Hmmm, the word "can" doesn't mean "did".

Holy pishflaps.

Scotfree ----->Jesus---->Adam and Eve

Fuck that. 3-0 the dons. Considine hat-trick in the first 20 minutes.

Nope, it's because we're in the UK. This is bigger than just Rangers not paying their taxes. Pheonix companies are useful to donors who wish them to remain available. Rangers are just fucking it up for everyone else by making such a public shambles of their corruption, which should really stay behind doors.

Very interesting, cheers. You can see, over the years, the splatterings of their shady deals going through where everything was bought on credit and leased back to the them. It's safe to assume that was the other way in which the spivs took them to the cleaners on their way back by purchasing each individual asset and leasing it back to the club. Safe to say that what they are doing now is trading insolvently.

Far are ye getting yer quotes?