+jingsmonty 196 Report post Posted July 17 11 hours ago, Council Juice said: I've not seen him with scarf yet so it's not official by any means If Brad hands the scarf over, think he will be a solid signing...pleasantly suprised at the calibre of player we seem to be attracting (with the BIG caveat that the season hasn't started yet & they haven't been really tested yet), but, grounds for optimism.. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+jingsmonty 196 Report post Posted July 17 3 minutes ago, TtotheOtotheM said: Where do we find these obscure strikers? Ofere, Doumbouya and now this mysterious Dutch/Curaçao guy. Is there some sort of scouting agency that clubs approach with a specific budget and are given appropriate matches? All of the players mentioned above came with quite detailed youtube videos and are represented by agencies that seem to represent lots of players; Doumbouya is represented by 'More than Sport GmbH', Ofere by 'Holland Sports Management' and Zschusschen by 'Premium Stars sportsmanagement'. I wonder are these players owned by their agencies, something vaguely akin to the Tevez/Mascherano to West Ham deal? The role of agents in football seems to be coming under increased scrutiny and i hope the club aren't just taking players based on the videos sent to them by these agencies. The case of Zschusschen caught my interest as i lived in the same town as the club he played for previously (Saarbrucken). After some digging, it appears he came to Saarbrucken in January after starting last season without a club but found himself down the pecking order as their first choice striker was in good form. It is worth noting that Saarbrucken play in the fourth tier of German football which is probably on par with the Scottish Championship. Does make you wonder...at least we seem to be capable of finding decent players without Marsella on board! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yngwie 3,259 Report post Posted July 17 8 hours ago, TtotheOtotheM said: Where do we find these obscure strikers? We use the small-ads section of local newspapers. "Desperately Seeking Zschusschen......." 11 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+jingsmonty 196 Report post Posted July 17 1 hour ago, Yngwie said: We use the small-ads section of local newspapers. "Desperately Seeking Zschusschen......." Haha,very good... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Renegade 2,295 Report post Posted July 18 15 hours ago, jingsmonty said: Does make you wonder...at least we seem to be capable of finding decent players without Marsella on board! Most of the signings Butcher made (and Marsella scouted) were from an agency down south. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scotty 1,778 Report post Posted July 18 Agencies (and agents) send stuff to the club all the time ... I have lost count of the number of careless agents who have sent player offers to us instead of the club (we forward it on). Not sure if the club act on any of them but if they do get an agent or agency that send them decent leads or offers then it makes sense for them to go back to the same well time after time ... provided we have someone (like Marsella or equivalent) who can see them in person and judge over a couple of games rather than 5 minutes of a highlight video reel whether the players have something we need or not. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kingsmills 3,279 Report post Posted July 18 On 17/07/2017 at 0:55 PM, jingsmonty said: Does make you wonder...at least we seem to be capable of finding decent players without Marsella on board! We have certainly found quite a few players. Only the next few weeks and months will establish whether they are decent or not but the Brechin game certainly gave some grounds for optimism in that respect. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Council Juice 382 Report post Posted July 18 Still haven't seen a scarf picture yet. Bizarre that he's already made his debut v Stirling (according to the courier) yet nothing official appears to have been announced. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scotty 1,778 Report post Posted July 18 the pictures have been taken ... but no official press release from club yet 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Moogthurso 62 Report post Posted July 19 7 hours ago, Scotty said: the pictures have been taken ... but no official press release from club yet #justice for zschuschen 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+jingsmonty 196 Report post Posted July 19 1 hour ago, Moogthurso said: #justice for zschuschen Brad's definetly hidden the scarf.... 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Council Juice 382 Report post Posted July 19 3 hours ago, jingsmonty said: Brad's definetly hidden the scarf.... It's a scandal! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DALNEIGHCALEY 156 Report post Posted July 23 I see we have the Buckie captain Kevin Fraser in to have a look at this week, anyone seen him play ? I know the Buckie fans speak very highly of him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kingsmills 3,279 Report post Posted July 23 13 minutes ago, DALNEIGHCALEY said: I see we have the Buckie captain Kevin Fraser in to have a look at this week, anyone seen him play ? I know the Buckie fans speak very highly of him. Was he not on our books as a youth player ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Renegade 2,295 Report post Posted July 23 (edited) He was in our U20s five or six years ago as I recall. I'm sure he was a centre-back in those days but seems to be playing more as a midfielder now. I've also heard some in the Highland League circles saying he could certainly play at a higher level. Edited July 23 by Renegade Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+jingsmonty 196 Report post Posted July 23 1 hour ago, Renegade said: He was in our U20s five or six years ago as I recall. I'm sure he was a centre-back in those days but seems to be playing more as a midfielder now. I've also heard some in the Highland League circles saying he could certainly play at a higher level. Certainly don't have a problem with giving Highland League players a try out - who knows where they might end up! Obvious example of a meteoric rise is £10m Liverpool signing Andy Roberston who was playing part-time for Queens Park 4 (or 5 - I'm not sure!) seasons ago... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ICTPAISLEY 257 Report post Posted July 23 Another good example would be kris doolan who was playing junior football with auchinleck Talbot when partick thistle signed him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Renegade 2,295 Report post Posted July 23 (edited) Cowdenbeath picked up Greg Stewart from Syngenta Amateurs in the Stirling and District League. He'd been punted by Hearts at the age of 16. He was 20 when Cowdenbeath picked him up. Edited July 23 by Renegade Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
forresjags 232 Report post Posted July 24 If he has the natural talent then we would be mad not to take a chance on him. Plenty of players slip through the net for one reason or another. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Caman 126 Report post Posted July 24 On 7/19/2017 at 7:33 AM, Moogthurso said: #justice for zschuschen Think Zschuschen had the scarf covering his eyes on Saturday. He was totally lost and well, useless tbh. Oakley looked more in tune and up for it when he came on. Maybe I am being harsh but I hope Zschuschen is not Dani Lopez in disguise. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+jingsmonty 196 Report post Posted July 24 3 minutes ago, Caman said: Think Zschuschen had the scarf covering his eyes on Saturday. He was totally lost and well, useless tbh. Oakley looked more in tune and up for it when he came on. Maybe I am being harsh but I hope Zschuschen is not Dani Lopez in disguise. Hopefully not..Dani Lopez would definetly be a contender in a 'worst ICT striker' poll! Maybe Zshuschen is just needing to fet game time with his new team mates - that's what I'm banking on anyway... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RiG 2,208 Report post Posted July 24 15 minutes ago, jingsmonty said: Hopefully not..Dani Lopez would definetly be a contender in a 'worst ICT striker' poll! Maybe Zshuschen is just needing to fet game time with his new team mates - that's what I'm banking on anyway... The whole team will do sadly. It's not just personnel who have changed but our formation and style of football have been altered as well. You could see players weren't quite on the same wavelength at times on Saturday with passes being played in the opposite direction of where a player was running. It's going to take a while for them to click together. The sooner they do the better obviously. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ictchris 872 Report post Posted July 24 (edited) Fraser did well against Dunfermline in the cup last season He's number 7 Edited July 24 by ictchris Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
forresjags 232 Report post Posted July 24 This question has probably been asked many times before but Aaron Doran is he still at the club under contract. Do we know if has been given a Squad number and is part of JR plans. We constantly here speculation about senior players being offloaded but he's never been mentioned as either going or staying. Appreciate he has been out injured since the last winter break, but is there a forecast on his return to fitness ? Anybody know ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ictchris 872 Report post Posted July 24 14 minutes ago, forresjags said: This question has probably been asked many times before but Aaron Doran is he still at the club under contract. Do we know if has been given a Squad number and is part of JR plans. We constantly here speculation about senior players being offloaded but he's never been mentioned as either going or staying. Appreciate he has been out injured since the last winter break, but is there a forecast on his return to fitness ? Anybody know ? He last played in February against Hearts. He's under contract until May 2018. I'd suggest no-one is going to come in for him because he's injured and has missed most of the last two seasons with various injuries. It's a shame as from 2012-2015 he was a superb player for us. I just wonder if he's ever going to get back to that level again, with the injuries he's suffered. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
