So we lose out on the lad Buchanan because we messed him about with these 'two week trials' and we'll see attitude. The bloke's scored a shed load of goals over the last 2 seasons, he's young, and wanted to come here. Nope....we don't operate like that.

The Dargo situation? Aye, he took his time. So what, he's entitled to. Yes, it was annoying it dragged on so long, but if anyone's to blame for that then it's our board. Some might say Dargs pissed us about, well.....to me, it became cringeworthy at the end on our part. Some of the statements stank of desperation, and it's our fault for not being firmer.

In todays paper, CC says we won't be players just for the sake of it. Fine, I agree. Didn't we hear that last summer too? And in the end we got so desperate we ended up with McSwegan!! I can see exactly the same happening this summer(I'll happily be proved wrong though)

Now we're linked with McManus. Not a bad signing IMO, but why do we continually publish all this in the media?? All that happens is, we lose out, and end up looking like a bunch of amateurs. Granted a lot of this is pure media speculation, but we do seem to making a habit of ending up with egg on our face when it comes to the transfer market.

I accept that geographical, and financial factors play a large part in all this, but if reports are to be believed then we weren't that broke that we couldn't offer Dargo a good deal. And I'm not 100% convinced that the ' it's where we're situated' line that keeps getting trotted out is totally convincing. Aberdeen certainly don't seem to have any problems in the transfer market.

It's embarrassing that the only players we can seemingly attract are ones from over the bridge, from a team just relegated to the second division(yes, I know we've had some cracking players off them over the years).

Do we have any kind of scouting system? If so, why isn't it producing anything?

Should we be conducting all our business out in the open?

Are location, and our size, justified excuses ALL the time?

Why do always seem to come across as total amateurs in the transfer market, and who(if anyone) is to blame for this?

That's one thing I thought about earlier on. People are criticising Dargo for taking too long to make up his mind about signing the deal.

I wonder if we can expect the same criticism of the club for taking so long to decide on this lad Buchanan?

That's one thing I thought about earlier on. People are criticising Dargo for taking too long to make up his mind about signing the deal.

I wonder if we can expect the same criticism of the club for taking so long to decide on this lad Buchanan?

Have you been reading any of the posts on the thread regarding Dargo leaving??

If anything I would put it down to inexperience and it's something they need to learn very quickly.

  ' Aberdeen certainly don't seem to have any problems in the transfer market.'

Pretty unfair to compare us with Aberdeen, they are Scotlands third biggest club, and can pay far bigger salaries than we ever will, they are in European competition next year, this alone will attract players.

If you take a closer look and stop to think, most of the media/newspaper stuff is pure speculation, and not press releases from the club.

Buchanan would i'm sure prefer to come to us in the SPL, but he will get a full time contract with Plastic AND get regular football, which i dont blame him, after all he might not even be offered a deal from us after trials.

Do you think the signing of Brown,.Dods,Dargo,Wyness and Rankin amateurish?

Have you been reading any of the posts on the thread regarding Dargo leaving??

If anything I would put it down to inexperience and it's something they need to learn very quickly.

Yes and a lot seems to be about how he wouldn't give an answer for whatever reason for a length of time. ICT wanted an answer from Dargo and he took ages to get back to them. Result - many fans criticise Dargo for taking too long.

Buchanan wanted to come to ICT but we kept messing him around with trials with no firm offer of a deal for the lad. He waited ages for us to get in contact with him but when we did it was only the offer of a trial and not the full time football he was seeking. We missed out on him because we took far too long to get our act together and decide whether we really wanted him. Buchanan wanted an answer from ICT and we took forever to decide what we would offer him and we ended up losing out .

Yes and a lot seems to be about how he wouldn't give an answer for whatever reason for a length of time. ICT wanted an answer from Dargo and he took ages to get back to them. Result - many fans criticise Dargo for taking too long.

Don't get me wrong I am also not happy with the way the club has dealt with this and although Dargo has ripped the pi55 (IMO) they made it extremely easy for him to do so.  If anything good has come from this seasons transfer/contract business it will be that Grassa, CC, Savage etc. learn to CONDUCT ALL BUSINESS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.  Seems every transfer we are involved in becomes public knowledge in a matter of days and this whole ' will he, wont he' saga that has been publicly dragged out in the papers has no doubt given Dargo, Dods, Brown the ego to think they are bigger than the club when truly they are not!!

The only problem is that despite what the Courier says, todays Daily Mail is reporting that McManus is signing again for Dunfermline.

Although I agree that ICT may have missed out on a decent prospect I fail to see how it can be compared to the Dargo situation.

He came up here for a trial previously and ICT said they weren't willing to make an offer at the time but they would like to see him again during the summer.  They pointed out where they thought he was lacking and he had the chance to go away and work on those things before coming back.  He has decided that he wasn't willing to come for another trial for whatever reason and has signed elsewhere - nobody has been stringing anyone along and both parties knew where they stood.

If anything I would put it down to inexperience and it's something they need to learn very quickly.

How can it be inexperience? We've been buying and selling players for 13 years!!

A combination of having no scouts, complete lack of cash and messing players about means that we'll probably end up panic buying again this year. Why do we never get players on pre-contracts? Transfer activity should start in January or before by contacting players in the last six months of their deals. Because when the season ends a lot of good players are already signed to another club or have informally agreed long before. I think next season has the potential to be a long hard struggle if we don't sign four or five quality players, and by quality I don't mean first division shyte from over the bridge!

so inexperience then  :023:

Previously the media we were dealing with was our local rag, now the whole of Scotland knows the goings on inside and outide of the football club.  We need to learn to keep our cards close to our chest until the deal is done.

buchannan seemed to be trying to play games with ICT. He was trying to force their hand with these threats, instead of taking his opportunity to proove himself. good on the management on sticking to their plans and not jumping without thought. Is he that good? Didn't seem to be many other SPL teams interested. Wyness has scored more goals at a higher level and I've seen him get a some stick on here recently. Lets just wait and see what happens we are only in June, the window doesnt close for over two months, plenty time. Buchannan could have just missed his chance at SPL football, his choice!!

I agree on keeping things quiet, although the stories do come out eventually.

You have to question Buchanan's ambition if he wasn't prepared to have a trial at an SPL club in order to sign for Partick. Who knows, this could be his only chance of playing in the SPL and he turns that chance down over a trial in order to carry on playing in the Second Division.

I agree on keeping things quiet, although the stories do come out eventually.

You have to question Buchanan's ambition if he wasn't prepared to have a trial at an SPL club in order to sign for Partick. Who knows, this could be his only chance of playing in the SPL and he turns that chance down over a trial in order to carry on playing in the Second Division.

You need to get your facts right. We had him for a 2 week trial in January by which all accounts he impressed but as we had 5 strikers (including) Dargo & McSwegan his signing wasn't prioritised. We expected him to come on our pre season training camp without talking to any other clubs despite the fact he was out of contract. We got exactly what we deserved.  :023:

So by coming with us to a pre-season camp without having signed for us is what? A trial!

Although I agree we got exactly what we deserved

and he got exactly what he deserved!! he cant be patient for his best opportunity in his career so far and have faith in his own ability. looks like he looks like the amateur here

My opinion of Buchanan is neither here or there. He could turn out brilliant, he could turn out ****e. It's the way we went about it that gets me. As far as I'm aware he hadn't yet come up for his second trial. The bloke had a choice to make....does he take a chance and hope he gets signed, but at the same time he runs the risk of being rejected and ending up with no contract anywhere. He took the sensible option IMO, by signing for someone prepared to offer him a full time contract.

The point I'm getting at more is, if he's already been here on trial, we've obviously been keeping him in mind. Did we have people watching him after his trial? If not, why not? Surely watching him play, after he'd already been on trial should've been enough to provide a decision. I know it's a much lower standard, but it's exactly the same standard we took Marcus from. Obviously we were still interested otherwise we wouldn't have invited him back up.

Are we to fussy when it comes to transfers? Remember the last transfer window? Both Dargs and Dennis out for a long time, CC saying we're bringing someone in, midnight comes....zilch.  I agree we don't buy for buyings sake, but surely there must've been someone half decent out there we could've got! As I said, the same last summer, was McSwegan really not a panic buy? I'm just concerned at hearing the same noises coming from the club again. Like I said, I'll be only to happy to be proved wrong though.

And aye, I know comparisons with the Dons are unfair, it just gets me when this 'it's hard to attract players this far north' keeps getting trotted out by the club everytime we're inactive in the transfer market. Yes it's a hindrance I'm sure, but our own club sometimes make it sound we're in the arse end of nowhere.

Caley 100.....Brown was unemployed, Dods caused a sharp intake of breath from most of our fans when we signed him (me included), Dargo wasn't going to be touched by anyone with his injury record,  Dennis couldn't cut it at Hearts, and Rankin was already settled in the area so it wasn't a massive surprise we got him.  The fact they all turned out brilliant signings is excellent, but it's not like they were attracting much interest anywhere else.

Maybe taking other sides cast offs is the only way we're ever going to survive, I don't know.

I just think we're coming across as being a litle bit amateurish in our transfer dealings that's all. Just my opinion obviously :004:

Nothing inept or inexperienced about it.

Buchanan was told in jan to go away and improve in areas suggested by the ICT coaches, come back for another trial and if he had worked on those areas this would be seem as a positive and he would get the chance to sign. Seems to me the lad isn't confident that he can meet the criterea if he has, indeed, chose to commit to signing somewhere else. Certainly not ICT's fault.

Can someone tell me, is the transfer window open yet? If not then I dont think Buchanan can be signed without agreement on compensation. He's still a youth.

Now to the points about conducting business through the press.........clubs don't! The press speculate, get quotes from agents then approach clubs for confirmation of stories. Club officials may or may not choose to comment but that makes no difference. Stories will be published. It is extremely niave to think any club would go to the press with their plans.

Scenario: Daily Prish phones Joe Moneygrabber, football agent.......Hi Joe, got anything in the pipeline......yeah got a lad I might try and sell to ICT...........Daily Prish phones Grassa Bennett.............Hi Graham, we here JM has made some contact about so and so...............yep we did have a chat

So and So to Caley Jags exclusive

Inverness Caledonian Thistle are in talks with central defender So and So. A club spokesman said that he was in talks with the players agent about bringing the lad to Inverness blah blah blah.

Next you know we the fans are in deep debate about what

So & So

Are these a pair of Chinese central defenders :029:

Can someone tell me, is the transfer window open yet? If not then I dont think Buchanan can be signed without agreement on compensation. He's still a youth.

http://ptfc.co.uk/pressbox/news.asp?id=1099

He signed for around £20k.

Cheers Rig. Just goes to show the lads level of ambition.

Now we're linked with McManus. Not a bad signing IMO, but why do we continually publish all this in the media??

This is unfair unless you've read something I haven't. The story I saw has absolutely NOTHING quoted from ICT mentioning McManus by name. Just the usual cooked-up newspaper shyte.

I saw Sutton mentioned today as well, whereas Charlie was saying only last week that he wasn't the type we wanted, ie we were after a Dargo-type player rather than another Bayne.