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The first time we went up, we had a solid squad with Wilson, McBain, Tokely, Golabek, Munro, McCaffrey, Mikey Fraser, Duncan, Brown and Proctor while we added a few such as Juanjo, Black, Bayne & Dods. The squad we have now would need a lot more work.

Well I enjoy your contributions CaleyTennis. Even if they overreact somewhat to disappointing results, they certainly entertain and spark debate!

CaleyTennis, if you start a thread you can expect people to pass comment or ask you to clarify what you are saying. If you carefully read what you have written, you might understand why people are responding as they are. You start by saying that the issue is "with a small number of players who just aren't good enough to play for us", but later say that part of the solution "means selling our best players". Presumably players who are not good enough to play for us need to be off-loaded, so that would leave us with a middling group of players who, in your opinion are good enough to play for us but are not the best players. In that context, it is perfectly reasonable to expect you to clarify who you feel we should keep and who you think we should off-load. Personally, I think it is a good idea to try to keep our best players. I also don't think there is an "issue". Given where we were financially pre-Covid, the management team and the players have done a great job to get us where we are. Of course there have been games where we have underperformed, but on balance, we've done pretty well to sit 3rd in the table with just a couple of games to go. We may not be where we want to be, but we are heading in the right direction. If some people started supporting the club rather than constantly criticising it, we might be a little closer to where we want to be.

I’m asking myself the question “which players are Premier League standard” in our squad, but also under contract next season. In the eventuality we were promoted via the playoffs that is. In the context of where the squad is I think it would be one of our greatest achievements to date if we were to get promoted and stay up if I’m honest.

I say, We (The Supporters) will be there, but will the players turn up though? That's the question as the chaps didn't turn up on Tuesday night to guarantee 3rd place, and some potentially earn a rest. Whilst finishing 3rd means the advantage of the second game of the Play Off 1/4 Final being at home, it also means more prize money than finishing 4th.

I'll take that . Anyway it doesn't matter what I think because I can't see many guys leaving anyway :). I do think that the summer transfer window is going to be crucial but I'd like us to have a good league cup campaign and then make another early statement in the league and this time keep up the momentum because I really can't see anyone that we should fear bar St J, even Dundee doesn't faze me. I still stand by this statement though lol: It's about time we got out this league once and for all! Oh and in addition to who you'd like us to look at @Eagle4Caley, I'll add Craig Sibbald as I see he's out of contract at the end of the season

I say, get rid of Aaron Doran? Off with your head, that's Treason!!!

Having heard reports of him mentoring other players, being a model professional, and being a stabilising and organising influence on the pitch, I wonder whether there could be a role for him as a defensive coach, whilst retaining his player's registration in case of emergency.

Both RIG and DD have made very fair and valid points. Rather than taking umbrage, why don't you respond and positively contribute to the thread that you started ? You are as entitled as anyone to your views but others are equally entitled to challenge you or seek clarification.

Its so easy to manage a team in Football Manager ... the real world - not so much! The reality is that you are dealing with personalities, conflicts, real world stuff ... and employees (players) who will have a good day at the office or a bad one, just like us. Throw in a business operating on a shoestring, and an entire industry operating in a fishbowl, that has a customer base with very strong opinions based on emotions and tribalism, where today's heroes are tomorrow's villains and once again next week's heroes, and its literally impossible to please everyone, or at times, anyone. You don't just throw out the baby with the bath water. There may be a few players who will or need to move on come the end of the season, but moving on an entire team of players is neither practical or sensible. Quite apart from the fact that we cant force players who are in contract out the door, nor can we necessarily afford to terminate contracts, replacing all of these players with youngsters is also at best risky, and at worst disastrous. While I believe in the mantra that if you are good enough, you are old enough, the simple fact is that younger players are neither physically or mentally prepared to play 40+ games in a season and I very much doubt we have 18 youngsters ready to make the step up to first team + subs bench. The best managers have traditionally had a blend of youth and experience and rotated those youngsters in and out of their sides so they gain experience but don't get burned out so that then means you may need 25 of a squad to rotate the 11+7 matchday squad ... we do not have that.

Did you not read the post? You are one of those forbidden from criticism of it

Match Highlights from Queen of the South

I assume you weren't a supporter when both teams spent nearly 110 years in the Highland League?

So, let me get this right. Some of our players aren't good enough. Your solution is to sell our best players!

Worked beside him a couple of times over the years. A smashing bloke and a true gentleman. Rest in peace Stewart.

I posted this on the Facebook page and felt it was relevant here too. I've come to the conclusion tonight that the issue isn't with the management (don't dare criticise me Rig or Highland Capital!!), its with a small number of players who just aren't good enough to play for us, it's time they had a hard look at themselves and started improving if they want to stay at the club. It's a well known phrase in football that no player is irreplaceable so I'd quite happily let these players go and either replace them with youngsters (I've said numerous times that some are capable of the step up to the first team) or with affordable players out of contract at other clubs. Imho we need to look at Dundee Utd who at the start of this season and especially in January started signing quality players rather than quantity and look at them now. Now I know that means selling our best players in order to get in the said quality players but imho we need to start rebuilding the squad anyway so it's about time Mr Gardiner started to back the manager in the transfer market because its now about time we got out this league, we've been in it far too long which is unacceptable in itself. Rant over .