Council Juice

Getting the four players - Black, Cowie, Fraser and Munro on new deals is imperative. And get Wilson a coaching role. I read that cowie said talks are on going and he wants to stay. lets get that sorted. If Black wants his future sorted before christmas then go out to achieve that. And get the others sorted asap too! It was Brewster who gave him his real chance at ICT and he probably now appreciates his strict approach.

So Rory scored a hattrick against Helforge (according to that clicky clicky link). Helforge (is this the actual scheduled game or an in between bounce game before todays proper) are probably the best team we've played on tour and have invested heavily in their squad for their promotion push to the danish top flight. Although there may be a few question marks among some over the quality of their league given Aberdeens win against Copenhagen last season, i personally believe that was a fluke and they have done better against Man U and Celtic at home recently. Have good players like Gronkjaer etc. :024: I dont know what this score was other than Rory getting 3 and Rooney netting his second tour goal. I'll go check..... But I think Rory can come good. a record of 2 goals in 44 subs is not great but he might not have the ole gunner or Tor Andre subs attack ability (HE IS NOT NORWEGIAN EITHER - only they can. that is FACT! :023:) 3 in 13 scattered starts isnt that bad given those starts will be over 3 seasons. 1 in 4 but how can anyone achieve a goal knack with 15 games a season max including sub appearances (he's played near 60 total so over 4 seasons he's appeared its about 15 each season) Thats nothing. He has ability. All our coaches have recognised this. Scotland has recognised this at under 19 and under 21. I've stated before that i hate people booing or slagging of their own team players if their trying and i'll say again - We will not see the benefit of the Rory if some keep bashing him. :018: So what is he looks ungainly. Peter Crouch took until the season before last before showing he has a natural knack for goal scoring. Taller players, especially strikers (and he is although not a 6'7 freak but just over 6) always seem to develop later. He's got my support.

Its all very well having a young edge to the side. No problem there at all. You have to achieve a balance though. You only have to see what Yogi Hughes is doing and everything he has done at Falkirk thus far has benefited them greatly. They only seem to be on the up whereas we perhaps have stagnated a little. Its clear to most that while there may be nothing as yet to "panic" about, without an experienced front man and a good solid and most importantly composed defender to partner Munro we will not go any further this season. If Ian Black wants a longer deal then get negotiating. He's still young and with luck will keep improving. I think Brewster has been encouraging him to push forward this pre season and that could be nice to see. Don Cowie had a very good 1st season but only signed a 2 year deal and is reportedly in the process of negotiating a new deal. I'd like to see a 2 year extension. Its imperative we keep the nucleus of a good squad and get those extra two or three to push on. Brewster should be actively asking for a wee bid to spend.

Does Rooney not have a reputation as being a little nippy? He's pretty much ours if he wants to join. After that an experienced front man wouldnt go amiss but im far more concerned for the defence. If fact get that sorted and i feel the rest would be fine as we have probably enough experience in the midfield to compensate for the strikeforces glaring lack of it.

I'd go for that. Brewster get it sorted!

We have a wee hole in the wage budget surely though so hopefully that wouldnt present too much a problem

True but maybe, just maybe, Brewster could show some stones and think that signing him and him playing well would benefit the team and thus benefit him?

I'd be happy to go on trial. Im free, available and a scoring machine :023: Sorry we talking about football here. Well if the grass is dry i suppose i could lie down on it (after collapsing from running a yard)

Yes but very rarely is a manager aloud to spend alot of the money brought in. 150k would do nicely IMO as it would destroy any previous budgets we've ever had :010:

STEVEN PRESSLEY!!!! Doncaster turned him down so he'll be getting desperate No really think he could do the job for us for a year or two and wouldn't necessarily go for high wages as he'll want to play 1st team football at his age. He's a Scotland coach also which could help us out somehow perhaps!

Take him in a flash. No two ends about it. Come one Elvis. Come where your wanted! :021: :sillywave:

Personally men taking of their tops is not really an active pursuit of mine... but it was a special day. Not least as i was there and my mate, a clyde fan in the opposite end was also. Nice to rub in all the way home!

Just tried to register but my email has been banned as they do not allow free email addresses such as yahoo, msn, hotmail, gmail. Is that a joke!!! How many fans do they have? 4, with only one allowed on the site perhaps!

Personally as a loan deal which would benefit both it would be folly not to sign him. Absolute Folly!!!

If we turned down 2 400k offers before it seems unlikely we'd settle for less if we were offered 500k elsewhere. Add ons perhaps?

Also I come from a land where the Daily Record is prevelant. Full of Gers and Tics acting like their team is Barcalona and should be signing the best in the world. Then you get the Hearts and Hibees who are both positive they'll be fighting relegation along with the likes of skint killie, St Mirren, Accies and ourselves (maybe). I see negativity everywhere!!!! so it can be hard to distinguish

I don't think that's the case at all and most of the hysteria is being generated by the "Rose Tinted Specs" brigade who jump on every topic with a "before the moaners start" type excuse, which makes it look like we've got more negativity than their actually is. We had one topic last week (forget which it was off hand) where almost the entire first page was full of "people will be moaning about xyz" and it morphed into complaints about people's negativity which didn't even exist on the thread :015: Yes, criticism does exist, but it's made to look far worse by those who are doing all the complaining about it and starting threads with statements such as the one I quoted above really don't help any and only skew the perception further. You've probably got a fair point there. Id say there are as many messages with the "before the moaners start" (never used that exact line myself) as any negativity posts. The rest are either seeking or fairly realistic. I think we all know our defence is leaky to say the least and our forward line inexperienced (but promising) but we have a very strong midfield and a set of two good goalies. Two sorted and two to go and i think Rooney on loan, someone in the mould of Dods (ie Pressley-big deal if Doncaster said no. He can still cut it!) and a decent older forward and we'll have a strong team and will be able to challenge for the top 6. Pre season has a bit to run yet so hopefully something will happen there.

After bills and expenses and such like are dealt with it's surely going to be the case that we'll have a little (prob max 100-150k) to spend and a wee gap in the wage structure. It seems obvious to most that the team in crying out for a strong reliable centre half who can header as well as read the game, preferably with a yard or two of pace. Hopefully Rooney signs on loan as he sounds (going on brief match reports) lively and an eager goal threat. He'll want to show Stoke what he can do. But with Niculae now away we only have: -Barrowman, who seems to be a goal getter but untried at top level footie. -Rory Mac who has shown promise in glimpses but it seems unclear as to whether he can be relied apon. -Gary Wood who showed promise last season in pre season and again this pre season We are crying out for the older head to play alongside one of these lads. Im sure there would be someone in the English lower reaches looking to prove himself. A player with Champioship/SPL or similar experience would be preferable but its the cool headed experience we really need. The type who doesnt worry to much if he misses a few and keeps plugging away. A good example. Fair enough Brewster was the good example forward type but he can't exactly lead from the front now. especially not week in week out. (maybe in an emergency more likely) Question is does anyone think something will be done. Particularly in defence.

It seems the solution in place to avoid selling to trouble makers is the clubs (falkirk and hearts thus far) take the fans details and check them against police databases before sending them out. The police (central scotland police thus far) are said to be happy with the solution. lets show the OF the :33: Always wanted to use that smiley :001: :021:

Yeah but was that former glory not over 100 years ago? Queens Park were at the forefront of footie in Scotland but refused to go pro...so got left behind. East Fife just got left behind. Going by quotes from his agent "Stevie didnt want to wait for the SPL clubs to make up their mind" From this it seems likely the SPL clubs were saying to him that essentially he was a stop gap/ panic signing really. Thinking along the lines of he'll do if we can't get anyone else that fits the bill. Im really glad this one has passed us by but slightly embarrassed about the story. Why was only ICT slurried with his name and the fact we were one of several SPL clubs rejected. Is this a case of our poor hush policy when it comes to signings or just a name from a hat? Brewster should come out with a press release stating "Crawford, as in my old team mate Stevie Crawford? Nah dunno what your talking about mate, we had no plans to sign him at all, ever, right!" "oh but i think he's find his level mind" This might spare our blushes a little, even if he gets one christmas card a year less.

Its a loan signing that we're going for. I think he could benifit the team. Still a little worried about the experience in the forward line when/if Niculae moves. Although Im far more concerned about the back line. Was it not Brewster who brought Dods in? As a tall physical striker does he not know the best type to combat his style of play?

I read elsewhere we won 1-0. So either I trust the metro (ever reliably piece of journalism :023:) or the official site. ..........Tough one.

it probably does mean we're skint. Credit Crunch?

There have been alot of people on this board ripping into the team over our pre season results and tactics etc but looking slightly further a field and you might think we are not doing all that badly. Hearts 1-1 with Glentoran!!! and a loss against Dunfermline Aberdeen 4-0 loss against PETERHEAD! Hibs trounced in Intertoto cup, albeit against a team slap bang into their season and flying high in their league you'd still expect better. Although I hear it was ?35 a round in Sweden from a hibee at work who was there for part of the game (said it was so awful they all went to the pub and blew about ?200 in one night each! Celtic who managed to get to the last 16 in the European champions elite were easily beaten by a team in the premiership lucky to escape relegation by the skin of their teeth. 3-1 Fulham and Bobby Zamora scored- how embarrasing! Rangers struggled against two lower league german teams and were lucky to not be on the end of a hiding from Schalke 04 I havent really noticed any other results but i think considering that they were all top 6 bar hearts who lets face it should and normally would be, shows perhaps our performances thus far havent been all that bad. Maybe i'm clutching at straws but is pre season not about fitness, tactics and gelling players whilst hopefully not picking up injuries? Think it's went ok so far myself...touch wood. :023: anyone know the result of the game today?

Looks like we may have got lucky missing the boat there as it looks a stormy sea ahead. Why do i keep refering to boats and other sailing analagies?!