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.

only ?374,900 according to setanta  :rolleyes02:

unfortunately doesnt seem like brewster thinks defence need any strengthening

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?

Can't see Brew getting any money at all :007:

It is my belief that we turned down higher offers, not because we wanted to but, because Niculae knew where he wanted to be and it wasn't any of the clubs who made offers. He went home for personal reasons. Seems to me those reasons were to sort out a deal for himself and ICT.

Where will the cash go...........club debts most likely. Very strange the accounts haven't come out yet, nor even notification of shareholders agm.

Brewster is well aware of the need for another central defender and he may have someone in mind but whether he'll get any more cash than has already been budgeted remains to be seen. And who is available anyway?

We should have a lot more than 150k to spend. The figures don't add up!.

Don't believe the spin about Marius wages having to be recouped.  Orion injected half the wages money for the 2 year period, as Marius only stayed a year effectively the Orion money covered the wage.  Then there is also the money we scouped from having him play in the Euros. We should have at least 300k clear.

Graham

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:

150k might get us a decent player. But the problem is as always wages and location.

Graham

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

Put it in the bank and earn the interest. Play some of our younger players get them noticed then sell them for about half their value, rinse and repeat.

Interest is only earned when the accounts in the black

We should have a lot more than 150k to spend. The figures don't add up!.

You've also got to consider non-Marius related business. Crowds and season ticket sales have been dropping, no cup run last season, improved contracts for players. Every season we need a cup run and net profit from transfers just to break even.

Bennett said in Press and Journal that although we will have all this money Marius is entitled to a slice of the transfer fee and that there is no point in the board giving Brewster ?150,000 for a player due to their wages being too high most probably.

http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/757085

So we've gone from a stance at the club where we were selling Marius to free up wages to bring in 3 or 4 players to strengthen the squad to one where despite selling him we can't afford to spend and of the capital on transfer fees because we can't afford the wages!!!

So we've gone from a stance at the club where we were selling Marius to free up wages to bring in 3 or 4 players to strengthen the squad to one where despite selling him we can't afford to spend and of the capital on transfer fees because we can't afford the wages!!!

Let's hope that the stance is the club can now afford to tie up some of our better players on new deals which last longer than the standard 2 year contract. I think that Barrowman signing for 3 years was the first time I have seen a player at ICT offered more than 2 years.

Ian Black is quoted today saying if he isn't tied up on a longer contract by christmas, he will be looking elsewhere.

Being totally honest birdog I think that unless we bring in a couple of quality players yet then we are at high risk of relegation, if we get relegated then having players on higher wages and extended contracts would cripple us and perhaps place us in freefall.

I don't buy the excuses that the finances at the club are anywhere near as precarious as is being hinted at....the last set of accounts I saw showed a very healthy 6 figure sum in the bank.  Whilst I don't think we should be blowing money for the sake of it, I do think that we MUST do everything possible to maintain SPL status for the next couple of seasons when the improved money from Setanta will kick in and decrease the financial burden.

So whilst I agree that we should be looking to tie up our best players on improved contracts, it has to be balanced with the need for improving, or re-establishing the strength we had at the start of last season...as a minimum.

If the money is not there to do that then the last thing we should be doing is upping the wages of a few players and giving them contracts of more than 2 years because without improvements to the squad then I think we are entering next season at with the highest risk of relegation we have ever faced.

I could be wrong and I hope I am, but I just can't see our squad as it sits now being anything but cannon fodder next season.  That's no disrespect to any of them as individuals, I just don't think that as a squad/team we are currently strong enough....or that we have someone at the helm with the ability to utilise and get the best from what we have.

I am in total agreement CD but if I were to prioritise then I think that tying up our best players would come first, then a powerful intelligent centre back and then think about improving the rest of the squad.

We need a forward player with some more experience than the current crop at the club.

We need a forward player with some more experience than the current crop at the club.

We need 2 or 3 good defenders as well as 1 or 2 forwards but, even though there are suspicions ICT have more money than is reported, there are constraints on the budget. I read somewhere that Mainz entitled to a percentage of the fee from Marius and that Marius might be entitled to a cut, there isn't going to be a **** of a lot left after that.

I could be wrong and I hope I am, but I just can't see our squad as it sits now being anything but cannon fodder next season.  That's no disrespect to any of them as individuals, I just don't think that as a squad/team we are currently strong enough....

I remember something similar being said when Falkirk joined the league and again last season with reference to Motherwell.

We have 24 players on the books just now so there is probably room for a couple or three more but who? There isn't a central defender that I can find available and cheap with the experience we need. I can see a lot of faith being put on the younger players this season. It worked for Hibs, Falkirk and Motherwell. Why shouldn't it work for us?

It might work Alex, and my fears could be proved totally wrong...but what happens if I'm not?  It's not as if we can afford to pay over the odds to bring in players in the winter window if things aren't going to plan.

It's not just about the youngsters, it's the fact that one of our biggest strengths has been the relative continuity of the team, the "whole being greater than the sum of it's parts" if you were.  Messing with that and playing players out of place and chopping/changing did, IMO, do us harm last season....and going in to this season we will have a totally new front line, little/no improvement at the back and a midfield that can do nothing as they watch the ball sail over their head time and again.

Nothing makes sense at the moment.  We've got rid of our top scorer and the rest of our front line, Marius was sold on the basis that we were freeing up wages to bring in 3 or 4 players to strengthen the squad....yet after he's sold we're told we can't afford to bring in strong players as we can't afford the wages....we're throwing away money on loan deals for young players who will be able to walk away with no return at the end of the season and selling players now so we don't have to let them go for free.

Everything that the club say/do seems to contradict itself right now, we don't seem to have a plan and things seem to be operating on some kind of chaos theory.  We've been treading water for far too long and it seems that some people are starting to go under and if we're not careful they will take the club with them.

What to spend the pocket money on?

A curly wurly and a packet of spangles ... thats about all Brew will get.

I think the plan is to use all the young "hungry" inexperienced guys and hope most/some of them can cut it. Then see where we are in the league points wise, keep the money in the bank accruing interest and then if need and only if things look grim  be bolster the squad in the next transfer window when we know where we are weak and thus avoid the drop.

Graham

I think the plan is to use all the young "hungry" inexperienced guys and hope most/some of them can cut it.

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.

Get The Don, Blackie, Ike, and Munro sortd for new deals.

Sign a proper, experienced centre forward

Sign a well thought off defender.