Ten Caat

Assuming we got £5milion for McKenna.....just cannot see us paying £2million for a replacement. The main reason being that a £2million player will demand a salary commensurate with that fee and totally destroy our fairly strict salary budget. I'd suggest a player costing that amount would instruct his agent to be looking at a salary using £10k/wk as a starting figure for negotiations, more likely looking at getting between £12-15k/week as he could easily earn in the English Championship. Whilst I'm certain we probably could stretch to that sort of figure in the correct circumstances, the problem would knock on to the rest of the squad in their last year of their contracts whose agents would be demanding whacking great increases in their salaries to re-sign. And thus either the salary budget is increased substantially or we allow a load of players to move on and require yet another large recruitment next summer. In reality I don't expect McInnes to be handed any more than £1million from any sale of McKenna. The majority of any fee received will have to go towards the new stadium and rightly so. That would allow him to buy a decent replacement......maybe Findlay from Killie? Or a young EFL1 level prospect? Both would cost somewhere between £500-750k and not break our current wage structure and leave a bit of cash over for Mcinnes to add another player (striker?) on top if he so wished

Moult to Salford City is apparently on the cards. Foreby that.....it was his wife who was desperate to get back down south when he left Motherwell so even if we could put a financial package together that might attract him......would his missus tolerate moving so far north given how homesick she was living only an hour north of the border?

Ojo and Bryson weren't signed to be squad players. If they're fit they'll start so obviously the team who played the RoPS first leg won't be the one that starts on Thursday. Foreby that, Devlin is out anyway (as is his understudy Taylor). We really need Leigh to be fit or else we are struggling......Consi can't fill in at both left back and centre half simultaneously. Hedges didn't look comfortable (or as if he was particularly enjoying it) at left wing back and the other option of moving Shay to left back and playing Gallagher at right back didn't look great either. I wonder if we might just go 3 at the back if Leigh isn't fit? Taking that option, with 5 in the middle would allow us to play 2 up top. Cosgrove just looks crap playing alone up front. His best form last season was when he had May up front supporting him. Again though, who should that be? DM seems to prefer Wilson playing out wide but Main to me is far too similar in style to make playing him alongside Cosgrove work. McGinn maybe?? I expect us to progress in the end but don't expect it to be particularly pretty. Right now we just cannot seem to keep clean sheets for whatever reason.......not having a settled backline cannot help of course. I'm going to say 3-1 but with our last goal coming fairly late on and with us nervously hoping until that point they don't make it 2-2

Retard reporting we have turned down 2 bids in the region of £3million from both QPR and Notts Forest for McKenna. Value halved in a year in which he has established himself as Scotland's first choice centre back? They can gtf…..Only 11 days remaining in the English transfer window, interesting to see if they come back with improved bids with Hull City also reported to be monitoring the situation. FWIW I do think if they match the £6million Villa offered then we should take it, put £5 million towards the new stadium and hand DM £1million to source a decent replacement and possibly one other player of his choice.

Maybe a 6 month loan for someone who can cover RB/RCD? Did Hoban ever take us up on our offer of providing rehab facilities? He may be the answer if he regains fitness but I don't think he will be ready until after the mid-season break at the earliest so I'd guess a loan meantime would tide us over

Another eye bleeding watch. RoPS are a far better side than this lot and we made them look better than they are for large periods of the game. No word on the big Gash injury situation, we really need Leigh back for next week and hopefully we get another right sided defender in to bolster the squad before the Hearts match. Can't say anyone really stood out performance wise.....McKenna, Logan and Hedges were all reasonably good. Strange how opinions differ on different sites....the Hat are absoluely blasting Ojo. I thought he was naive for their penalty but otherwise did ok. Cosgrove...was horrendous but thankfully he takes a good penalty. McGinn didn't look too interested and Gallagher.....hmmm maybe I was too quick in saying get him onboard permanent. Should see them off fairly comfortably next Thursday, just hope we don't pick up any more injuries in training in the interim.

Hang fire on shirt 83 Some fermers on P and B are saying he's failed his medical.

I don't think we have seen the last of Ball in Aberdeen. (I hesitate to say at Pittodrie….but I think he will be back before we move to the new ground. Just don't think he will cut it at QPR)

I could probably just about stomach it if England had indeed voted for Boris as PM. However it was only 90000 or so Tory party members who have voted him as such

They'll be forced into selling Morelos now to pay off this forthcoming multi-million compo. I suspect they'll still end up a few million to the good in the end but nowhere near the amount they've doubtless based their financial model on. Just hope Ashley insists on getting the cash paid in full up front and doesn't accept payment in instalments. Knock on effect should be that it severely limits their future player acquisitions. Assuming Celtic are still good enough this season to bank 9IAR I have no doubt the sevco board would have went all in next summer authorising whoever is manager (unless Slippy wins a trophy this season it won't be him) to spend even more cash they don't have in a last desperate bid to stop 10IAR. Hopefully this marks what future football historians will come to view as the start of the end of a football club based in Ibrox

GWT in recognition of the average amount of quines he pulls in a calendar year

FT Caravan dwellers 0 East Fife 2 Albion Rovers 0 St Midden 0...……..penalty shoot-out Edit....St Mirren win the shoot-out but are out as Dunfermline play East Kilbride at the weekend and no matter who wins (even on a penalty shoot out), that team will finish above St Mirren

Given Bryson's lack of game time (plus the conditions) I'd be amazed if he plays any part at all....at best a cameo from the bench for the last 15 minutes or so. I'd expect Dean Campbell to start again......with Ojo replacing Gallagher and Ferguson allowed to get further forward supporting Cosgrove whenever he can. Honestly got no idea how the game will pan out, obviously hoping we can get a win but a 2-1 defeat wouldn't be the worst result to take back to Pittodrie.

Presuming we get through against the Georgians... Rijeka (again) v Aberdeen Sevco once again get a far easier tie....Midjetylland v newco

You seriously think we will get a fee for him? Supposedly he was down at Dundee yesterday afternoon holding talks. Of the 5 clubs purportedly interested in him ( the 2 "saints", Dundee, Dundee Utd and Ross Co) they are the only club with a serious interest in signing him on a permanent transfer. Given that there's no way any of them would pay his full wage of £4k/wk (I suspect we will need to cover somewhere between 40-60% no matter where he ends up) Dundee as it stands represent the best chance of getting him off the books quickly and permanently. I doubt we will ask for a fee on that basis. EDIT.....Apparently Killie have also been granted permission to talk to him but he surely wouldn't consider going anywhere with a plastic pitch given the state of his knees??

The commentators on Premier Sports mentioned during the game that viewers can expect word of more Scottish teams' European games by Monday. Obv at that point sevco and Killie still had to play their games and Killie ( ) are now obviously out....Along with the numpties who had already booked their flights and accommodation for Belgrade I think that was the game Premier intended to put out live purely on logistical grounds (Belgrade much closer and far more travel options than Tbilisi). I've not checked about sevco….are they at home or in Luxembourg for their first leg?

The words I saw attributed to DM last night were "treating it as a hamstring tear". You'd need an ultrasound scan to confirm that which I presume the club doc would have done by now. I wholeheartedly concur that Gash and Shug would have been made aware that Devlin seems to miss large chunks of every season he plays. Had he not been made of glass, I'm certain he would have been made club captain but that's pointless if a player is unavailable for 25-50% of each season.

Pretty sure that's a once weekly flight from Luton on a Sunday and is to Kutaisi not Tbilisi

Dundonald Bluebell for me. Strange that from the Fife juniors they've chosen to go senior having been totally horse-shit all through the 70s until very recently and ahead of perceived "bigger" junior clubs in Fife like Glenrothes Juniors, Kirkcaldy YM and Lochgelly Albert.

Dreadful performance but as has been said, we are into the next round and that's all that matters for now. Cosgrove took his penalty well but totally shite otherwise. Gallagher as good as he was last week was fairly anonymous tonight. Hedges...some nice flicks and touches but needs to drive at the oppo penalty box more often. Big Gash...….blameless for their goal, that was McKenna being bullied by a striker 3 -4 inches shorter than himself. Pass marks to Ferguson, McGinn and Considine (Joe not being assessed, didn't have enough to do other than pick the ball out the net). Everyone else...…..must do better. Onwards to Georgia next week. I believe the team we face will play the game in the capital Tbilisi as opposed to their home ground. Will make travel arrangements marginally easier for any fans thinking of heading over. I'm a bit of a plane spotter (seriously). As far as I'm aware there is one direct flight to Tbilisi daily from Gatwick by Air Georgian on an Embraer 190 (around 120 seats, long thin tube of a plane and flight takes around 4 and a half hours. Imagine at this late stage, getting seats on it for next Tues/Wed might be difficult). Otherwise I think it's 3 flights minimum going via London or Amsterdam to Talinn or Moscow then onto Tbilisi. Good luck anyone that fancies it

I can't see Wright starting this one. Probably Campbell in place of him. I also think he may well throw Main in up top as opposed to Cosgrove, purely on the grounds that Main will do more donkey work when we aren't in possession. I think we will scrape through in the end, but if RoPS were to score first it could be a very uncomfortable night for us

Agree May will be gone although wherever he rocks up (Dundee supposedly favourites) I'm sure we will be stumping up 50% of his wages for the next 2 years. Gleeson I don't think is gone. Just can't see anyone wanting him on the wages he will be on. He might get a gig in the Irish League but we would be stumping up 75-90% of his wages if he went there....he's not a total duffer just unfit. On balance I think we will keep him as hes a useful option if we suffer a few injuries. Rodgers will be sent on loan again if anyone will have him. And I think will be released next year. Anderson needs to go out on loan again. He did well at Dunfermline by all accounts so needs to be tested at a slightly higher level. Maybe Hamilton or St Mirren? Wright.....I just don't think can cut it at our level. He might have one brilliant game but then follow up with 4 stinkers or just totally anonymous. Physically he's also too slight. I'd be letting him go if he could get himself fixed up with another club but I think DM will give him till January. What to do with Campbell is the big question. Lots of shouts for him to go on loan but he did play fairly regularly second half of last season (knock on effect from Ball having to fill in for Logan's injury). I think he will be a first pick in 12 months time but Ojo will keep him out for now. Could be a bench option but on balance prob better heading out on loan for 6 months(hence why I think we will keep Gleeson rather than punt to an Irish club). I've said elsewhere we should be offering Atlanta a small fee for Gallagher right now. I fear if we don't he will end up down south. Yes it's a bit of a punt but getting through to next round in Europe would cover any fee plus that we paid for Ojo. Left back is still a bit of an unknown quantity. Cannot comment on that till we have seen more of Leigh. Right back....I've been consistent in my concern about Shay for almost 2 years now. Definitely needs a back up signed. In fact I'd prefer we signed a first choice and made Logan the back up tbh. Up front......I have my concerns about Wilson. Not entirely convinced about his attitude, however he is now our player rather trhan Man U's. He might look a bit more motivated as he must realise career wise he's in the last chance saloon. Do well and he could get a good move south in year (and net us a tidy fee). Do badly and it's non-league English fitba' in 2 years (but he's already a multi-millionaire....would he actually bother with that??) Still hoping we sign an out and out "number 10" before the window closes. McGinn was excellent last week and will still be an asset but he is getting older by the month and his fitness was never great even in his peak. Overall....yeah things look fairly good on paper. Should certainly be enough in the squad to guarantee us third in the league, maybe push for second if sevco's acquisitions are all as poor as Stewart. Decent draw in one of the Cups and we will be there or thereabouts

US season restarts in March. It seems a bit of a stretch to think that Atlanta wouldn't be open to doing a deal with us right now given he never figured at all for their first team. Probably fairly cheaply too...….pure guesswork but I think £100k would get him. However if he were to shine here over the next couple of months? It would certainly alert other clubs down south maybe top end EFL1 possibly even up to mid table Championship that there might be a player worth taking a punt on. Atlanta would encourage a bidding war and we might find that by the time his loan is up that we might need to offer £300k upwards to get him onboard. Even if we could afford that....he might fancy an English club more. I honestly think we have to take a gamble now and make the offer, otherwise we will miss the boat

We are already paying more than £5k/week. We offered McGeouch £6.5k/week a year ago. We offered Shinnie even more to stay. Our AVERAGE player wage in 2017/18 was just over £2650/week. Which includes young eens in the U18s on pretty much national minimum wage (Call it £8/hr over a 40 hour week =£320/week. So it then follows we are paying our senior pros a whack more than £2650/week to counterbalance that...……..do the math as they say in Yankland) EDIT.....and bear in mind we were paying Craig Hignett £8k/week over 20 years ago....

My thoughts on McInnes are well documented. I feel he has taken us as far as he can.....but having said that he's facing a system where 2 clubs have such a financial advantage over the rest that success really only can be gauged by qualifying for Europe each year given our financial advantage over the rest of the clubs (I'd suggest getting through 2 rounds in Europe isn't unreasonable an expectation every year and 3 rounds every 2nd year). Whilst DM achieves this I guess the board view him as value for money. "Better the devil you know" if you like. On a smaller scale, we are a bit like Man City or Chelsea were 25 years ago. Able to win a trophy occasionally given a decent draw and a bit of luck but totally unable to compete in the league due to the financial advantages enjoyed by the top clubs. They only became truly "big clubs" once Abramovich and the middle east consortium at Citeh came riding in on their white horses bearing gifts of hundreds of millions. Celtic have that on a smaller scale with Dermot Desmond (plus a biscuit tin swollen by Champions league cash). Sevco are conjuring up cash out of thin air and no doubt are reliant on selling Morelos for £15million plus to maker their financial "model" work. But in the interim their mahoosive squad means that 2nd should now be guaranteed every year although it's doubtful they can topple Celtic as champions purely as Celtic can spend £10million on a player if they have to and will spend big if 10IAR looks in any way under threat. We are what we are RS. We know we have directors onboard already who could bung £50million into the kitty and not even blink but they choose not to do so. (I believe Desmond at Celtic would dip into his pocket if the necessity arose). I'll never ever be an "ex-supporter" though as you describe yourself. I'll continue with blind hope every season that" this is the one". Knowing full well it isn't....under the status quo