OrlandoDon

Yup. Raith challenged us a little and league play will be an up in level. Really don’t know how strong/weak we are yet. Next week will certainly be a test, particularly with mccrorie dropping back and us thin on center mid with Barron injured. Still, you can only play what’s in front of you and we scored goals and kept clean sheets to date. Results don’t lie!

Agreed. We need a 10 to have central final third threat and that changes the entire game, and we play two from hayes vinnie and kennedy wide. Good to bring one of them off the bench, although I wonder if kennedy goes the ojo route where he starts a season well and eventually normal service resumes. on another note, Stewart is a beast in the air, does he lose headers??

Barron is young and raw, did well in a shit team last year. He’s still somewhat unproven, but we shall see.

Clearly missing the desired #10 today. With what we’ve seen from mccrorie and even Ramadani so far this season, Ferguson may not be missed. Lovely goal.

For all we know he may have wanted a number switch!! I like Ramirez but I think he’ll be away.

Pretty sure goodwin said he wants 2-3 more in, and stated that included a 10 and a winger. So I’d suggest it would be Morris and hopefully Ronan/McGrath.

Another forward???????

Was a little disappointed in Duk to be honest but sounds like the guy has done very little in two months, plus just got here. Looked overweight and I assume has zero match sharpness. He's also a young lad too trying to create a good first impression so I'm sure he was excited/nervous. Unlike Miovski and Ramadani who are full internationalists, Duk has been signed as pure potential coming from a B/reserve set up. Showed some skill and pace, curious to see how he does, and based on what we saw yesterday I wouldn't mind seeing two up top with him playing off Ramirez/Miovski. He'll definitely give us a different look/option. Thought the subbing yesterday was rather odd/poor and didn't help us in the second half. A little too much change. Too much juggling and it was nice to see consistency in the first 2 1/2 games. If the plan was Celtic prep then sub Scales, ideally keeping Hancock at LB or move Hayes back. Not quite sure what we did with Jack Milne yesterday, thought he was a defender now and I don't think did much in midfield.....if that's where he was playing. Also not quite sure where Watkins was playing?? We've been at our best in recent seasons playing players in their natural positions, think we didn't quite have that in the second half. I agree moving McCrorie back for Celtic hurts midfield and the talk of Barron coming straight back in for the Celtic game baffles me a little. He's no seasoned vet, and hasn't played in a few weeks. I'd rather McCrorie and Ramadani stayed there for the Celtic game, we have more options at the back right now than we do in center mid.

So are Duk, Mijofski, and Ramirez all typical #9 center forwards? Or anyone a 10 or wide player? Thinking Ramirez goes unless we are planning two up top maybe??

Throw in Mikey Johnston and I’ll take that!

Saw bits of the game. These are good games to get new players to develop cohesion, especially an entirely new keeper and defense, and not overly bothered we didn’t score more, sharpness should come. Glad that we actually created chances. Curious to see what happens to Ramirez when the new signing(s) arrive. Still think creativity is our weakness, hope we bring in a winger and a ten asap to get early season practice and develop chemistry. thoughts on mason Hancock? With him, scales, hayes, and mackenzie, covered for left back surely?? (Especially if we sign another winger so hayes worst case can drop back.)

Don’t think it was Ramirez offside, I think it was obstruction on the keeper….?

It was certainly time for Ferguson to move on, curious to see how his career plays out. I will add that I thought Adam Rooney was an excellent penalty taker and though he’d be hard to replace in that role, but Ferguson has been the best spot guy I’ve ever seen the dons have. Too lazy to check but I think he missed only one (out of ??)

Why Harsh? Goodwin knows exactly what he has in Lewis. How well does he know Roos? Lewis has had plenty of time to solidify the number 1 spot under goodwin, but hasn’t excelled. no clue who the better keeper is, guess time will tell.

I agree. Always buy a strip but this may be the first year I buy both. where in the states are you?

I agree, but from today you should factor in Barron and the Albanian will compete for center mid, don’t see polvara as a regular starter, plus miovski too, wonder if two up top is a consideration.

Solid ‘preseason’ game in that we got better as the game went on, scored a couple, and a shut out. Clearly lack creativity and imagination which is no surprise and understandably what the last signings will most likely be. Kennedy just isn’t good enough and vinnie needs competition for places as I haven’t seen anything to suggest he is mcginn or hayes in their prime and should n’t be a definite starter. I’d say the team from today had maybe 7-8 regular starters, still missing squad quality.

Good to hear JG saying today he’s trying to get 3-4 more quality players in, think that’s what many of us are crying out for. Any chatter/gossip as to who we are talking to at the moment?? He made the comment in the interview about talking to players under contract, fair to say that’s possibly at least Ronan there?

Looks like it finished 7-1. Yes, it’s preseason and brechin, but good to score 7! Anyone there? Curious to know if vinnie played centrally and if that’s his more natural or most effective spot. Not a kennedy fan but another goal, how’s he looking? Not sure how anyone else sees it, but I wonder if playing in the league cup instead of Europe will give us a quicker and more realistic sense of where we are as a team. Hard to tell the level of opposition in Europe so while we have looked good in the early rounds of Europe that doesn’t always tell us how good we are. We see a championship, league one and league two team, expect decent wins and not only a few goals but clean sheets too.

It appears to have been a decent window so far but I think it’s essential we get two creative players minimum, one central 10 and a wide player. More ideally as we’ll get injuries. We’ve missed that losing the likes of Wright, hedges, Christie, Maddison, mcginn aging out, even hayes getting older. I’d also throw the passing and attacking ability of McLean. I don’t see us going anywhere without creativity so while it seems to have been a good window so far it’s a definite failure if we fail to add creativity.

Totally agree. But doesn’t it always seem to be this way? With such a limited budget these are always frustrating times. Any really good player has signing options and given we’ve just come off a shitty season, no Europe, and a relatively unknown/unproven manager, maybe even a little harder this summer? The visa situation is a little different but it just adds to the concern/frustration.

I’d argue (I hope) that we are trying to bring in more, particularly on the creative side, but with the level and type of player we are targeting they have options and it takes time (unfortunately.) Take McGrath and Ronan for example, I’m sure they both have a number of clubs interested.

We’re incredibly weak on the wing, must be improved for us to have any chance of success. We were at our best in recent years when we had two of the best wingers in the league in hayes and mcginn, not sure we have one that would be a guaranteed starter for any team in the league. I guess Vinny is our strongest and I’m not even sure he’s any good. Hayes does a job but not the player he was. I’d also like to see us punt mclennan and kennedy, they give us very little. Time to give a youngster time over them.

Easy there. Been excited before only for it all to go to shit. Gleason and Forrester got me excited! Defenders were needed, as was a center forward, but the creativity is the hard part. I rate Ramirez highly but with minimal service it all goes to shit. Two wingers and a number ten needed asap!

Football is a different world now. In my opinion we do our best to get the best players any way we can, buy or loan, to give us the best chance of success. We can’t afford high end players. Loaning Scales helps us short term. In this financial climate one year signings are the norm for us, that’s the reality of it. Loaning players we can’t afford to buy isn’t wrong, we have to accept the reality of the situation. I don’t give two fucks if loaning Christie Maddison or Scales helps the player or feeder club, they help us short term, hopefully to do well in the league and cups, bringing in money, that helps us afford better players. Would I rather loan Scales or see considine extended for one more year for example, easy answer from me. We do what we think makes us better on the pitch.