RicoS321

I don't think anybody isn't going to give them a chance (although there was some booing at the game today which is very unfair so early). Goodwin has taken a risk to bring in players with zero SPFL experience and hope they gel within a short space of time. That is problematic for me, and to write off both Ramirez and Watkins so early is poor management. Both would have done better than the alternatives today and both are proven SPFL players. Taking a non league player on at one nil down is just bad management. He should be blooded in like any other young player and that should have been obvious from the past week's training. I think Goodwin is choosing to make things hard for himself, just like he did during the run in. The bumps along the road are going to be greater with this approach. I said last season that it'll take at least a season to catch up on our (Cormack's) scandalous neglect in the prior windows, and I'm convinced that'll still be the case.

Vinny looked shiter because he was the only one trying stuff. Most of his errors were high up the park and he was always looking to be involved. Hayes works incredibly hard, and deserved his goal but shouldn't be relied upon to be the creative element in the team. Kennedy was, and is, pap. Goodwin decided before he joined the club that Kennedy was a player, and he's completely incorrect but unable to change his own mind - he's literally seeing something that isn't there (see Glass and Ojo). Hopefully he'll be out for a couple of weeks to allow space to try out others.

Nope. He's just different. Lewis was recovering form and I think his dropping was harsh. Roos is no Woods like, but I think Lewis edges it in my opinion. Goodwin seems to have taken approach whereby he wants zero trace of Glass' signings and if he's decided in a player he won't change his mind. I think that's a very risky approach and detrimental to our short term performances. It also allows for zero errors in his own recruitment, which I think is at best naive, at worst fucking stupid. That Ramirez or Watkins played no part today was criminal given the display from Morris and the overall fitness at the hour mark. There was even a very strong case for Bates today, which is how bad our defence was.

I thought this, but wasn't sure if he was maybe blinded by the sun for the goal. It was a yard out, and Lewis would have been slated for it.

Not long back. That was a honking performance from back to front and in the dugout. The only plus point today was dispelling the myth that McRorie can play left centre half. He was atrocious today, and he didn't recover when he went to midfield. Stewart was an absolute bombscare. For a captain to be so unsure of himself, and so lacking in pace, against such a labouring forward line is shocking. He had to get deeper and deeper than his fellow defenders as the game went on to cope with his lack of pace. Clarkson wasn't strong enough against eleven man Motherwell and Ramadani was breathing oot his airse after 60 minutes, as was Miovski. Sh/J/Hayden Morris takes the prize for the worst debut performance since Hernandez. Goodwin has had over a week to look at the guy, and it's obvious to anyone with eyes that he's not nearly good enough for playing in the SPFL (that might change with fitness or whatever of course, but right now I'm talking about). Watkins was the correct replacement to make and even allowing the initial error, Morris should have been hooked well before their third, where he was posted missing again. An absolute liability, who just wandered off his man, whilst offering nothing in attack. Motherwell just pressured us knowing we'd make mistakes and we obliged. Several of our players looked done in the heat after an hour. Goodwin didn't seem to read the game at all. His changes were poor and at the wrong time. Hopefully it's just a blip given the huge turnover. Lovely cross from Scales (reminds me of mulgrew, a really good left peg) and a great header. Really good battling from Richardson (who did alright today) for the second.

Rather than start a separate thread, I'll just add Salman Rushdie in here. Fantastic writer. Horrible attack like. Hopefully he'll recover.

I disagree. The competition for places higher up the park is beneficial because it's the area where changes win games. Defence and centre midfield you generally want consistency and solidity. There's a big difference between having a good winger or striker in the bench and having a good midfielder there. One will get lots of minutes, the other not so much. With regards Roberts, he didn't look a player on first (and second) impressions. I wonder if part of the move for another creative player is that we recognise the possibility that he might not be good enough. No criticism mind, we've had a lot of signings, some are going to be poor.

Ross soaring to the top of the next sacking odds table. He can't even use the "it's only three points" line, because it's the cup. McGhee would never have allowed this to happen.

Absolute nonsense. No way utd are keeping it below six. I turned on after the first and was thinking they looked fairly decent. That keeper. Jesus.

Good for you. I think you're certainly in the right, but that's of little use to you. The Scottish independence angle is an interesting one. The French have halted the rise as their industry is effectively nationalised. That would certainly be an option upon independence, and one I'd be fine with, but it's not been suggested by the main mouthpiece - SNP - for independence. The reality is we'd be electing a party based on that type of offering post independence, and there's no certainty that would win a majority in Scotland (I can't imagine any of the SNP high ups making that a policy for example). Furthermore, that wouldn't be an option whilst joining the EU either (France will do what it likes), as it'd be the first thing the cunts come for when we're not running our surplus.

He played there under Glass a few times and wasn't very good. Anytime he was under pressure on his weak side he struggled and he got turned that way a few times. Agreed though, he was fine in the last two. Would be very cynical about that being a permanent position for him though. I'd say Scales and McKenzie would be better than McRorie and Scales for instance.

He's not a very good left sided defender though, he'd be a weak link. Unless we move to a back three, there isn't a position for him there. I agree with Panda in the main, but he has his obvious limitations in midfield because he's not that good a footballer. McInnes had him playing box to box right up until he returned from COVID, when he just didn't seem to have the energy for several months. I don't think he regressed as a footballer, more that a huge part of his game - his athleticism - didn't recover that season. The opening league cup games and the end of last season suggests he was back to that level of athleticism, and I think the move to defence may disrupt that again. The sooner we can get him back in midfield the better. However, unless we change formation, we're going to have some very strong players pissed off on the bench or shoehorned into forward roles that others are better suited for.

What's your thinking in terms of a solution?

I mean, it was the seventies.

I think so. He's good. They won't let him go for nothing. I could see him going for £1M in a year or more if they recall and play him like Christie.

Joining Davie in the sky.

Nah, not convinced. Could play as part of a three if we were playing a 4-5-1, but don't think you'd want either there against a team outwith the scum. Unless we're doing a McInnes game management of course. I don't see the two of them playing together without a shoehorn involved. It'd be a little bit like when we played Ferguson there. He wasn't poor, but you need someone better at that role. Agree about Ronan, I would have preferred him, but now Clarkson is here we don't need him.

I'd have had Ronan over Clarkson*, but not sure there's room for them both. He's a fairly dynamic midfielder who likes a shot. He'd probably fit into the number 10 role, but I can't help but think he'd be trying to get up and down the pitch and getting in folk's way, rather than stay close to Mivoski. Someone like Besuijen will happily stay up the pitch out the way and try the funcy shite. I can't help but think Goodwin would play him as a midfielder rather than a number 10. With the 850 players already in the forward areas, we'll be running out of numbers. Edit: *as the assumption would be that we're buying him

sounds like a euphemism rather than a sport.

Maddison was very inconsistent with us, which is why he didn't play every minute, but he also played in a more advanced position where players tend to get shifted about a little. That central midfield position, traditionally, is a 90 minute one unless you're playing shite or injured, which is what worries me. Clarkson looks like a Billy Gilmour type and we'll have an extremely slim chance of signing him (basically, if they find some indecent images on his PC and Liverpool want rid of him before the press get hold of it!). Unless they can do some sort of job share, where Barron plays one week and this guy the next, I just don't see Barron getting in ahead of him despite having earned his place in the starting eleven, and I don't see a way to fit them both in. I think it's fairly particular to this one player (and possibly Maddison as you point out) I suppose. You could say that Coulson is pushing out Mackenzie for example, but Mackenzie is well beyond development age, hasn't really earned his spot in the team in the way Barron has and Coulson is well within our means if he became available. Clarkson is a guy that is miles beyond what we can afford and heading well above our level (he'll be inconsistent of course). I agree on the other guys you mention, but Duncan needs to go on loan in this window (Cove must be in with a shout as they only have a few subs, but I'd like to see him play at a higher level) now that we've got the massive squad.

I was very surprised when McRorie got shifted back to defence on Saturday (not yesterday...!), but it worked. However, the sending off came so soon after the injury, it's difficult to tell how that midfield two would cope against a strong/physical pairing. Given McRorie was shifted defence on Saturday, and against the Tims, I don't see him choosing a different option against Motherwell. Mackenzie will play only when ready, but it sounds like that won't be on Saturday, so I think the Clarkson dilemma will wait for another week or so. It is a big dilemma though, as I don't see him dropping McRorie. The biggest problem for me though is that Clarkson is very similar in style and position to Barron and I think it's imperative that Barron gets opportunity over this guy. I don't buy into the whole playing your best team every week thing if it doesn't take into account long term thinking. Barron is more than good enough to start every week in the SPFL, and will likely give us a good return in the summer. Clarkson doesn't look so much better that we should risk that, and I don't see a way to fit both into the team. This type of thing happened a lot under McInnes, where we built bloated squads that kept young players' minutes to a minimum. I really like the look of Clarkson, obviously, but he's not ours and he leaves very little room for the cultivation of players. For me, we should have been looking to get a player that can cover two or three positions (like McRorie, but left sided) rather than someone like Clarkson who plays solely in one position at the expense of our own players. With Ryan Duncan sidelined for Kennedy, Roberts (I thought he looked fairly pish, to add) and others we're now in a position where we have no young players coming through from our academy this season, and Barron at risk of being usurped. I think we could have recruited a little bit more sparingly this window if I'm being critical, and allowed opportunities from injury to be taken by young players. Goodwin will have a real challenge keeping everyone happy.

I fucking hate Jim Goodwin.

Shite game, terrible performance. Nae gan back.

Looking forward to this one. Back to the grey clouds and wind. None of your sun-in-the-eyes league cup shite. Proper fitba weather.

Aye, good signing. He's no Hayden/Shayden/Jayden* Morris like. *Delete as appropriate