JC's signing policy

[Guest Caroline B]

It seems that every January transfer window, Jimmy Calderwood seems to sign makeweights to the team.

Just now we have Duff, who isn't good enough for Dundee Utd and therefore isn't good enough for us.

That's a fact.

Josh Walker looks a good prospect, but will be off in the summer to play in Middlesborough reserves again. His stamina is lacking and therefore is a bit part player for us.

Bus. Taxi for Bus!

Maybury, could turn out to be the best of the bunch. The jury is out as yet.

 

In past years we have had several assorted donkeys such as Pasquinelli, The Czech lad (forget his name) and some others who have been squad members at best.

We look at our squad now and see perhaps 11 or 12 who could start matches. The rest are fodder for the first division or workmen like players who might play a decent match every so often. We need it every match.

 

If Calderwood doesn't want a repeat of this seasons problems then he'd better be digging for quality now rather than in the January window, cause all that's left at that time are the fodder.

 

Lets see some quality in quantity Jimmy!

[Superstar Tradesman]

What's really beginning to grind my gears is the starting 11 seems to start regardless of form or fitness and then the dross you highlighted, never starts.

 

I'd rather have a hardworking squad of 22 journeymen dying to get a slot on a Saturday than 11 untouchables and 11 unplayables.

[stonefish100]

A clearout of the players who are clearly not top 4 SPL players needs to be carried out in the summer, all the January signings bar Maybury should be punted, Duff is possibly one of the worst signings AFC has made.

 

Keep the core of good players we have and punt the rest. Even U19s like Paton would add a bit of hunger and drive to the side next season. Saying this I have little or no faith in JCs ability to sign an unknown gem. All of his signings have either been decent "names" who we all already know of, or total unknowns who have gone on to be total shite!!

 

P.S I thought Pasquinelli was decent

[BigAl]

 

 

I'd rather have a hardworking squad of 22 journeymen dying to get a slot on a Saturday than 11 untouchables and 11 unplayables.

 

[BigAl]

Was Pasquinelli not here during Pele's tenure

[Kowalski]

What's really beginning to grind my gears is the starting 11 seems to start regardless of form or fitness and then the dross you highlighted, never starts.

 

If I understand the above correctly, you are suggesting that we have been starting the same 11 every week?  Chance would be a fine thing!

[OrlandoDon]

Grinding my gears;-)

 

What pisses me off is that most times we make our signings too late, address expiring contracts too late, and are searching through the remaining pish to fill our team/squad. I think the summer we got Smith, Nicholson, Lovell etc was the first time we had been proactive in years and suggested we'd finally learned, but like many things this year, it seems we are going backwards again. We need to make a decision on who stays, goes, and get the new players signed before the summer.

[Guest ally s]

I agree with the above.  All of the signings this season apart from Maybury have been gash imo.

 

In order for us to make 3rd place our own JC must be find a replacement for Anderson.  We've missed him badly and he hasn't been replaced properly imo.

 

On top of that if Nicholson goes then we'll need to find a replacement for him too.  I doubt this can be done without some decent financial backing from the board.  I won't hold my breath.....

[BobbyBiscuit]

A clearout of the players who are clearly not top 4 SPL players needs to be carried out in the summer, all the January signings bar Maybury should be punted, Duff is possibly one of the worst signings AFC has made.

Keep the core of good players we have and punt the rest. Even U19s like Paton would add a bit of hunger and drive to the side next season. Saying this I have little or no faith in JCs ability to sign an unknown gem. All of his signings have either been decent "names" who we all already know of, or total unknowns who have gone on to be total shite!!

 

P.S I thought Pasquinelli was decent

 

The horrible part is that he has been after him for years and it all seems to be because Alex Smith once told him Duff was a good player.

 

I also thought Pasquinelli was a decent enough player. Terrible time with injuries though, if I remember correctly.

[Guest ally s]

Was Pasquinelli not here during Pele's tenure

 

Nah JC brought him in.  I didn't think he was too bad either.  Blaha on the other hand.....

[TENEMENTFUNSTER]

If I understand the above correctly, you are suggesting that we have been starting the same 11 every week?  Chance would be a fine thing!

 

Sure enough K, I have never really understood this argument.

[BobbyBiscuit]

Blaha on the other hand.....

 

Fucking brutal.

[Superstar Tradesman]

If I understand the above correctly, you are suggesting that we have been starting the same 11 every week?  Chance would be a fine thing!

 

Well the way I see it (before the winter break) we had:

 

Langfield

Zander

Seve

Hart

Clark

Miller

Nicholson

 

Who would play come hell or high water.

 

Perhaps the "same 11" was pushing it a little but it wasn't far off and I could easily list as many on our books who haven't hardly played a full 90 minutes this season.

 

The 'first 11' must hear who has just been signed and think "ach well, no need for me to panic" whereas they should be thinking "fuck, I'd better up my game!".

[TENEMENTFUNSTER]

Well the way I see it (before the winter break) we had:

 

Langfield

Zander

Seve

Hart

Clark

Miller

Nicholson

 

Who would play come hell or high water.

 

Perhaps the "same 11" was pushing it a little but it wasn't far off and I could easily list as many on our books who haven't hardly played a full 90 minutes this season.

 

The 'first 11' must hear who has just been signed and think "ach well, no need for me to panic" whereas they should be thinking "fuck, I'd better up my game!".

 

Worked fine up until recently though it has to be said.

[capitalsharpie]

Or has it been that a few decent players Anderson, Hart, Diamond, Nicholson, Jamie Smith, (Dare I say it now he's gone) Clark were holding the team together, the rest were pish, but got away with it and now most of those are gone, the poor players are now being exposed.  Remember, 50% of the defence (for example) that got us our 3rd place and played most of our Eropean games are now gone.

[Superstar Tradesman]

That's my point.

 

No strength in depth whatsoever and even the manager isn't willing to trust the dross he's signed and would prefer to rush the usual suspects back from the treatment table.

[TENEMENTFUNSTER]

That's my point.

 

No strength in depth whatsoever and even the manager isn't willing to trust the dross he's signed and would prefer to rush the usual suspects back from the treatment table.

 

This was the fairly risky squad policy adopted by Calderwood and Miller at the outset, quality but not quantity. A small squad with key players and bit parters to come in as and when, hopefully with enough key players always available to keep the standard up.

 

This has worked but only up to a point, the point where too many of the key players leave and are not replaced by even nearly like for like players as the board are CUNTS!

[capitalsharpie]

So surely, now that this has been exposed as a generally bad idea, (especially in the Scottish game), Miller must say to Jimmy that he needs to change his strategy for the long term. Hopefully this is why the cash from our recent wheeling and dealings has been kept until the summer. The thing that DOES worry me is that the fat orange one has only STARTED looking about the only reently.

[TENEMENTFUNSTER]

In fairness to JC, when would he be able to look until now?

 

It has been a pretty busy season.

 

Folk all just assume too that he hasn't got people already in mind.

[capitalsharpie]

He got rid of whatever scouting network we had. 

 

 

Thats why scouts exist. To do the legwork so the busy busy man with the excuses doesnt have to unless there is a true potential signing.

[TENEMENTFUNSTER]

He got rid of whatever scouting network we had. 

 

Which was terrible.

[Superstar Tradesman]

 

 

This was the fairly risky squad policy adopted by Calderwood and Miller at the outset, quality but not quantity. A small squad with key players and bit parters to come in as and when, hopefully with enough key players always available to keep the standard up.

 

I'll agree with you to a certain point TF but only as far as the first couple seasons.  JC then admitted that quality over quantity was too risky and decided to go for strength in depth.  At one point we had about 5 or 6 strikers trying to get a slot on a Saturday and the squad looked really healthy.

 

Then something went tits up, not sure what and we're left with shite 2nd picks and nobody in the 'first 11' being hussled for their starting place.

 

Langfield seems to be the exception to the rule.

[BigAl]

The thing that DOES worry me is that the fat orange one has only STARTED looking about the only reently.

 

Even more so when you consider he'll be on flight oot of here within a couple of hours of the season finishing, off to Majorca, and not returning until the day afore pre season training starts.

[TENEMENTFUNSTER]

Seve has been dropped, Considine dropped, Lovell dropped, Foster dropped, Langfield dropped, Miller dropped, Soutar dropped, Maguire not dropped from high enough, Mair dropped, DeVisscher dropped.

 

This season it's only been McNamara, Smith, Nicholson, Clark, Hart and Diamond that have pretty much been guaranteed a place in the team when fit. Out of that it's really just Nicholson, Diamond, Hart and Clark that have had runs, Nicholson has played about 40 games this season already.

[kaj]

Blaha

 

Around about the time of Lubomir Blaha, can anyone else remember either JC or Willie Miller saying something along the lines of:

 

'Eastern Europe is where it's at now, they're hungrier than Scottish boys, they still play fitba when they're kids, Scottish boys just sit on their arses playing Xbox and we're going to be signing hunners of guys fae the Czech Republic and Poland from now on, we've got contacts and everything", or words to that effect but less eloquently phrased?

 

What the fuck happened to all that then?