Yoss

None of this is true, btw. The embargo was for failing to make the correct declarations, not for the mere fact of having (part-)owners with dual interests.

If that kind of stuff is coming from the kitman he should be sacked on the spot.

Not really, no. Not that I'm not hopeful, the new manager is making all the right noises and there are some interesting signings. But looking at the league, it's easier to see clubs who are likely to finish above us than below us. There's one fewer part-time team this year too, and Livingston may not be as bad again. 6th / 7th place is our natural home. Any improvement on that would be a bonus.

James McFadden.

Your general point stands, of course, but Tade did pretty well at Stranraer, earned himself a move from there to (then first-division) Clyde, and was let go by Clyde only because they paid off all their full-timers, contracts or not, when they hit the buffers financially.

I'd be happy with that. But he's not a centre-back so it's not the particular signing they promised us the other day. Wighton would be interesting as well if it comes off, though I don't think I've ever seen him play so I'd need to wait before getting too excited.

I doubt our website would have described Davidson specifically as a centre-back, even if it is where he's been playing for Dundee.

Ah. this one again. No one has produced any evidence that he did any such thing. On the other hand, he's continued to be in the main stand at every game when Raith were at home and Dundee weren't playing.

I'd be much more confident of Hill being a decent signing for yous than Elliot,

Rob Sloan did reasonably well for us too.

Hill has given us the best years of his career and mostly done pretty well for us. He's due a lot of credit, I'm a bit sad to see him go but that doesn't necessarily mean it's not the right decision. Much the same was true of Allan Walker a couple of years back. Other than that the only ones I raised half an eyebrow at were Cuthbert and Moon. Not saying I have a problem with either, though I might have given Moon another season to see if he could regain the form he didn't have this year. But if the McCord rumours are true then he's probably a better option, and it wouldn't entirely surprise me if Moon went back to Alloa to replace him. I hope Watson signs but I'm not going to lose any sleep if he doesn't. Laidlaw might still make a fine 'keeper yet, he's got all the attributes and he's a good bit younger than - for example - McGurn was when he established himself. So I'd be perfectly happy to see him sign if he's going to be loaned out somewhere for the season. Though I'd understand if he didn't want a contract on that basis.

Is that in any doubt? Please let that be true.

... so the only noticeable difference it'll make to me is to give me four weekends where I can look for another game to go to.

It just shifts the curve. Everyone will have more money but it's still just the same players available, so we'll all have much the same squads we would have anyway but will have to pay them a bit more.

And apparently Bobby Barr has signed for Morton. Okay, scrub those ideas then.

Fair enough.

Nice to see us giving out two year contracts again (irrespective of any discussion as to whether a particular individual is worth it) - it was a part of the reason for our success during the bulk of the McGlynn era. Conroy would be a loss, of course. Though I think the fact that he happened to chip in a few goals, particularly in the first few weeks, made people think he was better than he was. Without those goals I suspect he'd have had people on his back (as he sometimes did at Dundee) for being too slow for a winger and too lightweight for a midfielder (see also Sloan, Hammill etc, though Conroy is better than both). I'm not desperate to see Cardle back. I suspect I'm on my own here but I'd sooner have Barrie McKay. In any case, of all these wide players, the most important one to get signed up is Anderson. And if McKinnon was thinking about bringing Trouten or Bobby Barr with him from Brechin then I'd be pretty happy too.

That use of the word "formally" makes me think there's something to the Naysmith rumours. Notwithstanding that, I'm pretty happy with that. Happier than I would have been if they'd just gone for the biggest available name as so many seem to have wanted them to do. Let's get on with it. Looking forward to the new season already.

Mckay certainly wasn't "shite". At good moments he looked to have an ability or at least a potential that was a class above, and could look like our most dangerous player. It too rarely came together though.

I fear you may be right, in the first paragraph. And that worries me a bit. Not so much with you on the second paragraph. As I've already said, I've never found past success to be much of a guide to future success in football management, and if Naysmith impressed the board with his ideas and whatever else then I'd have been happy enough. Happy enough with McKinnon as well though, if it's to be him. So let's see how it goes.

Really poor if that's true.

Whereas I can't get my head around the Adams-love. I think it's much more important to have someone who goes about the job the right way than to be seduced by someone who happens to have a promotion (or whatever) on his record. Success in football can be pretty random and that doesn't mean anything in itself.

He was on the bench when I saw them a few weeks back. Soccerbase tells me he hasn't actually made it off the bench yet.

I doubt it's going to be Naysmith. But if anyone thinks an unsuccessful couple of years at East Fife means someone can't be / isn't going to be a good manager then that's pretty silly. (Me, I'd be turning the logic on its head - if he were to be appointed it'd be in spite of that track record rather than because of it, which would mean he must have seriously impressed the board with his interview and his way of going about things, which would be sort of interesting. But I'm always an optimist when it comes to footie.)

woah. It's possible (in fact quite easy) to be orders of magnitude worse than Murray. He might not have inspired you but he's left us in at least no worse a position than he joined us - and there are many managers the world over who can't say that.