capt_oats

Very much but there's an artistry to their work.

Aye, I think most rational 'well fans had £200k-ish as enough to get a deal done. A sell on feels fairly redundant given no one really expects Watt to keep up the sort of form he's been in but it'll be interesting to see if we include any language about "the ability to earn more in the future" when we announce he's fucked off. Edit: Our statement is...brief.

It will never cease to amaze me the number of bites that @Alert Mongoose manages to get on this website. I mean, really, fair play.

What about the £150k the word on @PartyFears2 street has you paying.

I believe this is, as they say, "taking control of the narrative."

Oh... I take it that's coming from the pre-match press conference. Have to echo @thisGRAEME from his Patreon last week...it feels mental for United to be chucking money at us for Watt.

I mean, given the way Burrows has carried himself in terms of transfers I'm fairly comfortable that if/when Watt goes this month it'll be a deal we'll be happy enough with but as @Swello says given it seems to have been a direct flow of info from United to Burns it's interesting that he's still reporting it as a vague "six figure fee" we're looking for rather than anything more specific.

One for @YassinMoutaouakil

Everyone's favourite Courier journalist weighs in.

Aye, I mean I get it in so much as he's not a particularly cultured looking player. He's all arms and legs with a heavy Bambi on Ice aesthetic so if folk are looking at him and expecting an identikit Tony Watt replacement they'll be disappointed because that's not the player that Rudden is. To me, he's a poacher and a pest. He's someone who'll run in behind rather than link up play and hold the ball up. He's only just about to turn 22, 6ft 2 and "scores fucking goals". Ironically he's precisely the type of profile of player that folk on Motherwell forums have been banging on about us having not taken a punt on in the past. Would I be advocating us chucking money at Thistle to get him just now or would I be touting him as some Tony Watt replacement? Absolutely not. Would I be happy enough at getting him on a PCA for a nominal fee as a project in the same way we did Conor Shields? Sure.

It's fair comment that it didn't work out - it clearly didn't but I'm not sure why anyone would be baffled by us signing him. We were coming off a brutal first half of the season, we were offered a player who if fit and motivated would have been several levels above either what we had or what we'd expect for our level (he'd scored 14 in 17 the season prior in the A-League). On top of that we would (I assume) have been paying a fraction of his wage on account of Villa not wanting him anywhere near the club. Had it worked out then it's a pretty high upside for us for what I'd imagine was a fairly minimal outlay. He hadn't kicked a ball in over a month when we signed him so the gamble/risk was him being motivated enough to put the graft in and get fit. It's the same risk Dundee have taken/are taking with Griffiths. In the end Robinson gave him 4 appearances and a u20s game before he disappeared, a "calf injury" IIRC and that was that. If there was a do-over I'd imagine we'd still take him over not.

Fair play to wee Al. He's showing he's more than good enough for that level (I never thought he wasn't tbf). Cracking goal...

How was the Sadowitz thing? I had thought about going to that.

I got one. Like @Doctor Manhattan I'm not a ST holder. I'd guess it's the general club mailing list. Like, anyone who has bought a ticket, done a survey etc. As a separate point I got a WS mailer through as well.

With Roberts I'd say that the fact we never actually announced he'd returned to Hearts despite his loan being up was as much a giveaway as any that we were expecting him back. Like most I'm absolutely fine with him coming back, even more so if Hearts have paid up/are paying the bulk of his contract. As I said the other day he's good back-up for Woolery/Watt and has enough about him to start if we need. Given he can only play for us or Hearts (unless he's offered a deal on a different calendar) I'd say we're probably the better bet of the two if he's wanting some sort of game time. To add...

This was tagged on at the end of Burns' 'to the surprise of absolutely no one' bit about Roberts. Basically we're indicating to Thistle that we'd like to speak to Rudden about a PCA as a general courtesy. There's no suggestion that it's with a view to him signing this window, just PCA chat. Tbh, that would make sense - we PCA him and pay the (presumably nominal) comp for him in the summer or alternatively I guess we could go the Livi route and advance that compensation now to make it permanent but loan him back to Thistle until the summer.

Aye, the story is Watt handed in a transfer request at the end of Robinson's time at the club and was bumped for it and he supposedly had a move to England arranged for the summer but it fell through. Van Veen was supposed to be Watt's replacement but as you say we've been shoehorning both into the side with one or the other being asked to play wide. As far as Rudden goes I could see us taking our chances with him on a PCA in the same way we did with Conor Shields but given Thistle probably see Rudden as a big part of a tilt at promotion then they'd likely want a premium price for him to leave, which is fine and makes sense from their POV. Looking at our options with Van Veen, Shields, Woolery and Jordan Roberts probably coming back we'd probably be happy waiting until summer for someone like Rudden. If/when Watt goes in this window we could probably get by with loaning someone in until the summer to replace him. To add to that, while I'd take this with a massive pinch of salt, Alexander's already said that he's not necessarily looking outside the building to replace Watt just now.

I think we've an interest in him but I don't think it's anything like a given we sign Rudden tbh. I'd be surprised of we chucked money at him (especially the sort of money Thistle seem to be angling for).

Big up @thisGRAEME. Another thoroughly enjoyable Patreon.

This is the story, tbh United briefing Scott Burns through the whole thing has just been one massive eye roll. Lads, it's not difficult. Pay us the money and you get the player.

As @YassinMoutaouakil says he's in the background on the right of that shot. He's also fairly noticeable in one of the other photos they posted.

Similar theme but the boy over Maguire's left shoulder...(might be Goss)

Dunno. It's why I was asking. I thought he looks too small to be Goss and the hair doesn't look right for Slattery.