the_bully_wee

Yup, heard from someone close to Edinburgh that he's fairly high up on their shortlist. I don't doubt that they will put together a good financial package for his replacement if he does leave, though.

Not only did you omit Conrad Balatoni, but also Danny Handling who has been injured for a spell, and is - like the former - picking up more than 50% above the national average wage for two training sessions plus a game of football per week. That's before we even begin to account for the ludicrous amount of money McDonaugh has been handed to strengthen this month; he can come out in tinpot tabloids and say whatever he wants - he and those above him have done a good job of keeping hush about how much money they're throwing at their playing staff. Let's just say that Marc Laird isn't playing for Irn Bru any longer - maybe Veuve Clicquot would be an apt substitution. For those who are aware of the figures though, it won't wash. I'm sure City fans can look forward to some impressive signings this coming month, which should make for an interesting run-in. I must admit that I am jealous of Edinburgh, as long as they are sensible and don't put themselves in danger with their spending commitments. I feel like this level of external investment would be better spent on infrastructure in City's case, but then maybe there are strings attached. And James - give it up, mate. You're doing a good job this season but don't pretend for a second like you don't have the largest budget in the division.

It is to be sniffed at when those three seasons are the result of wholly unsustainable levels of spending which put the club's very existence at peril just five years down the line. Without knowing a huge amount about affairs at Rovers, it's clear to anyone that Cliftonhill - for all its charm - is a liability to the club at this point. In my opinion, the best move the club could've made with their windfalls would have been installing and renting out a plastic pitch a la Stenhousemuir (bringing a sustainable income, and also sorting out a perennially dreadful park) and making any possible improvements to the wider stadium and its facilities over and above that. As a club which has an ageing - and fairly small - base of extremely loyal fans, was it worth winning a bottom-tier title and achieving a few mid-placed finishes in the league above when it put the club in such a critical position? That's a matter of opinion, but I wouldn't say so. It's probably fair to assume (though it is only an assumption) that Rovers generally run on a deficit, in no small part due to the ever-increasing costs of maintaining a stadium which is fast becoming - if it isn't already - unfit for purpose. The gate money from those crowds likely went into the playing budget, in line with the club's philosophy of recent years. Addressing your earlier point, there's absolutely nothing wrong with a club showing ambition - Trouten was a great signing for them and without his goals they'd have been buried in double-time; what is wrong, though, is pissing money up against the wall when it puts a small, widely-popular club, with some of the most loyal supporters you could imagine, in the position they are in at the moment. Their squad wasn't actually THAT bad last season, but by all accounts it was a squad built to play football on a Cliftonhill pitch which simply does not facilitate the passing game; that was borne out by their absolutely woeful home form throughout the season. Their recruitment during the summer (both in terms of backroom staff and the squad) was defined almost entirely by budget. No manager worth his salt, or prospective manager of any pedigree for that matter, would want to take over at a relegated club with - by some distance - the smallest budget in the league. Brogan was a bargain-bin, hopeless appointment, and on a meagre budget he signed a similarly bargain-bin, hopeless group of players who, for all their manful effort, simply are not good enough to compete at this level of the game. The Dunlops - who knows? Maybe Mick fancied trying to win more accolades at the tail-end of his career, or they both just fancied a change of scenery? I wasn't surprised to see Rovers struggling last season, though, with a defence featuring Scott McLaughlin and Ross Perry.

There doesn't appear to be one and, even if one were to materialise, it would have to come alongside some not-insignificant capital. It's hard not to feel for Rovers' fanbase, who deserve a hell of a lot better than watching their team go down the pan, but the club itself had an exceptional chance to secure its mid-term future in 2014 and instead decided to piss its cup earnings away to earn a fleeting stay in League 1.

Ah. Just asked my source and he said that Thistle came in at the last minute and matched Edinburgh's offer, with a survival bonus included. Says that Harkins wasn't the only marquee target for City...

Jesus, where do you lot stop? Gary Harkins now joining you to play with his old mate Balatoni, on £800 a week. On crowds of 200 [emoji38] [emoji38]

I'd imagine it would have been Ryan Finnie, who fucked off to Australia after a string of woeful performances for us in 2017.

I'm not really sure what to make of this year's edition. I didn't really play Ultimate Team last year, particularly in the early stages, but what I noticed very quickly (within a day of release) was that 95% of players have teams which cost 1m coins and upwards. I've no idea how so many people can amass such wealth in a short space of time, and furthermore why EA's matchmaking has regressed to the point that anything other than using the very best team you can afford to assemble results in a mismatch. I've played a fair bit of UT so far (taking care to avoid FUT Champs), and enjoyed it in spells, but I can see my interest waning as the wealth gap widens and EA flood the game with special cards. I have 730k in the bank at the moment (the result of web app trading, coin boosts and uncharacteristically good pack luck), but am seriously considering just selling them so that I can put the proceeds towards an external hard drive for my PS4. I'm frustrated with the game as I think the gameplay is generally the best it's been in years, but a few things are really letting the game down at the moment. Kick off goals and the heavy momentum swings are ridiculous and need toned down, if not removed completely in a game which is going down a competitive route. Goals from corners are far too easy to score for the kind of folk who watch YouTube tutorials and abuse the somewhat broken overhead kick mechanic in the game, also. I like that they've added a bit more skill to shooting but before long folk will have timed shooting nailed down and just about anything will be flying in with high-rated cards. If they can iron out some of the game's issues then I think it'll be my favourite one in some time. This is the team I'm rocking at the moment. It's quite funny looking at this merry band when there are 730,000 coins sitting there available, but they're all holding up quite well against the insane squads I'm facing up against. Kondogbia is an absolute animal, if he manages to get an in form it'll be one of the best cards for its rating in the game. A wee bit sluggish for me, even with engine applied, but he's a complete bully. I would advise every single person on the planet against Sergio Asenjo in goals, but I'm too tight to splurge on a noticeable upgrade for him. Also, if you don't have Keita Baldé Diao as a super sub, you're playing this game wrong. Some boy.

He was binned by Brechin for failing to deliver promotion and then took three years to build that "not very good" Clyde side, before fudging his way to the title ahead of part-time sides with comparatively tiny budgets. Good coach, shite manager.

Two strikers out wide?

Jesus, we sound like quite the naughty bunch. Really does make you wonder why, at their time of least dependency in almost 25 years with regards to Clyde, NLL are the most co-operative they've been since the early days of Broadwood.

Seems like pretty backwards logic to me. They accommodate us now simply because others supplement their rental income? Surely if there are other significant sources of income then they are less dependent on Clyde and should therefore not be rolling out the red carpet to us?

A few posts ago we were only allowed in because "others made up the rent". Which is it?

Sounds like we're quite the drain on them. Strange, then, that they'd be pushing the boat out to get us to stay as they have done over the last year or so.

Primary tenants actually, per SPFL regulations, and in more than just name. Much like QP were before the SFA got sick of them.

Might as well fold the club if it's being relegated to playing in its own training facility. Pretty embarrassing stuff.

At least we had a couple of good players that year amongst the absolute dross, and were capable of picking up some points; Rovers look to have absolutely nothing, as things stand. A bit of SPFL experience in Wharton and Fisher, but back then we had Marc McCusker and Alan Lithgow for starters.

Bye, Rovers.

Forgive us for showing concern for the team which founded football as we know it. So ungrateful!

Your bizarre hang-up on Clyde will be about the only professional league-level interest you have in about 3 years' time. Worth holding on to, sweetie.

And why aren't QP, as bastions of the greater footballing good, willing to sacrifice themselves in order to improve the health of the Scottish game? Seems a bit strange, to me.

Wonder how QP have pulled off that signing when Hart had offers from five other clubs below the Championship. Then again, the professional contracts to which they sign their players could go some way to explaining this coup.

Ouch. Even though it's pre-season, that's a bruising defeat. Worrying stuff, no?

Queen's Park [emoji38]