Francesc Fabregas

It's a bit odd coming onto this part of the forum and seeing now new comments from Monday's episode - was it a stinker?

Haha, funnily enough I was thinking the very same thing after I'd hit "post". It's one of those things that's really hard to put your finger on but last season's effort was one of those weird years you'll be talking about with your mates in the pub a decade or so later.

Two very good signings (if they come off). I think Lee Robinson's quite underrated - he gets bodied a lot after his rubbish spell with Rangers but he was ace when he was at Queen of the South two years ago. He's not as good as Ryan Scully but he'll do just fine. This Jason Talbot looks like an unpleasant character though.

Fair play to him. I got the impression that Alan Martin was a significant step up in quality (certainly on the couple of times I saw Clyde). Having had quality goalkeepers for the last two years, I'm a little cautious about this signing but Neilly's summed it up. This is our level.

Can see Cookie joining Stenhousemuir.

Thanks for clearing that up, Alan. If that's the case then I can understand your reluctance to sign on - that's quite a significant drop. I do hope some kind of deal can be reached, you did us a decent turn last season. Good centre-backs are hard to come by.

There's a rumour on the Clyde FC thread that Jamie Barclay has signed for us. He was very handy when he was on loan at East Stirlingshire a few years ago, but he's put on a lot of weight since and looks really out of shape. He'll be a decent acquisition I suppose (if it comes off). Big shoes to fill.

Would love to see Dougie Hill at Stenny but I can't imagine he'll join up - I reckon he could have the pick of the clubs at this level. Heard that Alan Lithgow was back up at the weekend looking to sign up. Apparently he was looking for too much money to stay at the club, so Bomber withdrew the contract offer, but he's had a change of heart and wants to stay. Bomber's on holiday at the moment so he couldn't agree a deal, but watch this space...

You're right Neilly, I should have known better than to have engaged with this troll. Lesson learned!

Not really m8, we all know Smith and Fleming weren't too hot at East End Park - your mob hound them whenever they're brought up on a thread here. Any former Dunfermline player seems to fall into two categories by the fans - shite or brilliant. No grey areas. There are some moderate posters on the forum who are a bit more considered with their views but I'd say the majority of Dunfermline supporters on this forum are weird.

Dunfermline supporters are weird when it comes to their old players. Anyway, losing Greg Fleming would be a big blow to us - he was our Player of the Year for the season and kept our score-lines respectable with a number of excellent saves over the course of the campaign. His performance at the 0-0 draw at Ayr, for example, highlighted his abilities, and he was superb in the 1-1 draw with Queen's Park in the play-off final. He does have a tendency to punch rather than catch but I can't really fault him. He was good for us and I'm sure he'll be good for Ayr too. If he goes, of course, all we have is conjecture at the minute...

There's a bit of bad news over at the Stenhousemuir site. Alan Lithgow has left the club - CLICK. It's probably not a surprise after his name appeared on the PFA website but I'm still disappointed he's left. He was pretty decent for us over the course of the season.

Dang, that's two pretty good signings. Grant Gallagher was one of the best midfielders in League 1 last season and although Gregor Buchanan was pulled into the rest of the slop at Dunfermline, he's a pretty good defender. Very vocal, good organiser. Big lad too. Thought he'd go to someone like Morton or Raith Rovers to be honest. Impressive stuff so far from Aitken.

Young Andy Stirling's already gone back to the warm bosom of Stranraer.

Very pleased to see Stevie Aitken make the step up. It's a great move for both parties. He's one of the best young managers in the country and although he's "only" moving on to another part-time club, Dumbarton are bigger than Stranraer - they've got a richer history, they're playing at a higher level and, one would assume, have a greater budget - a more attractive prospect all round. It's a small step in his career but one that will pay dividends in the long term. Aitken's stepping into big shoes - from the outside looking in, Ian Murray's one of the best managers in the Sons' history - but if he can maintain the standards Murray set and keep them in the division (which will be more difficult next season, I imagine, with only two part-time teams in the league) then all the doors will open for him. I imagine he'll be looking to take David Mitchell and Grant Gallagher with him. It'll be a big loss for Stranraer. As for Dumbarton, Aitken is the best manager they could have got in the circumstances. Really hope he does well with them, he comes across as a smashing boy and Dumbarton have always been a nice club (and one that Stenhousemuir seem to frequently job to).

Yeah, a change of scenery might do him good and with a solid pre-season behind him you'll probably have a very good player on your hands. By the end of Scott Booth's terrible reign, so many players had fallen into a dark funk - after Booth left, many of them shook it off and finished the season strongly but not Grehan. He seemed stuck in a rut. Looked like he was running through treacle a lot of the time.

Nice one. Probably the most unsurprising transfer of the summer to be honest. Decent enough defender - big, strong, can header bricks and shout at people. All we're really looking for. I know Bomber's been keen on him for some time. Always looked good when he played against us.

We were very excited when he joined us 12 months ago and he was seen as the ideal replacement for John Gemmell. He came to Stenny after a superb season at Stranraer where he was one of the best strikers in the division. He looked alright to begin with but picked up an injury that kept him out for a couple of months. When he returned to the team, he looked slower and seemed to lack motivation - he never really looked like he was ever up for it. Chuck in an appalling first touch and you've got a recipe for a player on a downward trajectory. It was no surprise to see him leave the club. Grehan might be good for Arbroath, he might not, but approach with caution, I'd say.

Where you reading that about? Some jobber's posted it on the Stenny forum but I haven't seen anything to back it up yet.

Goddamn, that's a superb piece of business. I know he hasn't been as good since he left for St Mirren but he should certainly be a handy player for our level.

The Stenhousemuir website has since been updated. Ryan Miller and Paul-Jon Sludden have also been released, while Stewart Greacen has retired through injury. Greg Fleming, Alan Lithgow and Tony Marenghi have been offered terms for next season, while Pedro Moutinho and Jamie McCormack have not yet been spoken to (McCormack is on holiday). Rab "The Knife" Glen has also departed from the coaching staff.

The Stenhousemuuir website has announced the list of players leaving the club - CLICK. Robbie Duncan, Kris Faulds, Gregor Fotheringham, Lee Gallacher, Martin Grehan, Craig Sutherland, Joshua Watt, Ross McMillan, Brian Hodge and Chris Smith are all listed in the article above. As mentioned earlier, Pedro Moutinho has gone and Stewart Greacen has left the club too (I don't think he'll play again). Some players haven't been mentioned on the site - Alan Lithgow, Jamie McCormack and Tony Marenghi - and I imagine they've been offered contracts. What Bomber sees in Marenghi I do not know. There's obviously some talent there but he's useless without the ball and when you're defending you might as well be playing with a man down.

Brilliant stuff. I think Ross Meechan is "doing a Willie Lyle" - he's quickly gone from junk into an icon. Not too sorry to see Moutinho or Faulds go. The former was only ever a stopgap signing and the latter had talent but only ever showed it once every seven or eight matches. He could do some great things on the ball but was frequently caught out in possession and could never impose himself. I'm not surprised Martin Grehan didn't sign on - I was hoping for big things after his season with Straraer but he was injured for long periods and sometimes gave the impression he couldn't be bothered. I wish all three players well.

Jamie Reid really looked the part when he came in towards the end of the 2012-13 season - Martyn Corrigan played him through the middle as a No. 10 and was great to watch, always looked to get on the ball and make things happened. Scott Booth brought him back again and played him out on the wing, and he was never comfortable there. He always looked to come inside into traffic and when he did stay wide, his crossing was poor and people would get on his back. His confidence was shot and he played more and more within himself (like so many of Booth's players). Then he went to Elgin City with Jim Weir and found his mojo again. Good on him, I say. I hope he does well for you.

I'd be happy to get Mark Baxter in, I've always thought he's a solid (if unspectacular) presence at right-back. I also have a feeling we'll sign Stuart Malcolm from Forfar Athletic. Don't ask me why, I just do.