Durnford

Have to say I thought Parkes looked pretty solid last night. If he and Devlin can build up a partnership I feel it could be pretty solid

Thought there'd been a fair stab at it: Out: Nicky Devlin, defender (Aberdeen); Stephane Omeonga, midfielder (Bnei Sakhnin); Jack Hamilton, forward (Raith Rovers, nominal fee); Jackson Longridge, defender (Hamilton Academical); Jack Fitzwater, defender; Brian Schwake, goalkeeper; Jaze Kabia, midfielder. Also if we get a decent amount of cash we could presumably pay Goncalves off and free even more off the wage bill. We still have a fair bit of time until the transfer window closes; the last thing we want to do is panic and make a rash appointment which turns out to be another disappointment. Previously Martindale was saying with our reduced budget he was consigned to searching a couple of divisions below where he'd normally be looking; maybe an extra bit of cash could mean we were looking slightly up the scale.

Yes; last nights game was probably not the one to judge Welch Hayes defensive abilities seeing as how there was very little in the way of attacking moves from Alloa on that side in the first half; certainly not many that required some world class tackling; more crowding and stealing the ball.

Not sure about the wee no 19 trialist last night. When I first saw him I though he looked like a younger Goncalves and, when he failed to track back, I started to see more than a passing similarity. But once he warmed up he started moving all over the place; causing problems and fighting to get a shot away. Difficult to draw real conclusions from last night based on limited time on the pitch and the opposition he was up against.

Cant argue with the - hell; if he went to Dundee United he'd probably get that.

I've heard of counting chickens but you've taken that to the extreme. Have we even received an offer for Nouble? Is Bruce even interested in moving to Asia Minor?

We got Alan Forrest from Ayr didn't we - with a hefty sell on clause but he saw bout his contract and they (and we) got nothing.

At home or at Cove (or is it Berwick)?

Woke up this morning and.... no it wasn't a dream. I know we're in danger of overanalysing things but.... Why did DM play Anderson last night unless: 1. He'd already promised him a game? 2. The Georgia side had put in a provisional offer but wanted to see him play before hardening it up? 3. DM had no other options (not true because there was Guthrie and the no 19 trialist on the bench) When playing in the first half Anderson struggled a bit which I though was due to Alloa having virtually 10 players behind the ball meaning that he didn't get his customary space but it could have been a degree of eagerness to impress if he knew he was being observed? After he scored his goal he started playing deep and leaving the front running to the no 19 trialist. This was a totally unusual position for Bruce but it did show his versatility. Bruce is currently 24 yet he probably get paid a quarter of what he could (and should?) be on as a premiership striker. A couple of years playing in Georgia could potentially set him up for life (maybe better than eight years playing for Livingston?). However it would likely be a complete culture shock and we don't know his personal circumstances so the real danger is we assess the move on our own situation and background. At 24 your outlook is different - it could be the start of an exciting chapter in his life. Whatever his decision he certainly has my best wishes.

Thought Miles Welch-Hayes played okay but seemed to seriously lack confidence and was fairly reticent about taking on a defender in an attacking position; often preferring to pass it backwards. At an age of 26 I would have expected a bit more confidence.

Yes; just saw that off Callum Carson's Twitter. Georgia is a really weird one; Norway I'd understand but Georgia?

He's worth a lot more than the six goals last season but the spectre of diabetes will always impact his potential valuation. With the amount of running and putting defence under pressure in the first half generally means that he's unlikely to last beyond the 70th minute and indeed the danger of diabetic seizure is always a very real risk as his physical exertions lead to lowering blood sugar levels. That being said I feel both he and the club have improved significantly in recognising and managing the situation. TBH I'm not sure this is a risk that many sides would be willing to take on.

The one in one out comment by Martindale - I assume that's particularly in reference to Goncalves and Bitsindou. As they're under contract I assume that we are committed to paying their wages until they can get another club lined up. For Goncalves; I'm not too sure of his prospects; he's now 32 and, although his fitness has improved, he's presumably at the twilight of his career. He could probably do a job for a lower league (League 1?) side but would they be able to match his wage demands? With maybe no more than a couple of years left playing professional football he'd be unlikely to volunteer for a huge pay-cut just to keep playing. Bitsindou is only 27 and presumably has more options.

He certainly had more shots on target that the entire last season and seemed to be enjoying his game. However he did have a lot more support up front than we normally have for a competitive game. A number of players do not suit the loan striker role; Hamilton couldnt hack it on his own and I actually think Nouble is a lot less effective when Anderson is not on the pitch.

Aphelele Teto is a right sided winger isn't he? Not sure that's one of the positions we need to strengthen unless Bohaboula is leaving. Don't know how true it is but someone mentioned to me that we'd had six players on trial but only one actually made the bench today

Dont think anyone was confusing this with a competitive match on any level. The formation in particularly was heavily experimental to give a number of players the opportunity to show what they're all about; there wasn't much opportunity to hide. I don't think a competitive match would have had Sean Kelly as central defender; likewise having Montano as right wing is also being played out of position. I was please with what Sangare seemed to have to offer; similar to Omeonga but with physical presence; likewise Devlin seemed a strong replacement for Fitzwater. I did think there seemed to be a bit of an edge with Devlin particularly in the first half where he seemed to keen to impress. Bradley certainly was up for it but I was a little disappointed with Brandon; seemed a bit off the pace and got robbed too often. One thing that really pleased me was to see Scott Pittman playing like his very life depended on it. This was the Pittman of old; if only he can keep it going for several games on a run. Worried though that we do at least seem to be carrying the Penalty hoo doo into the new season.

Isn't it normally one of the old firm (first game)? Probably not but I cant remember what I thought was an easy start to the season. Normally we have a smooth start with good run in the BetFred/Viaplay/League cup but last year we failed to realise that "bounce"

Trouble is, with the exception of Bradley, most of those named were with us at the start of last season and we still managed to miss about six penalties in a row. Ability is one thing; confidence is very much another.

Yes; it seemed pretty much half the team played Left wing at some time or another - some more effective than others. In particular I though Montano and Stephen Kelly did a pretty good job. Unfortunately we were less successful in the backup for the striker role. Incidentally I hope we're going to have some pretty intensive training on penalty taking this season

TBH my comment was more in response to Atlas saying we could be getting a number of players from Africa rather than Sangare in particular; my concern was more that we could lose maybe 25% of he squad at a point during the season. That being said the AFCON seems to be falling more or less during what could be the winter break anyway.

Just checked - it looks like AFCON is now every two years? Looks like the next one is 2025? EDIT - if I wasn't confused enough already it looks like the 2023 tournament is scheduled for 13 January – 11 February 2024

One of those guys returned injured didn't they. Given our budget I think its a good deal but just remembering there's a cost.

My main concern about signing African internationals is they often need to be released for a month or more for the African Cup of Nations half way through the season. Its not too bad if its just one player but, if you end up with three or four, it can have a decisive impact on your campaign.

We may have a few trialist but I'm thinking we'll probably have a number of loans.

Any idea what position?