Shadwell Dog

My disappointments all about the lack of ambition being shown by the club . It's not an exciting signing it's the exact opposite in fact. He may do ok over time but we can't wait half a season for him to find his feet. Probably my own fault . I shouldn't have got my hopes up that this season would be different and We'd really make a go of it like the last season we went up. Some exciting signings and a real buzz about the club just like that pre season under Hughes and the one before that under mccall. It just seems to me to be the same old mediocre signings all over again. We need something to kick start some momentum at the club but this ain't it I'm afraid.

If someone can give me a decent reason why I should be happy we signed Alex Harris other than he did no bad for queen of the South then I will. Too many people happy with the same old mediocre signings and total lack of ambition.

He did not too bad for queen of the South. Magic their as well giving us the championship trophy now. Craigen pushed on when he got played in his right position for a change. Took Houston far too long to suss that one out. Would we have signed Austin if he'd been no too bad for East Fife?

I've yet to have anyone convince me I've got to say. Technically good but a shitebags who doesn't get involved. Sounds like Alex Cooper all over again. Give me 'aye he's a cracking player who'll do very well for u guys 'any day of the week.

Yeah those two had both had very good full seasons at there clubs whilst Harris hasn't. If Harris had ripped the league up in his season at queens then I'd have a different opinion but he didn't. He was also dire when on Loan at Dundee. He's had chances to shine and stick out but hasn't taken them. Austin and vardy on the other hand got their chance and took it with both hands and that's why their careers went on the ascendancy whilst Harris's has gone very much down the way. Let's face it we would never have gotten promoted under Hughes if We'd had the same outlook then as we do now. We stretched the budget then so we could afford that extra bit of quality and to me we need to go down that route again to win this league now that the big hitters are away. Mind you we also put on a pile of hard work on the recruitment side back then too. Something we're badly lacking in these days.

Christ it wasn't me that used them as an example in the fecking first place. Someone else brought them up as a comparison.

No but we've still been following the same tired format for most of those seasons. Now that the league is far more winnable again we should be changing that formula that didnt work and looking at a different approach. Its time to really push it now if we are serious about trying to win this league. The bod are good at telling us that but we're not seeing any change in the quality of player we're signing up.

It wasnt me that brought up Vardy I think you'll find.

See to me though if its not worked for the last seven seasons then why should it suddenly work now?Surely we have to change our outlook or we're going to be stuck down here for another 7. If Houston won't change then we need to think long and hard over whether he's the man for the job. What was it Einstein said 'Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results'. To me thats us at the moment

Vardy at a similar age to harris was scoring 27 goals in a season for Halifax town. He was at least showing promise . All we've got for harris is a decent second half performance in a cup final we bottled big time. Again Austin scored a barrowload of goals for east fife before we signed him. He had something about him.

We signed Lewis kidd to stop us having to play Muirhead at right back and look how thats turned out. There's no guarantee that he'll be better than Craigen or Mckee there. Mckee especially for me played pretty well in the play offs at right mid so Harris will need to perform better than that to get a game in my book. Plus we have 4 centre mids fighting it out for two places, I cant see Mckee and Craigen playing together so its one of them and either taiwo or kerr as the sitting midfielder. Your then left with the other one who I'd rather see on the pitch than Harris to be honest. I would agree that Leahy has improved under Houston but has Hippo ? Houston still seems averse to playing him at times and Craigen only came on to a real game when Houston eventually gave him a good run at centre mid when the season was virtually finished.

Christ you only have to look at our side over the past few seasons when we had boys of 16 starting in the side every week. Harris has played less than 100 games despite having been on a pro for what 5 or 6 years. By the age of 22 the majority of players are set in their ways and its a lot more difficult to coach them to play differently and therefore to coach out their bad habits etc. Lets face it if Hibs had felt he was still going to improve vastly they wouldn't have freed him.Whilst he showed promise at 17 he's gone only one way since then and that's backwards. We can only hope that getting punted by Hibs has given him a massive kick up the rear because we're the best he's going to get at the moment and if he fails with us its the seaside leagues for him next. The fact that he's a confidence player who shites out of tackles worries me most. Where's the power, physicality and pace Houston said we needed way back after the killie game?

I dont think he even got booked for what was a shocking challenge.

Doh. We pay big money mate dont you know

There's a difference between stretching the budget and spunking everything down the drain on finished has-beans. And also there's different ways of getting more out your budget. As has been mentioned, loan signings and quality over quantity approach. It was Andy Lawrie that broke his leg and surely Harris should be over it by now for christs sake. It happened back in 2013 or something. If he's not over it by now he never will be.

I agree with you entirely Harry. To me the manager should have a budget and its up to him to spend it as he wishes. If like you say he wants to sign a guy on 2k a week instead of 4 on 500 quid that should be up to him. At the end of the day he will live or die by his signings.

See that's the main issue here for me . 'He may turn out alright'. We need better than alright to win the league. We've been putting up with alright players for season after season now and we're no nearer promotion and yet we're still following the same old formula again and again. It hasnt worked since we came down so why will it suddenly work this season? We need to change the way we go about things or we'll be in this league for another 6 or 7 seasons. For the last few seasons we've had the well its not worth stretching the budget that wee bit more because we cant compete with the likes of Hearts, Rangers, Hibs. Well their no longer in the league and United who are left dont have the financial clout of any of these sides. We need to find someway of getting a better standard of player in the door whether that's cutting the squad size or using the loan market to get a better quality of player in that we normally wouldn't be able to afford. This along with stretching the budget a wee bit more will give us a chance but looking at our first signing its just going to be more of the same all over again. Harris is the same kind of player we've been signing since we got relegated a player that may do a turn for us but thats about it.

There's players out there if you put the effort in to find them. We've done it before. Other clubs at our level are able to bring in that bit more quality so why can't we. The likes of Dobbie at queens and McGinn at st mirren are the quality of player we need to try and get hold of. That needs effort though and decent contacts and we as a side seem to lack both at the moment. How much effort did we put in to try and find a right mid before Harris. Surely there was no rush to sign him as let's face it we're the best offer he's going to get. I can only hope that due to his lack of previous form he's on a pittance at us leaving a decent amount of cash available for some better signings.

If hes got that much potential why did hibs free him? Hes 22 years old not 17. He shouldve reached his potential by now .

I'd be very happy to look stupid in that case

That's what our management team get paid for. They should be scouring the country for talent and yet our recruitment has been very poor since Houston arrived. Not one of his signings last summer improved our side and I include craigen as he was signed as a right mid. Is it any surprise then that a lot of us are pretty unenthusiastic regarding signing Harris when you look at his recent form and Houston's recent lack of success in the player recruitment stakes.

It wouldn't surprise me though with houston. He needs a left back as backup to Gallacher and mchattie could be cheap and nasty enough for him. Bit like his Kevin McCann signing.

I dinnae want him at all for fecks sake. Jesus. All I said was if it was a choice between Baird sitting on the bench all season or McHugh sitting on the bench all season then I'd have taken McHugh. Neither of them were good enough to be any more than bench warmer and I'm glad it looks very much like both are now away.

Christ r u still going on about McHugh. I didn't want him or Baird as neither were good enough to get us out of this league. I only wouldve kept McHugh over Baird as I felt as a backup he wouldve been more use than Baird who needs to play every week. Too many on here are happy for mediocrity to continue even though we will have the best chance of getting out this league for a number of seasons. Close season signings consisting of Harris, Stanton, Graham and Kevin mchattie would suit Houston down to the ground and I wouldn't be surprised if they all ended up at falkirk. I'm sorry if they don't fill me full of excitement for the season ahead.

As a squad player to replace aird he'd maybe be ok but I get the feeling Houston sees him as a starter which is the really worrying bit. I just want to see some signings that are an obvious improvement on what we had last season and are going to get people excited about the new season. To me it's just more of the same mediocrity.