PauloPerth

He seems to be well thought of at Saints, and has a good record in the development team, but I've not seen enough of him so will leave it for others to give a more detailed opinion. Joined us from Stirling Albion about a year ago. From a Saints perspective, we must be about to bring a striker in. I would have said Hurst was our fourth choice striker (classing Coulson as a wide player rather than a striker) so surely it's only a matter of time before the big marquee signing......

Me too. He's had some good runs in matches, pace is devastating. The 0-2 game at Well last December he ran with the ball about 60 yards before setting up a great chance for Kane. He struggled to do it over 90 minutes but has shown some good stuff. Wasn't he MOM in game v Accies back in January?? Young wide players often struggle for consistency. I certainly haven't ruled him out making an impact at Saints yet.

17000 ???!!!!!!!! Thats what we need in Scottish football, another big empty stadium with no atmosphere. Just like Rugby Park, absolutely no-ones favourite away day!

Agree. I was typing out my long-winded reply and missed your post... I wasn't just nicking your point, honest!

She ran an IT business for years, and is obviously a good business person, but why on earth should she be treated as some kind of expert on what is right for Scottish football? Its bizarre. She's come out with an opinion which has absolutely no basis or foundation in sound reasoning. Is she of the naïve opinion that if, for example, you do away with Montrose, Arbroath, Forfar and Brechin, you would get an Angus superclub that would get an attendance of the 4 clubs combined? Its nonsense to think this, all you would do is lose many supporters from our sport. Clyde, Livingston, Gretna, have all shown in different ways that you can't just start a brand new club (I realise Clyde are the same club, but the concept was still to get a league team in a new town to tap into a bigger population) and suddenly bang you're attracting huge crowds and competing at the top level. Or that if you scrap Livi and Edinburgh City, an extra couple of thousand fans would watch Hearts or Hibs? The reason so many people watch football in Scotland is largely based on tradition; if you started from scratch now you would struggle to attract anywhere near the same crowds. Youth football already has an elite level, with strict criteria about which clubs/ academies can participate alongside one another, so this factor wouldn't benefit from a reduction in clubs either. The voting and share of tv/ sponsorship money have already been mentioned, in that they are already massively weighted in favour of the big clubs. Just an arrogant assertion that 'we all know there are too many clubs in Scotland' is poor from someone in her new position. I do agree with her on fan ownership being a good thing, but not fan management though.

For every St Johnstone there's a Falkirk, Airdrie, Clyde, Livingston etc...

I would think a new stadium (or even new stands at Dens) would give a lot of opportunities for increased revenue through corporate facilities, supporters bars etc. I guess I'm just thinking of the capacity purely from the point of view of a supporter at a match, and 6-7000 in a 15000 capacity ground wouldn't be great.. Same as our 4000 average in a 10,500 capacity stadium. Look at grounds like Rugby Park and Fir Park which are the way they are purely to milk the old firm pound. Grounds like those, and sadly ours, have as many, if not more, Celtic or rangers fans at matches with either of them, as they do home fans. Compare that to the home advantage you would have with 8500 of your own fans, and only 1500 of them... Tynecastle is one of the few grounds in Scotland that currently manages this.

100% agree. And talk of 15000 is mental. The first couple of seasons there would be a big buzz but it doesn't last sadly. Our first season in the premier league at McD, in 1991(second season at the new stadium), we averaged about 9000! Build it for the regulars that will turn up every week, not those who only want to come along to the big games, leaving you a soulless half empty stadium most of the time. 10,000 would be perfect. You can always reduce the away allocation. Not looking for a crowdwank argument, just an honest opinion based on what we've experienced.

Very well written and shows good knowledge.. If you manage that for all sides then fair play, puts a number of national pundits to shame. I agree with Kyle, maybe a wee bit harsh saying the football wasn't the best last season. Sure we were poor for that long winless spell in mid-season, but we were top scorers in Scotland for a while around November time, and had some really exciting matches throughout the course of the year. The season before, yes definitely you'd have been right. You're spot on about Chris Kane for me, and I'd say many Saints fans would agree. Still young, and he seems to have a sensible head on his shoulders, so hopefully he will keep improving and kick on.

An exciting signing. Probably blow hot and cold but there are sure to be some memorable moments. I had hoped we would go for him just to offer something a little bit different. Also surprised more Premier teams in Scotland didn't pursue him..

Clyde to beat Partick 20's, Cove to beat Dundee 20's and Queens Park to beat Killie 20's treble is about 12.5/ 1.

That's a really good shout. Going to take a look at some of the odds for a wee punt...

Both Gerry McNee and Hibs themselves must have read the table wrong then. At 2-0 Hibs, the commentator said "if Celtic were to score St Johnstone would go through, so Hibs really have to guard this lead" . And that's why Hibs were just keeping the ball without trying to score more before Creaney nicked a goal for Celtic.

Which ones are we? I thought we were both to be honest...

Hibs getting knocked out for cheating... tremendous refereeing!!!

Yes, fair play I completely forgot you played City's under 20's .. A cracking result as well. We've been a bit busy the last few Julys, but we're finally available for them at this time of the season... Xx ~ St Manjohnstone City ~ xX

No newcomers since those early ones.. Alston, Watson, Paton and Coulston. Our squad looks good but many of us are hoping we bring in a striker as the final piece. Swanson has looked really good so far and the rest have looked decent. Maclean and Cummins will once again terrorise opposition defences... firstly Stirling Albion tomorrow, followed by Manchester City next week. Pep isn't allowing supporters or the media to see his boys get turned over by the Pride of Perthshire, understandably. Yep, while you boys are bending over for the Oxford boaby, we've got Pep Guardiola requesting us for a pre-season game. We really are big time.

That's quite incredible that a journalist would come out with an article basically saying I was right and everyone else was wrong. How petty is that? And for his editor to allow it?! It gets a great level of condescension in as well, because transfers are 'complicated and difficult to understand'. If he was any kind of decent journalist he would just be content at getting the facts of the story right (doing his job basically) and quietly get on with the next story, and in time people would be aware of his record for accuracy or otherwise. on another note, why on the Dundee page on the BBC sport website is there an article on a man being hugged, stabbed and pushed down the stairs?? Right there between Duffy signing on loan from Celtic, and Dundee boss aims to keep forward duo....

Fresh off the back of 3 goal hauls against Elgin and Falkirk, and a point at fortress Glebe Park... We will fucking destroy these mugs.

pre-season friendly away at Man City?? >Pep knows who Scotland's big club is..

Must be a striker??

Definitely. But I mean in the first team making an impact. Not just a fringe player such as Caddis or Brown who, whilst they never let anyone down, never really made a significant impact.

Have a walk around the town centre at about noon on that day, particularly around the mill street (cinema) area where the buses leave from. 50 year old fatties in luminous leggings and tutus is the norm. It's something you have to experience at least once in life. Or maybe only once. Bring your camera, but don't get too close.

Delighted we've got Alston if that's confirmed, potentially a great signing. Callum Morris(no on) a possible if mad Brad heads off to new pastures? A striker as well and that would be our dealings complete, close thread and re-convene back here in late July for the build up to our title march possibly..