Chubbychops

Update on East End Bounce forum from folk who attended a meeting with board tonight. Goes a bit more into transfer policy, possible signing tomorrow. Fletcher is not a thing. Then some boardroom vision for the future where players don't dive or fake injury All fluffy sounding stuff that I personally couldn't give a hoot about.

According to the board tonight, the Fletcher rumour is exactly that. There's nothing in it. With Wotherspoon we're just waiting for him to agree on the deal offered. They think a signing could happen tomorrow(so guessing Wotherspoon but might be someone out the blue) that one is about it before Saturday.

I get that the board want a say in how we spend our money, as they got their fingers burned with Grant and Yogi. The few signings we have made have been good ones but it does seem to be a slow process that leaves us needing numerous players late on. It worked out last year but we were lucky with injuries last year and the quality of opponent wasn't as good. I have a real fear that we might get punished this time. 3 key players out and no sign of any players coming in. If Wotherspoon turns us down (i'm guessing he was the close signing two weeks ago?), where do we go from there? Back to where we were 3 weeks ago. Having listened to our recruitment process, it sounds like something Man Utd would have in place for signing 70 million quid targets.

We wait 5 weeks for a signing and what we get is a shyte news story that our first choice keeper is fuked and we have a replacement in for 6 months. That basically sums up our pre-season right there.

Comments from where?

I would be seriously worried if the manager thought Paul Allan covering the whole midfield was sufficient.

If that is true, then what a fukin piss take of a pre-season we've had with injuries. Why does evey injury we get have to be 2 months plus tae.

Both teams haven't changed much, so can't see much change from last season. Two very different styles that are generally close games. We were never a high scoring team but now we're 2 strikers down on last years squad and two of our biggest attacking threats out injured. Airdrie picked up some impressive cup results I'm going for 1-1.

I'd be very pleased with that. Airdrie fans seemed to think he was going to Canada.

Probably due to the podcast guys mentioning it. Not much inside info gets out the club since Cook came in. Used to get all the inside gossip a few years back.

We won't win friends or impress anybody. It will be the usual ''I'm expected more from Dunfermline'' type comments every week. The truth is, we're very well organised and far more structured than any team we had in this league between 2016 and 2022. We have not managed to improve the team nearly as much as I hoped going into pre-season but we will be safe with what we have plus a few loans. I can't help but feel we've missed an opportunity to build on the great positivity after putting Falkirk in their place last year. Not a dig at the club and management just how it's turned out. A very boring transfer window has me feeling a bit underwhelmed going into Saturday's game, when I feel there might have been a bit more of a buzz about the place if some of our transfer business came to fruition.

Sure the last accounts showed a million quid put in our coffers. The training ground(as long as it takes) seems to be their main project. That won't come cheap either.

I went to the protest march from the High Street to behind the North East stand. Stuart Adamson did a rousing speech demanding continued action until Jim was reinstated. Took another 15 years and lots of missing fans before it happened.

Sacking Jim Leishman in 1990 an replacing him with Iain Munro. Losing about 30% of our support in the process. The Peter Grant appointment has to be up there too. Another incredible act of self harm.

I think he is higher thought of than Rudden by Dundee fans. My wife is a Dundee ST holder and thinks Rudden is mince. I''ve always thought he looked decent the few times I've seen him.

I see that Dundee have signed a 6,4ft striker. Maybe pushing Zak Rudden further out the picture. Maybe McPake will look at one of his old signings in search of an alternative to Wighton.

I mean willingness from the board to sign more older players after these signings you mentioned. I think the board now wants us looking in a younger market for our final 3-4 players, where the management team have eyed up a older player.

Regarding Paul McGowan. I think there has been a clash between the board and management team on that one. Just an opinion. If you heard Meggle's Courier interview about recruitment being a collective decision between McPake, MacKay, Cook and Meggle and how it's widely done in Germany. I think the board have put the buffers on that deal. McPake said something along the lines of ''the longer it goes on , the more likely Paul will go elsewhere'' Meggle speaks about recruitment of players we can invest in and sell on. McGowan certainly isn't that. For that reason I have doubts about Wotherspoon coming here. Sensed a bit of frustration in McPake's interview on Tuesday. Partly about the game but he highlights how experience helped us take control of the game when Chalmers and Bene came on. He has a pop at Fisher. Almost like he was proving a point about experience. I think there football guys want a bit more experience and ready made quality in the squad and the board want the remaining budget invested in future profits.

He would fill the Matty Todd role perfectly. Really hope we get him.

The problem with being too open with transfer negotiations is when you say your close to a signing and it doesn't happen, it pisses the fans off even more. Then you get comments like ''are we skint'' and folk start making up rumours about finances etc. I think we should know by now how the club approach recruitment. We line up a few players that sign early doors, then June onwards we take our time looking for the right players coming up. You do risk being left with nothing but I think club would rather be short and give youth a chance, than being left with panic buy dross. It's not great in terms of having a team gelled for the start of the season but at least you are minimising your chances of getting stuck with poor signings for 2 years that you have panic bought (AJ in 2018 a fine example).

Hope it's not a Steven Bell situation all over again. We find a gem of a midfielder that scores great goals and boundless energy then gets hit with an injury curse just as they are taking it to the next level. Absolutely gutting for Matty Todd, especially with the the well documented hard work he has put in to get himslef to the level he is at. Huge blow to the team at the start of a big season. I just hope it's not as bad as we fear.

I thought he looked really bright in the Alloa friendly. Best player on the park by a mile. I would've given him a deal. Still looks like he has plenty to offer. Time will tell.

I would say that I'm more encouranged by what I saw today, than anything else. We more than held our own against a team from a league above. If we can get our remaining signings right and get a bit more quality from midfield to final 3rd we are going to do well this year. The big bonus is Andy Tod though. With KRH out and Matty Todd long term injured we have lost our two best attacking players and this boy with a few more games looks ready to replace them. Genuinely think we have an exciting talent on our hands. We should be getting him on a new long term contract.

Happy with our general play today. Thought we were the better side in general play but the game is about scoring goals, which Killie did when presented with a chance and we didn't. We are still 3-4 signings short for the start of the season and have a some key players out injured. If we get the right signings (more quality in attacking areas required) in and get key players back, we will do well this season.

Andy Tod didn't look out of place against a top tier side. Really good prospect. Good passer of the ball, strong and skillful. Could have a ready made replacement for Matty Todd there.