Jaggy McJagface

June 6

Would I be right in saying that Shankland will be assigned number 9 in Dykes’s absence, or will Adams take it and someone else take the number 10?

June 6

We are going up next season, I can feel it.

May 31

I like it. We must have one of the most diverse range of kit styles in the game (stripes, hoops, other) and it’s something I like about us. Keeps it fresh and exciting.

It’s what we’ll lift the title in so you lot better get used to it!

May 26

Most of the guys in the 31-33 age range are squad players rather than guys who would get into our best xi.

I’d imagine the likes of Jack, Armstrong, Hanley, Cooper and McLean will start to get cycled out gradually to be replaced by Barron, Miller, Watson etc.

May 24

If the rationale behind taking 4 keepers is to do with making training games easier then why can’t we just take Kelly as a “first reserve” to train, but not have him in the official 26?

If we lose a keeper to injury he’d be getting called up mid tournament anyway.

May 24

Would be delighted to see McAvoy back but he recently got an extension with Fulham so I think they may want to loan him to a higher level.

He seemed to really enjoy his time here going by his socials and he was better than Neilson so I’d take him in a heartbeat.

May 23

When you compare how the squad was looking at the end of last season to today, we are in a far, far better position.

We are a solid keeper and another winger + right back (if McMillan leaves) away from having a squad that should fancy a run at the title next season.

May 22

I wonder if the national mood both in Scotland and England during the euros could influence the polls.

Weirdly I think the better England do the more the SNP might benefit from a “get it up yous” sentiment to the UK media. Could you imagine if they knocked us out in the last 16 a couple of days before the election??

May 21

8 minutes ago, Pie Of The Month said:

Returning from loan club with discussions to be held

Anton Dowds

I'm sure those discussions will be a laugh after his agent's wee tantrum.

He’s also Mitchell’s agent if I’m correct?

May 21

Surprised and a bit disappointed we are keeping Alston, as playoff performances aside he’s been very meh. With Crawford joining that probably means we won’t be signing any other attack minded midfielders.

Mitchell is okay and better than Sneddon but I would really like us to get an upgrade in that position if we have intentions of winning this league, with Mitch as a good backup.

Hopefully McMillan signs but I don’t see it. If we were to keep him though, I’d be looking at wingers as a priority to round out the squad.

I still think we either need a solid defensive midfielder that can put his foot on the ball (or get a full pre season preparing McBeth for that role and sign another CB).

May 19

I fancied our chances of winning this league next season with St J looking like they were coming down with Livi, but County will just buy the league leaving us to rely on playoffs again.

Raith staying down would be preferable but they would still be a tough opponent to finish above judging by this season.

May 19

17 hours ago, BroraBoy said:

I think you’re the closest yet Jaggy imo who Clarke will select

As the thread title says, not who you’d select but the actual squad Clarke selects

Out of curiosity, if you were to choose Jaggy how would it differ ??

I would probably swap out one of Jack/Barron for Forrest/Fraser as they give the option to change things up a bit going forward.

At the back, you could argue Souttar should maybe make it over Cooper due to the latter’s lack of game time.

I’d also be begging Tino Livramento to declare for us and take McRorie’s spot.

May 18

Gk:

Gunn, Gordon, Clarke

Defenders:

Robertson, Taylor, Tierney, Ralston, McRorie, Hanley, Hendry, Porteous, McKenna, Cooper

Midfield:

Gilmour, McGregor, McTominay, McGinn, Christie, McLean, Armstrong, Barron, Jack

Forwards:

Dykes, Adams, Shankland, Doak

May 18

If Hickey is definitely out then that’s a huge blow. I don’t really going into the tournament with Ralston and McRorie as our options there. Hopefully Tino Livramento’s maw can come up clutch here and have a word with her boy.

May 18

3 minutes ago, Fuctifano said:

I've thought for a while with McInroy being from Fife he'd end up at one of those two clubs or Falkirk next year. Him not getting on last night might be a clue to his future similar to how Dowds wasn't used / trusted in Dingwall.

Definitely need two wingers as well, anything we get from Lawless from here on is a bonus, he'll be pushing 34 and probably close to a year out if / when he gets back.

I heard months ago that McInroy had agreed to sign permanently at the end of the season, but I’m now unsure about it.

If the Crawford signing is true then we have him and Robinson for the 10 role. Banzo, Stanway and McBeth covering the deeper roles (hopefully plus one other). He’s shown he’s not effective out wide so where do we fit him in?

Keeper and wingers have to be the priority for the budget rather than another centre mid who doesn’t offer much different to what we already have.

May 18

I heard SoD is out of contract at Motherwell, do we think there is any chance of him dropping down a level or will he have another top flight club sniffing around him?

May 18

2 hours ago, Nightmare said:

He’s had an offer on the table pretty much all season, apparently. Clearly waiting for something better to appear, but based on his performances for the majority of the 2024 so far I’m not sure that’ll be coming. And if he’s already signed elsewhere then I’m not sure the new club will be entirely thrilled about that prospect right now…

Reflecting on last night, we’re in a much, much better place than we were a year ago. There are a few holes in the team, but the majority of a competent starting lineup is in place and I think Doolan will be much better placed to fill those vacant spots now that he’s had a year of learning how the whole management deal works.

—————— [NEW GK]
[NEW RB] - McBeth - O’Reilly - Milne
————— Stanway - Bannigan
——[NEW RW] - Robinson - Fitzpatrick
——————— Graham

I believe we also have Williams and some of the younger lads like Mackenzie and Diack under contract as squad depth, but I wonder if we might see them loaned out next year. Lawless is still under contract as well but it seems likely he’ll miss a significant portion of next season, so haven’t included him in the provisional lineup.

It’ll be interesting to see if Doolan will use McBeth as a CB or a CM. I’d be fine with either, and I think with a full preseason behind him he’ll be a top player for us next year.

So aye, new GK, RB, RW, a backup striker and probably a couple of new CMs (one of them being Robbie Crawford).

Ultimately, things are looking incredibly positive right now. The club appear to be on a much more stable financial footing and have a fanbase which is rejuvenated and growing; I’m convinced we’ll smash the 3k season ticket barrier relatively quickly again as soon as they’re on sale, which will hopefully give Doolan some more cash to play with.

I’d also like us to add another starting centre half to allow us to push McBeth forward. Either that or sign a good starting defensive midfielder, as I think we’ve really lacked that since Docherty left.

I think Williams will stay as a utility man for cover across the back 4, and I think Ngwenya has show enough to be offered a contract as cover for a number of positions too.

Diack will need to be handled carefully as he has been impressive and is a great prospect but he’ll struggle for minutes in his position with Graham ahead of him. If we can get bodies in as adequate cover for Graham I wouldn’t be opposed to loaning Diack out to a team who’d use him as their starting striker.

May 17

Great game between two really good teams. Gutting to lose like that but now got to set out to win what will likely be a weaker championship next season.

Congratulations to Greenock on tonight’s result.

May 15

1 hour ago, 2426255 said:

Maybe on paper. Hungary have with that group of players managed under Marco Rossi to hold their own against pot-1 nations. Scotland are still on a journey to reach that level. Hungary have survived a season in UEFA Nations League A. Scotland are still on that journey too. This is the Hungarians 3rd successive European Championship (2nd under Rossi) compared to Scotland's two under Clarke.

I think there's a strong case that they're a bit further along in their journey than Scotland are and therefore a team that we'll be doing quite well to beat. Added to that they're not missing any key players from the squad they announced.

Sorry if I didn’t word it correctly but I do broadly agree with this. They’re clearly a good team that are better than the sum of their parts, but when you look at their squad and who they play for it’s even more impressive considering there aren’t many leading names.

The Swiss squad is full of players playing in the Bundesliga, EPL, Serie A etc whereas Hungary only have a few at that level surrounded with a smattering of 2nd tier players and guys playing outwith the big 5 leagues, which was my point.

In any case, I could see Hungary, Switzerland and ourselves finishing in any order next month and think it’s very difficult to predict.

May 15

Hungary are a much weaker team on paper than Switzerland (at least player for player) but the recent results of both countries would suggest otherwise. Despite their poor form, the Swiss have a great deal of tournament experience and always seem to qualify from their group.

I think our games against both will be nerve wracking and could go either way. It really depends on which versions of the respective teams show up.

May 13

Can’t see us winning this tie as our record at Starks is abysmal and the depleted squad will be blowing out its arse by the end of the 2nd leg.

I think if we don’t win tomorrow (ideally by more than 1) we have no chance

May 10

Never mind us - how many are Switzerland and Hungary going to bring? It’s just a bus/train ride away for the Swiss.

Hungary fans all seem like c***s as well.

May 6

9 hours ago, jaggyness said:

This is true but McInroy, Alston () and Neilson are all unlikely to be with us next season irrespective of what division we're in.

I heard McInroy is set to sign permanently in the summer

May 5

I’m sure I remember seeing at the time that the media were saying we took 20k down to London on the trains alone for the last euros, probably meaning about 40/50k total. Truth be told it felt like a lot more than that at the time as London is a huge city and it was absolutely hoaching with Scots on the Thursday and Friday.

Speaking anecdotally, I know quite a lot of people through work/Thistle games/mutual acquaintances who have booked up (quite similar to London 2021 in that regard.)

I think this being the first “proper” tournament we’ve qualified for since 98 with no pandemic restrictions and in a fairly close, safe country with great infrastructure and a big drinking culture will mean we take a large support.

I think the fact that USA 2026 will be prohibitively expensive and Euro 2028 will be a home tournament will mean a lot of people will treat this as a truly unique “one and done” experience that we might never get the chance to go to again. I’m going in a group of 10 and I doubt any will go to the states if we get there.

May 3

44 minutes ago, JS_FFC said:

The recent tournaments seem to suggest that 4 points is enough to basically guarantee passage (with a very decent chance of finishing 2nd, but should at least be enough to be one of the best 3rd places).

3 points is a chance but you likely need at least a 0 goal difference so either three draws or a healthy win and two narrow defeats. Nicking a 1-0 and losing the other two likely won’t cut it.

I think the strategy has to be:

1. Shut up the shop against Germany and hope to shitfest a 0-0. One goal defeat wouldn’t be a disaster.

2. Keep it tight against Switzerland. Play for a point but be a bit more adventurous to try and nick a 1-0 on the break or from a set piece.

3. Go all out to beat Hungary and hope to get to 4 points.

If we manage to scrape a point in the opener then we effectively have two bites at the cherry to secure progression.

We should be aiming to win against Switzerland and, failing that, Hungary.

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