Sons' sorrow

[PWL]

8 minutes ago, Consolidate said:

If I'm following this right, we deserved to be relegated for charging some fans an extra £2? Bizarre thing to be hung up over months later.

Much like the Alloa fans in attendance yesterday incidentally, whose chants oddly focussed on Dumbarton's capitulation rather than their own team's achievements. 

Just make it more surreal, guess which Renfrewshire club who play in black & white are charging extra for old firm games next year.....?

[printer]

Commiserations. You've had unbelievable run to stay in the Championship.

[Bring Back Paddy Flannery]

Folk are posting their who they want to be released and kept lists but here's my who I think Aitken will release or keep list:

Aitken will keep:

Craig Barr
Andy Dowie
Grant Gallagher - he absolutely loves him. Regardless of how bad or good he plays.
Liam Dick
Chris McLaughlin
Scott Gallacher
Stuart Carswell
Kyle Hutton - he'll push the boat out to keep him IMO. He views him as one the best players in our squad and is of the belief he should be plying his trade at a far bigger club.
Calum Gallagher
Danny Handling - another Aitken favourite who plays whenever he's fit, regardless of how good or bad he is (he's usually bad).
Iain Russell - this may seem odd but I have real sinking feeling that Aitken will view Russell as a good option for League 1. He wont be.
David Smith - I think we'll struggle to get anyone of the quality of Wardrop in and Aitken may well be able to get him to sign a contract on a lower wage. A budget right back who can do an OK job. Personally I'd release.
David Wilson - another who will fall into the budget signing category. I'm not convinced Aitken really rates him but I do have a feeling he could view him as a decent cheap option. Would be one of the first I bin.

Aitken will release:

Dougie Hill - Aitken signed him as a last resort and never really wanted to admit he was actually a decent option for us. Only played him when he absolutely had to and at times favoured diddies like Aidan Wilson over him.
Jamie Ewings - he's not fit enough to be backup goalie so correct to release him.
Dimitris Froxylias - I don't even know where to start with this one. A full internationalist who is capable of winning a game on his own with a complete moment of magic. A set piece maestro who bagged 3 assists from corners in a single game this season. Ultimately an attacking luxury player, but one we should absolutely be able to accommodate with Hutton and Carswell in the side if deployed in his natural central position, particularly against teams from the league below us. Unfortunately the complete opposite of what Aitken wants in a player, he would rather a grafter with zero technical ability which meant despite Froxy having a big impact he was completely frozen out for the last 2 months. He quite rightly looked frustrated and if I was him I'd have been gone before the playoffs even started.
Mark Stewart - clearly something not right there. When getting a run of games and being provided with decent service one of our best players. When frozen out, lacking match sharpness and having balls booted at him from the back he's awful, as we all seen yesterday. He's signed but I'm convinced an agreement will be reached to punt him.
Chris Johnston

Tom Walsh signed a PCA with Inverness a very recently, not in January as everyone seems to think. No point in including him but FWIW I wouldn't have wasted a wage on him.

Out of the loanees I reckon Aitken will, quite rightly, enquire about Stirling's availability. However I believe he will find a better offer elsewhere, perhaps with Alloa or Ayr. The rest will, quite rightly, be shipped back to their parent clubs and that will be the end of that, and I include Liam Burt in that.

[Div]

2 hours ago, PWL said:

Just make it more surreal, guess which Renfrewshire club who play in black & white are charging extra for old firm games next year.....?

A move I have called them out on.

Categorisation of games at the gate is not something I agree with, and never will.

£27 for the Rangers and Celtic games at St.Mirren Park next season is scandalous.

[Jan Vojáček]

If we look something like this next season I'll be relatively happy.

Scott Gallacher

David Smith Andy Dowie Craig Barr Chris McLaughlin

New Signing Stuart Carswell New Signing New Signing

Calum Gallagher New Signing

The defence is good. I'm not 100% sure I'd keep Div Smith, but he's a hardworker and should do a job in L1. Keeping Carsy alongside an attacking player would give us far better midfield balance. Hutton's been good, but he's a luxury in that you never know what you'll get, and pairing him and Carsy in League One would be a disaster. We need natural wingers. A guy like Bobby Barr would be ideal imho, but I've no idea if the budget would stretch. I can't see Stirling staying now we're down a league, but someone similar in style on the other side would be good.

Up top I think Calum Gallagher will do well, especially with a penalty box type alongside him. Greig Spence, for example. Again though I suspect he'll have more attractive offers.

I hope Stevie rips the squad up a bit, as it's misshapen and downright garbage in areas. Looking at both Raith and Ayr last season, both had strong starting elevens and then little on the bench. This season we've had about 30 odd players, keeping a far tighter, more reliable group next season would be a help.

Punt: G.Gallagher, Wilson (though I wouldn't be averse to keeping him), Walsh (away anyway), Johnston, Handling, Dick, Beany (), Nade (aye, I know...)

[The Moonster]

28 minutes ago, Div said:

A move I have called them out on.

Categorisation of games at the gate is not something I agree with, and never will.

£27 for the Rangers and Celtic games at St.Mirren Park next season is scandalous.

You're a complete manchild. 

[FifeSons]

Imagine getting a semi over Dumbarton getting relegated, when your own team's just been promoted to the Prem. Pretty sad tbh.

Edited May 14, 2018 by FifeSons

[Div]

4 minutes ago, The Moonster said:

You're a complete manchild. 

Yeah that makes complete sense.

[Div]

4 minutes ago, FifeSons said:

Imagine getting a semi over Dumbarton getting relegated, when your own team's just been promoted to the Prem. Pretty sad tbh.

Salty.

 

[DumbartonTheSons]

Greig Spence, for example. Again though I suspect he'll have more attractive offers.

He's been released as far as I'm aware.

He's a player I've always rated, and maybe I'm being optimistic, but would he have more attractive offers?

Can you see a Championship side taking the chance on him given he's been at this level before (on more than one occasion?)? Would we not (again I'm maybe looking at it with my (albeit misty-eyed, Sons specs[emoji22]) be a decent option for a PT player?

[ayrmad]

2 minutes ago, Div said:

Salty.

 

And plentiful.

[Bring Back Paddy Flannery]

I just find it utterly bizarre you'd call a club out for something your own club is doing on a greater scale. Especially the "karma" part, that's effectively saying it will be karma if St Mirren get relegated next season.

[DumbartonTheSons]

While we're all in a jovial and upbeat mood... Do we expect any sort of communication from our overlords in the coming weeks?

As in, what they intend to do from here and thus where we stand?

Their absence yesterday was as notable as Neil Rankine's attendance...

[Div]

2 minutes ago, Bring Back Paddy Flannery said:

I just find it utterly bizarre you'd call a club out for something your own club is doing on a greater scale. Especially the "karma" part, that's effectively saying it will be karma if St Mirren get relegated next season.

I called my own club out for it. Not really sure what's bizarre about it. I just don't agree with the categorisation of gate prices at football matches.

Doesn't matter if it's St.Mirren doing it, or Dumbarton. I don't agree with it. I can't really be any clearer about that.

Dumbarton were the only club who did it in the Championship last season.

Every club does it in the Premiership.

Doesn't make it right, but that's the facts baby.

[Jan Vojáček]

20 minutes ago, DumbartonTheSons said:

He's been released as far as I'm aware.

He's a player I've always rated, and maybe I'm being optimistic, but would he have more attractive offers?

Can you see a Championship side taking the chance on him given he's been at this level before (on more than one occasion?)? Would we not (again I'm maybe looking at it with my (albeit misty-eyed, Sons specs) be a decent option for a PT player?

 

Aye, he is a free agent. Maybe he won't, but I've no idea what sort of money he'll be looking for, and how much we'll be able to pay. If I was Stevie though I'd be very keen to find out.

Tallied up our assists chart just there in case anyone's interested, this includes friendlies:

Tom Walsh - 8
David Wilson - 6
Dimitris Froxylias, Christian Nade, Chris Mclaughlin, Calum Gallagher & Andy Dowie - 3
Kyle Hutton, Chris Johnston, Andy Stirling, Danny Handling - 2
Sam Wardrop, David Smith Stuart Carswell, Aidan McIlduff (T), Mark Stewart, Liam Burt, Grant Gallagher - 1

Edited May 14, 2018 by Sonsteam of 08

[DumbartonTheSons]

Aye, he is a free agent. Maybe he won't, but I've no idea what sort of money he'll be looking for, and how much we'll be able to pay. If I was Stevie though I'd be very keen to find out.
Tallied up our assists chart just there in case anyone's interested, this includes friendlies:
Tom Walsh - 7
David Wilson - 6
Dimitris Froxylias, Christian Nade & Andy Dowie - 3
Chris Johnston, Chris McLaughlin, Calum Gallagher, Andy Stirling, Danny Handling - 2
Kyle Hutton, Sam Wardrop, Stuart Carswell, Aidan McIlduff (T), Mark Stewart, Liam Burt, Grant Gallagher - 1

I'd like to think he would enquire too. But I'd like to think a lot of things and they were dispelled in emphatic fashion yesterday, so I'm not sure if you can rely on what Stevie might and should do.

I don't know what wages he'd command, but I'm not sure there'd be a better proposition for him than us, but maybe I'm just being hopelessly optimistic.

Those stats do make grim reading. So including friendliest, that makes 50+ games our top two 'assisters' (not sure that's a word) have 13 and then it's 3. THREE. That's really poor and amply displays a large part of our shortcomings this season.

[optimistic]

Only ones I’d keep are dowie , Barr , Mclaughlin or dick, who was decent during the playoffs, and Hutton, s gallacher who was also decent during the playoffs, but no harm in replacing both keepers, maybe keep m Stewart or c Gallagher, but not both. Personally we’ll be luck to keep 4 out of that lot.

Maybe aitken should either go, or change his footballing philosophy. Plenty ex pros giving him it tight about his defensive tactics during the play offs

[Jan Vojáček]

2 minutes ago, DumbartonTheSons said:

 

I'd like to think he would enquire too. But I'd like to think a lot of things and they were dispelled in emphatic fashion yesterday, so I'm not sure if you can rely on what Stevie might and should do.

I don't know what wages he'd command, but I'm not sure there'd be a better proposition for him than us, but maybe I'm just being hopelessly optimistic.

Those stats do make grim reading. So including friendliest, that makes 50+ games our top two 'assisters' (not sure that's a word) have 13 and then it's 3. THREE. That's really poor and amply displays a large part of our shortcomings this season.

 

Aye it's grim. Just realised I missed out a couple from the other page on my sheet, so I've done SeaGal, Boomer, Hutton, Walsh and Div Smith out of one each.

Not great reading though.

[Bring Back Paddy Flannery]

Aye, he is a free agent. Maybe he won't, but I've no idea what sort of money he'll be looking for, and how much we'll be able to pay. If I was Stevie though I'd be very keen to find out.
Tallied up our assists chart just there in case anyone's interested, this includes friendlies:
Tom Walsh - 7
David Wilson - 6
Dimitris Froxylias, Christian Nade & Andy Dowie - 3
Chris Johnston, Chris McLaughlin, Calum Gallagher, Andy Stirling, Danny Handling - 2
Kyle Hutton, Sam Wardrop, Stuart Carswell, Aidan McIlduff (T), Mark Stewart, Liam Burt, Grant Gallagher - 1

Fairly impressive stats for Wilson considering his limited game time.

I'm going to be a pain in the arse and ask in what games he provided the assists?

[The Moonster]

15 minutes ago, Div said:

I called my own club out for it. Not really sure what's bizarre about it. I just don't agree with the categorisation of gate prices at football matches.

Doesn't matter if it's St.Mirren doing it, or Dumbarton. I don't agree with it. I can't really be any clearer about that.

Dumbarton were the only club who did it in the Championship last season.

Every club does it in the Premiership.

Doesn't make it right, but that's the facts baby.

Will it be "karma" if St Mirren get relegated next season?