The Greenock Morton Thread - It's Better Than Yours

[The Ghost of B A R P]

On 26/10/2022 at 13:15, Dunning1874 said:

If O'Connor is going to be out for a while (have we heard anything on this?) then we clearly needed another centre back and our options at this time of year are limited. I'm not sure whether an unfit 34 year old who didn't have a good time at Dunfermline last season is actually going to upgrade on the defence we saw on Saturday despite only having one centre back in it, but Imrie has previous for turning players around and hopefully the fact he's been training means he's not needing the same number of games to get up to speed that Grimshaw did.

We obviously needed more depth either way: we were one more injury or suspension away from having no centre backs available and playing Darren Hynes.

I'm assuming Imrie wouldn't have signed a player where there were any doubts at all about his ability to run/train at a level of intensity, particularly on a season-long deal. Hard to imagine him being any worse in this respect than Lithgow.

Other thing to note is that Ambrose, although mainly right-footed, is comfortable on the left side of the centre two (which appeared to be kryptonite for Lithgow at various stages).

Looks a gamble from the outside, no doubt, but I'm strangely confident, as above, that it's a gamble worth taking.

(And imagine Ambrose and Lithgow lining up together at some point... would either be the funniest thing we've seen at Cappielow for years... or utterly majestic, the stuff of legend.)

 

Edited to add: a quick scan of the press coverage suggests that Ambrose is in significantly better physical shape than when he rocked up at Dunfermline last year.

Edited October 27, 2022 by The Ghost of B A R P

[Clown Job]

[TheGoon]

If he’s mince, it’s at least Efe Ambrose. The biggest victory cigar imaginable. 

[da_no_1]

To be fair you can't really judge any player on their time with us last season. Being managed by 2 terrible managers would affect the very best players in the world.

However, it has to be said in a shite Dunfermline team, he did stand out as being really really shite. Some effort.

Hope it works out tho.

[Ye Olde Hamiltonian]

I watched him play for Accies reserves this season and he looked "rusty" shall we say with the turning ability of an oil tanker, but the experience was there talking our young lads through the game and Dougie knows what he is getting.

Typical Accies to have a guy training with us to keep fit and allow him to go to another club in the same League at a time when we short of bodies for the position he plays.

At least Morton are getting a guy reasonably fit-unlike ourselves who  signed players nearly three months ago who are still unfit.

I will miss my half-time chats with the big man about how badly we were playing on the day.He was at more Accies games this season than many of our fans.

I am sure he will still do a job in the short term,so best of luck to big Efe.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 27, 2022 by Ye Olde Hamiltonian

[Rob1885]

What a #pler that man is.

[vikingTON]

On 08/10/2022 at 22:22, virginton said:

Awful quiet in here this week. 

Awful quiet here this month.

[Dunning1874]

Four wins, one draw, 12 scored, one conceded.

Imrie's contract running to 2024 isn't enough, get a Jim McLean offer in front of him now.

[Dunning1874]

I saw the SPFL tweeting that this was the first time we've kept four consecutive clean sheets since July 2016, but it's worth noting that was all the League Cup group stage with three of the games against lower league opposition.

The last time we did it in league games was August 2006, but that was in the third tier. The last time we did it in the second tier was April 1996.

[Jamie_M]

1 hour ago, Dunning1874 said:

I saw the SPFL tweeting that this was the first time we've kept four consecutive clean sheets since July 2016, but it's worth noting that was all the League Cup group stage with three of the games against lower league opposition.

The last time we did it in league games was August 2006, but that was in the third tier. The last time we did it in the second tier was April 1996.

Next one 2026 then?

[Jan Vojáček]

Hi guys. Wee bit of shameless self-promotion that you might be interested in.

We had big Kalvin Orsi on our DFC podcast this week, and he speaks about how his move to Cappielow came about. Which is fairly bizarre. It's about 42 minutes in. He speaks a wee bit about his cousin Carlo Pignatiello at the start as well, which might interest you.

 

[Jamie_M]

2 hours ago, Jan Vojáček said:

Hi guys. Wee bit of shameless self-promotion that you might be interested in.

We had big Kalvin Orsi on our DFC podcast this week, and he speaks about how his move to Cappielow came about. Which is fairly bizarre. It's about 42 minutes in. He speaks a wee bit about his cousin Carlo Pignatiello at the start as well, which might interest you.

 

Not really that bizarre though is it? An agent, working with a club, contacts a player, and tells him said club is interested. Real X Files stuff there.

Glad Orsi, just like everybody (except Hopkin), thought Morton being interested in him must be some sort of joke though.

The interesting part is that there was an offer from a full time Championship club after he left Morton. Seems Hopkin did actually try to take him to Ayr after all.

[Jan Vojáček]

16 minutes ago, Jamie_M said:

Not really that bizarre though is it? An agent, working with a club, contacts a player, and tells him said club is interested. Real X Files stuff there.

Glad Orsi, just like everybody (except Hopkin), thought Morton being interested in him must be some sort of joke though.

The interesting part is that there was an offer from a full time Championship club after he left Morton. Seems Hopkin did actually try to take him to Ayr after all.

Your second part is more what I was getting at rather than the literal part of an agent contacting him. I remember finding it bizarre when he signed for you guys after a pretty non-descript few years at Brechin, but it seems he found it equally as surprising. I thought his honesty there was quite refreshing. 

I wondered who the FT club who had offered him a deal was, forgetting that Hopkin's transfer policy was simply to rebuild his Morton team at Somerset. 

[Jamie_M]

17 minutes ago, Jan Vojáček said:

Your second part is more what I was getting at rather than the literal part of an agent contacting him. I remember finding it bizarre when he signed for you guys after a pretty non-descript few years at Brechin, but it seems he found it equally as surprising. I thought his honesty there was quite refreshing. 

I wondered who the FT club who had offered him a deal was, forgetting that Hopkin's transfer policy was simply to rebuild his Morton team at Somerset. 

Yeah, was preposterous that Hopkin plucked him from the fringes at Brechin but there were other equally as ridiculous signings- like signing Omar because he once played well in a reserve game against Hopkin's team.

We will never know if it was Ayr, but seems the most likely.

[madton]

Orsi scored a couple of goals for Brechin against Livvy when they won the Championship so Hopkin must have thought he could do a job for a better team at the same level.

Orsi was an honest, hard working but limited big guy who was well liked at Morton. Was never going to make it at Championship level and not surprised to see he hasn't scored many for Dumbarton either. His physicality is an asset though and I'm guessing that's why he 's still getting game time for Dumbarton.

 

 

[Jan Vojáček]

24 minutes ago, Jamie_M said:

Yeah, was preposterous that Hopkin plucked him from the fringes at Brechin but there were other equally as ridiculous signings- like signing Omar because he once played well in a reserve game against Hopkin's team.

We will never know if it was Ayr, but seems the most likely.

Rabin Omar was the other guy who popped into my head. A handsome boy, but never a Championship player.

12 minutes ago, madton said:

Orsi scored a couple of goals for Brechin against Livvy when they won the Championship so Hopkin must have thought he could do a job for a better team at the same level.

Orsi was an honest, hard working but limited big guy who was well liked at Morton. Was never going to make it at Championship level and not surprised to see he hasn't scored many for Dumbarton either. His physicality is an asset though and I'm guessing that's why he 's still getting game time for Dumbarton.

He's been good for us this season. And he's quite hard not to like because such a grafter, but last year it became more evident by the week that he wasn't a striker. We just had nobody else who could play there and pinned our hopes firmly on him. The fans didn't really turn on him though despite his lack of goals (think he's now about 50/51 games since his last goal, against Falkirk. Obviously).

This year he's kind of summed us up. A lot of effort, discipline and a decent bit of physicality. With the occasional flash of quality that can win you a game in League Two. He's certainly a lot more of a winger than he is a forward, that's for sure.

Quite pleased to see you guys doing well seen as we always end up with your offcuts. Means we should have a solid mid-table League One side in a couple of seasons.

Whilst I'm here, Michael Garrity looks a handy player. Scored a good goal at the weekend, and really should've scored the week before too. He's barely starting a game, but I like what I've seen of him from the bench.

[madton]

23 minutes ago, Jan Vojáček said:

Rabin Omar was the other guy who popped into my head. A handsome boy, but never a Championship player.

He's been good for us this season. And he's quite hard not to like because such a grafter, but last year it became more evident by the week that he wasn't a striker. We just had nobody else who could play there and pinned our hopes firmly on him. The fans didn't really turn on him though despite his lack of goals (think he's now about 50/51 games since his last goal, against Falkirk. Obviously).

This year he's kind of summed us up. A lot of effort, discipline and a decent bit of physicality. With the occasional flash of quality that can win you a game in League Two. He's certainly a lot more of a winger than he is a forward, that's for sure.

Quite pleased to see you guys doing well seen as we always end up with your offcuts. Means we should have a solid mid-table League One side in a couple of seasons.

Whilst I'm here, Michael Garrity looks a handy player. Scored a good goal at the weekend, and really should've scored the week before too. He's barely starting a game, but I like what I've seen of him from the bench.

Garrity is an interesting one. He was getting plenty of appearances off the bench for us this season and with our lack of final 3rd options in our current squad, we all assumed we would get a more ready made replacement when he went out on loan in but it never materialised and now we are considerably short in the final 3rd. Not saying Garrity is good enough to play every week in the Championship but he was a useful option to have coming off the bench. If he isn't really playing for Dumbarton, he might as well be coming off our bench with 10-15 mins to go rather than yours.

I've always liked Garrity, think he has something, albeit raw but if he's not getting game time at Dumbarton, I wonder if Imrie will recall and put him elsewhere.

Edit- If that 3 team rule in one season is still a thing, then he wont be going anywhere else so stay with Dumbarton for the season or back to Morton in Jan.

Edited November 7, 2022 by madton

[Jan Vojáček]

1 hour ago, madton said:

Garrity is an interesting one. He was getting plenty of appearances off the bench for us this season and with our lack of final 3rd options in our current squad, we all assumed we would get a more ready made replacement when he went out on loan in but it never materialised and now we are considerably short in the final 3rd. Not saying Garrity is good enough to play every week in the Championship but he was a useful option to have coming off the bench. If he isn't really playing for Dumbarton, he might as well be coming off our bench with 10-15 mins to go rather than yours.

I've always liked Garrity, think he has something, albeit raw but if he's not getting game time at Dumbarton, I wonder if Imrie will recall and put him elsewhere.

Edit- If that 3 team rule in one season is still a thing, then he wont be going anywhere else so stay with Dumbarton for the season or back to Morton in Jan.

Yeah I can't see him hanging around at us after January unless he's playing more regularly from the start every week. The only thing that counts against him is that our starting wingers are usually two of Kalvin Orsi, Ross MacLean and Gregg Wylde. Garrity is, imo, probably better going forward than all three of them - but not quite as savvy defensively. And we're a team built on defensive solidity. His only start came when Stevie Farrell went more attacking against Stirling Albion. And we were pumped 6-0 - which maybe spooked him a bit.

We signed Garrity after we loaned out Callum Wilson to Broomhill, and he seems to be doing well there by all accounts. So I wouldn't be shocked to see both players back at their parent clubs come January.

[Jamie_M]

The Garrity loan came as a surprise, not because we desperately felt he was ready but because we literally had nobody else in our paper thin squad. 

Walking a tightrope with such a small squad. Would hope we get a few additions in January rather than expecting much from a returning Garrity (or our other loanees).

[Jamie_M]

Never in doubt.