MJC Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 Happy to see Aldred back although the lack of pace in our backline is a major concern. Him and Hartley will bully plenty of opposition strikers mind you, so that might compensate for that. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
well fan for life Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 Hartley and Aldred in the same starting line up. I hope Dougie Imrie has all his affairs in order. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WellView Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 Interesting wrinkle in the English transfer window - teams outside the Premiership can still take players on loan, and can still "loan to buy," after the window shut yesterday. Here's an example at Wigan - Lee Evans, loaned until Jan 1, will be registered on a two and a half year deal at that date. https://www.wiganathletic.com/news/2018/august/wigan-athletic-confirm-the-loan-signing-of-lee-evans-from-sheffield-united-to-be-made-permanent-on-1-january/ I'm not sure if this is a domestic only policy, or if English teams can come into the Scottish market to loan or loan to buy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_oats Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 (edited) New signing lads. Christian Mbulu. #announceMbulu #welcomeChristian Edited August 10, 2018 by capt_oats 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Hahn Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 At first glace I thought we were interviewing him at Dens Park there. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gianfranco Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 Where did that come from? Our squad is very bloated. Edit for typo 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillips455 Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 15 minutes ago, Gianfranco said: Where did the come from? Our squad is very bloated. Looking around he seems to have came from millwall youth academy and left in july. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welldaft Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 23 minutes ago, Gianfranco said: Where did the come from? Our squad is very bloated. In midfield maybe but not in defence or attack. Bearing in mind the reserve league has replaced development / under 21games so players like Christian will get the chance to play against more experienced players. If this turns out to be even half as good as Kipre then again we will have won a watch. Time will tell. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_oats Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 (edited) 33 minutes ago, Gianfranco said: Where did the come from? Our squad is very bloated. Midfield. Absolutely. Other areas? Less so I'd say. Presumably we'll be reverting to a back 3 again. Currently we've got Aldred, Hartley, Dunne, Maguire, Donnelly, Mbulu and presumably we can include McHugh in that group if needs be. Dunne's out long term so 6 players for 3 places doesn't seem particularly excessive IMO. By my count that brings our first team squad to 23 (not including Ferguson, Maguire, Turnbull and Scott). GK: Carson, Gillespie (+ Ferguson) DF: Tait, Taylor-Sinclair, Aldred, Hartley, Dunne, Donnelly, Mbulu (+ Maguire) MF: (draws breath) McHugh, Cadden, Campbell, Frear, Grimshaw, Rose, Bigirimana, Gorrin, Tanner (+ Turnbull) FW: Main, Bowman, Newell, Sammon, Johnson (+ Scott) Edited August 10, 2018 by capt_oats 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WellView Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 1 minute ago, capt_oats said: Midfield. Absolutely. Other areas? Less so I'd say. Presumably we'll be reverting to a back 3 again. Currently we've got Aldred, Hartley, Dunne, Maguire, Donnelly, Mbulu and presumably we can include McHugh in that group if needs be. Dunne's out long term so 6 players for 3 places doesn't seem particularly excessive IMO. By my count that brings our first team squad to 23 (not including Ferguson, Maguire, Turnbull, Newell and Scott). GK: Carson, Gillespie (+ Ferguson) DF: Tait, Taylor-Sinclair, Aldred, Hartley, Dunne, Donnelly, Mbulu (+ Maguire) MF: (draws breath) McHugh, Cadden, Campbell, Frear, Grimshaw, Rose, Bigirimana, Gorrin, Tanner (+ Turnbull) FW: Main, Bowman, Newell, Sammon, Johnson (+ Scott) 4 As you have alluded to, Ferguson, Maguire, Turnbull, Scott and now Mbulu are all reserve team players. So we are carrying a first-team squad of twenty-three players. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gianfranco Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 I hope Mbulu dyes his hair blonde. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WellView Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 (edited) 2 hours ago, WellView said: Interesting wrinkle in the English transfer window - teams outside the Premiership can still take players on loan, and can still "loan to buy," after the window shut yesterday. Here's an example at Wigan - Lee Evans, loaned until Jan 1, will be registered on a two and a half year deal at that date. https://www.wiganathletic.com/news/2018/august/wigan-athletic-confirm-the-loan-signing-of-lee-evans-from-sheffield-united-to-be-made-permanent-on-1-january/ I'm not sure if this is a domestic only policy, or if English teams can come into the Scottish market to loan or loan to buy. Quoting myself - just read that English non-Premiership clubs can loan, or loan to buy, from anywhere. Relevance to us, it would n't shock me to see Bigi go on loan ( disappoint, but not shock ) and our prime contender for a loan to buy is Cadden. And let's be honest about it, he was never going to get a move to the EPL anyway. A few clubs are licking their wounds after yesterdays dealings, Swansea being one ( I'm not suggesting Cadden for Swansea ). Just pointing out there are a few motivated clubs below the Premiership looking for players. Edited August 10, 2018 by WellView 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casagolda Posted August 10, 2018 Author Share Posted August 10, 2018 I’d be inclined to agree that our squad is looking fairly bloated to be honest. Going by the above numbers, we’ll essentially have at least 5 first team players getting paid to sit in the stand on any given Saturday. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antiochas III Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 3 minutes ago, Casagolda said: I’d be inclined to agree that our squad is looking fairly bloated to be honest. Going by the above numbers, we’ll essentially have at least 5 first team players getting paid to sit in the stand on any given Saturday. It's what the Reserves Football lobby wanted. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
well fan for life Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 I suppose the flip side to the squad being bloated is that we had an absolute b*****d of a time through December last year with injuries and had to assemble a squad out of sellotape and cardboard. Hopefully we look a bit less terrible this weekend. Campbell's return will be massive for is. I'm praying for Lenny Sowah to start again. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_oats Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 (edited) I don't think we're Baraclough trolley dash levels of bloated. IMO we're probably a couple of bodies heavy. I'd expect us to run with a first team squad of 21 or 22. We're currently sat on 23. If there's an opportunity to trim those numbers down via a loan or two then fair enough but as @well fan for life says that spate of injuries in December probably informs the numbers. We've already got 3 first team players out for the foreseeable and we've only just played the opening league game. My issue, such as it is, really comes down to the midfield. Do we really need McHugh, Rose AND Grimshaw. Bigirimana AND Gorrin? In that area of the park we've got subs for subs and that's before you even get to guys like Turnbull. With Robinson saying they thought Bigi was leaving the club (who knows he may still be away) I kind of wonder if we've brought Gorrin in as his replacement only to have been left with an extra player once it's turned out he's staying put. At the moment presumably our starting XI will be along the lines of: Carson Aldred Hartley McHugh Tait Campbell Rose ATS Cadden Main Johnson Subs (7 from): Gillespie, Sammon, Newell, Frear, Bigirimana, Gorrin, Grimshaw, Donnelly, Mbulu (+ Scott, Turnbull, Maguire) Injured: Dunne, Tanner, Bowman Edited August 10, 2018 by capt_oats 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welldaft Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 Probably spot on with that team - although I have a hunch if Johnson starts tomorrow it will be with Sammon and not Main up front. I would also like to see Frear and Bigi in the starting 11 but expect that Rose and probably ATS will start tomorrow with Bigi making yet another appearance from the bench depending on the scoreline. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Del_Superwell Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/amp/football/45144011?__twitter_impression=true Manager saying he's now content with the squad which sounds like its unlikely we will make any further signings. Interesting to note he speaks of Barry Maguire being able to play defence and in midfield. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_oats Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 (edited) 2 hours ago, Del_Superwell said: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/amp/football/45144011?__twitter_impression=true Manager saying he's now content with the squad which sounds like its unlikely we will make any further signings. Interesting to note he speaks of Barry Maguire being able to play defence and in midfield. I'd be inclined to agree based on the headline but going by what he's actually said it reads like he was specifically talking about the defence rather than the squad in general: Quote "I think we have enough cover and it's time to get back to being solid like last season," Robinson said. Motherwell lost 3-0 to Hibernian on the opening weekend of the Scottish Premiership season, the game quickly following the £1m sale of Kipre and with Dunne having been ruled out for up to four months. "I have signed Tom and lost Charles Dunne, who is a big loss to us, and also Cedric, but I feel we have the personnel in the building with young Christian as well, who is one who is up-and-coming with a lot of potential but maybe not for right here, right now," Robinson said. "We have Barry Maguire, who can play centre-midfield and centre-half as well." I'm not banging a drum for us to sign any more but I wouldn't be hugely surprised if there were a few more tweaks here and there. Edit: I'd probably be a wee bit annoyed if we've 100% locked up our squad just at the point that players on the fringe of the championship/league 1 squads are getting patched. Edited August 10, 2018 by capt_oats 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desp Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 Quote "We have Barry Maguire, who can play centre-midfield and centre-half as well." Remember when Louis Laing played in midfield against Celtic? What a fucking laugh that was. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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