***OFFICIAL SUMMER TRANSFER THREAD***

[Alex Kintner]

7 minutes ago, wavydavy said:

 

You just did.

 

[XB52]

1 hour ago, Byyy The Light said:

 

My 6 year old daughter is less of a drama queen than you.

But I bet she is a Hearts supporter unlike Rick

[BigAlim]

19 minutes ago, Monsieur Maroon said:

May have missed this, apologies in advance.  Levein confirms he is definitely looking to sign a midfielder.

 

https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/sport/football/craig-levein-hearts-sign-another-16563221

Also confirms that Zanatta will be involved this season 

[XB52]

1 hour ago, HotelMikeFoxtrotCharlie said:

It's a double edged sword, would love to see youth get the minutes in but I think it will be proven SPFL players/experienced pros we need to get us back challenging for europe because the way we are set-up its looking like yet another 6th olace finish for us whichnis embarrassing for a club our size with the budget we have.

FTH

[Mr Elwood P]

19 minutes ago, Monsieur Maroon said:

May have missed this, apologies in advance.  Levein confirms he is definitely looking to sign a midfielder.

 

https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/sport/football/craig-levein-hearts-sign-another-16563221

 

Wonder which paragraphs the intellectually bankrupt posters will hone in on?

 

Interesting article and good to hear that youth will be given a chance this season. We have some very good experienced players. Add the academy prospects into the mix and it could be very exciting!

[Mr Elwood P]

52 minutes ago, Paulp74 said:

We've got the terrace, classic kickback and the shed. There should be another section for "folk to argue with each other".

 

Came on to see if any signing news and 2 pages of people having pointless arguments with each other! 

 

This needs to be nipped in the bud as it's ruining this site. The same culprits every time. 

 

How about bickering Kickback members fight each other in the octagon? All proceeds go to FOH. Corners filled in / standing section / free flares for the Pyro loyal.

[bazman]

Does the unofficial transfer thread have more actual talk about transfers?

[Soapy Soutar]

Once we sign a cm i will be content,i believe we have added some real quality with the signings so far.The decks have been cleared and it seems cochrane mcdonald and zanatta amongst others will be given a decent platform.

 

Im going to stick my neck out here ive a feeling clare will shine this season and be our most important player

[Gav M]

46 minutes ago, bazman said:

Does the unofficial transfer thread have more actual talk about transfers?

Where's That? This ones dire!

[heartsfc_fan]

1 hour ago, Soapy Soutar said:

Once we sign a cm i will be content,i believe we have added some real quality with the signings so far.The decks have been cleared and it seems cochrane mcdonald and zanatta amongst others will be given a decent platform.

 

Im going to stick my neck out here ive a feeling clare will shine this season and be our most important player

This.

 

I'd rather we stuck with players like McDonald and Zanatta then some failed experiments like Amankwa and Vaneck.

 

[JamboAl]

7 hours ago, Robbo'sBoots said:

Nah,it's just Inch Hearts opening his mouth and letting his belly rumble as usual.

Don't know why you need to mention this - it's par for the course.

[JamboAl]

1 hour ago, luckydug said:

Dunno how you can say that.

There are hundreds of posts voicing concern about the recruitment policy of the club.

Some people yourself included have been critical many times over many threads.

Nobody has attempted to stop you yet.

Some people myself included just find the constant negativity depressing and avoid your posts in the main.

I'll not be replying because I've said my bit and leave it at that.

I'll wait and see how the season turns out before I start fretting.

Well said - he needs to change the record.

[Finlay James]

As much as I normally laugh at those who do nothing but criticize the club, on this occasion, I do see some points as valid.  Our central midfield options, on the face of it look wafer thin to say the least.  Bozanic is a squad player, Clare is untested in there against better players and Haring is now out for a while it appears.  We do have some very promising young lads coming through but I don't think any of them fit the mould of what Haring does for us (possibly Petkov or Hamilton but they are untried at 1st team level).

 

On top of that, Lee looks like he's moving on and Djoum, in my opinion, has pissed the club about so the situation is not entirely the clubs fault.  Haring's injury is unfortunate and we would need to wait on Lee/Djoum before knowing our budget for potential replacements.  The club have said that they are looking for a defensive midfielder to cover for Haring and with wages saved on Djoum/Lee, we hopefully have decent leverage Quality wise.

 

Otherwise, I think we've done well with recruitment this summer.  Walker we know and I think we will see a more mature and motivated version of him.  Washington is highly rated and an international forward with genuine electric pace.  Halkett was a stand out at this level in a decent Livi team, I think he'll  be a great signing.  Naismith is still to come and we know how critical he is.  White is a punt but a very good one who would have been out of our league otherwise.

 

im disappointed we haven't signed a top drawer GK but maybe Levein just thinks it's not a top priority at the moment.  I agree to an extent with that as Zlamal is decent but i think that's it and we're used to quality in that area such as Gordon/Niemi.

 

Also, let's not forget that last seasons signings have had a year to bed in and I think we will see improvement again from Mulraney and Uche.  Connor Smith, Irving, Cochrane, McDonald are a year older and offer us good bench options (if not better) and Zanatta could be a surprise success for us, particularly as an impact sub.

 

I don't really see where the doom and gloom is coming from before a ball has even been kicked.

Edited July 11, 2019 by Finlay James

[jambocub]

9 minutes ago, Finlay James said:

As much as I normally laugh at those who do nothing but criticize the club, on this occasion, I do see some points as valid.  Our central midfield options, on the face of it look wafer thin to say the least.  Bozanic is a squad player, Clare is untested in there against better players and Haring is now out for a while it appears.  We do have some very promising young lads coming through but I don't think any of them fit the mould of what Haring does for us (possibly Petkov or Hamilton but they are untried at 1st team level).

 

On top of that, Lee looks like he's moving on and Djoum, in my opinion, has pissed the club about so the situation is not entirely the clubs fault.  Haring's injury is unfortunate and we would need to wait on Lee/Djoum before knowing our budget for potential replacements.  The club have said that they are looking for a defensive midfielder to cover for Haring and with wages saved on Djoum/Lee, we hopefully have decent leverage Quality wise.

 

Otherwise, I think we've done well with recruitment this summer.  Walker we know and I think we will see a more mature and motivated version of him.  Washington is highly rated and an international forward with genuine electric pace.  Halkett was a stand out at this level in a decent Livi team, I think he'll  be a great signing.  Naismith is still to come and we know how critical he is.  White is a punt but a very good one who would have been out of our league otherwise.

 

im disappointed we haven't signed a top drawer GK but maybe Levein just thinks it's not a top priority at the moment.  I agree to an extent with that as Zlamal is decent but i think that's it and we're used to quality in that area such as Gordon/Niemi.

 

Also, let's not forget that last seasons signings have had a year to bed in and I think we will see improvement again from Mulraney and Uche.  Connor Smith, Irving, Cochrane, McDonald are a year and offer us good bench options (if not better) and Zanatta could be a surprise success for us, particularly as an impact sub.

 

I don't really see where the doom and gloom is coming from before a ball has even been kicked.

Agree with loads of what you say ,but the club new djoum was looking to earn as much cash as possible from his last contract .

If we didn't have at least a plan b in place for djoum going elsewhere then it's a balls up from the club 

[Finlay James]

2 minutes ago, jambocub said:

Agree with loads of what you say ,but the club new djoum was looking to earn as much cash as possible from his last contract .

If we didn't have at least a plan b in place for djoum going elsewhere then it's a balls up from the club 

 

Im sure they do have a plan, it's just not made public for obvious reasons.

[jambocub]

5 minutes ago, Finlay James said:

 

Im sure they do have a plan, it's just not made public for obvious reasons.

Was more in reference to your part about djoum pissing the club about .

 

Anyway hopefully the young lads get a chance and take it .

 

That'll buy us a bit more time to get a player in and upto speed with things

[DG_HMFC]

7 hours ago, Soapy Soutar said:

Once we sign a cm i will be content,i believe we have added some real quality with the signings so far.The decks have been cleared and it seems cochrane mcdonald and zanatta amongst others will be given a decent platform.

 

Im going to stick my neck out here ive a feeling clare will shine this season and be our most important player

 

The bit in bold is a good point. I remember Sir Paul being a bit powder puff and not very effective until Levein moved him into the middle of the park. Not suggesting Clare will become a Paul Hartley (hope he does), but it could get the best out of him in a position he says is natural to him. The boy definitely has good technical ability.

[Lord Beni of Gorgie]

Irving is going to be a lovely player,  Cochrane and McDonald too.

 

One or 2 young players can compliment the team,  but we really should be looking at one more of quality in there with Djoum definitely going,  Lee begging for it, plus several other salary savings,  surely the plan is to strengthen that area. 

[Soapy Soutar]

44 minutes ago, DG_HMFC said:

 

The bit in bold is a good point. I remember Sir Paul being a bit powder puff and not very effective until Levein moved him into the middle of the park. Not suggesting Clare will become a Paul Hartley (hope he does), but it could get the best out of him in a position he says is natural to him. The boy definitely has good technical ability.

He got pelters last season and i can see why but its clear he has ability and is technically very good..a hard pre season and a settled role in the team in what i think will be his best position and we could have a real good player on our hands

Edited July 11, 2019 by Soapy Soutar

[Alex Kintner]

38 minutes ago, Sir Gio said:

Irving is going to be a lovely player,  Cochrane and McDonald too.

 

One or 2 young players can compliment the team,  but we really should be looking at one more of quality in there with Djoum definitely going,  Lee begging for it, plus several other salary savings,  surely the plan is to strengthen that area. 

 

An experienced midfielder is required for the young ones to learn from in the same way others have learned from Berra, Hughes, Naismith and MacLean 👍🏻

[mscjambo]

1 hour ago, Finlay James said:

As much as I normally laugh at those who do nothing but criticize the club, on this occasion, I do see some points as valid.  Our central midfield options, on the face of it look wafer thin to say the least.  Bozanic is a squad player, Clare is untested in there against better players and Haring is now out for a while it appears.  We do have some very promising young lads coming through but I don't think any of them fit the mould of what Haring does for us (possibly Petkov or Hamilton but they are untried at 1st team level).

 

On top of that, Lee looks like he's moving on and Djoum, in my opinion, has pissed the club about so the situation is not entirely the clubs fault.  Haring's injury is unfortunate and we would need to wait on Lee/Djoum before knowing our budget for potential replacements.  The club have said that they are looking for a defensive midfielder to cover for Haring and with wages saved on Djoum/Lee, we hopefully have decent leverage Quality wise.

 

Otherwise, I think we've done well with recruitment this summer.  Walker we know and I think we will see a more mature and motivated version of him.  Washington is highly rated and an international forward with genuine electric pace.  Halkett was a stand out at this level in a decent Livi team, I think he'll  be a great signing.  Naismith is still to come and we know how critical he is.  White is a punt but a very good one who would have been out of our league otherwise.

 

im disappointed we haven't signed a top drawer GK but maybe Levein just thinks it's not a top priority at the moment.  I agree to an extent with that as Zlamal is decent but i think that's it and we're used to quality in that area such as Gordon/Niemi.

 

Also, let's not forget that last seasons signings have had a year to bed in and I think we will see improvement again from Mulraney and Uche.  Connor Smith, Irving, Cochrane, McDonald are a year older and offer us good bench options (if not better) and Zanatta could be a surprise success for us, particularly as an impact sub.

 

I don't really see where the doom and gloom is coming from before a ball has even been kicked.

Can't disagree with alot of what you say here. 

 

The Djoum situation was a bit of a farce. I get he's entitled to want cash but as soon as it becomes clear he's off and Haring is out, Lee injured and inching towards the exit door personally I'd have thought we'd have someone in. Levein is very organised, so maybe we will see someone in sooner rather than later. 

[AlphonseCapone]

So signings... Any other chat beyond a possible sighting of Malumbu at the Dalmahoy? 

[JamboAl]

19 minutes ago, mscjambo said:

Can't disagree with alot of what you say here. 

 

The Djoum situation was a bit of a farce. I get he's entitled to want cash but as soon as it becomes clear he's off and Haring is out, Lee injured and inching towards the exit door personally I'd have thought we'd have someone in. Levein is very organised, so maybe we will see someone in sooner rather than later. 

I don't think it became clear until last weekend but we should have set a deadline to withdraw our offer 2 or 3 weeks ago.  Maybe they did but it doesn't sound like it from what CL has said in the press.

[soonbe110]

2 hours ago, Finlay James said:

As much as I normally laugh at those who do nothing but criticize the club, on this occasion, I do see some points as valid.  Our central midfield options, on the face of it look wafer thin to say the least.  Bozanic is a squad player, Clare is untested in there against better players and Haring is now out for a while it appears.  We do have some very promising young lads coming through but I don't think any of them fit the mould of what Haring does for us (possibly Petkov or Hamilton but they are untried at 1st team level).

 

On top of that, Lee looks like he's moving on and Djoum, in my opinion, has pissed the club about so the situation is not entirely the clubs fault.  Haring's injury is unfortunate and we would need to wait on Lee/Djoum before knowing our budget for potential replacements.  The club have said that they are looking for a defensive midfielder to cover for Haring and with wages saved on Djoum/Lee, we hopefully have decent leverage Quality wise.

 

Otherwise, I think we've done well with recruitment this summer.  Walker we know and I think we will see a more mature and motivated version of him.  Washington is highly rated and an international forward with genuine electric pace.  Halkett was a stand out at this level in a decent Livi team, I think he'll  be a great signing.  Naismith is still to come and we know how critical he is.  White is a punt but a very good one who would have been out of our league otherwise.

 

im disappointed we haven't signed a top drawer GK but maybe Levein just thinks it's not a top priority at the moment.  I agree to an extent with that as Zlamal is decent but i think that's it and we're used to quality in that area such as Gordon/Niemi.

 

Also, let's not forget that last seasons signings have had a year to bed in and I think we will see improvement again from Mulraney and Uche.  Connor Smith, Irving, Cochrane, McDonald are a year older and offer us good bench options (if not better) and Zanatta could be a surprise success for us, particularly as an impact sub.

 

I don't really see where the doom and gloom is coming from before a ball has even been kicked.

Doom and gloom will be a constant until the ‘Levein out’ brigade get their way regardless of the state the club is in. The number of posters who post the same verbiage, sometimes even the exact same words, on multiple threads is evidence of that. Sadly they cannot reflect on individual topics. Instead they continue their monotone, negative, doom and gloom drivel. 

[soonbe110]

22 minutes ago, mscjambo said:

Can't disagree with alot of what you say here. 

 

The Djoum situation was a bit of a farce. I get he's entitled to want cash but as soon as it becomes clear he's off and Haring is out, Lee injured and inching towards the exit door personally I'd have thought we'd have someone in. Levein is very organised, so maybe we will see someone in sooner rather than later. 

Agree, however the dynamics of the transfer window mean it’s difficult to get players in at this time especially if they are based in England. Top two leagues window closes on 8 August so I wouldn’t expect anything before then. Any player who is looking for a move will stay open to offers until that date at least. In our case players at top half of league 1 and bottom half of championship are our target area and doors start closing for them in 8 August. The 13 th month payment also rules out many moves until 1 August so patience required otherwise we just jump at anyone currently available rather than the players we want. 

[bazman]

35 minutes ago, AlphonseCapone said:

So signings... Any other chat beyond a possible sighting of Malumbu at the Dalmahoy? 

He is still in Congo

Edited July 11, 2019 by bazman

[dougal]

18 minutes ago, soonbe110 said:

Doom and gloom will be a constant until the ‘Levein out’ brigade get their way regardless of the state the club is in. The number of posters who post the same verbiage, sometimes even the exact same words, on multiple threads is evidence of that. Sadly they cannot reflect on individual topics. Instead they continue their monotone, negative, doom and gloom drivel. 

 

To be honest I think what's worse is to sit back and believe that a manager who hasn't improved the team's league performance over 2 years will somehow improve the team's performance this season despite starting with a midfield that is weaker than last season's midfield (which more often than not in the 2nd half of the season was over run by just about every other team in league, including at home to the team who were relegated). Someone else said it either on this thread or the expectation thread that doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome is the very definition of insanity. 

 

I appreciate that some fans will want to keep Levein but I would really like to know what these fans have witnessed over the past 2 seasons that give them so much hope or optimism for the upcoming season.

Edited July 11, 2019 by dougal

[GorgieRules22]

10 minutes ago, dougal said:

 

To be honest I think what's worse is to sit back and believe that a manager who hasn't improved the team's league performance over 2 years will somehow improve the team's performance this season despite starting with a midfield that is weaker than last season's midfield (which more often than not in the 2nd half of the season was over run by just about every other team in league, including at home to the team who were relegated). Someone else said it either on this thread or the expectation thread that doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome is the very definition of insanity. 

 

I appreciate that some fans will want to keep Levein but I would really like to know what these fans have witnessed over the past 2 seasons that give them so much hope or optimism for the upcoming season.

Your bang on with this.

Far too many wanting to bury their heads in the sand.....we are potentially on the brink of being in the same scenario as we were under Cathro, a bad result tommorow night and I’d say a large chunk of our support will want change.

[scott herbertson]

8 minutes ago, dougal said:

 

To be honest I think what's worse is to sit back and believe that a manager who hasn't improved the team's league performance over 2 years will somehow improve the team's performance this season despite starting with a midfield that is weaker than last season's midfield (which more often than not in the 2nd half of the season was over run by just about every other team in league, including at home to the team who were relegated). Someone else said it either on this thread or the expectation thread that doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome is the very definition of insanity. 

 

I appreciate that some fans will want to keep Levein but I would really like to know what these fans have witnessed over the past 2 seasons that give them so much hope or optimism for the upcoming season.

 

 

I witnessed a massive improvement between the second half of season 2017/18 and the first half of season 2018/19. Unfortunately that wasn't sustained. I would give Levein the benefit of the doubt that this was largely down to injuries, and that these were largely beyond control. I wouldn't exempt him or the other staff from criticism - clearly they didnt get everything right (if I had to name one mistake it would be putting all our eggs in the Vanacek basket and not retaining Keena - even if he was injured at the time).

I'm not blindly optimistic - I don't particularly enjoy Levein's brand of football. But I do think he has it in him to manage us to a better league finish this year and for us to win a trophy in the next two years (perhaps under his successor in 2020). 

However I am a patien tman, and I know not everyone is!

[soonbe110]

12 minutes ago, dougal said:

 

To be honest I think what's worse is to sit back and believe that a manager who hasn't improved the team's league performance over 2 years will somehow improve the team's performance this season despite starting with a midfield that is weaker than last season's midfield (which more often than not in the 2nd half of the season was over run by just about every other team in league, including at home to the team who were relegated). Someone else said it either on this thread or the expectation thread that doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome is the very definition of insanity. 

 

I appreciate that some fans will want to keep Levein but I would really like to know what these fans have witnessed over the past 2 seasons that give them so much hope or optimism for the upcoming season.

I’d say that to some extent I would agree however if you can’t see that there was an element of progression last season then you weren’t paying attention. Will we progress further this coming season - who knows? In football nothing is a given. 

[jr ewing]

The opposition has worked us out and with no plan B are easy to play against. 

[AlphonseCapone]

20 minutes ago, bazman said:

He is still in Congo

 

So nothing that we know about then. Hopefully get a CM in, feels like the key area we need that extra bit of quality. 

[Soapy Soutar]

11 minutes ago, dougal said:

 

To be honest I think what's worse is to sit back and believe that a manager who hasn't improved the team's league performance over 2 years will somehow improve the team's performance this season despite starting with a midfield that is weaker than last season's midfield (which more often than not in the 2nd half of the season was over run by just about every other team in league, including at home to the team who were relegated). Someone else said it either on this thread or the expectation thread that doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome is the very definition of insanity. 

 

I appreciate that some fans will want to keep Levein but I would really like to know what these fans have witnessed over the past 2 seasons that give them so much hope or optimism for the upcoming season.

Djoum and lee were a waste of a jersey im hopeful irving and cochrane will prove to be much more useful to the team also confident clare will shine in his new central role

 

Im also fairly certain we will see at least 1 signing made in cm

[dougal]

2 minutes ago, soonbe110 said:

I’d say that to some extent I would agree however if you can’t see that there was an element of progression last season then you weren’t paying attention. Will we progress further this coming season - who knows? In football nothing is a given. 

 

I understand what you're saying and I'm taking our overall league position as the barometer when I say that there has been no improvement as we haven't finished higher in the league. Yes we started well and yes we had bad injuries but our performances in the second half of the season the cup aside were frankly abysmal and in occasions embarrassing. It's obvious that Levein is not going to be replaced so while not happy me and thousands like me will need to get behind the team. I do however fear that if we start like we finished last season not only is Levein going to be under extreme pressure but if we wait too long to rectify the situation we could be dragged in a dog fight at the wrong end of the league.

[the general]

Anyway 

 

..transfers anybody?

[Debut 4]

6 minutes ago, the general said:

Anyway 

 

..transfers anybody?

Got a hunch the management feel we have enough to cope with the league cup section.

 

As we get closer to the league campaign they’ll be working at bringing in a player or two ready for that kicking off.  

[wavydavy]

9 hours ago, JamboAl said:

Well said - he needs to change the record.

 

Ok Al, here's the "b" side of the record. Who do you think will be in the frame to be our holding midfield signing now that CL seems to have said he is looking for one.

 

Could it be someone wtih connections to the Northern Ireland squad if there are any available (I don't know).

 

Possibly someone from one of the lower English leagues or maybe a loan signing until January or a punt from abroad?

 

[Sid]

28 minutes ago, dougal said:

 

I understand what you're saying and I'm taking our overall league position as the barometer when I say that there has been no improvement as we haven't finished higher in the league. Yes we started well and yes we had bad injuries but our performances in the second half of the season the cup aside were frankly abysmal and in occasions embarrassing. It's obvious that Levein is not going to be replaced so while not happy me and thousands like me will need to get behind the team. I do however fear that if we start like we finished last season not only is Levein going to be under extreme pressure but if we wait too long to rectify the situation we could be dragged in a dog fight at the wrong end of the league.

 

I share the frustrations of last season but rather than basing you barometer on looking back, the position today compared to last Season is  : - 

 

1.  We have a spine of a team on longer term contracts. 

2. Central defence has been strengthened to the point that we may not be able to accommodate an SPL captain. 

3. Naismith is all but permanent. 

4. Academy is one year closer to feeding first team. 

5. We have offloaded some of the baggage (salmon and Martin, Lee not baggage but deemed not the standard we need going forward). 

6. We have signed 10-goal plus winger, proven in SPL (Walker). 

 

There are still some risks/unknowns - White may or may not deliver. Striker may or may not deliver. We may still have a lot of injuries this Season as we have built up squad of players with historic injuries. 

 

We need CDM addition. 

 

However, I would deem all of that as progress. Doesn’t mean we won’t lose to Utd or start slow in the League but I have confidence “progress” is being made. 

 

What, if any, of above is not progress?  

 

[wavydavy]

54 minutes ago, dougal said:

 

To be honest I think what's worse is to sit back and believe that a manager who hasn't improved the team's league performance over 2 years will somehow improve the team's performance this season despite starting with a midfield that is weaker than last season's midfield (which more often than not in the 2nd half of the season was over run by just about every other team in league, including at home to the team who were relegated). Someone else said it either on this thread or the expectation thread that doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome is the very definition of insanity. 

 

I appreciate that some fans will want to keep Levein but I would really like to know what these fans have witnessed over the past 2 seasons that give them so much hope or optimism for the upcoming season.

 

I agree but as a lot of folk are saying on here we need to give the players a chance to show if they are up to the challenge.

 

It doesn't help with the number of injuries we have even at this stage of the season and the fact that Naismith can't play yet assuming he signs

 

It will be interesting to see if we actually try to play the ball through the midfield areas or go with the long ball.

 

I have a feeling that Halkett might play in the holding mid role to protect the young midfield. He actually looked pretty good going forward the last time we played them at Tynecastle so he seems capable of playing there as is Souttar who could swap places with Halkett.

 

We have Dikamona as cover in the CB area which would allow this to happen.

[Debut 4]

10 minutes ago, wavydavy said:

 

Ok Al, here's the "b" side of the record. Who do you think will be in the frame to be our holding midfield signing now that CL seems to have said he is looking for one.

 

Could it be someone wtih connections to the Northern Ireland squad if there are any available (I don't know).

 

Possibly someone from one of the lower English leagues or maybe a loan signing until January or a punt from abroad?

 

You sure?  Can we afford it? 😉

[wavydavy]

Just now, Debut 4 said:

You sure?  Can we afford it? 😉

 

No idea but CL has said he wants a midfielder, he never said how much he had to spend though not that you would expect him to.

 

Djoum is gone now and if Lee can get a club and leave then I would imagine that would be a reasonable sum of money to pay a decent wage to a replacement.

[Jamhammer]

1 hour ago, dougal said:

 

To be honest I think what's worse is to sit back and believe that a manager who hasn't improved the team's league performance over 2 years will somehow improve the team's performance this season despite starting with a midfield that is weaker than last season's midfield (which more often than not in the 2nd half of the season was over run by just about every other team in league, including at home to the team who were relegated). Someone else said it either on this thread or the expectation thread that doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome is the very definition of insanity. 

 

I appreciate that some fans will want to keep Levein but I would really like to know what these fans have witnessed over the past 2 seasons that give them so much hope or optimism for the upcoming season.

The start to last season was encouraging.

However failure to address how to play without Naismith was key to the slump.

Not seen anything pre season to suggest that has changed.

Im not throwing meself off a bridge yet but not overly optimistic either TBH. Still plenty of time to get at least 1 quality midfielder in

[Debut 4]

1 minute ago, wavydavy said:

 

No idea but CL has said he wants a midfielder, he never said how much he had to spend though not that you would expect him to.

 

Djoum is gone now and if Lee can get a club and leave then I would imagine that would be a reasonable sum of money to pay a decent wage to a replacement.

I was just jesting. I’m sure we can afford a couple of decent signings if Levein requested so.  

 

There’s just a lot of over-worriers around when it comes to finance which is surprising given who’s running the club. 

[wavydavy]

1 minute ago, Debut 4 said:

I was just jesting. I’m sure we can afford a couple of decent signings if Levein requested so.  

 

There’s just a lot of over-worriers around when it comes to finance which is surprising given who’s running the club. 

 

Well we did spend £100k on security cameras recently although that may well have come from a different budget.

[wavydavy]

7 minutes ago, Jamhammer said:

The start to last season was encouraging.

However failure to address how to play without Naismith was key to the slump.

Not seen anything pre season to suggest that has changed.

Im not throwing meself off a bridge yet but not overly optimistic either TBH. Still plenty of time to get at least 1 quality midfielder in

 

It would be nice to see if we have any young players who could take on the role that Naismith does. Obviously he is a hard act to follow but if we have a player who can learn from him then that would be good for the future. Maybe someone such as Keena could do it?

[ramrod]

56 minutes ago, scott herbertson said:

 

 

I witnessed a massive improvement between the second half of season 2017/18 and the first half of season 2018/19. Unfortunately that wasn't sustained. I would give Levein the benefit of the doubt that this was largely down to injuries, and that these were largely beyond control. I wouldn't exempt him or the other staff from criticism - clearly they didnt get everything right (if I had to name one mistake it would be putting all our eggs in the Vanacek basket and not retaining Keena - even if he was injured at the time).

I'm not blindly optimistic - I don't particularly enjoy Levein's brand of football. But I do think he has it in him to manage us to a better league finish this year and for us to win a trophy in the next two years (perhaps under his successor in 2020). 

However I am a patien tman, and I know not everyone is!

Decent summary , but if we have another season in the league like the last two he has got to and can have no complaints. 

Finishing 6th and behind the shite 3 years on a row wouldn't be in any way acceptable given our budget tbh . 

We need to start pushing on and improving on the footballing side of things now the fabulous work of field is nearing completion. 

Craig and indeed his signing need to start delivering consistently , the worry is with the market he has been playing , inevitably injuries will play a part and become an excuse again I fear . 

 

 

[JamboAl]

32 minutes ago, wavydavy said:

 

Ok Al, here's the "b" side of the record. Who do you think will be in the frame to be our holding midfield signing now that CL seems to have said he is looking for one.

 

Could it be someone wtih connections to the Northern Ireland squad if there are any available (I don't know).

 

Possibly someone from one of the lower English leagues or maybe a loan signing until January or a punt from abroad?

 

How could a question be the "b" side of a record?

Could it be a super Brazilian if there are any available (I don't know)?

How would I know?

I have stated before, if you haven't managed to keep up, that my GUESS is that he will seek a 6 month loan deal, probably from England, to see us through to the next window.  If PH is back to full fitness by then, that will be it.

If he isn't fully fit, we can continue down the loan route or make a permanent signing but of course that will depend on how long any further recuperation is estimated to be.  CL will also have to make a judgment about whether any of our youths are able to cover the situation.

What I do know is that your continuous moaning and groaning about the manager will solve nothing.

Edited July 11, 2019 by JamboAl

[scott herbertson]

10 minutes ago, ramrod said:

Decent summary , but if we have another season in the league like the last two he has got to and can have no complaints. 

Finishing 6th and behind the shite 3 years on a row wouldn't be in any way acceptable given our budget tbh . 

We need to start pushing on and improving on the footballing side of things now the fabulous work of field is nearing completion. 

Craig and indeed his signing need to start delivering consistently , the worry is with the market he has been playing , inevitably injuries will play a part and become an excuse again I fear . 

 

 

 

 

I agree - whether it could be blamed on anything or not we need to see progress in the league table this year - 4th would be the absolute minimum to me. Even then I would expect management to change

[Dallas Green]

1 hour ago, jr ewing said:

The opposition has worked us out and with no plan B are easy to play against. 

 

 

I heard we arent signing him due to his ill manors.

[soonbe110]

1 hour ago, dougal said:

 

I understand what you're saying and I'm taking our overall league position as the barometer when I say that there has been no improvement as we haven't finished higher in the league. Yes we started well and yes we had bad injuries but our performances in the second half of the season the cup aside were frankly abysmal and in occasions embarrassing. It's obvious that Levein is not going to be replaced so while not happy me and thousands like me will need to get behind the team. I do however fear that if we start like we finished last season not only is Levein going to be under extreme pressure but if we wait too long to rectify the situation we could be dragged in a dog fight at the wrong end of the league.

I’m sure that will be the case if we start badly.  To be honest we started really badly last year as well in the Betfred. Performances until ICT in fourth game were dire. Not sure anything can be read into these early games in terms of performance, it’s all about getting through the group stages though this year should/could be different. The players had less than four weeks off so they should have got back up to speed quicker this year.