Jump to content

Lawrence Shankland Signs fir Dundee Utd ( updated )


letsalldothebeattie

Recommended Posts

letsalldothebeattie

Just seen on Twitter that we have made contact with the soon to be former Ayr United forward. Sunderland have tabled a contract offer for him as well. It’s in the Sun but they’ve been pretty bang on with transfers we’ve made over the years 

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/football/4355594/sunderland-ayr-united-lawrence-shankland-hearts/amp/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter&__twitter_impression=true

 

Will be interesting to see where he goes. He will be more likely to get game time with us than Sunderland but depends if that or money is driving him 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 1.1k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Maroon Sailor

    54

  • Sagan

    47

  • Mikey1874

    42

  • YouLetYourClubDie

    30

Absolute Scenes

saw this too

Him and Uche up top, could it work?

With the Vanacek situation, are we sure we still want to take risks - not saying Shankland wouldn't be a success and his scoring record is very impressive even if it is a lower league - but would he given time to kick on or would our usual impatient fans be expecting him to be scoring immediately and playing well?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jamboscanbevicius

I think money will talk and he’ll head south, but I’d be interested to see him in maroon. I know it doesn’t always work stepping up, but you can’t ignore his record!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

letsalldothebeattie
5 minutes ago, Absolute Scenes said:

saw this too

Him and Uche up top, could it work?

With the Vanacek situation, are we sure we still want to take risks - not saying Shankland wouldn't be a success and his scoring record is very impressive even if it is a lower league - but would he given time to kick on or would our usual impatient fans be expecting him to be scoring immediately and playing well?

Big man, wee man combo has worked for teams over the years I don’t see why it couldn’t work with Uche & Shankland up front for us. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fxxx the SPFL

Celtic and Rangers both dropped interest in him as seemingly there were off field issues allegedly, could of course be bullxxxx.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, Absolute Scenes said:

saw this too

Him and Uche up top, could it work?

With the Vanacek situation, are we sure we still want to take risks - not saying Shankland wouldn't be a success and his scoring record is very impressive even if it is a lower league - but would he given time to kick on or would our usual impatient fans be expecting him to be scoring immediately and playing well?

 

This is where I'm at.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I imagine he will end up at Sunderland but would be a good option if he came. His all round game improved a lot while at Ayr only issue is he isn’t the quickest 

Edited by biffy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A_A wehatethehibs

Hearts must gamble on someone up front.

 

If it’s not Shankland, then it has to be someone. Lafferty is an obvious choice on a free or maybe Stevie May could be buyable if Aberdeen want to cut their losses. They got him for £300k, maybe they’d take £200k as he’s not been good for them goals wise. Know he looks a dud up there but it’s one of those where, budget wise Hearts need to be seeking out a striker who has been a goalscorer in the past but been out of form. Then we hope he clicks into form, that’s the gamble. 

 

Someone must be brought in to roll the dice on being that partner for Uche. There are a lot of good strikers out there who would love to be playing alongside the big tank, a good striker would get minimum 15-20 goals off the back of the mayhem he causes and the supply lines from Naismith, Mulraney and (whisper it) Clare if he clicks as he has looked like doing in flashes this season.

 

Our goalscoring IMO is a serious crisis which from the sounds coming out about expected “quiet summer window” raises massive alarm bells for me. Shankland would be a sensational tonic for that but i can’t see us being able to compete if Sunderland have a contract on the table. The only draw would surely be playing alongside the experience of Naismith and the power of Uche. Hearts are set up perfectly for a hungry striker to come in here and score goals at which point Shankland would be looking at far better clubs than Sunderland.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TyphoonJambo
4 minutes ago, cb1874 said:

If Sunderland are serious...we can forget it.

Afraid you may be correct 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The kind of striker I would like us to be looking at. If he does have issues then Hearts would be a good club to come to, we have form for helping players with non football matters. His current manager has said publicly that he needs to go somewhere where he will play, that would be unlikely to be the case at Sunderland when they signed Will Grigg for £4m in January 

Edited by Jodami
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Smithee said:

I'm not a fan but I'll be right behind him if he signs of course

Same here.

Didn't he have a poor second half of the season

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Absolute Scenes
14 minutes ago, A_A wehatethehibs said:

Hearts must gamble on someone up front.

 

If it’s not Shankland, then it has to be someone. Lafferty is an obvious choice on a free or maybe Stevie May could be buyable if Aberdeen want to cut their losses. They got him for £300k, maybe they’d take £200k as he’s not been good for them goals wise. Know he looks a dud up there but it’s one of those where, budget wise Hearts need to be seeking out a striker who has been a goalscorer in the past but been out of form. Then we hope he clicks into form, that’s the gamble. 

 

Someone must be brought in to roll the dice on being that partner for Uche. There are a lot of good strikers out there who would love to be playing alongside the big tank, a good striker would get minimum 15-20 goals off the back of the mayhem he causes and the supply lines from Naismith, Mulraney and (whisper it) Clare if he clicks as he has looked like doing in flashes this season.

 

Our goalscoring IMO is a serious crisis which from the sounds coming out about expected “quiet summer window” raises massive alarm bells for me. Shankland would be a sensational tonic for that but i can’t see us being able to compete if Sunderland have a contract on the table. The only draw would surely be playing alongside the experience of Naismith and the power of Uche. Hearts are set up perfectly for a hungry striker to come in here and score goals at which point Shankland would be looking at far better clubs than Sunderland.

 

We've gambled already

 

Vanacek, Wighton (who I will still give time as he is young and has shown so much promise previously) and others

 

So this doesn't make much sense

 

Also goal scoring isn't a crises, relax a little - Naismith was on point for being top goal scorer - if he hadn't got injured he was hitting 20

 

Cant rely on him I know, but with everyone fit and better players brought in around the team we'll be fine

 

 

Edited by Absolute Scenes
Link to comment
Share on other sites

scott herbertson
12 minutes ago, A_A wehatethehibs said:

Hearts must gamble on someone up front.

 

If it’s not Shankland, then it has to be someone. Lafferty is an obvious choice on a free or maybe Stevie May could be buyable if Aberdeen want to cut their losses. They got him for £300k, maybe they’d take £200k as he’s not been good for them goals wise. Know he looks a dud up there but it’s one of those where, budget wise Hearts need to be seeking out a striker who has been a goalscorer in the past but been out of form. Then we hope he clicks into form, that’s the gamble. 

 

Someone must be brought in to roll the dice on being that partner for Uche. There are a lot of good strikers out there who would love to be playing alongside the big tank, a good striker would get minimum 15-20 goals off the back of the mayhem he causes and the supply lines from Naismith, Mulraney and (whisper it) Clare if he clicks as he has looked like doing in flashes this season.

 

Our goalscoring IMO is a serious crisis which from the sounds coming out about expected “quiet summer window” raises massive alarm bells for me. Shankland would be a sensational tonic for that but i can’t see us being able to compete if Sunderland have a contract on the table. The only draw would surely be playing alongside the experience of Naismith and the power of Uche. Hearts are set up perfectly for a hungry striker to come in here and score goals at which point Shankland would be looking at far better clubs than Sunderland.

 

 

Don't get the love in with May. Since he left St Johnstone 5 years ago he's scored, as far as I can see, 16 goals in 5 years. just because he has a few tricks doesnt make him the answer as a goalscorer

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Unknown user
Just now, benny said:

Same here.

Didn't he have a poor second half of the season

 

I haven't really kept up with his stats but I did see him a few times last season. He seems to add very little in terms of overall team play and as a striker makes the same run time after time to the same part of the penalty box. It works at his current level but I don't think there are enough signs of game intelligence or adaptability to be confident he'd be a success in the top league. I'd be delighted to be proved wrong though!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Absolute Scenes
20 minutes ago, cb1874 said:

If Sunderland are serious...we can forget it.

 

Sad state of affairs when that tin pot shambles can offer him whatever he wants

 

As he's still quite young, you'd hope he has his head screwed on and wants to move up a higher league to us before jumping to another country altogether

 

If Levein can be credited for one thing, its selling Hearts to players, so lets hope we can see this 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Absolute Scenes
2 minutes ago, scott herbertson said:

 

 

Don't get the love in with May. Since he left St Johnstone 5 years ago he's scored, as far as I can see, 16 goals in 5 years. just because he has a few tricks doesnt make him the answer as a goalscorer

 

Correct

 

Stevie May is an utter huddy who has absolutely conned Aberdeen out of a 4 years deal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A_A wehatethehibs
Just now, Absolute Scenes said:

 

We've gambled already

 

Vanacek, Wighton (who I will still give time as he is young and has shown so much promise previously) and others

 

So this doesn't make much sense

 

 

 

We gambled on Vanacek, didn’t work, he’s gone. We need to be gambling on someone as we do not have the money to go out and buy proven strikers Edouard, Griffiths or Morelos to go out and get us 20+ guaranteed goals 

 

Wigton is not, was not, and never will be a goalscoring striker, that’s the player I want = someone who will score goals. 

 

Our lack of goals outside Naismith is absolutely chronic and there is no way I’d be relying on him to play the whole season next year 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Absolute Scenes said:

 

Sad state of affairs when that tin pot shambles can offer him whatever he wants

 

As he's still quite young, you'd hope he has his head screwed on and wants to move up a higher league to us before jumping to another country altogether

 

If Levein can be credited for one thing, its selling Hearts to players, so lets hope we can see this 

 

Hardly a tinpot club though are they, not having the best of times right now but you'd fancy them for promotion to the championship next season.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

GorgieFifeLife
8 minutes ago, scott herbertson said:

 

 

Don't get the love in with May. Since he left St Johnstone 5 years ago he's scored, as far as I can see, 16 goals in 5 years. just because he has a few tricks doesnt make him the answer as a goalscorer

Same could have been said for Wighton before we signed him. He did nothing at Dundee to warrant us signing him yet we spent money on him. I'd take May over Wighton that is for sure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Absolute Scenes
3 minutes ago, RudiHMFC said:

 

Hardly a tinpot club though are they, not having the best of times right now but you'd fancy them for promotion to the championship next season.

 

At one point they were, but not anymore

Despite the money they are supposed to have and financial backing, they keep nicking players from Scottish Leagues and appear to be scrimping.

They Alim Ozturk as a starting player for example - you wont get into the Premier League with that

I don't think you can say you fancy them for promotion. Teams like Derby etc will be right up for it so its not going to be a given

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Unknown user
5 minutes ago, Absolute Scenes said:

 

At one point they were, but not anymore

Despite the money they are supposed to have and financial backing, they keep nicking players from Scottish Leagues and appear to be scrimping.

They Alim Ozturk as a starting player for example - you wont get into the Premier League with that

I don't think you can say you fancy them for promotion. Teams like Derby etc will be right up for it so its not going to be a given

That's all fine but they're a division below Derby, promotion to the EPL isn't an immediate concern. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To me he’s another huge gamble and not what we should be looking for this summer. 

 

Levein said the emphasis is on quality this summer and I don’t think a championship player who done very little in the second half of the season screams quality. 

 

He’s scored goals at a lower level and anytime I’ve seen him he hasn’t looked great. Shades of Gavin Reilly, Nicky Clarke & Dennis Wyness. 

 

Obviously if we do get him then full support and all that. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

letsalldothebeattie
18 minutes ago, Absolute Scenes said:

Here's a question:

MacGennis or Shankland?

Shankland. Younger and has the potential to make us a mint if he comes in and continues his Ayr form

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, letsalldothebeattie said:

Shankland. Younger and has the potential to make us a mint if he comes in and continues his Ayr form

 

 

BBC gossip says der Hun are looking at McGennis.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

letsalldothebeattie
7 minutes ago, Cheile said:

 

 

BBC gossip says der Hun are looking at McGennis.

Well that’s the end of him coming here then

Link to comment
Share on other sites

46 minutes ago, Smithee said:

I'm not a fan but I'll be right behind him if he signs of course

 

Yeah.

 

Released by Aberdeen too remember. He himself talked about improving his attitude, being more relaxed on the pitch. Still think he has potential in the right environment. 

 

He needs to play regularly not be a reserve at a club. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A_A wehatethehibs
5 minutes ago, scott herbertson said:

 

 

Don't get the love in with May. Since he left St Johnstone 5 years ago he's scored, as far as I can see, 16 goals in 5 years. just because he has a few tricks doesnt make him the answer as a goalscorer

 

Not really a love in, as I’ve said it’s a gamble on someone to get us goals. I know he looks a dud up there - That’s what puts him in our price range. The thinking with that one is, Steven Maclean is here - he was the strike partner who helped unlock Mays goalscoring at st Johnstone originally. It could work! For me that is a hell of a lot better odds than a Wighton or Vanacek.

 

We need someone with some past track record of scoring goals in the building.

 

If folk have other shouts I am all ears. Macgennis is one shout but I don’t see much track record of goals with him, IMO he seems to potentially be another goal shy player no chance of becoming a consistent goalscorer. 4 goals in 42 at Bolton. We have plenty of “1 goal every 10 games” players in our squad.

 

Shankland, May, Lafferty, even Jamie Walker got a lot of goals for us (but to be honest he is too soft mentally for me) **** it even Jason Cummings would probably thrive in our team next season (but let’s be honest that’s not happening).

 

Shankland for me, with 50 goals in 61 appearances over 2 seasons is the pick of the players available at Hearts budget level. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

scott herbertson
1 minute ago, A_A wehatethehibs said:

 

Not really a love in, as I’ve said it’s a gamble on someone to get us goals. I know he looks a dud up there - That’s what puts him in our price range. The thinking with that one is, Steven Maclean is here - he was the strike partner who helped unlock Mays goalscoring at st Johnstone originally. It could work! For me that is a hell of a lot better odds than a Wighton or Vanacek.

 

We need someone with some past track record of scoring goals in the building.

 

If folk have other shouts I am all ears. Macgennis is one shout but I don’t see much track record of goals with him, IMO he seems to potentially be another goal shy player no chance of becoming a consistent goalscorer. 4 goals in 42 at Bolton. We have plenty of “1 goal every 10 games” players in our squad.

 

Shankland, May, Lafferty, even Jamie Walker got a lot of goals for us (but to be honest he is too soft mentally for me) **** it even Jason Cummings would probably thrive in our team next season (but let’s be honest that’s not happening).

 

Shankland for me, with 50 goals in 61 appearances over 2 seasons is the pick of the players available at Hearts budget level. 

 

 

Wasn't just referring to you with the love in comment - a lot of people seem to rate May but apart from one season ast St Johnstone, when as you say Maclean was feeding him, he's produced very little and is not improving as a player as far as I can see. Shankland is a risk but I agree worth a punt. One of these guys is going to come good, we've been unlucky so far but maybe he will be the one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, HMFC86 said:

To me he’s another huge gamble and not what we should be looking for this summer. 

 

Levein said the emphasis is on quality this summer and I don’t think a championship player who done very little in the second half of the season screams quality. 

 

He’s scored goals at a lower level and anytime I’ve seen him he hasn’t looked great. Shades of Gavin Reilly, Nicky Clarke & Dennis Wyness. 

 

Obviously if we do get him then full support and all that. 

 

 

 

I don’t get this...who do people think we should be going for, in the market we operate?

 

It’s unlikely that we’ll be able to afford to sign a player who is scoring regularly for a team at or above our level. Players scoring week in week out in the SPFL or English League one or above will be outside of our budget.

 

Therefore we have to look to the Scottish Championship, English League 2 or to lower profile leagues abroad. Either that or we try and bring in players who have played at a higher level but who have had injury issues or who are on their way down.

 

Every signing is a gamble, but more so when you are playing at the level we are, with the budget we have.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In all fairness, if Sunderland come calling, you'd probably take the offer 99 times out of 100.

 

It's not that far away geographically from Scotland, and gets you into the "silly money" leagues, where you will probably earn 10x what you would at a Top 6 SPFL club.

 

The risk is, if Sunderland don't get promoted this season, they're going to be in real trouble.  They should have pissed it this year and toiled, eventually losing out in the playoffs.  Shankland would have to go down there and play well, week in, week out.  If he didn't, the supporters will quickly turn on him.  Especially in a competitive league like League One, if results don't go their way, the fans will start to question the board's commitment to achieving promotion, especially if they start to sign players who used to play for Ayr United!

 

Staying a year or two at a team like Hearts might not be the worst option for him, to see if he can actually push on at a higher level.

Edited by tian447
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Unless they are cutting costs I find it strange Sunderland are in for him when he might just be Gavin Reilly.

 

At the levels they pay you'd think they'd go for a more proven player, even as a squad player.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, combo74 said:

 

I don’t get this...who do people think we should be going for, in the market we operate?

 

It’s unlikely that we’ll be able to afford to sign a player who is scoring regularly for a team at or above our level. Players scoring week in week out in the SPFL or English League one or above will be outside of our budget.

 

Therefore we have to look to the Scottish Championship, English League 2 or to lower profile leagues abroad. Either that or we try and bring in players who have played at a higher level but who have had injury issues or who are on their way down.

 

Every signing is a gamble, but more so when you are playing at the level we are, with the budget we have.

I’m not suggesting we go out and buy a premier league striker, but there are a lot of players out there that I’d expect a scouting system to identify. 

 

If we want to improve then I personally don’t think a player from a mid table championship club is the answer. 

 

The club have said that we are signing players who are going to come in and immediately improve our starting lineup. Yes all signings are a risk, but to me Shankland is a bigger risk than is required.

 

If we are as you say restricted to League 2 in England & lower leagues in Scotland, then maybe the manager shouldn’t be stating that we are bringing in high quality? 

 

Don’t see what’s difficult to get.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hackney Hearts
7 minutes ago, tian447 said:

Shankland would have to go down there and play well, week in, week out.  If he didn't, the supporters will quickly turn on him. 

 

Whereas Hearts fans are renowned for being extremely tolerant.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Hackney Hearts said:

 

Whereas Hearts fans are renowned for being extremely tolerant.

 

:lol: 

 

You make a very good point.  I was thinking Sunderland fans might be a bit more likely to turn on a player if they think he's too shite to get them promoted, but we do have an amazing ability to turn on a player before they've even pulled on a Hearts shirt.  Not sure who would be worse :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, tian447 said:

 

Staying a year or two at a team like Hearts might not be the worst option for him, to see if he can actually push on at a higher level.

 

Sadly I think failing at Sunderland would give him more 2nd chances in Scotland.  McGeogh and Walker could basically come back up like nothing happened, like so many others.

 

Shankland returning north a failure could probably still get a chance with us.  If he comes to us and fails he's back to Ayr.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

brunoatemyhamster

Should have made this move last Summer. 

Would Wighton have scored 50 goals in 61 games in the Championship? 

Worth the risk if its a free surely. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lord Beni of Gorgie
1 hour ago, Smithee said:

I'm not a fan but I'll be right behind him if he signs of course

Where I'm at. As I understand things, there is baggage attached. And Levein is no shrink

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jambo 4 Ever
2 hours ago, Absolute Scenes said:

saw this too

Him and Uche up top, could it work?

With the Vanacek situation, are we sure we still want to take risks - not saying Shankland wouldn't be a success and his scoring record is very impressive even if it is a lower league - but would he given time to kick on or would our usual impatient fans be expecting him to be scoring immediately and playing well?

Can’t be any worse than wighton

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Unknown user
26 minutes ago, combo74 said:

 

I don’t get this...who do people think we should be going for, in the market we operate?

 

It’s unlikely that we’ll be able to afford to sign a player who is scoring regularly for a team at or above our level. Players scoring week in week out in the SPFL or English League one or above will be outside of our budget.

 

Therefore we have to look to the Scottish Championship, English League 2 or to lower profile leagues abroad. Either that or we try and bring in players who have played at a higher level but who have had injury issues or who are on their way down.

 

Every signing is a gamble, but more so when you are playing at the level we are, with the budget we have.

 

I don't have much of a scouting network so I can't put forward alternative names, but I have watched Shankland a few times over the last season and I don't think he's even close to the standard we need.

The goals he scores are easily prevented by better defending, and I suspect that the reason his goals dried up in the second half of the season is that the opposition cottoned on to the same flaws I saw. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bazzas right boot
1 hour ago, A_A wehatethehibs said:

Hearts must gamble on someone up front.

 

If it’s not Shankland, then it has to be someone. Lafferty is an obvious choice on a free or maybe Stevie May could be buyable if Aberdeen want to cut their losses. They got him for £300k, maybe they’d take £200k as he’s not been good for them goals wise. Know he looks a dud up there but it’s one of those where, budget wise Hearts need to be seeking out a striker who has been a goalscorer in the past but been out of form. Then we hope he clicks into form, that’s the gamble. 

 

Someone must be brought in to roll the dice on being that partner for Uche. There are a lot of good strikers out there who would love to be playing alongside the big tank, a good striker would get minimum 15-20 goals off the back of the mayhem he causes and the supply lines from Naismith, Mulraney and (whisper it) Clare if he clicks as he has looked like doing in flashes this season.

 

Our goalscoring IMO is a serious crisis which from the sounds coming out about expected “quiet summer window” raises massive alarm bells for me. Shankland would be a sensational tonic for that but i can’t see us being able to compete if Sunderland have a contract on the table. The only draw would surely be playing alongside the experience of Naismith and the power of Uche. Hearts are set up perfectly for a hungry striker to come in here and score goals at which point Shankland would be looking at far better clubs than Sunderland.

 

 

Naismith is the answer. 

 

Shankland is worth a punt but is nowhere a dead cert. 

 

May would be horrible, especially for a fee. 

Lafferty based on his spell with us would be nearest think to a dead cert to get a return but also an expensive option and off field issues are there. 

 

Hearts striker imo  crisis last season was down to - 

Too long term injuries to our main stickers. 

DV being a big flop. 

 

Shankland would be worth it but not for big money. He's completely un proven at this level. 

 

 

 

Edited by Olly Lee's left boot
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




×
×
  • Create New...