Hearts transfers (Cochrane goes on loan to Montrose)

[Hector Riva]

Yeah....I hope Chris Hamilton gets more game time.

 

Seen him play for Scotland u20s across here a couple of years ago.

He`s fiery. Never stops giving it out. Captain one day IMO

Edited July 23, 2020 by Hector Riva

[JamboAl]

51 minutes ago, mitch41 said:

Ok Robbie is wanting to strengthen midfield and wide men but in my opinion we have a lack of centre backs. It is said by some that Smith and Haring can cover that position, really, that’s no way to put a squad together. Souttar is just coming back from a long term injury, Berra’s time has come for him to move on and Halkett has been found out too many times this season.

Yes Robbie needs to sort out the positions he’s mentioned but centre back’s are badly needed.

In an ideal world, I'd agree with you but in the real world it depends upon the finances available.

If he has a  limited budget, then it becomes a question of priorities which of course may change as we go along if money comes in from transfers out.

[Bazzas right boot]

19 hours ago, kimosavi said:

I get that there's no rush with playing in October and what's going on just now I was just stating it puzzles me why we are so slow getting player's in 

 

If you compared our signing speed to other clubs I would be surprised if we were slower in any significant way at all, probably not even the slowest. 

 

Currently, Outwith covid and  the scheduled October start our manager has only  been In the job a few weeks and hasn't even seen the players train. 

 

 

[Bazzas right boot]

1 hour ago, mitch41 said:

Ok Robbie is wanting to strengthen midfield and wide men but in my opinion we have a lack of centre backs. It is said by some that Smith and Haring can cover that position, really, that’s no way to put a squad together. Souttar is just coming back from a long term injury, Berra’s time has come for him to move on and Halkett has been found out too many times this season.

Yes Robbie needs to sort out the positions he’s mentioned but centre back’s are badly needed.

 

 

Nah, wide men and midfield is priority. 

 

Gk is is sorted, imo that was the biggest issue with the defence by a distance. 

 

[wavydavy]

On 21/07/2020 at 08:44, Ainsley Harriott said:

I hear Jim and Robbie were meeting yesterday to decide what areas need strengthened and possible targets. I reckon we will start seeing a lot more movement going into next week.

 

 

Hopefully the most movement will be coming out of Doncaster's arse instead of his mouth.

[Batistuta87]

1 hour ago, Rick Sanchez said:

Still no word on McCulloch or Forrest yet. I'd expect news soon if we're back for August 1st. I still think Andy Halliday would bring a bit of grit and personality to the team.

 

Been saying for months that Halliday would be ideal but he's just recently said he's after a move to MLS and probably wouldn't play for another Scottish team 👎🏻 

 

Dont know if he's the sort of midfielder Robbie is looking for or what sort of money he'd be on but Lewis MacLeod is about to leave Wigan as a free agent. He'd be a good signing but is maybe more of an attack minded player whereas I think what we're crying out for is a ball winning playmaker type. Like Haring... 

 

Been saying for a while that Jordan Rossiter would be a great signing too. Good all-rounder who would do well for us in a number 8 role if Haring is going to be fit. 

 

If Haring is a lost cause then Tom Hateley could be a shout. He's playing in Poland or something just now but his contract us up when the season finishes. I remember him being quite good for Motherwell when he was younger. Still only 30... 2yr deal... 🤷🏻‍♂️ 

 

Luton have just released a boy that looks like an absolute destroyer as well - Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu. He's a tank for only being 5'8", and looks quick too. Maybe Olly Lee could give us a bit of a scouting report and help bring him in! 

 

Midfield and wingers have to be a top priority but I think not signing a centre back  or not promoting someone from the youth setup would be a big mistake. Feeling like we should have kept Petkov and that he'd have done the job as backup to Halkett/Souttar/Berra. I haven't had a look at who's available at CB yet, but will post a wee list when I've got some time. 

 

Edited July 23, 2020 by Batistuta87

[droid]

From the interview Neilson clearly states he wants a battler for centre mid.

Looks like Butchers his preferred target. IMO 

 

[bazman]

There's also Alex Petkov who can play centre half. He's come along quite well since moving there from centre mid 

[jamboinglasgow]

Just now, bazman said:

There's also Alex Petkov who can play centre half. He's come along quite well since moving there from centre mid 

 

He was released a few months back.

[Chimp]

42 minutes ago, Batistuta87 said:

 

Midfield and wingers have to be a top priority but I think not signing a centre back  or not promoting someone from the youth setup would be a big mistake. Feeling like we should have kept Petkov and that he'd have done the job as backup to Halkett/Souttar/Berra. I haven't had a look at who's available at CB yet, but will post a wee list when I've got some time. 

 

Based on what? The coaches clearly didn't think he was good enough, even as back up. Unless you watch a fair bit of reserve football then fair enough if you saw something you liked

[OmiyaHearts]

50 minutes ago, Batistuta87 said:

 

Been saying for months that Halliday would be ideal but he's just recently said he's after a move to MLS and probably wouldn't play for another Scottish team 👎🏻 

 

Dont know if he's the sort of midfielder Robbie is looking for or what sort of money he'd be on but Lewis MacLeod is about to leave Wigan as a free agent. He'd be a good signing but is maybe more of an attack minded player whereas I think what we're crying out for is a ball winning playmaker type. Like Haring... 

 

Been saying for a while that Jordan Rossiter would be a great signing too. Good all-rounder who would do well for us in a number 8 role if Haring is going to be fit. 

 

If Haring is a lost cause then Tom Hateley could be a shout. He's playing in Poland or something just now but his contract us up when the season finishes. I remember him being quite good for Motherwell when he was younger. Still only 30... 2yr deal... 🤷🏻‍♂️ 

 

Luton have just released a boy that looks like an absolute destroyer as well - Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu. He's a tank for only being 5'8", and looks quick too. Maybe Olly Lee could give us a bit of a scouting report and help bring him in! 

 

Midfield and wingers have to be a top priority but I think not signing a centre back  or not promoting someone from the youth setup would be a big mistake. Feeling like we should have kept Petkov and that he'd have done the job as backup to Halkett/Souttar/Berra. I haven't had a look at who's available at CB yet, but will post a wee list when I've got some time. 

 

I seen Hateley play not too long ago on Freesports, his team were challenging for the title but finished 3rd. He played well in that game and looking at stats, he also had a good season. Always thought he was a decent player and would do well as a midfield spoiler.

[PhoenixHearts]

1 hour ago, jamboinglasgow said:

 

Imagine a lot is on hold until the outcome of arbitration. 

 

Raft of new signings modelling the new inter style away kit launch, Premiership patches on the sleeves

[Leveins Battalion]

I would imagine a lot is on hold as if rumours are true both Robbie and Jim Jefferies have went in and shook their 

heads in disbelief at the state of the Football Department as a whole.

[jambonian]

On ‎20‎/‎07‎/‎2020 at 13:47, ERJEAN51 said:

He played twice didn’t even complete both games, and was bang average against Rangers in his first game. Looked a bit better when he moved to wing back after White went off with a sore face. Then he went off himself injured with a sort one IIR.

 

Wasn’t at the St Johnstone game so can’t really comment on how he got on in that one, got an assist by all accounts.

 

He didn’t look comfortable in midfield as far as I could see.

 

 

 

Funny how fans see things differently. Sibbick was excellent in midfield against Rangers, barely made a bad pass. When he went to left-back he looked very uncomfortable. At the time I thought he really needs to stay in midfield, he was getting caught out with attacks down his side. I was actually slightly relieved when he went off injured. Had he been played there more often I think it could've affected his confidence. be good if we could get him back to the club again.

Edited July 23, 2020 by jambonian

[Batistuta87]

Here's some Centre Backs who are either free agents or about to be. Tried to keep it realistic, so nobody here has a market value above any current Hearts player. All are free agents/without a club, and all info is according to Transfermrkt so some might have recently signed for other clubs or signed extensions:

 

Brits/Irish: 

Lee Ashcroft, 26, just left Dunfermline

Shaun Want, 23, just left Hamilton

Ben Heneghan, 26, just left Sheff Utd 

Donervon Daniels, 26, just left Luton

Jack Hobbs, 31, just left Bolton

Marc Wilson, 32, just left Bolton

Jordan Turnbull, 25, just left Northampton

Tommie Hoban, 26, just left Watford (was at Aberdeen on loan 18/19)

Niall Keown, 25, just left Partick Thistle 

Liam McMenaman, 31, just left Dungannon

Joel Lynch, 32, just left Sunderland

Tommy Smith, 30, just left Sunderland 

 

Other nationalities (kept it to the ones who intrigued me because there's dozens more): 

Daniel Hoegh, Danish, 29, just left Heerenveen

Jan-Arie van der Heijden, Dutch, 32, just left Feynoord 

Goran Milovic, 31, Croatian, just left Oostende

Kyriakos Papadopoulos, 28, Greek, just left Hamburg SV

Keman Osmankovic, 23, Bosnian, just left Zeljeznicar (think they made it into EL this season)

Aleksander Pantic, 28, just left Dynamo Kiev

Maximilian Rossman, 25, German, just left Heracles Almelo (ex-Wolfsburg)

Mathew Spiranovic, 32, Australian, just left Perth Glory

Xavier Mbuyamba, Dutch/Congolese, 18, just left Barcelona 

Maxime Soulas, 21, French, just left PSV U21

Jalen Robinson, 26, American, just left DC Utd

Blazej Augustyn, 32, Polish, just left Ascoli, ex-Jambo 

 

Expiring soon (again just the ones who seem interesting):

Murray Wallace, Scottish, 27, Millwall 

Robbie McKenzie, English, 21, Hull

Angus MacDonald, Scottish, 27, Hull

Alex Pearce, Irish, 31, Millwall

Tom Flanagan, Northern Irish, 28, Sunderland

Naby Sarr, Senegalese, 26, Charlton

Felix Luckeneder, Austrian, 26, TSV Hartberg 

Isaac Doncor, Ghanian, 24, Strum Graz

Jose Antonio Caro, Spanish, 27, Albacete 

Birama Ndoye, Senegalese, 26, FC Sion

Kenneth Scheurmanns, Belgian, 29, OH Leuven

Janoi Donacien, St Lucian/English, 26, Ipswich 

Paolo Gozzi, Italian, 19, Juventus U19

Francisco Delorenzi, 21, Argentinian, Idependente II 

Ciaran McKenna, Scottish, 22, Hamilton

Valentin Kaufmann, Swiss, 22, FC Basel

Marc Lamti, German, 19, Leverkusen U19

 

 

 

 

[Phil D. Corners]

Just heard that English division 1 and 2 will have a salary cap next season. It came up in a chat about Barnsley needing to implement a 2K a week wage cap had they gone down.
 

Got me thinking that some SPFL teams could be an attractive wage to players forced to take cut. 

 

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/amp/football/52738597

[soonbe110]

27 minutes ago, Leveins Battalion said:

I would imagine a lot is on hold as if rumours are true both Robbie and Jim Jefferies have went in and shook their 

heads in disbelief at the state of the Football Department as a whole.

How many new managers and pseudo directors of football go into a club and state that the set up and playing staff are excellent? Very few, if any. JJ knows how to play the fans and the Board, has done it here a couple of times in the past. All about prising as much cash from the board as possible. Wed afternoon/evening was their meeting with the board to discuss budgets and signings so no surprise that things are starting to happen. 

[Batistuta87]

32 minutes ago, Chimp said:

Based on what? The coaches clearly didn't think he was good enough, even as back up. Unless you watch a fair bit of reserve football then fair enough if you saw something you liked

 

Exactly that my man haha. I take my wee boy to the Reserves games whenever I can and always thought Petkov looked decent last season. I'd say similar in style to Souttar, in that he stood up to attackers, didn't dive in like a big daftie, and he would sometimes look to drive forward with the ball at his feet rather than just punting it long. Always looked to pass forward or out to a full back which I quite liked. Used his height well too. Was very surprised when he was released, because I'd say he was one of the stronger players in the Reserves and could have been useful in the fringes of the first team squad in the Championship next season.

 

[soonbe110]

4 minutes ago, Phil D. Corners said:

Just heard that English division 1 and 2 will have a salary cap next season. It came up in a chat about Barnsley needing to implement a 2K a week wage cap had they gone down.
 

Got me thinking that some SPFL teams could be an attractive wage to players forced to take cut. 

 

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/amp/football/52738597

Think they have a one year grace period to plan for the cap coming in for season 21/22. Interesting that a number of clubs eg Bristol Rovers, are pushing the boat out for next season in an effort to ensure promotion to the championship and avoid the cap. The League 1 cap when it comes in is a £2.5m total wage bill for up to 20 senior pros. Clubs can have as many academy, trainees etc as they wish. League 2 it’s £1.5m. Both only proposals at this stage and still to be ratified but likely to be. 

[soonbe110]

5 minutes ago, Batistuta87 said:

 

Exactly that my man haha. I take my wee boy to the Reserves games whenever I can and always thought Petkov looked decent last season. I'd say similar in style to Souttar, in that he stood up to attackers, didn't dive in like a big daftie, and he would sometimes look to drive forward with the ball at his feet rather than just punting it long. Always looked to pass forward or out to a full back which I quite liked. Used his height well too. Was very surprised when he was released, because I'd say he was one of the stronger players in the Reserves and could have been useful in the fringes of the first team squad in the Championship next season.

 

Agreed, based on what I have seen. Imo a better option long term than Hamilton. Think he was reserve poty the previous season when we won the reserve cup. 

[Berra than you]

30 minutes ago, Batistuta87 said:

Here's some Centre Backs who are either free agents or about to be. Tried to keep it realistic, so nobody here has a market value above any current Hearts player. All are free agents/without a club, and all info is according to Transfermrkt so some might have recently signed for other clubs or signed extensions:

 

Brits/Irish: 

Lee Ashcroft, 26, just left Dunfermline

Shaun Want, 23, just left Hamilton

Ben Heneghan, 26, just left Sheff Utd 

Donervon Daniels, 26, just left Luton

Jack Hobbs, 31, just left Bolton

Marc Wilson, 32, just left Bolton

Jordan Turnbull, 25, just left Northampton

Tommie Hoban, 26, just left Watford (was at Aberdeen on loan 18/19)

Niall Keown, 25, just left Partick Thistle 

Liam McMenaman, 31, just left Dungannon

Joel Lynch, 32, just left Sunderland

Tommy Smith, 30, just left Sunderland 

 

Other nationalities (kept it to the ones who intrigued me because there's dozens more): 

Daniel Hoegh, Danish, 29, just left Heerenveen

Jan-Arie van der Heijden, Dutch, 32, just left Feynoord 

Goran Milovic, 31, Croatian, just left Oostende

Kyriakos Papadopoulos, 28, Greek, just left Hamburg SV

Keman Osmankovic, 23, Bosnian, just left Zeljeznicar (think they made it into EL this season)

Aleksander Pantic, 28, just left Dynamo Kiev

Maximilian Rossman, 25, German, just left Heracles Almelo (ex-Wolfsburg)

Mathew Spiranovic, 32, Australian, just left Perth Glory

Xavier Mbuyamba, Dutch/Congolese, 18, just left Barcelona 

Maxime Soulas, 21, French, just left PSV U21

Jalen Robinson, 26, American, just left DC Utd

Blazej Augustyn, 32, Polish, just left Ascoli, ex-Jambo 

 

Expiring soon (again just the ones who seem interesting):

Murray Wallace, Scottish, 27, Millwall 

Robbie McKenzie, English, 21, Hull

Angus MacDonald, Scottish, 27, Hull

Alex Pearce, Irish, 31, Millwall

Tom Flanagan, Northern Irish, 28, Sunderland

Naby Sarr, Senegalese, 26, Charlton

Felix Luckeneder, Austrian, 26, TSV Hartberg 

Isaac Doncor, Ghanian, 24, Strum Graz

Jose Antonio Caro, Spanish, 27, Albacete 

Birama Ndoye, Senegalese, 26, FC Sion

Kenneth Scheurmanns, Belgian, 29, OH Leuven

Janoi Donacien, St Lucian/English, 26, Ipswich 

Paolo Gozzi, Italian, 19, Juventus U19

Francisco Delorenzi, 21, Argentinian, Idependente II 

Ciaran McKenna, Scottish, 22, Hamilton

Valentin Kaufmann, Swiss, 22, FC Basel

Marc Lamti, German, 19, Leverkusen U19

 

 

 

 

You can strike off Lee Ashcroft, literally just singed for Dundee haha.

[jambonian]

Just now, mitch41 said:

Ok Robbie is wanting to strengthen midfield and wide men but in my opinion we have a lack of centre backs. It is said by some that Smith and Haring can cover that position, really, that’s no way to put a squad together. Souttar is just coming back from a long term injury, Berra’s time has come for him to move on and Halkett has been found out too many times this season.

Yes Robbie needs to sort out the positions he’s mentioned but centre back’s are badly needed.

 

Yes, Souttar could be in the last chance saloon at Hearts. The injuries always seem to be long term and that's not helping the club in any way. Smith should be staying in at right-back where he's at his best, fair enough if we pick up an injury he's not a bad make-shift centre-half but Neilson shouldn't be thinking of him as that. As for Haring...he's been out for over a year now so if and when he's fit, he should be brought in carefully and slowly, off the bench maybe for 10 minutes here, 25 minutes there to build himself back up to where he can play a full half and beyond. Berra, he will do fine in the Championship but once we get promotion we need to look ahead. Halkett….he is no centre-half. He would suit a defensive midfield role in front of two solid defenders. Has an eye for goals (more than some of his "striker" team-mates) and is also handy in that position to take a step back and help out as an extra centre-half when we need to defend, or emergency defender if injuries occur. We definitely need to bring in an out and out centre-half. Shame we can't get Jimmy Dunne back,  solid, good in the air and not scared to put a tackle in when needed.

If Neilson doesn't address these things then we could have another Levein type who, rather than sign a player for a specific position, would be happy enough fitting square pegs into round holes. That's not going to help anyone, never mind the club!

[Batistuta87]

11 minutes ago, Berra than you said:

You can strike off Lee Ashcroft, literally just singed for Dundee haha.

 

There you go then haha, like I say just based on their status on Transfermrkt - I didnt check news or anything like that 😄

 

Good signing for them IMO. Reckon he could have done a job for us. 

 

[Batistuta87]

15 minutes ago, soonbe110 said:

Agreed, based on what I have seen. Imo a better option long term than Hamilton. Think he was reserve poty the previous season when we won the reserve cup. 

 

 

Definitely. Hamilton was good on the ball but he isn't big enough to be a centre back in Scotland - he's possibly 5'8" or something like that IIRC. He'd be better as a full back or even a midfielder. All the big forwards will bully him off the ball and will beat him too easily in the air. Petkov by comparison was just as good on the ball, but had the height and strength that Hamilton lacked. 

 

[jamboinglasgow]

36 minutes ago, Phil D. Corners said:

Just heard that English division 1 and 2 will have a salary cap next season. It came up in a chat about Barnsley needing to implement a 2K a week wage cap had they gone down.
 

Got me thinking that some SPFL teams could be an attractive wage to players forced to take cut. 

 

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/amp/football/52738597

 

Thats sensible plan by the EFL to ensure clubs dont go to the wall. Which will naturally mean it wont pass.

[bmxweeman]

56 minutes ago, Batistuta87 said:

Here's some Centre Backs who are either free agents or about to be. Tried to keep it realistic, so nobody here has a market value above any current Hearts player. All are free agents/without a club, and all info is according to Transfermrkt so some might have recently signed for other clubs or signed extensions:

 

Brits/Irish: 

Lee Ashcroft, 26, just left Dunfermline

Shaun Want, 23, just left Hamilton

Ben Heneghan, 26, just left Sheff Utd 

Donervon Daniels, 26, just left Luton

Jack Hobbs, 31, just left Bolton

Marc Wilson, 32, just left Bolton

Jordan Turnbull, 25, just left Northampton

Tommie Hoban, 26, just left Watford (was at Aberdeen on loan 18/19)

Niall Keown, 25, just left Partick Thistle 

Liam McMenaman, 31, just left Dungannon

Joel Lynch, 32, just left Sunderland

Tommy Smith, 30, just left Sunderland 

 

Other nationalities (kept it to the ones who intrigued me because there's dozens more): 

Daniel Hoegh, Danish, 29, just left Heerenveen

Jan-Arie van der Heijden, Dutch, 32, just left Feynoord 

Goran Milovic, 31, Croatian, just left Oostende

Kyriakos Papadopoulos, 28, Greek, just left Hamburg SV

Keman Osmankovic, 23, Bosnian, just left Zeljeznicar (think they made it into EL this season)

Aleksander Pantic, 28, just left Dynamo Kiev

Maximilian Rossman, 25, German, just left Heracles Almelo (ex-Wolfsburg)

Mathew Spiranovic, 32, Australian, just left Perth Glory

Xavier Mbuyamba, Dutch/Congolese, 18, just left Barcelona 

Maxime Soulas, 21, French, just left PSV U21

Jalen Robinson, 26, American, just left DC Utd

Blazej Augustyn, 32, Polish, just left Ascoli, ex-Jambo 

 

Expiring soon (again just the ones who seem interesting):

Murray Wallace, Scottish, 27, Millwall 

Robbie McKenzie, English, 21, Hull

Angus MacDonald, Scottish, 27, Hull

Alex Pearce, Irish, 31, Millwall

Tom Flanagan, Northern Irish, 28, Sunderland

Naby Sarr, Senegalese, 26, Charlton

Felix Luckeneder, Austrian, 26, TSV Hartberg 

Isaac Doncor, Ghanian, 24, Strum Graz

Jose Antonio Caro, Spanish, 27, Albacete 

Birama Ndoye, Senegalese, 26, FC Sion

Kenneth Scheurmanns, Belgian, 29, OH Leuven

Janoi Donacien, St Lucian/English, 26, Ipswich 

Paolo Gozzi, Italian, 19, Juventus U19

Francisco Delorenzi, 21, Argentinian, Idependente II 

Ciaran McKenna, Scottish, 22, Hamilton

Valentin Kaufmann, Swiss, 22, FC Basel

Marc Lamti, German, 19, Leverkusen U19

 

 

 

 

100% getting linked with Augustyn now, just the way it is 🤣

[Jambo92]

30 minutes ago, Batistuta87 said:

 

There you go then haha, like I say just based on their status on Transfermrkt - I didnt check news or anything like that 😄

 

Good signing for them IMO. Reckon he could have done a job for us. 

 

 

He's absolutely terrible, great news for us if this is the calibre of player they have. 

[bazman]

2 hours ago, jamboinglasgow said:

 

He was released a few months back.

Well done you passed my test 😉

[Gulf Jambo]

1 hour ago, Batistuta87 said:

 

 

Definitely. Hamilton was good on the ball but he isn't big enough to be a centre back in Scotland - he's possibly 5'8" or something like that IIRC. He'd be better as a full back or even a midfielder. All the big forwards will bully him off the ball and will beat him too easily in the air. Petkov by comparison was just as good on the ball, but had the height and strength that Hamilton lacked. 

 

 

Modern CB isn't all about height. 

 

He isn't too big, but very strong & has a good leap on him. 

He's impressed on loan in the lower leagues where it's more physical so thinks he's shown he's up to that challenge. 

 

And is very good on the ball and in 1v1 so think he will step up soon

[bazman]

3 minutes ago, Gulf Jambo said:

 

Modern CB isn't all about height. 

 

He isn't too big, but very strong & has a good leap on him. 

He's impressed on loan in the lower leagues where it's more physical so thinks he's shown he's up to that challenge. 

 

And is very good on the ball and in 1v1 so think he will step up soon

A quick search tells me that he is same height as Sergio Ramos and he hasn't done too bad

[Captain Canada]

1 hour ago, Batistuta87 said:

 

 

Definitely. Hamilton was good on the ball but he isn't big enough to be a centre back in Scotland - he's possibly 5'8" or something like that IIRC. He'd be better as a full back or even a midfielder. All the big forwards will bully him off the ball and will beat him too easily in the air. Petkov by comparison was just as good on the ball, but had the height and strength that Hamilton lacked. 

 

 

I'm sure Hamilton played an end of season game v Killie up against Kris Boyd and did pretty well. 

 

Anyway, I'm remaining optimistic we'll be reinstated, so he'll probably go out on loan again rather than playing in the first team next season. 

 

 

[chazza74]

33 minutes ago, bazman said:

A quick search tells me that he is same height as Sergio Ramos and he hasn't done too bad

🤔really

[Lovecraft]

1 hour ago, bazman said:

A quick search tells me that he is same height as Sergio Ramos and he hasn't done too bad

 Yeah, but how many headers has Ramos ever scored....

 

 

Oh wait............

 

[TheBigO]

1 hour ago, bazman said:

A quick search tells me that he is same height as Sergio Ramos and he hasn't done too bad

Erm without searching I would bet Ramos is 6ft.

 

Chris Hamilton is about 5ft9. Doesn't mean he can't make it at CH.

 

Might mean he starts at FB or midfield tho, which often is the route.

 

Dont believe wiki, it must have one or both heights wrong

 

Your general point is correct tho. Plenty shortish centre halves. And Italian league, for example is plenty physical.

[jamboinglasgow]

7 minutes ago, TheBigO said:

Erm without searching I would bet Ramos is 6ft.

 

Chris Hamilton is about 5ft9. Doesn't mean he can't make it at CH.

 

Might mean he starts at FB or midfield tho, which often is the route.

 

Dont believe wiki, it must have one or both heights wrong

 

Your general point is correct tho. Plenty shortish centre halves. And Italian league, for example is plenty physical.

 

You are bang on about Ramos 6ft exactly. I am sure that with Chris Hamilton, it was found the height everyone was taking down was wrong think he may be 5ft 10.

 

Have heard people say in the past that his best position could be defensive midfield. 

[jambonian]

I think you can be a smaller defender if you're playing in better leagues. The majority of games in European countries is all about passing, timing runs etc. When teams are getting forward more, defenders have more time on the ball, enough to see a breakaway and match runs of wingers/pacey midfielders. In Scotland the ball is up in the air and sometimes a game of head tennis. You do need a bit more height if you play in this country. Halkett isn't massively tall and has got caught out a few times. Jimmy Dunne was taller and strolled games in the SPL.

[wavydavy]

3 minutes ago, jambonian said:

I think you can be a smaller defender if you're playing in better leagues. The majority of games in European countries is all about passing, timing runs etc. When teams are getting forward more, defenders have more time on the ball, enough to see a breakaway and match runs of wingers/pacey midfielders. In Scotland the ball is up in the air and sometimes a game of head tennis. You do need a bit more height if you play in this country. Halkett isn't massively tall and has got caught out a few times. Jimmy Dunne was taller and strolled games in the SPL.

 

Oh so very true unfortunately. The other downside to smaller CB's is that the opposing team will put their big striker up against the smaller CB and if the taller one is not quick to spot it this can cause problems.

[DB-14]

3 hours ago, Batistuta87 said:

 

Good signing for them IMO. Reckon he could have done a job for us. 

 

 

Good god, if Ashcroft is the level we are looking at then we are in trouble.

[GinRummy]

5 hours ago, jambonian said:

 

Yes, Souttar could be in the last chance saloon at Hearts. The injuries always seem to be long term and that's not helping the club in any way. Smith should be staying in at right-back where he's at his best, fair enough if we pick up an injury he's not a bad make-shift centre-half but Neilson shouldn't be thinking of him as that. As for Haring...he's been out for over a year now so if and when he's fit, he should be brought in carefully and slowly, off the bench maybe for 10 minutes here, 25 minutes there to build himself back up to where he can play a full half and beyond. Berra, he will do fine in the Championship but once we get promotion we need to look ahead. Halkett….he is no centre-half. He would suit a defensive midfield role in front of two solid defenders. Has an eye for goals (more than some of his "striker" team-mates) and is also handy in that position to take a step back and help out as an extra centre-half when we need to defend, or emergency defender if injuries occur. We definitely need to bring in an out and out centre-half. Shame we can't get Jimmy Dunne back,  solid, good in the air and not scared to put a tackle in when needed.

If Neilson doesn't address these things then we could have another Levein type who, rather than sign a player for a specific position, would be happy enough fitting square pegs into round holes. That's not going to help anyone, never mind the club!

Any time smith has played centre half he’s been excellent. The only times I remember our defence looking solid last season was when played in central defence. Full backs need to add something to attack these days and Smith, although good defensively, isn’t good enough in an attacking sense.  
 

I agree completely regarding Halkett. His poor positioning and errors wouldn’t be as critical slightly further up the park. He’s  a good footballer and great breaking forward.  

[soonbe110]

2 hours ago, jamboinglasgow said:

 

You are bang on about Ramos 6ft exactly. I am sure that with Chris Hamilton, it was found the height everyone was taking down was wrong think he may be 5ft 10.

 

Have heard people say in the past that his best position could be defensive midfield. 

Would agree with that. Wouldn’t be surprised if Robbie tries him there. 

[j1964m]

5 hours ago, Phil D. Corners said:

Just heard that English division 1 and 2 will have a salary cap next season. It came up in a chat about Barnsley needing to implement a 2K a week wage cap had they gone down.
 

Got me thinking that some SPFL teams could be an attractive wage to players forced to take cut. 

 

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/amp/football/52738597

Sam Nicolson better hope Bristol rovers get promoted next season 

[DS98]

2 hours ago, jambonian said:

I think you can be a smaller defender if you're playing in better leagues. The majority of games in European countries is all about passing, timing runs etc. When teams are getting forward more, defenders have more time on the ball, enough to see a breakaway and match runs of wingers/pacey midfielders. In Scotland the ball is up in the air and sometimes a game of head tennis. You do need a bit more height if you play in this country. Halkett isn't massively tall and has got caught out a few times. Jimmy Dunne was taller and strolled games in the SPL.

Bang on. There’s a few examples of this over the years. Boys being top centre half’s in the youth teams, Scotland caps etc but when they get to the first team they have to get shunted to fullback because their not big enough. 
 

Not just Scotland though it’s a British thing. Even the smaller centre half’s in EPL like Otamendi or Mustafi are still absolute units. The game up here is even more direct so unfortunately there’s no chance of Hamilton playing CH in this country. No matter how good a player he is, shite like St Mirren and Hamilton would just stick a monster on him and launch it forward. He’d be ruined before he was a 21.

Edited July 23, 2020 by DS98

[mitch41]

9 hours ago, Dr. Sheldon Cooper said:

Signing two centre halves is just wasting whatever budget we do have. Neilson may have quoted Haring and Smith as being able to play there but they won't be first picks in that position. Souttar, Halkett and Berra should be enough to see us through assuming there are no fitness concerns with any of them.

 

We lack pace and dynamism in midfield and its good to see that Robbie understands the key areas that need strengthening. A real box to box midfielder who can chip in with 5-10 goals a season would be a real bonus.

We lack pace at centre back. Halkett is slow and switches off too many times. Berra has gone downhill fast and some forget how bad he was. Soapy is only just getting back after injury that's 2 long layoff's so we really need 2 centre backs as well as what Robbie wants. Time to get dealing next week when we find out what league we're in (hopefully).

[soonbe110]

23 minutes ago, DS98 said:

Bang on. There’s a few examples of this over the years. Boys being top centre half’s in the youth teams, Scotland caps etc but when they get to the first team they have to get shunted to fullback because their not big enough. 
 

Not just Scotland though it’s a British thing. Even the smaller centre half’s in EPL like Otamendi or Mustafi are still absolute units. The game up here is even more direct so unfortunately there’s no chance of Hamilton playing CH in this country. No matter how good a player he is, shite like St Mirren and Hamilton would just stick a monster on him and launch it forward. He’d be ruined before he was a 21.

Otamendi and Mustafi are both 6 feet and you mention them being small for a centre-half. Hamilton is 5’8” maybe 5’9” at best. Big differential. 

[Batistuta87]

52 minutes ago, soonbe110 said:

Would agree with that. Wouldn’t be surprised if Robbie tries him there. 

 

Only seen him play twice and both times he was in midfield - I was surprised when I found out he was a centre back because he did well there and like I say he doesn't look like a defender.

 

More than happy for him to be given a chance. In fact I would love for him to be given a chance - he might just be class. 

 

Anyway... Transfermrkt tells me he's 5'8", Wiki says he's 5'11" so 🤷🏻‍♂️

[TyphoonJambo]

5 minutes ago, soonbe110 said:

Otamendi and Mustafi are both 6 feet and you mention them being small for a centre-half. Hamilton is 5’8” maybe 5’9” at best. Big differential. 

My wife says an extra couple of inches isnt important 🤔

[DS98]

8 minutes ago, soonbe110 said:

Otamendi and Mustafi are both 6 feet and you mention them being small for a centre-half. Hamilton is 5’8” maybe 5’9” at best. Big differential. 

6 foot is still small for a centre half. That’s my point. What’s yours?

[BelgeJambo]

Sandy Jardine was only 5. 9”

 

[Lord Beni of Gorgie]

Our mate the terrible chip sales executive was not tall either 

[Greedy Jambo]

Hopefully this arbitration shite ends tomorrow so we can actually have a transfer window.