For once, I'm pleasantly surprised by the boards ambition...(Maybe spoke too soon)

Aye, Greg Stewart will lead the huns to 55.

 

Do believe its waiting On a Ntcham sale or KT before we make any moves.

Do believe we are still in a strong position to win the league, but for me it's very close now, I'll be happier if our players who were a bit off form at the 2nd half of the season turn up, if they do then we should be fine, if not then it's eachy peachy.

 

Think this was always the stage it starts getting difficult for us. It’s 3 weeks before the English window shuts, players will be stalling hoping for a panic buy down there or to have there agents frantically working on trying to get there.

We need a * right back though.

 

I still only see us winning the League with ease tbh, nobody they have signed would get a game for us or probably even on the bench.

We won it by 8/9 points last season and that was us having our worst start to the League in like 20 year, really if we had a normal start we'd have been sailing 10+ points clear at the top all season.

For Sevco to win the League they will probably need 90 or more points, I dont think they even got 80 last season. Just checked and they got 78 and that was them winnning I think about 5 of their last 6 when everycunt had downed tools and there was nothing to play for.

 

Not disputing it but I can't understand how we would be in that position. We have unspent funds going back multiple seasons and have trimmed a considerable number off the wage bill this summer. The fact we might be waiting to sell before we buy is crazy.

 

It's the way we operate though.

If they got rid of both for say £30-£35m then they'd give out another say £10m at best and keep the rest and the other money for a CL failure.

If they qualified they'd be over the moon and release another £5-£10m in January depending on league positions.

Not getting rid I see only one or two loan deals and maybe the exception of £2m on Odonnell.

 

If we only get £30m to £35m for them both I will be disappointed.

That’s pure BS though when I see fans about this UCL failure. We have plenty in bank to cover and have reduced the wage bill by 20% already

 

I can't agree with that. We remain the strongest club in Scotland and the additions of our nearest rivals add little, if anything, to them. I passionately want to see us strengthen because I want to watch good, entertaining football but we could more than hold our own with what we have.

 

So we'll sell KT and Ntcham and the only player coming in for the rest of the window is a right back and Sawyers..

No chance..

 

Just to play devils advocate here....

I don’t think the question we should be asking is how many points we would get on an average season, it’s looking at how many we got last season and asking ourselves if we’re really stronger.

As things stand, we’ve probably strengthened at centre back with the addition of Julian, although he’s really just a direct replacement for Boyata. An upgrade in all likelihood. We’ve brought in a backup left back and lost our first choice right back. I would say we’re probably on or with last season, although admittedly the comeback of Griffith’s could swing things in our favour, if we find a way to use him in with Edouard.
Lose Tierney and Ntcham and fail to bring in real quality players calves do playing in the first 11 and you have to think that we’d be considerably weaker.

Have Sevco strengthened? For me, yes. I don’t think it really comes down to what they do though, it’s more a question of what we will, or will not do. We have a side that’s looked to have been running on fumes for a number of years now - those fumes have been fantastic mind, but I do feel as though the current squad have put everything into the past 3 years and now look jaded.

What we’ve seen over the past few seasons is a systematic failure in the transfer market. I have to believe at some point that will catch up with us. For me this season will be the hardest in the quest for the 10.

I don’t expect it to be anything other than very close, which in itself is a failure in our part. Pessimistic post I realise, but I do have concerns about the season ahead. A strong start is so important, and as things stand, with our domestic season kicking off in 3 weeks we don’t have a right back in the squad that we can trust.

 

I think lack of organisation in recruitment and behind the scenes is the main reason.

Even despite Congerton leaving, we should have scouts who should have been watching players the majority of last season and in the african nations and the under 21 championships.

 

You state none of the players they signed would get a game for us, yet they still managed to beat us convincingly twice last season. Albeit we had a bit of turbulence to navigate.
They lost a lot of points in games against the lesser opposition, and this season they will have more depth and hav replaced Worral who was a bombscare with an international centre back.

The bottom line is that regardless of what they are doing, we should be adding quality and depth to our squad and there is no excuses for not having done that come the first game of the season.

 

Last season we basically never had Griffiths, Shved, Bayo, Arzani or Bitton so they will be fresh players and we were using injured/unfit Rogic and Tierney a lot - they were really never fit last season any time they played both were carrying injuries/pain and then only returning(Rogic). Christie also only came into the team about 30% into the season, so there will be a lot of differences. Johnston and Henderson also will be better than last season, Johnston in particular seems to be breaking into being a first choice player, Ajer and Edouard also get better all the time.

At the moment i'd say we have weaker depth in defence since Jullien is probably only about as good as Boyata or Benkovic and 2 of them have went out and a worse right-back since there is none but also Lustig was the weakest player in the team so it's not a great concern obviously one will be signed if not 2.

I'd be surprised if it was very close tbh, for me they signed a lot of squad players like Stewart, Jones, Hastie, Edmunson. Helander, Aribo and Ojo seems like the only 3 starters they've signed and I don't think any of them are particularly good. I still see them struggling to break down a lot of teams and dropping a good 30+ points.

 

It wasn't really depth they lacked, it was quality and skilled players to open up and break teams down.

So far they have only signed Ojo and Aribo who are attacking players and both seem the more workhorse and runner type similar to Candias, Arfield, Morelos they already had rather than Christie/McGregor/Rogic/Forrest/Roberts types that can open things up, breat players and play a pass.

They will try to break teams down with workrate, crosses and aggressive play but they still seem to lack class and creativity.

 

I think thats just a realistic assessment as things stand at this point in time.

There always comes a time when a squad reaches the end of a cycle and needs to be freshened up and a few faces moved on and some new ones brought in. Sir Alex was a master at knowing who to move on and bring in and when.

 

they 100% lacked quality in depth.

When you look at the points they dropped, they did that with the likes of Worral and McAuley (38/39 year old) playing at centre back when Goldson was out and then there were games where they had Morelos banned and when they were playing with Holt, Mcrorie and the likes in centre midfield.

They had creative quality in Kent who was both direct and could beat players, Arfield who added goals from midfield and Candeias does have glimpses of quality.

In any case, they have now added two centre backs, who will compete to start alonsgide goldson and or Katic, Aribo into midfield and Ojo who is highly rated and who i think will be a player for them.

I dont think Jones and Stewart are that good but i think Hastie will surprise people.

Im not trying to hype them up, i just really believe they have added overall, despite not having Kent who might yet return.

 

What should be borne in mind though, is that we were a bit thin at Christmas with injuries etc. And we had players on loan who were able to step in and contribute at different times.

Benkovic was a rock when he played and unfortunately missed a long spell injured.
Weah started promising and despite falling out of favour under Lennon, he did chip in with a few goals and a winner or two and he did give us something different when he came on.
Burke was another who started well and gave us some goals and then his form dipped.

You could argue Shved for Weah, Juilien for Benkovic, but we still need to replaced Burke and the departure of Boyata, as well as Lustig at right back of course.

 

I actually think Hastie looked terrible, only did see him maybe twice but looked a big carthorse in the mould of Craig Beattie, clumsy started running like he was towing a caravan before getting up to speed. I don't think he's a player at all and if he'd remained at Motherwell I don't think he would have cut it for them - would be surprised if he was even making the bench at the huns.

Ojo doesn't seem highly rated to me either, 22 and ended up on the bench for Reims never getting a game and then playing for the Reims Reserves in the 4th tier.

There 2 centre-backs, Edmunson they haggled for weeks only wanting to pay about £200k for him when Oxford? only wanted £400k thats an absolute squad player they've signed - probably wouldny even get a game for Aberdeen. I also think the Helander guy doesn't look up to much, I wouldn't have had him anywhere near us giant, slow, clumsy and even quite poor in the air for his height - passing terrible.

I thought they had to improve their defence a lot as well, Goldson to me is very average, no pace, average in the air, awful on the ball dreadful at balls played in behind him and Katic is even worse, Katic to me plays like a poor mans Jozo a bomscare and far worse passer of the ball. Goldson and Helander seem they will be the pairing and guys like O'Halloran, Main, Brophy, the big * from Hearts should be giving them the runaround.

Out all their signings I think Aribo may do a job for them, I only seen him once for Charlton and didn't like the look of him for us just the way he ran about on the ball he seemed clumsy to me and more a workhorse and runner where as we usually need our attacking players to have a bit of skill, technique and class about them to fit in but Arfield has done well at them and he looks a similar mould to him albeit younger and faster.

 

We should be stronger than last season, if we sign a decent right back.

Shved, a fit Griffiths, more experienced Johnston, a better backup left back. If Jullien is better than Boyata we've got a stronger centre half pairing as well.

 

We're rightfully a bit inpatient because of certain positions and Europe but we do have time to get it right..

I'm confident we'll get good player's in and as mentioned above...fancy our defence to be stronger than last year definitely..

Need some more middle and up top though as well..