Squad for next Season

[Mr.Blue]

We haven't had an update about the supposed investment in the club for a while have we? 

[TRVMP]

1 hour ago, Brian Skelton said:

One player on the bench EMBARRASSING never seen it in watching Morton in 50 years not even under that fud Scott. Amateurs are run better.

I'm not saying it's ideal but we had, what, six players out today? 

Meanwhile I took a look at Partick. A lineup comprising almost all seasoned pros and a full bench also with some decent depth, and they squeezed 2-1 past Stenny. I'm not saying we're ready for a 40-game season but am I fussed that we don't have a bloated, expensive squad like them? Far from it. 

[vikingTON]

37 minutes ago, Mr.Blue said:

We haven't had an update about the supposed investment in the club for a while have we? 

The EGM was about a month ago and the vote was to permit MCT to begin serious discussions with potential investors. I don't think there's any reasonable expectation to require an update at this stage.

[gmfc23]

1 hour ago, Mr.Blue said:

We haven't had an update about the supposed investment in the club for a while have we? 

Anyone with any money/sense has fkd off. MCT are unfortunately treading water n will ultimately need to sell out imo. 

[vikingTON]

52 minutes ago, gmfc23 said:

Anyone with any money/sense has fkd off. MCT are unfortunately treading water n will ultimately need to sell out imo. 

Why would they 'need' to sell out - what is the expense that running a football club from season tickets, hospitality, merchandise etc. plus a member's contribution be incapable of covering?

Perhaps we shouldn't be paying 'full-time' contracts for players to run Herbalife franchises in their spare time from. That's one long-term decision to consider, but the two year deals handed out to senior players like Baird this summer do not support the argument that the baw's burst.

We really do not deserve nice things given the knicker-wetting at the end of last season and again today. 

Edited July 9, 2022 by vikingTON

[EanieMeany]

4 minutes ago, vikingTON said:

Why would they 'need' to sell out - what is the expense that running a football club from season tickets, hospitality, merchandise etc. plus a member's contribution be incapable of covering?

 

Substitutes, apparently.

[gmfc23]

12 minutes ago, vikingTON said:

Why would they 'need' to sell out - what is the expense that running a football club from season tickets, hospitality, merchandise etc. plus a member's contribution be incapable of covering?

Perhaps we shouldn't be paying 'full-time' contracts for players to run Herbalife franchises in their spare time from. That's one long-term decision to consider, but the two year deals handed out to senior players like Baird this summer do not support the argument that the baw's burst.

We really do not deserve nice things given the knicker-wetting at the end of last season and again today. 

We are a busted flush vt and all your fancy put downs won't change it. 

I was right behind mct from the get go but anyone can see it's not working. 

Asking fans for more in a crisis whoring out share which as far as now nobody wants tells its own story. 

 

 

[TRVMP]

27 minutes ago, gmfc23 said:

We are a busted flush vt and all your fancy put downs won't change it. 

I was right behind mct from the get go but anyone can see it's not working. 

Asking fans for more in a crisis whoring out share which as far as now nobody wants tells its own story. 

The proof will be in the accounts but I bet you we're looking better on commercial income than we were under the Raes. Granted that won't cover all we need but it's too early to say we're in bad shape. 

[TRVMP]

42 minutes ago, EanieMeany said:

Substitutes, apparently.

We'll have five subs available this time next week. Add a 'keeper and that's us sorted for numbers. Or we could sign some ballast on a tenner a week to sit there. I know which I'd prefer. 

[EanieMeany]

26 minutes ago, TRVMP said:

We'll have five subs available this time next week. Add a 'keeper and that's us sorted for numbers. Or we could sign some ballast on a tenner a week to sit there. I know which I'd prefer. 

Aye, was being a wee bit flippant but it’s  still a pretty concerning situation if this is it. Let’s face it as well, it was a big list of absentees but apart from the two defenders and Muirhead, we weren’t missing anything particularly great and if the three of them were starting the squad list still wouldn’t have been great.

I’ve said this multiple times on here, but we’re going to be the most expensive team in the league to watch except Dundee (if the prices thread on P&B is accurate), with the MCT money and the end of Covid restrictions and the return of hospitality etc, and commercial activity has significantly increased. 

Whilst costs going up across the board is going to have an impact on clubs and isn’t a minor thing, there’s also a whole host of other things that have improved over the last year or so, so to be in a position where we appear to be even worse of than the last couple of years isn’t something that should just be quietly accepted. It’s a very valid question to be asking why it’s this way and what the plan is for moving forward.

We’ve only added one player, Baird, whose been a Championship regular over the last couple of seasons, and a mid-table League 1 teams cast-offs and young boys unproven at this level (which is absolutely fine, to be clear - getting players like that is good business and Imrie has done well with the ones he’s got). Again, it’s entirely valid to be wondering why that’s the case - I don’t at all expect us to be assembling a really top-end squad but bloody hell…surely we should be allowed to expect at least a couple of good, solid players that have been playing in our league recently.

[Mr.Blue]

5 hours ago, EanieMeany said:

Aye, was being a wee bit flippant but it’s  still a pretty concerning situation if this is it. Let’s face it as well, it was a big list of absentees but apart from the two defenders and Muirhead, we weren’t missing anything particularly great and if the three of them were starting the squad list still wouldn’t have been great.

I’ve said this multiple times on here, but we’re going to be the most expensive team in the league to watch except Dundee (if the prices thread on P&B is accurate), with the MCT money and the end of Covid restrictions and the return of hospitality etc, and commercial activity has significantly increased. 

Whilst costs going up across the board is going to have an impact on clubs and isn’t a minor thing, there’s also a whole host of other things that have improved over the last year or so, so to be in a position where we appear to be even worse of than the last couple of years isn’t something that should just be quietly accepted. It’s a very valid question to be asking why it’s this way and what the plan is for moving forward.

We’ve only added one player, Baird, whose been a Championship regular over the last couple of seasons, and a mid-table League 1 teams cast-offs and young boys unproven at this level (which is absolutely fine, to be clear - getting players like that is good business and Imrie has done well with the ones he’s got). Again, it’s entirely valid to be wondering why that’s the case - I don’t at all expect us to be assembling a really top-end squad but bloody hell…surely we should be allowed to expect at least a couple of good, solid players that have been playing in our league recently.

Could argue that Muirhead, lithgow, baird, O'connor, Gillespie, jacobs would all have started.

[EanieMeany]

7 hours ago, Mr.Blue said:

Could argue that Muirhead, lithgow, baird, O'connor, Gillespie, jacobs would all have started.

You could, but they wouldn’t have and I’d be surprised if we ever see all of them in the pitch at the same time at any point. I certainly hope we don’t anyway because it sound pretty terrible tbh.

 

[Brian Skelton]

Should be an interesting few weeks in the transfer window to see who buckles first the board or Imrie 

[vikingTON]

19 hours ago, gmfc23 said:

We are a busted flush vt and all your fancy put downs won't change it. 

I was right behind mct from the get go but anyone can see it's not working.

Asking fans for more in a crisis whoring out share which as far as now nobody wants tells its own story. 

Based on what? A Chick Young interview and one League Cup game on July 9th?

We have secured our future as a football club and have, as of now, an established Championship team as well. We're doing no worse than we were under the old regime - not a high benchmark - but that stability is still an achievement considering the fundamentally unsustainable nick of a position we were in just two years ago. The club could have gone out of business. We could have plunged into the third or even fourth tier again. 

You and others are simply jumping the gun with this share issue. The EGM was held to allow MCT to enter serious discussions with potential investors - there was no indication that a deal was ready to go, and so your claim that 'nobody wants them' is - right now - completely groundless. You can't even buy a house in the timeframe that you're expecting a serious business negotiation to have been wrapped up. 

Edited July 10, 2022 by vikingTON

[vikingTON]

6 hours ago, EanieMeany said:

You could, but they wouldn’t have and I’d be surprised if we ever see all of them in the pitch at the same time at any point. I certainly hope we don’t anyway because it sound pretty terrible tbh.

 

Lithgow, Baird, Gillespie and Muirhead are all quite clearly key players in the squad structure. O'Connor will probably fit into that bracket too. The only player who I don't think will be seriously challenging for a start is Jacobs but he should still play about 15-20 games this season if he stays. To dismiss the impact of all those absentees is nonsense. That's more than half our strongest team and almost all the experienced players too. 

[Jamie_M]

 

2 hours ago, vikingTON said:

You and others are simply jumping the gun with this share issue. The EGM was held to allow MCT to enter serious discussions with potential investors - there was no indication that a deal was ready to go, and so your claim that 'nobody wants them' is - right now - completely groundless. You can't even buy a house in the timeframe that you're expecting a serious business negotiation to have been wrapped up. 

And the Tele previously stated one company want 14% while 2 individuals want 5% each. But 'nobody wants them' apparently.

https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.greenocktelegraph.co.uk%2Fsport%2F20161251.greenock-businessmen-sandy-james-easdale-tight-lipped-potential-morton-investment%2F

Edited July 10, 2022 by Jamie_M

[so72]

1 hour ago, vikingTON said:

Lithgow, Baird, Gillespie and Muirhead are all quite clearly key players in the squad structure. O'Connor will probably fit into that bracket too. The only player who I don't think will be seriously challenging for a start is Jacobs but he should still play about 15-20 games this season if he stays. To dismiss the impact of all those absentees is nonsense. That's more than half our strongest team and almost all the experienced players too. 

Can't see Lithgow, Baird and O'Connor all starting if Imrie is indeed going to move to the way he has said he wants to play. If we are staying 3/5 at the back then we need another body or two in defensive cover.

[EanieMeany]

2 hours ago, vikingTON said:

Lithgow, Baird, Gillespie and Muirhead are all quite clearly key players in the squad structure. O'Connor will probably fit into that bracket too. The only player who I don't think will be seriously challenging for a start is Jacobs but he should still play about 15-20 games this season if he stays. To dismiss the impact of all those absentees is nonsense. That's more than half our strongest team and almost all the experienced players too. 

Baird, O’Connor and Muirhead will all play regularly, but I really don’t see that being the case with Lithgow with Imrie wanting to play with a back 4. If the 6 players named in the scenario I was replying to all started, then we’d once again have a very deep back 3 with Gillespie and Jacobs taking 2 of the 3 midfield places and that is not a remotely inspiring core of a team. Again, I very much doubt we’ll ever see those 6 starting together and it’s something I really wouldn’t fancy at all. If it turns out that is going to be the way we go, it will be a very long season indeed. 

As I said, Baird and O’Connor along with Muirhead are all going to be regulars; the two defenders will presumably be the first choice and if either is missing I wouldn’t be surprised if Imrie opted to move Strapp in and playing King at left-back rather than the straight swap for Lithgow.

It’s getting into a different argument from just the size of the squad here, admittedly, but Jacobs couldn’t get near the team last year and just hasn’t really done much to suggest he’s very good, whilst Lithgow isn’t likely to play very much at all and who’s presence would probably necessitate a shift in formation (I don’t think anyone would really be fancying him in a back 4 given his lack of mobility) or at least approach (which could maybe be an option in certain games) and Gillespie is not, you would think from how his last few seasons have went, likely to be a star turn….although that said, Imrie knows him well and he may well turn out to be an ideal fit. Time will tell there, ditto Jacobs tbf with it being a different formation but at face value neither is likely to be the equal of Wilson, leaving us worse off than last season although the return of Lyon balances that up a bit.

Overall, it’s just not a very good squad no matter how you shake it.

Edited July 10, 2022 by EanieMeany

[dunning1874]

I wholly expect O'Connor and Baird to be first choice with Lithgow as cover. I'd prefer Jacobs to be first choice over Gillespie but remains to be seen which Imrie's preference will be. If either of them are available we'll always see one of them in the team as the holding midfielder.

Point being, the only one of the seven absentees who wouldn't have got a game ahead of someone in that XI on Saturday is Easdale.

[ChampTon]

I wasn't pleased on Saturday when the team got announced, I considered not bothering but went in that end. Weighing up around 6/7 players were out in some capacity did make me feel a bit better.

However, let's just say those 6/7 fill the bench. Apart from maybe Muirhead (if he can be bothered), there is not one player on there that can come on and change the game for us. That's my main worry.