Squad for next Season

[TRVMP]

4 hours ago, Cet Homme Charmant said:

True, but we should also bear in mind that Sligo Rovers comfortably dispatched Motherwell 3-0 over 2 legs of the UEFA Conference League qualifier, so I would doubt the standard is much lower than the Championship

A guy named Aidan Keena had a brief spell at Falkirk, where he was in and out of the team, didn't set the heather alight. He's gone back to Ireland and he's basically their Gerd Muller, top scorer in the league. 

Motherwell are pie, sure, but I'd back Morton to beat Sligo or anyone else from that league more often than not. 

Edit: Apparently this guy even scored against Motherwell. 

Edited January 9, 2023 by TRVMP

[DreamOakTree]

With 3 players released and one going back on loan I would hope Dougie’s clearing the way for players who can rotate within our current first eleven. I think this is mostly required in attacking mid and up front, especially if they can contribute with goals and assists, where we are well short.

[Nornirontons]

4 hours ago, TRVMP said:

A guy named Aidan Keena had a brief spell at Falkirk, where he was in and out of the team, didn't set the heather alight. He's gone back to Ireland and he's basically their Gerd Muller, top scorer in the league. 

Motherwell are pie, sure, but I'd back Morton to beat Sligo or anyone else from that league more often than not. 

Edit: Apparently this guy even scored against Motherwell. 

Off topic I know

IMHOfor what it's worth shamrock rovers would be comfortably a play-off side. They have a huge budget compared to most at our level and could easily compete.

Both have FAI and IFA have invested heavily in their youth development to help improve the general standard which was pretty dreadful tbf (I have seen first hand with my own son)...and both north and south are starting to see this development come through into the local game which is the best it's been in 20 odd years I've been here.

It's easy to look at a few individuals in isolation and think its mince however there are always players moving to England especially from the southern league and prove more than capable in league 1 or 2...with some also moving to championship and higher.

Blackpool now have a former shamrock rover and a linfield player in their ranks for example who actually played in their countries local game which you wouldn't have said even just a few years ago.

Fleetwood for some reason seems to be a place where alot of Irish players are being picked up. Indeed I have a friend whos son signed a couple of seasons ago as a 16 year old. I've also friend's who have kids @ Liverpool Everton West Ham Crystal Palace and Rangers... Will they be any good?...your guess is as good as mine but that's the issue with guys like kabia who've played little or no senior football before signing with a clubs at a higher level and kids the world over who jump into academies on steroids...no real development other than @ youth level and as was said on another post before....a whole team is generally there for 1 or 2 who are the actual star(s). Yes you may get a few farmed out to see if they can hack it at any level...the old firm do it every season. Does anyone on here actually think Josh McPake will ever kick a ball for Rangers or that other kid who was @ Raith who name escapes me? Somehow I think not.

The main issue with the game over here is any decent players rarely have more than a couple of decent seasons before their snapped up by bigger clubs and any decent kids don't get the chance to play the local game before their off so the general standard proves hard to increase but that's the same at any level of football....and the likes of Gilmore and Doak show it's the same in Scotland.

If I'm honest I don't even feel the standard of the championship itself has moved much over the years for a not dissimilar reason...there's not many players even of the quality of McInnes Lindberg Marko or McArthur and McCarthy to mention just a few....knocking about at mo is there?

The bottom line is Morton won't be signing any decent players from Ireland north or south in my lifetime. Anyone can moan about the standard of football on the island of Ireland all they like but it's really little to do with why Morton are unlikely to see a good Irish player and its very slim pickings should we get 1 @ cappielow on loan as the best are out of reach for the majority of clubs in Scotland due to the ludicrous wages they are being offered for just 3 or 4 years only to be sent home disillusioned with a large majority never kicking a ball again because of it!

Edited January 10, 2023 by Nornirontons

[TONofmemories]

Jamie Mcdonut went over there and looked a player on a consistent basis. The Irish leagues are horseshit.

[Toby]

23 minutes ago, TONofmemories said:

Jamie Mcdonut went over there and looked a player on a consistent basis. The Irish leagues are horseshit.

I’ll raise you Billy King at St. Patrick’s.

[TONofmemories]

Then I go and spoil it all, by saying something stupid like... we've just signed some guy on loan from Glentoran

Ally Roy

 

Edit: tweet since deleted but here's screenshot anyway 

Edited January 10, 2023 by TONofmemories

[HamCam]

1 minute ago, TONofmemories said:

Then I go and spoil it all, by saying something stupid like... we've just signed some guy on loan from Glentoran

Ally Roy

And Glentoran then go and delete the tweet.

[astuartm]

Glentoran striker Ally Roy joins Morton on loan

https://www.greenocktelegraph.co.uk/news/23240932.glentoran-striker-ally-roy-joins-morton-loan/?ref=fbshr&fbclid=IwAR0zGFpe15sAHLZIoeBmSks43PM8aG4KmnoX_5A9VdC0rXZ2YPXU7zjT2O8

 

[HamCam]

His track record does not suggest he scores too many but then that is what you get in our price range. Hopefully Dougie can sprinkle some stardust on another journeyman.

[Scott]

[TONofmemories]

Confirmed.. blarghh.

 

Let's see what Dougie can do

[DumfriesTon]

Not exactly excited by the signing. He is a bit shit from what I remember but let's see what Dougie can get out of him. 

[Jamie_M]

Aye, bit underwhelmed by that one.

In Dougie we trust and all that though...

[ChampTon]

Bit underwhelming but another forward option. I'm sure he will be a hard working player. Be interesting to see if we add another attacking option. Maybe we will add a playmaker of sorts to the midfield, someone else to bring into a game if the likes of Blues is off it. However this would probably limits King's playing time.

[TRVMP]

12 hours ago, Nornirontons said:

Off topic I know

IMHOfor what it's worth shamrock rovers would be comfortably a play-off side. They have a huge budget compared to most at our level and could easily compete.

Both have FAI and IFA have invested heavily in their youth development to help improve the general standard which was pretty dreadful tbf (I have seen first hand with my own son)...and both north and south are starting to see this development come through into the local game which is the best it's been in 20 odd years I've been here.

It's easy to look at a few individuals in isolation and think its mince however there are always players moving to England especially from the southern league and prove more than capable in league 1 or 2...with some also moving to championship and higher.

Blackpool now have a former shamrock rover and a linfield player in their ranks for example who actually played in their countries local game which you wouldn't have said even just a few years ago.

Fleetwood for some reason seems to be a place where alot of Irish players are being picked up. Indeed I have a friend whos son signed a couple of seasons ago as a 16 year old. I've also friend's who have kids @ Liverpool Everton West Ham Crystal Palace and Rangers... Will they be any good?...your guess is as good as mine but that's the issue with guys like kabia who've played little or no senior football before signing with a clubs at a higher level and kids the world over who jump into academies on steroids...no real development other than @ youth level and as was said on another post before....a whole team is generally there for 1 or 2 who are the actual star(s). Yes you may get a few farmed out to see if they can hack it at any level...the old firm do it every season. Does anyone on here actually think Josh McPake will ever kick a ball for Rangers or that other kid who was @ Raith who name escapes me? Somehow I think not.

The main issue with the game over here is any decent players rarely have more than a couple of decent seasons before their snapped up by bigger clubs and any decent kids don't get the chance to play the local game before their off so the general standard proves hard to increase but that's the same at any level of football....and the likes of Gilmore and Doak show it's the same in Scotland.

If I'm honest I don't even feel the standard of the championship itself has moved much over the years for a not dissimilar reason...there's not many players even of the quality of McInnes Lindberg Marko or McArthur and McCarthy to mention just a few....knocking about at mo is there?

The bottom line is Morton won't be signing any decent players from Ireland north or south in my lifetime. Anyone can moan about the standard of football on the island of Ireland all they like but it's really little to do with why Morton are unlikely to see a good Irish player and its very slim pickings should we get 1 @ cappielow on loan as the best are out of reach for the majority of clubs in Scotland due to the ludicrous wages they are being offered for just 3 or 4 years only to be sent home disillusioned with a large majority never kicking a ball again because of it!

The part in bold is very true and is only going to happen more and more in smaller countries. You'll have the guys who disappear into the EPL youth system and emerge blinking in the sunlight at 23 with no senior experience. You'll have the guys who actually do make the breakthrough. Then you'll have the ones who manage it halfway and drop into the lower leagues overseas in their late teens. None of these options leave much room for players in Ireland to play in their own league when they're promising youngsters.

On the other hand there are plenty of guys who've moved from (say) Shamrock Rovers to decent clubs and not had the ability to justify it. There was that striker who went to Preston a few years ago, forget his name. Don't think he managed a single goal there. You can be forgiven for thinking signing anyone from Ireland over 23 or so is risky because if they were halfway decent they'd have been scooped up by a Bolton or a Sunderland years ago.

2 minutes ago, ChampTon said:

Bit underwhelming but another forward option. I'm sure he will be a hard working player. Be interesting to see if we add another attacking option. Maybe we will add a playmaker of sorts to the midfield, someone else to bring into a game if the likes of Blues is off it. However this would probably limits King's playing time.

Reports from fans of his previous teams suggest this is an optimistic take. With that said, if anyone can get 90 minutes of effort from a player, it's Dougie, so I'm not hugely concerned.

Edited January 10, 2023 by TRVMP

[irnbru]

5 minutes ago, ChampTon said:

Bit underwhelming but another forward option. I'm sure he will be a hard working player. Be interesting to see if we add another attacking option. Maybe we will add a playmaker of sorts to the midfield, someone else to bring into a game if the likes of Blues is off it. However this would probably limits King's playing time.

Comments from other teams fans suggest otherwise. Hopefully they are wrong. 

[RossMcC1874]

Have no idea what he is like think I have seen him once against us when he played for QOS and I don't really remember him. Happy to always give him a chance and if there is anyone that can get him playing I have faith in Imrie but I am rather underwhelmed by this I must admit. His record doesn't fill me with any confidence but I hope I am wrong. 

[DreamOakTree]

Well that’s my theory blown away! A “striker” who’s scored 1 in 5 in a career at mostly lower levels than ours is exactly what we don’t need, although he does fit with the scoring ratio of most of our forward players.

[Jamie_M]

 

• Ally Roy will be moving to a Scottish Championship side on a half season loan deal. Ally needs game time and this move gives him that opportunity. Ally and his wife are expecting their first child in the coming days and this move back to Scotland will allow them to have family support around them. We wish him well over the second half of the season with the potential return to Glentoran this summer.

[dunning1874]

This is a rare thing under Imrie in being a signing that gives us very few straws to clutch at on paper - if MacPherson or Hopkin had made it I'd have been fearing another Orsi - but Imrie's hit rate with signings and track record with turning players around has been that good I'm happy to see if he can get an improvement out of him.

A striker was always going to be a difficult one to attract when we were obviously bringing someone in to be second choice. You aren't getting one of the more promising youngsters from the Premiership or a more established name who's surplus to requirements such as Oli Shaw to sit on the bench.

It gives us an option to replace Muirhead in the last 20 minutes of games now rather than switching him with Quitongo being our only option to change things up front.