Squad for next Season

[RossMcC1874]

26 minutes ago, Greacen2000 said:

Wondering if Liam Smith might be an option at RB?  Not sure if his wage expectations would fit into our budget but he doesn’t have a club at the moment and is a decent player.  He missed the end of last season through injury so again I’m not sure the details on whether or not he is fit again.  I think O’Connor has done well there the couple of games I’ve seen, but I’ve got the fear about what we will do if Baird ends up having to miss a few games.

I would highly doubt that we would be able to afford Liam Smith. Last played for Dundee Utd in the premiership so would have been on a decent wage with them if we can't afford Brandon Tiktok or Frankie Deane then he would be well out of budget. 

Unless Dougie simply didn't feel the need to waste money on 2 guys who probably wouldn't get much game time and is waiting to get a first choice player a bigger wage then would also be happy with that. 

We definitely do need a few more options and it's alright to say we can wait and do our business near the end but let's say Mullen gets injured and Baird is out for a while we have absolutely no options and that's really worrying for a full time club in the championship, again also raises the question who exactly are we able to afford which is another worry. 

[SpoonTon]

12 minutes ago, RossMcC1874 said:

I would highly doubt that we would be able to afford Liam Smith. Last played for Dundee Utd in the premiership so would have been on a decent wage with them if we can't afford Brandon Tiktok or Frankie Deane then he would be well out of budget. 

Unless Dougie simply didn't feel the need to waste money on 2 guys who probably wouldn't get much game time and is waiting to get a first choice player a bigger wage then would also be happy with that. 

We definitely do need a few more options and it's alright to say we can wait and do our business near the end but let's say Mullen gets injured and Baird is out for a while we have absolutely no options and that's really worrying for a full time club in the championship, again also raises the question who exactly are we able to afford which is another worry. 

People were saying we had no money for Deane, then we signed Bearne a couple of days later. And it seems unlikely that we would be signing a another forward if that meant there would be no money left for at least a right back. Things will undoubtedly be tight again this season but I'm sure there will be further additions. 

Liam Smith probably falls under the same type of category as Grimshaw. If no-one else signs him then he'll be available for a club like us in a month or two. 

[Greacen2000]

1 hour ago, RossMcC1874 said:

I would highly doubt that we would be able to afford Liam Smith. Last played for Dundee Utd in the premiership so would have been on a decent wage with them if we can't afford Brandon Tiktok or Frankie Deane then he would be well out of budget. 

Unless Dougie simply didn't feel the need to waste money on 2 guys who probably wouldn't get much game time and is waiting to get a first choice player a bigger wage then would also be happy with that. 

We definitely do need a few more options and it's alright to say we can wait and do our business near the end but let's say Mullen gets injured and Baird is out for a while we have absolutely no options and that's really worrying for a full time club in the championship, again also raises the question who exactly are we able to afford which is another worry. 

I don't think its as simple as us not being able to afford Diau or Deane.  In the case of the TikTok guy I think Dougie was probably just letting him down gently rather than telling him he wasn't good enough.  Much as Deane looked good, he is only 18 and if he was looking for anything more than development squad level wages I think Dougie was right to let him go and save the money to spend elsewhere.

But yeah - with him having just left Dundee Utd, there is every chance that Smiths wage expectations would not be affordable to us.  But as SpoonTon said above, this may change if he doesn't find a club by the end of August.

I also now wouldn't be too surprised to see us offer Doyle a short term deal if we haven't managed to strengthen in that area by the time he has recovered.

[Jamie_M]

7 hours ago, Greacen2000 said:

Wondering if Liam Smith might be an option at RB?  

Signing for Cheltenham.

7 hours ago, RossMcC1874 said:

 if we can't afford Brandon Tiktok or Frankie Deane then he would be well out of budget. 

 

Are people actually still believing that shite?

[Mr.Blue]

40 minutes ago, Jamie_M said:

Signing for Cheltenham.

Are people actually still believing that shite?

Anyone that did or still does needs to have a right good look at themselves. 

[irnbru]

8 hours ago, RossMcC1874 said:

I would highly doubt that we would be able to afford Liam Smith. Last played for Dundee Utd in the premiership so would have been on a decent wage with them if we can't afford Brandon Tiktok or Frankie Deane then he would be well out of budget. 

Unless Dougie simply didn't feel the need to waste money on 2 guys who probably wouldn't get much game time and is waiting to get a first choice player a bigger wage then would also be happy with that. 

We definitely do need a few more options and it's alright to say we can wait and do our business near the end but let's say Mullen gets injured and Baird is out for a while we have absolutely no options and that's really worrying for a full time club in the championship, again also raises the question who exactly are we able to afford which is another worry. 

That's exactly what it was. Every manager would love to sign a load of players and have a big squad but we can't afford just to hand out contracts to guys who probably won't play. 

[so72]

We have still to dip into the loan market as well. I'm sure money is tight but I would expect a rb, regen gk and perhaps another midfield option to come in. 

[Pedrodelawasp]

In place of the ‘not enough money’ chat, I expect it will much more likely be the case the players have been told ‘thanks very much, but I’m afraid we’re prioritising our resources elsewhere.’

That is a good thing.

[DreamOakTree]

12 hours ago, Pedrodelawasp said:

In place of the ‘not enough money’ chat, I expect it will much more likely be the case the players have been told ‘thanks very much, but I’m afraid we’re prioritising our resources elsewhere.’

That is a good thing.

That's fair enough but in that case why bring in the likes of Frankie Deane on trial? Dougie already knew his age, height and build, so the point of the trial was only to assess his ability. He fitted into the team very well and displayed great ability on the ball, providing one moment of exceptional vision into the bargain. 

This begs the question, why wasn't the boy signed? It's making me wonder if Dougie was overruled and told if he signed them it would limit his resources for further, more essential signings. 

[Cet Homme Charmant]

1 hour ago, DreamOakTree said:

That's fair enough but in that case why bring in the likes of Frankie Deane on trial? Dougie already knew his age, height and build, so the point of the trial was only to assess his ability. He fitted into the team very well and displayed great ability on the ball, providing one moment of exceptional vision into the bargain. 

This begs the question, why wasn't the boy signed? 

We can only guess, but we only saw snapshots of the lad, whereas Dougie worked with him in training for a couple of weeks. Giving a contract to an unproven 18 year old is always going to be a punt. On what we saw he looks to have loads of potential, but actually realising that potential is far from guaranteed. We just need to look at Reese Lyon as an example. 

So presumably Dougie didn't see enough in these 2 weeks to convince him to take the risk. It's probably as simple as that.

[SpoonTon]

1 hour ago, DreamOakTree said:

That's fair enough but in that case why bring in the likes of Frankie Deane on trial? Dougie already knew his age, height and build, so the point of the trial was only to assess his ability. He fitted into the team very well and displayed great ability on the ball, providing one moment of exceptional vision into the bargain. 

This begs the question, why wasn't the boy signed? It's making me wonder if Dougie was overruled and told if he signed them it would limit his resources for further, more essential signings. 

Maybe Imrie wanted extra bodies in for pre-season training/pre-season games, and knew it was unlikely that they were going to impress him enough. It would have been a bonus if one of them did so, but no-one really loses out here - the players get some pre-season training/games and a platform to impress other clubs and we get to fill out the squad for pre-season.

No-one else swooped in immediately to sign Deane. Maybe he'll get a good move and impress there, but it hasn't proved to be a simple case of us missing out on a good player because we don't have the funds. 

[Greacen2000]

3 hours ago, DreamOakTree said:

This begs the question, why wasn't the boy signed? It's making me wonder if Dougie was overruled and told if he signed them it would limit his resources for further, more essential signings. 

I don't understand what you mean by being overruled.  Imrie knows what his budget is, so he doesn't need anyone to tell him that each signing will reduce his remaining resources available for further signings.  It's pretty simple - just take your current budget, subtract the cost of a signing, then you are left with your remaining budget.

It's known that Imrie rated Deane & wanted to sign him, but I think it's fair to assume that this would have been as a squad/development player as opposed to being a regular starter at this stage.  If Deanes wage expectations were more in line with what we would pay senior player as opposed to development squad, its completely understandable that Imrie chose to pass on signing him & save the money for the areas of the first XI which still need strengthening.

Edited July 20, 2023 by Greacen2000

[Jamie_M]

2 hours ago, DreamOakTree said:

That's fair enough but in that case why bring in the likes of Frankie Deane on trial? Dougie already knew his age, height and build, so the point of the trial was only to assess his ability. He fitted into the team very well and displayed great ability on the ball, providing one moment of exceptional vision into the bargain. 

This begs the question, why wasn't the boy signed? It's making me wonder if Dougie was overruled and told if he signed them it would limit his resources for further, more essential signings. 

Is it really that hard to grasp that when running a tight budget and a small squad, every signing has to be completely calculated?

You don't know if we invited him for a trial or he offered to come in but regardless, how else do you get a good look at a player to see if they tick all the boxes without bringing them in, especially one with no first team experience?

We already know he doesn't tick all the boxes due to the lack of experience but he might have dazzled enough during the FULL trial (not just a few moments in the games) to overcome the other shortcomings. 

Only Dougie really knows the answer to that and the fact he didn't get a deal might allude to the answer.

And anyone who thinks he was coming in on the peanuts a Morton development player would get when he would have been on a lot more in the setups he just left are deluded.

He was likely a talented kid, with no first team experience, commanding a first team wage.

We passed, and have since signed a talented kid, with first team experience.

[Greacen2000]

52 minutes ago, Jamie_M said:

Is it really that hard to grasp that when running a tight budget and a small squad, every signing has to be completely calculated?

You don't know if we invited him for a trial or he offered to come in but regardless, how else do you get a good look at a player to see if they tick all the boxes without bringing them in, especially one with no first team experience?

We already know he doesn't tick all the boxes due to the lack of experience but he might have dazzled enough during the FULL trial (not just a few moments in the games) to overcome the other shortcomings. 

Only Dougie really knows the answer to that and the fact he didn't get a deal might allude to the answer.

And anyone who thinks he was coming in on the peanuts a Morton development player would get when he would have been on a lot more in the setups he just left are deluded.

He was likely a talented kid, with no first team experience, commanding a first team wage.

We passed, and have since signed a talented kid, with first team experience.

not sure if you're talking about me here (since I have mentioned this a couple of times).  Just to be clear, I was in no way suggesting that he would have been likely to sign for us on development money.  I am saying that within the context of our squad & wage structure, that's where it would have made financial sense for us to sign him.

If (as is likely the case), his wage expectations were more along the lines of what our senior players are earning then I think Imrie was 100% right to pass on him in favour of someone a bit more experienced.

[Pedrodelawasp]

4 hours ago, DreamOakTree said:

This begs the question, why wasn't the boy signed?
 

 …it would limit his resources for further, more essential signings. 

You answered the question yourself. Extraneous, conspiratorial musings unnecessary.

[Jamie_M]

5 hours ago, Greacen2000 said:

not sure if you're talking about me here (since I have mentioned this a couple of times).  Just to be clear, I was in no way suggesting that he would have been likely to sign for us on development money.  I am saying that within the context of our squad & wage structure, that's where it would have made financial sense for us to sign him.

If (as is likely the case), his wage expectations were more along the lines of what our senior players are earning then I think Imrie was 100% right to pass on him in favour of someone a bit more experienced.

Not aimed at anyone, seen it said several times (granted, might all have been you!).

Agree that if he was to be on development peanuts it would be a no brainer.

 Not a chance it would have been though.

Will be interesting to see where he ends up. Wonder how his trial with Birmingham went.

[HamCam]

Losing Baird for at least 2 months is a major blow. Imrie clear he wants at least two players in albeit the funds may only be there for one more addition. I confess I am surprised the budget is so tight given the departures from the squad, the much proclaimed sponsorships, increased season ticket sales and the lack of any update from the Board/MCT on the situation. I was sceptical Imrie's absence from media duties was an issue but it appears clear he is very frustrated at the current position. Our hopes for a back up keeper, right back and midfielder look like being our usual fantasy wish list rather than what is needed to kick on from last season.

[Chesh]

We really should have the funds to get 2 more players in at least.

We've had good ST sales and MCT membership is up so that should be translating to budget and if its lower than last season questions need asked.

[dunning1874]

When a right back, defensive cover and second choice goalkeeper are all signings we need rather than just want and we might only manage to add a further one or two rather than three, you have to ask why we've signed Bearne when we already have plenty of attacking options. That's no criticism of him as a player, but we already had enough options there and we evidently don't further back.

[TONofmemories]

If one or two is only as a result of an injury, which it appears to be, its deeply concerning.