2024/25 Squad and Transfers

[BishopBrennan]

Here is the state of play for next season:

Contracted for next season - Mullen, Murdoch, Baird, Wilson, O'Boy, King, Bearne, Davies.
Contract expiring - MacDonald, Strapp, O'Connor, Waters, Blues, Muirhead, Quitongo, Crawford, Broadfoot, McGrattan, Garrity, Power, Gillespie, Oakley.
Loans expiring - French

MacDonald - Release
Strapp - Keep
O'Connor - Keep
Waters - Release
Blues - Keep
Muirhead - Keep*
Quitongo - Release
Crawford - Keep*
Broadfoot - Release
McGrattan - Release
Garrity - Keep
Power - Keep*
Gillespie - Release
Oakley - Keep

* I'd be looking for upgrades on these players but I wouldn't be against any of them staying in the correct circumstances. Crawford has really struggled for a large part of the season, Muirhead has blown hot and cold but still has plenty of goals to his name and Power is now at a point where you could argue whether his negative contributions outweigh what he brings to the team.

[vikingTON]

I wouldn't say Crawford has struggled for a large part of the season, but his form dropped at the same time as Muirhead without anywhere near the same scrutiny. Look at the roles they're expected to do (and in Muirhead's case, his natural fitness/playing style) and for me it's an issue of overuse because our alternative options have been crap. 

Garrity has already surprised my expectations simply by making it to the end of the season and moving himself up the pecking order, but what is his actual role going to be at Championship level on a regular basis? With Davies coming in and Bearne signed up, I'd release both McGrattan and Garrity (and others) to try and add a genuinely credible left-sided option instead of two IMO capable League One level players. 

If we want someone to come off the bench and offer something different, we have a youth cohort coming through that have far more time on their side to benefit from that experience. 

[HamCam]

Power is a player in decline in both thought and movement. While he has contributed in some games, age has caught up with him and the negatives outweigh the positives. Blues I would only keep as a squad player. The positive side of his game is almost negligible but you cannot fault his defensive efforts especially as he has played much of the season out wide rather than through the middle. Quitongo is a conundrum in he is one of the few players in the squad, when fit, who offers an X-factor but the problem is he is injury prone and with a small budget can we afford to keep taking the risk? Muirhead does my head in. He is one of the most talented players in the Championship and his goals have been vital this season but when he is off the boil it is playing with a man down. As for his petted lip he has to realise he is at our level for a reason.

[SpoonTon]

Power's clearly our technically most talented midfield player. He came off the bench the other night and player a cross field pass that our other players just aren't capable of. Some of the situations he can get himself out of is impressive. But over the season he's been good for 60-70 minutes a week when fully fit or when coming off the bench - and it's not really enough for us. He gets caught in the ball and over does things, and has cost us several goals. He started about 9 games of our unbeaten run, and was outstanding in some of those matches. But generally, over the course of the season, I don't think he's done enough to warrant another year. 

 

[irnbru]

I'd definitely keep Crawford from that list. He's obviously dropped in form but the work rate and pressing her offers is really important to how we play. He does need a bit of support though with other options in the squad to do what he does.. I'm not that surprised he seems to have tapered off towards the end of a long season. 

[vikingTON]

29 minutes ago, SpoonTon said:

Power's clearly our technically most talented midfield player. He came off the bench the other night and player a cross field pass that our other players just aren't capable of. Some of the situations he can get himself out of is impressive. But over the season he's been good for 60-70 minutes a week when fully fit or when coming off the bench - and it's not really enough for us. He gets caught in the ball and over does things, and has cost us several goals. He started about 9 games of our unbeaten run, and was outstanding in some of those matches. But generally, over the course of the season, I don't think he's done enough to warrant another year. 

 

I think Power has done about enough based on this season's performances, but the problem is that there's absolutely no guarantee we'll get the same level next season. If there are options out there with fewer miles under their belt then I'd be sincerely thanking him and Gillespie for their efforts but moving on. We cannot afford another Neil McFarlane figure. 

Blues' versatility merits a position in the squad and the application he has put in at various roles this season has been crucial. He shouldn't be in our first choice midfield though so it depends on budget/wage expectations. 

[TopCat]

I think Blues can be really effective in a 5 man midfield but really painful to watch when it's more like a midfield 3.

The decision to offer him a contract should come down to what the rest of the midfield is going to look like, or if we have the budget to keep him as cover/a runner for harder away ties.

[DumfriesTon]

The problem with Crawford, Blues and Muirhead is Imrie's loyalty to them. No matter how ineffective they are on the pitch, they're never dropped and rarely subbed. A spot on the bench for them would probably do them good, especially Crawford who does some amount of running. 

Macdonald - Release. Injured most of the season and was at fault for many goals at the start. Cheaper backup be better. 

French - wouldn't offer if released from Dundee. Can do better. Don't think he's as bad as many make out but we can do better. Albeit I reckon he'd be better at centre half. 2 games this year at CB if I remember and 2 clean sheets (I think). 

O'Connor - Keep. Solid defender at this level. 

Broadfoot - Release. Too slow and not got another year at this level imo. Good career but time to go. 

Waters - Release. He is solid enough but we can upgrade. Strapp ideally. 

Strapp - Keep. Best LB in the league. Although we should be less reliant on his throw ins whenever we get into the opposition half. 

Blues - Release. 5 years now and probably time for an upgrade. Runs about a lot but lacks quality. Thanks for the effort but we can do better imo.

Gillespie - Release. Think next season will be one too many. Better than expected and probably our best penalty taker that I can remember but we can upgrade. 

Power - Keep. Probably. As a squad player but I think has probably done enough to merit another year. 

McGrattan - Release. Shame it hasn't worked out this season as there's absolutely a player there but I think his confidence is low and we haven't seen it this year. He'll probably want to go anyway and get regular minutes. I reckon he'd be a strong League 1 player. 

Garrity - Keep. I reckon a decent option and has contributed well since January. 

Muirhead - Keep. 15+ goals and assists speaks for itself. He shouldn't be unsubbable though and does need genuine competition for when he's not playing. But be silly to get rid with those amount of goals in the Championship. 

Crawford - Keep. Similar to the above. Competition needed for his place. But when he's at it, he's great. Just needs more consistency. 

Quitongo - Genuinely don't know but probably Release. Don't think we can afford to have him play 15 games a season. Seems to have lost the pace / confidence with the amount of injuries. 

Oakley - Keep. Obvious reasons. 

Edited April 11 by DumfriesTon

[SpoonTon]

I think it's worth bearing in mind that Blues and Crawford have both played 43 games this season, Muirhead has played 41. And they've played 90 minutes in most of those matches. With key players out injured or not fully fit (especially Oakley, Wilson, and Strapp) it's not surprising that we haven't seen the best of them recently. 

I think Blues compliments what other players do really well. During our unbeaten run there was so many times he was exactly where we needed him for a block, pass, run, press, etc. He's not so great at stepping into the type of role Wilson or Power (when match fit) perform. He's also not managed any league goals this season, which is disappointing. Crawford hasn't scored for a long time either, we could do with them chipping in more goals from midfield. 

 

[vikingTON]

57 minutes ago, DumfriesTon said:

The problem with Crawford, Blues and Muirhead is Imrie's loyalty to them. No matter how ineffective they are on the pitch, they're never dropped and rarely subbed. A spot on the bench for them would probably do them good, especially Crawford who does some amount of running. 

Dropped and subbed for whom though? In the cases of Muirhead and Crawford, the 'replacements' for their role in the current squad are entirely different types of players, who also haven't shown that they have what it takes to deliver on a reliable basis. It's a vicious cycle but the problem does not rest with those players or the manager persisting with them - it's the sub-par squad options that needs to be addressed if we are to progress. A bit of healthy competition wouldn't go amiss either. 

[DumfriesTon]

14 minutes ago, vikingTON said:

Dropped and subbed for whom though? In the cases of Muirhead and Crawford, the 'replacements' for their role in the current squad are entirely different types of players, who also haven't shown that they have what it takes to deliver on a reliable basis. It's a vicious cycle but the problem does not rest with those players or the manager persisting with them - it's the sub-par squad options that needs to be addressed if we are to progress. A bit of healthy competition wouldn't go amiss either. 

Perhaps I mean in comparison to other players. Crawford and Muirhead haven't really done much since January but are the first names on the team sheet and undroppable. Likes of Bearne, as one example, has a MOTM against QP, off game v Airdrie (like everybody else) yet is the only attacking player dropped for Ayr and doesn't even come on off the bench, yet Muirhead gets 90 minutes and Crawford moreorless the same.

Edited April 11 by DumfriesTon

[vikingTON]

19 minutes ago, DumfriesTon said:

Perhaps I mean in comparison to other players. Crawford and Muirhead haven't really done much since January but are the first names on the team sheet and undroppable. Likes of Bearne, as one example, has a MOTM against QP, off game v Airdrie (like everybody else) yet is the only attacking player dropped for Ayr and doesn't even come on off the bench, yet Muirhead gets 90 minutes and Crawford moreorless the same.

Bearne plays a completely different position to Crawford though. Who, specifically, was available to replace Crawford in the same role for the team? Which of our left sided players has demonstrated the number of goal contributions that Muirhead has produced this season - including multiple from set pieces? The reason why Imrie 'persists' with those two players is perfectly obvious - they offer abilities that cannot be replaced by the current squad, because the alternative options are simply not good enough. 

[Chicken_Soup]

5 hours ago, vikingTON said:

I wouldn't say Crawford has struggled for a large part of the season, but his form dropped at the same time as Muirhead without anywhere near the same scrutiny. Look at the roles they're expected to do (and in Muirhead's case, his natural fitness/playing style) and for me it's an issue of overuse because our alternative options have been crap. 

Garrity has already surprised my expectations simply by making it to the end of the season and moving himself up the pecking order, but what is his actual role going to be at Championship level on a regular basis? With Davies coming in and Bearne signed up, I'd release both McGrattan and Garrity (and others) to try and add a genuinely credible left-sided option instead of two IMO capable League One level players. 

If we want someone to come off the bench and offer something different, we have a youth cohort coming through that have far more time on their side to benefit from that experience. 

There’s a lot I agree with regarding ruthlessness in squad building, but binning Garrity at the end of this season would be madness. He’s a young, low earner on a sharp upward trajectory whose strengths are not replicated anywhere in our squad and will be incredibly difficult to find externally, certainly not without significant cost. He’s already contributing goals and assists at championship level and with Mcgrattan presumably moving aside he should be challenged to move up the pecking order, not out the door.

[RossMcC1874]

Strapp(Keep) Hopefully we can keep as for me he is the best LB in the championship however I suspect he may have better offers and might be off. 

Oakley(Keep) Same as Strapp got to try and keep as he offers so much but I suspect he will have offers elsewhere. 

Muirhead (Keep) His goal record over the past few years speaks for itself, threat from set pieces and can do something out of nothing, he has improved a lot since Imrie has been here albeit his work rate and attitude can be questioned sometimes. 

Gillespie (Release) Have never particularly rated him good for penalties other than that I don't see what he offers. 

Crawford (Keep) Puts in a shift every game okay this season hasn't been his best in terms of the end product and that must improve but for me I would keep him. 

Waters (Release) Attacking wise he offers nothing, he is okay defending but even if strapp doesn't stay we should be looking better. 

Power (Release) Had a good season but his legs are gone. 

Broadfoot (Release) Legs are gone get rid. 

McGrattan (Release) Not impressed when he had been in the team and not really developed like I thought he would. 

Garrity (Keep) Young, energetic and has made an impact since coming back from loan needs to improve his consistency but there is a player in there. 

O'Connor (Keep) Solid defender at the level hasn't improved again as much as I thought he would have considering how good he was last season but overall I think he has done well enough to justify a deal. 

Quitongo (Release) - Injury prone and for me the final ball and goal return isn't great either, can't fault effort but too much of a risk. 

Blues (Keep) - Never understand the hate he seems to get from certain people. He has improved a lot since Imrie has came in, can play a number of positions and always puts a shift in I wouldn't be starting him but good enough to be a squad player. 

[DumfriesTon]

3 hours ago, vikingTON said:

Bearne plays a completely different position to Crawford though. Who, specifically, was available to replace Crawford in the same role for the team? Which of our left sided players has demonstrated the number of goal contributions that Muirhead has produced this season - including multiple from set pieces? The reason why Imrie 'persists' with those two players is perfectly obvious - they offer abilities that cannot be replaced by the current squad, because the alternative options are simply not good enough. 

And I actually think the persistence of giving Crawford and Muirhead 90 minutes every week has probably hampered them. Crawford's look knackered for months. 

I'm sure the likes of McGrattan and Bearne could play that role behind Oakley or out wide to replace Muirhead from time to time. My point is that they (Crawford & Muirhead) shouldn't be undroppable and the replacements for them are not as bad as you make out. 

[BishopBrennan]

8 hours ago, HamCam said:

Quitongo is a conundrum in he is one of the few players in the squad, when fit, who offers an X-factor but the problem is he is injury prone and with a small budget can we afford to keep taking the risk? 

Quitongo would be one of the first out the door if it was up to me. He has attributes very few at this level possess, but even when he is fully fit he's woefully inconsistent. 

Wilson and Oakley both have bad injury records, but the difference with those guys is if they're playing twenty games in a season rather than forty, they're going to give a solid contribution in 90% of those matches. Quitongo doesn't have that. Add in his technical deficiencies, lack of game intelligence and poor decision making in the final third and it's an easy decision for me. He's simply a luxury we can't afford. 

[vikingTON]

8 hours ago, Chicken_Soup said:

There’s a lot I agree with regarding ruthlessness in squad building, but binning Garrity at the end of this season would be madness. He’s a young, low earner on a sharp upward trajectory whose strengths are not replicated anywhere in our squad and will be incredibly difficult to find externally, certainly not without significant cost. He’s already contributing goals and assists at championship level and with Mcgrattan presumably moving aside he should be challenged to move up the pecking order, not out the door.

He's 24 in July, which is by no means young in football terms and particularly at this level. 

The choice is whether we can reliably expect further development into a reliable Championship player at that stage in Garrity's career, or whether a better bet is coming through the youth cohort that is a good 7-8 years younger. 

And while Garrity will likely be a relatively low earner, he's still a professional footballer entering the peak stage of his career. If the combined wages of McGrattan and Garrity can be used to get a real left sided attacker, then we should do that instead. 

5 hours ago, DumfriesTon said:

And I actually think the persistence of giving Crawford and Muirhead 90 minutes every week has probably hampered them. Crawford's look knackered for months. 

I'm sure the likes of McGrattan and Bearne could play that role behind Oakley or out wide to replace Muirhead from time to time. My point is that they (Crawford & Muirhead) shouldn't be undroppable and the replacements for them are not as bad as you make out. 

Be serious. McGrattan and Bearne are not even remotely equipped to do the Crawford role pressing from the front. One because it's the complete opposite of his own game, the other because he's simply multiple levels below Crawford in terms of ability and tactical awareness.

It's funny btw to see this sudden desire to play Bearne on the left and in the middle of the park; no doubt you'd be berating the manager for shamefully playing the forum's latest great white hope out of position, if he actually tried that demented idea. 

Crawford and Muirhead have been de facto undroppable this season because the fringe players in the squad haven't been good enough to step up on their place. That's why we are where we are in the league and that's what needs to be ruthlessly addressed this summer.

[dunning1874]

4 hours ago, vikingTON said:

He's 24 in July, which is by no means young in football terms and particularly at this level. 

Garrity's only turning 22 in July, it's McGrattan who's 23 already and will be 24 next January.

I broadly agree with your points about Crawford - for all that he's been mince for weeks, replacing him with either a more attacking player to play behind Oakley or a less attacking player in Blues (also hard to do without Wilson) means revising the whole game plan, there's no one else who can do the pressing job he does. While results could say we need a change of approach, finding a system that works with someone else in that role is easier said than done.

I disagree on Muirhead though, as some of the fringe players who could come in on the wing without that same tactical overhaul and aren't starting every week have been better than him in the last two months, albeit for some of that time he was at centre forward where we didn't have an alternative without Oakley.

Trying McGrattan in behind Oakley because of Crawford's poor form and McGrattan being a better presser than any of the other fringe wingers would come into the category of throwing shit at the wall when McGrattan's performances haven't earned a start and there's nothing to suggest he can press to the same standard as Crawford. Starting Bearne and Garrity out wide with Muirhead on the bench wouldn't, because they've both had far better performances than him in the same position recently which already prove they can contribute more than Muirhead's current form. If tiredness coming to the end of a long season is the most likely explanation for Muirhead's deterioration, it's all the more reason to give him at least a couple of games on the bench.

[vikingTON]

The only two players who play on the left hand side are Garrity who has been okay, nothing more than that, and McGrattan who categorically has not contributed more than Muirhead either since January, August or indeed any other period you're now setting your stats by. While Bearne's performances are likely overrated too, they're irrelevant because he doesn't even play on that side of the park. 

I'm far from President of the Robbie Muirhead Travel Club, but the idea that our current wide options are an adequate replacement for his contribution to the team in this existing setup is demonstrable nonsense. The simple facts show that all the alternative options put together do not deliver as many goals, do not deliver a significant number of assists and also do not deliver any potential threat from set pieces. Which is likely why Imrie files all this mewling in the bin too.

We lack serious competition which might get the best out of Muirhead if, for argument's sake, we assume that he and Oakley stay. Unless we change system, then our forward options next season would look like this:

LW - Muirhead

CF - Oakley/Muirhead/Davies

RW - Davies/Bearne

The priority should quite clearly be adding a capable, left sided forward. Which involves giving a sincere, thanks for your efforts but cheerio card to our current two options there as well as Quitongo on the opposite side. That's the only way to step up to the next level within a budget, instead of this endless, clutching at straws exercise for players who simply haven't shown enough. 

Edited April 12 by vikingTON

[Mr.Blue]

I can't agree with anyone saying Muirhead and Crawford shouldn't be here next season. One is our top goalscorer while the other who hasn't been at his best this season with the ball has worked his arse off in every game he plays and has been unlucky not to chip in with a few goals.

We absolutely need to upgrade some positions and improve strength in depth which is a challenge but we shouldn't be throwing the baby out with the bathwater.