Keep/release for 2026/27 season

[Gmfcrg]

Assuming we stay up this season, who would we want to keep/release for next season?

in contract:

brophy, Murdoch, Moore, Robertson so far.

 

personally, I would definitely keep:

Wilson, longridge, comrie, ballentyne, gillespie, Moffat/garrity (wouldn’t keep both) storer (if possible but unlikely)

 

touch and go with:

blues, owens, macpherson, ohallaron

 

release definitely:

shaw, Delaney, Taylor, Crawford, McKay garrity/moffat

 

loans going back:

main- wouldn’t be against keeping as squad option

johnston- wouldn’t mind staying as number 2 and allow Murdoch to go on loan but definitely need a number one.

lyall- big fan of lyall but Murray doesn’t seem to fancy him wouldnt rush to bring him back 

lopata white- wouldn’t bring back.

storer- as stated above would keep if possible but very unlikely.

 

 

[DaftTon74]

The improvement in Moffat since Murray came in has been excellent. Still needs to work on his final product a bit but you can tell Murray rates him. Must keep for me especially the way we want to play.

[TopCat]

Keep: Storer (unlikely), Comrie, Wilson, Blues, Longridge

Debatable: Delaney, Moffat, Owens, Ballantyne

Release: The rest, plus Brophy

[TONofmemories]

Seen somewhere some rumours that Moffat has signed a pre-contract with Raith. 

[ConTon74]

From what I’ve seen this season excluding loan players,

Keep: Ballantyne, Delaney, Longridge, Blues, Wilson. Brophy, Moore, Robertson & Murdoch are already contracted.

Release: Comrie, Crawford, Moffat, Garrity, McKay, Shaw, O’Halloran

Undecided: Gillespie, Taylor, Owens, MacPherson

[Hej]

GK - new long term keeper needed
RB - both options are solid at this level, Ballantyne capable of being very good on his day. Potentially keep both, but need to consider if its worthwhile having two specialist RB's, or if we can sign someone else that can cover there and another position, if so Comrie goes
CB - get rid of Longridge, why does everyone want to keep him exactly?
LB - Delaney is a good player at this level, have never understood the criticism he gets

Midfield - keep Blues and Wilson. Crawford can go. Probably time for Gillespie to go despite currently enjoying his best season in a couple years. Undecided on MacPherson.

Wings - Moffat having his best spell as a Morton player, but has been extremely poor in his time here until recently, keep but won't be crying if he goes. Garrity is a keep, but he needs to improve, we've been waiting for 2 or 3 years now for him to develop his final ball and finishing. I think he has untapped potential, but time is ticking, he's not a young boy anymore. Shaw can go. O'Halloran has been good since Imrie left, but is injury prone and 35, let him go.

Striker - Main should not be offered a deal under any circumstances, honking player. Brophy is also honking, but he'll get you double digit goals despite not offering much else on the park. Wouldn't be arsed if we got him off the books.

 

 

[DumfriesTon]

With Moore, Robertson & Brophy signed on and excluding loans, I would: 

Keep: 

Ballantyne, Owens, Delaney (just about), Wilson, Blues, Garrity

Release:

Comrie (happy enough to keep if Ballantyne leaves), Longridge, Gillespie, McPherson, Taylor, Crawford, O’Halloran, Shaw, Moffat, McKay (happy enough to offer him training facilities in the summer but meh). 

Regardless, we need a bit of a clear out if we’re to progress. Too many are just not very good and haven’t done enough over the course of a few seasons now. 

[Ferguson]

I wonder if Estrella will have much influence on the recruitment process. Don’t expect to see the next Claudio Braga rock up to a flat in Broomhill but I think shared resources across Estrella clubs was mentioned? 

Anyway, release everyone except Ballantyne, Owens, Delaney, Wilson, Blues, Garrity, Moore, Longridge and Robertson. Punt Brophy if possible too.

[Mr.Blue]

Id keep Ballantyne, Delaney, Moore, Longridge, Shug, Blues, Robertson, Moffat, McKay.

Garrity is too inconsistent for me and his final ball is terrible most of the time.

Brophy can go. 

Gills, Comrie, Shaw, Murdoch, McPherson, Crawford ,Owens, O'Halloran and Taylor can all go.

All of the loan signings can go back to their parents clubs.  That includes Lyall who has went right downhill this season.

Would keep Storer but I'd really like us to bring in our own number 1. 

[vikingTON]

None of the wide players should be at the club next season. This flattering to deceive, 'best spell at the club' level was on show 12 months ago, and we have been held back ever since by sticking with those options. If your career stats have a meagre handful of goals and a handful of assists at this level year on year, then you are at best a sub/cover option and I don't think our current wide players would tolerate that status. 

[Madton]

Remember Dalrada are willing to cover a number of renewals so we might as well utilise that if possible. If we let them go and need to replace, it will eat into the budget.

I remember Murray saying he'd like to keep them all so presumably they've had offers but are waiting to see what league we ( and others) are in next season.

With Dalrada chucking in 288k potentially and Estrellas first 250k presuming that goes through, hopefully the budget gives Murray a chance to build something half decent.

[Ferguson]

11 hours ago, vikingTON said:

None of the wide players should be at the club next season. This flattering to deceive, 'best spell at the club' level was on show 12 months ago, and we have been held back ever since by sticking with those options.

I’d take Moffat out of this. His 6 assists might look disappointing, but that’s joint top of the chart for the league. Clearly suits Murray’s system too. Garrity is the one I can’t decide on. Clearly a talented player, but when is he going to start showing some consistency? 

[TRVMP]

Keep Garrity, we'll need players trained at the club to fill the Champions League squad quota under Estrella. 

[HamCam]

It is clear there are a number of players in the current squad Murray does not rate. You just need to look at those not getting game time even when the 11 on the park are out on their feet. I fully expect Murray to move a lot of players on, if possible, before bringing in players that fit how he wants to play the game.

[Greacen2000]

Already signed

Murdoch - not ready to be number 1 but happy to have him signed & hopefully he can get some game time.  Depending on what other goalies we sign he should probably go out on loan to get experience

Moore - has been a class act since he came in.  Absolutely delighted to have him signed up.

Robertson - seems to have done well at EK.  Looking forward to seeing him compete for a place in the team next season

Brophy - unlike some on here I’m happy for us to have him signed for another season.  If he stays fit then he will get double digit goals & that’s a very rare commodity at this level.
 

Keep

Wilson - what a player.  Absolute baller

Blues - unglamorous and often the brunt of unfair criticism.  Always gives full effort and works unselfishly for the team.  Also has a very decent finish on him. 

Moffat -  can flatter to deceive at times but has looked better under Murray so I would be inclined to keep him

Delaney - a few months ago I wouldn’t have been fussed about him but has really impressed me of late & has shown some great ability going forward.

Owens - seemed a strange signing at the time but has looked absolute class.  Defensively solid & comfortable on the ball.  Get him signed.

Ballantyne - very solid player at this level.

Comrie - solid dependable player at this level

Longridge - good experience, solid performer who can cover a couple of positions & has a good aerial threat from corners etc.

MacPherson - excellent player at this level.  I know he didn’t start well & also came with some “baggage” that upset a few folk, but he has become a really important player for us.  You can see how much we struggled after him coming off yesterday.

 

Maybe

Gillespie - has had his best season in years.  Probably worth keeping for his leadership & experience even if he won’t play every game. 

Shaw - Clearly has the ability & physical attributes to be very effective but disappoints & frustrates more often than not. I’m probably leaning toward letting him go but his involvements in both our goals yesterday show how useful he could be if the gaffer can get a tune out of him.

Garrity - good player but lacks consistency.  I’m on the fence with this one

Release

Taylor - looked promising before his injury but hasn’t had any game time since coming back.  Clearly the gaffer doesn’t fancy him so no point keeping him around

Mckay - like Taylor, not much point keeping him around if he isn’t in the managers plans.

Crawford - looked really good at the start of the season before getting injured.  I was looking forward to seeing him back in the team but it hasn’t happened for him.  Another one who clearly isn’t part of the gaffers plans so need to let him go.

O’Halloran - If he is moving into a coaching role then probably worth having him registered as backup but thats about it.

Loans

Lyall - send him back, good player but it just hasn’t worked out this time round.

Main - would be fine with us keeping him as he offers something different from Brophy and has good experience at this level.

Storer - unlikely, but if we could get him signed or extend the loan for another season I would be delighted

Johnson - I would be ok with him extending his stay here if Storer goes, but we would need to bring in another keeper for a bit of cover/competition.  Ideally we would be wanting an upgrade 

Lopota-White - If there’s a possibility of signing him we should do it.  Not the finished article but has the tools to be a top player at this level.

Edited March 29 by Greacen2000

[RossMcC1874]

Murdoch, Moore, Robertson, Brophy already signed up happy to keep them all. 

Shug - Obviously keep top quality player but I would imagine he may have better offers elsewhere. 

Blues - Always gives 100% solid for this level not the most glamorous but I like him and would keep him.

Moffat - Has improved under Murray can also play at striker when required I would keep. 

Delaney - Never understood the criticism he gets, good going forward and always puts a shift in also loves a tackle keep. 

Owens - Quite surpised as I wasn't expecting much given he didn't have much game time at Hamilton but think he has been solid, if we keep him fine but if Murray has other ideas then fair enough. 

Ballantyne - Keep good player and always puts in a shift. 

Comrie - Don't mind him but think Ballantyne is the better player so I would be inclined to get rid unless it makes money sense to keep him. 

Longridge - Experienced who can play a few positions seems to be a leader in the group so would keep him. 

MacPherson - Controls a lot of the midfield decent delivery from corners and free kicks and a good engine on him. 

Gillespie - Solid pro done well this season is he capable of another year at his age im not sure. 

Shaw - Reminds of Muirhead clearly got ability but his work rate and injury record puts me off, release. 

Garrity - I've always liked Garrity can take people on and actually beat them but his final ball more often than not is poor and he can dissappear in some games still unsure on him. 

Taylor - looked promising at the start of the season but hasnt got a look in under Murray so can't see him staying. 

Mckay - injured for most of the season has pace but what else cant see him signing on. 

Crawford - Release, hasnt featured enough to justify a deal and probably done given his age. 

O’Halloran - Solid enough and given his fitness he probably could contribute again next season keep as a backup. 

Lyall - Going back to County anyway not overly fussed hasnt worked this time round. 

Main - Again another on loan so will be going back to Ayr anyway. He has been okay but not overly fussed about trying to get him back. 

Storer - Cant see him coming back even though I would jump at the chance. 

Johnson - Too many mistakes for me back to Hibs he goes. 

Lopota-White - I would try and get him signed up clearly has the ability a bit raw at times but enough there to take a punt I would say. 

[TRVMP]

I get we're just talking about the players we have but you have to remember our budget is going to change, we don't know who else is available, we don't know who Murray has a good relationship and might be able to tempt here... There's obviously some players for us who are very good at this level and who all else being equal you'd want to keep, but all else isn't equal. What if we re-sign a guy like Longridge now, then in a month's time someone better gets released and Murray otherwise has a chance of signing him?

I used to believe it was important to get the nucleus of the squad signed up early but I'm less and less convinced of that now. At our level of football the raw materials will matter more. Lopata-White probably met the others for the first time shortly before his debut and he looked the part from the outset. Plenty of other opportunities like that are going to present themselves. 

For me there's no room for sentiment and as much as I think the likes of Blues are good guys who have served the club extremely well I'm also not going to fall over myself to say they should be renewed before May. 

Edited March 30 by TRVMP

[Jamie_M]

22 hours ago, Greacen2000 said:

Already signed

Murdoch - not ready to be number 1 but happy to have him signed & hopefully he can get some game time.  Depending on what other goalies we sign he should probably go out on loan to get experience

Moore - has been a class act since he came in.  Absolutely delighted to have him signed up.

Robertson - seems to have done well at EK.  Looking forward to seeing him compete for a place in the team next season

Brophy - unlike some on here I’m happy for us to have him signed for another season.  If he stays fit then he will get double digit goals & that’s a very rare commodity at this level.
 

Keep

Wilson - what a player.  Absolute baller

Blues - unglamorous and often the brunt of unfair criticism.  Always gives full effort and works unselfishly for the team.  Also has a very decent finish on him. 

Moffat -  can flatter to deceive at times but has looked better under Murray so I would be inclined to keep him

Delaney - a few months ago I wouldn’t have been fussed about him but has really impressed me of late & has shown some great ability going forward.

Owens - seemed a strange signing at the time but has looked absolute class.  Defensively solid & comfortable on the ball.  Get him signed.

Ballantyne - very solid player at this level.

Comrie - solid dependable player at this level

Longridge - good experience, solid performer who can cover a couple of positions & has a good aerial threat from corners etc.

MacPherson - excellent player at this level.  I know he didn’t start well & also came with some “baggage” that upset a few folk, but he has become a really important player for us.  You can see how much we struggled after him coming off yesterday.

 

Maybe

Gillespie - has had his best season in years.  Probably worth keeping for his leadership & experience even if he won’t play every game. 

Shaw - Clearly has the ability & physical attributes to be very effective but disappoints & frustrates more often than not. I’m probably leaning toward letting him go but his involvements in both our goals yesterday show how useful he could be if the gaffer can get a tune out of him.

Garrity - good player but lacks consistency.  I’m on the fence with this one

Release

Taylor - looked promising before his injury but hasn’t had any game time since coming back.  Clearly the gaffer doesn’t fancy him so no point keeping him around

Mckay - like Taylor, not much point keeping him around if he isn’t in the managers plans.

Crawford - looked really good at the start of the season before getting injured.  I was looking forward to seeing him back in the team but it hasn’t happened for him.  Another one who clearly isn’t part of the gaffers plans so need to let him go.

O’Halloran - If he is moving into a coaching role then probably worth having him registered as backup but thats about it.

Loans

Lyall - send him back, good player but it just hasn’t worked out this time round.

Main - would be fine with us keeping him as he offers something different from Brophy and has good experience at this level.

Storer - unlikely, but if we could get him signed or extend the loan for another season I would be delighted

Johnson - I would be ok with him extending his stay here if Storer goes, but we would need to bring in another keeper for a bit of cover/competition.  Ideally we would be wanting an upgrade 

Lopota-White - If there’s a possibility of signing him we should do it.  Not the finished article but has the tools to be a top player at this level.

 

12 hours ago, TRVMP said:

important to get the nucleus of the squad signed up early

Aye, don't mind the nucleus as a foundation but I hope some of the lists above are just looking at individual players in isolation and not all together.

We're likely to have a smaller squad next season than the one we finish this season with.

Not to particularly single out your list Greacen2000, it was just there when I was looking but if we keep all the signed, keep and maybes from your list - that would be 20 players and squad almost complete.

[Greacen2000]

20 minutes ago, Jamie_M said:

 

Aye, don't mind the nucleus as a foundation but I hope some of the lists above are just looking at individual players in isolation and not all together.

We're likely to have a smaller squad next season than the one we finish this season with.

Not to particularly single out your list Greacen2000, it was just there when I was looking but if we keep all the signed, keep and maybes from your list - that would be 20 players and squad almost complete.

Fair enough, and yes I was looking at the players more on their individual merits rather than the squad as a whole.

It should go without saying that if a better alternative is available in any given position then we should pursue it and let the incumbent move on.

Beyond that, clearly there are calls the gaffer needs to make such as whether or not it’s the best use of resources to have 2 fullbacks on each side.  He also has the opportunity to bring in players suited to how he wants to play as opposed to trying to make the most of what he has inherited mid-season supplemented with a couple of loans.

That said, I wouldn’t be too upset if we did end up holding onto 15-18 of the current squad as long as we bring in quality replacements for the ones who move on.  If we keep all of my keeps plus extending/signing the loanees from my list plus say 1 of the maybes, that would give us a starting point of 18 players who we know are capable at this level, while letting go of 7.  If we could replace those 7 with 3 or 4 quality additions then I think we would have the makings of a very strong squad.  Realistically not all of my “keep” players are going to stay even if we make them an offer, and the same goes for the loanees, so the actual turnover is likely going to be higher regardless of who we offer deals to.

[Jamie_M]

3 hours ago, Greacen2000 said:

Fair enough, and yes I was looking at the players more on their individual merits rather than the squad as a whole.

It should go without saying that if a better alternative is available in any given position then we should pursue it and let the incumbent move on.

Beyond that, clearly there are calls the gaffer needs to make such as whether or not it’s the best use of resources to have 2 fullbacks on each side.  He also has the opportunity to bring in players suited to how he wants to play as opposed to trying to make the most of what he has inherited mid-season supplemented with a couple of loans.

That said, I wouldn’t be too upset if we did end up holding onto 15-18 of the current squad as long as we bring in quality replacements for the ones who move on.  If we keep all of my keeps plus extending/signing the loanees from my list plus say 1 of the maybes, that would give us a starting point of 18 players who we know are capable at this level, while letting go of 7.  If we could replace those 7 with 3 or 4 quality additions then I think we would have the makings of a very strong squad.  Realistically not all of my “keep” players are going to stay even if we make them an offer, and the same goes for the loanees, so the actual turnover is likely going to be higher regardless of who we offer deals to.

Yeah, expect a bit more turnover with Murray wanting to shape his own team.

He clearly has his favourites and those he isn't keen on so expect most outwith his core group to move on.

He'll definitely want more strikers (Raith fans said Murrayball involved chucking on as many strikers as possible if behind). He has definitely been hands tied in that respect due to our lack of options.