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The "Team Ton" thing for under 12s looks like a great idea.

Season ticket info is out: https://gmfc.net/the-heartbeat-of-inverclyde-2024-25-season-tickets/ 295 quid for an early bird MCT member is quite good.

Don’t care what age I was when he was with us, but not giving us the opportunity to get a birthday card signed by Ross Forbes c.2017 was the worst thing this club didn’t do since the due diligence on Hugh Scott was patched.

It's fae Blue (and white hoops)

Unfortunately we can't and shouldn't be trying to compete with Partick. Crawford is a good player and I'm gutted he's going but he's not irreplaceable. Dougie will hopefully have planned ahead for players staying and going.

I'm not sure how it could prove to be an actual loss-leader but the marketing is definitely crucial. We could be offering the best deal in the world - and this is a very good deal - but unless the club also aggressively market it then it's not going to deliver much. The club website and the Tele aren't enough - we should be finding ways to get this information (quite possibly actual, physical fliers) to every school class in the area. By the school holidays begin there should be an annoying wean in every household, guilt-tripping their parents into buying a season ticket and assorted tat, with the events to follow of course.

Ah well, good player who gave his all for us but not irreplaceable. The club should not be offering deals outwith its means and unfortunately that leaves us with a risk of other clubs poaching our players. Partick’s day will come. Be a shame if both he and Oakley are starting for them next season but I’m confident Imrie will find suitable alternatives.

Aye, much better than just letting weans in for nothing as was the case about ten years ago and just didn’t work. It’ll probably prove to be a bit of a loss-leader, but I hope they market the fuck out of it. A lot more pro-active and forward-thinking than any previous attempts at increasing the support.

Good to see the club straight off the mark with season tickets as soon as the season ends, and a good scheme for under 12s as well to still both engage them and generate income while keeping the season tickets free. https://gmfc.net/team-ton/

Would mostly agree with this. I don't doubt it would be a tough player/option to replace, but that's the reality of football every single season. The players who are being tipped for a move elsewhere were out of favour and their career going absolutely nowhere when they were signed. We simply need to find those options again, with the benefit of a budget that should be verging on competitive for a change at the start of the transfer window. It would be an easier issue to manage if the fringe players from the youth team were looking more likely to step up. King's reports at Clyde seem unconvincing, and O'Boy has only been at tier 5 level. Both are probably at least a year from breaking through if they'll manage it all, so we'll need to identify and sign a direct replacement. And with question marks over both holding midfielders' longevity at this level, we could be facing a near complete turnover in the midfield. That lack of continuity (if it happens) would be a bigger cause for concern for me rather than individual players leaving. We need to start the new season strong to get out of the League Cup group again to repeat at least some of the financial benefit that comes with progression. Sacking off July to get the 'right' players in the door isn't a realistic option.

By the same token, it seems bizarre that Partick are committing themselves to signings and contracts right now, that might not actually be effective for assembling a top flight squad.

Well no, we could have offered a perfectly reasonable deal. Doesn't stop the bigger spenders chucking more at it.

Partick‘s play-off prospects could be a real game changer- we could find ourselves with the dilemma of taking the correct stance of wishing nothing but misery on them, or hoping that they’re out the way so either less likely to help themselves to our top players, or at least these guys are less likely to come back to haunt us in the near future. All in all, a grim state of affairs, but one which can’t really be helped. We can only piss with the cock we’ve got.

Perhaps they've both gone to that great big AA meeting in the sky. And what have you being doing lately? Havent seen you in a while.

Crawford was a key player in our system but with such a potential high turnover in squad there’s nothing to say we will definitely be playing in the same way next season. Imrie brought out his strengths as a player with his pressing ability but if we can recruit well in midfield this summer and bring in someone who contributes more with goals and assists in his position then he won’t be as big a miss as it first seems. if we continue to play the exact same way next season then he will be a massive loss as there’s no one better in the division at pressing high from midfield.

Indeed I have! Not bad but not a patch on Souvlaki. What do you think Etta Crouton and Lord Volvic are up to these days?

You’re really hard work on here.

I'd take Gaston back as he is freed up. Mullen still number 1 for me but maybe we could have him in full time whilst allowing him to do his coaching. I actually thought young Sam was a bit older than 16, I wonder if he will get a loan move? However, I understand a strong second choice keeper may not be the priority if we are running a tight squad again.

Anyone else missing the fitba already

I don't disagree, he's obviously playing at our level for a reason, or more likely multiple reasons. Nevertheless, if we let him go, it will be difficult to get a replacement who'll contribute as many goals and assist as he's done in the last two-and-a-half seasons. I can see why some would be indifferent to him leaving as he can be incredibly frustrating at times, last night being yet another example. But he's also brought a lot of positives to the team which I think some overlook or for one reason or other just don't appreciate. I won't be devastated if he leaves, but I think some who'll be happy to see the back of him underestimate just how difficult it will be to find a replacement who'll contribute as much over a full season as he does.

Napier lost control of the game by virtue of awarding fouls to Samuel for crumpling under every ridiculously soft challenge in the first half, while not awarding the same at the other end of the park. He couldn't even deal with a smoke bomb being 0.2 yards on the pitch after the equaliser without storming up to Mullen as if he was going to book him for considering just, err, punting it away. His award of a free kick to Inverness for a clean win of the ball from our press early in the second half was I think the real flip switch for already visible frustration in the team. IIRC Power took the ball and volleyed it to fuck in immediate response to another gubbins call. I don't think that the penalty decision was wrong, but when you're booking five players in six minutes given what little was at stake, you are also at fault as an official. Personally, I don't care too much if players lost discipline in this particular game. Professional footballers are expected to bite their tongues and accept nonsense from garbage officials all season long and they let that standard slip last night. ^^^ trying too hard

Has AlanPartridgeTon listened to the new Slowdive album?

I listened to it earlier on YouTube. A few very good songs on it. Thanks for the recommendation.

This is a rubbish song by a rubbish band. You know who were good with a female frontman (or should I say frontwoman?) Sleeper.

That made me think of a song by a band called Salad, from the early 1990's. It was called 'Kent' and had a catchy chorus 'why don't you live in a house in Kent, and spend all your money in Brent.' I googled them and the years haven't been kind to them. Unlike other indie bands of that era like Ride or MBV whose tunes are timeless classics and get better each time you hear them, this lot are just a cringefest to watch nowadays: However, I'm sure Alan Partridge Ton would appreciate Miriam Van Der Minge, as she was a TV presenter too. From Holland.

He's living in a lighthouse in Kent. You'd know this if you'd read Big Beacon, which was released last week on both Audible and e-book format. Please note: reading it is mandatory.

Just temporarily. Word is that he was kidnapped from the caravan by a vigilante group of local farmers who’ve got him locked away in a shed full of huge chickens, smoking pigs and big-eared farm boys.

I thought he moved into the static home with that russian burd?

Bad news when we can't offer an important player such as Crawford a 2 year deal but handed one out last season to *check notes* Steven Boyd.

I’m sure Crawford was in the tele the other day saying he’d have been keen to stay at Morton providing he got offered a deal. So we either haven’t offered him one or the more likely is that we’ve offered him a deal, that is pretty crap.