vikingTON

It was always likely to play out this way from time to time, but let's not kid ourselves into thinking that so-called professional business partners don't throw toys out of the pram and brief their big mates with 'ITK information' too. Just look at thr situation unfolding at Hamilton and Queens' Park within the same division. As a voting member and nothing more than that, the conclusion I am drawing from all this speculative shite is to uniformly vote down any candidate - either to the MCT or GMFC board - who is founc to be gaslighting the fanbase about 'the club folding' or any other nonsense to make a case. State your position and arguments in good faith, and support key claims with evidence. If not, then your airing of supposed dirty linen in public does nothing but harm to the club's relationship with external suppliers, Smiths etc.

Well that's just obvious pish, because the club was - and is - months from setting any budget it wants to acheive a break even status. The funding shortfall under the Raes and the annual MCT contributions to the club are all public domain information. The gap between the two, regardless of any efficiency gains that could be acheived, does not equate to 'folding' but rather deciding whether paying the likes of Niall McGinn to watch daytime TV outside of 'full-time' training is sustainable.

This is pretty much where I'm at. There seems to be a lot of speculaion, guesswork and various axes being ground - rightly or not - about different club officials on various forums. The reality is that there's not enough information in the public domain to confidently arrive at most of these conclusions. The working relationship between MCT as owners and GMFC is a work in progress to put it kindly. The club shouldn't be at the beck and call of fan questions at all times, but the current processes of scrutiny aren't being shown to work and need development as a matter of priority.

I would disagree with your claim that there's "absolutely no chance" of Partick offering another manager a contract. If Partick are doing things competently - and if the Sporting Director post has any purpose - they will be offering it to a shortlisted candidate with a proven track record, over any caretaker that navigates a handful of essentially toss-up cup ties. Scottish football doesn't generally demonstrate competency over sentimental pish of course, but we can't rule it out. It's far from the only time that wild speculation has erupted immediately after the final game within Imrie's relatively short tenure alone, which confirms that there's something fundamentally no' right about the Morton fanbase.

That’s just... not really true though Dale.

To summarise your word salad response: utter garbage. Thanks for playing anyway.

Incidentally, the club should be investigating the absolute nick of the queue to enter the Cowshed/Sinclair Street end and explaining why it happened and what will be done to resolve this. For a dead rubber game it seemed surprisingly busy this evening - possibly with tickets given to kids' groups as well - but the prospect of any new, return customers is massively undermined by the ridiculous length of queueing just to pass underneath thr yoke of Iron Man's 4 white elephant turnstiles. The current system is patently not fit for purpose, so start fucking fixing it.

Nah, Gillespie (for whatever reason) wasn't given game time for over half of this season despite being by all accounts fit. He's certainly had a strong finish to the campaign, but we haven't made the most of what is surely first team wage spot. Another season risks producing a Neil McFarlane style, jobber decline. I'd probably risk another year for Crawford given his versatility, but not both players with that age profile. Assuming we're in a condition to sustain existing squad options of course. Gillespie - like Quitongo and even Broadfoot despite his obvious limitations - is evidence of how Imrie and the coaching staff have maximised the ability of players who would most likely be playing at a lower level under less effective coaches. Which is not a criticism of the players' efforts but rather praise of how exceptional our current coaching staff are at extracting the most from fading prospects. We will only fully recognise that when it's gone IMO.

That'll be why he came on for absolutely no necessary reason in this evening's match then.

Could you please explain how two people performing precisely the opposite behaviours produce the exact same, 100% legit conclusion: he's leaving, in your 'analysis'? On second thought, don't waste our time.

This Shaw fixation is fair ripping my knitting now.

He's played a part but it's a bit part. For a transfer that we committed to back in January 2024 (so foregoing other potential targets), it has not been an effective return on Year 1.

The league campaign has been a clear success. We're likely hitting a ceiling but that's not the first team's fault - the club needs to grow revenue, as well as have big-spending competitors meet their comeuppance. The cup campaign has combined a still risible missed opportunity (League Cup) and relative misfortune on other fronts. Would certainly like to see Keay play regardless of whether Adeloye might be here next season.

It's not inherently an either/or option. The idea that any of FIFA's hundreds of administrative staff spend even 0.1% of their time handling such 'provincial clubs' is doubtful. The bigger the organisation, the more scope for issues to fall through the cracks (and for automated systems to just run without much scrutiny). It's also of course doubtful that GMFC and Mr Minerals could run a bath. Both organisations can be at fault.

All this song and dance over the status of that irrelevant jobber?

Dominic Shimmin checking in for a game when he can be arsed too?

We do not have a smaller first team squad than Airdrie. You are just wrongly placing any and all irrelevant regens in that category, when similar regens at Morton are consigned to 'apprenticeship' roles and so magically don't count. The stark difference in age and experience between the paper 'squads' you are referring to gives lie to any serious claim that our squad depth was weaker at any point this season. Your immediate, humiliating climbdown from claiming Hamilton, Dunfermline etc. as examples of waif-like first teams is noted.

Hopefully that's the case. Meanwhile, in statto land, a simple home win over the least deserving 'survival job' of all time, managed by Popcorn Teeth, would have us achieve the ultimate midtable, 12W, 12D, 12L, 48 pts record. Shame the goal difference is not going to make zero too. The level of achievement already confirmed given the monumental nick we were in until JET got arrested shouldn't be underestimated. If we have a *relatively* drama-free close season then we could kick on from this, but the reality of our budget means that at least some key players will get poached to elsewhere.

Who and where exactly were Hamilton, Queens Park and Dunfermline ever cited as examples of clubs operating with small squads this season? A: They weren't - you just created a ludicrous straw man to attack, in order to deflect from your original claim. Airdrie's average squad age is around 4 full years younger than Morton’s, and no, that isn't explained away by your fixation with McGinn (previously Broadfoot) alone. Imrie and the club assembled a perfectly suitable size of squad this season, with relative experience and depth that helps explain why we're comfortably midtable, while Airdrie stunk the place out for half a season. The reality's however is that there is nothing more to be gained from pursuing yet more 'depth'. You will never have all key players fit and not suspended all season long regardless - it is the lack of more widespread quality throughout the team that explains the ceiling that we have hit.

It is simply not true that we ran with a smaller squad of actual, legitimate Championship players this season than Airdrie did for example. Counting some ringers for another team but not for us (because Imrie never plays them) is not a credible measurement of squad depth. Let us try again. How exactly would having better depth achieve more than the 48-ish point, obvious ceiling that we hit time and time again? Where would the money come from to afford genuinely effective cover options at this level - given that every other club would want such obvious dreamboat, versatile figures too? The reality is entirely opposite to what you claim. If we want to genuinely push beyond our solid points total for a promotion play off, then we should reduce squad depth and gamble more on the fitness of key players (like Wilson) who are available for us precisely because of such reasons. The risk from that small squad, high quality and high injury risk approach is obvious - but it is the only serious strategy to have us punch well above our weight in any single season. 'Adding squad depth' with the 9th biggest budget in the division can only guarantee midtable solidity at best. Which is not to be automatically rejected IMO, but we need to be crystal clear about the limitations we are embedding in such an approach.

We really didn't have the smallest squad in the division this season, it was just loaded to the gills with sand dancers. Imrie was quite clear in pursuing greater depth compared to a starting 11 (or 14) after last season; we have ended up in essentially the same place for different reasons.

Just stick another youth keeper on the bench.

If there's doubt over us with our zero serious goal threats offering a new deal, then what other clubs would be battering the door down to sign him? He's certainly going higher up the pyramid and with QP/Hamilton's troubles, the number of 'ambishun' fuelled, joke entities beneath us is diminishing too. It doesn't strike me as a player who has a lot of options.

Oisin McEntee attempts a Hand of God in the 101st minute to give 'Walsall' a crucial victory towards promotion. Linesman spots it only after the scenes and 'Walsall' are forced to slither home with a 0-0 draw. Having been about 20 points clear in automatic promotion spots, they're now dropping into the play-offs at best.

I'd agree with this. Boyes also has the advantages of being: • left footed, • more willing and able to play the ball out (both points that ideally complement Baird) • able to cover left back at a push too. You're simply not going to get a totally commanding and consistent centre back with the above traits too playing in the entire division, never mind at our budget level. I'm more sceptical of Corr but there's no issue in allowing another season to see if he can stay fit and kick on. The biggest question mark for me is Adeloye. I haven't been at the past few games, but the manic-depressive swing in the fanbase from enthusiasm to contempt since he signed rather overlooks the difficulty we have finding a genuine centre forward with an eye for goal. He may not be fit now but would that be different with a full pre-season rather than rocking up after 12 months off? It would certainly be a gamble to offer a new deal (a year would have to be the maximum on the table IMO), but the potential upside is significantly higher than any of our other forward options.