07 Jan 2025 21:22:33
Out of interest lads and lassies.
As we are half way through the season how would your report card read?
Expectations?
Team?
Manager?
Board?
Transfer market?
07 Jan 2025 21:34:55
Expectations
Home, comfortable gd being there.
Away, not a gd place to be so far.
Europe, as far as possible, a domestic trophy, high as possible in league.
Team, hot n cold, hopefully get it right.
Manager, let him work the plan.
Board, more action and information generation of revenue/ investment
Market, a sensible approach needed, cut loose those deemed surplus.
07 Jan 2025 21:49:40
Expectations, 2nd, would like Scottish cup.
Prob turned over in knock out stage of Europa.
Team. We all know the 5 passengers
Manager, unsure, will give him this window and to end of the season to convince me tho
Board, anonymous,
Transfers, average.
07 Jan 2025 21:53:21
Good post fork.
07 Jan 2025 21:59:24
Cheers bud?.
07 jan 2025 22:02:20
there aren't many boards who aren't “ anonymous”, , they work behind tge scenes, in some cases at great personal expense both financially and personally, , the management if the football side are on a pre agreed plan, we will reap the benefits and replan again or next season, with more financial stability.
07 Jan 2025 22:23:12
Expectations: win Scottish Cup. Close gap in league to less than 10 points by having more consistent performances and building some momentum which we can hopefully take into next season. Secure knock out stage in Europa and hope for favourable draw and maybe see us progress another 2 rounds and then who knows.
Team: Jekyll and Hyde this season. Hopefully get a Good CB in this window, maybe 2 as priority. See Dowell, Mccausland etc leave. Hope to see 1 or 2 youth players get minutes over second half of season. Sort out medical set up, volume of injuries have continued to be ridiculous.
Manager: have been on fence for a while. Evidence he has a plan and implementing style of play. Has been hampered by injuries to squad and boardroom shambles. I say back the manager for next 18 months and see where we are ( I will moan along the way from time to time) .
Board: shambolic, hopefully newly filled posts will start to provide stability and we have recruited the correct people to provide real leadership.
Transfers: as above, I don’t see us doing a lot of business this window. Need players out the door. Even if we could make 1 or 2 real quality additions who can bed in over remainder of season ahead of next season. Hopefully we keep key players over summer and at that point can add another 2 or 3 quality players. Money available as ever the big issue for us.
Finance: Find wealthy donor who will pay for 10k stadium expansion. This is a big part of the issue we have in funds versus them, 25 seasons they’ve started £4m - £5m ahead of us in income, add that up and it’s eye watering before you then look at their success in player trading etc.
07 Jan 2025 22:27:38
Room for improvement. Very disappointed that the league is over at the half way point. Disappointing to see Celtic strolling to yet another title.
07 Jan 2025 22:38:34
I agree Storm, Fork, that is an excellent assessment and as a Work in Progress it is not a bad position considering all the injuries to key players this 1st section of the season. Scottish Cup and a good return fro Europe in our position would be acceptable this season.
07 Jan 2025 23:17:27
Work in progress.
Massive signs of the improvement and still massive problems.
Keep going back the manager back kloppen and back the players who are all giving it all they have.
07 Jan 2025 23:37:38
Team work in progress finish 2nd win scottish cup progress into mxt stage. transfers jury out except ingaman and jefte board culpable for past mistakes need to fix it and get fresh money. PC could do better.
08 Jan 2025 07:14:50
I now expect us to be 20 to 25 points behind Celtic and can’t see us winning the Scottish Cup.
The team is very fragile and certainly nowhere near the mentally and physically strong that PC spoke about with his 4 pillars.
In my opinion the manager is still very naive to Scottish football, this can only improve with experience or bring in a SPL manager, I see no advantage in the latter so we’ll need to wait for the penny to drop with PC. There are small marginal improvements but these are very sparse and inconsistent.
I’m a little indifferent to the board, I dint want to hear from them every week, I’d rather see deliverables than the plans to deliver.
I’d say we’ll seen some promise in the transfer market.
Igamane Looks a very good prospect and we’re starting to see a very good player developing. Barron and Jefte seem okay, low risk due to the outlay. Dio is miles off the pace and his inconsistency is impacting the teams results. Proper is dreadful and brings nothing to the starting 11. Don’t want to comment too much on Cortez, the lad needs to get fit and might be a good player, ETL certainly thought he was the best of the bunch.
I guess our hands are tied and we’ll need to accept multiple trebles from Celtic over the next few seasons until we’ve got the player trading model implemented, from what I read this is our only option.
08 Jan 2025 08:30:38
agree in main with Fork and some other comments but where is there a football board that come out and give regular updates on what they are doing. it rarely happens so I think asking for that might be hoping for a bit much
also re Dio if people can't see his improved performances recently, wins the ball back well, covers the pitch and is important to the way we play.
oh Dado and manager only naive away from home as well so selective naivety.
there have been more transfer successes. I know only loans but Cerny and Kasanwirjo before injury were very good. Kelly good back up keeper. Bajrami showed the last couple of games what good player he can be and Dio and Danilo both better than decent. Nsiala looks good in B team and isn't far from first according to some ITK.
agree we need to get more consistent but the progress from even a month ago is obvious.
08 Jan 2025 08:45:07
Agree about Dio, does a lot of graft and will develop further imo. Kasa unfortunately may not be back, would like us to take our time with cortes and get him firing at 100%, danilo coming along nicely?.
08 Jan 2025 09:08:10
No narrative Angus, that’s a bit of a tit comment to be honest. The manager still doesn’t get how to win domestically and therefore is still naive. We’re miles off the top stop so that statement isn’t even really an opinion. Once he learns to win consistently I’ll acknowledge that he’s improving.
08 Jan 2025 09:31:48
Dado he is like that sometimes.
Kash the right back was very good in the few games we seen him, no he was ok but it’s a bit of a stretch to say very good in the little game time we seen him.
08 Jan 2025 09:47:45
Angus dio has improved but for every celtic performance he then throws in a hibs performance so needs more consistency.
08 Jan 2025 10:03:07
Anytime i seen Kasanwirjo play i was really impressed, Diomande is a very good footballer and only going to improve.
08 Jan 2025 11:00:20
Expectations - We will finish 2nd but by 20+ points and a Scottish cup win.
Team - Lacks killer instinct and heads drop too easily on conceding. Improvement in the likes of Igamane, Dio, Raskin and Cerny are good to see. Would like Danilo getting more involvement.
Manager - Needs to learn how to adapt better in games, seems to rigid inside of games. Deserves some credit for staying since the job is not what he was sold.
Board - Could do with more communication which was promised but their hands are tied with the rest.
Transfer market - Would like Dessers, Matondo, Lawrence, Dowell, Tav (likely summer) and Propper all sold. A good solid nasty CH signed. Igamane must stay beyond summer.
Summary - I am willing to give PC time as we probably are stuck with him regardless (still think he will be away maybe in summer)
Would like those dead wood players shipped out and PC to stick with our strongest 11 each game and start filling the bench out with some of the better B team prospects. Least then we are seen to be trying to develop the talent that may be there and that may subside some of the criticism aimed towards the club and PC.
08 Jan 2025 11:17:06
Good post bigbluejim, apart from playing his strongest 11 every game that can't happen playing every three days mate.
08 Jan 2025 11:41:01
Expectations? - destroyed by October.
Team? - one step forward, 2 steps back.
Manager? - a conundrum. Difficult remit to work under but still expect better.
Board? - no comment
Transfer market? - hot and cold. Igamane the pick of the bunch. Others still to convince me for a variety of reasons.
08 Jan 2025 12:02:03
I meant to put where possible as it can't happen but that's why blooding younger boys in and then they can build confidence etc and maybe get some starts in home games and then depends how far we go in Europe ofc.
08 Jan 2025 12:38:40
Cool bigbluejim, I agree with getting more younger players involved.
08 Jan 2025 12:47:48
Nsio, Lovelace, Stevens, Rice, Nsiala Curtis, and will be others.