15 Aug 2026 11:28:44
If we appointed SG as manager this season do we think the recruitment, tactics, style of play would have been better?
15 Aug 2026 11:41:15
No, the recruitment would've been a shambles regardless. Defence should've been the first priority for recruitment after last season and the players who left!
I don't get the logic behind the majority of the signings, and now we are turning into a laughing stock and a club that clubs and agents are going to be wary about dealing with.
McInnes is the right manager, but AC and the recruitment team need a reality check, and fast.
15 Aug 2026 11:47:38
Totally, he would have had them fitter, more organised and playing in a winning style. Also, he would have signed different players and had their respect.
The reason he left was they wouldn't back him financially and he had us league champions 6 points clear when he left and beating them regularly, don't forget it was his players that got to the Europa final, what's your thoughts?
15 Aug 2026 11:43:49
No, because those 2 gimps purdy and Thelwell jnr would still be involved
15 Aug 2026 11:56:45
Tbh, it would have been hard to be any worse. I hate harking back to past managers, but take Walter Smith, for example. Do you think he would have been able to get a tune out of the current squad? Remember when Walter came in after Le Guen and inherited a squad of supposedly poor players with low morale. We were too far behind at the point of the season he took over to overturn the gap, but he was able to make a real go of it. And 18 months later we were in a UEFA final and only didn't win the league because of the fixture pile up and the four games in 8 days scenario.
All because of the 'inflexible' nature of our football authorities. I've said on here before that I'm happy if I can see green shoots, even if results are not always what we'd expect. Sorry, but I've not seen any green shoots so far. I've seen poor tactics, poor selections and poor substitutions. The squad looks bereft of confidence, disjointed and scared to play. Chopping and changing starting line-ups for every game reeks of desperation. I think he needs to decide on his best 11 and go with it, otherwise we will never see any fluidity or organisation in our play.
15 Aug 2026 11:58:01
Recruitment wouldn't have been a shambles because he would have done something about it before he came!
As in, part of the deal would be to get rid of!
15 Aug 2026 12:15:50
Yep, totally.
15 Aug 2026 12:32:14
In terms of recruiting, we have an exacerbated problem because we have overloaded in midfield whilst not securing the problem areas first. Namely defence, where sadly a complete overhaul was required.
Equally, whilst not perfect, we did have cover on the wide areas before moving on players (which I get fully, as offers only last a set amount of time). I think the CM/DM has also been complicated, as we have not moved on those we wanted to (Raskin/Barron/Diomande) either quick enough or at all, and so it has left a real imbalance. And now, seeing 'quoted' in a few places Brugge appear keen on Rommens (if he wants to leave already and there is strong profit fine), which may be good if the deal is right in terms of money and player desire, but timing wise awful as we are already down in that area.
I genuinely think timing and imbalance are having a bigger effect than quality right now, because it has left us scrambling both on and off the park, led to inconsistent performances and now a real danger of losing out on Europe (and the money, which can still amount to around 10m euros).
The other big issue, as many have pointed out, is that some of the team look strangely unfit right now, which is the big unforgivable for me.
15 Aug 2026 13:03:41
Hendo, he left cause Aston Villa came in for him & he claimed the squad wasn't good enough after going undefeated. He was backed with time & backed financially. We paid £7 million for Kent, we started paying higher wages to convince them to join us too, they didn't join cause of Gerrard & he signed a lot of dross too, but people forget that cause of 1 league title. Pretty sure he's the highest paid manager we've had in recent years too. Gerrard isn't a successful manager, so why would he get respect? It was Gio who got that team to the Europa League final, not Gerrard, so stop giving him credit (shows that they were good enough).
Would not bring Gerrard back at all, there's a reason he hasn't got a job & been overlooked. His first time here wasn't all sunshine & rainbows, like I said above, his recruitment wasn't stellar either. Davidson was more successful than him.
Dadab that was Kevin Thelwell's plan for this summer, but he got kicked out, McInnes chose what to prioritise so blame him for not sorting the defence out.
15 Aug 2026 13:20:57
Absolutely, because Gerrard would not accept players being signed that he hadn't okayed, there wouldn't be the stories that the manager was unhappy with the signings, because he would take ownership of all the signings good and bad. There is also the added bonus that his name would get some signings over the line just like it did the first time.
15 Aug 2026 13:55:53
DJB, he built that team and Kent was good under Gerrard, he wanted Verman and they wouldn't bring him in. If you remember the team he started with, then the team he left us with, Europa final. He has said in interviews that he wasn't given the resources to take the club to the next level.
15 Aug 2026 14:00:43
Seeker, the first thing Smith did was sign David Weir, Ugo Ehiogu & Kevin Thomson.
2 proper centre halves and the best CM in Scotland at the time outside of the Old Firm.
No interest in future value, potential etc.
Ready made, straight into the first team.