dennyc

Or Wullie P for Hibs if we are being nostalgic. That Graham - Pettigrew double act was some partnership given they were not good enough going by some folks criteria. And let's add Vic Davidson.

If they sell Rice and Soucek as seems likely, they could buy Turnbull with the loose change. Losses of £27m are only a slight inconvenience in the Premier League. It's a different world thanks to Sky and sponsor deals.

Maybe the rule has changed and if so, apologies. TNS used Wrexham's ground in 2013 and 2017 for European ties so I don't think it is an English Leagues thing. If Bala wanted to and Wrexham were agreeable I think they could switch unless they are tied to Oswestry contractually.

We really should hope Sligo get through. Their allocation for the away leg was increased to 300 (almost one third of Uefa capacity) and sold out in minutes... but only after major problems with the ticketing site. Reads like Sligo fans had to purchase tickets direct from Bala. That 300 total was a big concession as Uefa regulations state that only 5% must be made available to away fans. Hopefully if we do end up facing Bala, the tie is switched to a larger ground but that is not even being mentioned as a possibility as yet. Although Bala are seeded higher, Sligo are well into their season and I think that makes them favourites.

Not all fans. The vocal minority. And the majority of those were against him from day one. Other than that I agree.

All speculation of course, but that's close season boredom for you. Of the teams that finished ahead of us, three are likely to improve and even if they don't they will still be stronger than us. Money talks. Dundee Utd could stay about the same level even with Siegrist gone. Jack Ross knows what he is doing and has a point to prove. So it would not surprise me if they do improve but not to the extent of top three. Of those clubs who finished below us, I could see County and Livi struggling to stay at last season's level as top players leaving such limited squads must have an adverse affect. But how often have we thought that about those two Clubs? And been proven wrong. Aberdeen and Hibs will be much better and recent/pending recruitment indicates they will be stronger. Again finance plays a huge part. And if anybody wants to wager Aberdeen will not end up better than 3rd bottom please get in touch. St Mirren I think will be much the same, although they will be harder to beat under Robinson. St Johnstone are the team I think could go either way. Can they possibly be as bad as last season? They strolled through the play off, a bit like us against Rangers, so will start this season on a high. If pushed, I expect them to improve. Finally, I think Kilmarnock will offer much more than Dundee. Especially given that atrocious home pitch and with McInnes in charge. As for us, I think to improve we have to bring in at least four quality players....a striker, two midfielders (one holding one creative) and (given the question marks regards fitness) one Central defender. Beyond that a left back and a winger would be a bonus. With Woolery, Carroll and McGinley still around I don't expect those two areas to be a priority for Alexander no matter what us fans think. Also for us to improve I think Alexander has to take a much more flexible approach to how we set up game to game. Become a bit more unpredictable. He moved on from 4-3-3 towards the end of the season and we were able to secure 5th place. I don't think we would have been looking forward to Europe had he not made those changes. I do fear he will go down the 4-3-3 route once again though and I am far from convinced the current squad can make that formation work for any length of time. Oh, and no Mugabi at right back please. That experiment failed. So in summary, unless we recruit wisely and are flexible formation wise I can see several clubs pushing past us. Like others have said, let's go for quality above numbers.

https://www.linfieldfc.com/ticketinfo.aspx?id=26442 If the link doesn't work. it is on their site under ticket information. Posted June 18.

Linfield quoting a capacity of 1000, all seated. And as for numbers, they are having a ballot as way more than 200 members had registered as wanting to go. And that's from an official statement so tends to ring true.

TNS at home to Linfield at that stadium in Oswestry. Linfield are getting 200 tickets per their official club site. Hopefully if we end up playing Bala, the game is in Rhyl which MIGHT end up with us getting a few more than 200 tickets. But it wont be enough though. If Bala wanted to cash in, they should approach Wrexham now just in case.

Best draw we could have gotten from a playing sense. Minimal travel for the players, British style of play so no surprises, home leg first and and with the proper preparation one we should win. Plus an easier away trip for the fans than the likes of Bosnia. Hopefully a great turnout. The fans can get the more glamorous away trips in the third and play off rounds. If we are lucky the third round could even be against a team lower seeded than us, if there are are a few surprises in the second round. Fingers crossed.

Clarke was likely seen as a safe pair of hands to take over what had become a shambles. And he did steady the ship. Credit to him for that. But now he is a barrier to progress. More intent on not losing than trying to win. And how's that working out? How to stiffle our opponents appears to be his game plan. Then of course he plays favourites and the likes of Christie, McTominey, Armstrong, Hanley, Hendry get undeserved game time ahead of apparent squad fillers such as Turnbull, Ferguson, Campbell, SOD and Souttar..... who was a revelation when he was brought in. Others have not even had the chance to show what they can do in squad get togethers. Jason Kerr and Ryan Hardie spring to mind. Where on earth did Jason Brown come from? Certain players appear undroppable no matter how many poor games in a row they have, McGinn and MacGregor as prime examples. In my opinion he is also influenced by the media, so players such as Hickey, Patterson, Ralston, Stewart are fast tracked at the expense of others. And where is his forward planning? Who has been blooded in case Gordon gets injured? Inexperienced strikers left on the bench against Ukraine where he preferred to move Hanley forward rather than take a risk on two strikers with less than 90 minutes of game time between them. Despite a couple of meaningless games where Clarke could have have given them a proper run out, just in case.. But in my opinion the issue goes a lot deeper than Stevie Clarke. Anybody who has watched the U21s will witness a mirror image of the senior team. Gemmill has failed miserably and the latest performance against Denmark was just as worrying as we witnessed yesterday. The entire set up needs overhauled and braver/ innovative Management put in place. We likely have four meaningless Nations Cup games coming up. It would be encouraging to think Clarke might give others a chance, with a view to the future. But I wont hold my breath on that one.

Clarke might as well just stick to a squad of 16 players. A good number of the current squad must wonder why they gave up their holidays just to carry the kit. The regulars have played an excessive number of games this season and it showed today and against Armenia and Ukraine. I get that these are tournament matches, but even when it's meaningless games Clarke trots out his favourites. Refuses to give bench players meaningful game time to see what they can contribute. And the result? Against Ukraine when needing a goal and the usual strikers running on empty, he moves Hanley to centre forward and ignores the strikers left sitting on the bench as they have no international experience under their belts. Total and utter mismanagement. No doubt Clarke will trot out the usual excuses. His post match interviews are an insult to fans who make the effort to go along. Ask them if they thought Scotland did well against the mighty Armenia, as Clarke and his media buddies reported.

Goodwin had an excellent track record at Alloa and St Mirren. Respected for developing players and discovering decent players from the likes of Ireland. Tactically he often outwitted both Robinson and Alexander. Not worked out yet at Aberdeen but it will. He inherited a shambles from Glass who in fairness had been thrown in at the deep end. And if it does not work out at Aberdeen, I hope he ends up at Fir Park some day. If Goodwin believes Dunne can help him to sort out that defence then he clearly has more faith in Dunne than some on here. Having managed Dunne at St Mirren I suggest he is in a far better position to judge than we are. He will also have taken Dunne's injury record into account and must have information that suggests those problems have been overcome. But it is a risk. Then again all transfers are. As with quite a few players, Dunne was never as poor as some on here would have you believe. Maybe not a superstar on the field but a decent player. One of those whose good performances were ignored by his critics but whose every mistake was met with glee by those same critics. And he was an integral part of the most successful team we have had in recent times. A player who always gave his all. I believe if he had not picked up that terrible injury in an early season League Cup match (at Stranraer?) he would have been a key player that season and beyond. The Club clearly thought so as well given the number of times he was given a short term contract in the hope he would fully recover. St Mirren and Goodwin took a gamble and offered him a two year contract when we were not prepared to do so. And that worked out fine. So if he ends up at Aberdeen, good luck to him. He has earned that reward. And if St Mirren benefit to the tune of £350k, well done them.

I think Spittal has always been a threat when he has played against us, even when coming off the bench. Certainly somebody I am wary of when he is on the pitch. Memory might be playing tricks but I seem to recall him scoring/assisting a few quality goals against us. And he is only in his mid 20s. He is certainly an upgrade on the likes of Roberts so in that sense the squad will be stronger. Worth a try in my opinion. My only worry is that yet again we are faced with " this is a player who can play in a number of positions". At least it was not " this is a player who can play anywhere across the front three". I get that it is beneficial to have some players who can cover a few positions if need be, but I am hoping we sign a few players who excel in a particular position and will be the first names on the team sheet, in that preferred position. Holding Midfielder, Left Back/Wing Back as examples. Like Steelboy I am also hoping to see players signed that suggest a move away from 4-3-3 week in week out, or at least give it a better chance of being effective. Some teams do seem to make that formation work but the quality of players they recruit are way way beyond our budget. Liverpool, Celtic, Spurs as examples. Regards Davis, at his age and with his experience I think he might be looking to move into a player/coach situation where his game time can be managed. More likely a better chance of that in Scotland than England although I think his family still live in the Southampton area. Perhaps a deal can be done and I have no doubt that every one of our midfield players would benefit from his presence off and on the pitch. Again worth a try if we can satisfy his wage demands within our budget.

You mean Goss nowhere to be seen! Don’t tell the BBC or you will ruin their latest work of fiction.