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Kmcalpin

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Posts posted by Kmcalpin

  1. over the eyars, and I'm going back to the Tubby Ogston and Ally Shewan days, referees rarely give us much at Pittodrie. The Dons have tightened up their defence considerably since the 3 -3 draw. A draw for us will be a great result but for them very poor. 

  2. Quite a day it was. 136,000 inside Hampden with thousands locked out.

    The feeling before the game was that, given the weather conditions, if we could hold Dundee until HT, then we could beat them. Snuffing out Billy Steele, their star man, would be crucial. A banner before the game proclaimed "We're not afraid of Steele as we've handled it all our lives". Just how it turned out: we held them until the break then scored 4 second half goals.    

    • Thanks 1
  3. 8 hours ago, robsterwood said:

    Heard on radio and p and b that were linked with Stefan Scougal of Alloa. as replacement for Spital. Think he used to be ok at Livi prior to Sheffield move but too old now and even less pace than Spital 

    Just a rumour of course, but I hope there's no substance to it. Lauded as a real coup when he chose St Johnstone instead of us but he flopped in Perth. At the time Saints fans said he was too small and lightweight for the league - Tierney Mkii?

  4. 29 minutes ago, grizzlyg said:

    I felt we blundered when we gave season ticket holders a free season a few seasons back.  Even say offering them for £100 would have been some income.

    I tend to agree Grizzly. I did hear though that it was complicated. Something to do with the insurance claim that the club submitted. I think the upshot was that because of the pay out, we couldn't charge for season tickets or something like that. I felt guilty because we received a season's free TV and another season of free season tickets.  A fair few fans were uncomfortable with that and paid for their tickets either in full or in part.  

  5. 6 minutes ago, steelman1991 said:

    I don't see how that in anyway helps the club. At least an inflationary rise should be applied.

    A very modest inflationary increase would have been in order, but I'm not complaining if prices are frozen. Most folks wages or pensions have increased slightly. Inflation is now about 3%. In effect then, season tickets will be very slightly cheaper for many.

  6. 2 hours ago, robsterwood said:

    Aberdeen want 8 mil for miovski

    He scored 15 last season and also top scorer this season but  no where near that tally season's before. Not even double figures. Must keep Bair. 

    They won't get it.

    In fairness though, the very fact that he plays for Aberdeen, and before he even kicked a ball, automatically means he's a very good player. That's worth £1-2m alone. 

  7. 9 hours ago, bobbybingo said:

    It's an important game. If we lose while Ross County win at Livi, the season's definitely not over.

    The most likely scenario I think Bobby. I also think St Johnstone will take a point from Hibs. No reason to panic though. At the end of the season I think we'll finish 9th, 3 points above the 11th placed team.  We can beat Livingston and draw in the last game, that should be be enough.  Our superior goal difference will be a valuable cushion too.

    • Like 1
  8. 3 minutes ago, ropy said:

    Did he get a pay off, i.e. have St Johnstone effectively paid his salary this year and we are topping it up with the buttons that was reported earlier in the season.

    If his contract was terminated by St Johnstone, then yes, he would have received a pay off from them. 

  9. 55 minutes ago, grizzlyg said:

    Tam Cowan on radio saying he heard Bair could be off to Bristol City for £750k, if true then that is cracking bit of business but obviously would miss the big man,  will wait and see if any truth in it

    If true, we should hold off until the summer to find out if any other raptors circle. On the face of it, a good deal, with the proviso that the devil is in the detail.

  10. 38 minutes ago, FirParkCornerExile said:

    that ignores the fact , irrespective of league position nearly every year where we've not had a good cup run , semis at least, or transfer fees, the club incurs losses. Finishing in the top 4 also costs money because there are far more win bonuses to be paid. If new money is not forth coming or we don't get decent transfer fees each year the cost / budget to finish tenth a few cup games gets more expensive each year because operating costs and salary expectations increase each year. That budget for tenth and a few cup games also excludes the cost of punting a manager if we hit dire straights. I've said before the fan model is perfectly workable but without new money the level at which the club operates year on year gets harder to sustain when variable income streams do not materialise. Its basic economics. If revenue streams don't increase and costs do something has to give. Sure its not a worry as long as we get cup run money and transfer fees none of which are any way guaranteed. People can disagree but to me we do operate a bit on a a wing and a hope in terms of expected income.

    Agree 100%. Football in Scotland is constantly changing and moving forward and not always for the best. Clubs at our mid table level like Killie, Dundee and St Mirren are "finding money" from somewhere, albeit that might not be from sustainable sources. Its becoming harder to compete with them. So, in order to stand still, we have to increase our income.  Transfer income is not gauranteed and can be unpredictable.  Young players are now moving on earlier for meagre compensation as the big boys of world football get greedier, and the authorities simply stand aside meekly.

    Fans too are changing and are becoming far harder to please and demanding. Many younger and middle aged spectators have been weaned on a diet of English Premier League football and that is now the standard, to which they are accustomed. 

    As a club we have to update, modernise and increase our income streams sonehow as you rightly point out. Nothing is permanent but change. 

  11. 59 minutes ago, StAndrew7 said:

    This is it exactly for me. The club has always (since administration etc. anyway) operated under a model where we need to sell a player every other year to keep the books balanced, or sell a Turnbull every three or so.

    Good post. 

    Irrespective of how its been achieved, ie through development of the Academy, we have always been a selling club. Whatever investment model we adopt in future, that will never change. Thats not to say, of course, that we shouldn't maximise other income streams. Of course we should.

    • Like 1
  12. 42 minutes ago, Pepper said:

    If those in charge of the Club are so in favour of retaining fan ownership why did they effectively cut the Society out by seeking direct outside investment that would likely require the Society to relinquish majority control?

    We'll find out details in  due course, so need to get our knickers in a twist just yet. 

    With regard to your point, we should all remember that, as things stand, Society reps on the board outnumber other directors by 2:1. However thats a good question. The 2 Society members on the Board, Douglas Dickie and Tom Feely are effectively wearing 2 hats. By default, the Society wasn't cut out. 

  13. Vale beside Bair please, not behind him. 

    Not confident about this one as Aberdeen seem to know how to beat us this term, with us holding on for a draw after being 3 up last time out at Pittodrie. They may also have a new manager bounce, if there is such a thing.

    • Like 1
  14. 1 hour ago, steelboy said:

    I don't think the budget is the problem. This season we had Lamie, McGinley, Maguire, Tierney, Butcher, Obika, Wilkinson, Shaw, Elliot, Souare, Mahon and Halliday contributing basically nothing. Our top earning players like Kelly, O'Donnell and McGinn kept two clean sheets all season. Slattery is another top earner who contributed nothing after the first international break. Nicholson is unfit and other than a flurry against Livi away added nothing.  

    Spittal will be away and it looks like Mugabi as well. 

    Tierney is the only one of those players under contract for next season. We probably have the biggest scope for a squad overhaul we've ever had this summer. If as rumoured we are going to sign Halliday despite the overwhelming evidence that his legs are gone then it's a bad omen that Kettlewell hasn't learned his lesson from Obika. 

    The budget available isn't in question for next season but we need the manager to prove he can bring in permanent signings who can play 30-40 games at a consistent level. Bair and Davor are the only two proper signings he's made who have had a positive impact and even then they are nowhere near consistent as well being technically limited. 

    I agree with most of that. Not convinced by Davor though, but thats balanced by Paton, who has done a job.  To be fair, he's brought in some decent loan signings: Vale, Gent, Spencer, and Biereth, although he got his fingers burnt with the latter two.

    Halliday? I just don't know,. I wasn't as concerned as many when he first signed but he hasn't really worked out.  Now is that down to lack of fitness or his legs going? Maybe  a bit of both. I just hope SK knows. Midfield is an area we definitely need to strengthen  for next season.

  15. 2 hours ago, Stuwell2 said:

    As for what other clubs are spending if we ignore Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Aberdeen and Hibs who all appear to be well above us, then I’m talking about the other premiership teams and Dundee Utd - apart from Livingston. 
    In 2023 Kilmarnock and StJ appear to have wages of just above £2m, StM £1.7m, RC £1.5m and Livingston £1.3m. I couldn’t see the Dundee clubs on my quick search but given they have backers I’m guessing (forgive my guessing and correct me if you know them), Utd will be spending as much if not more than us and Dundee will be slightly behind us.

    For the year ended May 2022 our total staff costs were 5.2m. Now that includes all staff of course, although the playing side will account for the majority of that. I'm sure I read somewhere that Killie's budget was about the same, as was St Johnstones (their average player salary was below ours but they have traditionallly carried huge squads). Ross County's would likely be above ours as would both Dundee clubs. SK mentioned last year that Dundee "blew us out of the water" when offering a player terms. United would likely have had a player budget about 25-30% above ours. 

    Educated guesswork on my part.  

  16. 20 minutes ago, steelboy said:

    Really?

    If you look at the EPL Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal were the three bookies favourites and the last match between them was two Saturdays ago. Man City have an extremely easy run in for their final 7 games. 

    I don't remember too many Spanish Classicos in April or May either. 

    I generally agree with some of what you say, but not over this.  However, its wrong to solely blame the SPFL, although they do deserve some criticism. Police Scotland will already have made its feelings known and the Scottish Government (it doesn't matter who is in power) will also be monitoring the situation. Sadly sectarianism is deep rooted in our society to such an extent that it mustn't be discussed in public, let alone addressed. We're still in the dark ages over this.

    Sectarianism is at the root cause of this.

  17. The team of the mid seventies was the best Well team that I've seen since I was taken to Fir Park as a toddler. It had everything, although it might  be frowned upon by some of today's fans. 

    Football was a lot simpler in those days. Limited TV coverage, less exposure of English football and more limited fan expectations.   

    • Like 1
  18. 1 hour ago, robsterwood said:

    Personal opinion but I'm not that interested now finishing 7th or 8th or 9th. I know money means a lot to club but to fans I'm not interested now and season over. Splits not a great idea. Means seasons finished and clubs in top half sometimes have less points than bottom 6. Think we're safe now points plus goal difference. Wil be back at league cup matches.

    I think we're almost safe but won't take it for granted until we're mathematically home and dry. If, as seems likely, we play Aberdeen, Hibs or Ross County away first, and suffer a loss, which isn't beyond the bounds of possibility, there will be a few squeaky bums on here and elsewhere amongst our support. 

    The sequence of the fixtures will be crucial. We don't want Ross County away as the first fixture. To be fair, none of the other 4 teams will either.

    Our season isn't quite over yet.

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