capt_oats

Busta's definitely on to something about the full backs. Against both Hearts and Thistle Tait was pushing quite high up the park. At one point in the first half at Firhill he was trying to get a backheel at the near post. Looking at it I wondered if we've possibly been looking at using Tait's delivery to compensate for Johnson having left. The diagonal ball from the right back/midfield area to the back post seems to have been one that we've started to exploit see goals vs Accies, Thistle & McDonald's offside goal against Hearts. Problem is we seem to leave gaps in those wide areas at the moment and lack players with legs who will fill in and cover. I can't really see this being anything other than a total shoeing. We're shipping so many cheap goals and seem to lack organisation at the back especially between goalkeeper and back 4.

Watched the Oxford game just there, Johnson made an appearance as a sub. Hemmings didn't do much and ex-Thistle striker Lyle Taylor had a run out for Wimbledon. Not to go down the route of slagging off/dismissing other leagues but that was absolutely chronic. I think I'm right in saying with Johnson, Hemmings, Rothwell and a couple of others Oxford spent £1m+ in transfer fees over the summer. The game barely rose above hoofball level though Wimbledon had a couple of decent finishes for their goals.

Got mine earlier this afternoon. Massive thanks for taking the time to deliver out here. Had a quick read and it's great, look forward to giving it more attention over the weekend.

You realise of course that the average age of the current u20s squad is 18? And includes a 16 year old and 4 17 year olds...

I thought that was the case but wasn't 100% sure.

Bloody hell. Where to start with that? Ideally, yes it'd be just lovely to be able to send our development players out on loan to different leagues. However it's not a case of "offering" them the chance as you optimistically put it. The other side and their manager have to want them and be willing to play them whether they're in the English conference, Norway, Italy, France, Germany or China. Genuine question; how many development level players have moved to England or further afield on loan from Scottish Premiership sides in say the last 5 years, and taking that further how many of them haven't been Celtic players? #warbs was banging on in a similarly idealistic way as yourself about how his view was that the development level players should be challenging themselves down south IIRC. Where are his players out on loan this season? St Mirren, Raith Rovers and Livingston. In Celtic's case it's Dunfermline, Stenhousmuir, Peterhead, Morton, Dumbarton, Alloa and Hibs. Recently from Celtic I count Henderson on loan to Rosenberg, O'Connell on loan to Oldham and Cork City, McGregor to Notts County and Tony Watt to Lierse. Jamie Semple from our academy has, I believe, been over training with Benfica so it'd appear that if there is an opportunity there for a player to visit teams in different countries then we're not restrictive. In fact given his age I'm not sure there's much we could do either way and even that isn't the same as going on loan. Chances are that if a development side player was actually at a level where he'd be viewed as a viable option to loan by an English Conference side or higher or even more optimistically a European side then he'd be playing in our first team.

Completely agree. In principle that's what you'd hope would be happening. It's a significant jump in standard from u20s to Premiership. I've no problem with coaching staff making a judgement call on whether a player is deemed ready or not they see them in training, I don't. I'm just a wee guy on the internets who pitches up and watches some games now and again. You'd hope that a development loan would go some way to helping bridge the gap. However, the issue there is surely it requires another manager/club to actually want the player and be willing to play them.

It's fair to say with McCall there was a core group of starters, it's stating the obvious to point out that the squads amounted to more than that though. 2011-12 - 14 players started 10+ league games however 22 players were used in league games over the course of the season. 2012-13 - 13 players started 10+ league games, 24 players used 2013-14 - 16 players started 10+ league games, 25 players used So far this season we've seen 8 players start every league game with 20 players used in total.

At present I count a first team squad of 21 including an assistant manager. That's about normal, no? Were we not at about 26 after Baraclough's trolley dash? Worth adding that 1 is a 6 month loan and another is on a short term deal until January. Samson, Brill; Tait, Heneghan, McManus, Hammell, Chalmers, Kennedy; Cadden, Lasley, McHugh, Lucas, Clay, Thomas, MacLean; McDonald, Blyth, Bowman, Moult, Belic, McFadden As an example Thistle's first team squad lists 25 players https://ptfc.co.uk/team/first-team/ Killie list 25 http://www.kilmarnockfc.co.uk/Teams?sTeam=398 Dundee list 24 http://dundeefc.co.uk/team/first-team/ Ross County list 19 but + Chris Burke who's not listed that makes 20 http://www.rosscountyfootballclub.co.uk/squads/1st-team/

So far two thirds of them. Tait, Heneghan, Clay, Bowman have started every game since signing. Assuming McHugh recovers from his concussion it's fair to say he'll be considered a first pick and with any luck Brill will get his shot ahead of Samson. Of the other 3 one is on a short term 6 month deal, another is on a 6 month loan deal which leaves Blyth but I'd say expecting 100% hit rate is pretty unrealistic tbh.

Take it it'd be classed as an emergency loan then? Minimum 28 days, maximum 93 days. That'd mean he'd be back in January.

^^^ Basically this. I've probably seen more of the u20s this season than I have the first team. There are some very decent players for that level in the side Campbell, MacLean and Turnbull being the obvious ones. Both Craigan and Lasley seem to have them playing an impressive style of football although I can only imagine the rage from the 'get it up the park' element of our support as they pass the ball across the back 4 or Campbell plays it back to his centre halves rather than lumping it. The thing is the question of how ready they are for the first team. Using Dom Thomas as an example; he's been around the first team for the past few seasons but has thus far failed to make an impression, he's brushed off the ball fairly easily and concedes possession. Cadden and Hall have been successful examples of "giving youth a chance". It's fairly idealistic, and dare I say it naive, to think that we're just going to chuck a bunch of the 20s into the first team in some sort of sink or swim experiment. Bear in mind the 20s lost (albeit narrowly) against a League 1 Airdrie side, we're playing a couple of levels above that. There are players in the 20s who are worth a shot in the team, generally speaking they've been on the bench for first team games this season. The one issue I have is that if we're not going to use these players off the bench then surely it'd be in everyone's interests to have them out on dev loans and get competitive games. Though the caveat there is that another team/manager needs to want them and be willing to play them. At the moment Luke Watt is the only u20s player we have out on loan and I believe most of his appearances for Stranraer (again League 1 level) so far have been as a substitute.

That's yer Chris Cadden pulled out the Scotland u21 squad. Expected that after he went off on Friday tbf. https://twitter.com/scottishfa/status/782649319275069440

It may be the same one you're talking about but in the build up to their 2nd he palmed a low cross into the middle of the area. The thing is he's a 32 year old goalkeeper and he's still carrying these traits and they're criticisms that have been levelled at him throughout his career. He's not going to see them coached out him regardless of how good our goalkeeping coach may be. There's a reason Killie fans were delighted to see the back of him.

I watched the full game back last night and as disappointing as the result was I'm very much in the "we weren't that bad" camp. In the first half other than pick up a ball that sclaffed off Heneghan Samson didn't have a meaningful save to make, by and large we were containing Hearts reasonably well and it's fair to say we had the best chances with Hamilton saving from Clay and a decent effort from McDonald that was beat away near post. However, same as v Thistle, we gifted them a goal. Samson had nothing to do in 45 mins of football except claim a floated free kick which he gets caught under, ineffectively waving a fist at the ball then Lasley elects not to just put his laces through the ball to get us up the park and instead of going in 0-0 we go in 1-0 down. Again, it's an obvious truism but goals change games, unfortunately whether it's Samson vs St Johnstone, Hammell vs Thistle or the first on Friday we have a habit of giving sides cheap goals. The fact that the 3 goals on Friday stemmed from our failure to clear our lines effectively is as disappointing as the result. I agree that Ainsworth would have been the obvious replacement for Cadden but equally I didn't feel Lucas did much wrong when he came on. He showed for the ball in the centre of the park, took a touch and moved the ball on, switched play and more often than not found his man. Indeed it was his ball that gave McDonald his chance for the offside goal. If anything though he'd have been the more obvious replacement for Lasley. Ultimately I thought there were periods in the game where we played quite well and fashioned some decent chances that we didn't take. We didn't lose the game because we were outplayed in any meaningful way, we lost the game because we gifted Hearts, who are a good side, goals. Having said all that Paterson's goal was an absolute thunderbastard and McFadden's free kick was quite, quite superb.

Clay for me. Thought Tait had a decent enough game to a point as well.

The sizing guide they've got on the 'well shirt is such: Sizing S 38" Chest, 26" Long M 40" Chest, 27" Long L 44" Chest, 27.5" Long XL 46" Chest, 28" Long XXL 48" Chest, 28.5" Long

^^^ Exactly this. Out of curiosity which clubs voted for strict liability and which didn't? It'd be quite lovely in light of The Rangers' statement if it transpired Hibs voted for and The Rangers against.

Aye, I ordered one last night. Interested to see how it turns out.

Agree with Steelboy. Having looked through the notes of reasons after the announcement yesterday then it seems a logical outcome in light of the rules as they are. http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/resources/documents/Disciplinary/Decision%20of%20Judicial%20Panel%20-%20Hibernian%20FC.pdf

Agree with all of this. I've been along to a few of the games this season and it's fair to say that both Craigan and Lasley seem to be doing a good job. The players seem pretty switched on and comfortable with the ball at their feet and aren't afraid to keep hold of the ball. The fact that the games are kicking off early evening these days make them a bit easier to get along to as well.

Looking at Hearts away record thus far I was quite surprised to see they've scored 2 and conceded 2. I think them scudding ICT gave me the impression they were a bit more free scoring. Drew 0-0 with Aberdeen, won 2-1 at Firhill and lost 1-0 at McDairmid though given the chances they squandered they could easily have won that (but didn't). I've a bit of a fear about Walker and Nicholson going up against our full backs and I can see Watt fancying his chances against Heneghan. Having said that McGhee's record vs Hearts at FP last season wasn't too bad; a 2-2 draw and a 1-0 win (albeit that was post-split).

It's a bit of a truism but you can usually tell by players reactions & very few, if any, Thistle players are claiming for a decision. Scully is absolutely raging at his defenders. The only arm that goes up is the player who notices the linesman flagging and draws the ref's attention to it. The rest of them think it's a goal. stv's point earlier in the thread is worth noting too, Thomson ended up having to overrule the same linesman a few times through the game for decisions he had obviously got wrong. unfortunately given Thomson's position for the free kick the offside is one that he has to take the linesman's word for.

I thought it was telling that in his post-match interview yesterday McGhee alluded to still having to work out what was best to do with his front players whether it be play 3 or 2 of 3 and that we can't play the 3 every game. That seemed to be a tacit acknowledgment that it didn't work yesterday. I'd imagine that a game against Hearts would be one of those where we'd go with 2 rather than 3. The question really is which of Moult or Bowman he'd start as I'd think it'd be McDonald +1. I'm not saying I'd be 100% on board with it but you could fit Ainsworth in as an inverted winger on the left. Ultimately I can't imagine we'll change that much but I thought Cadden offered something moved in one in the centre of the park yesterday and arguably he'd offer legs in the centre that we don't have with a pairing of Lasley and Clay. Whether he has the discipline to play centrally just now is a different question. Of course in that scenario who plays left side rears its head again as from the sounds of things Chalmers is well off being ready to come back. So in that respect you're really perming from Thomas, McFadden or just sticking Clay wide left or as I say just settling and going with Ainsworth out there. Samson Tait Heneghan McManus Hammell Cadden Lasley Clay Ainsworth Moult McDonald

Delayed concussion, there's no fixed timescale however there is a schedule & protocol to be followed. He'll need to be signed off by a doctor before returning as well AFAIK. Moore's also recovering from the same after having been KO'd for Ayr.