Kmcalpin

Presumably Trevor Carson has picked up a knock in training? He's not even made the bench so far.

Agree with your posts Jay. I picked up the idea of Moult/McHugh wage increase sponsorship from other posters as it is a positive suggestion. Personally I'm not convinced of it. I doubt if fans would get behind it in sufficient numbers, but I might be way out with that assumption. You're right, the best way for fans to raise funds for the club is through the Society and that way the cash can be spent where it is needed most be it on wages or ground improvements or whatever. What might be a good idea to help boost monthly pledges would be to let members and indeed the wider fan base know what our outgoings are, in general terms, and without breaching confidentiality. For example we have no idea what the rough cost of reroofing the East Stand actually is. That will have to be paid for. Is it £100k or £500k? At the end of the day the club should only pay out the wages it can afford and yes, that will influence the quality of player we can attract in the 2017 rebuild.

I would imagine all 3 trialists will feature prominently in Robbo's plans tonight if he wants to assess them.

An extra £500 per week equates to some £26,000 per year each. Thats not a bad wage rise. Some won't earn anything like that in a year - nurses, NHS porters, cooks etc for example. I don't know our playing budget, but if the club says it can't afford it then I believe them. As some say why don't we test the water and set up a scheme for fans to fund the increase (or more). Its been tried bed fore ie at Dundee? That would gauge whether they would buy into it or not.

I don't suppose many Well fans have seen us play there before and so that might tempt an extra few to go along.

I agree that Clay is playing above his level. Tait is more complex. Offensively, he is good although lacks pace. A great crosser of the ball. Overall he has an excellent attitude and is quick to recover. However his positional awareness in defence is lacking and he can give attackers a but too much leeway. At our level we've seen better but much worse.

I'm pretty sure they'll have been a lot fitter than our guys. Thats perfectly normal for this stage of pre season. Nothing to worry about at the moment. Dunne's fiorst game for 6 months incidentally.

Yes it is, as I'd expect it to be. Teams like Oxford United and Plymouth will be on a par with the likes of Hibs attendance wise. Others like Northampton and Walsall are similar to Dundee United. On top of that the TV money on offer is far far better than ours in Scotland.

Dunne has now signed and he's 6-2.

Hopefully he will be first choice left back. Stevie Hammell is now at the end of his playing career, it may seem unkind but its true. As we know, Hammy had injury problems last year but he's been part and parcel of a poor defence for years now. My one fear with Dunne is his injury record. Still we trust in Robbo to make the correct decisions.

Its always hard to judge before the season starts but so far so good. However we really do need to strengthen the outfield defence. I don't care how good our new goalie is I want him to be largely redundant. It would be nice for a change to see our keeper stroll through games without having much to do.

I think you're being a little unkind to the club. if we're paying "very small" wages as you put it what would you class as a being a "reasonable" wage. I reckon our average first team member will be earning about £45k-55k per year. Not bad in my book. We'll be paying the going rate for top provincial teams in Scotland. I assume that you're comparing our wage levels to English rates which are extortionate even at lower levels, and at the highest level simply obscene in my view. Yes we can't compete with most English clubs but neither can most of Scottish football.

Pretty much my thoughts Iain, although I'd be looking for a minimum of £400k for Heneghan . Surprised at some folk on here talking our players down. For years we've been decrying the club for not maximising transfer income. As regards Heneghan he's no world beater but not half as poor as some folk think. He can't be that bad if there's 3 English reportedly showing an interest in him. As regards comparison with Boyce's value there's various complicating factors, but don't forget he played in a better team than Moult did, and presumably benefitted from better support. .

Its not dumb at all and quite understandable, if not 100% accurate. For a start its something you can quantify and it is the ultimate measurement of a striker's achievement. Of course its not entirely accurate. It doesn't take into account the quality of player in a striker's team; and doesn't take into account the amount of service he receives. A crude measurement yes, but one nonetheless.

That will help our bank balance, but I doubt if they'll travel in quite so large numbers as you think. Hibs fans will turn out in huge numbers at the start of the season but then die away as time goes on. They're used to winning but when they meet tougher opposition and results are less impressive they'll decrease. Ever since I can recall Hibs fans have been mercurial - decent teams are viewed as world beaters and mediocre / poor teams are seen as being the worst ever.

Only indirectly related to our own club but Partick Thistle have sold Liam Lindsay to Barnsley for .......an undisclosed fee. As I've said before, this terminology is becoming more and more common usually at the request of the buying club. Unfair to criticise our own club for using this term when we're selling players.

I would be surprised if its not at Murrayfield.

Whats the current total Iain? Have we surpassed last year's sum?

Absolutely. I also agree with your other point. Although it may not have been explained very clearly by the Society, the organisation's income is/will be continually used to support the club ie it will not be paid back, as we originally thought at its inception. I have no problem with that whatsoever providing its explained clearly to members and is not misused.

Maybe that tells you something about which programmes you should listen to. On another note we have 4 home games against the gruesome twosome. Very slightly more winnable than 2 or 3 home games against them. The club treasurer will also be happy.

If that is indeed the case, and it wouldn't surprise me then we'll need at least 2 new central defenders.

As most of you know, I've never been Keith Lasley's biggest fan in a playing sense. However, his commitment, attachment to the club and public image has never been in doubt. I'm still not 100% sure about his appointment but he does have the coaching credentials. Anyway, good luck Keith.

What exactly did you hear Mitch? McHugh would seem to be a good choice, and although only 24 seems to have leadership qualities. With that appointment will surely come a wage rise?

They're both experienced players but have they the right temperament and character to be leaders? Presumably the manager will know better than us.

I certainly hope so too. A striker who can hold the ball up will help also. It will help our defenders if they are protected by a more mobile and defensively aware midfield and they have confidence in a stopper behind them, for whom they don't have to adapt and compromise their own game.