Kmcalpin

We'll also be saving about £5k a week from our management team's wages. Slightly confused about Paul Quinn - it seems 99% certain that he's off to Hearts, but hold on Cardiff have him....errr no Notts Forest have him - oh I give up.

Thankfully mine arrived today. Are there postal strikes anywhere - like Dundee?

I believe its going to be retained for future use on the pitch.

I've kept out of a lot of the detailed debate Melvin, although it has been fascinating to track. Several reasons for that I guess. Firstly almost all of the names mentioned don't excite me, petrify me or are simply unrealistic (a few other folk have said this to me) and secondly there's a fair chance, like you've said, that the eventual successful candidate will be someone unexpected; a dark horse if you will.

That could well be Gordon Young & John Porteous.

My feelings exactly Dave. Apart from the OF away this was the one game I really wanted to avoid as the opening fixture. Its their Cup Final and a game we'll struggle to take anything from.

Yes, it is - totally irrelevant. Whilst on that subject I think its very unlikely that Alan Shearer will get the managers job either.

Agree in theory but what if the player downright refuses to extend his contract or simply won't give an answer? Simo anyone?

If we don't accept a realsitic fee for him now then he'll leave for a pittance next January or for nought in a year's time. Cardiff won't offer anything like £800k for him.

On a serious note Ian we don't value fans like your Dad and the Lip enough. Folk who have been going to Fir Park for decades deserve a lot of credit. Incidentally who would be his choice?

Nothing has arrived in Fife or Dundee yet.

I see the Lip & Yabbas old man claim to have seen all our managers. I really hope thats not true. They've seen P.B. MacDonald, Alex McIntyre and W.H. Barrie? Now I'm getting on in years but even my late father had never seen them and he began going to FP in the 1920s.

Certainly Mr Gannon is one of the favourites on this Board, although I doubt if he'll be anywhere near our wanted list for various reasons. Interestingly, he wasn't universally liked amongst the County support for his public comments and he had a very short fuse. A bit of a loose cannon.

Fair comment Jim. Our squad is much smaller than it was two years ago, but by and large the players we had then, and still have, are better than they were. Any new manager coming in will have to fill some gaps irrespective of the budget. We still don't know for example whether or not we'll have a keeper for the first Europa Cup game.

Thats a very generous take on the situation. If that was his view, and theres nothing wrong in that, he could have shown some loyalty and asked JB if he could remain at Fir Park as No 2. That way he could have helped the club out in its hour of need and repaid the faith and loyalty shown in him. Its quite possible that he's been offered a substantial wage increase and thats why he's moving on.

100% agree. You don't just charge in and cause a barney. You bide your time and pick your place. However clubs must start standing up to the OF and this is one battleground perfectly suited to a limited engagement.

Diplomacy from JB and quite right too. I have no idea what he thought about MMcG but he's an ambassador for MFC and if he'd been minded to slag off ex employees in public that would not do much for the club. It would certainly not help to attract a new manager.

Agree with many others here....time to stand up to OF.

Unless I'm missing something obvious here I have no idea as to why he might be a serious candidate. A mediocre playing career at lower league clubs, in charge at Albion Rovers for a short spell and a short spell as No 2 at Swindon. As I say maybe I'm missing something.

All Motherhood and apple pie isn't it Jim? So Scott Leitch has always wanted to manage Aberdeen? Trying to impress a new employer and set of fans perhaps. I'll warrant there's more to than that.

I believe that you could've watched Stirling Albion in the 2nd division last season for £13.

Really? Thats interesting. Certainly, I was proved wrong over Willie Miller and Mark McGhee - that surprised even a few Dons fans.

I've always suspected this Rickoza. MMcG would have known months ago about the likely vacancies at Parkhead and Pittodrie. Managers do talk and they are tapped by clubs. Its a fact of life.

Agreed Peter. There's a fair chance that Mark McGhee knew well before the end of the season about likely managerial moves away from Parkhead and Pittodrie.

After alls said and done I'll be most surprised if Luc Nijholt is anywhere near our short leet. The same situation arose when mark McGhee was appointed and it transpired that the club did not consider Luc. A complete red herring if ever there was one.