MelvinBragg

I thought the money acquired via other clubs' performances in Europe had to be spent on youth development..? Is it just a case of creative accounting to move £200k from your current academy budget to first team budget to use the cash appropriately..?

Spittal..

Hearing rumours of Mikey Johnston on loan from Celtic. My Tic supporting mate states "a five a side player, wouldn't bother"..

Harri Kampman's tractor..?

Probably helped but doesn't change the fact that his decision making leaves a lot to be desired on his good days and those good days are once a month. Again is he the best attacker we have? Probably but that says a lot about our squad. Alexander had Van Veen as his plan A, B and C for goals. He's maybe good enough for plan C most of the time. A Dutch Curtis Main... EDIT Had a quick check. 4 league goals in 2022, including two penalties. So the same number of non penalty league goals as Joe Efford and indeed Rickie Lamie. Since you earlier told me to check the stats and stop talking crap...

How many goals did he score in the second half of the season? More than everyone else doesn't mean it's enough. He shows up in 1 in 4 or 1 in 5 games at best. Is he the best option we have up front? Probably. Does it mean he's good enough? Not really. You said he and Kelly were the two players worth a place in the team. I'm saying Van Veen is no better than much of the squad, occasional flashes of skill aside... And don't make me dig up the old Ebbe Skovdahl quote about statistics.

Whether I agree with your general point that Hammell isn't necessarily the right appointment, you undermine your own argument if you come out with shite about how Van Veen is one of the players we can rely on. Reliable isn't a word that should be used in a conversation about Kevin Van Veen...

Disgusted is a bit strong. Not convinced it would be the right choice but not disgusted...

Need to get someone from the East Stand as the assistant if it's not Hammell who's manager. The East Stand can judge a player in 15 minutes...

To be fair, Ben Hall was alright at one point. I gather one of the mystery candidates has never been mentioned on here, entirely possible that applies to the other one as well...

Guarantee if it wasn't, there would be those complaining that he is an unknown and now's not the time to be gambling, better to go with a known quantity...

Kind of similar to when we sign players, we're not going to get a proven manager at the peak of his powers so any appointment is a punt. Unproven, a couple of poor spells as manager. And I accept that. I have issues with Lennon but the others you mention have their merits. I have just seen some on here express concern and say they're underwhelmed by the apparent shortlist. I guess my question to them (not to you) is: what kind of names were they expecting?

I get that as fans we're not qualified to make an appointment but to say the names mentioned are underwhelming suggests there are other realistic names that appeal more. I'm not convinced by Hammell, Valakari or Healy (if that's the final three) either but I can't say that I've heard any other names that have been better...

Two former Sunderland managers recently took jobs in the SPL having failed there. Malky Mackay managed in the English Premier League and is rebuilding his career. So there are managers lije that out there, Lambert the obvious one at the moment. But those appointments don't always work either...

Duncan Ferguson is untested. Coyle is managing at a lower level know, Lambert has failed at a couple of jobs. I'm not saying that I think they would be bad candidates but it shows you can find flaws in any name...

I get some people being underwhelmed by the names being mentioned but can't actually think of candidates that wouldn't underwhelm some of us. There is no perfect candidate, not one likely to apply for our job anyway. Unless there's someone I'm missing..? Healy and Valakari have both won trophies but are untested in our league. Hammell knows the league hut is inexperienced. Every candidate would have their own weaknesses... For those underwhelmed by the names put forward, who realistically did youngope we would get?

Interesting. Good record with Linfield but no idea if they have a financial advantage in their league...

Scott Burns reported that it wasn't Lambert, Ferguson or Thomson, and he is rarely wrong when it comes to us. The suggestion seems to be that whoever it is currently is under contract somewhere else so that ruled out those three. Funny feeling it might be Derek Adams...

Valakari probably one of very few candidates to actually have won trophies as a manager, albeit a few years back...

His last role was assisting Felix Magath at Hertha Berlin. Don't think he was officially assistant manager but he was one of two on the bench with Magath. Think he has had a similar role with Magath in the past...

His name had occurred to me last week but I kind of dismissed it as I figured he'd be looking for another coaching job in Germany...

You just described half the central defenders in the SPL and many we've had and done well with before (Kiprè?). Difference is Kiprè had Tom Aldred and Peter Hartley alongside him. Most clubs have one centre half who is an organiser or a leader (Mulgrew at Utd, Taylor at Kilmarnock). We have a load of guys who are ok as second centre backs with a leader alongside them. I'm assuming Ojala was supposed to be that guy given his pedigree but he's made of meringue... EDIT As if to make my point, I turn on the telly and see Rocky Bushiri playing for Hibs...

We'll agree to disagree on Cornelius and Maguire. I actually think Maguire is the better player (granted he should be further ahead in his development than Cornelius due to age) but like a couple of players in the team, his confidence looks totally shot to pieces. Cornelius, I think, is still a player with potential but don't know how he'll develop...

Also true. I'm assuming you're looking at Spittal and possibly Shields. Spittal signing has Paul Lawson/Iain Vigurs feel to it. Signed a player who did well at another team and signed him with no thought as to where or how they fit into your team. Shields as a winger is far from ideal but lack of options there is an issue. Everyone else was played, more or less, in their position. With the exception of Morris who should have been playing in a car back down South...

I've stated elsewhere that this squad plus Tony Watt and Kayne Woolery showed itself capable of winning games in the SPL last season (I know O'Hara, Donnelly and Grimshaw were also here but they weren't exactly crucial). It shows the difference just two or three of the right types of player makes. Personally I reckon an organiser at the back or in midfield and some direct pace up top so teams don't feel they can defend as high against us, those two would improve us hugely. But the next manager's biggest task is getting guys playing to their best. Take Mugabi. He was never Beckenbauer but last season looked solid for the most part with the occasional howler thrown in. In other words, an average SPL defender. Yesterday he, along with most of the team, looked terrified. Not an ideal mindset for playing football. Talk of 6 or 7 new signings is fanciful. New manager, whoever he is, needs to identify 2 or 3 to address problem areas, yes. But also has to remind the guys that are here how they can play...