MelvinBragg

See, normally, I'd be all for jumping all over this sort of comment. But chances are that the guy Wilson has played against half of what is now our first team in the U19s in the last couple of years. Forbes, Murphy, Hutchison, McHugh, he'll have played against them all. I don't think that's what the guy who posted had in mind, he probably thought this would be an easy game. I, for one, am desperately hoping that they pick Weir tomorrow. His age and two international games, I'd be setting Murphy in and about him...

I don't think Tweed was volunteering to go and sit among the Rangers's fans bedecked in Claret and Amber from head to toe. But every other sport in the world, the fans seem able to sit together without too much hassle. What is it about football fans that means we have to be segregated? Why can't we all just behave...?

While years of painful experience have taught me that Rangers generally get the best of us even when they don't deserve it, and as such I anticipate and dread these games in equal measure, I do have a question here... Where has this talk of Rangers' impressive "form" come from? They've gubbed Accies and Falkirk at Ibrox, both clubs who look like they'll be seriously struggling at the bottom end of the table. They won at Tynecastle with the usual last minute penalty (albeit with ten men, but against a Hearts team without a centre forward worthy of the name). Impressive form? Really...? Yes, they might be better than us, and they might hand us our arses on a plate on Saturday, but it's probably better not to think we're beaten even before we start. I've seen us beat a better Rangers team than this one with Miko Kaven in goals for us. I'm not asking for blind optimism, but a bit of belief would be nice here, people...

Darren Barr too expensive...?

I wasn't necessarily complaining when I stated that, Rev. I just get the impression he can be hardline at times. Did the Stockport fans not mention he fell out with the club captain and the guy never pulled the shirt on again? And I've heard a tale of him throwing a Stockport player off a bus in London after an away game and telling him to make his own way home. Mind you, I don't know what the player had said/done Someone I know down south described him to me as like Alex Ferguson without the trophies. I can live with that...

If you have a beef with me, make sure you get the quote right. I said that "He only looked so good because...". And I didn't state that was the case, only asked the question. I have no doubts Reynolds is a good player. But there are many good players who ply their trade at SPL level and go no further. In my opinion, Reynolds has not looked consistently like a player destined for bigger things. Is that OK with you? We're getting into dangerous territory if we can't criticise players on here (I rarely do it at the ground, and if I do it tends to be "You need to do better than that.." rather than "You're shite, X") in case they read it. And now you've extended it to say in case young fans quote the posts and it gives them a negative view. Away and gie yerself peace...

I realise that Aberdeen will probably finish above us in the league. But I don't care. The interview with him on the BBC website that is linked in the McGhee thread in Other Football has given me more joy than his entire second season with us did. The haunted, pained expression on his face... I have such a big grin on my face right now, I could be auditioning for the part of The Joker...

Naw, it was better than that. I burnt Stewart Milne's chequebook...

Anyone ever consider that he only looked so good that season because everyone else (with the exception, grudged, of a fat Australian) was so terrible? And as the least experienced guy on the park, he was never going to get much stick anyway...

True Luckily, I had no need for a tin hat as I have a hard heid. Although I have to say that when steelboy mentioned about sticking rigidly to one formation irrespective of whether it suited the personnel, an individual with a big coupon in the shape of a shovel popped into my head. As an aside, I think I've done very well reining myself in as others have stuck the boot into our previous manager. Mainly, I suspect, because I'm just content that he left...

I know I started the topic (and I'm well aware we're still in "too early to know for sure" but we're fans, we speculate) but I can honestly say I don't know how to answer the question. Aye, we have more bodies in but is there the quality. Midfield is the one area I feel most confident. Given the choice between Klimpl and Hughes or Forbes and Coke, this season's duo wins every day of the week and twice on a Sunday. The fact that we also have Hately, Jennings and Lasley is neither here nor there, the two guys I mentioned are, for me, going to be our key guys this season. And the way they've played so far, I'm quite happy with that. My concern surrounds the two best players of those we lost. Clarkson left some pretty big shoes to fill and, not having seen the Pole play, I'll wait and see if he can step up and do the job. Quinn, for all his faults, will take some replacing. He was a winner and a good defender. Saunders is a good defender but I don't think he offers the same attacking outlet. Maybe the guy from Charlton will fit the bill. But Quinn (as Clarkson was to a certain extent) was a leader on the park. As gifted as the young guys in the team are, we're still waiting to see of any of them have the same character. I know Craigan is captain, but it won't do any harm if a couple of people step up to the plate to be his lieutenants. I just don't see who that is going to be at the moment. Coke? Jennings? Hard thing to do when you're just in the door. Having said all that, I don't know when I've ever felt as positive as a Well fan...

Jim Gannon certainly is a character who will divide people. He's clearly very self-confident but that may sometimes come across as arrogant. I can see why Gannon would have them watching DVDs of his side at Stockport. As others have said, if he'd got that team playing exactly the style of play he wants then it makes total sense to show the players exactly what he has in mind. Aye, Liverpool play the same 4-2-3-1 but if he shows the players that then they're likely to sit and think "Well, that's all very well but I'm not Gerrard/Torres/Carragher". I've heard talk from down south that he's very much "my way or the highway". And that's part of the reason for his fondness for young players. He seems them as easier to mould into the type of players he wants. Which is fair enough, it's his neck on the line. I've never heard of a club getting rid of the full first team but keeping the manager when results go badly. But for all perceived stubborness and foibles, he has engendered a positivity among the fans. Whether that goes for the players or not as well, I can't say. But the players who are in the first team will always be happier than those not playing, it's the nature of the thing. All I know is that 10 days before the Llanelli game, the only recognisable first team we could have put out would have read Fraser Saunders Craigan Reynolds Hammell McGarry Lasley Fitzpatrick O'Brien Murphy Sutton Not a terrible team but we now have options and irrespective of what you think of the teams he put out against St Johnstone and Aberdeen, they were certainly better than the eleven I have listed above. It's very early in his reign and I'm not ready to proclaim him the new messiah, but I saw more smiles coming out of the Kilmarnock game than I had in over a year at Fir Park...

Not since the days of Kampman, has there been such a radical change in the squad overnight. I thought it'd be interesting to compare the squad we had when the transfer window opened to the one we have upon its closing and see if folk think it's better, worse or about the same. I know it's very early to say anything definitive, but there's no game this weekend, we need to talk about something... Try and take off the McShovelface hating specs when voting. Obviously it's subjective in some cases who you consider in the first team squad. I haven't included Hutchison, McHugh or Slane in last season's squad since they didn't feature enough to be considered first teamers. But here goes... GOALKEEPERS Then: Graeme Smith, Artur Kryziak Now: John Ruddy, Michael Fraser DEFENDERS Then: Paul Quinn, Stephen Craigan, Mark Reynolds, Stevie Hammell, Brian McLean, Steven Saunders Now: Yass Moutaouakil, Stephen Craigan, Mark Reynolds, Shaun Hutchison, Stevie Hammell, Steven Saunders MIDFIELDERS Then: Stephen Hughes, Maros Klimpl, Bob Malcolm, Mark Fitzpatrick, Keith Lasley, Steven McGarry, Jim O'Brien, Darren Smith Now: Giles Coke, Ross Forbes, Steven Jennings, Chris Humphrey, Paul Slane, Tom Hately, Mark Fitzpatrick, Keith Lasley, Steven McGarry, Jim O'Brien, Darren Smith FORWARDS Then: David Clarkson, John Sutton, Jamie Murphy, Cillian Sheridan Now: John Sutton, Bob McHugh, Jamie Murphy, Lukas Jutkiewicz Obviously if you simply play a numbers game, this season's squad has more bodies. But that's simply due to Gannon bringing in young guys as well as his signings. You could argue that I've overinflated the size of this year's squad because the likes of Smith, Lasley and Fitzpatrick seem to have drifted so far that they may not be considered by some to be in our first team squad. You have to weigh up the versatility of Klimpl and Malcolm (stop sniggering) against that of Reynolds and Hately. Thoughts and opinions...?

Van Zanten would definitely give us a few options at the back. One I'd consider assuming his wage demands weren't frightening. Which, given he's unemployed at the moment, you'd have to think they won't be...

Thing you have to remember is that there will be deals that have been signed that just haven't been announced to the press yet. I don't mean with us, becasue Flow has been pretty prompt with news but I reckon there'll be a few transfers emerging in the next hour. Just heard that Mark Brown is away to Killie on loan...

You've lost me. And I normally look for every loophole that there is in the hope we might get another body in...

Apparently Gannon has a dossier containing details on quite a few players in each position. He keeps up to date with how these players' careers go and adds new names. I'm not talking about someone he has a rough idea about, I'm talking about him using his extensive knowledge of the English market so that if someone is released today (as a few have been) that he knows all about, he'll be well placed to snap them up. I'm not suggesting this will be the case, but I think we have a manager who is ideally plced to take advantage of a number of players in England still being without a club...

Correctamundo, Cunningham...

Another reason I reckon we might see another signing tomorrow. If anyone is going to be able to look through the lists of players released today and spot the name of someone who could do a job, I reckon it could be Gannon...

What I do find interesting, Flow, is that Moutaoukil is referred to as Signing #7. Unless my maths are crap (they are), does this mean that Michael Fraser is not considered one of our summer signings? Indicative of where he features in JGs thoughts...?

I go for an hour's sleep and it all kicks off... Well, we sign somebody. Decent pedigree and once again for a Gannon signing, looks like a bit of an athlete. Let's hope there's time for one more signing...

I'd love to think we might sign a striker and a right back today but the longer the day goes on I reckon we're going to have to settle for a right back. And I have my fingers crossed on that one...

Ye told me to try and avoid some of the open goals that were left on here. Trying to follow your advice...

Does he not know that we football fans live for rumours...?

You singing about Hitler now???? Sorry, couldn't resist. Not that I tried that hard...