The African

A win is a win. Pre season friendlies in June though, utterly insane.

A full internationalist going for less than seven figures? For shame!

Aldred returning would be a good move. He fitted into our system without any problems and is a very decent player at our level. I would love to see him back at Fir Park, but not as a perceived replacement for Cedric. They are very different players. For what it is worth, Cedric, imho, is a special talent, with the power and pace to make it to the higher reaches of the modern game. We will have to let him go at some stage in the not too distant future, but we can continue to develop him and knock the rough edges off his game. As such, when we do come to sell, we should be looking for seven figures plus and add ons. If he goes on to bigger and better things, then we need to cash in on that to. Hopefully we can watch his rise knowing our club played a part in his success and benefited accordingly.

Cedric is a genuine talent and doesn't need to go out with the intention of injuring opponents. He has all the attributes in terms of stature, pace and strength that could lead to a stellar career. No point getting too worked up by the opinion of some pointless fanny who only gets media attention because of the "big" club he plays for. Cedric needs to concentrate on the aspects of his game that need addressing and, with another season under his belt, see what his future brings.

Another half a season with Carson between the sticks will do us no harm. Having said that,he deserves his chance at a bigger club and, as such, I sincerely hope he gets the move he deserves at some stage.

How good are unbranded strips? I appreciate that the branding and sponsors logo are money we are in no position to pass by, but the simplicity and style of that Roma away shirt is brilliant.

Well, on paper, that squad looks stronger than the end of last season. I do expect a couple of players to be on their way out and then it begins to look a little more interesting. One of the keys is Carson. Showed last season the difference a quality goalkeeper can make, but surely will be away before the transfer window closes. That leaves us with Gillespie and Ferguson. We have to hope that Gillespie proves an able replacement, or do we bet against this by bringing in another experienced goalie? Defence looks pretty much sorted. I was a big fan of Alfred and therefore disappointed that we did not get him on a permanent deal, but life goes on and hopefully Donnelly can prove himself. Hartley back fit and a proper left back in Taylor-Sinclair are both pluses. Midfield is currently where we have a bit of a log jam. I still expect to see at least a couple move on with Bigi and Frear being the most likely to do so. Questions must also be asked about the role and future of McHugh. It will be interesting to see if he retains the captaincy. Up front, we still look a little short on goals, though we can but hope that the signing of Johnson will help in that regard. The return of Tanner, if successful and when it happens, will be an added bonus. At the moment, things look okay if somewhat uninspiring. We currently benefit from the fact that a number of our squad are fairly versatile and cover more than one position - Tait, Cadden, Tanner... What will be interesting will be how it looks on the 1st of September after some of the excess has been trimmed from the midfield and a few of our saleable assets have been removed from the picture. In my opinion, there is still room for at least two or three additions ( perhaps loans) if these circumstances pan out. Otherwise, the squad may look a little thin come mid November

Having seen him with the Phoenix, I can confirm that he has a nice touch and an eye for a pass. Good in possession, but he will not get the time on the ball that he did in the A League. That will be the main adjustment that he has to make.

As it stands, I think we have done some reasonable business so far. I do though, think that we will only have a clearer picture of where the squad is, once we move a few players on, either through them being surplus to requirements or getting sold on for decent money. I still suspect that Bigi and Frear fall into the former category and Carson into the latter.

Retro, or timeless? I would be happy with that, this year, next year, any year.

Really hope the signing of Donnelly isn’t the end of our attempts to get Aldred on a permanent deal. I thought he was genuinely outstanding for us.

Cerny would have been a decent option. I have always thought that he was a better than average goalie at SPL level. I am sure that the time wasting could have been coached out of him. Whoever replaces Trevor will have a difficult job. He will be a tough act to follow.

If someone plays an entire season up front, it is not unreasonable to expect them tobe in double figures for goals scored. As such, it is something that needs to be addressed in this transfer window. Unfortunately, we are not in the position to be able to buy such a playeroff the shelf. A bit of a punt is required and, as such, I would not be surprised to see a couple of forwards signed on.

Agreed on all counts. As someone who is self-employed, the first thing I do when any cash or payment comes in is ringfence what I am going to have to pay in tax and then pay it ASAP. Now I have never been on EPL footballermoney, and itmust be mildly frustrating to be paying around half your income in tax, but there is not much that you can do about it. Howthelikes of Derek Ferguson can end up owing well over a million quid beggars belief. Good luck to Faddy in sorting his financial mess out.

Could we not just borrow the dodgy burds that St Mirren used to always use?

Love both of the mock ups. Personally I am a fan of keeping things simple. A claret band is desirable. Claret shorts, always like hooped socks. Mainly white away kit, though the reverse claretwith an amber hoop mock ups have also appealed. I used to think it would be cool if we went down the route of copying Sampdoria from the eighties and have three kits- first kit being mainly amber, with a claret and white band, second kit being mainly white with a claret and amber band and the third kit being mainly claret with an amber and white band. The various elements could be interchanged to meanwe never have a colour clash. Would involve bringing in more white than traditional,

Well I’ll have to say that I got more than I wished for this season. Whether this was down to a higher standard of player or down to a combination of factors (better fitness, better organisation) is a moot point, but the significant contributions of the likes of Kipre and Carson in particular cannot be ignored. When we lose these players, the pressure will be on to find replacements who can make a similar impact. For next season the priority will once again be to stay in the division.

I would suggest the “ Stevenson and Ferrier” Stand. They were some double act by all accounts. Previously, the argument against has been the money we can make by adding a sponsors name, the Motorola Stand etc. I can see the point if we are making enough money out of it, but I do like the idea of honouring the great servants of our club.

I’d agree with that. And a couple of days to draw breath. I hope that is what the club is doing.

Form is temporary, class is permanent. And that gentleman is pure class. Someone who genuinely realises that the relationship between players and supporters is a two way street. probably a little too late, but Tom Boyd, please take note.

The yellow and burgundy line told me early on that he was going to be talking out of his arse. Wasn’t too chilly here. Anything in single figures and the locals start to moan. Strangely, I still miss a proper winter.

Well said. No pun intended.

Smoke bombs and flares are banned. Anyone who takes one along and then sets it off is an eejit anddeserving ofwhat they get.

Indeed. Not a fan of twitter and social media for players , it simply causes more problems than it is worth imho, but that was a nice message from Trevor Carson. If and when he moves on to bigger and better things, it will be very well deserved. He has been nothing short of magnificent for us.

Would add that after a fall in the first half he looked to be in a serious amount of pain after landing on his injured wrist. He got up and played through it. Wasn’t a pretty performance, but his attitude was spot on.