The African

Having a slight worry that we are not being active enough in strengthening our squad. I think that one of the major problems last season was the length of time it took us to get anything done. We were complacent that our squad from the start of the season, good enough to finish second, would come good and get us back on track. We then waited for McCall to jump ship rather than give him a shove, wasting more time. We then took what seemed an age to appoint a new manager who then waited for the end of the transfer window to try and rebuild the team. While I am not suggesting we panic, I would prefer to see action rather than reaction. The whole squad needed a serious shake up and I am not confident that this has happened. We were guilty of losing so many avoidable goals last season, it wasn't funny, yet no signs of any experienced defenders being looked at. Our midfield also lacked defensive shape and dynamism leaving an already leaky defence seriously exposed, but no signs of a defensive midfielder in the offing. Relying on the benefits of a more rigorous pre season seems foolhardy, especially when you consider the age of some of our squad. I am not advocating signing just anyone willy nilly but there seems to have been very little real action beyond our forwards in the transfer market. The phoney war of friendliest is now over and the real stuff starts on Saturday. Are we anywhere near ready? How much of the season's start can we afford to write off before we are competitive?

Only half? I can remember Kirkie giving the 'well fans the fingers at Dens Park after a particularly rotten team performance in a Scottish Cup game in 1988 and I think he had only been a sub that day. The whole team was rotten but he was a favourite target for the boo boys at the time. As I recall, it was also at Dens Park that he started to turn things around with a late winner in a mid week relegation dog fight. Amazing how things can turn out.

Gotham made up for his lack of height with extra width, at least by the time he was playing for us.

A very tricky first game and one we should be happy to take anything from. Inverness have had a couple of genuinely competitive games in Europe so may be a little more battle ready than us. I seriously hope that we can show some improvement both in terms of fitness and organisation. If we can defend properly for the full ninety minutes then there is no reason why we cannot get something from the game, but that may be a big ask. Hopefully we hit the ground running with a positive attitude and that can continue through the season and give us a much more enjoyable time than the last effort. As an aside, we managed to win the first game of last season and look how that turned out. So no point in placing too much emphasis on one match. A point and some positives from the performance will do for me right now. COYW!

Good stuff, hope he goes well.

Cheers, maybe not for us then.

Is there much point in shelling out wages for a goalkeeper who is no better than what we already have at the club? There will, undoubtedly, be better out there so let's have a good look before wasting money on the first cab off the rank? Where is Mark Brown these days? Always thought he was poorly treated by the club and a decent keeper by SPL standards.

With regard to a keeper, not holding out for anyone spectacular, but competent would be great. We have been spoiled recently with the likes of Randolph and Ruddy but have also suffered in recent memory with some absolute gash custodians. I personally would prefer a proper signing but if no one is available could cope with a loaned. The jury was still out on Long but having him for another year could be an option. The question is though, is he any better than Dan? I would also accept that we may start the season with Dan as first choice. He is not the worst and I could live with that, certainly better than the possibility of Craig Samson joining up. I have seen it quoted that a good keeper is worth at least a dozen points a season. That may be the case but I doubt it applied to us last year. We could have had Sepp Meyer at his peak in goal for us and it would have made little difference. Our defending was fourth rate for so long that the confidence of any goalie was going to suffer. I know it is a two way street and that defenders can lose confidence in their goalkeeper, leading to all sorts of calamities, but it will take more than a new keeper to sort out our problems. Let's hope that there is lots of work going on behind thescenesto tackle these issues and failings.

Only been in NZ since last September. I was at the cup final against Celtic as still living in Edinburgh at the time. Given the way it went, Auckland might have been the better option.

If there was no place for sentiment in football we would all support Barcelona. I love Faddy and true love is unconditional. Sign him and you will hear my cheers all the way from Taranaki.

Was not sure about the collar but you cannot have everything. Generally very happy with the designs though and hope they play well in them. Oh for a Pettigrew, Graham, Wark or Rennie to add to the squad to really make my day.

Would it be sacrelege to suggest that we did not play all that well, especially in the second leg? The fact is that we really didn't have to. If we had played well you really have to wonder how many we would have put on them. Double figures over the tie must have been possible. We did get an awful lot right, especially in the first tie. We probably played better in the recent home games against Hamilton and St Mirren. Fair play to the team for doing the business when it mattered but it is probably time to move on and rebuild our squad and rectify the obvious issues within it which resulted in us being in the play offs in the first place.

Very happy to see David Clarkson back at Fir Park. There might be little room for sentimentality in the modern game, but I think , as a club, it shows us in a good light that we are happy to take former players back, and that they are keen to come back here. Also, get Clarkie fit and healthy and he will do a decent job for us. Good luck to the lad.

Just out of interest, what size of squad do we need to be competitive and hopefully avoid a season like the last one. I know that this discounts factors such as injuries and the quality of said squad, but could we normally get along with a squad of twenty two or twenty three, including three goalies? I also appreciate that there can be some possible input from the under 20s, but what size of first team squad should a club of our stature be looking to operate with?

Agreed. It will be a good test for the new squad which we will hopefully have in place by then. If last season taught us anything, we need to be fitter, more organised and up for the fight from day one. Some decent performances and a few points from these games and we are up and running. Start as we did last season and we are playing "catch up" from almost day one.

Indeed, and we will save a few grand on his wages for a couple of weeks.

Very good. Made me chuckle.

We will be doing very well to get a player in with as many goals in them as John Sutton. Good luck to the big man, except when he plays against us. As for future signings, I was not particularly impressed with the job lot that we brought in during the January window, but will cut them some slack in that it was probably a bit of a rushed job. Now we have some serious rebuilding to do and there can be no mistakes or excuses. It would be good to get our business done earlier rather than later, but, as I recall, we seemed to get a lot of stuff sorted early last summer and we all know how that panned out.

Form is temporary, class is permanent. I'd take a punt on Faddy. We have wasted more money on much worse in the past.

If he goes, he goes. Don't sell him cheap to an SPL rival though. A championship side in England will hopefully come up with an acceptable offer. Half a million would probably do. Sorry to see him go, but that is the way things are going in football at the moment and for the foreseeable future.

Another vote for the sash, especially if it looks as good as UBH's mock up. Fantastic work and thanks also for the informative stuff on the club colours. Good to know.

Indeed, and aesthetically it has probably helped make the various kits look better, the lighter amber on both the sash kit and the nearly all amber admiral kit being cases in point. It is not a major issue, but some consistency might be nice. We are in the fortunate situation of having colours which no other team share (well Bradford and maybe a couple more obscure ones) so no harm in being proud of them and looking after them.

I think it is down to the colour that the manufacturer is able, or willing, to supply. The Adidas kit from the early eighties was more yellow than amber. If you have a look on YouTube at the sash kit we wore when beating Celtic in the mid seventies at Celtic Park, the amber again looks pretty light, and the claret looks quite a deep shade. Looks good to me though, and Willie Pettigrew and Bobby Graham are awesome, so even if you are not interested in the colours feel free to have a look. If I knew how, I would post a link. My late Dad, a 'well fan since the 1940s, always reckoned it should be a darker shade. It is not a major issue with me, but there would be no harm in them getting it right, if there is a right, and then keeping it right.

The point about parents is pretty valid. Times are difficult enough without the lure of a new kit every season and prices are not cheap, for what is essentially a t shirt. I also wonder if a club of our size really does make a lot of money from this sort of merchandising. A new kit every second or third season should be enough, if the deals with sponsors and kit manufacturers can be agreed in those terms. Possibly change the away kit and home kit in alternate seasons? Also, have a look at our traditional style of design and stick with it. Get the colours right and the size of the band right and our iconic shirt doesn't need too much done to it, year in, year out.

As someone who fondly remembers the team from the mid seventies, I think a sash style strip would be great. Got to get the colours right though, as it could look drab if the amber is too dark. I would also enjoy a changed strip with a white shirt featuring claret and amber bands. Hopefully the need for a sponsors logo will not spoil the aesthetic of it all.