2026/27 Ins & Outs Discussion

[purestate]

2 hours ago, weeyin said:

I was more concerned about Slattery in that game.

Well we’re shot of him as well.
So this preseason’s going swimmingly in clearing out the deadwood 😙

[thewelllfan]

I think we'll lose another 3 at least of our starting xi but going into a season with about 4 starters is the norm for us so it's hard to be any more nervous/worried than I'd be any other year. The board got it right with JBA here's hoping they've done it again and we are a decent watch again this season and get that illusive cup win.

[Kmcalpin]

5 hours ago, Happyhonest said:

So we need then

a goalie at least a backup 

 

centre back - lost Gordon and Welsh but replaced  one with Moorman.  Critical with the injury to McGinn and  O’donnell being another year older.  Felt our good defensive record last year was because we kept the ball so much so as we are likely to lose watt and have lost slattery.  Will Wilson develop or will he have another year out on loan?

 2 midfielder  to replace watt and slattery  bonus if creative.  Would like to see Ross and Whyte get more game time but if we are to make inroads in Europe numbers would help. 

winger seems in the building already with Vogt but likely to lose tawanda. 
a creative/ attacking midfielder will also be needed if we lose Just.

big years for Cook and Said

Striker up front with losing hendry we need cover will stama be the main man? 
think we need another striker as at least a back up.     Thor seems to be injury prone

so need 6 players a goalie a cb. Three midfielders and a striker. 

As things stand, I'd say we need another keeper, 2 CBs, 2 midfielders (to replace Slattery and Nicolson/Halliday) and a striker. Thats before anyone else leaves. I'd like to bring in another 2 CBs to replace Welsh, Gordon and Balmer. Paul McGinn is out for several months and we don't know how he'll recover at his age. I feel we're short in midfield. As its stands, we have Watt, Fadinger, Priestman and Sparrow, with the untried Whyte as back up. I'd be looking for a first pick striker. 

[andalg]

10 hours ago, Kmcalpin said:

As things stand, I'd say we need another keeper, 2 CBs, 2 midfielders (to replace Slattery and Nicolson/Halliday) and a striker. Thats before anyone else leaves. I'd like to bring in another 2 CBs to replace Welsh, Gordon and Balmer. Paul McGinn is out for several months and we don't know how he'll recover at his age. I feel we're short in midfield. As its stands, we have Watt, Fadinger, Priestman and Sparrow, with the untried Whyte as back up. I'd be looking for a first pick striker. 

We have eight forwards on the books Need to lose some before signing any more !

[wellfan]

38 minutes ago, andalg said:

We have eight forwards on the books Need to lose some before signing any more !

Stama – not good enough.

Just – will be sold.

Hendry – permanently broken.

Thor – has everything to prove this season.

RCC – I expect a lot more from him this season.

JT – will be sold.

Said – pure chaos.

Willy – aye.

So, in reality, that leaves us with four decent options.

[Kmcalpin]

36 minutes ago, andalg said:

We have eight forwards on the books Need to lose some before signing any more !

Yes, I get that, but how many are out and out strikers? Stama, Hendry and Thor. Of those, Stama has been a permacrock and failed to impress; Hendry has been disappointing, and is now out injured again long term. I don't want to go into this season with one of these 3 up front, for different reasons. In fairness, I like what I've seen of Thor but he's a specific type of striker and not really had a chance to settle in. He deserves time. 

Last season striker was definitely a weak spot in our team and surely would be on Nick Daws' hit list for strengthening. 

I wouldn't class the others eg TJ and RCC as as out and strikers. I assume Vogt has been brought in as a likely replacement for TJ.  RCC has also failed to impress. 

[dennyc]

Man City have signed a goalkeeper for £3m and sent him out on loan to QPR. So I guess that makes Ward the backup. Swapping game time for wages and a move nearer home I suspect. Makes good sense for him.

[MelvinBragg]

1 hour ago, wellfan said:

So, in reality, that leaves us with four decent options.

Doesn't matter whether you think they're any good or not, they're still taking home a wage so the original point that we need to free up wages before bringing in replacements remains true...

[joewarkfanclub]

25 minutes ago, MelvinBragg said:

Doesn't matter whether you think they're any good or not, they're still taking home a wage so the original point that we need to free up wages before bringing in replacements remains true...

It does.

But do we write off the opportunity to make money from Europe simply because our squad is a little bulky in certain positions right now?

Spending a little to accumulate more has served us well recently.

The group stages might be a long shot but our signing strategy shouldnt ignore it.

Especially if we see some players moving on eventually.....

[wellfan]

16 minutes ago, MelvinBragg said:

Doesn't matter whether you think they're any good or not, they're still taking home a wage so the original point that we need to free up wages before bringing in replacements remains true...

What part of “will be sold” in reference to Just and JT wasn’t clear? The whole point is they’ll likely be sold and replaced.

Hendry will likely be nursed through his injuries until his contract expires, while Stama will hopefully be moved on this summer, freeing up his wages for another signing.

So, realistically, we’re still looking at three new forwards coming in, while at the same time trying to balance the books and stick to the club’s strategy.

[MelvinBragg]

9 minutes ago, wellfan said:

What part of “will be sold” in reference to Just and JT wasn’t clear? The whole point is they’ll likely be sold and replaced.

Hendry will likely be nursed through his injuries until his contract expires, while Stama will hopefully be moved on this summer, freeing up his wages for another signing.

So, realistically, we’re still looking at three new forwards coming in, while at the same time trying to balance the books and stick to the club’s strategy.

I'd argue that Vogt is already yer Maswanhise replacement. Yes, Just will be sold. But the fact you don't rate Stamatelopolous, Charles-Cook or Hendry doesn't remove them from the wage bill. If Just leaves, that frees up a wage. But if the other guys are as useless as you say, trying to get them out the door (when fit in Hendry's case) will not be straightforward...

[wellfan]

26 minutes ago, MelvinBragg said:

I'd argue that Vogt is already yer Maswanhise replacement. Yes, Just will be sold. But the fact you don't rate Stamatelopolous, Charles-Cook or Hendry doesn't remove them from the wage bill. If Just leaves, that frees up a wage. But if the other guys are as useless as you say, trying to get them out the door (when fit in Hendry's case) will not be straightforward...

Yes, I don’t rate Stama, and I’m starting to come round to that view on Hendry too. But I never said that about RCC. In fact, I said I expect a lot more from him this season. I’m expecting him to step up and make a much bigger contribution.

Willy could well be JT’s replacement, while Thor remains a bit of an unknown. Once JT and Just are sold, I still expect us to bring in at least two more forwards.

[mio]

Hendry is the worst of the lot imo. I’ve seen zero in him and when he does get minutes in between his long lay offs he just points and moans and has a face like a smacked arse.

 

[David]

3 hours ago, Kmcalpin said:

Yes, I get that, but how many are out and out strikers? Stama, Hendry and Thor. Of those, Stama has been a permacrock and failed to impress; Hendry has been disappointing, and is now out injured again long term. I don't want to go into this season with one of these 3 up front, for different reasons. In fairness, I like what I've seen of Thor but he's a specific type of striker and not really had a chance to settle in. He deserves time. 

Last season striker was definitely a weak spot in our team and surely would be on Nick Daws' hit list for strengthening. 

I wouldn't class the others eg TJ and RCC as as out and strikers. I assume Vogt has been brought in as a likely replacement for TJ.  RCC has also failed to impress. 

I don't think Jens used a system that required an out & out striker, and depending on your definition of an out & out striker, the new manager likely won't either. It's just not how we're set up to play these days.

I have a feeling that we'll be looking for forward players who can press consistently, initiate the first line of pressure, link play, occupy both centre-backs, attack crosses, and run channels. 

My gut tells me that we'll see RCC given a chance, along with Vogt replacing TJ and Stama getting a chance early on if he can stay fit until we can get a Just replacement. 

I wouldn't be surprised if we see a regular selection of three across the front line, and not one of them being a traditional out & out style of striker.

 

[Spit_It_Out]

40 minutes ago, mio said:

Hendry is the worst of the lot imo. I’ve seen zero in him and when he does get minutes in between his long lay offs he just points and moans and has a face like a smacked arse.

 

Aye i agree the data must have been full of errors the day he popped up on the system.We havent got anything out of him at all terrible signing.

I really dont know about our striking options down the middle I wouldnt put my faith in any of them.

[mio]

4 minutes ago, Spit_It_Out said:

Aye i agree the data must have been full of errors the day he popped up on the system.We havent got anything out of him at all terrible signing.

I really dont know about our striking options down the middle I wouldnt put my faith in any of them.

I cant help but think Elliot Watt might have talked him up too… best pals and all that

[David]

Hendry, if he was able to stay fit, actually ticks a lot of the boxes that are required for how Jens set us up to play. A quick look at his stats suggest a channel runner, a pressing forward, a link player, a creator of space, a facilitator for runners around him.

It's clear why Jens wanted him. I doubt he looked on him as a first choice starter, but as a backup or player coming on from the bench, he ticked the boxes of what our style needed.

[mio]

I suppose I could do a lot of running and not score goals either ….. I wonder if Jens would’ve wanted me.

[dennyc]

1 minute ago, David said:

I don't think Jens used a system that required an out & out striker, and depending on your definition of an out & out striker, the new manager likely won't either. It's just not how we're set up to play these days.

I have a feeling that we'll be looking for forward players who can press consistently, initiate the first line of pressure, link play, occupy both centre-backs, attack crosses, and run channels. 

My gut tells me that we'll see RCC given a chance, along with Vogt replacing TJ and Stama getting a chance early on if he can stay fit until we can get a Just replacement. 

I wouldn't be surprised if we see a regular selection of three across the front line, and not one of them being a traditional out & out style of striker.

 

Much along the lines of what I was thinking.

I can see Stam getting the chance to claim a first team spot. Who knows, with a slight modification to our approach he could turn out to be the goal scorer we thought we had signed. Last chance saloon though. Although he has said he advocates a possession based, play out from the back system,  Johansson has also said he will mix things up at times. That might suit Stam as he certainly struggled to get into games when given the chance last season. Plus if we lose the players we think we will lose, then we might need to be a bit more pragmatic. I do expect us to be more risk averse than we were Askou. 

Has Stam ever indicated he wants to leave or has the Club ever said they want to move him on at any cost? To sell you need a buyer. I get he returned to Australia on loan last season but  I would love it if he could prove all the doubters wrong. And in his time back in Australia I don't think he missed any games through injury? 

Whatever, the new Manager needs time to assess what he already has in the building. Following numerous closed door games our friendly against Genk will likely give a good idea of who he rates or does not rate.

[David]

17 minutes ago, mio said:

I suppose I could do a lot of running and not score goals either ….. I wonder if Jens would’ve wanted me.

Who knows? You may be a modern managers dream!

[texanwellfan]

6 minutes ago, David said:

Who knows? You may be a modern managers dream!

Are you classing nightmare as a dream? 😂

[wellfan]

20 minutes ago, dennyc said:

Who knows, with a slight modification to our approach he could turn out to be the goal scorer we thought we had signed. Last chance saloon though.

Third season lucky, aye? Clearly it’s everyone and everything else’s fault that he’s been crap.

[weeyin]

39 minutes ago, David said:

Who knows? You may be a modern managers dream!

Sounds like Curtis Main or Ryan Bowman.

I don't really consider Just to be a forward. more of an attacking midfielder. I suppose that's the modern game, though.

[wellfan]

With Ward and Welsh gone, McGinn injured, Watt, Just and JT all likely to leave, and Slattery already gone, that’s virtually the entire spine of JBA’s team dismantled. Anyone expecting Alfred to simply pick up where JBA left off is kidding themselves. That’s not to say he can’t be just as successful with the players who remain and whoever else comes in, but it won’t be the same. Last season may well prove to be an anomaly, although I hope I’m wrong.

[texanwellfan]

Not that it helps us at all but I think Hearts are pretty much going thru the same as us.