harry94

That hammering Kazakhstan gave us a few years back shows how vulnerable we can be. There's an expectation that we should be going out and hammering teams but success for a country like us at football usually starts off with giving players consistency and getting them used to a system and way of playing. Dull in games against the minnows when it feels like we maybe should be stepping up in games but ultimately, Clarke's style definitely has done the business over a long period. A lot of talk about luck but by the same token, we probably would have beaten the Czechs on another day and possibly went through the groups if we were more fortunate in how the chances fell and not losing a wonder goal. Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

I think we need to appreciate that players are training for the nt a few days a year and don't really have a lot of time with the coaching staff on the training ground (and what they do have probably won't be the most productive when they are traveling a lot). For me, when we cap someone like Nisbet and start bringing him into squads, we're going to have to appreciate that we maybe won't see the best out of them for a little while. Even quite established players (e.g. Armstrong) can find it quite tough to transition between club and country.

I would argue we're weak with centre back options. We've got some decent players there with two Premier League CBs but both don't really form that natural a partnership and then beyond that, I think the likes of Hendry and McKenna are potentially decent but wouldn't be trusted in a pairing right now. Beyond that, we have depth issues at right back and even in goal, I think we're a bit poorer than we've been for years (that's no slight on Craig Gordon who has been playing very well but he's about to turn 39). In midfield, we don't really have the traditional ball winners anymore. A few really good technical players who can sit deep but aside from Ryan Jack, I don't think there's anyone who is that natural at breaking up attacks and protecting the backline. I think drilling our defenders to play in that type defensive system has been effective in making us a lot harder to beat in these types of games against the 'League B' type sides who are around our level (but have been our kryptonite in the past) and papered over these issues. Having someone like Considine or Gallagher can come in for a pivotal game and look solid shows how much we've improved on that side of the game IMO. I think the issue we've got is really just the directness of play and how we press and I don't really see the change in formation doing much for that tbh. Some days we've ended up trying to play it out too slowly and ended up deep and others the front two have put in a shift and we've went fairly direct and done well. We probably do persist with it too much against the real minnows but I think Clarke is obsessed with trying to get everyone drilled and suited to the system in the limited time he has which is maybe brutal to watch but a good exercise. Israel are a team with a lot of quality going forward and a few intelligent players, I wouldn't be wanting a more open game.

I'm surprised that it's just Chelsea and City who have properly capitalised on this. When you look at some of the transfer fees that come in, it is a fair help towards FFP. There's a lot of players every season who quietly move on in windows for 7 figures. Mooy is a good example of how powerful it can be. Signed on a three year deal from Melbourne City in June 2016, loaned out 6 days later and then less than a year to the day the transfer is permanent for £10 million. Their exposure would have been absolutely tiny as well, he'd have been commanding peanuts coming from Australia and Huddersfield would have been paying the bulk of his wages.

Dieng in goal I'd say, he's firmly QPR no 1 these days.

I'd take O'Hara as a starting right back if he's not a regular starter.

Where is everyone watching this?

There's a couple of places near the centre that have people like that and you do often hear of them vandalising without consequence. Obviously they are under resourced but the moment someone calls the police to ramble nonsense like that, the white coats really should be dispatched. It's scary how many adults you meet who are just totally batshit.

I think he probably does do some coaching but not 100% sure. Feel the same though that he'd be more likely for an internal pick.

He played cb for us a bit in the friendlies last season I think as I remember being surprised at it.

Surely it wouldn't have been an issue to just play it on a 3g behind closed doors if it was that bad, not like we'll be making noticeable money off the games.

Remember a game against us where he had injured every part of his body and was hobbling around his 6 yard box making wonder saves against us. Still young enough you'd think for plenty of good years. Can see the range he comes for crossing that he's a level above most.

I thought it was more of a procurement issue that the western gov were shitting it that they'd have ppe shortages in hospitals so didn't want them bought up.

I know he hasn't been here very long but if Mullen is more trusted than him to hold the ball up and lead the line in those play-off games, he's not a guaranteed starter for us in a harder league. You'd imagine he'll be on too good money for the club to be overjoyed with the return if he's not a regular starter and you'd think he himself would be pretty unhappy at that and forcing a move. There was a truth in his comical drunken speech, he was signed to be a big player for us from day one.

I think there's a limit in the rule book where you're only allowed 2 players from a single team in a different division. 1 if in the same league.

The central party turnover in excess of £5 million per year. Sure it's volatile but there are tangible assets and ongoing revenue streams that they can call on and budget into the cash flow with reasonable certainty. All of the major parties will have years where they run a deficit. Like any other company, they'll have guarantees of funding in writing and know what they can call on with short notice.

The 'Ring fenced' argument is about syntax - as said in my post, it's quite normal and legitimate practice for cash to flow between different budgets. As long as it ultimately ends up spent in the right place in the end and the intent is there, it's completely reasonable to have everything on the table, cash is volatile and you need to use all your reserves. Unless it has been constructed with some sort of malice or someone to run away, it's a nothing story that relies on people having a creative imagination. If you're corrupt, the worst place to create a ponzi scheme is a national political party with millions of revenue per year that have additional auditing steps. You're infinitely better trying to get on the ground of a McGarry scheme (but do it more competently).

Companies don't make separate accounts for different budget items, they do a cash flow longer term and do stress testing etc to it and will have a plan to go somewhere if they fall short. It's a ridiculous non story that is normal practice and has just gotten legs because of the Alba people. If they have indeed fucked up and ended up borrowing money too expensively etc, that's a completely different story all together and one of incompetence. In that case though, you can't really get at them even for that unless there's some party rule that they have to release some of that forecasting.

I didn't really think anyone was that bad on Monday. Losing by a couple of goals was such a disappointment and I think everyone was hungry for a scapegoat and being overanalytical at really small moments and having their own take about who was to blame. Like O'Donnell getting in Chrsties way for example, it just sometimes happens and players making mistakes and killing an attack in the last third happens dozens of times a game. Felt like that was hyped as being indicative of what a useless b*****d he was etc. The Czechs were lethal and upset the game plan taking the lead and collectively, I think we just weren't composed enough to play the occasion and wasted time by initially isolating Dykes. Realistically, we need to recognise that the players we have are the players we have and they need a bit of continuity. O'Donnell is on a similar level to other top flight right backs but it's a position we're very bare in and whilst we hope on Patterson kicking on and he looks promising technically, O'Donnell has done as well as expected for the national team and is trusted by the manager for a reason.

We were scarily bad before Clarke come in. It didn't show at first but I do think him just trying to get a bit of consistency behind how he was doing things has made us a lot more competitive. Andy Considine did himself proud but I think it does show the job Clarke did that we could be in an emergency needing a player like that and he come into and fitted into the system with little fuss or exposure. I don't really think there would be many Scottish goalkeepers, centre backs, right backs, defensive midfielders and strikers going to this tournament with other countries. There's players with a bit of promise there (and I'm sure Adams would make it) but we just don't have the depth right now. The stuff we've been hearing about this being a real golden generation etc is just far from the truth IMO. The 2008 qualifying campaign squad were far stronger and more balanced than this team and would have given anyone in the world a game.

He would need to agree to it but the speculation is that if Ostend did find a buyer, they could give him some sort of deal where he gets a large chunk of a fee himself. Last time that story surfaced last week, the suggestion was that Ostend would activate the clause at £1.5 million and look to sell for £8.5 million.

Apparently we do but Ostend have a clause to buy him close to what we paid for and then sell him on for profit this summer. That means Celtic will make little to no profit and the deal and we get next to nothing.

If you ever stumble on a free or super cheap raspberry pi, you can set it up so it blocks all the ads on these types of things.

How did Gomis get on for you guys this season? Any chat on teams interested in him?

I have a feeling Moore may still make it in the full time game. Can't keep him around forever but if a team like Arbroath or an upper League One team were receptive to it, it could be good business keeping him on and giving him a proper season long loan spell and tie him up for another year. You'd imagine his wages would be mitigated against by the loaning team and if he did well, anyone would have to come up with the development compensation fee to take him off us. McPake obviously rates him in some way to bring him in for that Raith game so wouldn't be too surprised to see him stick around for longer.