Kyle

Wouldn't attend this game, too diddy a fixture/opponent

Make no mistake, this is a huge derby match for Dundee.

Had it in my head we'd sign 3 this window, although I'm not sure if that was based on anything. A 19 year old centre back who's played about 10 games in his career... not sure that's what I had in mind. Hopefully turns out well but if we're only signing 3 then attacking wing backs and striker felt more pressing to me

Given where we were in October, being 7 points clear of Livingston and it being impossible for us to go into the winter break bottom is something of a miracle. Don't get me wrong, we still have a lot of issues that need addressed but at least we're not doing so marooned at the bottom which is what looked being the case under Maclean. Awful football match that we're probably lucky to get a point from given Devlin's miss at the end. Levein/Kirk are desperate to play the ball out from the back and it's going to lead to conceded goals. More than happy for them to try it but I do think we need to bring in more attack minded wing backs and maybe a couple of better ball playing centre backs to really make that work. Right now it's brown trousers at every match. Looks like it's going to be a bit of a slog for the rest of the season for us. Ultimately if we can keep ourselves up that's all that matters for now. If we do achieve that; it'll be because Livi (or someone else) has had an even bigger nightmare than we've had, hopefully lessons learned to get business done early next summer rather than forgoing the first couple months of the season.

I heard VSO was on a fortune, but he's obviously not on that list. We paid fortunes on wages and fees the year after the cup double, but only after we sold our best players for buttons (and after Davidson had refused to sign anyone before the left because he didn't want an inflated squad. That man really was a fucking idiot).

Yeah Costelloe and Turner-Cooke would be out the door if I'm in charge to be honest. Don't like the former as a footballer and Turner-Cooke feels like a bit of a waste of a wage/squad place. Think there's enough evidence to suggest Levein doesn't rate some players so have to suspect any of the following may be going out, in addition to the 3 young loans if Robinson is recalled due to Wigan's problems at left back. Jephcott - can't even get on the bench. Maybe injured I suppose but I don't think so. Given his goal record I thought he'd been good for quite a few goals but it's just really not worked out for him. Ballantyne - same as above, seems to have just completely fallen out of the picture after a few encouraging displays towards the end of last season (and some stinkers at the beginning of this season too). Championship teams on the hunt for an attack minded midfielder with a bit of experience and potential could do a lot worse. Crawford and Booth - no idea if they're injured but they're never mentioned at all either way. Can't see us being able to get shot though, why would anyone take them and why would they take pay cuts to go? Sad to say it but Stevie May. He's constantly on the bench but doesn't seem to get on very often now and he's got a winger playing up front ahead of him, doing what used to be May's role in the team I would've said Olufunwa as he's been in and out of the squad but not getting on, but he got a start out of no where tonight, so maybe not. Maybe Sprangler, strikes me that Levein/Kirk just don't fancy him for whatever reason, which is a real shame. Going through the squad, there's just so much dead wood still there. Thankfully most of it is out of contract in the summer and we can start afresh, but the squad is ridiculously bloated and it's still lacking in quality beyond the 17 or 18 players Levein seems to trust enough to play.

Craig Levein saying Scottish football would be a better place without Rangers and Celtic. That's my manager

Unless we pay them off then we're going to be stuck with them. Who in their right mind is going to take either off our hands?

Defence is weak and the constant passing out from the back made them one dimensional and easy for us to play/defend against. Loads of good attacking players on the pitch for Hibs yesterday and none were really involved in the game

Goalkeepers Dimitar Mitov - 2025 Dave Richards - 2024 - on loan from Crewe Alexandria Ross Sinclair - 2026 Jack Wills - 2024 Defenders/wing backs James Brown - 2024 Olusadare Olufunwa - 2025 Sam McClelland - 2025 Ryan McGowan - 2024 Liam Gordon - 2024 Andy Considine- 2024 Liam Parker - 2024 Callum Booth - 2024 Tony Gallacher - 2024 Luke Robinson - 2024 - on loan from Wigan Athletic Midfielders/wingers Drey Wright - 2024 Diallang Jaiyesimi - 2024 - on loan from Charlton Atheltic Dara Costelloe - 2024 - on loan from Burnley Sven Sprangler - 2025 Jay Turner-Cooke - 2024 - on loan from Newcastle Max Kucheriavyi - 2025 Daniel Phillips - 2024 Cammy McPherson - 2024 Matt Smith - 2025 Ali Crawford -2024 Cammy Ballantyne - 2024 Alex Ferguson - 2025 - on loan at Queen of the South Graham Carey - 2024 Attackers Stevie May - 2025 Nicky Clark - 2025 Luke Jephcott - 2025 Chris Kane - January 2024 Taylor Steven - 2024 - on loan at Alloa Athletic Soooooo many players out of contract.

Dan Phillips is one of the strangest players I've ever seen play for us. He does the hard parts of the game brilliantly then will casually pass the ball out of play when he's got a simple 5 yard pass available to him. Don't get me wrong, I like him, but I've never really seen a player with his skill set before

Starting to really warm to this team, certainly feel like I'm watching a Saints team again after a couple of years in the doldrums. Real togetherness, experience and a bit of encouragement from the current management team to for the players to express themselves is bringing out real signs of quality too now. We were missing a lot of our key players today - no Considine, Wright, Macpherson (I know), Kane or Clark from the start. 4 of those guys likely would've started if fully fit - and we battered the team who started the day in 4th. I was really shocked a player with 19 caps for Wales by the age of 22 was available to us in the summer, until I read some of the feedback from MK Dons fans, at which point I felt a bit flat about it. Smith has been terrific since the change of manager though, looks a real find for us and is about as well rounded a midfielder as I've seen play for us for a while. There was one point in the first half where he won the ball back, made space for himself away from a couple of Hibs players then threaded the needle through to Kucheriavyi who was running at (I think) an exposed Hanlon. Just felt that sums him up his capabilities and roundedness really well, plus his set piece delivery from the left is terrific. I think we have about 16 or 17 good players with a couple of others starting to look like they can step up for us too. If Levein can maybe improve the options at the wing back and add a bit more in the final third I think there's a lot of potential for this team, all the ingredients that lead to huge success for that golden decade are there again, just a matter of putting some final touches to the squad now we have a capable management team.

Seems like express has been temporarily suspended. Thank you.

We're on easy street and it feels so sweet

Shitfesting 1-0 wins in games that really deserve to be finishing 0-0s is a fantastic trait to have. At this stage points is all that matters, we clearly don't have the attacking players to do anything other than what we're currently doing so I think those who (understandably) want us to be more attack minded and expansive will have to wait until at least January to get it. Smith and Mitov are far too good for us. Glorious footballers that I'll enjoy whilst they're here.

I've heard them say stuff about how the double isn't that big an achievement too. Would stress it's not all of the contributors and some do have a better handle on Saints, but the views have gone from being pretty on the money and insightful about us years ago to lazy and petty. It must be difficult for clubs of other non- OF fans to watch on as we've had a ridiculously successful decade when we're classed as a smaller club than the ones the bulk of them support, but there is sometimes a bitterness towards Saints that I didn't sense before.

I'm not above getting you banned from twitter RandomGuy.

Agreed. There's definitely 4 good ones and none that you can completely write off as being bad (although you do have to suspect JTC and Olufunwa are significantly short of the quality required). Wonder if macca ever fancied a go as a head of recruitment.

Now we've arrested the madness of the Steven Maclean era, we need to talk about David Wotherspoon.

The post about coming to Saints - the second most successful team in Scottish football in the last decade - and expecting to win is very Dundee right enough.

Winning 1-0 in a turgid game of few clear cut chances. That felt delightfully Tommy Wright to me.

Think we're now up to 4 passable signings out of the crop from the summer now - Mitov, Sprangler, Smith and Robinson all look like they're at least capable players and there's one or two others who are threatening to join that list as well. Smith is a great player to watch, such good feet and balance and very tenacious, seems to emerge with the ball when he has no right to numerous times in a match. We needed fresh legs earlier than we got them tonight. Kane and Clark both tired badly and it meant we didn't really have an outball. Slightly concerned we didn't try and address the left hand side either, Robinson was exposed against 2 or 3 numerous times in that second half, although to his credit recovered the situation well most of the time. I've never seen so many suicidal passes in our own half before, particularly in the first half. My voice was up about 5 octaves by half time.

I'm really pleased with this appointment to be honest. We need an experienced hand at the moment and we also need someone in the job who can help with the infrastructure within the club. Hes a very experienced manager and has done the director of football role before so can help plug gaps while we get things sorted out behind the scenes. He's got the staff he feels he can trust on the coaching ground and he can take the responsibility for other things. Listening to his interviews, it's nice to have someone who articulates themselves well and who is an excellent troll, I'm looking forward to whatever mischief he finds himself in. Wright was always good at taking heat away from players rather than blaming them all the time, hopefully Levein will go down the same route. We have a young team so arms around shoulders is much more likely to work than constantly being told they won't play for the manager again. It might not work out the way we hope but it's a very well thought out, pragmatic appointment that essentially ticks all the boxes we need ticked right now. Supporters saying they won't be back and banging on about 1 Scotland game out of literally hundreds he's managed before need to give themselves a shake. He's a marmite figure but think we've done well to get him in.

Can only be thankful we've got Motherwell who are our answer to 1970 Brazil. But aye, pragmatism has been the bed rock of our ridiculously successful decade. Can only hope we abandon idiot ball in favour of that again.