Parscelona

I reckon if the opportunity is there to sign Byrne, we would be daft not to do it. He's proven at this level, we can't say the same for Allan. Hopefully Wotherspoon is announced today or tomorrow be a good boost heading into Saturday.

Only tip my barber and waiters/waitresses. Everyone else can do one.

Fitting that the two best sides in League One last season start against each other on the opening day of the Championship campaign. Three draws between the sides last year, with the only win being that famous 4-3 comeback victory, where our winning goal was scored by Airdrie’s new number eleven. Airdrie have had a terrific League Cup campaign being the only side across all of the groups to secure a perfect 12 points, which included notable wins over Dundee and Inverness, so they will be full of confidence ahead of their visit to EEP. For ourselves, the League Cup campaign didn’t teach us too much, we disposed of lower league sides like Annan and Albion Rovers pretty comfortably, competed fairly well against a mid-table Championship team and then lost to Premiership opposition. From a Pars point of view, unveiling the flag on the opening day should be a great occasion but I think the mood has most definitely been dampened by the serious injuries to Ritchie-Hosler and Todd (our two most exciting players), as well as an evergrowing frustration over the lack of incoming transfer activity. Hopefully we can bring in a new player (Wotherspoon?) or two before next week...

We needed a new winger with KRH being out for ages and he brings experience which we're badly lacking. If he's motivated, he could turn out to be a shrewd signing.

Haven't heard anything but I am surprised we haven't been linked with Alex Jakubiak yet. McPake previously signed him for Dundee, we need a striker and he's at a good age and probably a realistic target for us, albeit he has had injury problems in the past.

My head is telling me to remain patient in regard to our summer transfer business. McPake clearly doesn't rush into signings and we still have time on our side to sign some new players, plus we also have the loan window which he made effective use of last season. However, I am slightly concerned that we haven't signed anyone 'new' yet. The three guys we have brought in were on loan to us last season and even though we ran away with the league, we did get very fortunate in terms of not getting too many bad injuries, considering we ran with a small squad. I think we're not going to get away with that this season and KRH being out for 3 months before a ball is kicked is an absolute disaster. Outside of him, we're currently left with the following first team players... GK: Mehmet / Little DF: Benedictus / Breen / Fisher / Comrie / Edwards / Otoo MF: Allan / Chalmers / Hamilton / Todd ATT: Wighton / McCann Hopefully the club will bring in a 'new' player or two by next Saturday, however I am worried that the reality is that the only player we sign by then is a soon to be 36 year old Paul McGowan...

The opportunity to batter Cowden one more time before they inevitably cease to exist? Sign me up.

Scottish Championship please, thank you in advance Admin.

This season really couldn't have gone much better, last night was hilarious and we find out today that Bene has got player of the season. Tremendous.

Six

Cue the Airdrie implosion

Sir James McPake rightfully said Airdrie were the second best side in the league. Give that man yet another award.

4

Can't wait for the post match flapping. McGlynn might genuinely take off into the sky tonight.

Think that is the best decision for both parties. We need better options in the forwards area and whilst O'Hara is a decent player, we need a more reliable goalscorer for the step up to the Championship. Would expect Todorov to also be on his way out, so we're looking at two new strikers in the summer to compete with Wighton & McCann next season.

After we won the league, McPake was interviewed by PLZ and he agreed that we needed to strengthen our forwards area for the step up to the Championship. Obviously, he sees Wighton as our best striking option out of our current group and with McCann under contract for another year, I don't think that bodes well for either O'Hara or Todorov. For me, O'Hara doesn't score enough and even though I like Todorov, McPake hasn't started him in many games this season. It would be nice to see Mehmet signing a new deal, however his stock is as high as it might ever be, so I wouldn't be surprised if he left for money. I think McPake will keep Comrie and release MacDonald, as I don't think he's good enough for the Championship and would like to see a new right back coming in and challenging Comrie for that position. Of those who are on loan, trying to sign KRH on a permanent basis must be a priority if we can afford it. He's turning 21 in September and I can't see Rangers keeping him on. For KRH, of course I am sure he will have other options but he's at a club where he is loved by the fans and has his best years ahead of him. I would also like to see us sign Sam Fisher on a permanent basis, he was really impressive during his loan spell. The only other loan player I would keep would be Otoo. His contract with Celtic runs for another year but I like the fact he's versatile and is a physical specimen. Yes, he looks raw at times but he has huge potential. I wouldn't attempt to re-sign Mahon, Mochrie or McGowan (in a playing capacity).

Some cringe material from the Falkirk persuasion to add to the thread,

What a difference a year makes. Last year in April we faced Queens and ultimately lost at EEP in a match that consigned us to the relegation play offs, which ended up in us deservedly getting relegated to League 1. That season was genuinely the worst in my time supporting the club and we have had a few stinkers! We had to sit through a campaign where we were led by not one, but two pit stains of Scottish Football and the worst thing was that as fans, we knew they shouldn’t have been here but the board didn’t care. Ultimately it led to a total disconnect between the fans and the board and it seemed like all positive relations that had been built up since the fans saved the club had disappeared. Fast forward a year and under a new Chief Executive in his first full season, the club is on a real positive track. The bond between the fans, the management team and the players is as strong as I have ever seen and that’s a credit to David Cook. His appointment of James McPake has proven to be an excellent decision. In the game against QOTS that I mentioned earlier; Chalmers, Edwards, O'Hara and Todd started that game; Breen, Comrie, McCann, Mehmet and Todorov were all on the bench, while Wighton was stuck in Arbroath. Fast forward a year and McPake and his coaching team have improved every player. They are realising the potential of Matty Todd in an advanced midfield role, they have helped change Joe Chalmers from being a scapegoat to a fans favourite, they have turned an error making goalkeeping like Mehmet into a clean sheet machine and they have made Craig Wighton remember that he’s actually pretty fucking good at this game. One defeat in 33 league games is truly astonishing. The club is in a really good place to go on and be successful in the Championship next season. Of course, we need some additions for a higher level and there will be a few who aren’t ready for the step up just yet, however under McPake and his team with the backing of an enthusiastic support behind them, I think there’s more good times ahead.

Only in May and it seems Johnston has already managed to lose two of our key players to our main title challenger next season. Why the f**k are we not offering 2 year deals to the likes of Aird and Clark? Absolutely laughable.

Mate of mines is a Dundee fan so went along to see them play Raith on Tuesday. El Bak certainly wasn't playing with the same confidence he showed with us, one of his key attributes used to be his ability to trap a ball, yet he just constantly kept giving it away each time. The Dundee fans don't seem to enamoured with him either.