The Greenock Morton Thread - It's Better Than Yours

[The Ghost of B A R P]

I'll bet money Imrie signs a competent young keeper in addition to Hamilton (or his replacement). No keeper on the bench is amateur league stuff.

Edited to add: both McLean and Oliver oot the door... progress.

Edited June 7, 2022 by The Ghost of B A R P

[TheGoon]

McLean & Oliver both off. Probably for the best on both, can sign the latter up when we need to play Dunfermline again.

[AsimButtHitsASix]

4 hours ago, The Ghost of B A R P said:

I'll bet money Imrie signs a competent young keeper in addition to Hamilton (or his replacement). No keeper on the bench is amateur league stuff.

Or we'll just name the youth keeper on the bench like we did last season

[The Ghost of B A R P]

16 minutes ago, AsimButtHitsASix said:

Or we'll just name the youth keeper on the bench like we did last season

Absolutely fine if the youth keeper is of a higher standard with a credible future in professional football.

[AsimButtHitsASix]

It's also absolutely fine if the keeper ends up at Port Glasgow Athletic turning up to games v Dunoon Ams still hungover from the night before. I can't remember the last time we required a sub keeper. The odds of us needing one for the majority of a game is twice as unlikely and most clubs average about 4 or 5 shots on target per game. 

Let's say a keeper gets sent off/injured and can't continue, on average, once every three seasons. Split the difference and say it happens on the stroke of halftime. That leaves, roughly, an average of 15 minutes a season where a sub keeper is required at all. On average there would be about two shots a sub keeper would need to deal with over three years. Even youth keepers can deal with that. The most it will cost, in the absolute worst case scenario, is three points and even that has such high odds it makes no difference. 

[madton]

7 minutes ago, AsimButtHitsASix said:

It's also absolutely fine if the keeper ends up at Port Glasgow Athletic turning up to games v Dunoon Ams still hungover from the night before. I can't remember the last time we required a sub keeper. The odds of us needing one for the majority of a game is twice as unlikely and most clubs average about 4 or 5 shots on target per game. 

Let's say a keeper gets sent off/injured and can't continue, on average, once every three seasons. Split the difference and say it happens on the stroke of halftime. That leaves, roughly, an average of 15 minutes a season where a sub keeper is required at all. On average there would be about two shots a sub keeper would need to deal with over three years. Even youth keepers can deal with that. The most it will cost, in the absolute worst case scenario, is three points and even that has such high odds it makes no difference. 

Agree generally, but it's more than just a few shots. It's kicking, dealing with crosses and corners, being last man and clearing threw balls etc.

He doesn't need to be the next Craig Gordon but he needs to be a certain standard.

I'd hate to miss out on a playoff space( or worse, get relegated)by a point because we were winning a game, our keeper got injured and we replaced him with a kid who plays amateur down the battery on a Sunday and it costs us the game . It probably won't happen, but it could and that's the reason every club in the country has a sub goalie.

A clear number 1 alongside a young, raw but half decent keeper is the way to go.

 

[AsimButtHitsASix]

Naw even bothered about that. Get some older junior keeper to double up as youth goalkeeping coach and throw him an extra £20 a week to sit on the bench each week.

[Mon eh Ton]

https://www.gmfc.net/greenock-morton-squad-update/

Ugwu, McLean, Oliver, Russell and Ledger all leaving.

Not disappointed by any of those tbh, though our current strikeforce of Muirhead and Easdale leaves a little to be desired.

[Jamie_M]

Didn't realise Bysouth was away (if he even is). We only offered him his first professional contract in Feb, was it only for 4 months (Morton didn't announce how long)?

No doubt we will find a stooge to sit on the bench. Not that it's as important as made out. The chances of losing a keeper mid-game are very low.

Glad Oliver and McLean are away. No place for them in the budget. Gozie more disappointing but totally expected with him wanting to go back down south with his kid being born.

[TheGoon]

Shame to lose Ugwu, but it will at the very least force us to come up with a different game plan that isn’t 90% reliant on him (unless we bring in another unit and just do the same thing)

[madton]

Think we all expected Gozie to move on, good luck to him. 

So 9 players have left to date, potentially 11 depending on  what Hamilton and Strapp do.

3 new arrivals so far.,

A lot of work to do with pre season starting next week but every confidence Dougie knows what he's doing.

 

[HoBNob]

Any rumours on what's happening with Hamilton? 

[Jamie_M]

38 minutes ago, Grant228 said:

Any rumours on what's happening with Hamilton? 

Nope.

[SpoonTon]

• Alan Lithgow
• Darren Hynes
• Alexander King
• Kyle Jacobs
• Lewis McGrattan
• Lewis McGregor
• Michael Garrity
• Reece Lyon
• Alexander Easdale
• Jack Baird
• Carlo Pignatiello
• Darragh O’Connor
• Cameron Blues
• Robbie Muirhead

That list does not make for great reading. 

[Jamie_M]

8 minutes ago, SpoonTon said:

• Alan Lithgow
• Darren Hynes
• Alexander King
• Kyle Jacobs
• Lewis McGrattan
• Lewis McGregor
• Michael Garrity
• Reece Lyon
• Alexander Easdale
• Jack Baird
• Carlo Pignatiello
• Darragh O’Connor
• Cameron Blues
• Robbie Muirhead

That list does not make for great reading. 

It makes for perfectly good reading, by showing that there are plenty of additional to come.

[The Ghost of B A R P]

5 minutes ago, SpoonTon said:

• Alan Lithgow
• Darren Hynes
• Alexander King
• Kyle Jacobs
• Lewis McGrattan
• Lewis McGregor
• Michael Garrity
• Reece Lyon
• Alexander Easdale
• Jack Baird
• Carlo Pignatiello
• Darragh O’Connor
• Cameron Blues
• Robbie Muirhead

That list does not make for great reading. 

Why so?

Four of them are boys, two of them strictly squad options, and we’ll add probably another eight.

I trust Imrie to get a mix of value and quality more than MacPherson, Hopkin, Johansson, or Duffy before him.

[vikingTON]

Remember that there were some Morton fans gurning that Duffy had to 'struggle' to build a team after so many of the 13/14 team left as well. Our attachment to the precious continuity of haddies and mediocrities is timeless. 

The only issue I have is that there should be half a dozen names fewer on that list. 

[SpoonTon]

37 minutes ago, The Ghost of B A R P said:

Why so?

Four of them are boys, two of them strictly squad options, and we’ll add probably another eight.

I trust Imrie to get a mix of value and quality more than MacPherson, Hopkin, Johansson, or Duffy before him.

I don't rate Baird. I wasn't particularly impressed with Lithgow last season. I don't think Hynes, McGrattan, or Easdale have shown enough to still be at the club at their stage (the former two might be decent enough as squad fillers in an emergency, but I'm not convinced they're worth the space in the squad. Jacobs had a bad year - he might be fine if kept to the one role he's good at. Blues and Muirhead were fine in their own way in the second half of the season, they might be good competition. The three younger players might head off on loan or provide some cover, preferably the former. 

To be clear, I have no issue with the spaces there we have to bring new players in - I have an issue with too many players on that list not being good enough to play. 14 players there, and maybe 4 or 5 who could be starters. Still leaves space for a few players to come in, but I'd rather more empty spaces and therefore more scope to improve the squad. 

[DreamOakTree1]

If we can add Strapp and Hamilton to that list I’d be reasonably content, assuming Dougie’s going to add some decent contributors in key positions. None of those who have left were regular game changers, unlike Strapp, Hamilton and Muirhead, so the right replacements would add to those threes’ influence and bolster the likes of Blues and Lyon, possibly making us credible challengers for a play-off place.

[The Ghost of B A R P]

1 hour ago, SpoonTon said:

I don't rate Baird. I wasn't particularly impressed with Lithgow last season. I don't think Hynes, McGrattan, or Easdale have shown enough to still be at the club at their stage (the former two might be decent enough as squad fillers in an emergency, but I'm not convinced they're worth the space in the squad. Jacobs had a bad year - he might be fine if kept to the one role he's good at. Blues and Muirhead were fine in their own way in the second half of the season, they might be good competition. The three younger players might head off on loan or provide some cover, preferably the former. 

To be clear, I have no issue with the spaces there we have to bring new players in - I have an issue with too many players on that list not being good enough to play. 14 players there, and maybe 4 or 5 who could be starters. Still leaves space for a few players to come in, but I'd rather more empty spaces and therefore more scope to improve the squad. 

Agree that Hynes and McGrattan are there as (presumably cheap) backup and that Easdale should be nowhere near the squad. Then there are three more who should really be going out on loan.

The likes of Baird and Blues aren't dazzling signings, but they're nowhere near as worrying as some of the desperate punts Duffy took. 

Beyond, that I'm optimistic that there are eight slots still to be filled: hoping Hamilton and Strapp are two of them and that Imrie can add quality further forward. From last night's meeting, it sounds as though we'll have a clearer picture of how competitive we're likely to be by early next week.