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Suggestion here via the wee guy who does the Not The Old Firm blog that we were one of a couple of Premiership sides interested in Brian Graham (along with St. Johnstone and Killie).

Pinch of salt and all that because it's not clearly not Scott Burns and there's nothing in McCall's quotes that confirms the suggegestion other than him saying: "There were a couple of Premiership teams in for him".

I mean, given the goals the lanky p***k has scored against us it wouldn't be a surprise if we were taking a look. Also you've got the whole thing about us having been trying for a more traditional #9/target man option...call it what you want.

Assuming the link that we were taking a look at Jordan White (that did come from Scott Burns) then put him alongside Graham and you get a FM-style filter of what me might be looking at. I suppose the problem - in Graham's case specifically - is you're probably asking a guy to come in and be part of a rotation, which was essentially his situation at Ross County - if that was the case but he wants to play games then it's understandable why he'd choose Thistle.

Edited by capt_oats
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On 21/01/2020 at 14:22, well fan for life said:

 

As for the Donnelly chat, I can't see it myself. I think he's improved massively this season but I don't think he's improved to that degree. That being said if they want to chuck over a million at us then I'm happy to listen. 

I know a million would do wonders for our club but i find it impossible to get over my loathing for those  c***s, so i am unable to justify selling any of our player in my mind no matter the deal . That picture of Turnbull with a Celtic top on gives me the boak. 

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3 hours ago, capt_oats said:

Suggestion here via the wee guy who does the Not The Old Firm blog that we were one of a couple of Premiership sides interested in Brian Graham (along with St. Johnstone and Killie).

Pinch of salt and all that because it's not clearly not Scott Burns and there's nothing in McCall's quotes that confirms the suggegestion other than him saying: "There were a couple of Premiership teams in for him".

I mean, given the goals the lanky p***k has scored against us it wouldn't be a surprise if we were taking a look. Also you've got the whole thing about us having been trying for a more traditional #9/target man option...call it what you want.

Assuming the link that we were taking a look at Jordan White (that did come from Scott Burns) then put him alongside Graham and you get a FM-style filter of what me might be looking at. I suppose the problem - in Graham's case specifically - is you're probably asking a guy to come in and be part of a rotation, which was essentially his situation at Ross County - if that was the case but he wants to play games then it's understandable why he'd choose Thistle.

Ian McCall lies about pretty much everything. If you're putting any stock in his words at all then you're wasting your time. 

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19 minutes ago, RandomGuy. said:

Ian McCall lies about pretty much everything. If you're putting any stock in his words at all then you're wasting your time. 

Tbf, it's less McCall's words and more the boy doing the blog - it was him that mentioned Motherwell (and your lot). He's a Motherwell fan and does bits and pieces of writing here and there. A lot of his pieces are really just very literal takes on clickbait stories so it's almost certainly one to be sceptical about. McCall's quote is just a very bland, generic "a couple of Premiership sides were interested"-type thing.

Having said that, the article @Casagolda linked to at the top of the previous page seems to have come from a Robinson press conference so it suggests some sort of access though again I definitely wouldn't be hanging my hat on it.

All in all, with the frequency with which we make Brian Graham look like Zlatan there's a very good chance we were interested.

Edited by capt_oats
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Aye, given he's presumably Glasgow based and turns into Marco Van Basten whenever he enters the ML1 postcode it seems pretty plausible we'd be interested in Graham, and also equally likely that he'd see being first choice at Thistle as preferable to an option at either us or County.

I'd really like to know how interested we were in Dykes last January and where things fell down if we were. In hindsight that would have been an outstanding pick up.

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29 minutes ago, YassinMoutaouakil said:

I'd really like to know how interested we were in Dykes last January and where things fell down if we were. In hindsight that would have been an outstanding pick up.

^^^ very this.

I'd guess that Livi's offer of a small fee + loan back (plus presumably a sell on?) would probably have swung it if we were just going with a straight pre-contract to sign at the end of the season as we did with Gallagher & Polworth.

By all accounts it looks like Livi have taken the same approach with Alan Forrest this window. And absolutely fair play to them.

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Last season Dykes played every minute in the league and scored 2 goals in 36 games, which I thought when I looked, even with his 9 assists, that seemed pretty low in order for him to make a step up to the Premier League. 8 in 17 at the moment is good going.

I don't know if that was because he couldn't get Dobbie out the road, but it does make you think if us, Livi and others were after him then that's where agents earn their salt.

 

 

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I noticed the bold Flow is asking for people’s opinions on occasional Saturday night games on twitterland, after the Aberdeen chairman said he wants to try it.


I couldn’t make Dundee but it looked like a right jolly.

I’d be well up for Saturday night football providing they are sensible with the travelling distances and public transport is available after the game.

Appreciate it might not suit everyone, people with young kids etc and the polis might not fancy it, but it’s certainly worth a try to see if it would work.
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I wouldn't have a problem with a Saturday night game now and again - as long as they were decided when season tickets went on sale as there are plenty of non-Saturday 3pm kickoffs already... 

Edited by Swello
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I couldn’t make Dundee but it looked like a right jolly.

I’d be well up for Saturday night football providing they are sensible with the travelling distances and public transport is available after the game.

Appreciate it might not suit everyone, people with young kids etc and the polis might not fancy it, but it’s certainly worth a try to see if it would work.


This is pretty much it for me. Like get them scheduled well in advance and don't be having Kilmarnock away to Ross County at that time.

Dundee was a great evening out.
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I think @Swello referenced it in the match thread but Robinson sounds like he's pivoted back to us not doing any more business (at 1:20 in the Tweet below). He's bit more equivocal speaking to Sky than he was in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

Quote

"No. We haven't got any more money to add any. I know what parameters we work under. It's not me moaning about it and nothing's changed because we're sitting 3rd the budget doesn't suddenly change and I have to be careful I don't stand in any of the young players way and bring players in that are not as good as some of our younger boys. That's what the club thrives on. We're sitting 3rd in the league so we're not doing too much wrong."

Obvs there's still a week or so to go and his position during the other day was along the lines of "things sometimes turn up late in the window, so if something that suited and it was in budget we'd consider it" but it definitely sounds like it'd have to be something landing in our lap to consider it.

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9 hours ago, MP_MFC said:

We 100% need another striker before the end of the window, today proved it that we have a useful bunch of attackers but not one of today's front 3 is a goalscorer.

Yep, defence and midfield is sorted, especially with Turnbull and Dunn still to come back in. Sadly we have half a dozen strikers with little between them and none of them close to what’s needed up front at this moment in time.

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It's the slowest of claps in my direction but with all the chat about "replacing" Cole it's really only clicked with me that Scott is (probably) being viewed as Cole's replacement in the wide area of the starting XI rather than Ndjoli. The plan is presumably to see out the season with a first choice front 3 of Hylton, Long and Scott. The bold Mikael is probably just here to fill out the squad with a bit of pace.

On the striker conversation I'm inclined to agree but again it's a question of who's available and I empathise with Robinson in terms of what sort of value we're going to get. We seem to be trying to make Chrissy Long a thing with the contract extension offer. So if he's going to be our main guy Is it better for us to stick with Scott, MacIver, Manzinga or even giving Semple a run as a #9 rather than chucking money at a Sammon or Fisher type to be parked on the bench?

That's the gamble I suppose. 

I think it was @YassinMoutaouakil who was talking ages ago about using Div Turnbull as a 'False 9'...I mean, why the f**k not?

Obviously it'd be smashing to get a goalscorer in but it's the January window and clubs are generally quite keen to keep proven goalscorers on their books if they have them.

Speaking purely in hypotheticals, in the absence of a James McFadden/Scott McDonald-type former club icon landing in our lap realistically what sort of experienced forward is available at the moment and could possibly be an option to rotate with Long off the bench?

Lads let me tell you, it's not a route I'd be keen on going down....

Spoiler

1809547494_ScreenShot2020-01-26at11_18_06.png.b4e97f7f4760c90c638fbdf29e85ce03.png

For avoidance of doubt that's not a suggestion. More an illustration.

I mean, I'm sure there are options out there but in the absence of someone good or a McDonald-type (which I'm all for) if our options are bringing in some dross in the hope they'll do us a turn or giving the players like Scott, MacIver, Semple etc who are already at the club minutes to try and develop then yeah let's do the latter.

Edited by capt_oats
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3 minutes ago, capt_oats said:

I think it was @YassinMoutaouakil who was talking ages ago about using Div Turnbull as a 'False 9'...I mean, why the f**k not?

Ahaha I literally brought this up at the game yesterday! I don't think it was anyone's intention but a combination of MacIver struggling to get much joy out Hanlon or Jackson physically and probably just the fact that he's not a natural centre forward meant he was essentially dropping back and playing as a 10/ false 9 at times anyway. Performed pretty admirably given the circumstances but it's a role tailor made for Turnbull imo, and also solves the conundrum of who to drop out of Polworth, Campbell or Donnelly.

I know people have hit out with Ballack comparisons etc but for me the benchmark for Turnbull has always been ~ 2012 Fabregas anyway.

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12 minutes ago, MP_MFC said:

I've heard a few people say they'd take a look at Miller. I cannot disagree more. He's dressing room poison by all accounts and would go against our entire ethos.

Miller is done at the top level, seen him a couple of times lately for Thistle and he’s way past his best.

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