Rate your signings

[callum-ayr]

With the first quarter fast approaching completion, how do you feel your signings have done so far?  For Ayr imo:

Hart 6/10 - Not had too much game time as he's been brought in as backup, but has looked pretty solid in the games for the first team and 20s I've watched him in.

Rose 5/10 - Similar signing to Hart, pretty much backup and not had too much game time.

Meggat 7/10 - Has had a good partnership with whoever he has played in central defence with and is definitely an asset.

Balatoni 9/10 - Exactly what we needed and just adds class to the defence.  Hope he and Meggat continue their good partnership.

Cairney 6/10 - Been unlucky in the sense that he's been played out of position so much, however when played in central midfield has looked ok to decent, hopefully gets more playing time there.

Harkins 7/10 - Has added that bit of class in midfield and can play in a role that allows him to dictate how we play.  Hoping for some more from him and I think that will come when we get a good forward in.

Thomas 3/10 - Not done much in his short time here and really needs game time to get himself going.  Think choosing to go with Wales to sit on the bench rather than getting a start v Falkirk last night was a mistake, unless McCall said for him to go.

Nisbet 6/10 - Started well with a goal, but hasn't got too much game time in terms of starts under his belt, another who McCall should maybe trust from the start.

O'Connell 4/10 - Getting a bit repetitive with the strikers here, however another striker who doesn't get game time.  Can look like a big donkey at times, but came on and done well setting Harkins up last night and could maybe offer something.

Moore 1/10 - Obviously harsh as he's injured, but not played so can't really score him.

Overall McCalls recruitment of the defence has been tremendous, just hope he can get the attack sorted, hope players like Nisbet and O'Connell can step up.

[Salvo Montalbano]

Ashcroft 7/10 - looks pretty solid and been our best center half.

Wedderburn 2/10 - played in 2 games where we didn't need him then has been injured since.

Higginbotham 4/10 - a strange signing as he's a good player but doesn't really suit our system. Has fallen out of favour now too.

McMullan (loan) 6/10 - a good impact sub and was impressive when he played while Cardle was injured. Has potential.

Reilly (loan) 4/10 - chases everything down, makes decent runs but aiming long balls for him to chase them having nothing come from them is frustrating. 

Clark 8/10 - a proven goalscorer and someone who makes runs and takes up positions our other strikers can't. 

el Aligui 7/10 - another proven goalscorer provided he can stay fit and gives us a different option with his strength. Has really improved the squad.

[Jan Vojáček]

In: Robert Thomson (Brechin City), Andrew Stirling (Stranraer), Craig Pettigrew (Stranraer), Ryan Stevenson (Ayr United), David Smith (Falkirk), Jamie Barclay (Stenhousemuir), Josh Todd (Annan Athletic), Daniel Harvie (Aberdeen, loan), Alan Martin (Hamilton Accies), Joe Thomson (Celtic, loan), Sam Stanton (Hibernian, loan)

Robert Thomson 6/10 - Weird one. He seems to get less effective every week, albeit we really don't play to his strengths. Great first touch, good at dropping deep, woeful infront of goal.

Andy Stirling 3/10 - Flatters to deceive for the majority of the time. Went on a few great runs against Forfar way back in July, but hasn't really done anything like that since then. 

Craig Pettigrew 4/10 - There are moments where he looks decent enough, but they are becoming few and far between. His distribution is erratic, he is rash in his positioning and just jogs back whenever he ventures forward. Definite weak link in our back 4.

Ryan Stevenson 7.5/10 - Had the fear when we signed him given what Ayr fans have said, but I have been impressed. Initially in pre-season he looked miles off it, but he's now in shape and does a decent amount of running. His quality on the ball is sublime and he's at the heart of the (very little) we do that's good in an attacking sense.

David Smith 8/10 - Another one I had the fear over, but has more than won me over with his performances so far. Not the greatest footballer, but he's a real worker who will play pretty much anywhere and is capable of putting some very decent balls into the middle. Only thing that lets him down is his defensive awareness - though it's tough when he's playing infront of Pettigrew.

Josh Todd 6/10 - Flits in and out of games. Strong runner, very good on the ball, but can go missing. I'd like to see him played in either the number 10 position or up top as he's fairly meh on the wing.

Daniel Harvie 7/10 - Kept Mark Docherty out the team, adds a bit of pace to the defence and (statistically) it has improved a great deal since he came in. His final ball is the only thing that really lets him down. Glorious hair.

Alan Martin 10/10 - Without him we wouldn't have a single point on the board imo. That's no slight on Jamie Ewings either - but Aldo pulls off saves that should not be possible. His distribution is excellent as well. Infinite numbers better than Mark Brown and gives me (and the back four) real confidence. 

Joe Thomson 7.5/10 - Nicely slotted into the Jamie Lindsay shaped hole in our midfield. Not as good as Lindsay in possession, but probably slightly better defensively. Runs absolutely forever.

Sam Stanton 3/10 - Barely noticed him to be honest - last week he took a dreadful corner and that's all I can really remember. Wingers are usually confidence players though - he just seems to have none. Early days though, and he should have the ability to become a more than handy signing.

[Scosha]

Gary Oliver 8/10 - think people under estimate how good a player he is for us. Had a couple of poor games but for the most part he's done well linking the midfield with the attack and getting us up the park.

Caolan McAleer 3/10 - pish. Was in the juniors for a reason.

Oyenuga - scored in his first appearance for us but hasn't done much since.

McDonagh/McDonut 5/10 - signed as a striker but has played more minutes at right back than up front. He's improved a little in the last couple of weeks but not convinced.

Jamie Lindsay 7/10 - had his best game for us last week. Does all the work that goes unnoticed.

Aidan Nesbitt 6/10 - looks a decent player but lacks confidence. Maybe a goal/couple of assists will give him a boost to fulfil his potential.

Michael Doyle 8/10 - impressed with him. Lacks a final ball but constantly goes up and down the wing and always talking. Good player.

Gavin Gunning [emoji7] (9/10) - obviously came with a poor reputation but he strolled it in his first 3 appearances before his hamstring injury last weekend.

Andy Murdoch 7/10 - only been here for 2 weeks but looks a very tidy player.

[Meathead]

3 hours ago, callum-ayr said:

Thomas 3/10 - Not done much in his short time here and really needs game time to get himself going.  Think choosing to go with Wales to sit on the bench rather than getting a start v Falkirk last night was a mistake, unless McCall said for him to go.

I don't think it was a mistake at all. He'll be eligible for the 2019 under 21 Euro qualifiers while many of their current squad will be too old. Being in the squad at the tail-end of this campaign is obviously to his advantage if he has hopes of playing regularly in the next one. It would've been very short-sighted of him to turn that down for the chance at a bit more playing time in a team he'll only be with for six months.

[callum-ayr]

21 minutes ago, Meathead said:

I don't think it was a mistake at all. He'll be eligible for the 2019 under 21 Euro qualifiers while many of their current squad will be too old. Being in the squad at the tail-end of this campaign is obviously to his advantage if he has hopes of playing regularly in the next one. It would've been very short-sighted of him to turn that down for the chance at a bit more playing time in a team he'll only be with for six months.

Short sighted or not, I would be more worried about getting game time and playing here.  If he has aspirations of playing for Burnley, not getting into an Ayr United team is not the way to go about it.

[Meathead]

49 minutes ago, callum-ayr said:

Short sighted or not, I would be more worried about getting game time and playing here.  If he has aspirations of playing for Burnley, not getting into an Ayr United team is not the way to go about it.

Yeah it probably doesn't bode well for him that he's struggling for game time here, but he'll still have a year and a half left on his contract at Burnley once his loan expires. This loan isn't make-or-break for him; how he does out on loan and/or in Burnley's development squad next season will have a much greater bearing on his future there.

Barring an unforeseen masterclass from him had he played last night it's probably unlikely that he'd have gotten a great deal more game time beyond that anyway so going away with Wales won't have changed much.

[itzdrk]

Jordan Hart - 6/10 - looked ok when he played, signed as someone to push Fleming for a place and Fleming has definately upped his game since.

Conrad Balatoni - 8/10 - Was worried as he is quite error prone. Has just been solid and not too bad a passer of the ball, great at attacking the ball at set plays too.

Daryll Meggatt - 6/10 - Daryll is OK, better than Murphy for sure but can be a little dodgy at times, should only header and tackle as use of the ball is poor.

Michael Rose - 3/10 - had a stinker on his debut and not been seen since.

Paul Cairney - 4/10 - Fat, slow, poor passer, seems to hurt someone every tackle (but not in a Jamie Adams smash way). No thanks.

Gary Harkins - 7/10 - Tap baller our Gary, getting exactly what everyone gets from him, moments of brilliance and slight frustration that it isn't more often.

Jamie Thomas - 4/10 - Not getting a fair chance, being used out left or right when he is on doesn't help, played well against Dundee United and the passing he was making around the box says there is plenty to work with there.

Andy O'Connell - 5/10 - Big Andy, doesn't win headers but has 3 men watching him, surprisingly quick for a big guy who was a centre back until July. I think he offers us a presence which gives others a little more freedom, individually not the best though.

Kevin Nisbet - 6/10 - Plenty time for him. Good debut goal, i think he is someone who is just at that stage in their career before they are good, will get plenty from him during the loan.

N.b.

Craig McGuffie - 5/10 - a youth player we have promoted this season so technically counts...

Craig Moore - 3/10 - returning on loan after last season (does that count?). Low rating due to not playing, bombscare Andy Webster knocked him out in the second game of the league cup and he is still having the after effects of a concussion. Will score plenty when it passes.

[Thebat]

In: Robert Thomson (Brechin City), Andrew Stirling (Stranraer), Craig Pettigrew (Stranraer), Ryan Stevenson (Ayr United), David Smith (Falkirk), Jamie Barclay (Stenhousemuir), Josh Todd (Annan Athletic), Daniel Harvie (Aberdeen, loan), Alan Martin (Hamilton Accies), Joe Thomson (Celtic, loan), Sam Stanton (Hibernian, loan)

Robert Thomson 5/10

Andy Stirling 4/10

Craig Pettigrew 2/10

Ryan Stevenson 6/10

David Smith 6/10

Josh Todd 6/10 

Daniel Harvie 7/10

Alan Martin 10/10 - ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Joe Thomson 8/10

Sam Stanton 4/10

 0

[D.A.F.C]

Reilly 2/10

With his pedigree and goalscoring record in this division he's been a total disappointment. It's starting to annoy me that he gets picked every week.

Nat Wedderburn ?/10

Injury prone. Hard to say.

McMullan 6/10

Poor start then did really well then inexplicably dropped. Would start him ahead of Cardle. A more complete player with a better end product.

Ashcroft 8/10

Solid no nonsense defender. Great signing.

Higganbotham 6/10

Does well but on the bench most weeks. No idea why. Play him in midfield, far better than McCabe.

Heron 7/10

Looks like a good player. Bad timing with the injury.

Clark 8/10

A class act. SPL quality.

Farid 9/10

Some boi, potential cult hero. Headbutter supreme.

 

[TheMessiah]

2 hours ago, D.A.F.C said:

Reilly 2/10

With his pedigree and goalscoring record in this division he's been a total disappointment. It's starting to annoy me that he gets picked every week.

Nat Wedderburn ?/10

Injury prone. Hard to say.

McMullan 6/10

Poor start then did really well then inexplicably dropped. Would start him ahead of Cardle. A more complete player with a better end product.

Ashcroft 8/10

Solid no nonsense defender. Great signing.

Higganbotham 6/10

Does well but on the bench most weeks. No idea why. Play him in midfield, far better than McCabe.

Heron 7/10

Looks like a good player. Bad timing with the injury.

Clark 8/10

A class act. SPL quality.

Farid 9/10

Some boi, potential cult hero. Headbutter supreme.

 

Are you actually always on the wind-up or just a legitimate fuckwit?

[The Moonster]

21 hours ago, Sonsteam of 08 said:

In: Robert Thomson (Brechin City), Andrew Stirling (Stranraer), Craig Pettigrew (Stranraer), Ryan Stevenson (Ayr United), David Smith (Falkirk), Jamie Barclay (Stenhousemuir), Josh Todd (Annan Athletic), Daniel Harvie (Aberdeen, loan), Alan Martin (Hamilton Accies), Joe Thomson (Celtic, loan), Sam Stanton (Hibernian, loan)

Robert Thomson 6/10 - Weird one. He seems to get less effective every week, albeit we really don't play to his strengths. Great first touch, good at dropping deep, woeful infront of goal.

Andy Stirling 3/10 - Flatters to deceive for the majority of the time. Went on a few great runs against Forfar way back in July, but hasn't really done anything like that since then. 

Craig Pettigrew 4/10 - There are moments where he looks decent enough, but they are becoming few and far between. His distribution is erratic, he is rash in his positioning and just jogs back whenever he ventures forward. Definite weak link in our back 4.

Ryan Stevenson 7.5/10 - Had the fear when we signed him given what Ayr fans have said, but I have been impressed. Initially in pre-season he looked miles off it, but he's now in shape and does a decent amount of running. His quality on the ball is sublime and he's at the heart of the (very little) we do that's good in an attacking sense.

David Smith 8/10 - Another one I had the fear over, but has more than won me over with his performances so far. Not the greatest footballer, but he's a real worker who will play pretty much anywhere and is capable of putting some very decent balls into the middle. Only thing that lets him down is his defensive awareness - though it's tough when he's playing infront of Pettigrew.

Josh Todd 6/10 - Flits in and out of games. Strong runner, very good on the ball, but can go missing. I'd like to see him played in either the number 10 position or up top as he's fairly meh on the wing.

Daniel Harvie 7/10 - Kept Mark Docherty out the team, adds a bit of pace to the defence and (statistically) it has improved a great deal since he came in. His final ball is the only thing that really lets him down. Glorious hair.

Alan Martin 10/10 - Without him we wouldn't have a single point on the board imo. That's no slight on Jamie Ewings either - but Aldo pulls off saves that should not be possible. His distribution is excellent as well. Infinite numbers better than Mark Brown and gives me (and the back four) real confidence. 

Joe Thomson 7.5/10 - Nicely slotted into the Jamie Lindsay shaped hole in our midfield. Not as good as Lindsay in possession, but probably slightly better defensively. Runs absolutely forever.

Sam Stanton 3/10 - Barely noticed him to be honest - last week he took a dreadful corner and that's all I can really remember. Wingers are usually confidence players though - he just seems to have none. Early days though, and he should have the ability to become a more than handy signing.

Hard to disagree with much of that. I probably wouldn't have Smith as high as 8 or Stirling as low as 3 (for me Pettigrew is far and away the worst signing we've made) but I agree with the general comments. The Brechin fans did say Thommo took a while to start banging them in, I just hope he finds his feet soon or he'll be looking at a spot on the bench.

[D.A.F.C]

10 hours ago, TheMessiah said:

Are you actually always on the wind-up or just a legitimate fuckwit?

Although Cardle got the hat-trick Paul came in and got a few MOTM performances. The fact Cardle was dropped by the manager indicates he was in poor form. Cardle isn't terrible but yesterday he was struggling but did set up a goal then missed a sitter by taking the wrong option. McMullen is more of a proper winger who uses the right foot for the wing he plays on instead of drifting in and making the midfield congested. 

Joe is still a fans favourite so I appreciate your over the top reaction.

[Jan Vojáček]

1 hour ago, The Moonster said:

Hard to disagree with much of that. I probably wouldn't have Smith as high as 8 or Stirling as low as 3 (for me Pettigrew is far and away the worst signing we've made) but I agree with the general comments. The Brechin fans did say Thommo took a while to start banging them in, I just hope he finds his feet soon or he'll be looking at a spot on the bench.

To be honest even I think I've over exaggerated my rating of Smith, but there's just something I find really likeable about him. It might be his work ethic, the weird way in which he runs or his never changing hair...though I suspect it's the hatred that some Falkirk fans on here have of him that really does it for me.

Pettigrew has been woeful, but did have a couple of 7/10 games. Besides a good couple of runs against Forfar and the goal against St Mirren I really can't remember Andy Stirling doing anything of note. Given the rave reviews from Stranraer fans my low rating is probably based on the fact I thought he'd be an exciting addition - and he's failed to perform, whereas most of us weren't expecting much of Pettigrew and so aren't surprised he's looked out of his depth.

Thommo I think is a massive confidence player. The more chances he misses, the more balls he doesn't control, the fewer goals he scores the less effective he'll become. We clearly aren't a great team to be a striker in, so missing those chances is proving costly and that definitely seems to be hurting him. Perhaps a spell out of the team would help him in the long run.

[The Moonster]

1 minute ago, Sonsteam of 08 said:

To be honest even I think I've over exaggerated my rating of Smith, but there's just something I find really likeable about him. It might be his work ethic, the weird way in which he runs or his never changing hair...though I suspect it's the hatred that some Falkirk fans on here have of him that really does it for me.

Pettigrew has been woeful, but did have a couple of 7/10 games. Besides a good couple of runs against Forfar and the goal against St Mirren I really can't remember Andy Stirling doing anything of note. Given the rave reviews from Stranraer fans my low rating is probably based on the fact I thought he'd be an exciting addition - and he's failed to perform, whereas most of us weren't expecting much of Pettigrew and so aren't surprised he's looked out of his depth.

Thommo I think is a massive confidence player. The more chances he misses, the more balls he doesn't control, the fewer goals he scores the less effective he'll become. We clearly aren't a great team to be a striker in, so missing those chances is proving costly and that definitely seems to be hurting him. Perhaps a spell out of the team would help him in the long run.

In Stirling's case he's not really had a consistent run in the team. Smith was given a decent run at right mid, even when he had quiet games he would retain his place and he did get better. I reckon the same might help Andy. 

[ebobsboy]

Danny Rogers- 7/10.  Hasn't quite recaptured the form (yet) he showed last season but is showing signs of it. You know what your getting with him and a good keeper.

Luca Gasparotto- 8/10 Started really slowly and looked out his depth but has improved greatly since, Having McCracken alongside him has helped and looks to be a shrewd signing, improving all the time, should form a solid partnership with Grant when he returns to the first team.

John Rankin-6/10 Perplexingly  signed when Vaulks left despite him being a totally different player and not really what we needed, plenty experience, but too similar a player to Kerr and  a fact that is proven when they are both on the park, it doesn't work. Hasn't been a regular starter, and isn't the player he maybe used to be, ok as a back up. Honest pro.

James Craigen- 5/10 Gave him a 5 mainly due to him having injuries/not regular starter, Think he may well be a good signing as he has showed in flashes what he can do, signed as Alston's replacement but looks better in the middle than out wide, allied to the fact he hasn't got the pace.

Nathan Austin-5/10 Was excited when we signed him, bags of potential and looked the part at East Fife, but is still young and is taking time to adjust to the step up, had a few first team appearances but I think Houston is taking his time with him, has all the attributes to be a top player. Probably merits more than a 5 but we just haven't saw enough of him in the first team.

Lewis Kidd- 6/10 Starting to get a regular games now that Muirhead is injured, after being benched at the start of the season, another who looked a bit out his depth but is gradually coming onto a game, looks a bit ragged at times and not sure he is the best defensively but better going forward than Muirhead. Improving.

Liam Henderson-?/10- Hard to score as  rarely featured, looks a player in the development team, tall, gets forward from midfield and has scored a few goals, one for the future. Hopefully gets a run in the first team soon as he looks like he can offer something different from midfield.

 

[GordieBoy80]

Nat Wedderburn:. ?/10. Undeserving of a score thus far because of his injury problems

Kallum Higginbotham:. 5/10. Not shown enough imo so far but has room for improvement

Lee Ashcroft: 8/10. Class act. Better than this level.

Gavin Reilly: 0/10. Absolutely fucking awful headless chicken. Would happily pay his train fare back to Tynecastle.

Paul McMullan: 5/10. Another player I believe is capable of more but has mostly been used from the bench.

Nicky Clark: 9/10. Seems to be a great signing, fantastic movement and off the mark quickly which is all you ask of a striker.

Farid El Alagui: 8/10. Impressive start (own goal aside), the type of target man we have been missing.

John Herron: 6/10 Good game in his first start looks to be a decent prospect, hopefully injury picked up against Ayr isn't too bad.

[Shandon Par]

Farid. 9.5/10. Along with the majestic Sean Murdoch he can potentially dig us out of a relegation-shaped hole. Not sure about him kissing the physio's ring after each goal. He scores so often he will tire himself out running all the way over to the bench all the time.

Lee Ashcroft 8.5/10

I wasn't convinced at first but our back four seems to be communicating well and Ashcroft gets a bit of freedom to roam and seems to be enjoying his football.

Herron - one appearance, one reminder for the fans what it's like to have a midfield. Look forward to seeing more of him. 

Nicky Clark. 8/10. Clearly a class act. Can stick the ball in the net and harasses defenders into mistakes. Not as good as creator/provider. 

IMO McMullan and Higginbotham are patchy with final balls. They impress with directness and can skip by opponents but too often there's no end product. Happy enough with them in the squad though but not convinced either has a rock solid case to be starting games.

Reilly - good piece of business by Hearts.

[Rovers1992/1993]

Aaron Lennox. 6/10. Did OK for his couple of games until he got injured. Pulled his hamstring in the 10th minute against Dunfermline( played the whole match though as our other keeper was injured as well) yet still kept a clean sheet. Still a bit unsure as to why we made him our over 21 yr old loan signing though.

Connor Brennan. 2/10 - Poor handling, Poor Distribution, Poor Communicating. Never convinced whenever the ball was being played anywhere near our box with him in goals.

Kevin McHattie. Defensively 5/10 Attacking 8/10 - Defensively can be caught out of position a lot, and gets beaten a bit too easily. Attacking though, in a few games, he has been our best attacking player despite being at LB. His link-up with Barr has been brilliant to watch at times. Scored a few screamers as well. His goal against Dundee United [emoji173]️

Jean Y'ves M'Voto. 7/10 - Ball at his feet, he's a bomb-scare. Wins absolutely everything in the air though. So I'm happy with having Bene for the ball-playing with M'Voto for the aerial threats. Still would rather have Craig Barr in there though. Never mind though, just another 5 months to wait until we get his 2 month annual cameo.

Liam Smith ?/10 - Just had one and a half appearances before his injury but did look the part in the game against Dumbarton. Could be the perfect replacement until Thompson is fit again as long as his injury isn't too bad.

Jordan Thomson. 9/10 - Our best CM by a long shot until his international break last month. Comes back and has been on the bench ever since. His goal against Dundee United [emoji173]️

Scott Roberts. 5/10 - Hasn't done much at all yet although hasn't really been given the chance. His goal against Dumbarton was a thing of beauty though.

Chris Johnstone. 3/10 - Harsh score as been injured the majority of the season. Would like to see more of him as he was apparently known as Mini-Messi back at Killie prior to his ACL injury last season.

Bobby Barr. 9/10 - Probably our player of the year so far. Wasn't at the Morton game where he apparently he had a shocker. But been consistently one of our better players this season so far. As I've said, his link-up play with McHattie is a major strong point.

Joel Coustrain. ?/10 - Only been limited to a few sub appearances this season so far, despite looking like the real deal every time. Get this guy more game time Locke. Possibly one for the future?

Rudi Skacel. 2/10 - Waste of a wage so far. I've no doubt, he'll rattle one in off the crossbar from 30 yards next Saturday though. Locke, being a Jambo and all that keeps on starting him at the minute though.

Andreus Thorsen ?/10 - One for the future, we've been told. Only signed on a 1 yr deal though fans who have been to development games and said that he's far too good for the development league though. Could benefit more from a few appearances off the bench.

Yaw Osei ?/10 - Been injured all season though. Looked to have a lot of pace in pre-season so would like to see more of him when he's fit again. I've a feeling, he'll be in the same brackets as Coustrain and Thorsen though as one for the future.

Declan McManus. 8/10 - Runs himself into the ground every week. Never gives up. Just needs to add more goals to his game. With A midfield of Davo, Skacel and Callachan, he's forced to come back into midfield to collect the ball a bit too much though when he should be constantly on the shoulder of the last man. Both of his goals against St Mirren came from this.

Hopefully not missed anyone as that's a lot of players already

[ShaggerG]

1 hour ago, Shandon Par said:

Farid. 9.5/10. Along with the majestic Sean Murdoch he can potentially dig us out of a relegation-shaped hole. Not sure about him kissing the physio's ring after each goal. He scores so often he will tire himself out running all the way over to the bench all the time.

Lee Ashcroft 8.5/10

I wasn't convinced at first but our back four seems to be communicating well and Ashcroft gets a bit of freedom to roam and seems to be enjoying his football.

Herron - one appearance, one reminder for the fans what it's like to have a midfield. Look forward to seeing more of him. 

Nicky Clark. 8/10. Clearly a class act. Can stick the ball in the net and harasses defenders into mistakes. Not as good as creator/provider. 

IMO McMullan and Higginbotham are patchy with final balls. They impress with directness and can skip by opponents but too often there's no end product. Happy enough with them in the squad though but not convinced either has a rock solid case to be starting games.

Reilly - good piece of business by Hearts.