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So do us Loons have cause for more optimism under JW for next season than the last under GB?

What is the squad looking like so far in terms of players under contract and who should we bring in?

A striker who knows where the back of the net is on a regular basis would be good.

I'm also hoping some of the younger guys like Aitken get a good run in the side.

Over to you.

Edited by Port Talbot Loons
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2 hours ago, Port Talbot Loons said:

 

A striker who knows where the back of the net is on a regular basis would be good.

 

Hoping Baird will fill this role, if he, Hilson and Easton can remain fit then we should certainly start the season with a lot more goal threat than we started last season.

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Hoping Baird will fill this role, if he, Hilson and Easton can remain fit then we should certainly start the season with a lot more goal threat than we started last season.


Could be wrong but is Easton’s scoring record not very poor?
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3 hours ago, Port Talbot Loons said:

So do us Loons have cause for more optimism under JW for next season than the last under GB?

What is the squad looking like so far in terms of players under contract and who should we bring in?

A striker who knows where the back of the net is on a regular basis would be good.

I'm also hoping some of the younger guys like Aitken get a good run in the side.

Over to you.

Signed to 2020
McCallum, Bain, Travis & Munro

Signed for next season
Easton,  Aitken,  Malone,  MacKintosh, Hilson & Baird

Still to hear
Adam, Millar, Peters, Scott, Kennedy, McBride and a few of the youngsters (Starkey & Allan, and Gill & Warwick who were out on loan I think)

McNaughton will no doubt be available as emergency cover.

Don't know if Adam will want to hang around as second choice keeper.  Would love to see Millar re-sign. Not sure Peters will be offered anything now that Baird is here with Hilson and Aitken.  Would offer Scott & Kennedy deals and would keep Starkey and Allan with the youngsters/reserves.  Not too fussed with McBride, Gill or Warwick.

From the loans last year, I'd have Whyte and Dingwall back if either wanted to drop down to PT football.

 

Edit due to premature submission...

Edited by dee_62
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Forfar confirming - an earlier post on here (that appears to have disappeared)

" ‘Loons’ pull out of proposed new Reserve League structure
After lengthy deliberations at management and board level, Forfar Athletic have advised the SPFL that they will not be entering a team next season in the proposed midweek Reserve League.

The ‘Loons’ who had been the only one of the Angus clubs to have entered a team in the SPFL Development League structure over the past three seasons and would certainly have continued to do so had Project Brave not intervened and brought an end to league football at this level/age group.

On reflection however it has been decided that to have a large enough pool to be competitive at Reserve League level would be a ‘bridge to far’ for the club’s resources and to be quite honest finances at this time.

Instead for at least one season as the situation will continually be reviewed, all efforts will be focused on putting a very competitive first team squad on the pitch.

Jim Weir will instead arrange midweek friendly fixtures as and when required to keep fringe players and others involved.

This was not a decision taken lightly by those involved at the highest level within the club and in fact has in many ways been taken with a ‘heavy heart.’

‘Loons’ Directors would like to say a collective thank you at this juncture to all who have been involved and supported the Development side over the past few years"

 

A few questions raised then.

Seeing, at first hand now, the results of Project Brave removing youth football is fairly disheartening.  It's been great watching our own youngsters come through over the years and hoping that they make it.

Appears that Eddie and Arty will be off then, if so, huge thanks to them both for all the work they've put in over the last few years.  Loved watching that team that won the East League a few years back.  Free flowing, attacking football at its best.

What does this mean for Barry and Kevin McNaughton?  Will Barry be back as 1st team coach or will Weir/Baird be taking on those duties?  Was Kevin not brought in to develop the youth team going forward?  What will that mean for him? - can't imagine we'd carry him all season as a player.

Why would we need to be competitive at reserve level?  Surely we could have kept the youngsters going and supplemented that with  4 or 5 from the first team squad?   The aim would be still to develop the youngsters but don't worry about points/relegation etc.

Be interesting to see how we get a full squad to play midweek friendlies?  Given our recent injury list, I wouldn't have thought that the first team regulars will be playing in these matches - that means carrying a first team squad of at least 27/28. (obviously, up to 14 can play in the first team each week, meaning we may need 14 paid players who would generally be sitting about doing nothing until a friendly comes along).  That seems to be more of an expense than running a reserve squad made up of 9/10 unpaid/low paid youngsters and supplementing with 4/5 non-playing 1st team squad members.  I'm probably missing something though.

Not knocking the board in the slightest - difficult decisions need to be made and, on the very slight plus side, it could mean that by not running a youth team, there's more than enough to bring in half a dozen jobbing pros or a couple of marquee signings to bring real strength to the first team.

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The project brave thing is mental. Malky MacKay is a balloon. More people playing football is surely better for the game than ploughing money into concentrated academies and hoping that it produces the goods. A lot of players surely going to fall through the cracks and not get picked up on.

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17 hours ago, dee_62 said:

Seeing, at first hand now, the results of Project Brave removing youth football is fairly disheartening.  It's been great watching our own youngsters come through over the years and hoping that they make it.

Appears that Eddie and Arty will be off then, if so, huge thanks to them both for all the work they've put in over the last few years.  Loved watching that team that won the East League a few years back.  Free flowing, attacking football at its best.

Spot on.

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3 hours ago, COG said:

It’s the manner of how the boys were told that was dissapointing, a group text! There was no offer of support from the club to help the boys find another club.

Welcome to the world of Scottish football where you don’t know if you have a job every year, you get judged every training session and game by football “experts” You have to eat right, drink right, sleep right. Not get involved in social media even though you get abused on a regular basis. Where long balls and tackles are cheered while making space is missed and having a bit of flair is being greedy.

Sometimes you get all of the above for an amateur contract without pay. 

Living the dream.

 

 

 

 

Not quite sure what you expected the club to do, invite everyone along to the ground for tea and and biscuits then tell them?

I am sure the club thought long and hard about what would be the best thing to do, if you want to blame anyone just contact the SFA

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