Your Club's Recruitment

[101]

1 hour ago, VinnyPar said:

5 hours ago, Poet of the Macabre said:

Read that Robbie Mutch, Falkirk's sub keeper, is their longest-serving player...he signed about two years ago.

Who's is ours now? Lewis Martin?

Yes he's been here 7 seasons.

[srw]

10 hours ago, Day of the Lords said:

Dundee's entry over the McCann and McIntyre "era" would probably break the internet tbh

And Most of Hartleys latter time. I reckon we could beat Hearts for sheer shitebaggery. 

[AyrTroopMajor]

Our recent recruitment has been, on the whole, very good.

The prize here, as previously mentioned, goes to one club and one club only.

[Jamie_M]

We signed 2 full shite teams last season - beat that.

As did Falkirk. With title aspirations, but got relegated.

They also recruited a manager to 'save them', without following the proper procedure which cost them around £150k in fines and compensation.

Said saviour recruited the second of their rabble of failures and got them relegated anyway.

[lochgellyPAR]

36 minutes ago, Jamie_M said:

As did Falkirk. With title aspirations, but got relegated.

They also recruited a manager to 'save them', without following the proper procedure which cost them around £150k in fines and compensation.

Said saviour recruited the second of their rabble of failures and got them relegated anyway.

Good Post. would defo read again

[Monkey Tennis]

51 minutes ago, Jamie_M said:

As did Falkirk. With title aspirations, but got relegated.

They also recruited a manager to 'save them', without following the proper procedure which cost them around £150k in fines and compensation.

Said saviour recruited the second of their rabble of failures and got them relegated anyway.

All true.

They took recruitment to new depths with everything surrounding the recruitment and results of McKinnon.  And that followed what Hartley had already done.

Falkirk simply cannot be touched here.

[D.A.F.C]

Our recent recruitment has been, on the whole, very good.
The prize here, as previously mentioned, goes to one club and one club only.

When was he in jail?

[lochgellyPAR]

18 minutes ago, D.A.F.C said:

2 hours ago, AyrTroopMajor said:

Our recent recruitment has been, on the whole, very good.
The prize here, as previously mentioned, goes to one club and one club only.

When was he in jail?

October 2017 - August 2018

[Lichtielegend]

The recruitment we've had since the Campbells arrived has been very good in the main.

 

For a part-time club, we have a lot of players who've spent a lot of time at Gayfield (some in multiple spells)

Swankie, Doris, Little, Gold, Hamilton, Whatley and Linn will be over 1000 appearances for us between them.

[DeeTillEhDeh]

There's a common theme (or person) running through the Falkirk and Dundee signings . . .

[Poet of the Macabre]

9 minutes ago, DeeTillEhDeh said:

There's a common theme (or person) running through the Falkirk and Dundee signings . . .

Managers doing favours for agents?

[Sir Tarmo Kink]

Our recruitment has been pretty decent down in the Championship but I think that’s down to Robbo getting the best out of players, as some of the signings looked worrying at the time. If you creep back to around 2015-17 then you’ll get Foran’s money spunking disaster and John Hughes attempting to bring in his own players. I’m sure both would be grim reading.

[Poet of the Macabre]

Need more full lists to keep me occupied at work.

[D'Jaffo]

Need more full lists to keep me occupied at work.

Give me 5 minutes. I’m currently working my way through McCalls recruitment for the last 3-4 years.

[Skyline Drifter]

1 hour ago, D'Jaffo said:

Give me 5 minutes. I’m currently working my way through McCalls recruitment for the last 3-4 years.

Yeah, I could do ours fairly easily. Not sure its going to prove an awful lot though. Short term contracts are even more usual at this level. Hearts fans moaning that only 1 or 2 signings have managed 3 or 4 years! Thats a lengthy stay at this level. 

And I imagine our fans have thie own opinions already on the personnel. If anyone wants me to list signings though by window I will, back as far as you like?

[Stellaboz]

Yes he's been here 7 seasons.

Another 3 and he'll be the greatest left back we've ever had, before signing for Dortmund in a €6m transfer. Sublime player.

[Sir Tarmo Kink]

ICT Transfers for the last 5 seasons, the downfall from Astra to Alloa

2015 Summer

Ryan Christie - Not really a signing, but Yogi managed to get him back on loan until January after whoring him out to his big team.

Dani López - An absolute jobber striker signed from some 3rd tier Spanish side who had unsuccessfully hopped around various Spanish B teams and English diddies. Absolutely abysmal ‘footballer’ and the only thing of note he did was spit on a St. Johnstone U20 player and get sent off, before being fucked off in January.

Jordan Roberts - One of Yogi’s signings that was actually ‘okay’ and looked a decent player when not permanently injured. I was quite disappointed when we released him and he’s gone on to play in the English Championship. Scored a belter against Motherwell (I think).

Nat Wedderburn - useless diddy signed from Cowdenbeath. Surprised he was even good enough for them.

Owain Fôn Williams - signed purely because Kenny Cameron wanted money from Euro 2016, chucked in for his debut against Astra and appropiately, chucked one in. He continued to do this for his entire stay at ICT and we were ultimately relegated. Nobody wanted to take him on his ludicrous wages, spent some time on loan in the US before finally leaving this summer. Terrible keeper.

Iain Vigurs - re-signed from Motherwell having been utterly despised by most of our fans. He was pretty meh for a couple of years and dropped some stinkers, before being excellent in our first season down in the Championship. Then Uncle Roy waved his wallet and he was off.

Miles Storey - he’s magic! Apparently. He definitely wasn’t. A player whose feet were about 100 miles ahead of his brain. Sadly he has returned, although I’m hoping Robbo can squeeze any sort of ability out him for this season.

Tobi Sho-Silva - Arrived on loan, got decked by Juwon Oshaniwa, tweeted about the bible, left.

Andrea Mutombo - a player with a lot of skill when he could be arsed, scored a nice goal against Hibs in the cup and had some good games for us. He was pretty inconsistent though and also attempted to murder Nick Ross at Dens one time.

 

January 2016 

 

Alex Fisher - a bit of a journeyman who signed and then immediately got injured. We never really saw him much until Foran’s season where he was frozen out despite being our best striker. He scored quite a few towards the end but we were down by then.

Liam Hughes - absolutely dreadful lump of a footballer signed from Cambridge despite coming with a pretty decent reputation. Yet another in the long list of diddies signed by Yogi.

Ryan Williams - this lightweight futsal player was another of Yogi’s master signings. Showed some skill but was ultimately not up to this level.

 

Summer 2016

 

Brad McKay - nice one, Foran.

Scott Boden - scored a hatrick in the League Cup but was an incredibly lazy player that was nowhere near Scottish Premiership standard. Sort of faded away and was released a year into his hilarious highly paid 3-year deal. 

Lonsana Doumbouya - French/African striker signed from Cercle Brugge. He looked okay at first, but turned out to be pretty meh and was binned halfway through the season after falling out with Foran.

Kevin McNaughton - A player with Premier League experience that looked like a good signing. He was okay, but was pretty slow and then got injured I believe. 

Jake Mulraney - this guy looked excellent in the 5-1 win over Dunfermline and he really made me think we were going to have a good season. Unfortunately, he was figured out by none other than Alan Archibald and every other manager followed that blueprint. A player with pace and nothing else. Somehow we managed to flog him off to Hearts before his wages doubled (thanks again, Kenny/Richie).

Dean Ebbe - signed from some Sunday League in Ireland (yes, really) and was barely seen. Another Foran dud.

Billy King - a semi-decent player with absolutely no heart. Scored a decent goal against Celtic but disappeared and was rumoured to have caused unrest in the dressing room.

Larnell Cole - basically an English Billy King, looked talented but had a poor attitude resulting in him disappearing towards the end of the season.

 

January 2017

 

Henri Anier - came in and looked okay, but that was just compared to what we were used to. Hard working but didn’t score goals.

Billy McKay - returned to save us from relegation, was fairly decent but clearly lacked confidence and was a shadow of the player he once was.

Jamie McCart - signed as a centre-back on loan from Celtic and looked pretty decent, just a bit raw. 

Louis Laing - an English CB signed when we had a lot of injuries, formed a pretty decent partnership with McCart but we were ultimately relegated anyway.

 

Summer 2017

 

Mark Ridgers - signed following a relegation, and a player nobody was convinced by, before and after his signing. He made a few howlers early on and was even dropped for OFW to return. It turned out he had some personal issues and returned to the side and was excellent. He was statistically the best keeper in the Championship for the last two season and has won us several games by himself.

John Baird - was considered pretty ‘meh’ when he signed, worked hard and ran around a lot, but didn’t score. He then fell out with Robbo and was sent on an emergency loan to Morton before leaving to Forfar.

Alex Cooper - complete diddy, fucked off to California in January.

Coll Donaldson - Yet another signing that looked worrying, and that was confirmed when he started off terribly, including the infamous Dumbarton game. Since then he has been excellent, and arguably the best defender in the league in the 2017/18 season. Mistakes have slowly sneaked back into his game though.

Collin Seedorf - signed because of his name, dreadful, only lasted a year.

Joe Chalmers - Another worrying signing that proved to be true in the infamous Dumbarton game where he shat out of a 80/20 tackle in his favour. He found a home in midfield being carried by Sean Welsh before thankfully being offloaded to County.

Riccardo Calder - was bit-part for a while before suddenly hitting form in his second season and becoming undroppable. That’s until he assaulted his bird with his shoe and was sent down. Which shoe was it though?

Felicitano Zschusschen - some Dutch league diddy who barely played and then got homesick, left and was never seen again. 

Zak Elbouzedi - signed from West Brom’s academy, got injured, loaned to Elgin and then was rarely seen. He left after pre-season in his second season. 

Connor Bell - signed from a Swiss League reserve side. Like Baird, he was a hard worker who I liked, but didn’t contribute much on the goals front. Released after a season. 

George Oakley - a decent striker who caused all sorts of problems up front. Again, he didn’t bang in the goals but he did a job and I, along with many others, were pretty disappointed when he was sold to Hamilton late on the January window of 2019.

Matty Elsdon - loaned from Middlesborough and was an absolute car crash. Was dropped after a few games and never seen again.

Charlie Trafford - a Canada international signed from Finland. Had played in Poland and Germany previously. At times he looked decent but he’s just a bit shit. Still here through the inability to sign anyone better.

 

January 2018

 

Nathan Austin - signed from Falkirk where he had slightly underwhelmed. As many of our signings do, he looked decent early on with his pace and his late season form. He turned out to be a bit of a dud though, and is now at Kelty Hearts.

 

Summer 2018

 

Shaun Rooney - yet another who came with a suspect reputation. He is pretty good going forward but awful defensively and his performance vs Hearts in the Cup Semi was brutal to watch.

Angus Beith - doesn’t exist

Jordan White - a big lump who took a while to win fans over. He lookes useless but is quite effective. He doesn’t bang them in but was still our top scorer last season. 

Sean Welsh - came with a reputation of a sicknote and is currently injured, sadly. Was our best player last season by some distance IMO.

Tom Walsh - came from part-time football and is injured quite a bit, but he’s a brilliant, flashy player who likely won’t be with us much longer.

Jamie McCart - signed for the second time, this time permanently. Struggled to break in initially but has become a very important player for us. Probably our best defender now.

 

January 2019

 

Darren McCauley - we fought off Derry for his signature from Coleraine. He had some skill but was totally unfit and was a bit of a mess at times, especially away to Dunfermline. A few months later signed for Derry.

Anthony McDonald - on loan from Hearts, he didn’t get much of a chance but was an exceptional young player. His goal against Morton was a thing of beauty.

 

Summer 2019

 

James Keatings - looks good so far but the jury’s out.

Nikolay Todorov - same as above.

Miles Storey - again, did we have to?

James Vincent - same as above.

David Carson - some shite Ben Stokes lookalike signed from the 49th tier of English football.

Mitch Curry - loaned from Middlesborough’s U23s. Was on fire in pre-season but has pretty much been injured since then.

 

I don’t think I missed anyone.

[D'Jaffo]

I'd honestly say our recruitment under McCall has been pretty solid. 

January 2015

Jordan Preston - Signed on loan from Blackburn after being recommended by then Ayr assistant John Henry. He was decent and scored a few important goals that helped us stay up including one on the last day of the season against Forfar. 

Morgyn Neill - Pretty meh. Another loan signing this time from Motherwell. Scored a great goal against Morton then ran off kissing the badge which was bizarre from a loan player that had only played 2 or 3 games. 

Craig Murray - Loaned from Aberdeen. Played right wing back. Thats really all I can remember. 

Scott McKenna - Another Aberdeen loan although he was actually pretty good. An absolute colossus at the back. His loan spell two years later is when it gets more interesting. 

David Robertson - Had been around the block a bit but looked ok for us. His legs were completely done though. I believe he has since been implicated alongside David Goodwillie in the rape case. 

Adam Blakeman - Brought in from Hyde after John Henry had him in Boltons youth set up. No one really knew anything about him but he did ok. Scored a couple of goals for us and was very good at corners. Wanted him back in the summer but he decided to go back down south. 

 

Summer 2015

Ross Docherty - Signed off the back of an impressive 6 months at Airdrie and was exceptional until his injury against Dunfermline. Was out for a couple of months which effectively derailed our season. He still cleaned up at our POTY awards and was made club captain a year later when we went FT. After a couple of seasons of niggling injuries he looks back to his best and hopefully he'll do well this season. 

Jamie Adams - Hadn't played professional football in 3 years and had been at Wigtown and Bladnoch for 6 months or so prior to signing for us. Had a really good first season, bit iffy when we went up but since then has alternated between midfield and then at centre back when we returned to the Championship. Was brilliant for us last season until his injury. 

Gerry McLaughlin - Started off well for us but was dropped for Andy Graham. He was pretty shite in the second half of the season and rightly binned after we were promoted.

Alan Trouten - Didn't work out at all in his first spell but 50 goals in 3 seasons for Brechin made us think he might do ok this time around - he didn't. The first of many players McCall has shunted out of position just to get them in the team. A real shame as he's one of the best players to play in the lower leagues in recent years. The best penalty taker I've ever seen. 

Andy Graham - Fell out with Stevie Aitken at Dumbarton and signed for us soon after. Had a really good season and should never have been let go by McCall considering how good he's been for Alloa since. A decision McCall has since admitted he got wrong. Oh aye and he scored the winning penalty that got us promoted so he'll always be remembered fondly for that.

Jordan Preston - Signed for a second loan spell and was pretty much the same. He's a pretty decent finisher looking at his goals but he missed an awful lot of one on ones. 

Craig Moore - Had to sit out the first game of the season after being sent off for chinning Mohsni in the play offs for Motherwell [emoji3]. Was very good after that and scored a decent amount of goals that season. 

Ross Caldwell - Started the season off as first choice striker, then second choice and then third choice. Left in January after taking the huff at no being played. 

Paddy Boyle - Airdries captain and consecutive POTY year winner so he was totally worth signing just to wind them up. Had a brilliant first season in which he was in the TOTY. However he was totally out his depth in the Championship and never really recovered as he wasn't great the following season in League One. Over the piece though he was a decent signing and a pretty sound guy. 

Greg Fleming - Won us a penalty shootout to get us promoted vs Stranraer. Apart from that he was a very average keeper. His two howlers against Dumbarton will live long in the memory. 

 

January 2016

Ryan Stevenson - Fucking hell I was buzzing at this. I remember being on the train and the tweet popped up saying he'd signed and I nearly jumped out my seat. I think at the time a lot of fans probably thought he was shite but he was only shite by the standards he'd previously set with us. In truth he was still a good player at that level but never really won us matches on his own like a lot thought we would. I don't think anyone knew at the time but he was going through a lot of mental health issues at Partick and his marriage broke down which lead to him almost packing it in. I think he thought a return to Ayr would help him get back into the swing of things but it didn't. He left after a rumoured fall out with McCall after he was told to prove his fitness to earn a new contract. A real sad ending for the guy. Pleased he's enjoying life again at Troon. 

Ross McCrorie - Signed on loan from Rangers and was surprisingly good for his age. Played him centre back, right back, centre mid and right mid and did well in all positions. We tried to get him back but it later transpired he and Paddy Boyle were left in a hospital in Dundee after getting an injury against Forfar. 

 

Summer 2016 - A summer of complete f**k ups

Gary Harkins - Bald, fat, lazy but talented b*****d. So frustrating watching him swan about the pitch with not a care in the world as with the ball at his feet he very clearly had the ability to rip it up and win games on his own. Started off really well but packed it in around February time and cut his two year contract short after relegation. A complete waste of money... and pies.

Conrad Balatoni - Another very good signing on paper. He had done very well at Partick when they won the league but for us he was just really slow and he didn't have the ability of reading a game to make up for it. We should've cashed in on him in January.

Jordan Hart - Played two games that year after being signed as back up to Greg Fleming. However he started our League One campaign as first choice and was ok until he gifted 2 goals to Raith and never really recovered after that. He was dropped after giving away an injury time winner to Arbroath. 

Daryl Meggatt - Shite at centre back and shite at left back. Theres not much more to say.

Jordan Thomas - Signed on loan from Burnley. Left a couple of months later after taking the huff at not being played.

Andy O'Connell - I'm always wary of signing when managers tell you that they can play centre back and centre forward. In truth Andy could do neither at this level. Cheers for the goal against Brechin though.

Craig Moore - "Yass finally a good striker signed". 1 game later... "Nope wait he's injured". Was out for a month, then 2 months, then 3 and then came back in January and couldn't really do anything to stop the ship from sinking.

Paul Cairney - Deluded Stinlar fans tried to tell us he was the best midfielder in League One the season prior which was complete shite as they wanted rid of him in January. However he had 2 good games against us in the play off final so we signed him. The worrying started when, on the day of him signing, we released a picture of him with a contract and he looked incredibly overweight. Turns out he had a medical condition which made it harder for him to shift the weight and he left at the end of the season after relegation. I'm still waiting on the club announcing that he's away btw. 

Michael Rose - An unknown quantity when he signed and had one of the worst debuts down at Palmerston in a 4-1 defeat. Was in and out of the team for the remainder of the season and his re-signing for the 17/18 season was met with a few raised eye brows. We could not have been more wrong. He's been an integral part of our success for the last 2 seasons and managed to get a move to Coventry. Seemed to have a genuine affinity for the club as well. An all round great lad.

 

January 2017

Scott McKenna - Technically he was signed in December but I'm lumping him in here. Awful, awful signing and exactly what we didn't need at the time. We had loads of option at the back and no striker but McCall went and brought this idiot in. I can't remember how many penalties he gave away just by simply going through players from behind. It actually got laughably back and in his last ever game for us he was sent off for cutting John McGinn in two. Still can't believe he's managed to get himself in the international team. 

Farid El Alagui - Planned to move to Asia after leaving the Pars but got lost and stumbled into Somerset Park. The worst signing of McCalls tenure at the club. 

Declan McDaid - Deadline day signing from Partick Thistle and was pretty decent. He would later go on to be one of our better players in the 17/18 league winning season and a very mediocre last season led to Dundee snapping him up. Very overrated imo. 

 

Summer 2017

Michael Moffat - After Stevos disappointing return I was very wary of another Ayr hero coming back. I had nothing to worry about. He's been pretty sensational in his second spell and his good work can often go unnoticed. This season he won't have to luxury of playing alongside another striker but hopefully he can help Alan Forrest and Luke McCowan get the goals. The word "legend" is thrown about too often for my liking but I'd say Moffat has earned the title. 

Andy Geggan - Moffat decided to bring this guy back with him for his second spell. I was initially worried after McCall planned to play him at RB when he was a clear candidate to play in midfield. However on his second debut he scored against Killie and absolutely dominated Jordan Jones for 90 minutes. A tremendous piece of business imo. 

Craig Moore - After two loan spells with us he signed permanently after his release from Motherwell. He was very unfortunate to be competing with Shankland for a starting spot but still managed to get 27 goals that season despite sitting on the bench for a lot of it. 

Lawrence Shankland - I can't really say anymore about him. He dragged us over the line a lot of the times in League One and the Championship. Can't help but feel his latest move won't work out for him.

Chris Higgins - Was a bit surprised we got him as he still seemed good enough for the Championship. Started off really well then got injured in January and was ruled out for the rest of the season. Came back last season and gave away a goal against Auchinleck. 

David Ferguson - Signed from Motherwell as a back up to our full backs. Covered well at LB but questions remain as to whether he's good enough for the Championship.

Craig Reid - Solid if a bit unspectacular. His versatility was useful considering the injuries we had to deal with. Released after one season and is still playing for East Kilbride.

 

January 2018

Steven Bell - We wouldn't have won the league without him. Our much maligned defence suddenly became a lot more solid when he arrived. He played his last game for Stranraer against us and his team got pumped 5-1 whilst he spent the entire match trying to kick Jamie Adams. He subsequently signed 2 days later and it looks like the pair of them will be our centre back pairing this season.

Mark Kerr - I wasn't entirely convinced by his signing for the first 6 months but was very good last season and a crucial player for us. 

Jack Ruddy - Signed on loan from Wolves to try and improve our goalkeeping situation. He was actually worse than the diddy we already had and was sent back down the road early foe having a shite attitude. 

 

Summer 2018 

Andy Murdoch - I was shocked we managed to get him considering how good he'd been at Morton. One of the best defensive midfielders in this league imo. 

Liam Smith - Once again I was surprised he signed for us given he was in the TOTY for St Mirren the year prior. A really good full back and definitely the best in the league. 

Ross Doohan - Our goalkeeping issues led to fans demanding an experienced player between the posts for last season so naturally some fans weren't happy with us signing Doohan. He was great last season and had the most clean sheets in the league. 

Daniel Harvie - I was quite happy with this one as he'd done well a couple of season ago for Dumbarton but his form was inconsistent last season with him only really coming into form around February time. He's started this season really well though. 

 

January 2019 

Calvin MIller - Wasn't exactly what was required but we were desperate for a wide player and had already been rejected by some of our first targets.

Nicky Cadden - See above.

Aaron Muirhead - The jury is still out imo but he's not been as bad as Falkirk fans said he would be. 

 

Summer 2019

Kris Doolan - Big shoes to fill and an uninspiring start makes me think this one was a mistake but he's got plenty of time to turn it around yet. 

Stephen Kelly - Very impressed with him so far. Good and imaginative on the ball but needs to really bulk up if he's going to have a chance at Rangers.

Ross Doohan - Hoping for another season like last. He'll most likely be a lot busier this season what with having a weaker team in front of him. 

Frank Ross - Played against Berwick and Falkirk and has been injured since. No idea what to make of him. 

Sam Roscoe - Did well at Alloa last season and will add some much needed height to the team but gave two goals away against Stranraer so he'll be back up to Bell and Adams for now. 

 

Kudos to anyone thats actually made it this far. 

 

[Skyline Drifter]

Figured I would start this at the summer of 2016. James Fowler left in April 2016 so it seemed a natural point. The only player signed by Fowler still at the club is Darren Brownlie, although Gary Oliver returned this season after originally being signed by him. Also Jordan Marshall and Kyle Jacobs only left in the summer of 2019. And Connor Murray was signed for the Development side by Eddie Warwick during Fowler's time in charge.

Summer Window 2016 (Gavin Skelton)
Steven Rigg - Carlisle United - In the end a "miss" of a signing. He did his cruciate midway through his only season and was released by Gary Naysmith. He hadn't shown massive amounts before that anyway, although in his defence his opportunities were limited firstly by the emergence of a surprise talent from Australia and secondly by the return of a deity!

Lyndon Dykes - Surfers Paradise Apollo - A 'windfall' of a signing which in reality had nothing to do with Skelton. Dykes had family in Dumfries and had been briefly in our Development programme a year or so earlier before becoming homesick. He was told the door was open for a return if he wanted to try again and decided to do so. This time he didn't look back, making a 1st team place his own very quickly, and was pretty much an ever present for the next three seasons before departing for Livingston in the summer. Doesn't score enough goals really but it's about the only flaw you could level at him. Deceptively quick, strong in the air, buckets of stamina and a perfect foil for Dobbie.

Jamie Hamill - Kilmarnock - Started well, playing as a right back with excellent dead ball delivery. It all went pear shaped for him after close friend Skelton left though. He lost his place in the side and was released at the end of the season by Naysmith.

Grant Anderson - Raith Rovers - Again started well and was an integral part of the side which topped the table early on, providing an aerial threat from wide. Seemed to struggle with fitness after a few months though and was quickly phased out by Naysmith, departing in January 17 for Peterhead.

Lee Robinson - Unattached - Without a club since leaving Rangers about a year earlier, Robinson was brought back for a 4th spell. This spell didn't work out as well as the one before, eventually ending in an acrimonious departure having fallen out with Naysmith. and been replaced by Alan Martin.

Stephen Dobbie - Bolton Wanderers - Nothing further needs said here!

Dan Carmichael - Hibernian - Didn't actually sign till October as he was an injured free agent and wasn't fit to play till about December. Spent most of the his second spell here on the treatment table and eventually departed a year and a half later.

January Window 2017  (Gary Naysmith)
Dom Thomas - Motherwell - Loan - Settled in quickly and did well.

Joe Thomson - Celtic - Loan - Another who came in and improved us straight away. Had been playing for Dumbarton for half a season so had no problems slotting straight into the level of football.

John Rankin - Falkirk - No doubt most of our posters will disagree and his second season, particularly the latter part of it, was a season too far for him, but when he first came in for 3 or 4 months he was exactly what we needed and also proved a very good captain.

Scott Mercer - East Fife - Took his time to properly establish himself at right back, indeed it probably took him over a year to be fully accepted but I think most people now see him as a solid right back.

+ Connor McManus - Celtic - Loan - Not a January signing but an emergency loan in March 2017 when offered to us to have a look at him as a potential signing. Didn't make a major impact and wasn't offered a permanent contract.

Summer Window 2017 (Gary Naysmith)
Andy Stirling - Dumbarton - Signed on a pre-contract in about March 2017 in reality. Failed to really establish himself in the side, spending the 2nd half of his first season back on loan at Dumbarton and, though he played the majority of last season, never really making himself a fixture. Allan Johnston obviously preferred Connor Murray.

Alan Martin - Dumbarton - The signing of Martin at the time was generally considered a coup but his first season was ruined by persistent injury and he never really looked the keeper he had against us for the Sons, and his fate was probably sealed by his reaction to some supporter heckling late in the season. Although restored to the starting line up by Allan Johnston on his return for the playoffs, Martin departed in the summer without being offered an extension and joined East Kilbride.

Callum Fordyce - Dunfermline Athletic - Signed after being released by Allan Johnston, he initially stepped in and was probably our best defender for his first six months. earning a contract extension in Jan 2018. Mostly used at centre back but occasionally preferred to Mercer at right back. He suffered a bad hamstring pull in early 2018 and never looked the same player on his return to fitness. Departed for Airdrie in the summer of 2019.

Shaun Rooney - York City - Looks like he should be a player. All the physical attributes, good on the ball, and always a threat in the opposition penalty area at set pieces. Also a threat in his own penalty area at them though, regularly losing his man and giving away reckless fouls around the box. Still, there is a player in there even if very raw. John Robertson obviously thought so too and signed him under freedom of contract in summer of 2018.

Jason Kerr - St Johnstone - Loan - Initially sen as the 2nd player in the Chris Kane deal, he quickly became much the more crucial and an automatic pick at centre back. We tried hard to keep him longer but it wasn't to be. Despite his youth, now captain of St Johnstone and subject of big money speculation from down South.

Chris Kane - St Johnstone - Loan - A player we pursued for a while and eventually managed to get in on loan. It didn't work out as well as hoped although he was latterly doing well and enjoying his best spell by miles when the loan expired. His early months were blighted by injury and inability to earn a regular start.

James McFadden - Unattached - Not strictly a summer window signing as he didn't join up till September. He had been training with us since leaving Motherwell in the summer though and eventually agreed a short term deal. Showed flashes of the player he had been but wasn't fit enough and didn't manage to hold down a regular start. Left again in January, retiring from playing after a move to the US fell through.

January Window 2018 (Gary Naysmith)
Joe Thomson - Celtic - Loan - After a loan spell at Livingston was a complete bust, Thomson returned to his previous success with us and picked up like he had never been away, immediately providing a goal threat from midfield we probably hadn't seen since the days of John O'Neill.

Myles Beerman - Rangers - Loan - Polar opposite of his Old Firm rival, the Beerman loan didn't work out at all, with the boy hardly featuring. Partly due to arriving with a minor injury, then international call ups curbing his availability and then a concussion. Eventually cut his loan short and departed before the end of the season.

Kyle Cameron - Newcastle United - Loan - Signed to replace the departing Jason Kerr, his pedigree as an u21 international pointed towards a similar standard player but he wasn't anywhere near as good unfortunately.

Dom Thomas - Kilmarnock - Loan - Now a Killie player following a summer move, Thomas fell out of the picture there and returned to Palmerston again. Probably not quite as successful as his first spell but did well enough.

Nikolay Todorov - Hearts - Loan - Late window signing when surplus to requirements at Hearts following his return from Livingston. Didn't get much of a look in and scored only one goal, when he smuggled in a very late equaliser at home to Livingston ironically!

+ Curtis Lyle - KIlmarnock - Loan - Again, not actually a window signing. Emergency loan after it closed to provide gk cover following an injury to Alan Martin.

+ Josh Todd - St Mirren - Loan - Deadline day loan signing in March as promotion bound St Mirren, for whom Fowler was now assistant, couldn't give him opportunities in the first team. He had been in our youth set up many years earlier. Proved to be a resounding success, leading to a permanent deal.

Summer Window 2018 (Gary Naysmith)
Gary Harkins - Morton - Marquee signing of sorts after a career lighting up the Championship and lower half of the Premiership with maverick performances. He also has a long history of fall outs though. Initially looked like the perfect creative foil for Dobbie but gradually his effectiveness tailed off and departed for Partick Thistle after a difference of opinion with Naysmith after just 6 months.

Josh Todd - St Mirren - Permanent deal for Todd who had been on loan the previous year. Equally successful leading to the club resisting attempts from Dundee to buy him in January and the Tayside team instead signing him on a pre-contract.

Dean Watson - Carlisle United - Youth player released by Carlisle and offered a deal here but failed to make a significant breakthrough and left initially on loan and then permanently for Gretna after just a couple of months.

Callum Semple - Sheffield United - Loan - One gained from Naysmith's contacts with the Blades. An excellent and fairly steady loan spell followed until he returned to Yorkshire in January, only to join Ross County a few weeks later.

Michael Doyle - Morton - Quickly established himself as a leader on and off the pitch although never really settled in one position, playing regularly at right back, centre back and right midfield. Turned down the offer of an extended contract in the summer to join Falkirk.

Charlie Exley - Gateshead College - Another youngster who had impressed with the Development squad but been unable to play competitively before his 18th birthday due to FIFA rules. An untimely injury probably cost him any chance to make a significant breakthrough and eventually he too departed for Gretna.

Adam Frizzell - Kilmarnock - Loan - A late window signing which didn't really work out. His first team appearances were seldom and fleeting.

David Norman - Vancouver Whitecaps - Loan - An exciting signing out of left field as a result of assistant Dougie Anderson's contacts at the Canadian club. He was sent here to get some first team experience before joining their MLS squad for the first time. Took time to settle but eventually made himself a regular pick prior to his loan expiring at Xmas. Disappointingly has failed to make any breakthrough so far at MLS level though.

January WIndow 2019 (Gary Naysmith)
Nicky Low - Derry City - Settled straight into the side and immediately looked a class act, replacing Harkins. However, his groin was a persistent problem and, after helping us through to the last 16 of the Scottish Cup he wasn't really seen again until a fleeting appearance as a sub at the end of the season and an unused sub role in the playoffs.

Barry Maguire - Motherwell - Loan - Looked decent enough and now getting game time for his parent club but probably not as good as the player he replaced in Semple.

Iain Wilson - Kilmarnock - Loan - Very reminiscent of Jamie Adams for those old enough to remember, another big midfield box to box powerhouse on loan from Kilmarnock, though probably not yet the quality the young Adams had. Still, he was effective for us, particularly in the playoffs.

Ian McGrath - Nashville - Another bit of a left field punt. Largely a bit part player with fleeting appearances off the bench, even when Dobbie was out injured. Departed in the summer and returned to the US.

Fraser Aird - Dundee United - Loan - Looked on paper a great signing, Aird had starred for Dunfermline the season before and was one of the leading assisters in the division before falling out with Robbie Neilson. However, it didn't work out and was largely used from the bench by us when he featured at all.

+ Deniz Mehmet  - Unattached - Free agent after long term injury whilst with Dundee United, signed as cover. Featured a couple of times but was left on the bench for the playoffs after Martin came in from the cold and returned to Dundee United in the summer.

Summer Window 2019 (Allan Johnston)
Not going to offer any narrative on the current squad. New players signed since the window opened have been:

Faissal El Bakhtaoui - Dundee
Jack Hamilton - Livingston - Loan
Kevin Holt - FC Pafos
Lewis Kidd - Falkirk
Lee Kilday - Morton
Darren Lyon - Peterborough United
Andy McCarthy - Partick Thistle
Robby McCrorie - Rangers Loan
Gary Oliver - Morton
Michael Paton - Dumbarton
Dan Pybus - FK Tonsberg
Callum Semple - Ross County

Edited August 16, 2019 by Skyline Drifter

[Distant Doonhamer]

15 hours ago, Skyline Drifter said:

John Rankin - Falkirk - No doubt most of our posters will disagree and his second season, particularly the latter part of it, was a season too far for him, but when he first came in for 3 or 4 months he was exactly what we needed and also proved a very good captain.

Alan Martin - Dumbarton - The signing of Martin at the time was generally considered a coup but his first season was ruined by persistent injury and he never really looked the keeper he had against us for the Sons, and his fate was probably sealed by his reaction to some supporter heckling late in the season. Although restored to the starting line up by Allan Johnston on his return for the playoffs, Martin departed in the summer without being offered an extension and joined East Kilbride.

Shaun Rooney - York City - Looks like he should be a player. All the physical attributes, good on the ball, and always a threat in the opposition penalty area at set pieces. Also a threat in his own penalty area at them though, regularly losing his man and giving away reckless fouls around the box. Still, there is a player in there even if very raw. John Robertson obviously thought so too and signed him under freedom of contract in summer of 2018.

A very comprehensive summary SD.  Lots to agree with.

I'd agree John Rankin was what we needed when we signed him.  He was as you suggest way past it latterly though.

Generous to Rooney and Martin.  

Edited August 17, 2019 by Distant Doonhamer