Your team's 2019/20 signing report card

[RossBFaeDundee]

Nothing like stealing a topic idea from another thread, eh?

How would you rate your side's signings throughout this past season after its premature conclusion? Hearts posters are also invited to join in.

Declan McDaid: 7/10
Went up and down in my estimation over the course of the season, as at the beginning I could only see him as another Martin Boyle-type who ran like the clappers and had little end product. As the season went on however his talent began emerging and his versatility in switching into the wing-back position impressed me.

Jordan McGhee - 8/10
The image of consistency for us this season. Was calm and collected in a defense full of jitters and mistakes, and was key to the limited successes we did have in the first half of the season. Wasn't able to fully reclaim his role after his wrist operation (which tells you how well our defense was working by the end of the season) but also showed versatility in fitting into more DM positions, and coping just as well.

Jordan Marshall - 7/10
Another source of consistency for us in the jittery early portions of our season, there was a time when whenever Marshall was in the squad, we wouldn't lose. Grafted away and was effective in being creative. Unfortunately picked up a niggling injury that wouldn't go away, and his subsequent performances while trying to fight said injury were really affected by it, and he didn't perform at near the same level. Hopefully this extra time off helps him to heal up and return to his best for next season, whenever that is.

Shaun Byrne - 6.5/10
Was very excited when we signed him considering his success with Livi, but was largely underwhelmed throughout the season as I couldn't see what he added to the team. I think the 3-5-2 we were playing most recently really worked with his simple and grafting style of play. Has went up in my estimations since January, but still have higher hopes for him.

Jamie Ness - 3/10
I don't really want to give Ness that bad a rating, given my one memory of him this season has been a positive one (his goal vs Morton), but his injury woes have just been a running theme of this season, and it's been really irritating knowing that seeing him in the squad was a guarantee of an injury. I hope he can actually keep some fitness once football gets going again.

Jordon Forster - 5/10
Considering his first 6 months, 5/10 is a miracle rating. Forster was so bad for fucking up and giving away goals it's laughable. I just saw him as a white Kusunga. Since January and the signing of another player I'll mention later however, he's been a changed player. Composed, confident and providing the attacking threat a big lumbering CB can do in set pieces, Forster's really came up in my estimations. 2/10 up to January, 7/10 since.

Danny Johnson - 6/10
Danny did a good job for us and I'm sad he left as early as he did, but it was clear that he and Kano were too similar, and that he was a bit of a diva. He scored some class goals for us and was key in other goals, but for someone who promised a goal every 2 games some of his missed chances were utterly frustrating.

Kane Hemmings - 7/10
All excitement from his return aside, I think Kano has been very good for us overall, and without him our already diminished GF would be way worse. He is technically a better player than he was in his first spell with us, but he doesn't have near the kind of weapons he did then. He found rhythm with Gowser providing the assists, and eventually hit double figures, but it was a disappointment he couldn't get more. I don't blame him squarely for that however. I expect him to surpass this season's total next season, and I still more than believe he can be the best striker in the league when given enough chances.

Josh McPake - 4/10
Think the lad is talented and will go on to have a good career, but at 17 he wasn't the player we needed on the wing to provide goals and assists. Had one good game vs Alloa, the rest were meh at best.

Sean Mackie - 2.5/10
Was stuck firmly at 1/10 for most of the season, genuinely one of the worst loanees we'd had in a while for most of his time here, and that's saying something. Then he had a couple of good games, including the last derby in which he was great. Then he got injured and left. A very Dundee signing.

Graham Dorrans - 7/10
While not pissing the league with his sheer talent, Dorrans has expectedly been a key part of our team that I feel is easily forgotten due to the expectations placed on him. Been vital in much of our midfield work and progression of late, and I'm quite happy that he'll be here next season.

Conor Hazard - 6.5/10
Might be a different opinion than most, but I've been quite happy with Hazard's two stretches with us this season (particularly the latter), if only to get Hamilton out of the goal. In his first stretch he was ok but was susceptible to early goals (though the defence certainly didn't help him). The Dens derby certainly wasn't on him, and when he left I was ambivalent on him. In his return, he let in a weird goal against Morton, and then never let in another one. While the defence largely took the praise, Hazard did well whenever he was needed, the highlight being his penalty save against Ayr. 6 clean sheets in 11 games have to count for something, and I would have him back next season, though I wouldn't be too worried if he didn't come back.

Ross Callachan - 6/10
Didn't get much time to see Callachan, and at first I was not all that impressed in the game vs Dunfermline. I quickly learned to appreciate his workrate though, and in our home win against Partick I thought he played tremendous. Unfortunately, that was also the game where he broke his leg and has been out ever since. He's almost a certainty to sign for us soon, so if he plays like did in that Partick game more often than not then we have a real strong MF on our hands.

Ollie Crankshaw - 6/10
Seems to be a talented young winger who brought some much needed pace and energy to the team in January. Would've liked to have seen more of the lad, but from what I did see I was fairly happy with.

Christie Elliott - 7/10
This one surprised me, as I didn't really have much of an opinion over this signing, but Elliott has been quite impressive in his short time here so far. As he's just had his contract exntended, I'm looking forward to seeing him more in action. We finally have a RB/RWB competition on our hands.

Christophe Berra - 8/10
A game-changer. Any basic searching will show that I hated the prospect of signing Berra, as I saw him as old and finished considering his lacklustre performances for Hearts in the first half of the season. As soon as he came to Dens however, he seemed to reignite the composure and structure of the defence, and clearly helped inject Forster and Meekings with confidence, and the three-man unit became extremely effective until the season's early end. It's irritating knowing he's almost certainly going to be playing against us next season instead of with us, but he no doubt came at a time when both player and club needed it.

Tom Field - ?/10
Sadly haven't been able to see anything from the lad, being a last-minute LB signing in a team that immediately went to 3-5-2 with McDaid taking the LWB role. Has only played 15 for us in the away leg against Ayr. Doubt he'll be here next season, so don't think I'll really have to form an opinion in the future.

Edited May 21, 2020 by RossBFaeDundee

[D'Jaffo]

Sam Roscoe - 5/10
Came with good reviews from Alloa fans but has spent most of the season behind Bell, Adams or Muirhead. Didn’t look great in the Betfred games but had a standout match against Dundee United at home. Has been fairly average overall with a couple of iffy moments. Hopefully will step up next season and carry on the good record we’ve got in signing ex Dons.

Jordan Houston - 8/10
Didn’t want to say it at the time but I was worried this was a bit of a panic signing from McCall. A late replacement for Liam Smith and whilst he’s not the finished article and has a lot of improving to do defensively he’s already better than Smith was going forward. Quick, good on the ball, decent delivery. Was brilliant business getting him for two more years in January.

Stephen Kelly - 9/10
Another one where none of us had no idea what to expect. He signed the day after scoring a hat trick in a friendly against us and has been the forward thinking midfielder we missed last season. He’s been a huge player for us this season and I’d be delighted if we could get him back again.

Ross Doohan - 6/10
Hasn’t really hit the heights of last season although he’s been under more pressure this season due to our weaker defensive imo. Had a couple of good games but he’s been remembered for the clangers that have cost us points. Wouldn’t be too surprised if Celtic wanted rid of him permanently as I can’t see him ever being good enough for the team. I’d still be more than happy to keep him.

Kris Doolan - 2/10
I think a lot of Ayr fans were unsure about Doolan given his last two seasons but I was hoping McCall could get the best out of him. Genuinely the worst possible way to replace Shankland. He doesn’t run, he didn’t link up with our other attacking players and he very rarely looked close to scoring. All I can say is he scored a couple against Berwick, the equaliser against Partick, had a decent touch and was apparently very well liked in the dressing room. Expect to see him plodding along with Partick in the seaside leagues next season.

Frank Ross - 0/10
Apparently a good player with Morton but I wouldn’t know cause he never played a full game for us and wasn’t seen at all after the Betfred games. Signed as a crock and left as a crock.

Aaron Drinan - 7/10
First signing of the Mark Kerr era and probably the best one. A real focal point for us given the way Kerr had us set up. Big, strong, fast and given chances I think he could score double figures in this league. I’d be more than happy to have him back next season.

Connor Malley - 6/10
Another loanee from down South. Looks a real classy player on the ball but hasn’t got the discipline to track back or run off the ball. I think he could also be a real asset if we could get him back but I think he’d need a bit more freedom in the team to get the best out him.

Grant Gillespie - 1/10
Clearly still unfit which is concerning as he’s had enough time to get up to speed. He’s slow and trudges about the midfield although he looks decent enough passing the ball and maybe with a proper pre season he could be useful. I’ll not hold out much hope though.

Scott Tiffoney - 2/10
Genuinely can’t think of anything to say but a score of 2 seems about right. Think he did well away at Dundee but I wasn’t there so can’t comment. Don’t really want him back tbh.

A real mixed bag and a lot of loans which I’m really not a fan of.

[Lichtie78]

Derek Gaston - 7/10

Gaston was signed to provide competition for Darren Jamieson, and IMO was always going to end up our number one. Darren Jamieson was dropped without doing a lot wrong, so when Gaston came in a lot of my fans (myself included) weren’t over the moon about it. Has definitely won over the majority of the support with his shot stopping, although his kicking and ability against cross balls are questionable at times. From what I’ve heard he’s possibly better at organising a defence than Jamieson.

Miko Virtanen - 9/10

Came in on loan from Aberdeen and largely strolled it. With u20 loans you worry that the player won’t be up to the rough and tumble of senior football, but that was never a problem with Miko. Decent enough on the ball and hope he can push on with Aberdeen.

Scott Stewart - 7/10

Struggled a bit with injury towards the start of his time at Gayfield, but when fit has impressed. Will be an important part of our squad next season.

James Murphy - 4/10

Looked fantastic at times, but ultimately not up the speed and physicality of Scottish football. Has ability and wouldn’t be surprised if he does well back home in America where the game is a bit less frantic.

James Craigen - 5/10

Was starting to come into the team before lockdown, looked tidy enough and wouldn’t mind having him back.

Ben Stirling - 5/10

Never looked out of place, but never really stood out. Went out on loan to Alloa after going back to Hibs and by all accounts has done well there.

Josh Campbell - 4/10

Looked tidy enough but never really made any impact.

Dale Hilson - 7/10

Freshened up our attack after signing from Forfar. Probably not going to bang the goals in but has looked decent playing across the front three.

Logan Chalmers - 3/10

Loaned in from United, made two or three appearances off the bench but never made any impact.

Craig Wighton - 8/10

Alongside Hilson, really freshened up our attack at a time when it looked like we may be getting dragged downwards. Played with freedom and was a joy to watch at times. Would love to get him back but don’t think we have much chance.

[JagsCG]

Ryan Williamson - 5/10

Seemed a decent signing at the time, got injured half way through the season, but prior to that was horrific defensively, did create a few goals with his crossing, but couldn't tackle, and held onto the ball too long. Had a decent partnership with Cardle at times, a downgrade on Christie Elliott. 

Shea Gordon - 6/10

Scores goals, doesn't really do much else, although when asked to play a complete midfielder position, he's not going to be brilliant at it, has been unlucky with injuries, and had a habit of hiding in games, but he did run beyond, and get shots away, in a No.10 role, he'd be much better. 

Lewis Mansell - 1/10 

Signed him on a free from Blackburn, after an average loan spell, didn't get much game time, but was less than impressive when he did, scored 2 goals, an ugly one at Dens Park, and a consolation against Raith Rovers, baffles  me what Caldwell seen in him. 

Kenny Miller - 6/10

Was great when the season began, scored some goals, and had a bit of confidence, after Caldwell left, he started losing his confidence, and missed about a dozen sitters (most notably one against Morton), he wasn't in the right place most of the Time, regularly played "The Kenny Position", and wasn't good enough to be a No.1 striker. Still ended the season as top goalscorer, with 10 goals, and our oldest ever goalscorer, at the grand age of 40. Not surprised he's now hung up the boots though. 

Tommy Robson - 4/10

Looked decent first few games, then constantly following that, looked like he'd won a prize, and wasn't a footballer, he did however, become more effective in the last few games pre-shutdown, seemed to gain some confidence, and had a bit of fight about him, surprisingly, overall, one of the less than impressive lot though. 

Scott Fox - 5/10

He's made some great saves this season, but he's also been a goalkeeper, who's had rare clean sheets, no doubt he's more than capable for this division, but like a lot of the team hasn't shown in it consistently, he had a run pre-January, where he was vital in some games, but his inability to come off his line, cost a few goals. Not the worst in the backline this season, not the best either, with a better defence and better understanding, he'd probably be one of the best in the league again. 

Cammy Palmer - 6/10 

A tidy enough midfielder, who did decent on a loan spell from Rangers, much better than his replacement in Barjonas. Probably a little lightweight for the division, but he had good ability, unfortunately he hit a spell a good form, then went away on International Duty, which left him out the team on his return, but a fairly okay spell. 

Alex Jones - 4/10

Nowhere near good enough for most of the season, scored a couple of goals, but he was largely ineffective in most of the games he played, an injury at the beginning of the season didn't help him, but couldn't really score, couldn't hold the ball up brilliantly, and didn't seem to have a physique that he requited in the position he played, another failure from down south. 

Raffa De Vita - 2/10

Among the most lazy players to have played for Thistle in a while, almost all his previous ability from his time at Livingston and Ross County, was gone, scored a great goal at Cappielow, but was mostly ineffective when played, just looked far too poor for this level, and doesn't look like he set the world alight, at Falkirk either. No heart, No desire, and not much ability, was pleased when McCall ended his loan spell.

Mitch Austin - 0/10 

Injury-prone, and actually signed with an Injury, apart from a few Glasgow Cup games, he spent most of the season taking up a wage, a complete disaster of a signing from Caldwell, in his only real memorable appearance, coming off the bench against Raith Rovers, he missed a sitter, but actually didn't look too bad, McCall clearly didn't rate him, as he's since been dismissed. 

Dario Zanatta - 4/10

A player who came with a lot of expectations, had one of the best debuts I've ever seen, against Ayr, but since that game, apart from a game up at Inverness, he's been pretty poor, doesn't score goals, doesn't assist, can't tackle, and isn't willing to get stuck in. Likes a good dive and rolling about the ground though, which becomes embarrassing after one or two. Defenders quickly realised how to play against him as well, and spent the rest of the season doubling up on him. 

Ben Hall - 3/10

Actually didn't seem the worst when played, would liked to have kept him ahead of Saunders in January, but McCall released him and off he went to Falkirk. He just needed a bit of game time to get match fit, and he might have been fairly decent for us. 

Reece Cole - 7/10

Our best player this season, by a mile, (or the least worst one, depending on your viewpoint),  faded away a bit near the end of the season, but had a decent campaign, chipped in with a few assists and goals, didn't mind trying a few from range, and could pick a pass, had we not got relegated, I'd have been confident of us signing him upon the experiy of his Brentford contract, he seemed to have a real affection for the club. 

Osman Kakay - 6/10

Another decent loan signing, from QPR, didn't start well, was rotten against Dunfermline at home, but gradually started to play well in a further forward attacking role, would liked to have retained him post-January, still had a lot to learn, but could be a good player, at some point. 

Zak Rudden - 5/10

Looked decent on his debut vs Celtic, got injured in the warm up against Ayr, and would see himself out for several weeks, seemed a bit low on confidence when coming back into the team, was unlucky not to have a goal or two, but certainly seemed a player, as soon as he was fully match fit. 

Darian MacKinnon - 1/10 

A poor signing, did okay on his debut vs Celtic, but from then on, was pretty poor, seemed overweight and unfit, got an injury, and then couldn't get in the team for some reason, the type of player we needed, but just not him. 

Brian Graham - 7/10

The only player, over the whole season, to actually show fight, heart and desire, scored a couple of goals, and even in games where he wasn't too effective, he was leading the side, the classic, captain without the armband, without a shadow of a doubt, the best player McCall signed in January, and had the rest of the games been played, and we'd have stayed up, I can be sure, it would have been a lot down to Brian Graham, would love to keep him but expect he's too good for League 1, and will find a club convincingly, one if not two, tiers above. 

Jamie Barjonas - 2/10

The Raith Rovers fans were right about him, he's a really poor player, he doesn't like to get involved at all, and if he thinks he has a future at Ibrox, then all I'll do is a laugh at him, he was immensely poor, one of the worst again in a longtime, playing him in midfield was like a man down, still not convinced he's a footballer.

Darren Brownlie - 6/10

Was fairly decent in the games he played, signed having been one of the best in the league, and was our best Centre-back of the season, no doubt, although that's not really an achievement to bestow yourself greatly with. Could have potentially formed a good partnership with O'Ware, but perhaps a long shot, given the poorness of O'Ware.

Lewis Mayo - 6/10

In the games he played, he was fantastic, unlike his fellow Rangers loanee, Barjonas, Mayo put a lot of effort in, and seemed more than capable at this level, unluckily signed with an injury, so didn't see him too much, but certainly looked the part, at the back, a partnership with Brownlie would have been good to see consistently. 

 

Edited May 21, 2020 by JagsCG

[Derry Alli]

I will not entertain Declan McDaid getting anything above 5/10 purely because he is a massive shitebag. Yes, he scores the odd screamer but far too often he's in hiding. Which is stupid with that fucking ridiculous hair. 

Edited May 21, 2020 by Dele

[AsimButtHitsASix]

Nicky Cadden - 9/10
Jack Baird - 7/10
Luca Colville - 7/10
Aiden Nesbitt - 6/10
Danny Rogers - 6/10
Kyle Jacobs - 6/10
John Sutton 5/10
Kalvin Orsi - 5/10
Stephen Welsh - 5/10
Billy King - 4/10
Brian McLean - 4/10
Cameron Salkeld - 4/10
Peter Grant - 4/10
Cameron Blues - 3/10 (1/10 for his loan move. 2/10 for his permanent transfer)
Adam Livingston - 2/10
Robbie Muirhead - 2/10
Kris Doolan - 1/10
Sam Ramsbottom - 1/10
Henk vna Scheik - 0/10

Edited May 21, 2020 by AsimButtHitsASix

[Dunning1874]

Kyle Jacobs - 7/10

Jacobs took a long time to come onto a game, which was as much down to Hopkin shunting him to right back in the first half of the season where he was hopeless. Even when he was being played in midfield in that spell, games were passing him by and he was largely anonymous.

Since January when he's actually had a proper consistent run in midfield, with a settled midfield around him as well, he's really improved and finally looked like the player we thought we were getting. Already signed up for next season and I'm happy with that now, whereas I really didn't think he'd done enough to justify it at the time the contract was signed.

Kalvin Orsi - 6/10

Hopkin came into a club making significant cuts and we knew a lot of our signings were going to be cheap gambles on players we'd either never heard of or were on a downward trajectory in the hope of finding gems. We didn't expect this to extend to players who'd been released by that Brechin team.

So Orsi seemed a bizarre signing and this appeared to be confirmed when he vanished in the first half of the season. He was injured for a lengthy spell, but even when he was fit he wasn't making the bench and his only start had been in the Challenge Cup, so I expected him to be moved on in January. Cur a big surprise when he was thrown into the starting XI at Tannadice, and a bigger one when he scored a tremendous diving header to give us the lead.

Since then he's held his place in the team and got a new contract. He's definitely not got much in the way of technical ability, but there's a bit of a chaos factor where centre backs don't really know how to handle him.

Sam Ramsbottom - 0/10

Genuinely the worst goalkeeper I've ever seen at the club. The 'at the club' part might be unnecessary. As above gambles were expected, but releasing Derek Gaston to take a shot on an unknown goalkeeper and end up with this guy was a laugh.

He had a spell out the team after throwing a goal away every game, got a chance to come back and went straight back to throwing two goal head starts to the opposition. Goalkeepers can obviously go through horrendous runs of form that aren't always a true reflection of their ability with their mistakes being magnified, but we saw more than enough of Ramsbottom to see that this is just a case of someone who doesn't have the attributes to play professional football.

Cameron Salkeld - 5/10

There's a player in there but he just hasn't really settled or shown it. Things would possibly look a lot better for him if he hadn't had goals wrongly disallowed about 7 weeks running at the start of the season and had been able to kick on but as it is, while there are flashes of ability he's not shown many signs of turning that into being an effective player. Happy for him to stay as a squad player and try to develop that though.

Robbie Muirhead - 3/10

When you're gambling on a player who has gradually been on a downward trajectory having had a reputation as a promising player, particularly when they're as young as 23, you know it can go horribly wrong but always tell yourself this is where this player is going to have their recovery and be a good player. We saw the lazy disinterested overweight side of Lawrence Shankland to then watch him become a footballer, could we get the good side of someone now? Maybe one goal will be it all it takes to set him off and we could have a really exciting player on our hands?

No, we could not. Robbie Muirhead is a feckless waster, he reeks of Clyde and that should be his next stop on his descent to the fourth tier of the West of Scotland League.

Aidan Nesbitt - 7/10

He's been stop start and had a couple of shockers as you might expect of a player like Nesbitt, and Hopkin maybe didn't entirely take to him at first with spending long spells out the team, but in our good post-January run he was excellent and had really found his form. I still think he'd be better through the middle playing off a centre forward than out wide but he's good enough at both.

Nicky Cadden - 9/10

Our player of the season by a mile, probably the best winger in the division and I hope to god we can keep him. 10 goals from midfield and we're a much better team with him on the park - we'd have stayed in the relegation battle without him.

He said he was happy to stay but I hope the lockdown and possible delayed start to the season doesn't result in us losing him.

John Sutton - 5/10

Bringing a 35 (now 36) year old coach out of retirement was a sign of how desperate we were, but as a big lump of an impact sub goes he does the job well enough. He absolutely shouldn't be starting games, which he did quite a few times, but if he's still at the club as a coach anyway there's no harm keeping him registered as a player for the desperate moments where we want a battering ram in the opposition box for the last five minutes.

Peter Grant - 4/10

A player who has just been completely finished at this level by injuries, sadly. Despite that he was still a long way from our worst defender, but when Queen's Park offered him a higher wage than he was getting from us in January it suited everyone to let him go and try to improve on him. More on that to follow.

Brian McLean - 4/10

Also finished at this level and more error prone than Grant. McLean is useful in games where we camp on the edge of our own box, the entire game is played in front of him and he can pretty much stand in the same spot heading things away all game. His positional sense gets him through those joyous occasions where that shitfesting is reducing the opposition to a seething mess.

When it's a more open game though and players can run at him or passes are played in behind him, holy f**k. He just can't handle it.

Henk Van Schaik - 0/10

Signed for an undisclosed fee, made two appearances for the club, mutual consented.

In his first appearance he came off the bench when we were 3-1 up v QoS in the League Cup, as we went on to draw 3-3 with clown car defending and goalkeeping throwing the game away.

Started the following week at Ayr. We conceded four goals, injuries meant that at various points in the game Robbie Muirhead was at left back and centre back, and natural centre back Van Schaik was still by a distance the most comical figure on the pitch. An absolute joke performance and I don't think I've ever seen a player so obviously devoid of any positive attributes whatsoever. He'll never be forgotten, that's for sure.

Cameron Blues - 2/10

Blues doesn't deserve to be put in the same category as previous hopeless central midfielders like Dylan Dykes or David Robertson. They were so bad they actively hindered everyone around them just by being there. Blues doesn't do that, but he's just an anonymous figure who's had every single game pass him by without making the slightest impact. I don't know why we signed him on loan in the first place and I definitely don't understand why we made it permanent.

Danny Rogers - 6/10

An obvious and considerable improvement on Ramsbottom, he still had a really bad start with a lot of daft errors, mostly from either leaving his line too late or not leaving it at all. Despite that it was still insane to drop him and Ramsbottom being back in the team didn't last long. After months of regular football he's a lot better now, the errors have pretty much stopped and I'd be happy to have him back, but after the start he had he can't be rated any higher than that.

Luca Colville - 7/10

Slow start and struggled to hold down a place in the team at first, but once he settled down and gelled with the team he's really come onto a game. Excited to see how he develops.

Stephen Welsh - 3/10

This rating is more a comment on Hopkin's use of Welsh rather than Welsh as a player. To be clear, he is an absolutely hopeless full back, but that's not his position and he wasn't the one picking himself there. He's a centre back and when he did play there once he strolled through the game, but with no natural right back at the club as Tumilty was inexplicably allowed to go out on loan without a replacement he found himself stuck there and he was terrible at it. When Tumilty came back we thought he would get his run there, but the first game Welsh stayed at right back with Tumility on the right wing and then he was recalled by Celtic.

I still have no idea how good a centre back he is.

Adam Livingstone - 2/10

Rarely played as Strapp rightly always started when available, but looked well out of his depth when he did and ended up at Clyde in January.

Jack Baird - 6/10

Comfortably our best centre back, but that says more about the rest of them rather than him.

He was fine a lot of the time, but he's prone to huge lapses of concentration and has a glaring absence of positional sense that stops him ever being better than mediocre. If you can't concentrate for 90 minutes and give away daft goals as a result then being competent for the other 88 minutes doesn't count for much.

He is an attacking threat, but there's more than an element of Tam O'Ware about him in that people will ignore his obvious defensive weaknesses because he scores a few times. He could become a better player with a better defender alongside him talking through the game and covering his back - similar to O'Ware having his best spell for us with Gunning beside him - and I assume that largely accounts for his ups and downs at St Mirren. Not bothered either way if he's here next season, but we can evidently do much worse.

Billy King - 1/10

The ultimate sand dancer. No idea why we signed him but at least he was gone quickly.

Sean McGinty - 1/10

With Grant and Welsh both away in January we had an opportunity to strengthen the defence. We ended up scrambling around desperately and got McGinty.

We'd all watched him at Partick, we all knew what he was like, but as ever there's the refrain that you just have to judge someone on what they do for your club and not let preconceptions cloud your judgement, maybe a new start will be what a player needs, etc etc. Give him his chance.

It took five minutes of his debut to lay a sitter on a plate by heading it straight to an opponent's feet in his own box, and after 12 minutes he gave away a goal by completely misjudging the flight of a slow floated high ball then being muscled out by Kane Hemmings standing still. He's continued on the same level of farce since: chance given, worst fears confirmed. We only lost once in the league in 2020 but also only kept one clean sheet in those 10 games, drawing five - you wonder how many we'd have won with a credible defence.

Craig McGuffie - N/A

Only made four sub appearances so it's hard to say much, but he managed a (hilarious) goal in that time and was only kept out the team by the excellent form of Cadden and Nesbitt. He'll definitely get his chances next season.

Kris Doolan - N/A

Made one sub appearance, touched the ball once. Can't really make any judgement based on that, but it does confirm that he's about sixth choice centre forward so presumably won't be back next season.

[Nat Weederburn]

Tom Lang - 0/10 - an unfair score but we have seen none of him since he played 45 mins in a preseason friendly versus Hibs? By all accounts has done alright at Clyde on loan

Aaron Comrie - 8/10 - Mr Consistent, rarely makes mistakes or misplaces passes, at championship level he has been a very accomplished full back, no doubt an upgrade on Ryan Williamson

Paul Paton - 7/10 - Not the fastest and I was unsure of him signing given his age and recent career history. Has turned out to be an influential captain who battles in midfield and plays a decent pass, every Scottish championship team needs a midfielder like him.

Ryan Dow - 8/10 - Had a flying start to the season, a winger that could cross, take on a man and made good decisions, something we've lacked in recent seasons also has experience at a high level. Pleased to have him for another season.

Kyle Turner - 6.5/10 - A difficult one, played really well at the start of the season and his talent was really shining through, had a difficult spell at the end of 2019 where he became a scapegoat, has had a decent start considering he's taken the step up from Stranraer, hoping he really kicks on next season (whenever that happens).

Ethan Ross - 3/10 - never really played enough to show his ability, looked okay in brief glimpses and clearly has technical ability but often gave the ball away cheaply.

Euan Murray - 6/10 - should be higher in rating but had no luck with injuries this season, had a great start to the season whilst also being a real threat from set pieces which we haven't had from a defender in recent times. Hopefully no more injuries for him.

Owain Fon Williams - 7/10 - An obvious upgrade from Scully and Gill, but still didn't have an awful lot of time in the team and wasn't tested all that often. Despite only being a loan his fundraising for the club during this crisis is superb, a standout guy.

Josh Coley - 3/10 - Seemed to be a bit of a gamble on loan from Norwich, looks to have talent but is still extremely raw, the move didn't really work out for him or the club but wish him all the best, needs development at a lower level.

Anthony McDonald - 0/10 - a weird one considering we signed him whilst he was injured? Was excited about him but injuries didn't allow him to have any sort of role in the team before he went back to hearts.

Harry Cochrane - 5/10 - Disappointed as I thought he'd be superb in the team, has clear technical ability but didn't take enough of a grip of games, can play a pretty pass but expected him to show a bit more considering how he's been touted the past couple years.

Gabby McGill - 5/10 - This has been a development season for the lad, certainly not the quickest but has shown signs for improvement later on in the season, works extremely hard, just needs to hone his skills, seems a natural finisher in the reserves just can't quite translate that yet in the first team.

Jonathan Afolabi - 6/10 - Delighted we got him in January, since Nisbet had no real backup considering Andy Ryan was sent out on loan we needed another fast, physical front man Afolabi fits the bill. Clearly fast and strong shame the season ended early as I was eager to see how he'd finish the season with Nisbet being injured.

Dom Thomas - 9/10 - suits our system better than Kiltie did despite perhaps not being as good a player? Pacey and direct with an eye for a goal, a standout at this level and someone I hope we can try and get back.

Kevin Nisbet - 10/10 - Does this need any explanation? Wanted by a number of clubs now it will be interesting to see how his summer develops.

Dylan Duncan - 0/10 - Never played

Josh Edwards - 6/10 - Young talent brought in at Left back where I thought he did okay, still has a lot to learn but does the fundamentals pretty well.

Greg Kiltie - 8/10 - despite not really being a natural winger did well for us and provided plenty of creativity in the team he's been able to break back into the Kilmarnock team since going back there so the loan was good for both teams.

[Ray Patterson]

Kieran Freeman - N/A - Never played, but getting someone back on a free after selling him for £150k, is always worth a punt. Can hopefully be cover for Smith next season and pick up some first XI games in League Cup etc. Think Robbie planned on giving him some game time in the last 5 or 6 games.

Adam King - 1/10 - Without a doubt the worst signing of the summer, makes his brother looks like a world beater. Had doubts when he signed, as the phrase "utility player" always rings alarm bells. Never looked comfortable with the ball, which is criminal for when he played as a central midfielder. Three Year Deal he's on as well. 

Deniz Mehmet - 6/10 - Barely Played - came back to as a backup goalie and wasn't really needed as Benji has been pretty solid. Think he's a good enough #2. Gave marks due to knowing his quality from last time at Tannadice.

Dillon Powers - 4/10 - I think a lot of people give him a lot unwarranted flack, there is a player in there, his distribution is very good, although physically he is a poorer version of Butcher. Scored our league winning goal, I suppose. Marks off for believing in Bigfoot.

Mark Reynolds - 6/10 - Probably the weakest of our Centre Backs, I'm very concerned that he'll get ripped to shreds by the likes of Edouard and Morelos next season. Just about been solid enough in this league, but would much rather have Watson. 

Lawrence Shankland - 11/10 - I was worried that when he signed, he was going to be another Billy McKay - score 10 goals and miss a ton of chances, oh how glad I am that was wrong. To become an internationalist whilst playing in the Championship is some feat, but to be on 28 goals from 32 games is an unbelievable tally. Annoying that he's missed out on getting 40 in a season, but I like everyone else will be relishing the chance to see him play in the Premiership next season.

Liam Smith - 8/10 - One of our most consistent players this season, has played 97% of all games this term and again would really like to see how he gets on in the Premiership. Still needs to improve a bit, but I think with the guidance of more experienced players he could become a solid top six player for us.

Adrian Sporle - 3/10 - I want to start off by saying he definitely has talent, but he's not a Left Back. His debut was a baptism of fire against Hearts, however against Morton he showed that there is potential there, but he needs to find a position, maybe a LWB in a 3-5-2 or just a Left Winger otherwise I can see him on his way out. Would have probably played in the last 5 games or so, but been denied that opportunity.

Troy Brown - 5/10 - Came in, played the few games we needed during an injury crisis and was solid enough, bar the mental QoS game. 

Rakish Bingham - 4/10 - Same as above, set up both goals in the Inverness game which won us the title. Wasn't good enough for anything more than emergency cover.

[Rob1885]

Kieran Freeman - N/A - Never played, but getting someone back on a free after selling him for £150k, is always worth a punt. Can hopefully be cover for Smith next season and pick up some first XI games in League Cup etc. Think Robbie planned on giving him some game time in the last 5 or 6 games.
Adam King - 1/10 - Without a doubt the worst signing of the summer, makes his brother looks like a world beater. Had doubts when he signed, as the phrase "utility player" always rings alarm bells. Never looked comfortable with the ball, which is criminal for when he played as a central midfielder. Three Year Deal he's on as well. 
Deniz Mehmet - 6/10 - Barely Played - came back to as a backup goalie and wasn't really needed as Benji has been pretty solid. Think he's a good enough #2. Gave marks due to knowing his quality from last time at Tannadice.
Dillon Powers - 4/10 - I think a lot of people give him a lot unwarranted flack, there is a player in there, his distribution is very good, although physically he is a poorer version of Butcher. Scored our league winning goal, I suppose. Marks off for believing in Bigfoot.
Mark Reynolds - 6/10 - Probably the weakest of our Centre Backs, I'm very concerned that he'll get ripped to shreds by the likes of Edouard and Morelos next season. Just about been solid enough in this league, but would much rather have Watson. 
Lawrence Shankland - 11/10 - I was worried that when he signed, he was going to be another Billy McKay - score 10 goals and miss a ton of chances, oh how glad I am that was wrong. To become an internationalist whilst playing in the Championship is some feat, but to be on 28 goals from 32 games is an unbelievable tally. Annoying that he's missed out on getting 40 in a season, but I like everyone else will be relishing the chance to see him play in the Premiership next season.
Liam Smith - 8/10 - One of our most consistent players this season, has played 97% of all games this term and again would really like to see how he gets on in the Premiership. Still needs to improve a bit, but I think with the guidance of more experienced players he could become a solid top six player for us.
Adrian Sporle - 3/10 - I want to start off by saying he definitely has talent, but he's not a Left Back. His debut was a baptism of fire against Hearts, however against Morton he showed that there is potential there, but he needs to find a position, maybe a LWB in a 3-5-2 or just a Left Winger otherwise I can see him on his way out. Would have probably played in the last 5 games or so, but been denied that opportunity.
Troy Brown - 5/10 - Came in, played the few games we needed during an injury crisis and was solid enough, bar the mental QoS game. 
Rakish Bingham - 4/10 - Same as above, set up both goals in the Inverness game which won us the title. Wasn't good enough for anything more than emergency cover.

I thought it was a global pandemic which won you the title not 2 Rakesh Bingham assists

[Poet of the Macabre]

These threads are always good, especially when someone suggests all of their signings have been 5 or higher but they’ve had a shite season.

[QoS_Blue1919]

Robby McCrorie - 9/10

Future Scotland number 1, easily. One of the best shot-stoppers I’ve seen at Queens this century. Only loses a mark due to 1 poor performance against Thistle in December.

Kevin Holt - 7/10

Started slowly but came into his game about September/October time before drifting off in 2020, he’s not the only one of course. Played every minute of every game until ICT away, the last game before lockdown incidentally.

Lee Kilday - 6/10

Pretty solid, although our defensive record is hardly impressive. Looked good with Brownlie before he left, although seemed a bit lost since. Has made one of two mistakes leading to goals (Annan and Dundee).

Dan Pybus - 7/10

Runs tirelessly all game, every game, but seems to be lacking a little bit of quality. This is his first full season playing though so deserves credit.

Lewis Kidd - 3/10

Just not very good. Indecisive on the ball and doesn’t bring much fight. Is a solid RB but always gets used in CM at the expense of others who fill in a RB when Mercer’s not fit (Lyon mainly).

Jack Hamilton - 6/10

Hasn’t really had a good run in the team, and we he picked up form in September/October he injured himself. Has been ok. Not fussed about seeing him return.

Gary Oliver - 6/10

Seems to be less liked than Jack Hamilton despite scoring more than him. Not the right partner for Dobbie but decent enough squad player. Has another year.

Andy McCarthy - 1.5/10

A total panic signing at the start of the season. Played well for 45 minutes against Ayr at home, got his chance the next week vs Queens Park and was hooked after half an hour. Out of his depth.

Darren Lyon - 6/10

Shown glimpses of quality. Goes about his business well enough, does nothing out of the ordinary although there’s definitely a player in there. Isn’t great at RB, no idea why he’s asked to play there with Kidd filling in at CM.

Abdul Osman - 5/10

Injuries have plagued his time but has looked decent. Can be slow and sloppy at times. Only thing he brings that we didn’t have is physicality in midfield.

Callum Semple - 5/10

Came back overweight for various issues, although has came back into the team and done okay. A massive fans favourite due to last season, got MOTM at home to Morton after we lost 4-0 (he’s a CB).

Faissal El-Balhtaoui - 8.5/10

Brilliant on the ball. Skilful, creative and got fans off their seats, at times. No secret that he (along with McCrorie) leaving were huge factors in our downturn in form.

Michael Paton - 2/10

Was nice of AJ to give his old mate a wee one year deal. Dumbarton fans reckon he’s one of their worst ever players in recent times and we signed him off the back of that. Slow and lost his creative spark.

(January signings)

Ross Stewart - 3/10

There’s maybe a Championship level goalie in there, but he hasn’t shown it at us. Was never going to be as good as McCrorie, fans have been a little harsh on him though.

Michael Ledger - 3/10

A very forgetful player. Doesn’t do much really, don’t know if he’s a CB or a RB, hasn’t stood out in either position. Wouldn’t be against seeing more of him next season as he’s still young, but hasn’t played enough to merit a decent rating.

David Devine - 2/10

18, on loan from Motherwell and looked woefully out of his depth. Not much else needs said.

Deimantus Petrevicius - 2/10

Really really fast. Doesn’t really have a footballing brain. He’d be a cracking sprinter I’d imagine.

Iain Wilson - 4/10

Another signing fans were happy to see but hasn’t done a whole lot. Couldn’t find his form at us but after being released by Killie, and still only 20, he’s good enough to remain on full-time football.

[parsforlife]

Duncan - didn’t play no idea

afolabi- 6/10 clearly talented, but rather naive, he probably thinks refs hate him but he just gets absolutely played by any half decent Center back. Needs to quickly understand what you can and can’t do but that’s kind of expected for a teenager getting their first chance of senior football.  Will likely get a full season at this level next year and it could be the making of him.

Kiltie- 8/10. Clear talent and coped with getting played out of position, think everyone in this division knows it’s below his ability and was no surprise to see him recalled.

edwards- 3/10. quite strong which is a plus... needs coached through the game, makes stupid mistakes and can’t cross for shit. We are a far better side without him in it. Needs to improve massively to make it full time, might get lucky and do similar to Rooney but when that’s the sort of player you can aspire to be it doesn’t inspire confidence.

mcgill-5/10  early season(including when I watched him score 5 against crossgates) looked like he was towing a caravan which for a young teenager is some achievement.  Bizarrely chucked in vs Morton in January and looked a far better player, played most games since and become an ok option. Might kick on next year.

cochrane 6/10 tidy on the ball, anonymous otherwise. Not missed.

mcdonald 4/10 more due to his lack of game time but don’t think we payed hearts anything whilst he was injured. He is reasonably quick but I noticed little else in his brief game time.

thomas 9/10 not much of a secret here but he really showed his ability with us, no hint of the suggestions of bad attitude from his early career. Want back.

Coley 5/10 thought we had found a gem in the betfred cup games particularly the opener vs st mirren. Absolutely rapid and made the right decision throughout. Unfortunately once the league campaign started his inexperience showed and made poor decisions far too often resulting in little game time. 

OFW 7/10 decent enough, he’s competent which is a big improvement from what we had and generally will make you one of the better keepers in the division with the lack of talent in the position.

murray 7/10 unlucky with injury, our defence look better with him in it. Could become a very important player when he’s able to play every week. 

Paton  7/10,  never been technically gifted and his legs are beginning to go(though I think he’s quicker than made out) but an ideal captain. Leader.

lang 6/10 hard to judge one pre-season game where he looked lost and 1 diddy cup match where he was 10x better, we were struggling defensively at the time and he looked like he’d get a starting spot. Unfortunately he did his hamstring that game and went out on loan once he recovered, got potential.

turner 6/10 been given different roles in midfield but never reach found one that fits him right, lightweight and a tendency to try to much but also occasionally shows some moments of class. 

ross- 5/10 meh next.

bowman 5/10 signed from school football, probably won’t make it but never really involved.

which leaves these absolute ballers.

Ryan Dow 9/10 apparently only plays well 1 in 10 was the reviews we got when he signed which turned out to be absolutely wrong. He is everything you want from a wide man. 

Aarron Crombie 8/10.  And that’s 8/10 every single week.  Offers more than enough going forward to match Williamson and is an infinite improvement defensively. Mr consistent.

Kevin ‘oh it’s him again’ nisbet. ♾/10.  Scored goals, ken.

 

 

Also works his arse off and brings others into the game well.   But mostly strikers should score goals and he does...a lot.

Edited May 21, 2020 by parsforlife

[Poet of the Macabre]

I wish I’d watched the season where Cochrane, Turner and Lang were 6/10 signings. The latter made zero league appearances for us.

Nesbit, Comrie, Dow, Paton, Thomas and Kiltie are the only signings I could see possibly being above a 5 for the Pars. Nesbit would be 9.5/10

[RossBFaeDundee]

5 minutes ago, Poet of the Macabre said:

Nesbit would be 9.5/10

For such a key player you could at least get his name right.

[vikingTON]

Not sure which one of 4/10 for Billy King or 6/10 for Kalvin Orsi counts as the most heinous attempt at revisionism. 

[Central Belt Caley]

David Carson 7/10 - didn't rate him much at the beginning of the season but seems to be growing into this league and had some good games before lockdown

James Vincent 5/10 - Might be harsh, but not as good as the first time around and seems to be injury prone

James Keatings 8/10 - Scored some good goals and a definite improvement to the side 

Mitchell Curry 4/10 - Signed, got injured, played a handful of times, scored a couple and then left. A very meh signing 

Nikolay Todorov 5/10 - Not played much as Jordan White's been our main striker, was worried after seeing he couldn't get into the worst Falkirk side in living memory but seems to be a good squad member

Lewis Toshney 4/10? - Only seen him play Vs Dunfermline at East End and when he started against Alloa and then got carted off after 2 mins. Hopefullly can stay clear of injury when football starts again

Miles Storey 5/10 - Really quick, no end product and definitely not a winger either 

[Rob1885]

Paul Paton 10/10. That's it. That's the post.

[Poet of the Macabre]

3 hours ago, RossBFaeDundee said:

For such a key player you could at least get his name right.

^^^ not in on the joke

[Ludo*1]

Typing this up without reading any other Dee postings so that I can't be influenced and then can compare rankings!

Josh McPake - 2/10 - He's clearly a talented lad and looked promising in his debut off the bench, but after that he never made an impact. Still very young, but nowhere near the potential say someone like Finlay Robertson has shown at a younger age. Bit of a waste of money if truth be told. Rightfully never got his loan extended.

Sean Mackie - 3.5/10 - Loan signings from Hibs don't tend to work out. (Maybe they do, but the only other loanee off the top of my head was Patrick Noubissie) Until the very last couple of games he played, he was a contender for inclusion in a worst ever Dundee 11. Genuinely couldn't control, looked overweight, couldn't pass - just shouldn't have been out on a football pitch.  Can't believe he looked like he could play football - some turnaround for the boy. Very worrying that Hibs and James McPake rate him.

Jamie Ness - 2/10 - At the start of the season I was so confident he'd stroll this division and be the best player in it and even put him as number 1 midfielder in the league. How wrong I was. When he's been on the pitch, he's been alright. He's influenced a few games and scored a good goal against Morton. His injury problems has meant he's played a total of 8 league games this season starting 3. The 3 he started was a 1-0 home win over Ayr, the 6-2 derby in which McPake has said his biggest regret this season was dropping Finlay Robertson for it and a 1-2 defeat by QotS in which he came off injured at HT. Hope he doesn't have these issues next season as a midfield partnership of him and Dorrans is stuff dreams are made of at this level (On paper), but his injury record suggests it'll be more of the same unfortunately.

Declan McDaid - 6/10 - Bit of a shitebag. Blew hot and cold on the wing. Gave 2 penalties away in 2 Derby games. Really talented and when he's on it, he's destroying teams but not enough for every 5 or so games. Typical winger at this level. So why the high mark? Really came into his own playing at LWB for us and was an underappreciated component of our upswing in form. Really seemed to have knuckled down when playing in that role. I'd go as far to say I wouldn't be signing LWB cover for Marshall in the coming season as McDaid performed admirably.

Graham Dorrans - 6.5/10 - Was he playing as good as he should be or as expected? No. Was he a contender for TotS? Not a chance. He improved us immeasurably just by his presence though. He has the best passing rate in the entire division apparently. Reckon he'll be massive for us next season.

Jordan McGhee - 8.5/10 - Lost out on our PotY on a split decision technicality. Absolutely strolled it at CH. Only worry has been that Forster has looked like a competent CH when not paired with McGhee, but looked like he'd never played football when paired with him.

Jordan Marshall - 8/10 - We've generally had pretty good LBs over the years and Marshall is the latest. More athletic, bombastic and threatening than Kevin Holt even if he lacks a little of Holt's physicality.  Not the best defensively, but in this league we need a LB to swing a ball in and he can deliver some cracking balls into the box. Tailed off a bit as he needed an operation and held off for a few weeks and then just as he was due to come back, the season ended.

Jordon Forster - 5/10 - He's had a miraculous second half of the season to end up with a 5. He was a total bombscare for the first half of the season. It was starting to turn ugly and he was having little niggles at fans as he was being constantly berated for absolute clangers. The worst was probably in a game against QotS at home. We'd just equalised very late into the game IIRC and were pushing for a winner. QotS took kick off, punted up the park and he slipped and fell whilst on the ball allowing Dobbie clear through on goal. Berra has made a huge difference.

Conor Hazard - 4/10 - Pish and made some clangers that have resulted in goals. Some fans rate him because he's not Jack Hamilton which is a valid point. He'd kept 6 clean sheets in a row, but that was more down to the defence than any heroics from him. Indeed, the last goal we conceded was a complete howler from him. I'd take him for next season because he's not Jack Hamilton and because we've the makings of a strong defence but I'd like to hope we can do better.

Christophe Berra - 7/10 - He would be in team of the year if he'd played for us for the season. Our defence has improved massively since he's came in and he's the reason we became so tight at the back. We've conceded once in the 7 games he played. I was 100% against him coming in on loan as he's looked absolutely finished on TV. A bloody rock at this level and if we can steal him from Hearts permanently we'd be in a title hunt against them IMO. Can't rate higher due to length of time at club.

Ross Callachan - 3/10 - Rating purely due to circumstances. Loaned in, played 3 games, looked great at being a shitfester for us in 2 of those then out for the season with us picking up the tab. Would be very happy if he signs permanently with us as seems likely.

Kane Hemmings - 7.5/10 - Knocks his pan in every week. At the start of the season it wasn't a big deal to say Hemmings was the best striker in the league. It's much harder to justifiably say that now as the likes of Nisbet and Shankland have made the headlines this year and rightly so. I don't think that's Hemmings' fault though, it's largely our inability to create anything worth of note for him. He's made his own chances by and large this season and that's not the style of player he is. 10 goals in 23 starts with pretty much zero service is still quite impressive. I've no doubt he'd bang them in prolifically again should he get the service.

Shaun Byrne - 4.5/10 - If he'd done his job as expected this season we wouldn't have brought in Ross Callachan. Goes anonymous far too often. Started to prove his worth as we switched back to a 3-5-2 towards the latter half of the season, but still have my doubts. Reckon McPake has signed more consistent players for his position on less money.

Danny Johnson - 4.5/10 - Looked like we had a player and was rivaling Hemmings early on in the season. Didn't like being second fiddle, had a pretty shocking attitude apparently and was rightly punted in January even if it did leave us a bit short.

Christie Elliot - 6/10 - Looks very much a steady eddie type. Won't hide and won't let us down but won't exactly be outstanding either. Finally some competition for Cammy Kerr who will have to either realise his promise from many a year ago or say goodbye to his Dundee career.

Ollie Crankshaw - N/A - Looked pacy and direct and probably played the same amount of times as Callachan but still didn't show enough for me to determine whether he'd be a cracking player for us or like another McPake who showed initial promise.

Tom Field - N/A - Think he played once for us at a game I didn't attend.

 

Edited May 21, 2020 by Ludo*1