New Signings

[AmanAccie]

Fans voting with their feet makes no difference to the board at Accies. We don't have enough fans for it to do so. That's why they don't concentrate all their efforts spending decent cash on players, it's not sustainable for a club our size. It would be a risk that they aren't willing to take. The people of Hamilton continue to ignore their own football club. That's why the majority of funds are funneled into the youth setup etc... It gives a sustainable return. It keeps us afloat. Like it or not. If the stand was full every game then perhaps they would consider splashing out a bit on the squad and you could argue that if they did then it might bring more fans in but there is no guarantee's. Why do the fans all of a sudden forget this? Ronnie and Les have been harping on about this stuff for years. We got a taste of what could be and understandably the fans want more but the board are business men and obviously it's more important for them to keep the club debt free and producing players that they can shift on for profit. Like it or not we're a farm, a very profitable farm at that! So we can chose to go or not, we can bitch and moan, demand that we get a Q&A, or just accept it as it is. It really doesn't matter much. As Les said it doesn't matter what league we're in. The club will function the same as it does now.

[Park Materson]

How depressing.

[redandwhite1874]

Yes I get hugely depressed when I look at the league tables - when I look down at all the clubs with 'ambition' in the leagues below us, clubs that have based their model on 'investment in players', clubs whose survival is still an issue. I then look at Motherwell who appear to have the model that many on here think is a guarantee to success - experienced manager and paying money on established pros - it didn't really work this season and didn't work for Hibs last season. And yet we have people who make out its so easy and who are determined to ignore the running costs of the clubs.

The jibes about 'selling club' show real naivety about the nature of football across the world, never mind Scotland.

[H9crx]

Yes I get hugely depressed when I look at the league tables - when I look down at all the clubs with 'ambition' in the leagues below us, clubs that have based their model on 'investment in players', clubs whose survival is still an issue. I then look at Motherwell who appear to have the model that many on here think is a guarantee to success - experienced manager and paying money on established pros - it didn't really work this season and didn't work for Hibs last season. And yet we have people who make out its so easy and who are determined to ignore the running costs of the clubs.

The jibes about 'selling club' show real naivety about the nature of football across the world, never mind Scotland.

Mate you don't get it! We don't want a team of old costly pro's we love having our own boys do well and move on nothing gives us better joy than that. All we ask is that we get in one or two good players like Loy who may come in and be a star like mogovern and still in the age band that we can sell on.

Dundee are taking all the good talent from the championship these players are exactly who we need experienced at a good level and would help the team and our own young players out. Chriss turner in May be in this category but we need strikers.

[rubenthedog]

As Dundee appear to sign up everyone and their granny, that must make the futures of their current squad uncertain.

Would love to see Jim McAllister back at NDP....... Don't know how feasible that would be though

[Park Materson]

Very true.
Accies missed the boat with the plethora of Queens Park kids who were job lotted off to tannadice and sold on for millions.
Speculate to accumulate.

[PrideOfLanarkshire]

People on this seem to think a player like Gavin Riley (QotS) will be on about 3-4 grand a week by the way they are going on. All we want is a spine in our team for the young boys to play around. Not has-beens like christen nade.

Don't see the problem with fans wanting to see there team do well? we all know how accies work, we pushed the boat out a bit to sign Jason Scotland at first. Why can't we do it again with an experienced primer league player? Les quoted saying he will bring in experience;

Nade - 31 Years Old
Turner - 27 Years Old

I thought he meant experience in the league not by age. Nade played in the championship last 2 seasons/Don't think Turner has ever player in the big league.

[AmanAccie]

Who would you take from Norwich (apart from 22)? I'd take the Murphy twins. We could have the black version of the Paixao's. They actually look decent although they are playing in the development league. They would smash the Scottish Premiership. http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=murphy ... AQ#mhpiv=0

[accies1874]

It would be interesting to see how Andreu would do under Canning. He wasn't great when Neil left but that was due to him wanting to follow Neil down south. However, he wasn't as good for Livi as he was for us so maybe Neil just knows how to get the best from him. I think if they go up then there's no chance he'll stay there.
The Murphys seem good and I'd take McGrandles too - he was excellent for Falkirk.
I'd rather get actual signings, though. Not loan players.

[AmanAccie]

I honestly can't see Andreu coming back to Scottish football. If he's going to get loaned out I think it would be an English Championship or league 1 side. It would be a step back for him coming here.

[accies1874]

I honestly can't see Andreu coming back to Scottish football. If he's going to get loaned out I think it would be an English Championship or league 1 side. It would be a step back for him coming here.

Yeah true but you never know what's going through his mind at the moment. He's struggling to get on the bench in the Championship, there's no way he's staying if they go up. If they stay down then buffer players might leave, opening a space for him but he seems like a waste of space down there.

[Scott18]

Hasslebaink - has left the club

[Alfie Olek]

Mate you don't get it! We don't want a team of old costly pro's we love having our own boys do well and move on nothing gives us better joy than that. All we ask is that we get in one or two good players like Loy who may come in and be a star like mogovern and still in the age band that we can sell on.

Sums it up. I can’t find anyone here suggesting Motherwell or Hull!! are the models to follow. We want some decent signings who provide a spine for the team and bring the younger players on and in themselves may have sell on value e.g. mcgovern. All the players we have been linked with so far look like Championship journeymen and suggest the board is planning for a move back to that league the season after next.

I see on the Twitter site Martin speaking to the press confirms made is training with us and Hasselbank is away.

[Gaspode]

So,we take towards £2million,spend not a penny and you think it's funny.

Enjoy sitting with 600 fellow happy clappers as no one else will be there.Won't be any atmosphere either as many of those who create an atmosphere are unhappy at the events since January.Section A has been decreasing in number every week.

Plenty folk have already stated on other forums they won't be renewing unless some decent signings are made.You only need to look at the crowds the last few months to see how decisions have disappointed folk with plenty fans voting with their feet.The worrying thing is it is folk who we can ill afford to lose-namely enthusiastic young kids and guys who have been there since the bad,bad days scunnered to see us slide backwards.

We will see what happens.Will we as some think, end up in The First with a team of journey men until we sell our next batch of kids or will we become an established SPL club like St.Johnstone or Inverness.

This summer will show where we will go the next 5-10 years.Wouldn't take much to see us as an established SPL club for years if the will is there.

You love to put yourself out there as the voice of the fans don't you? You seem to think you speak for the majority of our support, well here's the news, you don't. Plenty of folk this, and plenty of folk that. It's the same old song from you. We have just had one of our most succesful seasons in our recent history and, yes, it could have and should have been better, but all you can do is bleat on and on about the Boards failings. Well in my opinion they have done a helluva lot more things right than wrong. Yes they make mistakes and their PR is an absolute disgrace in respect of the support, but they have kept this club afloat and healthy and given us a degree of success which we shouldn't really get on the size of our support. Yes, we should always question the custodians of our club, but the constant abuse from some towards the board is in my opinion, unhelpful and frankly, tedious. As to your point about me "being funny" in my original post, it was a light hearted joke about us never having signed big names to encourage season ticket sales! I've been a season ticket holder for over 25yrs and my only consideration about buying one is , can i afford it. Not the league we are in, not how succesful we have been, or who we've signed. I'm an Accies fan, pure and simple.

[Davidson1874]

We can't spend money we don't have, we have tried to speculate to accumulate with Thomas Cerny and got our fingers burned.

Unfortunately if we bid for a player and another club comes in with a longer contract on higher wages then we will lose out, saying that, I still hope we can do better than Nade but I don't want us to gamble with our future.

Very fine balancing act.

[accies1874]

We can't spend money we don't have, we have tried to speculate to accumulate with Thomas Cerny and got our fingers burned.

Unfortunately if we bid for a player and another club comes in with a longer contract on higher wages then we will lose out, saying that, I still hope we can do better than Nade but I don't want us to gamble with our future.

Very fine balancing act.

However we do have the money. We have enough money to spend £300,000 on the floodlights and pitch and at least £1m on the dome. We're getting plenty for Hendrie's compensation, compensation for Frankie McAvoy and Alex Neil, £1m+ for 22 and we got around £650,000 for McArthur's sell-on. That's all within around 9 months. Running a football club isn't cheap but we've spent money that seems unnecessary.

[redandwhite1874]

Nigel going sums up what was a poor January - an expensive mistake who contributed very little/nothing. I thought we had signed him for 18 months but hopefully not.

PS This season hasn't finished yet, so lets no let Dundee panic everyone. The board's signings in the last 2 years should give some comfort to ease the worries. A mix of signings plucked from nowhere for free who did well and some who cost us a bit of cash.

[YeOldeHamiltonian]

Gaspode old China,only reporting the views of the majority on the most popular Accies site on Facebook.I would reckon 99.99 per cent on there want to see more "imaginative signings"....do you or will you clap like a seal if we go down the route of Nade and his top notch scoring record?

As others have said,we don't need to spend fortunes,but is there a will to spend 100-150k on the 1 or 2 players who would make a difference?That is all folk are asking.No one is saying go out and spend £700,000 on players or bankrupt the club are they?

A general rule of thumb is if they are contemplating spending £300,000 on the pitch and floodlights,then they can spend that on players whether it be signing fees,wages or signing on fees for those out of contract.

That still leaves plenty for the day to day running of the club.If the million dollar Dome is no longer on the agenda(what happened to that idea?),then this is easily achievable.

Saying the above doesn't make folk anti-board or anti-club.Like others on here and elsewhere,we want to see some of the cash we have brought in spent on the team.Not exactly a revolutionary idea is it,wanting the powers at be to invest some of the millions in the team.

[hamilton1]

To be honest i dont mind nade training with us. If hes not up to standard then we wont sign him, if hes impressing then why not. He would be the type of striker were looking for. A tall striker and Someone to hold the ball and pass to the wingers, however his goal scoring record doesnt fill me with hope. I reckon he would just be a taller jason scotland. Would be great to bring off the bench to be honest, but he isnt the answer.

As for Dundee, theyre just doing the usual of throwing big money on wages. Plus the players are on long term contracts. If they get relegated they will be in all sorts of financial trouble. We will continue to get business done quietly. Past signings show the board can get it right if they dont go for randomers from abroad for example: imrie, mcgovern, andreu, curier, jesus. These are the sort of players we need to bring in. Players that are proven at a lower level and are hungry to succeed.

Jim Mcalister would be a great signing for us, with a small squad we need versatile players. Jim has shown he can play at both sides of the wings, in centre midfield and both left back and right back.

[Alfie Olek]

Past signings show the board can get it right if they dont go for randomers from abroad for example: imrie, mcgovern, andreu, curier, jesus. These are the sort of players we need to bring in. Players that are proven at a lower level and are hungry to succeed.

Exactly Hamilton1 not big name signings but as you say proven but with potential to add value and move on. So far however we seem to be shopping Poundland rather than John Lewis. As an aside while I’m not advocating 3 year contracts if they are drawn up correctly with a relegation clause that reduces salaries accordingly then they don’t need to be a financial millstone. indeed they can be an incentive to the player to avoid relegation.