Transfer Activity - Summer 2016 edition

[redandwhite1874]

It all sounds remarkably like our usual scatter gun approach. Most clubs have people signed up already and we're still looking. I appreciate what Martin said: i.e. Players are hanging on for a better deal, but it's a bit frustrating. I wonder if any of the trialists are European? That might need to change after Brexit

After the last 12 months we have every right to be sceptical about our transfer dealings and despite mentions of being proactive etc it doesn't look as if much has changed. Yes there is still a massive amount of deals to be done in the market but that does not detract that many other clubs have been able to conclude deals. We are down by 2 of our best players and the first choice CB and striker. The team and staff heading off out of the country will not help conclude deals and must cost a few bob as well.

We can but hope.

[Stevie Clarke]

Mcmann my very will be mate but he is a left back so does that mean no kurakins

We'll need two for every position so I imagine Mcmann will be cover for Kurakins.

[accies123]

I saw the team training the other day at the palace.
I don't know who said that one of the trialist was coll Donaldson. It looked to me like there was 2 east European players, and 2 coloured guys, one of them being 20 yards off when the group was running...

[porcupine]

Is it not too early to speculate that we don't have Lucas & Morris at this stage, given everyone's contract finished just yesterday?

[acciescwilson]

Wouldn't mind seeing McMann have a go at it. Never had faith in Kurakins anyway last season .

[acciescwilson]

A photo in the daily record looked remarkably like Donaldson however I'm probably mistaken. It'll be interesting to see who these players are if they do eventually sign up and was the slow coach big Nade by any chance haha. And we have also completed our first signing of the summer today folks, Jordan McGregor, 19yr old defender from hibs. At long last

[Hooper]

A photo in the daily record looked remarkably like Donaldson however I'm probably mistaken. It'll be interesting to see who these players are if they do eventually sign up and was the slow coach big Nade by any chance haha. And we have also completed our first signing of the summer today folks, Jordan McGregor, 19yr old defender from hibs. At long last

The lad from Hibs has been signed for ages just couldn't be official to today and he is for the u20s side primarily

[acciescwilson]

Oh well, I'm just happy we've made some kind of acquisition

[smc4761]

The Daily Record today published a list of all SPFL clubs and who they had signed and lost. Every club, bar 1 had signed some new players, guess which club. We have also lost a few players.

Now the season starts very shortly, hope Canning and Co have a few players lined up for the new season.

Doe anyone know what if anything we are doing, any names, or is it time to start panicking

[H9crx]

Hamilton Accies could offer former Celtic midfielder Massimo Donati a shock return to Scotland after the 35-year-old joined Martin Canning's squad on their pre-season trip to Spain. (Scottish Sun)

6ft 2 more goals than some strikers whe bring in


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massimo_Donati

[judgeflash]

The Daily Record today published a list of all SPFL clubs and who they had signed and lost. Every club, bar 1 had signed some new players, guess which club. We have also lost a few players.

Now the season starts very shortly, hope Canning and Co have a few players lined up for the new season.

Doe anyone know what if anything we are doing, any names, or is it time to start panicking

As I've said previously, reduced season tickets might draw some attention, however watching *just now* the weakest team in the SPL weekly? Don't think the seats will remain.
It seems every other club is on top of things, from new strips to signing to organisation of friendlies, except us.
As much as I love our youth policy, we rode our luck at points last season with other teams massively underpeforming, the balance of talented/experienced and youth has to be right, I'm trying to remain hopeful, however time is ticking. The whole wait till January and sign guys who haven't had a pre season on the cheap is just nonsense and rarely proves succesful.
Maybe Alex Neil will show pity on us and throw us some scraps for half a season.

[Willie Wastle]

The Daily Record today published a list of all SPFL clubs and who they had signed and lost. Every club, bar 1 had signed some new players, guess which club. We have also lost a few players.

Now the season starts very shortly, hope Canning and Co have a few players lined up for the new season.

Doe anyone know what if anything we are doing, any names, or is it time to start panicking

As I've said previously, reduced season tickets might draw some attention, however watching *just now* the weakest team in the SPL weekly? Don't think the seats will remain.
It seems every other club is on top of things, from new strips to signing to organisation of friendlies, except us.
As much as I love our youth policy, we rode our luck at points last season with other teams massively underpeforming, the balance of talented/experienced and youth has to be right, I'm trying to remain hopeful, however time is ticking. The whole wait till January and sign guys who haven't had a pre season on the cheap is just nonsense and rarely proves succesful.
Maybe Alex Neil will show pity on us and throw us some scraps for half a season.

If Alex Neil is below the play-off spots halfway through the season, he won't be in a job.

As for our lack of signings, we certainly do things differently, don't we? Although we are serious about our youth policy, and it was great to see us win the Oban tournament.

What would we prefer? The typical business model of buying new players every summer doesn't serve other SPL teams well, does it? Apart from Celtic, and perhaps now Rangers again, nobody else makes that model work - not even Aberdeen or Hearts. No middle-to-low ranking SPL club ever challenges for the title, the best they can hope for is an isolated cup win or edging into European qualification now and then. And the price for that is huge financial risk, which has led to insolvency events for Hearts, Dundee (twice), and Motherwell. There were rumours relegation would have killed off Kilmarnock, and Dundee United now look to be in trouble.

I fear for us this coming season, but I fear for us every season in the top flight, and we continue to hang in there. Our model seems to work.

I hope for one or two decent signings, just as I hope we'll offer attractive football to our new season book holders. But I'll only criticise our model if results suffer.

[judgeflash]

The Daily Record today published a list of all SPFL clubs and who they had signed and lost. Every club, bar 1 had signed some new players, guess which club. We have also lost a few players.

Now the season starts very shortly, hope Canning and Co have a few players lined up for the new season.

Doe anyone know what if anything we are doing, any names, or is it time to start panicking

As I've said previously, reduced season tickets might draw some attention, however watching *just now* the weakest team in the SPL weekly? Don't think the seats will remain.
It seems every other club is on top of things, from new strips to signing to organisation of friendlies, except us.
As much as I love our youth policy, we rode our luck at points last season with other teams massively underpeforming, the balance of talented/experienced and youth has to be right, I'm trying to remain hopeful, however time is ticking. The whole wait till January and sign guys who haven't had a pre season on the cheap is just nonsense and rarely proves succesful.
Maybe Alex Neil will show pity on us and throw us some scraps for half a season.

If Alex Neil is below the play-off spots halfway through the season, he won't be in a job.

As for our lack of signings, we certainly do things differently, don't we? Although we are serious about our youth policy, and it was great to see us win the Oban tournament.

What would we prefer? The typical business model of buying new players every summer doesn't serve other SPL teams well, does it? Apart from Celtic, and perhaps now Rangers again, nobody else makes that model work - not even Aberdeen or Hearts. No middle-to-low ranking SPL club ever challenges for the title, the best they can hope for is an isolated cup win or edging into European qualification now and then. And the price for that is huge financial risk, which has led to insolvency events for Hearts, Dundee (twice), and Motherwell. There were rumours relegation would have killed off Kilmarnock, and Dundee United now look to be in trouble.

I fear for us this coming season, but I fear for us every season in the top flight, and we continue to hang in there. Our model seems to work.

I hope for one or two decent signings, just as I hope we'll offer attractive football to our new season book holders. But I'll only criticise our model if results suffer.

Our consistency with under 20s is great, however, as you said doing things 'differently' is only gonna scrape by for so long.
I don't want a model of living outwith our means, I however don't understand why we don't bring in experienced and proven players on 2 year deals ALA Dougie Imrie. He's been great for the youth.
I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt, I do however think with the current squad, we could be in for a serious pounding in the opening game.
My issue with our signings policy of the past few seasons has been, all of the random guff we seem to sign for 6-12 months, paying their wage weekly, only for them to make sparse appearances and do nothing for the club. If we instead took away the guff and put that investment into a couple of journeymen, I feel it would create a perfect balance of experience and raw talented youth.
We desperately need to attract new fans, we've done the first step with our Season Ticket deal, however, the average child isn't going to want to go see a team week in week out getting pummelled/playing poor football.

[Euan]

According to BBC website, Brophy and Docherty have signed new contracts of 1 and 2 years respectively.

[Stevie Clarke]

I would genuinely like to see us go with the kids in the league cup. Normally I'd want us to put out our strongest sides in the cups but it's such a farce this year I think we should take the opportunity to see if the likes of Boyd, Reilly, Tierney, Cunningham and Hughes can step up
There is nothing the club likes more than to brag about our youth set up and to see 3 or 4 of these guys starting at Ibrox would be another feather in their cap. At least it will be if we don't get absolutely gubbed.

[Willie Wastle]

I would genuinely like to see us go with the kids in the league cup. Normally I'd want us to put out our strongest sides in the cups but it's such a farce this year I think we should take the opportunity to see if the likes of Boyd, Reilly, Tierney, Cunningham and Hughes can step up
There is nothing the club likes more than to brag about our youth set up and to see 3 or 4 of these guys starting at Ibrox would be another feather in their cap. At least it will be if we don't get absolutely gubbed.

Why are some people so keen to devalue the League Cup?

If Accies were to win the League Cup it would be the highlight of my (football watching) life - and I only included the bit in brackets in case Mrs Wastle is reading.

The League Cup is in fact the major competition I have seen us perform best in, and come closest to winning (semi final at East End Park, 1979).

Far from "go with the kids" I'd like to see us prioritise cup runs. We're favourites on paper to win our League Cup group, and we have a great chance of getting through to the last 16 - just 3 more ties from Hampden.

Up for the Cup!

[H9crx]

I would genuinely like to see us go with the kids in the league cup. Normally I'd want us to put out our strongest sides in the cups but it's such a farce this year I think we should take the opportunity to see if the likes of Boyd, Reilly, Tierney, Cunningham and Hughes can step up
There is nothing the club likes more than to brag about our youth set up and to see 3 or 4 of these guys starting at Ibrox would be another feather in their cap. At least it will be if we don't get absolutely gubbed.

Why are some people so keen to devalue the League Cup?

If Accies were to win the League Cup it would be the highlight of my (football watching) life - and I only included the bit in brackets in case Mrs Wastle is reading.

The League Cup is in fact the major competition I have seen us perform best in, and come closest to winning (semi final at East End Park, 1979).

Far from "go with the kids" I'd like to see us prioritise cup runs. We're favourites on paper to win our League Cup group, and we have a great chance of getting through to the last 16 - just 3 more ties from Hampden.

Up for the Cup!

Totally agree with out a cup run our only other chance of happiness is staying up.

[Stevie Clarke]

Been over it before, but four matches just to reach the round we entered the competition last season screams "rip off " to me. We're not going to win it so give the kids a shot and see if they are ready for the Premier.

[Willie Wastle]

Been over it before, but four matches just to reach the round we entered the competition last season screams "rip off " to me. We're not going to win it so give the kids a shot and see if they are ready for the Premier.

What if the kids get us through to the last 16? Do we just drop them then because we're playing better teams and have a chance of reaching the final?

No, the only way is to try to do the best we can in every competition we enter.

By all means we should give some young players game time, which I'd guess is the plan anyway, but no way should we "rest" our established players.

[acciescwilson]

If your talking about "going with the kids " you are forgetting that these are professional teams we are coming up against in the group and obviously if we go further, but the teams have players who are experienced and I think for us to send out a team of 7 or 8 of the younger lads could maybe end up in embarrassment. I'm not trying to underestimate the U20's boys ability but if we can find the balance with youth and experience( and maybe a few new faces!) I think we could end up storming through the group.