Saints Summer Transfers 2021

[John Bonham]

1 hour ago, Cagey said:

Rangers apparently willing to loan out Kai Kennedy & a few premiership clubs interested. Would be good cover for Spoony when he is away to Canada or when he tires after 70 mins.

 I am sure Callum has said he wants Middleton back but if not he has a good relationship with Rangers & may get someone else.

I know some people are reluctant to take players on loan from the OF but this would be a terrific signing if we could get him in for a full season. You would hope we were one of the teams interested given its a position we need to cover. 

[Broggy Man]

Is Billy Gilmore available 

[Melbourne Saint]

3 hours ago, John Bonham said:

I know some people are reluctant to take players on loan from the OF but this would be a terrific signing if we could get him in for a full season. You would hope we were one of the teams interested given its a position we need to cover. 

Can't speak for anyone else, but I've got no issue with OF loans, or loans from England as such. It's more about whether they're any good. I think some loanees are basically on the loan list because they have no realistic future with the club, are under contract, and being farmed out trims the wages. Especially clubs like the OF who have big reserve/youth squads.

Then there's the players who do, potentially, have a future and need game time.

McNamara and Middleton are 2 examples. In the squad, but more often than not warming the bench. It was a win/win with those two.

Too often in the past we've signed loan players and, admittedly it's pretty low risk if it doesn't work out. But sometimes fans get a bit excited about a player that was/is in a bigger club's youth setup. 

Ideally you want to sign young loanees with a point to prove and are in the first squad. But those are pretty rare to get. Hopefully Saints have a fairly good relationship with Sevco, and I've no issue if they want to keep that going, get quality for 6 months or so.

But.... Saints have to be careful. You probably only want 2-3 loans per season so you keep squad unity. And it takes loanees time to fit a new system. Middleton took time. I know nothing about Kennedy, but if he's highly regarded and fills a requirement either as cover or for a start, then great.

 

[Johnny B]

13 hours ago, Cagey said:

Would be good cover for Spoony when he is away to Canada or when he tires after 70 mins.

MOH can play there

[Widge]

1 hour ago, Johnny B said:

MOH can play there

No, no he definitely cannot. 

[RandomGuy]

Wotherspoon is pretty unique in that he can play wide or in central midfield and excel at both. He's also strong defensively, can beat a man, and create multiple chances a match. Means you can change system multiple times a match as he's so reliable. 

Honestly think uts near impossible for us to get anyone close to similar to provide back up, so it'll take 2 players to be his back up.

Ballantyne seems to be a creative CM. So we could use him, get a hard working creative winger, and then look for an older back up CM who is defensively solid but able to create chances.

[Johnny B]

21 minutes ago, Widge said:

No, no he definitely cannot. 

I disagree, he played it last season

Hibs 2v2 St Johnstone 

MOH playing No 10 role behind Melamed and May won Man of the Match easily and guess what you voted for him 

PS spent half an hour trying to find it 

[Widge]

2 hours ago, Johnny B said:

I disagree, he played it last season

Hibs 2v2 St Johnstone 

MOH playing No 10 role behind Melamed and May won Man of the Match easily and guess what you voted for him 

PS spent half an hour trying to find it 

Ohh I’m not debating whether O’Halloran can be told to play in the same position as Wotherspoon and probably have good games. However what I’m arguing is, you cannot have him as backup to Spoony for the sole reason they’re totally different players and Spoony is far superior both technically and creatively. 

[Linky]

I think it's likely that we would try to spend most of our budget on a player to fill the Conway/MOH position, who could also double up and play the Melamed position if needed. I could see us getting someone on loan as a back-up for Wotherspoon, and another for Booth. These would either be from the OF or Millwall perhaps. 

All this changes if any large bids come in though!

[Stumpy1949]

26 minutes ago, Linky said:

I think it's likely that we would try to spend most of our budget on a player to fill the Conway/MOH position, who could also double up and play the Melamed position if needed. I could see us getting someone on loan as a back-up for Wotherspoon, and another for Booth. These would either be from the OF or Millwall perhaps. 

All this changes if any large bids come in though!

Why would we need to spend money on MOH position when we still have MOH?

[Cagey]

1 hour ago, Linky said:

I think it's likely that we would try to spend most of our budget on a player to fill the Conway/MOH position, who could also double up and play the Melamed position if needed. I could see us getting someone on loan as a back-up for Wotherspoon, and another for Booth. These would either be from the OF or Millwall perhaps. 

All this changes if any large bids come in though!

Callum says the door is still open for Melamed but I am sure his agent will not let him commit until he finds no one coming in for him.

Time for Callum to give him date when he is moving on to another target which I hope he has.

[Johnny B]

4 hours ago, Widge said:

Ohh I’m not debating whether O’Halloran can be told to play in the same position as Wotherspoon and probably have good games. However what I’m arguing is, you cannot have him as backup to Spoony for the sole reason they’re totally different players and Spoony is far superior both technically and creatively. 

We will agree to disagree MOH was resigned to do what sit on the bench be back up or become a first pick??????

[Pat McGroin]

38 minutes ago, Johnny B said:

We will agree to disagree MOH was resigned to do what sit on the bench be back up or become a first pick??????

That all depends on how Mikey applies himself 

[Johnny B]

21 minutes ago, Pat McGroin said:

That all depends on how Mikey applies himself 

Would you resign someone (a high earner) and hope he applies himself or would you have a plan to play him. Why would Mikey sign if not given a guarantee to play if he performs well

Edited June 20, 2021 by Johnny B

[Pat McGroin]

10 minutes ago, Johnny B said:

Would you resign someone (a high earner) and hope he applies himself or would you have a plan to play him. Why would Mikey sign if not given a guarantee to play if he performs well

Nobody at our club will have a guaranteed spot. Performing well is exactly what gets you in the team at any club 

[Johnny B]

25 minutes ago, Pat McGroin said:

Nobody at our club will have a guaranteed spot. Performing well is exactly what gets you in the team at any club 

You lost me there playing well gets you into the team therefore surely playing well guarantees that you are in the team. Or are you saying playing well week in week out does not.

[Johnny B]

37 minutes ago, Pat McGroin said:

Nobody at our club will have a guaranteed spot

Clark Rooney Kerr Gordon McCart McCann

If you do not like that many players lets say Kerr is that kills you statement

[Melbourne Saint]

7 hours ago, Cagey said:

Callum says the door is still open for Melamed but I am sure his agent will not let him commit until he finds no one coming in for him.

Time for Callum to give him date when he is moving on to another target which I hope he has.

Mel is in an interesting position- along with hundreds of other nationalities. I don't understand immigration/visa status post Brexit, I read of folk being forcibly returned home who come to the UK looking for work/attending interviews. Don't know how that affects trialists, or have they found a loophole? Safe to assume Mel's gone back to Israel & his agent will be trying to line up trials- but maybe not in UK? I thought it's illegal to enter the UK and look for work?

[blueheaven]

13 hours ago, Johnny B said:

You lost me there playing well gets you into the team therefore surely playing well guarantees that you are in the team. Or are you saying playing well week in week out does not.

Pretty much everyone in the squad had spells when they were rested/rotated last season, regardless of how well they played. The defence were perhaps the exception but that was mainly because we had no real back-up for them. There's no one who's "guaranteed" a start every week.

I'm sure MOH will have been set a target of getting into the team and staying there, but there's no way we're going to rely on him to start every week. Last season we had MOH, Middleton and Conway all fighting for that same position when we played a front 3, so we're going to need other options for that role. I think the advantage MOH has is that he can play several different positions so could cover for a number of different players in a push.

 

[Johnny B]

BBC

Guy Melamed, for whom St Johnstone are still open to offering a new contract, is in advanced talks with two clubs in Israel over a return to his homeland despite the 28-year-old striker being linked with English clubs. 

Celtic have taken up the option on Tony Ralston's contract to tie the 22-year-old to the club for another year after the right-back had attracted interest from Scottish Premiership and Championship clubs.

Why would Celtic sign him for another year when he will not be in their match day squad?

[Linky]

19 hours ago, Stumpy1966 said:

Why would we need to spend money on MOH position when we still have MOH?

Because we’ve lost Conway and MOH isn’t first choice.

[Cagey]

1 hour ago, Johnny B said:

BBC

Guy Melamed, for whom St Johnstone are still open to offering a new contract, is in advanced talks with two clubs in Israel over a return to his homeland despite the 28-year-old striker being linked with English clubs. 

Celtic have taken up the option on Tony Ralston's contract to tie the 22-year-old to the club for another year after the right-back had attracted interest from Scottish Premiership and Championship clubs.

Why would Celtic sign him for another year when he will not be in their match day squad?

Ralston a strange one. Would have thought he would want regular football.

[Linky]

34 minutes ago, Cagey said:

Ralston a strange one. Would have thought he would want regular football.

Some prefer a regular wage. Do Celtic think they’ll make more money loaning him out? Or is his agent trying to get him a better deal somewhere by suggesting that Celtic have offered an extension, when they haven’t?

[Pat McGroin]

17 hours ago, Johnny B said:

Clark Rooney Kerr Gordon McCart McCann

If you do not like that many players lets say Kerr is that kills you statement

Their form has kept them in the team. To me there’s a massive difference between that and a player being guaranteed a place. That is something different entirely (and slightly underhand in my opinion) 
 

But I guarantee you, if any one of those defenders went on a horrific run of form where they were making clear and obvious errors every week for a sustained period, costing us points etc.
 

They’d be dropped, for their own good.
 

We’ve been running a squad of what I would consider first team players for a couple of years now. 
 

If someone is struggling on the park, the guys on the bench are going to step in. 
 

last season was unusual in that we had no real cover at CB other than moving Rooney around, but we’ll need it this year. 

[Stumpy1949]

4 hours ago, Linky said:

Because we’ve lost Conway and MOH isn’t first choice.

Still not quite getting it.