January Transfer Window

[Cagey]

15 minutes ago, R.B.B:- Adz said:

Not saying we should turn our back on that market. We just don’t need players like Gwion Edwards at this juncture. High risk, low yield! We really don’t need any more mibbes aye mibbes naw type signings when we have guys like Ali Crawford, Tony Gallagher, Jay Turner-Cooke, Cammy Ballantyne, Diallang Jaiyesmi rattling around the place contributing nothing.

You don’t think Stephen Welsh at centre half improves our chances of staying up this season while we spend time identify a target to replace Considine and or Gordon?

I think we need to get the players mentioned let go or retuned to their club if they are on loan before we can get new players in, unless off course we plummet to the bottom before January.

[RandomGuy]

Wheres the idea come from that Stephen Welsh would be remotely realistic?

He signed a 4yr deal with Celtic in the Summer, with Brendan Rodgers saying he could see him playing 40+ games a season under him, and is only missing games so far because he had to have surgery on an ankle injury.

[R.B.B:- Adz]

43 minutes ago, RandomGuy said:

Wheres the idea come from that Stephen Welsh would be remotely realistic?

He signed a 4yr deal with Celtic in the Summer, with Brendan Rodgers saying he could see him playing 40+ games a season under him, and is only missing games so far because he had to have surgery on an ankle injury.

Keep your hair on!! It was a hypothetical to exemplify where we should be looking rather than an unattached, 30 year old, injury prone, journeyman from down south.

[RandomGuy]

10 hours ago, R.B.B:- Adz said:

Keep your hair on!! It was a hypothetical to exemplify where we should be looking rather than an unattached, 30 year old, injury prone, journeyman from down south.

So we should be looking at players we have zero chance of getting because theyre better than players we do stand a chance of getting?

[blueheaven]

17 hours ago, R.B.B:- Adz said:

Not saying we should turn our back on that market. We just don’t need players like Gwion Edwards at this juncture. High risk, low yield! We really don’t need any more mibbes aye mibbes naw type signings when we have guys like Ali Crawford, Tony Gallagher, Jay Turner-Cooke, Cammy Ballantyne, Diallang Jaiyesmi rattling around the place contributing nothing.

You don’t think Stephen Welsh at centre half improves our chances of staying up this season while we spend time identify a target to replace Considine and or Gordon?

We’ve got the basis of a strong 11-16 players and plenty of back up who can cover a game or two if needed. What we need to do is strengthen a couple of key players by bringing in quality that can improve the team straight away. That starts with a right back and a centre back straight off the bat.

 

If Gwion Edwards isn't good enough any more or has ongoing injuries then that's fair enough, and I'd trust Levein etc to be able to make that judgement. But up until about a year ago he was playing regularly and doing well at a good level. He played 30 games for the Wigan team that won League One just last year. He only turned 30 this year so he's not that old. He knows the league and he plays in the position we're probably currently shortest in. And he's available without a transfer fee. So, for me, he ticks a lot of boxes. If he's fit and we could bring him in until the end of the season to see how he does, while sending Costelloe and/or Jaiyesimi back to their parent clubs, then I'd see that as an upgrade.

You don't want "mibbes aye mibbes naw" signings but we're always going to have those. Sometimes we need to take chances on guys who might have fallen into a rut, or had a few injuries, or looking for a fresh start. It's just the market we're in, and up until Davidson came along we were pretty successful with a lot of those kind of signings. How many guaranteed, nailed-on, successful signings do we really ever make anyway?

I honestly haven't seen enough of Stephen Welsh to know if he'd improve us or not (or if he'd be a realistic signing anyway), but I'm not in a massive rush to see us bring in yet more of other clubs' fringe/development players here on loan.

[dave mc]

BH, you’ve not seen enough of Welsh, but want DJ offloaded after less than 90 minutes? He scored in the bounce game last week, and Levein said he did well,so can’t see him leaving 

[blueheaven]

1 hour ago, dave mc said:

BH, you’ve not seen enough of Welsh, but want DJ offloaded after less than 90 minutes? He scored in the bounce game last week, and Levein said he did well,so can’t see him leaving 

I didn't say I wanted him offloaded. I said that if Costelloe and/or DJ left and were replaced by a fit Gwion Edwards, I'd see that as an upgrade.

[dave mc]

20 minutes ago, blueheaven said:

I didn't say I wanted him offloaded. I said that if Costelloe and/or DJ left and were replaced by a fit Gwion Edwards, I'd see that as an upgrade.

So you’ve decided Edwards is better than DJ already,having seen so little of either player,recently ?

[RandomGuy]

I liked Edwards, but hes a 30yo whos had 2 serious injuries in the past 12 months, and hes worse than Wright who hes also very similar to.

Exactly the type we should be avoiding IMO.

[blueheaven]

1 hour ago, dave mc said:

So you’ve decided Edwards is better than DJ already,having seen so little of either player,recently ?

If either Jaiyesimi or Costelloe goes on to have a blistering second half of the season, then brilliant. I'll be delighted that we have them around. But based on their backgrounds, and what I've seen of them so far, and the fact that neither of them has played very much since arriving here, then yes I think signing an experienced player with Edwards' CV (again, on the proviso that he's fit) would be an improvement.

 

[rik2304]

Wasn't impressed by Edwards first time round. It's a no from me.

[Quarterback]

Somehow I think if any of the players picked up by us had gone to a club with a bang on form partnership set of strikers they would look good too. Let Levein cook first before you’s starting throwing salt in the pot. The club literally had no preseason to gel the players. Without the loaners we still lost to lower league opposition in the summer and you think that it’s a constant change of personnel that will instantly solve the problem😂😂

The approach to training, style of play, man management and a striker who can score while proven goal scorer Clark is out is about the only change needed to make a difference or you go back to trying gel team again. May is good so not knocking him. 
 

Just an observation, Considine’s match feedback on the game after Motherwell showed a lot of insight and positive way to still get the best out of the team. 
 

That has been missing

 

[Havana Saint]

Gallagher is quite clearly out of his depth, so should be moved on loan to a Hamilton or Falkirk or mid table League One.  A shame but not good enough.

Edited November 25, 2023 by Havana Saint

[Ritspeed]

Seems like we played quite well today, but lacking the goal threat. 

Priority for January should therefore be adding that goal threat (so what else is new)! 

May be hard to do in the January window. 

[tucker]

Hopefully sign up Robinson on a full time deal.kane needs a contract.cant see Dan resigning.think a winger centre half and striker would be a good window for saint's 

[Indicator]

On 11/25/2023 at 6:46 PM, Ritspeed said:

Seems like we played quite well today, but lacking the goal threat. 

Priority for January should therefore be adding that goal threat (so what else is new)! 

May be hard to do in the January window. 

How many times have I read that on Saints forums over the past 2-3 seasons. If I had banked a fiver every time...

[Linky]

Get rid of some dead wood. Get Kane, Phillips on new contracts. Make an offer to take on Robinson when his contract runs out next summer.

[weesainty]

17 hours ago, Linky said:

Get rid of some dead wood. Get Kane, Phillips on new contracts. Make an offer to take on Robinson when his contract runs out next summer.

If I’m being honest I’d tie up Phillips but if there was better available I’d let Kane go and return turner cook and jay to make room for a couple of Levein own guys in 

Edited November 27, 2023 by weesainty

[Gas Monkey]

Bottom line is our strike force is our weakest link and has been for years. Given Clark out until new year we need to stay in touching distance of those around us until window opens and we can get rid of some of the dead wood up front and replace with players of Leveins choice

[blueheaven]

12 hours ago, Gas Monkey said:

Bottom line is our strike force is our weakest link and has been for years. Given Clark out until new year we need to stay in touching distance of those around us until window opens and we can get rid of some of the dead wood up front and replace with players of Leveins choice

Sounding like Clark might be back more quickly than expected which would be a huge boost. I think the whole picture looks very different when Clark's fit and playing, as he seems to bring out the best in May and Kane too.

 

[andy rhodes fancy watch]

Half of this squad isn't just not good enough, they're complete shite. Does Kane deserve a new deal? Very very debatable. Is May any good? Nope. Crawford? McPherson? Gallacher? Booth? Ballantyne? The list goes on of complete past it/not good enough shite. Complete overhaul is needed, let's see if Levein is capable.

[tucker]

Kane deserves a deal he does the dirty work well.may was one of player's of the year last season he'll come good again look at andy considine.Gallacher played well on Saturday when he came on he's different got something he's a good option.understand crawford.macpherson.ballayntne and booth all not either good enough or injury prone

[blueheaven]

1 hour ago, andy rhodes fancy watch said:

Half of this squad isn't just not good enough, they're complete shite. Does Kane deserve a new deal? Very very debatable. Is May any good? Nope. Crawford? McPherson? Gallacher? Booth? Ballantyne? The list goes on of complete past it/not good enough shite. Complete overhaul is needed, let's see if Levein is capable.

I'd be extending Kane's deal until the end of the season unless I was very, very confident of being able to bring in someone else better than him within our budget (not easy at this time of year). Really don't want to lose a fairly reliable player with an established role in the team, only to replace him with another Theo Bair. I'm fine with May and he still has another year and a half on his contract anyway.

I think the others you mention are all out of contract at the end of the season and we're probably stuck with them all until then, unless perhaps a couple of them go out on loan. Can't see any of them being offered new deals, with the possible exception of MacPherson.

Our best chance of clearing some of the budget to bring in alternatives in January might be terminating one or two of our loans (Turner-Cooke a prime candidate?).

[Northern saint]

The summer window was mostly seen as another disaster until players found form.  With Philips, Mitov, Robinson, Smith and Spangler we saw a basis to offer hope for the future.  Maybe there are players from the summer intake who could be impactful but haven't had the chance of a decent run.  Ballantyne was superb at the tail of last season, could he rediscover his form.  

Whoever found the successful ones were they involved with the peripheral ones?   If yes, maybe there is potential.  If not, use them instead for all transfers.  

The lack of Reserve League football is not helping those players who need to play to improve and impress the management.  It doesn't give those returning from injury a way of building match fitness.  So often they only last a few games before further injuries.    

Depending on an injury prone striker for goals is not sustainable.  Jepchott needs to be ready to play and  the midfield to play to his strengths in the box.  

I don't see any signings in January unless there is movement away first.  The league is close so Levein, Kirk have to work to give the players a chance.  Davidson, McLean stuck with the same for fear of using others.  Levein has to take a chance on the unknown which in many ways goes against his ingrained habits to trust who he knows only.

[garydavidson]

5 hours ago, blueheaven said:

I'd be extending Kane's deal until the end of the season...

Has the length of contract he signed in the summer ever been confirmed?