January 2025 Transfer Window

[Linky]

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

I think you are correct to assume that Simo will try to utilise his contacts abroad but he will also be streetwise enough to know that players who have experience in this league should be part of the squad he builds.

I'm not so sure. I think we'll see players exclusively that he knows from Finland, Latvia and Norway for the first 2 transfer windows. I think this was one of his selling points in not competing with (& losing out on) the same players as Killie, Dundee and so on are trying to attract, but tapping in to a market that hasn't had much traction in the SPFL.

[RandomGuy]

I wouldn't be rushing into renewing Carey or Clark. 

[Cagey]

1 hour ago, Linky said:

I'm not so sure. I think we'll see players exclusively that he knows from Finland, Latvia and Norway for the first 2 transfer windows. I think this was one of his selling points in not competing with (& losing out on) the same players as Killie, Dundee and so on are trying to attract, but tapping in to a market that hasn't had much traction in the SPFL.

If we are looking at players from abroad I hope we can get the request for visas in quick. Probably you can't apply until they are actually signed. 

[rik2304]

2 hours ago, RandomGuy said:

I wouldn't be rushing into renewing Carey or Clark. 

Especially with the money that Clark is likely on.

[Linky]

I imagine we’ll let Carey go, but offer Clark vastly reduced terms. Although might depend on how well Ikpeazu does 

[R.B.B:- Adz]

3 hours ago, rik2304 said:

Especially with the money that Clark is likely on.

If you think that’s a lot you’d fall off your chair if you knew how much shipping May and McGowan to Livi collectively saved us. Eye watering!!

[Gekko]

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

If you think that’s a lot you’d fall off your chair if you knew how much shipping May and McGowan to Livi collectively saved us. Eye watering!!

I've heard this as well.

if you ever wanted to be a Saints player, the time to do so was three years ago.

You'd have been set for life.

[Cagey]

17 hours ago, Gekko said:

I've heard this as well.

if you ever wanted to be a Saints player, the time to do so was three years ago.

You'd have been set for life.

Would doubt if Livi are paying a huge amount of Mays wages.

[Havana Saint]

23 hours ago, Linky said:

I imagine we’ll let Carey go, but offer Clark vastly reduced terms. Although might depend on how well Ikpeazu does 

Carey has had so much to deal with off the pitch. Fair play to him continuing in very challenging personal circumstances.   Against Kilmarnock he gave the ball away a few times and the first half today was also difficult for him. 

McPake has got to be up there in the most unusual of Saints signings. League Two bound in January surely?

[GMac]

19 minutes ago, Havana Saint said:

Carey has had so much to deal with off the pitch. Fair play to him continuing in very challenging personal circumstances.   Against Kilmarnock he gave the ball away a few times and the first half today was also difficult for him. 

McPake has got to be up there in the most unusual of Saints signings. League Two bound in January surely?

Levein had to be on LSD when he signed McPake, truely woeful

[Linky]

McPake was signed as a cheap punt to tide us over, he’s the least of our worries 

[Northern saint]

As always budget and available targets will determine whether or not we can improve in January.  As a positive, Rae seems better with a semblance of a defence in front of him.  Does that rule out goalkeeper as the number one priority?  

Right back and a creative midfielder are the main areas for me.  Milo's twin would be a good option😁  Will some of the loan players leave?  Do we recall several of our loan players?  Will some of our younger players take the opportunity to impress if given the chance?  The old adage, "If you're good enough, you're old enough."  

At least we have some positivity.

[rik2304]

We know that Simo is definitely targeting a RB and already tried to sign another CB. 

If Rae can keep improving under The Marshall then that might change things. Other than that we'll just have to wait and see.

I suspect that Simo will be backed though.

[Cagey]

1 hour ago, Northern saint said:

As always budget and available targets will determine whether or not we can improve in January.  As a positive, Rae seems better with a semblance of a defence in front of him.  Does that rule out goalkeeper as the number one priority?  

Right back and a creative midfielder are the main areas for me.  Milo's twin would be a good option😁  Will some of the loan players leave?  Do we recall several of our loan players?  Will some of our younger players take the opportunity to impress if given the chance?  The old adage, "If you're good enough, you're old enough."  

At least we have some positivity.

Not sure any of the young guys are ready but would have given Fran a run at right back.

Can't see any loaners being recalled but wouldn't mind seeing Taylor Steven bring recalled as we need width and pace and would be a good replacement for Carey.

[double deluxe]

2 hours ago, Cagey said:

Not sure any of the young guys are ready but would have given Fran a run at right back.

Can't see any loaners being recalled but wouldn't mind seeing Taylor Steven bring recalled as we need width and pace and would be a good replacement for Carey.

Fran is not a right back

[Cagey]

3 hours ago, double deluxe said:

Fran is not a right back

What is he then. He played RB for Saints B in the challenge cup.

I think he also played there against Airdrie before moving to midfield where he got flattened and was subbed at half time.

[R.B.B:- Adz]

1 hour ago, Cagey said:

What is he then. He played RB for Saints B in the challenge cup.

I think he also played there against Airdrie before moving to midfield where he got flattened and was subbed at half time.

Centre mid. Think Darren Sheridan. 

[Havana Saint]

On 12/1/2024 at 10:15 PM, Linky said:

McPake was signed as a cheap punt to tide us over, he’s the least of our worries 

I've no idea what salary he is on. We have him until 2026. He looked massively out his depth at the weekend. I think that's a concern. 

[R.B.B:- Adz]

11 hours ago, Havana Saint said:

I've no idea what salary he is on. We have him until 2026. He looked massively out his depth at the weekend. I think that's a concern. 

Out of his depth has to be the understatement of the year.

I know it was against Rangers, but he looks like a he’d struggle at League Two or Lowland League level.

He’ll be top of Simo’s list to get out on loan with view to making it permanent.

I suspect he will be on of those that we will look for in 2/3 years and be shocked to see how low down the leagues he is playing. 

Edited December 5, 2024 by R.B.B:- Adz

[garydavidson]

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

I know it was against Rangers, but he looks like a he’d struggle at League Two or Lowland League level.

By all accounts he did struggle at near enough that level last season!

The signing makes little sense, especially for two years, and being cheap is no excuse. No one is cheap if they can't do a job at our level - it's throwing money away.

[Linky]

6 hours ago, garydavidson said:

By all accounts he did struggle at near enough that level last season!

The signing makes little sense, especially for two years, and being cheap is no excuse. No one is cheap if they can't do a job at our level - it's throwing money away.

Not sure about this. He was supposed to have great promise when he was at Rangers. Did really well on loan in the English League 2 and Scottish Championship and the thinking was that he lost his way a bit a Stirling, partly because he was without a club for 5 months before joining them.

I think quite a few managers might've looked at that and thought it was worth a go, with very little risk attached. He was more of a safe bet on paper than say, Kirk, McClelland or Sanders in terms of experience. It just hasn't worked out.

[GMac]

36 minutes ago, Linky said:

Not sure about this. He was supposed to have great promise when he was at Rangers. Did really well on loan in the English League 2 and Scottish Championship and the thinking was that he lost his way a bit a Stirling, partly because he was without a club for 5 months before joining them.

I think quite a few managers might've looked at that and thought it was worth a go, with very little risk attached. He was more of a safe bet on paper than say, Kirk, McClelland or Sanders in terms of experience. It just hasn't worked out.

It hasn't worked out because he is rank rotten, we as a club cannot 'take a punt' on players and they just sit on the bench without having to do much for his salary,     Get rid along with the other dross.

[Linky]

12 minutes ago, GMac said:

It hasn't worked out because he is rank rotten, we as a club cannot 'take a punt' on players and they just sit on the bench without having to do much for his salary,     Get rid along with the other dross.

Every club has to take a calculated risk on signing players. Some work and some don't. Some risks are expensive and don't work out, like Theo Bair, Ali Crawford or John Mahon. Some are cheap and do work out, like Kirk or Hendry. Nothing is a sure thing. If you don't risk signing a McPake, you don't risk signing a Hendry either.

I'm not hugely bothered that the club spent a small percentage of the wages bringing in a player for free who was young and had shown potential in the past. I'm more worried when we've blasted huge chunks of wages at aging players who add nothing to the squad, or large (for us) transfer fees at players who the management team don't really want to play, or know how to manage.

[RandomGuy]

The McPake signing made sense if it was alongside a better first choice winger, was a 1 year deal, and was cheap.

Ideally he'd have just played a very sparse role for a year, allowing Taylor Steven a loan, and in 12 months Steven would replace him and it would be an upgrade.

Instead we made McPake one of only two natural wide men in the entire team (Carey isn't anymore, for me), then didn't play a shape that even had wingers.

It was similar to Connor Smith. Levein signing someone who doesn't fit into how he plays but he couldn't not sign someone who showed potential once. It was like an addiction.

As for his performance v Rangers? He's played about 3 games in 3 months, will have zero confidence, and the performance had nosedived by the time he came on. He was never going to play well in those circumstances. 

[Havana Saint]

How cheap? What is cheap? Has the salary been made public? 

You don't just buy something in a shop purely on the basis that it is cheap!!