I really like it. We’ve had  vertical pinstripes, variations of horizontal stripes, before, so why not bold vertical stripes.

The more important question is: Would your 12 year old like it? I think they will love it.

JerryDungle wrote:

Tek wrote:

Always_United wrote:

Noticed Rory McLeod was back in first team training in the video posted today. No sign of Meshack or Odada, I wonder if they've been told not to bother coming back.

I thought that was quite noticeable too, Odada and Meshack being nowhere to be seen. Obviously been told to get their Agents to find them new clubs.

Rory looked miserable. I can only hope the kid realises he's lucky to have been given another chance. Don't think he quite deserves it tbh, but Goodwin must see something in him worth persevering with, because he'd have been an obvious release for me.
 

 
I thought the same when I saw him. Looked like he was thinking “wtf am I doing here?” If that’s what he’s thinking, he can quite happily fuck off and try his luck elsewhere. I’ve never seen anything from him that remotely resembles a football player. Is his arrogance based on scoring goals at under 17 level? That’s like being the world’s tallest dwarf.

 
I think you are spot on with this. It is a huge flaw in the elite/academy system. You can look brilliant at 19, but, still fail to make the grade at senior level (Charlie Telfer being a prime example). These youngsters have no “b” plans beyond football, in fact, it never occurs to them that they might not make the grade. I doubt he will make the grade.

His move to Southampton, probably gave him the belief that he was better than he actually was. I would much prefer to see Owen Stirton get a chance.

Tek wrote:

So,

Almost a decade on from 'Project Brave' where are we?

Has one 'World Class' player been developed in Scotland? - No
Has it improved our options for the National Team? - No. Last night Scotland had to play a 4th choice Ipswich Goalie.
Has it resulted at least in more Scots getting blooded into the Scottish Premiership? - No. 

Again, let's revisit our friends from Iceland.

Who last night beat us for the first time ever, 3-1 at Hampden.

A year ago (today) they also beat England 1-0 at Wembley.

How has a country less than half the population of Glasgow achieved this, and recent progression in big tournaments, when we've consistently failed?

Again, they have truly financed 'Grass roots football' in their country, not just in terms of coaching, but also in terms of accessibilty to play the game for kids. 



They have 30 full sized all-weather pitches and a further 150 smaller all-weather pitches available to play on.

For a population of under 400k.

There are roughly 130 full size pitches in Scotland, but many of these are in a state of disrepair or are still red ash (two of them i can see out of my back door). So, not conjusive to playing the game correctly or being appealing to play on all year round.

We seem to have been having the same conversations about how to improve football in our country since the 80's, it's very depressing.

We have great young players in this country, and we have good coaches too (or have had over the years).

But, we need far more investment at grass roots level.

I'd also go further and put football in the school curriculum as part of P.E.

The Chinese government have done this with Snooker in schools and look at how they are starting to dominate the sport. The American's dominate basketball etc etc.

In this country we take down the goalposts in public parks in the Summer. Literally. A sad metaphor for our ambition.

Give the kids a chance.

I think you nail it when you say, we have been talking about this

Arabdownsouth wrote:

All of this is coming just from him being listed in the betting, has anybody seen anything anywhere that actually links him to being interested in going to Plymouth?

 
Yes. Also, a prospective investor has withdrawn (probably why Ross Goodwin left). In addition Goodwin’s son is settled at  St Ninians in Kirkintilloch and one  daughter is studying in Edinburgh.

That said, if adequate funds are not made available for transfers, it is quite possible a number of other clubs might prove appealing.

Stillliving wrote:

This is always my favourite time of year when transfer panic sets in.
When the speculation turns to anger.
Why did we no sign him.
WTF is Goodwin playing at
Ogrens got to put more into the budget
Why have we signed him he's shite
It keeps me entertained through the summer
Just sit back and see what happens

 
The reality is everything is a risk and by definition inherently uncertain. You can have the best recruitment guy on the planet but if the funds are not available he can only sign dross. Compounding the problem we will never know how much money the Chairman makes available.

You then have the luck variable. You sign a great player (Docherty) and he is injured for half the season or the converse, you sign an injury prone player (Andy Webster) who has an immense season.

The one thing I like about United right now is the flat organisation structure - no Sporting Director, no DOF, no consultants. Hang on, do we need a set piece coach? Lol

Maybe it’s why football is the greatest sport.

redford_must_score wrote:

Fergivicious wrote:

redford_must_score wrote:

 
Have you withdrawn the survey?

Yeah, had to move forward with working through the data.

 
Is it too late to add in perverse victim blaming in the Scottish game? For example a thug throws a ripped out seat 50 feet from an upper tier down into a crowd of fans, could have maimed a kid for life, yet many of the online  Aberdeen fans blame the United fans for being there.

Are we about done as a civilisation?

I think this incident raises several other issues which are worth studying:

1) The role of crowd psychology within a small cohort of a support.

2) The collusive behaviour amongst supporters. Is it like Trainspotting? i.e. Nobody likes the sociopath, Begbie, but he’s a mate.

3) Would a sober fan have done it?

4) The hierarchy amongst a group of supporters. Does one gain enhanced credibility by committing a more daring act?

In my opinion, most Aberdeen supporters would have identified the culprit if they could, hence my belief it was probably a small but cohesive group of supporters.

I wonder what would happen if  United supporters clubbed together and offered a financial reward for the identity of the culprit?
 

Conway11 wrote:

Arabdownsouth wrote:

Conway11 wrote:

You have taken us far as you can, Jim.

Call it a day and let us flourish with a new HOR and a new manager that can take us to the next level.

OYP.

 
Get a grip mate, most people were expecting us to go straight back down. Top six with a strong chance of European qualification, yeah let's sack the manager and start the fucking merry-go-round again!

Deary me

Okay, give him a 10 year deal then? Riveting football for years to come!

No thanks - mediocrity seeps from the boardroom onto the pitch.

Get rid now before it is far too late.
 

To some extent you need to choose which you want: Do you want to be successful in terms of achievement (subject to budgetary constraints), or do you want football which is pleasing to watch? Aberdeen go rid of McIness because fans didn’t enjoy the style of football. I’d argue that was a mistake. Airdrie are backing McCabe to develop a style of football (a philosophy, I suppose) despite having a horrendous season in terms of results. Can you have your cake and eat it? I don’t think so.
 

Stillliving wrote:

Gallagher was to blame for the first two goals today. Two down after 15mins and the game is almost gone.
Always disappointed to lose but watching that today it was clear that Hibs have a better squad of players than UTD. They will deservedly be 3rd but if JG holds onto 5th that has to been as a successful return to the top flight.

 
I think that’s pretty much it in a nutshell. They have a bigger and better squad. Gallagher has been excellent for the duration of the time he has been with us, but, he’s 33 and needs to be replaced. Unfortunately we are running out of options. Goodwin could take a risk and
play the kids (but I fear he would get slaughtered for it).

My main concern is the funds allocated for signings. We will have a new Head of Recruitment arriving (whom I have a high regard for), but, if the funds aren’t there we are going to struggle to improve next season. This may be the reason that Goodwin sounding rather defensive.

redford_must_score wrote:

Shakey Isles Arab wrote:

redford_must_score wrote:

 
Clarke should have been out the door after that disgrace in Germany. Arrogant man. Couldn't motivate a hungry dog to attack a sirloin steak.

Heard one of the commentators say that Clarke had said he'd pull the pin after next tournament.
... Disnae work that way Steve - you don't get to pick and choose.
-- Get rid, damaged goods, do us a favour. 
 

 
You have to suspect the legacy of Berti Vogts still scars and terrifies the SFA.

It shouldn't, but it probably does. It's illogical, it's like saying one German manager was a disaster so never appoint another foreign coach never mind a German.

Clarke 's minor success in the job has hidden the fact that with the best crop of players for decades he could have been doing so much better. What better would have looked like is probably debatable but I do think qualification from our Euros group was a possibility and like the previous Euros failure he blew it with extreme caution.

And bottom line is I'm sick of seeing his greeting face and hearing his pathetic excuses.

I think it runs deeper than that. It’s how you view football and how you view the development of a club. The question has been asked (both at club and international level), why can’t we develop young players? My argument is that we do, but managers don’t have the balls to play them because if they do and they underperform they (the manager) gets sacked. So they play the safe option. What made Fergie, exceptional was not recognising he had a “golden generation”but having the balls to play them. In Clarke’s case, he is regarded as a success because he has qualified for two tournaments.

To build something truly great, you have to: Embrace failure, Have a growth mindset, Manage expectations and Enjoy the process.

If you take Ian Cathro, he achieved something great at his football school in Brechin. He took three kids- John Soutar, Ryan Gauld a

RogerTheAlien wrote:

Always preferred It’s United to beautiful Sunday in all honesty.

It’s United can’t be stolen by other clubs either.

After Covid when we beat Rangers 1-0 and fucked Gerrard’s 40 game run, seeing 3 ends of the ground singing it even though it was 5K was beautiful. Still have a tear in my eyes watching the highlights.

 
Maybe you’re right. Stick with one that is ours. I always wondered if we could all rise up an attempt the slosh. I mean it would have to be a limited version, but, nobody else can add a dance to their anthem.

Leaving football aside, Eddie the Eagle and Jocky Wilson were harshly judged due to their appearances and this wasn’t just a media thing.

Charlie Nicholas had outstanding ability but what many people (myself included) remember, is his “Only an Excuse” character who mangles his vocabulary.

I even found myself judging the BBC Scotland weatherman, Calum just because he was wearing a burgundy suit, with a tie that resembled a bib.

As image seems to become increasingly important in all aspects of life, which person have you underestimated due to the way they spoke or appeared?

In terms of Scottish football, I couldn’t take Danny Lennon seriously, not because of the way he looked, but because he had a habit of speaking in the third person. I knew more than a few St Mirren fans who had the same problem with him. It didn’t seem to matter how much he achieved, they couldn’t take him seriously.

Another person who was an exceptional manager (just not with us), was Luggy. His achievements in getting lower league teams promoted was without compare. I always wondered, if Luggy had looked like Wenger or Thomas Franck or even Brendan Rodgers would more prestigious clubs have shown an interest.

For me, I can’t stand managers who think they are comedians. Strachan is a prime example. I suppose the question is: If Strachan just answered the question directly would I tolerate him?, probably not.

This leads me on to Craig Burley. As a pundit he gets on my tits. When asked a question, he ignores it, then proceeds to ask himself his own question which he then answers. It’s like a self interview.

Tek wrote:

Apologies for posting a video with Kris Boyd in it, but if you ignore his input this is actually a very good discussion.

Very good points made by Gordon Strachan and Craig Levein. 


I'm loathe to say it, but even Boyd makes a good point near the end regarding the 'death of the No.9' in football.

No-one plays with wingers anymore. 
 

 
They all make good points, but, the one which resonates is the failure of “Elite” academies in producing anything out of the ordinary. To me, these places are no more than a racket. Obviously, parents buy into the idea that there are exceptional people involved in physiology, nutrition, psychology and mentoring, but, in reality it is no different from before.

When we signed Charlie Telfer, it was widely considered that he was the best of his generation. What has he actually achieved?

The hard truth is that for most players, if you haven’t achieved consistent first team Premiership football by 19, you probably are not going to make it as a top class footballer. For that reason you need to have, not only a “b” plan, but other things going on in your life. In this respect each club should have a Head of Education and Personal Development, who is responsible for the young player’s life: What are they good at? What other sports do they excel at? Could they move into higher education? Have they contemplated life beyond football.

My nephew is playing with Stirling Albions 2009 year. He looks more than decent, but, unlike my generation (who played rugby, football, athletics), he only plays football. His school doesn’t seem to offer much else eg County Championships or Scottish Championships. This makes it very hard to evaluate whether he is a true athlete or just someone who is a good footballer.

Thinking back more than a generation ago, Gary Bollan was a Scottish Schools 400m Champion and the rugby player Kenny Logan trialed for both us and Hearts as a goalkeeper.

The r