dufc2019 wrote:

SlatefordArab wrote:

Bear in mind that Dundee appear to have quite a lot of loan players this season? So they’ll be on another rebuild job in the summer assuming all those loan players are back at their clubs/elsewhere.

I don't think there is much debate they have a better manager than we do

That remains to be seen, he's going to have another squad rebuild for next season, lets see if he gets as lucky as he was this season, also Goodwins signings have been pretty solid for us not a lot of what you can call failures, they were signed to do a job in this league and they have done that.

Wotherspoon is pure class, injuries a big concern but there is no doubting his ability, interesting to see if he will get a new deal

Now that we have confirmed our top flight status for 24/25, I think that we have to be absolutely brutal, much like last season.

Keep.

Walton (fingers crossed), Holt ( short term deal until he gets his fitness ), McMann, Middleton, Thomson,  Fotheringham and Moult.

Possible

Sibbald, Docherty (only if he moves to Dundee), Graham ( I trust Goidwin with his judgement).

Thanks very much for your efforts and will always be welcome back as a visitor -

Grimshaw, Tilson, Watt (harsh), Wootherspoon, Big Sam, Gallagher, Glass, Grieve.

All of the other younger lads haven't cut through at this level and again I would trust the judgement again of the coaching team.

Slotbadger wrote:

Have been very impressed by Raith keeper this season. Maybe a bit dodgy in the air just like Siegriest and Polish lads from 10 years back.

 
With you on this 100%.

He is very much like siegrist, makes huge saves when he has absolutely zero right to make.

I would 100% be going after him

Tek wrote:

Who out of the young players can improve enough to become useful to us? That is the only question worth asking here imo.

 

Thought long and hard about this and would offer deals too 

Ross Graham
Chris Mochrie
Miller Thomson
Lewis O'Donnell

I'd let go of every other out of contract player.

A real chance here for us to clear the decks, free up A LOT of money and build back stronger.
 

Going/Get rid

Birighitti
Wotherspoon
Holt
McMann
Glass
Cudjoe
Anaku
Greive
Gallagher
Watt
Docherty
Grimshaw
Middleton


Unfortunately we are in a massive dilemma as we have been bundled with a load of dross that will have to go.
On the other hand I don't trust Goodwin to bring in premiership capable players and with no guidance from above him we could be in freefall again

 

Last edited by Conway11 (22/4/2024 1:45 pm)

I don't think there will be changes to the extent that most people are suggesting or hoping. Birighitti should be gone, Grieve and Tillson will return to their clubs. I think Holt and Grimshaw might be allowed to move on, along with a couple of academy lads who are well down the pecking order. I would be happy to offer Walton and McLelland deals. Aside from that, we may see a couple of departures if we have secured higher quality replacements but I can see most of the rest remaining as part of next season's squad.

As for Jim Goodwin, he's done what he was brought in to do, by bringing in players suitable for getting us out of the Championship (rather than trying to put together a team that could be competitive in the Premier and seeing them struggle in the league below - as has happened before). He has done it on a pretty limited budget, and generally he has spent money wisely. There are no guarantees, no matter who you bring in as manager. I personally would rather he stays and is given the chance to have a crack in the Premier with his own squad, rather than roll the dice. As far as I'm concerned, he has earned it.

Shedtastic wrote:

Courier reporting that he had to put a squad together whilst slashing 2.6m from the budget, did okay eh?

 
He certainly has on all fronts especially as you mention by cutting a whopping 2.6 million from the wage bill.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but looking back would our squad gave coped with extended runs I'm the cups?

I'm not sure, we seem to be falling apart and part of my reason for such savage cuts to the squad. Will a Docherty,  Gallagher ,Watt or Moult manage a 38 game season?

Offer new contracts-

Ross Graham
Chris Mochrie
Miller Thompson

We need 2 keepers, a RB, 3 CHs, 2 LBs, a winger, 2 centre mids and 2 strikers. Not too much to ask for 😂

Last edited by Arab87 (22/4/2024 7:17 pm)

Conway11 wrote:

Morphman wrote:

Conway11 wrote:

On the other hand I don't trust Goodwin to bring in premiership capable players and with no guidance from above him we could be in freefall again

 

Have to say I'm no entirely in agreement with this. The players he has brought in have done quite well with probably the exception of Grieve. Walton, Holt, Gallagher, Moult, Mclelland Docherty, Grimshaw and probably Tilson (willing to hear disputes on this one ) have all done the job they were brought in to. Mainly steady if unspectacular in the most part. He has used our own youth as effectively as they probably deserved as well given the lack of experience on the bench. Used a signifcantly cut budget to get us a half decent starting 11 and filled in the blanks with youth

Most of his signings at Aberdeen: Miovski, Duk, Roos, Ramadani, Scales off the top of my head have all went on to play regularly in a somewhat unspectacular Aberdeen side, or do well elsewhere.

Assuming it was him that signed the above, I'd probably trust his judgement more than the keyboard warriors in our recruit team the last few year!

Regarding budget cuts (I see the figure of 2.6m being reported this morning) He still has the highest wage bill in the league and made signings that no other championship side could ever compete with. We have limped over the line in a season where some results have been shocking. The style of play has never improved and I can't think of a player that has come on leaps and bounds. It was party time on Saturday but really think about that 90 mins, it was shocking. I see a few people today are wanting him to stay now. This will be a tragic mistake. We need to cut him now - get a new, forward thinking manager in and build from there. 
 

 
Any ideas of who we could attract the would fit the mould of this forward thinking manager?

The only guy I could think of would be McCabe but this forward thinking or modern football is not liked but a large section of our support. In fact the guys that site around me would be having kittens with his approach.

Over the past few weeks we have reverted back to a more direct approach which has reaped a lot of success.

Morphman wrote:

Conway11 wrote:

Morphman wrote:

Have to say I'm no entirely in agreement with this. The players he has brought in have done quite well with probably the exception of Grieve. Walton, Holt, Gallagher, Moult, Mclelland Docherty, Grimshaw and probably Tilson (willing to hear disputes on this one ) have all done the job they were brought in to. Mainly steady if unspectacular in the most part. He has used our own youth as effectively as they probably deserved as well given the lack of experience on the bench. Used a signifcantly cut budget to get us a half decent starting 11 and filled in the blanks with youth

Most of his signings at Aberdeen: Miovski, Duk, Roos, Ramadani, Scales off the top of my head have all went on to play regularly in a somewhat unspectacular Aberdeen side, or do well elsewhere.

Assuming it was him that signed the above, I'd probably trust his judgement more than the keyboard warriors in our recruit team the last few year!

Regarding budget cuts (I see the figure of 2.6m being reported this morning) He still has the highest wage bill in the league and made signings that no other championship side could ever compete with. We have limped over the line in a season where some results have been shocking. The style of play has never improved and I can't think of a player that has come on leaps and bounds. It was party time on Saturday but really think about that 90 mins, it was shocking. I see a few people today are wanting him to stay now. This will be a tragic mistake. We need to cut him now - get a new, forward thinking manager in and build from there. 
 

We haven't really limped over the line though have we? We are already sitting on a points tally that would have won the Championship every season in the last 5 (and that's not counting the Covid season and subsequent shortened season when Hearts won it). Raith, to their credit, have won an unbelievable amount of games with a single goal, usually late on, and kept up the pressure.

No argument from me about the style of football being fairly poor, but you just don't win the Championship playing brilliant football. The last time I can say with certainty that United played in a flowing, forward thinking, style was when McNamara wasted a golden generation of our youth by winning a handful of games by 4 goals then going on to win F all. Culminating in St Johnstone beating us in the SC final by playing boring but effective football against us. Since then we've had a massive spell of complete mediocrity resulting in us spending half of the last decade in the lower leagues.

I think twisting in the hope that we, lets be honest, get very lucky by appointing someone who isn't one of the usual managerial merry-go-round suspects that turns out not to be a complete bust, is a risk that ownership (might not be Ogren??) just won't go for.

Good points.

Slotbadger wrote:

Limping across the line 🤣 Try 4 wins on the bounce including 5-0 & 4-1 away from home.

I think Kai has actually come on leaps and bounds this season. Started as a sub/possibly going out on loan. Is now a regular starter and has scored a lot of important goals.

Some of the football has been terrible. A few defeats unexpected.  But as mentioned above - we will actually end with a great points tally and goal difference. That says to me that over the whole season we have actually been pretty good.

 
If Raith weren’t near us this whole season would’ve been a canter. We’re currently 16pts ahead of 3rd.

Last season’s table:

Dundee 63pts
Ayr 58pts
QP 58pts

We’re currently on 71pts with 2 games left.

Conway11 wrote:

Regarding budget cuts (I see the figure of 2.6m being reported this morning) He still has the highest wage bill in the league and made signings that no other championship side could ever compete with. We have limped over the line in a season where some results have been shocking. The style of play has never improved and I can't think of a player that has come on leaps and bounds. It was party time on Saturday but really think about that 90 mins, it was shocking. I see a few people today are wanting him to stay now. This will be a tragic mistake. We need to cut him now - get a new, forward thinking manager in and build from there. 
 

He wasn't asked to put together a team that would play nice football. He was asked to put together a team that would win the Championship. That's exactly what he did. Many folk at the start of the season were basically saying "Just get us up - don't care if it's shite - just get us up". He'll now be asked to put together a team to keep us up and stay well clear of 11th (and maybe even push to get close to top 6 - I don't know). It won't be the same team that won the Championship because the football will need to be a little bit different to deal with different challenges. Now given that he did exactly what was asked of him this season, as far as I'm concerned he absolutely deserves the opportunity to take on the next challenge.