vanderark14 Posted July 20 Posted July 20 13 hours ago, Caledonian Craig said: We cannot go binning too many of our players without weakening ourselves. Some players stand out as players at the end of the road. In that category I would put:- Grant Hanley Kenny McLean Lyndon Dykes George Hirst Craig Gordon (retired now) Players that are either ageing and younger options deserve a look or players who are highly unlikely to be a success for us. George hirst is only 27, he's younger than Shankland. If he goes on a scoring run in the EPL it would be crazy to bin him Quote
Hertsscot Posted July 20 Posted July 20 10 minutes ago, vanderark14 said: George hirst is only 27, he's younger than Shankland. If he goes on a scoring run in the EPL it would be crazy to bin him Both Hirst and McBurnie will be in the EPL next season. I wonder how much game time they might get between them. Both have played at that level before but without massive success and I wonder whether both teams might be looking for an upgrade. Quote
Hertsscot Posted July 20 Posted July 20 6 minutes ago, Hertsscot said: Both Hirst and McBurnie will be in the EPL next season. I wonder how much game time they might get between them. Both have played at that level before but without massive success and I wonder whether both teams might be looking for an upgrade. Just to add to that, I see Ipswich have signed a young Brazilian striker for about £25 million. He's a big lad so I think he might be competing directly with Hirst. Quote
vanderark14 Posted July 20 Posted July 20 (edited) 31 minutes ago, Hertsscot said: Both Hirst and McBurnie will be in the EPL next season. I wonder how much game time they might get between them. Both have played at that level before but without massive success and I wonder whether both teams might be looking for an upgrade. 21 minutes ago, Hertsscot said: Just to add to that, I see Ipswich have signed a young Brazilian striker for about £25 million. He's a big lad so I think he might be competing directly with Hirst. This is always a concern when a team with scottish players goes up to the EPL, its up to Hirst to see off the Brazilian and show he is better Edited July 20 by vanderark14 Quote
BoundaryFault Posted July 20 Posted July 20 57 minutes ago, vanderark14 said: George hirst is only 27, he's younger than Shankland. If he goes on a scoring run in the EPL it would be crazy to bin him I wouldn't say Hirst should be barred sine die -- but wouldn't it be more productive to have a look at another big gangly player like Fraser Hornsby? Or get Mebude capped? Quote
vanderark14 Posted July 20 Posted July 20 9 minutes ago, BoundaryFault said: I wouldn't say Hirst should be barred sine die -- but wouldn't it be more productive to have a look at another big gangly player like Fraser Hornsby? Or get Mebude capped? Personally i would prefer a new manager to get Mebude and Ure in to see what they can do first Quote
bdgsct Posted July 20 Posted July 20 2 hours ago, Hertsscot said: Just to add to that, I see Ipswich have signed a young Brazilian striker for about £25 million. He's a big lad so I think he might be competing directly with Hirst. Hirst didn't nail down the #9 spot in the championship with manager who supported him. A step up with big money signing for competition is going to make it very difficult for him to get the gametime he needs to improve. I think it would be best for him if he moved back to the championship. He hasn't proven he can step up. Quote
Caledonian Craig Posted July 20 Posted July 20 1 hour ago, vanderark14 said: Personally i would prefer a new manager to get Mebude and Ure in to see what they can do first Precisely. Therefore who drops out? Bowie deserves a crack too. I feel it is the end of the road for Dykes. Of our current squad strikers-wise I'd persevere (for now) with Adams and Shankland. That leaves Hirst surplus to requirements. I just do not see him going on a scoring spree for us anytime soon and hopefully Ure will come in with goals for us and others will step up. Quote
vanderark14 Posted July 20 Posted July 20 31 minutes ago, Caledonian Craig said: Precisely. Therefore who drops out? Bowie deserves a crack too. I feel it is the end of the road for Dykes. Of our current squad strikers-wise I'd persevere (for now) with Adams and Shankland. That leaves Hirst surplus to requirements. I just do not see him going on a scoring spree for us anytime soon and hopefully Ure will come in with goals for us and others will step up. If Bowie, Ure, Mebude turn out to be better than Adams, Dykes and Shankland.............well they can all drop out. Our Forward line is the only part of our team where its open season as far as I am concerned. To clarify further, the door doesn't get closed on Dyke, Adams or Shankland, if they hit a purple patch of form this season then absolutely they should be considered but new players need to be tested first Quote
Barney Rubble Posted July 20 Posted July 20 (edited) 12 hours ago, theabsentee said: No we can't. He's young enough to still improve given the chance to build confidence. I thought considering his lack of match practise prior to the tournament he did quite well this summer. Patterson will be 25 in October. He has made 100 club appearances over 7 seasons. His longest run of consecutive first team appearances was 8 in 22/23. His recent appearances for the national team (2024 to date) haven't conclusively demonstrated that he should be a preferred choice over either Hickey or Ralston. At what point does 'being young enough to still improve' expire in Patterson's case? Edited July 20 by Barney Rubble Quote
csinclair Posted July 20 Posted July 20 25 minutes ago, Barney Rubble said: Patterson will be 25 in October. He has made 100 club appearances over 7 seasons. His longest run of consecutive first team appearances was 8 in 22/23. His recent appearances for the national team (2024 to date) haven't conclusively demonstrated that he should be a preferred choice over either Hickey or Ralston. At what point does 'being young enough to still improve' expire in Patterson's case? Hickey is definitely first choice and a ways ahead of the other options but I think Patterson showed at the World cup that even without much match practice lately that he's still a better option than Ralston. It's a shame Patterson's move to Sevilla last summer never happened as I think a move is best both for him and for Everton Quote
Barney Rubble Posted July 20 Posted July 20 (edited) 8 hours ago, csinclair said: Hickey is definitely first choice and a ways ahead of the other options but I think Patterson showed at the World cup that even without much match practice lately that he's still a better option than Ralston. It's a shame Patterson's move to Sevilla last summer never happened as I think a move is best both for him and for Everton Respect your opinion, and fully agree on Hickey being the absolute first choice in that position. However - for me - it is stretching credibility to suggest that Patterson is a better option than Ralston. Patterson may be a better RWB, but Ralston is demonstrably the better, more dependable RB (yes, I know). Both have their weaknesses for sure (as does Hickey), but unless we're playing a 5-4-1 or a 5-3-2, Patterson on current form doesn't cut it at RB. Re the Sevilla move, that may have been down to the small issue of Patterson's 5.5 year contract with Everton @ 28.5k a week. Edited July 20 by Barney Rubble Quote
Hertsscot Posted July 20 Posted July 20 1 minute ago, Barney Rubble said: P Respect your opinion, and fully agree on Hickey being the absolute first choice in that position. However - for me - it is stretching credibility to suggest that Patterson is a better option than Ralston. Patterson may be a better RWB, but Ralston is demonstrably the better, more dependable (yes, I know) RB. Both have their weaknesses for sure (as does Hickey), but unless we're playing a 5-4-1 or q 5-3-2, Patterson on current form doesn't cut it at RB. Re the Sevilla move, that may have been down to the small problem of Patterson's 5.5 year contract with Everton @ 28.5k a week. It's all about opinions but I'm with csinclair on this. Patterson is younger, has had a rough time, combination of injury and bad management. I do think if he gets a run of games and his confidence back he's an able no 2 to Hickey. Ralston needs to be playing rather than being 3rd choice at Celtic. If we're going with wing backs Max Johnston is in contention as well. Quote
syecosse Posted July 20 Posted July 20 Regarding RBs Calvin Ramsey is off on Liverpools first team tour maybe Iraola can get him going. Quote
Clyde1998 Posted July 21 Posted July 21 8 hours ago, Hertsscot said: It's all about opinions but I'm with csinclair on this. Patterson is younger, has had a rough time, combination of injury and bad management. I do think if he gets a run of games and his confidence back he's an able no 2 to Hickey. Ralston needs to be playing rather than being 3rd choice at Celtic. If we're going with wing backs Max Johnston is in contention as well. If Max Johnston gets game time at Derby (I think he's been injured?), he should certainly be in contention. Ross McCrorie should be considered over Ralston too, if he plays regularly for Rangers this season and Ralston doesn't start playing regularly. I'd say we're looking at: Hickey Patterson Johnston McCrorie Ralston Quote
bahookie Posted July 21 Posted July 21 On 7/19/2026 at 1:35 AM, syecosse said: From what i can see Tyler Fletcher and Daniel Armer impressed in Man Utds first preseason game, Jack Fletcher did ok. Armer's progress has been quietly encouraging. There's a certain amount of irony about TA members enthusing about his comparisons to Harry Maguire, considering the way Maguire was picked on at Hampden by the home fans. However, if Armer become the next Colin Hendry for us, so much the better. However, in looking up Armer's background, somewhat soberingly I see he is listed as dual Scots/Eng eligibility. Has anyone any idea of how strong his ties to Scotland? I've been unable to ascertain where he was born or grew up. It seems though he has a Preston born brother on the books at Burton Albion Quote
er yir macaroon Posted July 21 Posted July 21 1 hour ago, Clyde1998 said: If Max Johnston gets game time at Derby (I think he's been injured?), he should certainly be in contention. Ross McCrorie should be considered over Ralston too, if he plays regularly for Rangers this season and Ralston doesn't start playing regularly. I'd say we're looking at: Hickey Patterson Johnston McCrorie Ralston This will be a big season for Josh Dede at Middlesbrough. Now injury free, it will be interesting to see how he progresses. He looked like a great prospect at u19 level and I could see him moving up that list. There’s also Donovan who really should be ahead of Ralston given club form (and that Clarke is now gone). Quote
Caledonian Craig Posted July 21 Posted July 21 5 hours ago, Clyde1998 said: If Max Johnston gets game time at Derby (I think he's been injured?), he should certainly be in contention. Ross McCrorie should be considered over Ralston too, if he plays regularly for Rangers this season and Ralston doesn't start playing regularly. I'd say we're looking at: Hickey Patterson Johnston McCrorie Ralston Going purely on the friendlies at the end of the season I thought McCrorie looked better than Max Johnston by some way. Quote
csinclair Posted July 21 Posted July 21 5 hours ago, Clyde1998 said: If Max Johnston gets game time at Derby (I think he's been injured?), he should certainly be in contention. Ross McCrorie should be considered over Ralston too, if he plays regularly for Rangers this season and Ralston doesn't start playing regularly. I'd say we're looking at: Hickey Patterson Johnston McCrorie Ralston Yes Johnston was injured back in Oct/Nov and came back at the very back end of the season. When fit he seemed to be first choice so hopefully gets a full season at Championship level. Quote
BryanBlessed Posted July 21 Posted July 21 57 minutes ago, csinclair said: Yes Johnston was injured back in Oct/Nov and came back at the very back end of the season. When fit he seemed to be first choice so hopefully gets a full season at Championship level. I thought Johnston looked slow against Belarus. Seems like he'll end up being a championship journeyman. Quote
runningtings Posted July 21 Posted July 21 Hickey is a level above the rest, Patterson needs to get a move away from Everton and just rack up some games. The others mentioned in this thread are all very similar level wise. Quote
syecosse Posted July 21 Posted July 21 Young Keeper watch Just seen McFarlane has sat on Particks bench the first 2 games of the season since his loan from Hearts hopefully that will change, other Scots u21 keeper has gone Airdrie in league 1 now 22. Hopefully see some of the young keepers down south get some loan moves like Mahady,McKenna and Williamson. McKenna is slightly worrying as not heard much for a while on him. Rangers McGuire i am hoping maybe get one of those Cooperation loans despite being 17 played 3 freindlys for Rangers so far. Quote
Scots_Wha_Hae Posted July 21 Posted July 21 7 hours ago, syecosse said: Young Keeper watch Just seen McFarlane has sat on Particks bench the first 2 games of the season since his loan from Hearts hopefully that will change, Playing tonight against stenhousemuir. Kyle Glasgow and bailey rice both also notable starters tonight. Quote
BoundaryFault Posted July 21 Posted July 21 29 minutes ago, Scots_Wha_Hae said: Playing tonight against stenhousemuir. Kyle Glasgow and bailey rice both also notable starters tonight. Kyle Glasgow has equalised for Alloa against Falkirk. Quote
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