First Team 24-25

Imagine there will be some relegation clauses here as well...

Only players (who are not already confirmed as leaving) that I'd be happy to keep would be Hamilton, Stephen Kelly, Brandon, Holt, Pitts & Yengi.

In Contract
Shamal George - Contracted until May 2026

Jamie Brandon - Contracted until May 2025
Shaun Donnellan - Contracted until May 2025
Miles Welch-Hayes - Contracted until May 2025 (Return from Dunfermline)
Matthew Clarke - Contracted until May 2026 (Signed from Linfield)

Stephen Kelly - Contracted until May 2025
Samson Lawal - Contracted until May 2025 (Return from Inverness)
Steven Bradley - Contracted until May 2025
David Carson - Contracted until May 2025
Ricky Corboa - Contracted until May 2026 (Signed from Woking)
Liam Sole - Contracted until May 2026 (Signed from Maidstone)
Scott Pittman - Contracted until May 2026

Tete Yengi - Contracted until May 2026
Robbie Muirhead - Contracted until May 2026 (Signed from Morton)
Aphele Teto - Contracted until May 2026

Out of Contract - TBC
Jack Hamilton
Calan Ledingham
Michael Nottingham
Morgan Boyes
Cristian Montano
Mikey Devlin
Andrew Shinnie
Sean Kelly
Tommy Sharp
Mo Sangare
Kurtis Guthrie

Confirmed Away
Kieran Wright - Return to Rangers
Ayo Obileye - Out of Contract
James Penrice - Hearts (Free Transfer)
Daniel McKay - Return to Hibs
Jason Holt - Relegation Clause
Joel Nouble - Out of Contract
Bruce Anderson - Out of Contract

..................................Shamal

Welch-Hayes     Donnellan        Clarke            Montano

 Holt              St Kelly             Pittman          Brandon

....                  Muirhead*     Yengi

*Robbie Muirhead is meant to be signing for us from Morton.

Got a decent looking 4-4-2 there i reckon, with a few alternatives that can be selected. Carson, Sole, Bradley.

Could also keep Sean Kelly as long as he isn't played as a CB, or anywhere in defence really, Shinnie, Sangare, & Hamilton.

Still needing a few signings, but think we've a decent enough core there for the Championship.

Do you really think he’d switch to a front two from his headless chicken lone striker that chases everything and gets so knackered he can’t hit the target when he gets a chance? I’d love to see it but suspect he’ll “trust in the process”

Auld Nick wrote:Do you really think he’d switch to a front two from his headless chicken lone striker that chases everything and gets so knackered he can’t hit the target when he gets a chance? I’d love to see it but suspect he’ll “trust in the process”

Yeah i'm hoping he'll rip the process up and see it clearly didn't work, and go back to what did work for us.

Playing 3 at the back was great when we had Gallagher, Halkett and Lithgow, but it clearly caused problems for us last season, A, because our defenders weren't good enough, and B, we struggled with injuries and kept having to play guys like Kelly, Sangare, and even Nouble, in defensive positions because we were sticking with a back 3/5. Also created problems trying to keep everyone happy when we did have ample CB cover to start with.

We were conceding 3 and 4 goals quite regularly this season, that just isn't acceptable, you're never going to be anywhere near challenging for a top 4 spot doing that, we have to be more solid at the back next season, as well as still having a good attacking threat, i don't want to see us doing the 0-1 Hearts away game, having no shots on goal because we sat camped in our own half all game.

I'm not too fussed if we go with 2 up front, or something like a 4-3 -3-1, just as long as we have support for the striker, and as you said, isn't having to run about like a headless chicken doing it all himself.

Still need a couple of CBs imo.But the team quoted looks decent on paper.Speculation of course.Gonna be interesting to see if Davie can wave his magic wand once more‍�‍�‍�.

I’m hoping that too LF but my question was do you really think he will… cause I don’t. I would also like to see Rice being allowed to influence matters, which I really don’t think has happened yet.

Davie’s strength is that he “sticks to his guns” but it’s also his greatest weakness cos it makes him a stubborn git. Rice has plenty of experience and was a decent player in his day he surely has more to bring to the table than we have seen so far.

Muirhead now a confirmed PCA signing. Clearly knows how to score in the second tier with 17 in the season just ending, so hopefully we can play to his strengths.

Good to see the club trying to get players in well in advance of next season.

Another couple of PCA signings… apparently a winger Ricky Korboa from non league in England and a right back Daniel Finlayson from Linfield.

Jason Holt leaving, exercising a relegation clause at the end of the season. Bit of a pisser but we can't afford his wages in the Championship.

Would think the likes of Dundee will be in for him.

New signing Sole interview sounds promising. Playing attacking football with wingers.

Sole will be given every opportunity to express himself under Martindale’s plans as Livingston attempt to bounce back to the Premiership at the first attempt.

“When I had a chat with the manager he said he’s looking to play with wingers high and wide, getting at full-backs, getting shots off and getting crosses in,” said Sole.

“That’s what I’ve been about since I was young.

“That’s exactly how I like to play. I like to excite people.

“When he said how he wanted to play, it was music to my ears.

Yeah, we’ll see. He’s never let wingers express themselves whilst he’s been in charge, he usually keeps them on the bench or berates them for not defending or plays them as a defensively minded ‘wing back’.

Auld Nick wrote:Yeah, we’ll see. He’s never let wingers express themselves whilst he’s been in charge, he usually keeps them on the bench or berates them for not defending or plays them as a defensively minded ‘wing back’.

Josh Mullin, Nouble, MacKay, yep.

Seems obsessed with turning wingers into WB's, when they're no very good at defending. Then in turn sticks FB's up as wingers, Penrice & Montano. Or even worse, puts them in as CB's, Se Kelly & Montano.

Basically needs to stop putting square pegs in round holes and let them fecking play where they're best suited, and allowing them to do their jobs. But again he's obsessed with signing players to play in multiple positions, when they're really only good in the position they're naturally suited to.

So Sole will be playing as a WB, or a CB then.................or in midfield, or the lone sole attacker...........i'll get my coat