First Team 24-25

Yeh,its in the Sun this morning. Levien giving it the go ahead.

Troy wrote:Yeh,its in the Sun this morning. Levien giving it the go ahead.

In the Dundee Courier too, seems the only place it isn't is our OS.

Some things never change.‍�.

It is there now…

Stevie May would have a good signing about 8 years ago. He scored an excellent hat trick against us for Accies (probably longer ago than 8 years) but his form over the last few years has been patchy at best. As usual I will be delighted for him to prove me wrong but I can’t imagine any of our current rivals are quaking in their boots. It also smacks of us playing a punt up for May or Yengi to hold it up.

Whinge over, as I say no one will be more delighted than me to be proved wrong, so welcome Stevie now go out there and score for fun.

St Johnstone statto boy saying he's had 2 good seasons in his last 4, scoring 20 and assisting 14, when he got decent game time and played as a striker, other 2 seasons he wasn't getting the games, or played as a striker and hardly scored.

His stats the last 5 seasons.



Levein wasn't playing him up front or giving him the game time last season and the other season his goal stats dropped was under Davidson when St Johnstone were dreadful and didn't attack much.

Anyway i like him, he's like Danny Mullen, Griffiths, McNulty, and Anderson, presses like buggery and a right nuisance to defenders, think we really needed that type of striker added to our team this season.

I like him, I wanted him about 8 years ago

I would love it if it works but can you see DM playing to his strengths?

Liviforever wrote:Stevie May on loan signing incoming, according to a St Johnstone fan on P&B, Levein has given it the green light.

Could be a great signing, we're certainly light up front and need a goal scoring striker. May is a right nuisance that presses defenders, and at this level should score a few goals.

Also seen this on a transfer site yesterday - tbc in next few days

Auld Nick wrote:I like him, I wanted him about 8 years ago

I would love it if it works but can you see DM playing to his strengths?

Aye that's the worry, will he play him where he'll score goals, or some obscure position that only he sees as being tactically astute, where he runs about a lot and doesn't score any goals.

We all knew where Anderson would get us goals, and where to play him/where not to play him, but Martindale in his wisdom often chose to stick him up front isolated and lump high balls to him, then say in his press conferences that wasn't the plan.

On a positive, we're trying to keep the ball down and play it through midfield, my one criticism there is we're not moving it fast enough, or knocking it down the channels when Muirhead is making runs. May is excellent at playing off the shoulder of the last man and getting in behind them, but we'll have to spot that and play the ball quickly through or he'll be offside. I think the likes of Green would be ideal getting the ball forward quickly, and spot players making runs though, once we see him fully fit and starting games, Kelly too is a good technical player that spots through balls.

Actually quite excited at seeing the likes of May, Yengi, Sole, Muirhead playing up front in our attack, with Green and Kelly in midfield.

livikev wrote:

Liviforever wrote:Stevie May on loan signing incoming, according to a St Johnstone fan on P&B, Levein has given it the green light.

Could be a great signing, we're certainly light up front and need a goal scoring striker. May is a right nuisance that presses defenders, and at this level should score a few goals.

Also seen this on a transfer site yesterday - tbc in next few days

Yeah i think St Johnstone leaked it before it was officially a done deal, and we waited till it was. Byrne was meant to be a target for us and Partick too, then Raith signed him, so i wasn't overly confident we'd sign May, when it first got announced in the papers we were after him. I think we were light up front, the likes of Partick, Falkirk and Ayr have got prolific strikers, we didn't, we were pinning our hopes on Yengi, hopefully May will fill that void now.

George out to Wycombe confirmed
Pitaluga in from Liverpool as back up to Prior who was brought in because they expected George to go…so why wasn’t Prior playing?

Auld Nick wrote:George out to Wycombe confirmed
Pitaluga in from Liverpool as back up to Prior who was brought in because they expected George to go…so why wasn’t Prior playing?

Yep, expected him to be at least playing in the cup games, that's what we usually do with out No2 keeper, but esp so when we're expecting Shamal to be leaving. Only game i saw Prior was a pre season friendly against Alloa.

Just checked the friendlies and Prior only played in our first 2, Alloa and Broxburn, Shamal played in evey other game, friendlies x3, cup group games x4, and league games x3. Makes little sense not giving Prior competitive games when Shamal is expected to leave, unless Martindale doesn't fancy him and will play the Liverpool on loan keeper instead.

Apparently Pitaluga got sent back from his last loan spell for being hopeless.

I think Pitaluga was benched rather than sent home. It followed a game away at Waterford where he had a couple of howlers.

I believe he lasted 4 games and was sent back to Liverpool.

According to FotMob he was on the bench for about a dozen games before he got sent back. St Pats fans aren’t too complimentary about him!

Ok, was only relaying what I heard from two different people… either way it’s not particularly impressive but if he does ok for us when called upon then that will do for me.

Yeah, he had some good saves over there too but it was the errors which got him binned. Sclaffed a kick which he got away with and dropped a simple cross which led to a goal. There’s a highlight reel of him from his time in Brazil on YouTube in which he looks good and it was presumably that season that got him his move to Liverpool. Overall he is probably a good prospect.

Brighton fan in peace here - trying to find out what's happening with our youngster, Ben Jackson. His name is mentioned twice on this thread, so this seems a good place for this. I tink I've seen a mention of 'the kiddie from Brighton' somewhere else, but that's it.
Looking at the line-ups on the BBC website, I've seen no mention of him at all, not even in the squad or on the bench - so, what's the story, anyone please? Is he injured? Did he get lost on the way up there? Have you eaten him!!?

P.S. Note to the admin. - thanks, your confirmation email did come through - eventually!

Who?

Had forgotten all about him.

Think he featured in pre season games, but hasn't played in any competitive games since the season started. We've got a settled defence now, with a couple of players coming on as subs, so can't see him getting a game unless we get a few injuries in defence.

Just checked and he was an unused sub in our cup group games against Dunfermline, Cove, and Spartans. Was also an unused sub in our first two league games against Dunfermline and QP, but hasn't been in the match day squads since.

Think that's him in the golf outing at Bathgate on Fri, at the back between Kelly and Yengi, when we didn't have a game on at the weekend.

Liviforever wrote:Who?

Had forgotten all about him.

Think he featured in pre season games, but hasn't played in any competitive games since the season started. We've got a settled defence now, with a couple of players coming on as subs, so can't see him getting a game unless we get a few injuries in defence.

Just checked and he was an unused sub in our cup group games against Dunfermline, Cove, and Spartans. Was also an unused sub in our first two league games against Dunfermline and QP, but hasn't been in the match day squads since.

Oh dear, not good (for him). Hooked back to us on the stroke of Hogmanay and off somewhere else for a better loan, I should think! Thanks for the info., good luck to you lot for the season. I'll keep an eye to see if he does get any game time with you though.

Yeah, it was all “we’re getting a decent youngster from Brighton on loan and he’ll wear number 4” to him doing a very impressive imitation of the invisible man. Yet another wasted signing to go with Aphelele Teto and others. The only way I can see him getting a chance is if we get 3 or 4 injuries.

Nottingham has been a surprisingly good CB after the dodgy looking one he was last season, in a terrible defence. McGowan and Notts are a good solid pairing. Montano started off playing beside McGowan but after being injured, Notts has come in and claimed the spot. Montano is best playing LB/LWB though, so is flexible to play either, but that puts Jackson as 3rd choice, and Donnellan is still to come back from injury too.
May only take one CB being injured for Jackson to get a chance though because we all know Montano isn't a long term reliable option, with his injury record. Dont know if he's getting reserve games and just waiting his chance. Green and Lawal are in a similar situation, though they're getting the odd 10 mins game time, but it's a long season and at some point they'll get a chance.

Maybe Jackson will too. Prob will have to be playing before January right enough or his parent club will want to recall him and put him out on loan to somewhere he'll get games.