LFC Squad - 2020-21

Notice they've updated the squad photos and numbers on the official site but....

Is it me or does Anthony Stokes look like he wants to rip somebody's head off - and why does Alan Forrest remind me of that kid in the Munsters?

Did they not bother getting Raffa, Lithgow and Maley posing in the new strip cause they aren't going to be playing in the first team this season?

Pretty much sums it up for Stokes in this article interviewing Marv about him. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/marvin-bartley-salutes-livingstons-anthony-22571406

When we first got a whiff of Livi's interest in Stokes and the possibility of us signing him, I was pretty excited about it, I know what he can do in this league, but as things progressed and all the baggage he brings off field was being discussed then I was a bit less enthused, and wondered if he'd have the right attitude to do well for us. The jury is out on that till we see him play, he no doubt has ability and goal scoring credentials, we just have to hope he knuckles down, gets fit, and concentrates on doing well for Livi on the pitch.

It's a gamble but as Marv said, we wouldn't have got him at Livi if he hadn't had that baggage, and the fact he's opted for Livi and playing in Scotland rather than a more lucrative deal in Turkey bring us hope that he's focussed on the job and wants to see out the remainder of his career in this Country, so needs to do well for us to get one last move to a bigger club in this league before retiring from playing at this level.

Jack Hamilton out on loan to East Fife in League One. Seems a step back for him dropping down to a L1 team when he was playing in the Championship last season. Wonder if he'll ever make the grade playing first team football in the Premiership.

He’s not really had much chance to impress since Miller was punted to make way for Holt.
Back then he was playing against lower league sides & while he was doing okay he was clearly raw & needing a fair bit of coaching. He worked hard enough in the games he’s played this season but has nothing much in the way of pace. With Lokotsch, SKA, Poplatnik & Stokes coming in a loan or move was always on the cards... I don’t think he’ll be the last to go out on loan.

Yeah think Sal could be doing with a loan spell at L1 or Championship too, was a big step up for him coming from L2 with QP to us in the Premiership. He wont be getting starts with us, and it looks like even sub appearances will be few and far between too, so could do with regular games to help with his development getting up to Premiership standard.

Tiffoney is further on in development, and like Hammy, seems to be stuck in a rut of not being good enough to push for first team football with us in the top flight, both have done stints out on loan but haven't shown enough to break through.

Well, we’re 8 games in & I have yet to see where our current squad is stronger than last season, bigger in terms of numbers I think but quantity is never better than quality & we seem to be lacking in the latter.

If any team should thrive on no crowds it is surely us given our small support base but it’s not looking good at the moment.

Stokes away, was fun while it lasted.

Bertie Bassett wrote:Well, we’re 8 games in & I have yet to see where our current squad is stronger than last season, bigger in terms of numbers I think but quantity is never better than quality & we seem to be lacking in the latter.

If any team should thrive on no crowds it is surely us given our small support base but it’s not looking good at the moment.

7 games.

All we're lacking is for some of the same players as last season to get the goal scoring boots on, and the new ones to find their feet playing in a new country. By the time the betfred games start we'll have had plenty time to get up to speed on both counts, then we'll be able to judge things better.

Disappointing from Stokes, but not unexpected, he's a lazy c*** that didn't want to put the work in to get match fit to Livi's standards, and has used the pitch as an excuse, esp as most teams train on them anyway, and Sevco's cost them 10M pounds. During the winter months you'll not be able to train on anything else.

I still have hope that big Lars will be a success, he showed some promise for his assists for our goal against Accies, and hit the bar with a header in the County game, i think it'll come good for him and he'll score a few goals for us.

Yeah but game 8 is lambs to the slaughter unless we show a marked improvement.

We have seen signs of improvement but there are far to many lapses; far too many players living off last season & I have no confidence in the defending or attacking prowess of the side.

Until we get that sorted we will be in trouble - at the moment we are vying with Motherwell to be this season’s Hearts

This is the type of game we'll get a point or 3 from Bertie, the one nobody gives us a hope in, we did it against Sevco and they have been flying this season and still not conceded a goal let alone a point, except against us.

Tbh there are only 4 teams looking decent points wise, everyone else is much of a muchness (absolute pish), only two points separating the bottom 7, and another point to 5th placed County, who we comfortably outplayed and beat, it's hardly between us and one other team for a relegation battle. And St Mirren & Accies players are dropping like flies catching the Covid virus and having to be isolated, might come down to who can keep the most players Covid free.

With the likes of Gallagher, Halkett, Dykes, Lawless, Dolly, Byrne gone, Lithgow near finished and Keighan missing in action I sometimes wonder how the dressing room is doing just now. Bartley seems a good influence but maybe his eye is more on a media career these days. There has been quite a large influx of new faces who have had to settle in and of course this whole Stokes fiasco. Add in in the ramifications of Covid and it might be that our famous do or die attitude has taken a wee battering. I hope I'm havering but you've got to wonder how we've gone from impregnable at home to the leaky sieve we have recently witnessed. Worrying.

Indeed Orco... my point on us & Motherwell vying to become this season’s Hearts is not so much about suggesting we are the only two horses in the relegation race but that we are the two sides who, based on last season, should be no where near that particular battle... but we are & the longer we remain down there the harder it becomes to get out of it... as Hearts found out to their cost.

Not sure if weve got the drive and desire to get out of this mess. Its not unthinkable that we become detatched at the bottom leaving us with so much to do.The Stokes fiasco hasnt helped and i really fear for us at the moment. Without going round in circles, i still feel the need for a proven goalscorer is paramount for us at this stage of the season. Problem is there arent many of them around at the moment unless your willing to spend and im not sure the club will want to do that.We all knew how big a loss Lyndon would be to us,but hopefully Gary and Davie will have something up their sleeves. God knows we need help.

I'll start worrying if the other 7 teams suddenly start winning games and cutting us adrift.

I'm still pretty optimistic that Lars will keep improving and be decent up front, esp once he settles into how football is played in our Country, could still do with another striker though, incase he gets injured, or for Poplatnik to come through into the team and score some goals. Stokes throwing in the towel is disappointing because he's already got experience of playing in the Premiership and once fit would've been able to step straight into the team and make a difference, with the others we'll just have to have patience and allow them to adjust to our game and gradually make their mark.

So thats SAL of on loan to Partick.Am i missing a trick here or what?.Few weeks back we had five strikers,now we have two,one whos hardly kicked ball for us and another who whilst doing well desperatetly needs help beside him. I was confused before but now im brain dead.Surely must mean imminent signings.Which means We're gonna have to go through all this again.I really hope to god Gary gets this right.The consequenses if he doesnt dont bare thinking about

I don’t expect any signings but I do expect more going out on loan

We're surely not going to go with what weve got Bertie. Cant fathom whats happened when it looked reasonably promising albeit so early in the season.Guarenteed it wont be a marquee signing if at all but we need to bolster our attacking options to at least give us a chance of staying in this league imo. Worrying times.

We seem to have a policy of persevering with a small (in number) strikeforce. We have been clamouring for back up for Dykes and when we finally get it, we sell him.

We were always going to sell him but I suspect the Covid impact on finances sped that along. The windfall I suspect will mainly be used to ensure we survive rather than be used to bolster the squad.

Sal going out on loan isn't anything earth shattering, he was barely getting a game, maybe Poplatnik will start getting his chance now though, i still think he has something to offer us, from the little i've seen of him.

Sal is a work in progress coming through the leagues very quickly, even LOne is a decent step up for him and should give him the chance to progress again. Still think he needs slimming down a bit and getting his fitness up, this'll be a good move for him to do both.

I'm not too bothered about Sal going to Partick. Ian McCall often seems to get the best out of players. Lawrence Shankland was going nowhere being loaned out to Saint Mirren, Morton and Dunfermline from Aberdeen. He seemed to come into his own under Ian McCall at Ayr. Hopefully he'll do the same with our guy.

I think the club will be on the look out for a replacement for Stokes. I think a loan of a promising youngster from a bigger club would be a good shout. I hope somebody in the club has decent contacts.

Yes, I wouldn’t rule out a loanee coming in... I was ruling out a “real“ signing.

Bertie Bassett wrote:I don’t expect any signings but I do expect more going out on loan

And Crawford is off to Motherwell on loan

Motherwell will soon be our B team the amount of Livi and ex Livi players they're signing. Hope Robbie doesn't do too good a job for them and have them above us, strange one really, think i'd rather have him in the team than Holt.

Aye but Robbie never played for The Rangers.