2018 Summer recruitment

[Red Zone]

We have a number of options.
Who are you dismissing?

Attacking midfield - GMS / McGinn / Wright / Ferguson / Forrester / Ross - Again plenty of cover and allowance for youth to develop. Anderson and May can also drop in here.
Some are already complaining about Forrester, but I'll be prepared to give him time / see if he's still recovering from pre-season injury

Striker - Wilson, May, Anderson Cosgrove - Plenty options for 1 spot and potential for game-time to develop Anderson further.

It's not about options of square pegs in round holes or any old poor quality player in a red shirt, it is about having the right quality of player to win the big games that will win a cup. I agree we are pretty well covered for defense. My real concern is with our attacking options. Taking your list in turn

GMS - first pick so good
McGinn - not been the same player since come back and currently injury prone
Wright - out for two months
Ferguson - great player but not an attacking midfielder
Forrester - could be wrong but looks out of his depth so far
Ross - good potential but can he deliver over a prolonger period? Maybe or maybe not
Wilson - completely unproven but failed to get into a fairly ordinary Sheffield team
May - looking better but 6 goals in 39 games shows he won't be a 20 a season striker
Cosgrove - patently not a goalscorer and most likely will never be of AFC required quality
Anderson - see Ross above

I challenge you to argue that we are sufficiently well off from that list to score enough goals to deliver what we want this season. Giving people a chance is fine but it's a long list of question marks (other than GMS), which I would argue is maybe fine for a Motherwell type team but no use for a team that wants to challenge at the very top of Scottish football.

[Don_Corleone]

GMS - first pick so good
McGinn - not been the same player since come back and currently injury prone
Wright - out for two months
Ferguson - great player but not an attacking midfielder
Forrester - could be wrong but looks out of his depth so far
Ross - good potential but can he deliver over a prolonger period? Maybe or maybe not
Wilson - completely unproven but failed to get into a fairly ordinary Sheffield team
May - looking better but 6 goals in 39 games shows he won't be a 20 a season striker
Cosgrove - patently not a goalscorer and most likely will never be of AFC required quality
Anderson - see Ross above

I challenge you to argue that we are sufficiently well off from that list to score enough goals to deliver what we want this season. Giving people a chance is fine but it's a long list of question marks (other than GMS), which I would argue is maybe fine for a Motherwell type team but no use for a team that wants to challenge at the very top of Scottish football.

I agree with your assessment...

GMS is a class act if he can stay fit and on form and is played in the right position. McGinn I think still has a lot to offer - maybe in the no10 role rather than out wide as he looks a bit slower these days. Wright has great potential at no10 I feel, but unfortunate timing with his injury. Correct, Ferguson is not a no10. Forrester has obviously failed to impress McInnes. Ross looks decent but got a feeling he's going to be the next Cammy Smith - he'll forge a reasonable career but it'll be bottom end of SPL or division below.

Up front, again I agree pretty much - May is looking better but other than the tap in he scored v St Mirren he still doesn't look like scoring. Cosgrove won't score and selecting him dictates that we play horrible, ineffective football. Wilson is a big unknown - could be great... will wait and see. Anderson looks to have something, but no point pinning too much hope on the lad based on a few sub appearances.

I feel we need another attacking player with a proven track record of assists and goals if we're going to challenge this season - Christie would fit the bill.

[irnbru1903]

The proof will be shown at the end of the season with where we finish but in my opinion it has been a terrible transfer window for us. Recruiting injured or injury prone players is not constructive as is taking in players who will be off in a season at best giving us bigger headaches further down the line. Seems like we are sealing a hole on a burst water main with a plaster. Not confident at all.

[Red Zone]

I agree with your assessment...

GMS is a class act if he can stay fit and on form and is played in the right position. McGinn I think still has a lot to offer - maybe in the no10 role rather than out wide as he looks a bit slower these days. Wright has great potential at no10 I feel, but unfortunate timing with his injury. Correct, Ferguson is not a no10. Forrester has obviously failed to impress McInnes. Ross looks decent but got a feeling he's going to be the next Cammy Smith - he'll forge a reasonable career but it'll be bottom end of SPL or division below.

Up front, again I agree pretty much - May is looking better but other than the tap in he scored v St Mirren he still doesn't look like scoring. Cosgrove won't score and selecting him dictates that we play horrible, ineffective football. Wilson is a big unknown - could be great... will wait and see. Anderson looks to have something, but no point pinning too much hope on the lad based on a few sub appearances.

I feel we need another attacking player with a proven track record of assists and goals if we're going to challenge this season - Christie would fit the bill.

Completely agree that we need a first pick type player that will play the majority of games and either score or create the better part of 20 goals

[afc1903mad]

What options do we have out wide?
GMs & McGinn?
Wright - out for 2 months?
Ross? - he's not a wide player

You've already answered your own question
Ross played wide against St Mirren and Hibs.
Wright has played there a number of times.
Logan could be pushed forward to RM with Hoban filing at RB
Lowe could be played in LM if required.

There are options, should we need them
Were you expecting us to sign international quality cover for GMS and McGinn?

[rico94]

Someone else who hasn't read the post properly?
You need to retire if you're agreeing with AFCmad1903

I said a "history of bad injuries" OR "niggling injuries"
Devlin & May have missed 3 years between them - thinks that qualifies for "bad injuries"
McGinn has had a series of injuries since he came back - in the last two weeks alone he's been injured in the warm up and replaced pre match, then injured warming up to come on last week....and had a couple of injuries last season when he came back.
Not sure what the argument is to be honest - that's not speculation, just the bare facts?

They both had 1 long term knee injury which kept them out for a year and a half,that doesn’t make them injury prone or have a history of bad injuries.Someone who comes back for a few games then is out injured again and again is classed as injury prone.

McGinn has had a few injuries since he came back,maybe time is catching up on him or maybe he keeps trying to come back too quick.Again though I wouldn’t say he is injury prone just yet.

[rico94]

Completely agree that we need a first pick type player that will play the majority of games and either score or create the better part of 20 goals

We just got rid of one.

[Red Zone]

We just got rid of one.

Yes we did, which will look even more stupid than it already does if we sign nobody tomorrow

[rico94]

Yes we did, which will look even more stupid than it already does if we sign nobody tomorrow

According to some he was pysh because all he could do was score goals.

I would rather have a goal scorer over a striker who can hold the ball up or link up play any day.

[Basingstokered]

According to some he was pysh because all he could do was score goals.

I would rather have a goal scorer over a striker who can hold the ball up or link up play any day.

Yeah I would love to know what some of them would have said about gerd muller he’s crap he only scores Sam cosgrove offers more as we can punt the ball up to him