Totti

Well done 'wabashcannonball', you've pasted an article that I myself have posted on this forum several times. Your point? As for Boyd, it's not 'end of'. Modern strikers need to do more than just score nowadays, look at Drogba, Villa, Rooney, Torres as ideal examples. Boyd cannot play on his own up front, which has become the most common tactic in Europe. He cannot hold the ball up, bring others into play or take on players and create his own chances. I certainly want him to sign a new contract as he bangs in the goals against poor opposition in the SPL. Boyd isn't a champions league level player though. Then again, neither are the rest of our squad pretty much.

The problem isn't tackling. The stats actually show we have a higher tackling percentage. The key stat is simply possession. Sevilla pass pass pass. We hoof hoof hoof. Tackling and defending isn't the problem, creativity and working as a team is. Simple. PS - Calscot, still at it I see. Nobody is expecting us to mount a challenge for the champions league but we should be getting more than 2 points ffs. A manager who can get us passing the ball around would be a start. Let's not forget Gordon Strachan, a manager with limited ability, took a mediocre Celtic side to the last 16 of the CL twice.

Sevilla aren't a big spending club either, they made it where they are today because they have excellent infrastructure, with I think near 100 scouts all over the world. Compare that to us. Sevilla sell a player and have one waiting in the reserves or youth team. I really wish 10 years ago our board did one thing right and spent money on long term things like coaching, scouting etc. At the same time though, nothing should come as a shock to anyone. We've been pish for years. We might have been winning trophies domestically last season but our performances showed the quality we have. Being played off the park by Falkirk in last year's Scottish Cup Final was a clear indicator of our level.

Aye, to be fair he should have got more credit for finishing third that final season.

What did he do with Scotland? Ultimately didn't qualify and got embarrassed to Georgia. Getting Birmingham promoted when they're probably the biggest club in the division that year is hardly a huge achievement. He got them relegated in the first place. You clearly have a very short memory if you can think about him in any positive light. Did well with Advocaat's team then when he brought in his own players it was a complete disaster. People forget how bad things were.

What deal? What the hell are you on about? Smith might not be doing great but never would he have us end up third in a 2 team league. Neither are good managers but McLeish is a particularly abysmal manager. We seem to have gone off the original argument somewhat, I guess that is your intention. The original point is that McLeish wanting Boyd really does not prove anything. McLeish has a track record for signing countless pish players. No amount of cost cutting or budgeting accounts for signing players as abysmal as Jeffers, Ostenstad, Capucho, Emerson and co. Birmingham appear to be doing quite well at the moment. Looking at his prior record though, I would suggest this is typical of McLeish. He does well in the first 2 or 3 seasons then everything will go pear shaped and the fans will be calling for his head. He is a woeful tactician and an even worse identifier of talent. How many times did O'Neil rip the pish in succession again? Also worth noting in his first season Birmingham got relegated and last season had some very patchy form despite being deemed as certs to go straight up. Argh why should I bother, I'm arguing with an idiot and he'll only bring me down to his level and beat me with experience.

There have been many pish managers in the premiership. I presume you're fishing. Being the boss of Brimingham City means absolutely nothing.

Yes, because McLeish is known to only sign the very best in the business.

Not so well against defences of any quality.

They obviously didn't watch him play

Surely nobody offered Boyd 50k a week. That's crazy

I don't think there's too much point dissecting what comes out the club because 99% is BS. I just felt that if any negotiations had started then Boyd would definitely know about it. Also, you'd think that if anyone asked him he'd speak to his agent before commenting. Then again, we have some daft and conflicting comments coming out the club all the time so who really knows. My money's on Bain speaking shyte personally...

What do you think

I'd remove your email mate

If Boyd was being offered a new contract by Rangers his agent would immediately update him. We aren't a complete club of jokers. Come on, any top flight footballer these days will be getting constant updates by agents at the slightest sign of a change.

Few years ago I'd have probably gone apeshit at the idea but I'm at the point now where I couldn't really care and if it made money for the club then fair enough. We need to do something. I'd happily call the stadium the Sega Microsoft Google Whore-Dome if it meant serious cash injection and an end of watching shyte. I think Ian said in another topic that maybe the reason it was brought up at the AGM was to test the waters and I agree. Nobody has mentioned this idea for ages so why would it be part of the agenda? Would be typical of Murray. Say one thing do another.

shivers.spine.up

You're joking yeah?

He's open to a loan move to another premiership club, which makes the topic pretty irrelevant. He'd probably sooner play in any English league than the spl and will have no shortage of admirers in the prem.

To be honest you might not be too far off the truth...If there's one thing the baffoons at our club are quite good at it's being sneaked and coy.

A year or 2 ago I'd probably not be bothered but nowadays with Europe an irrelevance and our finances the way they are, it's good news.

So we go over there and lose (very likely) and end injuring some of our key players (possible). What the fuck is achieved then? FFS, just have a look at any other side in the CL this week who don't have anything to play for. They certainly will be resting players. It's time we became more forward fucking thinking as a football club and stopped acting like retards. Between now and the 19th of Dec we have 4 football games and Wed should be a rest.

Neither Novo or Fleck are really out and out strikers. They both try and drop off a main player. Having two players working similar positions together doesn't work - just like Boyd and Lafferty. Partnerships need variety. McCulloch in central midfield, or on the pitch at all for that matter?

I have to admit that I watched this game pretty hammered and was still up from the night haha but I thought Beasley did well when he came on and simply having width on the park seemed to change things. Beasley is no Messi but you don't need world beaters to come on and make a difference against sides as pish as Falkirk. With the right manager we could easily build a side that could hammer the gash in the SPL in a nice passing manner.

It's beyond just a lack of creativity though. We can barely keep the ball for more than 2 passes at a time. That's the most alarming thing about this team yet nobody in the media seems to say it.