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Players Out Of Contract


Jaggernaut
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According to the ET, the following are out of contract at the end of this season:

 

Sean Welsh

• Gary Fraser

• Christie Elliot

• David Amoo

• Mark Ridgers

 

 

Who to keep on?

 

For me, Welsh and Elliot are musts.

 

Fraser: Short-term to see if fit?

 

Amoo: not fussed

 

Ridgers: not fussed.

 

Also there's Bannigan: short-term to see if he can get fit?

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Welsh and Elliot are certs for offers. I like Amoo but he hasn't done it this season. When he is on his game, he is great, but doesn't work hard enough and drifts out of games on a regular basis. Think he will be let go. Again I like Fraser but he basically hasn't kicked a ball for nearly 2 years now so there can be no justification in giving him a new contract. Ridgers will be freed. Think Wilson will be on his way as well as a few of the development squad. One player I would love to see at Firhill is Tony Andreu. He is exactly the type of Albert Craig/Martin Hardie goal scoring midfielder that we have lacked. With Neill having been sacked at Norwich, could be that he might be available in the summer!

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I'm sure we'll offer Welsh and Elliott new deals plus some sort of mutually agreeable contract to Fraser. Not so sure about Amoo. He lacks versatility, which imo is his biggest failing. I question the worth of a player that can only play wide right particularly as we rarely if ever play 4-4-2. Ideally we need a right sided guy who can also cut in from the left. in other words a replacement for Higginbotham, which is probably why we have Banton on loan. Even if Amoo was a better right wing than he is he might still be marginalised given we often play three at the back.

 

I assume Ridgers is just stop gap. Besides he'll need competitive games and we'll no doubt have Cerny & Scully playing in those at the beginning of the season.

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I think we'll offer Elliott and Welsh new deals, and maybe a similar contract to Fraser as we offered Welsh after his two years out. I'm guessing Elliott will defo accept. Less sure of Welsh given midfield competition with Bannigan fit again, but I think there's a good chance he would sign on.

 

Archie quite often says in interviews that he looks to bring in at least a couple of players each summer just to keep things fresh, so I think Amoo will be punted on that basis, and doesn't really deserve a contract anyway.

 

Ridgers would only be kept on if Scully injury is worse than expected, but I don't think he'd want to stay anyway.

 

We'll probably have a couple of defenders to sign in the summer given Lindsay will probably be off and I think Keown will have aspirations of a bigger move.

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What a great position to be in. This is the 1st season I can remember not being concerned that most of our stars may well leave as they are out of contract. And I cant think of any that are in contract ,wishing they werent.

 

I agree with the Arch that we always need fresh blood to freshen up and I'm sure Archie will bring in the right people.

 

Sean and Christy have shown their benefit to the club and proved excellent team players. I wouldnt have advocated this a year ago but give them both new contracts.

 

Sad to see Amoo and Wilson go but I dont think they are quite good enough so new players in for them.

 

Andreu or a player of his type would e great. There must be another Hardie out there possibly in the lower divisions desperate to sign for Thistle. Always liked that guy with the ponytail that was on loan from Celtic at Ross Co. Where did he go?

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In an ideal world Archie would have lined up a replacement for Amoo before letting him go. As said by most I would keep Welsh and Elliot and release the others that are out of contract. If Archie wants to gamble on potential I would think there would only be enough room in the budget for Wilson or Fraser unless he can get one of them out on a season long loan with the cost covered.

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One player I would love to see at Firhill is Tony Andreu. He is exactly the type of Albert Craig/Martin Hardie goal scoring midfielder that we have lacked. With Neill having been sacked at Norwich, could be that he might be available in the summer!

Did they not pay a bit of money for him? Can't see him going cheap, and I'm sure others including DU would pay much better than us I'm afraid

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I'm sure others including DU would pay much better than us I'm afraid

 

Not so sure of that now. They have had to ask a wealthy supporter based in the US to "donate" £300,000 to get through till the end of the season and Thomson has said if they don't get up this season there will be massive cutbacks. Admin apoarently still hovers over the club. Agreed it's a long shot and Andreu will be sought after, but if you don't ask, you don't get. Never thought in a month of Sunday's that we could get Lyle Taylor at Firhill once, never mind twice. Andreu is the type of player we are missing at the club.

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Not so sure of that now. They have had to ask a wealthy supporter based in the US to "donate" £300,000 to get through till the end of the season and Thomson has said if they don't get up this season there will be massive cutbacks. Admin apoarently still hovers over the club. Agreed it's a long shot and Andreu will be sought after, but if you don't ask, you don't get. Never thought in a month of Sunday's that we could get Lyle Taylor at Firhill once, never mind twice. Andreu is the type of player we are missing at the club.

 

Well, a top six finish would make more likely.

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Realise it's just hypothetical but I can't see us being in a position to buy out Andreu's contract at Norwich. True they might not want to hold onto him and can let him go on the cheap but that just increases his ability to ask for better personal terms. I'd also suggest that at 29 he's at an age, or certainly approaching the age, where he would be too much of a speculative signing for us.

 

I share Weebaw 1's opinion that for once we're in a grand position re contract situation. Lion's share of top players are under contract and no big time contracted players that you could describe as a financial liability. Add into the mix Penrice will be returning at worse as a competent understudy for Booth but from some accounts serious competition for the left back/left wingback position. I've been wrong too many times to have any degree of certainty but I rate McCarthy highly. He'll likely have to go out on loan but I wouldn't be surprised to see him as yet another competitor for a midfield slot in the not too distant future.

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What a great position to be in. This is the 1st season I can remember not being concerned that most of our stars may well leave as they are out of contract. And I cant think of any that are in contract ,wishing they werent.

 

Probably need to get two centre backs in, plus I'm not convinced we won't be looking for a new manager.

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Had Doolan not got his 2 goals then Christie was an absolute certainty for man of the match. The centre halves played well, as did Lawless, but Christie was by far and away the best player for us throughout the 90 minutes.

 

He also looked a real threat cutting in on to his left foot when he got forward. He's become the ultimate utility player and it's essential we keep him at the club.

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Fantastic to see Dools get his goals but for me Christie was the outstanding MotM. Saturday's performance must surely make it impossible for Archibald and Maxwell not to offer him a contract extension beyond his current expiry next month. His work rate was phenomenal and his play was always intelligent regardless of where he's being asked to play.

 

Passes were going astray from all of our play-makers on Saturday but I can't recall Christie putting a foot wrong all game.

 

Get him signed!

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Had Doolan not got his 2 goals then Christie was an absolute certainty for man of the match. The centre halves played well, as did Lawless, but Christie was by far and away the best player for us throughout the 90 minutes.

 

He also looked a real threat cutting in on to his left foot when he got forward. He's become the ultimate utility player and it's essential we keep him at the club.

 

Spot on, Ian. It used to be (possibly still is) when someone was referred to as a "utility player" it was a kind euphemism for a "diddy player". Some loyal servant who could play a number of positions equally poorly and only appeared in an injury crisis. Something akin to when Dick Campbell (and McCall to a lesser extent) used to drop the dreaded introduction about a new signing telling us "he's equally at home in a number of positions" or, if a defender "he can play anywhere across the back four". Elliott has brought respectability to the term "utility"

 

Granted Christie isn't the best player at the Club in any of the positions he's been asked to play in. An injury free squad and you'll no doubt find him on the bench. But Archie knows he can trust him to play efficiently in so many positions and often, as on Saturday, at a level way above mere efficiently. Just having Christie on the bench means Archie can for instance select an extra striker, attacking and defensive midfielder. To that degree you could argue that even if Christie's not called upon to play his mere inclusion on the bench could've a positive effect on the outcome of a game. Archie has said he prefers to utilise his budget on quality of squad by trimming numbers. Having a multi-position guy like Elliott undoubtedly helps.

Edited by lady-isobel-barnett
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