Next Seasons Objectives.

[firhillfill]

Next season could be vitally important to us or at least more important than usual in that depending on where we finish in the league, could result in us going up from a league restructure.

 

Obviously, winning the league would be ideal but I don't see it to be honest. Dundee will try and buy the league and there will be a couple of other teams with a higher budget than us as well. Realisticly I don't see us winning it unfortunatly, so where should we be aiming for? Where will we need to finish to be promoted from a restructure?

 

I'd hope that the ambition would be to finish top 3, 4th wouldn't be a disater giving how we've finished this season.

[Woodstock Jag]

Optimistically we have to look to get as many points on the board as possible early on to give us at least some sort of prospect of a title challenge.

 

Realistically, get a solid mid-table finish with plenty of youth involvement and get as far as possible in the League and Scottish Cups, hoping to draw a couple of SPL clubs along the way (possibly a game with the Old Firm, maybe Celtic because Rangers are getting a bit boring).

[Thistle_1876]

Providing we can get a 2 or 3 decent signings on board i think a top 3 finish is a realistic possibility.

[Mediocre Pundit]

For me a season of playing good football, winning more than we lose, seeing improvement in our young players, coming top half of the league and balancing the budget. If this means we finish and don't go up then fine, as long as we see improvement in the club, both in terms of finances and young players coming through. I don't want to see us throwing money we don't have at the hope of promotion (and a subsequent relegation battle that we may not be equipped to win)

[gianlucatoni]

financial stability and survival

[Yellow & Redneck]

I dont know how other people feel about this but I think McCall is looking to much to the future in terms of siginings. E.g. Grehan is a player for the future, Erskine is a player for the future, when Hodge was signed Mccall said that he was a player who would come good in the future.

I say we need decent signings who are playing at there peak, and not players who may/may not come good after a few years. In my opinion the youth system is to be used to develop future talent and not the first team.

[jags on tour]

I dont know how other people feel about this but I think McCall is looking to much to the future in terms of siginings. E.g. Grehan is a player for the future, Erskine is a player for the future, when Hodge was signed Mccall said that he was a player who would come good in the future.

I say we need decent signings who are playing at there peak, and not players who may/may not come good after a few years. In my opinion the youth system is to be used to develop future talent and not the first team.

 

add to that mcnamara,hamilton, shields and corrigan being ones for the future aswell,

[Fawlty Towers]

For me we need to get off to a good start and keep ourselves in the hunt for as long as possible, get the youngsters plenty of first team experience and increase revenue streams whilst at the same time reducing costs where possible so that we break even.

[Jaggyman]

Objectives for me are--- not to go 2 months at home without scoring, more consistency in performances.

[Yellow & Redneck]

Ok, these should be the targets for next season:

 

1) Bring in between 4/5 new players, striker, right back, full back, right mid (No juniors and no SPL has-beens)

 

2) Bring stability back to the management side with a new assistant manager

 

3) Start to balance up the books, easier said than done. E.G. try to get as many through the gates as possible seems all of us have given up on PropCo money seems we dont know whats going on

 

4) Shift the dead wood out: Maxwell, Boyle, Hodge, Corcoran, Paton

 

5) Try to get as many of the youth players into the Snr team. As far as I can see we have one of the best youth set ups in the division but we simply dont use it

[Steven H]

Ok, these should be the targets for next season:

 

1) Bring in between 4/5 new players, striker, right back, full back, right mid (No juniors and no SPL has-beens)

 

Can't afford it and if we did do this then point 3 wouldnt happen, unfortunate but thats life. McGeough is potentially a good right back and Burns might just be good enough as a 4th striker so if we get a right mid and a left back (assuming Boyle is moved on) that leaves the goalkeepers position to be filled. If we get that we've done well.

 

2) Bring stability back to the management side with a new assistant manager

 

Completely agree.

 

3) Start to balance up the books, easier said than done. E.G. try to get as many through the gates as possible seems all of us have given up on PropCo money seems we dont know whats going on.

 

Completely agree.

 

4) Shift the dead wood out: Maxwell, Boyle, Hodge, Corcoran, Paton

 

Disagree with regards to Hodge and Paton, both have flaws to be worked on but both also have good aspects to their game.

 

5) Try to get as many of the youth players into the Snr team. As far as I can see we have one of the best youth set ups in the division but we simply dont use it

 

The first 'cycle' (IIRC) of youth players are only just now ending their 2 year apprenticships and we have signed 3 of them on full -time contracts, there are another 3 or 4 prospects who are at the end of their first years (Burns, Campbell, Bannigan, Lochhead) so its looking good on that front.

 

Like others have said, a bit of financial stability, a mid/top half league finish (with no relegation scares) and developing our youth system further.

 

MacBeth has looked good every time I've sen him and he slotted into the 1st team without any real difficulty...alas I dont think we will be seeing too much of him tho, bigger and better await for that young man.

[Mediocre Pundit]

MacBeth has looked good every time I've sen him and he slotted into the 1st team without any real difficulty...alas I dont think we will be seeing too much of him tho, bigger and better await for that young man.

If so, good. Not only will we get some money for him (should he sign a decent contract) but moving young players up through the youth teams to the senior team and, if applicable, onto bigger and better things, is what we should be doing. Do that and we'll also get more promising young players wanting to join our youth structure. Win/win.

[MerryHell]

Sorry to be depressing here - IMC thinks this seasons finish has been about right (and perhaps a bit higher) in terms of our budget for the season compared to the other clubs in the division. IMC has a reduced budget for next season. Raith and Ross County should benefit from their SC runs - should we be worried?

 

On the plus side, i've seen us soooo many times this season where all we are lacking is the goals. We do play good football the majority of the time, if we can get the scoring side of the game sorted, we should be pretty near the top of the table.

Here's hoping anyway.

[lady-isobel-barnett]

Be difficult to set out our objectives till we find out about SPL reconstruction if any for the following season. If there is how will that affect our division ie will there be SFL reconstruction as well?

 

If as some are predicting there could be two clubs promoted to the SPL (with no relegation from SPL) next season then I'd imagine not just Dundee but two or three other clubs may throw in some silly money to try and finish in the top two. If that's the case unpopular as it would be I don't think we should set our sights much higher than mid table. If reconstruction is on the go and there's maybe play offs for 2nd promotion spot then that's a different matter. We really have to make sure we're prepared for that. the revenue from one or two bumper crowd play off games would justify a slightly higher player expenditure.

Failing a no play off scenario, if we see some quality throughput from the youths (first signs are encouraging but still too early for real confidence)then I'd be content with a 50pts plus mid table finish.

[Mad Mull Jag]

On the park we must as a minimum get top 4, even if reconsuction doesnt go ahead, it guarantees us a bye in the scottish cup and seeds us for 1 round of the league cup.

 

Ideally a will push hard for the league but that willd epend on who comes down, best case scenario is Killie as they will be most effected by relegation.

 

Off the park, we have to look at financial stability and plug the gaps in the budget- how we do this i dont know

[John Blutarsky]

Sorry to be depressing here - IMC thinks this seasons finish has been about right (and perhaps a bit higher) in terms of our budget for the season compared to the other clubs in the division. IMC has a reduced budget for next season. Raith and Ross County should benefit from their SC runs - should we be worried?

 

it's neither a case of being depressed nor worried. it's simply a fact that the rule is leagues will generally run from the top team being the one with the highest budget to the team that's relegated having the lowest. sure, there are exceptions, like our double relegation year or last year when we punched above our weight. if mccall can unearth another buchnanan, harkins and twaddle then we could punch above our weight. if not, we will probably finish about sixth.

[jags365]

For me a season of playing good football, winning more than we lose, seeing improvement in our young players, coming top half of the league and balancing the budget. If this means we finish and don't go up then fine, as long as we see improvement in the club, both in terms of finances and young players coming through. I don't want to see us throwing money we don't have at the hope of promotion (and a subsequent relegation battle that we may not be equipped to win)

 

On the park we must as a minimum get top 4, even if reconsuction doesnt go ahead, it guarantees us a bye in the scottish cup and seeds us for 1 round of the league cup.

Ideally a will push hard for the league but that willd epend on who comes down, best case scenario is Killie as they will be most effected by relegation.

 

Off the park, we have to look at financial stability and plug the gaps in the budget- how we do this i dont know

That went so well for us this season...

[crazy davie]

Sorry to be depressing here - IMC thinks this seasons finish has been about right (and perhaps a bit higher) in terms of our budget for the season compared to the other clubs in the division. IMC has a reduced budget for next season.

I can't believe differences in budget will play much of a part unless they're HUUUUUUUGE...!!

[uberteeb]

I want to see all the youngsters be given a proper chance to show what they can do. MacBeth should be starting ahead of Hodge, McGeogh ahead of Paton, Doolan/Grehan/Burns ahead of Donnelly, Erskine ahead of Corcoran and so on.

 

If we want to be really financially prudent all we really need is a young centre back and a new left back. We need a back up keeper but we'd be as well not bothering and putting one of the young ones on the bench and getting an emergency loan in if we absolutely had to.

 

Hopefully we have the ability to cull some of the diddys McCall has signed up for next year to free up a wage to get in free transfers on solid 1st division players in their id 20's.

 

And if anyone shows any interest in McCall he should be got shot of, sod the compensation.

[lady-isobel-barnett]

We need a back up keeper but we'd be as well not bothering and putting one of the young ones on the bench

Tuffey fair got your back up

 

I like to see the youngsters get a chance asap and not wrapped in cotton wool but I'd make an exception for goalies. Don't like to see them thrown in the deep end to early in their careers as their confidence can be too easily shattered. Scully looks like he may have a wee bit of growing still to do in any case.

[yoda-jag]

I want to see all the youngsters be given a proper chance to show what they can do. MacBeth should be starting ahead of Hodge, McGeogh ahead of Paton, Doolan/Grehan/Burns ahead of Donnelly, Erskine ahead of Corcoran and so on.

 

If we want to be really financially prudent all we really need is a young centre back and a new left back. We need a back up keeper but we'd be as well not bothering and putting one of the young ones on the bench and getting an emergency loan in if we absolutely had to.

 

Hopefully we have the ability to cull some of the diddys McCall has signed up for next year to free up a wage to get in free transfers on solid 1st division players in their id 20's.

 

And if anyone shows any interest in McCall he should be got shot of, sod the compensation.

 

Uberteeb, stop talking so much sense, you'll be a in with a shout of being Thistles next manager if you aren't careful.

 

I've been wanting to see the young ones and those we have signed up for next season being given a decent run of games in the first team since, och, about January when it was clear we were on a downward slide and no matter how much Dundee ballsed up, we were never going to be the ones to take advantage.

 

Glad likes of Burns, Grehan, MacBeth and McGeough (and Dooooooooooooo-lan) FINALLY made some appearances in last few games but IMO McCall should have been utilising these and others much much earlier this year, instead of persisting with players who were not going to be here next season or were simply not deserving of wearing the glorious redandyellow.

 

One overwhelmingly necessary objective for next season for me, is for McCall to work out Plan B, C, D and however many other tactic/formation changes it takes to combat and beat opposing teams, as all too often we have seen him start and finish and game with Plan A, and is seemingly unwilling (or unable?) to change things during a game.

 

If we are to retain so much of the core of this seasons squad, McCall has to realise opposition teams and managers have long sussed how to play against these players and way McCall sets out the team, so lets hope McCall can become much more tactically adept (before AND during the game) - coupled with a few new signings and the energy and enthusiasm the young lads display, we could well see an decent improvement next season in performances and results.

 

If McCall can't implement an alternative plan, mix things up, out-think the opposition, and change the way we play, then I fear for many more 1 and 2 nil defeats next season.

[manchesterjag]

For me a season of playing good football, winning more than we lose, seeing improvement in our young players, coming top half of the league and balancing the budget. If this means we finish and don't go up then fine, as long as we see improvement in the club, both in terms of finances and young players coming through. I don't want to see us throwing money we don't have at the hope of promotion (and a subsequent relegation battle that we may not be equipped to win)

 

What he said

[uberteeb]

Uberteeb, stop talking so much sense, you'll be a in with a shout of being Thistles next manager if you aren't careful.

 

I've been wanting to see the young ones and those we have signed up for next season being given a decent run of games in the first team since, och, about January when it was clear we were on a downward slide and no matter how much Dundee ballsed up, we were never going to be the ones to take advantage.

 

Glad likes of Burns, Grehan, MacBeth and McGeough (and Dooooooooooooo-lan) FINALLY made some appearances in last few games but IMO McCall should have been utilising these and others much much earlier this year, instead of persisting with players who were not going to be here next season or were simply not deserving of wearing the glorious redandyellow.

 

One overwhelmingly necessary objective for next season for me, is for McCall to work out Plan B, C, D and however many other tactic/formation changes it takes to combat and beat opposing teams, as all too often we have seen him start and finish and game with Plan A, and is seemingly unwilling (or unable?) to change things during a game.

 

If we are to retain so much of the core of this seasons squad, McCall has to realise opposition teams and managers have long sussed how to play against these players and way McCall sets out the team, so lets hope McCall can become much more tactically adept (before AND during the game) - coupled with a few new signings and the energy and enthusiasm the young lads display, we could well see an decent improvement next season in performances and results.

 

If McCall can't implement an alternative plan, mix things up, out-think the opposition, and change the way we play, then I fear for many more 1 and 2 nil defeats next season.

 

The bottom 3 paragraphs of your post show why Ian McCall is not a good enough manager for us. Since his time here he has been unable to implement a plan b and make the right substituions at the right time. He also can't work out how to counter other teams threats whilst they easily do it with us.