"This squad will struggle in the Championship"

[STEPPS BOY 73,900]

If Mccoist stays in charge and Hearts get their CVA they'll win the championship..

At very best we'd make the play offs.

[Buggleskelly 3,772]

I'm not confident that we'll win the championship next season. Our style of play , tactics etc are horrific.

[Guest]

Depends what happens in the off season. We need to get the boardroom nonsense behind us, get the squad sorted asap, if theres now manager then get one in quick, if not then Ally needs to know his squad and have a plan laid out. A good pre-season behind us and we should walk the Championship.

[Bluenose1980 107]

Think this view point comes about because off the results in cup games against teams in leagues above us in the last two years, could someone put up all results in cup games against these teams, cheers in advance. Good results that come to mind are against Motherwell and and Falkirk but struggling after that.

Were Forfar in the league above us? Or Albion Rovers? It's come about because Ally has taken players like Nicky Law and encouraged them to play lazy football. He has allowed them to treat training like a joke the same way he used to and they take this same casual attitude into games and they have go away with in the league against part timers but when playing full time professionals who take their games seriously they will struggle as shown by Sunday. Raith weren't especially good but they at least had the will to win.

[simon 1,743]

Our team seem to do what they need to and not much else. They scrape through most games, I wouldn't even go as far to say the grind results out. The don't go through the gears because for the most part, they don't need to.

There's a motivation problem.

I think we will win the championship next season, but I don't think it'll be pretty.

It might be better if we had someone different in charge that has a footballing philosophy, someone looking to build a team that'll last instead of buy, buy, buy.

[KBOO72 4,372]

The squad may struggle next year but it will only be because mccoist is still in charge.

He must go, the sooner the better.

[neilstonloyal 186]

We will win that with ease

[UKIP BEAR 370]

Aye,on paper we should win the league easily.

Pity our manager is clueless and football isn't played on paper.

[JR 1,480]

The current squad are more than capable of winning it. We should however, be building a team that can go straight into the Prem dogfight now, not waiting until we get there. That way they have gelled for at least a season.

To do that, we need scouting, investment, tactics, motivation and a strategy.

Unfortunately I don't see much of that available at present.

[glasgow argyle 1,093]

I'm not confident that we'll win the championship next season. Our style of play , tactics etc are horrific.

Agreed, i think we need at least 2 players this summer to compete, i have said this many times on various threads.

i would rather have 2 players this summer, than wait until the following season (IF we get promoted) when we would need at least 5 to compete in the premier.

of course some of the deadwood will have to leave both this summer and next to free up wages for new players, hopefully some with "fire in their bellies"

not like the gutless team we have at present.

[Adoniram 1,919]

Donald Findlay basically said as much yesterday and Chick Young echoes those sentiments in his column in the Daily Star (no laughing at the back) today.

Is it just me who doesn't see where this viewpoint comes from of how anybody can even try to argue it?

Bell, Foster, McCulloch, Wallace, Black, Law, Templeton, Smith, Shiels & Daly were all esthablished top flight players, and McCulloch aside, none of them are what you would consider veterans. Truth be told, most of them should be at the peak of their powers right now.

Then you have guys like Mohnsi, Aird, Hutton, Parelta, Faure & Little who are either not any great shakes or are unproven quantities but when put in context and compared to the standard of players in that league they are probably decent enough, if a little underwhelming.

That's a reasonable pool of players and that's without even considering the U20 team who are currently locked in a battle with Hibs & celtic for their league title, which suggests there are a number of players there too who are at least promising and could play their part over the course of a league season.

As I said at the beginning of this post, I have no idea where this viewpoint comes from. Everybody knows that this lot don't hold a candle to Rangers teams of the past and needs strengthened for going into the SPL, but what we have just now should be more than enough to get out the Championship and it's baffling to me that anybody can even attempt to argue otherwise.

If it was all down to skill then yes but it isn't is it?

Man management

Tactics

Physical Fitness

Will to win/desire

All of the above (and more) are what's required to make good footballers. You also need luck with injuries as well.

Motivation for me is the biggest let down this year as it's pretty evident it hasn't been there. People will say motivation comes from within and to an extent that's true. However you only have to listen to Gough or Goram and the stories they tell of Smith absolutely roasting them at half time and out they would come to win more games than they drew or lost after a terrible first half.

I also have to say that in the brutal light of day very few of those current players would be in my squad for next season.

[Johnny Dangerously 7,562]

No doubt we will lose a few along the way which will have people like me raging, but I also have no doubt that we will win the League. Don't think it will be a stroll but we will get there.

[PRW. 5,631]

The squad on paper should walk this league.

Under the current management team though? We will indeed struggle.

[cumnockbear 2,446]

Deadwood must be axed and a bit of quality brought in if we're going to mount a challenge, ditch this 1 up front and long ball shite and play 2 strikers, Clark being one of them the boy was Britain's top GS last season and still finds himself on the bench, McCoist certainly knows how to ruin talent.

[NixonRFC 1,333]

With the top four clubs qualifying for either Automatic Promotion or a Play-Off place its beyond cpmprehension that we wouldn't finish at least 4th next season, I fully expect us to win it comfortably but if the worst happens and we finish in the Play-Off's I think over the course of 2 legged games we'd havr enough to beat any potential rival

[Brian Fantana 28,894]

next season won't be easy. I can't see any new signings unless some current players go and even then I expect it to be players who are on a free transfer. Get Boyd in and yes we'll win games but we will not have it all our own way. I expect Hearts to be out of Admin and have investment for players so they could be a major challenge if they get a decent manager in. Someone on here mentioned Pressley for the Rangers job - I expect Hearts to approach him if he's had enough with Coventry and he may be the difference if he can get their youth playing ball on the deck football against us.

[STEPPS BOY 73,900]

next season won't be easy. I can't see any new signings unless some current players go and even then I expect it to be players who are on a free transfer. Get Boyd in and yes we'll win games but we will not have it all our own way. I expect Hearts to be out of Admin and have investment for players so they could be a major challenge if they get a decent manager in. Someone on here mentioned Pressley for the Rangers job - I expect Hearts to approach him if he's had enough with Coventry and he may be the difference if he can get their youth playing ball on the deck football against us.

Craig Levein has been lined up for Hearts Job..

[Brian Fantana 28,894]

Craig Levein has been lined up for Hearts Job..

Honestly? fuckin hell, and I thought we had it bad after last weekend..........

[Jack The Flipper 5,936]

Gallacher, Bell, Simonsen, Smith, Kelly,

Sinnamon, Halkett, White, Brownlie, McCulloch , Faure , Smith , Pasca zio, Gasparotto, Perry , Cribari , Ramsey, Mossie, Wallace , Hegarty, Foster, Whiteside, Mohsni,

Walsh, Aird, Black, Jeffries, Macleod, Wilson, Stoney, Hamil, Ndanjong, Murdoch, Peralta, Crawford, Hardie, Dykes, Hutton, Roberts, Mills, Law, Telfer, Gibson,

Clark, Little, Daly, Mckinnon, Burrows, Shiels, Templeton, Gallagher,

Given the squad of players at our disposal and thinking about performances we have seen in the past by these players (what they're capable of)...

Taking into account players who have not been tested in Scotland previously but whom have vast experience elsewhere for example Cribari...

Assuming our youths are of better quality than current championship player youths because of our world-class training facilities...

In my opinion we would walk the championship with a good manager without any kind of injection of new players.

No other team in the championship will have the same amount of quality players at their disposal in my opinion. I'm not saying we have an amazing squad, I'm only saying we have a squad that has far more ability than our upcoming opposition. IF we had a manager whom could use their abilities correctly and allow players to thrive.

[cumnockbear 2,446]

Craig Levein has been lined up for Hearts Job..

They better hope he works for free then cos them skint bastards have no money.

[Goianegra 4,682]

The squad shouldn't... With a decent manager.

[elephants stoned 2,994]

Problem is the management of the players forget about bizzare team selections and subs, awful negative tactics for a min, the players don't fear losing they dont fear Ally and that hurts us. Ally is the same as a manager as he was a player a nice guy but not a shouter or a man who should be relied on to take a grip on things and make things happen. One of the lads and popular but not a leader and that's what we need a real leader who will get things done and if he has to upset players or boot them into doing things his way he will. Ally cant do that and that's what breeds the idea that we will settle for doing just enough or in Sundays case not even doing just enough.

[1st_Jan_1994 4,868]

Struggle with the dugout dud? Yes

With a good manager and coaches? No chance - cakewalk

[scarkev 3,540]

With a decent manager and with better coaching our current squad on paper should walk the championship.

[ForeverBlue_Since91 2,895]

I don't think we will win it. McCoist is still going to be there nothing is going to change.

If he can't get players motivated for a cup final then there no point in kidding ourselves.