Reasons for optimism - Quality Needed

[KWJ]

The squad we have going into next season is already comfortably good enough for 5th which is always going to be likely to yield a European place and score a "meh" on the report card. Depending on how we do in the cups it's generally above average.

I reckon Nisbet out is cancelled out by a returning Boyle and continued improvement of Youan while padded with the Doidge and Melkerson and perhaps a late season return of a more experienced Josh O'Connor.

Defence is more of a question mark and as it stands it's asking a lot of Bushiri and another year older Paul Hanlon. Depth needed too if Cadden is to miss months and should Lewis ever fall to a 5-6 out of ten rather than 7. Hopefully we can bring in at least one of Fish or Egan-Riley.

I'd like to hope more of the young boys that haven't been shipped out on loan at the start of the season get opportunities to show if they can provide depth.

The key thing is we can concentrate on quality all over the pitch. 3-5 quality signings that instantly improve the first team should make such a big difference and, depending on what Hearts and Aberdeen do, be enough of an improvement for us to go up the table. 1 or 2 could even be loans to make the impact like Youan, Fish or Aberdeen's Clarkson and loans and free transfers can do any extra padding the squad needs.

We need those 3+ players that will make the difference on day 1 to work. I suppose they were supposed to be Marshall, McGeady and Youan last season. They need to be better this year. Let's see what the new recruitment team have got.

[Alex Trager]

Sorry to bring your positivity down but we have just lost three of the loanees that got us to fifth, KN is likely to go and Cadden is out for the foreseeable.

To stand still we need five players of their quality.

To progress we need more than that.

We will have Boyle back next season so that is a big help.

We need a lot of quality brought in, and we need to be absolutely ruthless in getting players out, if we can.

[theonlywayisup]

The squad we have going into next season is already comfortably good enough for 5th which is always going to be likely to yield a European place and score a "meh" on the report card. Depending on how we do in the cups it's generally above average.

I reckon Nisbet out is cancelled out by a returning Boyle and continued improvement of Youan while padded with the Doidge and Melkerson and perhaps a late season return of a more experienced Josh O'Connor.

Defence is more of a question mark and as it stands it's asking a lot of Bushiri and another year older Paul Hanlon. Depth needed too if Cadden is to miss months and should Lewis ever fall to a 5-6 out of ten rather than 7. Hopefully we can bring in at least one of Fish or Egan-Riley.

I'd like to hope more of the young boys that haven't been shipped out on loan at the start of the season get opportunities to show if they can provide depth.

The key thing is we can concentrate on quality all over the pitch. 3-5 quality signings that instantly improve the first team should make such a big difference and, depending on what Hearts and Aberdeen do, be enough of an improvement for us to go up the table. 1 or 2 could even be loans to make the impact like Youan, Fish or Aberdeen's Clarkson and loans and free transfers can do any extra padding the squad needs.

We need those 3+ players that will make the difference on day 1 to work. I suppose they were supposed to be Marshall, McGeady and Youan last season. They need to be better this year. Let's see what the new recruitment team have got.

Wholeheartedly agree that we need quality rather than quantity. We could name two teams of fringe players who are just not good enough / fit enough.

I'd like to see two creative, goal-scoring midfielders - we can't rely on another season of Newell, Campbell, JDH, Kenneh & Jeggo.

We need a goalscorer - I'd happily take a lesser player than Nisbet, as long as they covert the chances coming their way that should come with Youan and Boyle wide.

We need better at both full-back positions, as well as central defence and goal-keeper.

Our recruitment has to be a lot better, with players who'll make a difference now, rather that kids who may or may not be good players in 2-3 years.

[Smartie]

Sorry to bring your positivity down but we have just lost three of the loanees that got us to fifth, KN is likely to go and Cadden is out for the foreseeable.

To stand still we need five players of their quality.

To progress we need more than that.

We will have Boyle back next season so that is a big help.

We need a lot of quality brought in, and we need to be absolutely ruthless in getting players out, if we can.

Yeah, I agree that some of the departures will take a bit of replacing.

We already know we’ll struggle without Nisbet because we’ve seen how much we can struggle when he’s having an off week.

Fish in particular will take a bit of replacing, but Egan-Riley will too. An argument could be made that Fish’s contribution to the second half of the season has been underplayed - the defence looked much better and I don’t actually know how much more we could expect from a young centre-half than we got from him.

The “adding quality” in the summer is something we’ve been frankly atrocious at over the past 5 years or so. Getting decent sticking plasters in in January we appear to be much better at.

Interesting to see what impact McDermott will have on this all.

[Ozyhibby]

With Johnson’s track record on signings, to get 4 players of quality we will need to sign another 20 players. Worrying.


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[Donegal Hibby]

With Johnson’s track record on signings, to get 4 players of quality we will need to sign another 20 players. Worrying.


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Our track record of signings hasn't been good even before Johnson's time in fairness and maybe thats more down to the recruitments being poor . With the club admitting mistakes had been made in the past and the hiring of Brian McDermott I'm not worried now at all rather more optimistic we will get it right this time.

[KWJ]

With Johnson’s track record on signings, to get 4 players of quality we will need to sign another 20 players. Worrying.


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I saw you listed 20 players on another thread but from my memory some of them had already been signed up - Henderson and Bushiri spring to mind and others were just as he was coming in the door, I doubt he had a big say on guys on lower wages like Jair and from what was said he probably gave the nod on Marshall but that was done well in advance. McGeady and McKirdy strike me as Johnson signings from that first window.

You can't compare a signing like Boyle to Tavares because they have significantly different cost to the club. I'd imagine someone like Cabraja will be on first team wages so he would be a fail, McGeady more debatable because he was good when he played. Get these signings right and we should be in a healthy position.

Whatever is said though, he took only a half decent Hibs team to the brink of Europe which okay.

I don't agree that the squad needs an overhaul or lots of players turfed. Sure, if the opportunity is there to move on the guys that shouldn't be in the first XI come August then take it but I think we just need to build on it with some quality signings. There's always going to be players like Henderson who are needed to fill a squad out, hopefully we can put a few more of young guys in those positions.

[007]

With Johnson’s track record on signings, to get 4 players of quality we will need to sign another 20 players. Worrying.


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Did well enough in the most recent window.

[Unseen work]

With Johnson’s track record on signings, to get 4 players of quality we will need to sign another 20 players. Worrying.


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In fairness

Boyle
Marshall - Debatable at times this season
Myko
Fish
Kuhkarevych
CJ
Youan
Jeggo
Miller
McGeady

Are 10 players who if fit would be starting/coming on as a sub.

10 in a year is not bad a rate of 1 in 2 is probably about right

[WhileTheChief..]

Every manager as far back as Alex Miller has said they would sign quality over quantity!

Never happens.

[Paulie Walnuts]

I saw you listed 20 players on another thread but from my memory some of them had already been signed up - Henderson and Bushiri spring to mind and others were just as he was coming in the door, I doubt he had a big say on guys on lower wages like Jair and from what was said he probably gave the nod on Marshall but that was done well in advance. McGeady and McKirdy strike me as Johnson signings from that first window.

You can't compare a signing like Boyle to Tavares because they have significantly different cost to the club. I'd imagine someone like Cabraja will be on first team wages so he would be a fail, McGeady more debatable because he was good when he played. Get these signings right and we should be in a healthy position.

Whatever is said though, he took only a half decent Hibs team to the brink of Europe which okay.

I don't agree that the squad needs an overhaul or lots of players turfed. Sure, if the opportunity is there to move on the guys that shouldn't be in the first XI come August then take it but I think we just need to build on it with some quality signings. There's always going to be players like Henderson who are needed to fill a squad out, hopefully we can put a few more of young guys in those positions.

Tavares is on a very good wage apparently.

I’d be inclined to believe that as well based on Johnson’s comments on him when he claimed he couldn’t believe we’d actually managed to sign him.

[Onion]

Sorry to bring your positivity down but we have just lost three of the loanees that got us to fifth, KN is likely to go and Cadden is out for the foreseeable.

To stand still we need five players of their quality.

To progress we need more than that.

We will have Boyle back next season so that is a big help.

We need a lot of quality brought in, and we need to be absolutely ruthless in getting players out, if we can.

Just as well other clubs will not be strengthening over the summer and Well, St j, Livi will be just as rotten as this season.