Signings

Not so according to Gould

Halliday, Griffiths, McNulty and Scougall didn't get any first team games, in fact they were all released from Rangers and Hibs for being deemed not good enough. Not saying Halkett is of a similar quality to them but goes for nothing that he hasn't played in the first team.

Halkett will probably be signed for cover in defence with Sives & Cole having a long term injury and some of our defenders close to the suspension points tally. With Millen released we hadn't any defensive cover if Neill, Gordon, Gallagher, or Longridge got injured or suspended.

What? JS making sense? Surely not!! Kidding JS - but only just

Whatever our board decides to accept but why is this young boy going to leave us where he sits on the bench for a premiership team where he will sit on the bench in crowd at reserve games?

If he goes through with this his career is effectively over before it begins

Good on the lad what has he got here No 20s no reserves and clearly not going to be a regular in the squad ,I wondered why he was in squad but it's all clear now the management were touting him good luck I say

One youngster who bucked that trend was James McCarthy of Hamilton who played for them at 16 and earned them a lot of money in transfer fees and sell ons. All the more galling when you think he was on our books as a youngster.

I actually feel sorry for the lad Knox he's been pinned up on a pedestal , if he was that good why did he only get 20 mins in the Scotland games in Bulgaria? I also wonder how many mins he will get today (30 I guess) the lad should really be playing regular football before he considers a move anywhere

Knox was leaving after the game yesterday and being taken by his suitors for a meeting to discuss terms. At least we'll get a fee and some decent add on clauses in the event that he develops as everyone hopes. Good luck to him.
We need to strengthen defensively. Whilst I accept that yesterday wasn't a great game to judge us on, I do believe that the new signings we've made have improved our midfield a great deal. We look more capable of retaining possession than before. I always think that Buchanan - easily our best attacking player - can score and both White and Sheerin will notch a few. But we are so pedestrian in defence and all of the back four are lacking confidence. Presumably Gallagher and Gordon, both booked again yesterday, are on the verge of suspensions. Perhaps the new lad from Rangers can come in - if he has pace then I'd throw him in straight away.

From the very little I've seen of Knox, he's looked very eager and energetic with some decent control of the ball - however, he is nowhere near ready to be playing at anywhere near the top-level down in England, he would just be bullied off the ball far too easily. Granted, the standard of coaching at probably any club in the English Football League is miles better than what we can offer, however, this would surely be negated with his development being sparse at best, getting battered off the ball week in, week out.

In saying that though, I'm not sure here is the best environment for him to develop. As toughatthetop says, there is no U20 side, no reserves, no real stepping stone into first team football. Aye, Hopkin has spoken up about him in recent weeks, and given his past as a youth coach and U20 manager, part of me says that he sees a talent there that deserves to be in the first team picture. The cynic within me, however, feels that his inclusion is all about getting him in the shop window to make a quick buck whilst he's flavour of the month. As orco suggests, James McCarthy is a prime example to youngsters why getting first team games under their belts early doors in their career is fantastic for their development - I'm just not sure we have the set-up at the moment be it in the first team or within the "youth system" to get the best out of young guys like Knox.

According to daily record we are interested in Aberdeen striker 18 year old Scott Wright

Telfer looks confirmed - reported as a done deal on STV.

This was the young lad that left Rangers and went to Dundee Utd but United ended up having to pay Rangers £205,000. Dundee United had originally offered £50,000 for him, Rangers rejected it and offered him a new contract, he knocked back the contract, left Rangers and signed for United but the whole deal ended up going through court because of the player development rules.

Was certainly well thought of at Rangers and seemed to have a fair bit of potential.