Apparently there has been a massive feud at SPL club Heart of Mithlodian (a club I've long had a soft spot for) and face the daunting prospect of having to play half a season with academy kids. The majority of first team players have't been paid (or aren't being paid on time) and are looking at walking out on the club to find pastures anew. Hearts, to prepare for such an eventuality, loaned out a heap of players to Scottish League clubs in an attempt to gain them match experience for what would be a tough SPL season. An unnamed dressing-room source said: "As far as we are concerned, we all become free agents on January 14. "We wish it was all over but now it has gone on this long most of us are hoping they don't pay up before then because we just want out. "Myself and a lot of the boys would like to walk out now. "But if I do then there is a chance they could take me to court for breach of contract. "But if we wait the 90 days, then we can go to FIFA and hopefully they will agree we can terminate our contracts. "There's no way they should be allowed to get away with this and, in any other walk of life other than football, they wouldn't. "But the SPL and SFA have just sat back and watched it happen. "We'll be lucky if no one has a house seized by the bank. Everyone talks about fair trade and civil rights but we are Romanov's slaves." [The Daily Record] You can read the full article here. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/footba...ary-walkout-over-unpaid-wages-86908-23629273/ Wonder if we can make use of this....Andrew Driver and David Templeton are both brilliant prospects (the former being English) and both can play on the wing or as a second striker. No doubt this would put a lot of PL and Championship clubs on alert, but there are a fair few players there that would improve our squad and if we can get them for free, it leaves cash for other areas which might prove to be more expensive.
Burnley wanted Driver a lot a couple of seasons ago. Have seen Templeton have a couple of good games on ESPN. He looks a tricky winger. I'd consider the quality of the opposition though. I doubt he's any better than Robbie Brady, for instance. That said, it's pretty hard to gauge Scottish players. Some look great and do nothing down here, others without a reputation come down and achieve big things. I don't think there are a fair few we'd be after though, I've rarely been impressed by their collection of Eastern European tat.
People always knock Scottish football, but the level in the top half isn't too different to the Championship. There are players up there like Frasier Fyvie, Murray Davidson and Chris Humphries who would be an attractive prospect to Championship clubs who haven't got a lot of money to spend, but if promotion comes into it, would also fit the Home Grown rule.
I'm not a knocker. Some good players come from the SPL. I just think separating the good from the bad is difficult. They don't even have to come down south, some players struggle to step up to the level required at Celtic and Rangers. Someone like Willo Flood is a good example. There are some genuinely good players in the SPL and then there are a lot who are flattered by the poor defending of the opposition. Look at someone like Scott Vernon. Third division player in England, scores goals at Aberdeen. Or Jon Daly. Grimsby Town to Dundee United. Heard good things about Robert Milsom at Aberdeen. Remember reading about him in the programme when we beat Fulham away in 08/09. They had high hopes for him but he had a serious injury as a youngster. He's getting good reports at Aberdeen now.
One of my daughters lives near Edinburgh and I have seen him play for Hearts a few times, quite impressive too. I have spoken to someone at City about Templeton. They are aware of him.
even mark hateley scored goals in scotland. that says it all. didnt leigh jenkinson play for st johnstone in the spl?
Stuart Elliott came down from Scotland and did well but Duffy and McPhee not so well, very hard to gauge players from up there.Bit of a gamble but if the price is right worth a punt, shame about Hearts being in financial trouble though thats a fine old traditional Scottish team
Stephen McPhee was born in Glasgow, but played almost his entire career in England, other than one season in Portugal, where we signed him from.
Oh thats right he did come from a Portuguese team thought he was playing up in Scotland but me memory aint what it used to be
We don't want more Darryl Duffys or Paul Hunters on our hands, Elliot did great for us but mostly in the lower leagues
not a good situation and the rules do allow such actions with fifa approval. dont want any of there players here as they are simply not good enough,. SPL is a joke league. i am sure enough SPL clubs will take them all for free when the time comes. just a good example of more bad foreign owners. lump that along with the guy at Pompey now.
The home grown rule also applies in the Championship, we have to have 15 homegrown players in our 25 man squads (not including the U21 list, and it's just spaces reserved rather than requiring 15, we can just have 14 if we only have 24 players). Scottish based players don't count as homegrown. It's only players who've had 3 years prior to their 21st birthday (or by the end of the season including their 21st birthday) registered at clubs within England and Wales (and it's only including Wales so that the Welsh clubs in the English leagues can have a youth setup). I'm not playing the racism card, but there's no need for the word foreign as though it's a contributing factor. There's just as many shoddy British owners, just since I've been going to games Lloyd, the Sheffield stealers, and Bartlett with Duffen compared to our only foreign owners in the form of the Allams.
And he's now been dropped by them because he's said he doesn't want to play for them anymore. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/16231285.stm
Andy Driver is a skilful player but has had a few injury problems, Knee, Heel, muscle etc. He is contracted to end of June 2014 and it would be a gamble because of the injury problems to pay a fee. Probably worth up to £2m in the market when fit and free of injury "threat". He is a left wing but can play right wing or left midfield. Said to be a good crosser of the ball.
