Frozen Out
Frozen Out
Whenever a new manager arrives at a club, he always wants to bring in his own players. This means that a few players appear to be left out in the cold, turning out on Thursday afternoons in the stiffs and checking out advertisements saying "Wanted- Used Professional Footballers". So, who at Fir Park might be considering a change of employers come the summer.
Eddie May - Only a couple of rare appearances since Harri arrived. McLeish quite liked him as a right back where Eddie never really looked comfortable. Occasionally he was allowed to play in his preferred midfield role and while not exactly impressing, he certainly gave a more reasonable performance. I wouldn't be surprised if he moved on in the summer, if not he will be no more than a squad player.
Shaun McSkimming - He established himself on the left hand side of midfield under Eck but has recently disappeared off the face of the earth. If Shaun could play consistently well then he would be one of the first in the team but sadly good performances are all too rare. He was also tried in the wing-back role but as an attack minded player he was never too strong in the defence. I'd be sorry if Shaun left as I feel he had the potential to be a good player but I'd be surprised if he is prepared to play a season in the reserves.
Eric Garcin - Out of contract at the end of the season and I'd be very surprised if he is still at Fir Park in August. A few clubs are interested in him but they could only have seen him on a good day. I think he is another player that is too inconsistent. In the middle of the park, he looks composed, battles hard and strokes the ball around. Outside that area, he frequently over elaborates and sometimes looks uninterested. Harri said that if Garcin played for the team rather than himself he would start every game. This does not look like happening so I predicted that it will be Au Revoir to Eric in the summer.
John Hendry - When not injured, he is just isn't in the team. He made a couple of midfield appearances and actually scored a goal, albeit from a penalty. I thought he looked okay in the middle but he definitely isn't a striker. I think Harri will get rid of him and he'll need to be able to sell sand to the Arabs if he is to get anything like the £200,000 we paid for him.
Dougie Arnott - Ah, if only Dougie was five years younger. I think he is very dangerous when fully fit but I don't think we'll ever see the best of Dougie again. I think he'll see out his contract to the end of next season, get a deserved deserved testimonial before retiring to his Carluke pub. It will be sad to see Dougie go but we do need younger players. Maybe a coaching job will be given to him: he certainly could teach Owen Coyle a thing or two about workrate.
John Philliben - A solid player for several years but I don't think he'll ever be first choice again. I think John will be here next season as I think he can be a valuable squad player and has lots of experience to hand on to Denham and Craigen. John missed out on the cup final so hopefully he will finally be rewarded with a testimonial game. It is long overdue and he definitely deserves a good turnout.
Mickey Weir - The little garden gnome was never popular when he was at Hibs but won over the sceptics with two cracking goals at the end of last season. I think he was a good signing for a season, but I wouldn't be heartbroken if he left. If he decided to try he could be okay, but too often he appeared to lack the confidence to go past players. I don't think Harri is over enamoured with Mickey and I confidently predict he will leave in summer.
So, that’s who doesn't appear to be featuring. Who knows who could be on that list by the end of next season?
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