Manager on Thursday
Thursday, 1st Jun 201701/06/17: AJ - "We need to improve on where we have been this year. Obviously the ultimate aim is getting back into the Premiership."
Allan Johnston commented first on his latest re-signing, Jason Talbot. He claimed that it was a good signing especially after how well his team defended during the second half of the season.
"We are going to need that again next year if we are going to be challenging. Jason gives us that, he has experience and a good relationship with the other defenders. Hopefully we can improve on the defensive side again and get more clean sheets because the more clean sheets that we have got then with the quality that hopefully we will have, then we can cause teams problems."
Despite getting on the scoresheet at Dumfries last season, Jason sticks doggedly to his defensive take and his manager sees that as quality given his right sided full back likes to get further up the park:-
"Ryan Williamson on the other side of the pitch bombs forward all the time so Jason gives you a good balance. I thought Jason improved as the season went on last year so I am delighted to get him on board.
"He is one that players don`t like playing against. Defensively he does really really well. Obviously there are bits to his game that we have to work on and improve but there is that about every player. Hopefully he can be a big player for us."
Asked if there was any other imminent signing news the manager had nothing to report other than observing that the hardest part was getting strikers.
"They are guys who make the difference. We have tried to get a few recently but it has just not worked out and other teams have managed to get them. When bigger clubs are looking at players it is always difficult when you are trying to improve on the quality that you have here already. It will take a bit of time, we just have to be patient and get the other targets that we are looking at."
There are still a couple unsigned from last year`s squad - Rhys McCabe and Michael Paton - and the loaned players last season as well but AJ would only say that he was looking at all the options.
"It is that time of year where everybody is taking their time and assessing their options before they jump into anything."
Michael Moffat and Andy Geggan have left to join their former club, Ayr United in League One but the manager conceded that he intends to work with a smaller squad of players than in the season just ended. He expressed his priority as scoring more goals.
"Everybody is looking for goalscorers and guys who are going to change games. We are working hard in the background to bring them in but you have to be patient because you don`t always get the ones you are trying to sign."
The unsuccessful attempts to get out of the Championship by the route of the Premiership play offs, has meant that both Falkirk and Dundee United will be opponents in the Ladbrokes Championship next season. Allan commented:-
"For Dundee United it was a really good opportunity but it now means that next year should be really exciting with a lot of good teams in our division. It is going to be really tight so it is one that we are all looking forward to and we want to be up the right end of the table challenging again.
"We need to improve on where we have been this year. Obviously the ultimate aim is getting back into the Premier League."
Allan Johnston welcomed Friday night`s Betfred Cup draw as a bit of freshness, his only reservation being the early season start:-
"My only criticism is that you probably need more subs and probably trailists at that stage of the season when you don`t have a full squad in place. I would like to see more subs because you are asking boys to play a lot of games in a short period of time. They are competitive games, they are not really pre season games."
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