Ready for business end of season

“I think that we have done good business, the players that we have brought to the club have settled in well but we are under no illusions that we are in a real dog fight.

The dedication of his chairman and staff was praised this week by John Hughes after completing the club’s dealing before the January transfer window closed:-

“We got a bit unlucky on one and got let down on one but we brought five in and it has been a good bit of business. We have done really really well and I’m grateful and thankful to the club for everyone working so hard. It is not me, trust me - I only come up with ideas and names. It is Shirley Stubbs, the secretary and my chairman, Ross McArthur.

“If I tell you the story about Jakub on Saturday, the chairman couldn’t even come to the game. Ross and Shirley were working for four or five hours just to make sure that we got it over the line.

“We are really thankful and grateful that we have these people at the club to make sure that we keep moving it forward.”

Above: Polish goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk arrived this week on loan from Leicester City

Aware that there is still scope to bring in loan players and free agents, the gaffer continued:-

“We are constantly looking and it is all about timing and playing the game. We still want to keep adding to it. We have worked hard creating the money that is available and we still have a wee bit there, not much, that could maybe help us to get another one in.

“Free agents are a great shout because one of the best players I ever signed in football was a guy called Liam Miller, God rest him. I signed him for Hibs and what a fantastic professional footballer he was. He was from that market where he ripped up his contract.

“I think that we have done good business, the players that we have brought to the club have settled in well but we are under no illusions that we are in a real dog fight. We need to keep digging in deep and keep working very hard.”

John explained the agreement with midfielder Iain Wilson (pictured above) to leave by mutual consent. The 23 year old had only made three appearances off the bench this season and had not seen any action since the end of October.

“I really felt for him, I felt his pain at his fitness levels and always injured. He never played much football here for a year and a half. I had to be honest with him. He has seen one or two coming into the team, he came to see me and I said ‘you are probably down the pecking order’.

“He felt that it was probably better calling it quits and taking his chances somewhere else. He goes with all our best wishes. I texted him the other day, I’m delighted that he has gone into Morton and I think that he has got something there. He needs to keep himself fit and we can only just wish him all the best.”

Deadline day rumours about Nikolay Todorov turned out to be just that and John said:-

“We have never had an approach. Big Toddy found himself sitting in the stand on Saturday and he would have been really disappointed. He came in on Tuesday morning and was right back into training. The strikers were all doing individual striking work, he was part of it and he was getting on with it. If he just keeps that going he will have a part to play from now until the end of the season.

“If it’s good business for the club then we would do it. It is not just Toddy, I am talking about anyone who is in the squad if it’s good business for the club. It might be a bit of business that were don’t want to do but it might be too good a business to turn down.

“We would sit down and look at that and come up with a decision that we felt was right then we would go and do it. We might get a backlash if it wasn’t a popular one, we understand that but we have to do what is right for the club.

“There is gossip, rumours and hearsay so when they are here, players need to keep their heads down, keep working away and give everything that they have got on the training pitch. That is my message to big Toddy - get yourself back into that team.”

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