Lin1876

I'd take that every day of the week. I remember reading somewhere that Archie is pretty much in the coaching/management team already, so I suspect he'll slide in there when he stops playing. He can keep going for a while yet as far as I'm concerned, though. He's been fantastic in recent matches.

I suspect around 65-70 points will win it this season. The top 3 have pretty much cancelled each other out and Falkirk/Raith/Livi/Hamilton will have a big say on who goes up. Having said that, we absolutely must target full points against the promoted sides, both at home and away, and minimise our losses against everyone else. A win over Morton will help too!

That's the difference between the top teams and good teams. What Morton do isn't pretty, but it's effective, which is pretty much the opposite of what Livingston do. Onto our match, the McGovern incident was 50/50 and Lawless was just unlucky to be on the wrong end of it. As for the Erskine tackle leading up to their goal, I screamed "foul" when it happened and stand by that, but if it was the other way I'd say it was a fantastic tackle. On another day, Lawless would be fine and the foul would have been given, but that's football. Erskine's second... what a goal, gets better every time you see it! Up there with Forbes' screamer against Dunfermline and I don't say that in vain.

Forbes and Erskine are both frustrating players because of their inconsistency, but you play them every week because when they come good the team will play well. Forbes' passing, powerful shot and set piece delivery (it's so nice to feel that a corner or free kick might lead to a goal) make him a threat, while Erskine is a joy to watch when on song. His finish today was worth the price of admission alone!

I think I must be the only one who though that McGovern didn't do much wrong? I really hope lawless is OK, but I saw it as a 50/50 where Lawless came off worse, though I'd like to see a replay. Having said that, the referee had horror show, and screwed both teams. Anyway, that was well worth being frozen to be bone for. We scored 4 goals and would have scored a couple more without some inspired goalkeeping. I think much of the problem with Falkirk is that their entire attack involves getting the ball to Lyle Taylor and letting him do the rest. While he is their standout player (seriously, no-one else even comes close), it's pretty easy to snuff out. Erskine, Balatoni, Archie and Bannigan all stood out, while Sinclair and Fox were also good. Murray was good in the first half but stood out for the wrong reasons in the second. Like many here, I'm not sure what he adds besides experience.

I was going to go along to that one too, but I woke up and realised the train I needed to catch would leave in 10 minutes (I had a late night), so I stayed at home. What you've said is pretty much what Albion Rovers fans I've talked to have been saying, though it's slightly concerning that Scully still looks nervous. As far as I can gather it's a question of when, not if, they win the title, similar to Ross County last season. They'll be great competition in the Ramsdens final.

Good news. I've felt for a while that Scully would benefit from going on loan so this is his big chance. As for the new guy, I don't know, but you must have some talent to compete in the NextGen series. Good luck to the both of them.

I suspect that's true for most teams. Swings and roundabouts, it evens itself out over time.

It was to meet the old SPL requirement of 10,000 seats. I heard they're planning on moving to a smaller place at some point, but don't quote me on that. We could, and probably should, have buried the game, but I think that would have been harsh on Livi. Absolutely cracking strike for their first goal, there isn't much you can do about those. edit: excellent highlights again from LiviTV.

I would argue that if we want to win the league we can't afford NOT to have a player like Forbes. He's an important link in the team, as he gives Paton and the defence a logical target to aim at, and he can then pass it on to an attacking player like Craig, O'Donnell or Erskine. It's an approach which doesn't always work, but that flair he has can be lethal. His set-pieces are pretty handy too.

I'd miss this weekly round-up if it stopped. Attendances elsewhere are something I always used to check myself out of interest. Something I will add is that Queen of the South had over 1600 for their game against Arbroath. I can't imagine Arbroath brought many down, so that would be very healthy in the 1st division. Having said that, crowd sizes are relative. It depends on the opponent, the size of the team, its catchment area, current form and a million other factors. Okay, so today's crowds were "poor", but when none of ourselves, Dunfermline or Falkirk are playing at home, that's to be expected. edit: it also seems a number of fans travelling to Livingston and Dumbarton were affected by Queen St Low Level being closed this afternoon at travelling time. I can't imagine it made a huge difference (though it is the main route from Glasgow to Livingston North), but certainly worth noting.

It's the same mentality which saw the referee being singled out in the Morton match -- someone always has to be blamed, and Welsh is the scapegoat today because he got sent off. Sure, in both cases the blamed factor played a part, but the fact of the matter is that we're not quite good enough at the back and wasteful at the front, and that's been the case for a few matches now. Also, to pour petrol on the Forbes debate, I'd like to say I'm a fan. People moan about him not getting into tackles and not tracking back, but that's not his job. Paton and Bannigan are the engines in the team, whereas Forbes is the creative force. I can't comment on his performance today since I wasn't there, but he was sorely missed at Airdrie. edit: it helps to make sense

Especially at this level, form will ebb and flow and teams will drop points. It's life. This is evidenced by all three top teams having dropped points lately and being within two points of each other. Like the saying goes, form is temporary, class is permanent. I think we have plenty of class, so keep faith.

I think our low yellow card count shows we're not a dirty team, but there have been too many players being careless when they're on a booking. Ignoring the last man sending offs (that's just a part of the modern game and will happen to all teams), and Paton's red against Hamilton, I think that covers almost all of them. Maybe some players just need to think twice before lunging in.

In fairness, I think he genuinely made a mistake. I say that because in the heat of the moment it's quite easy to forget about what's happened, even if it happened a few minutes ago. Let's give the guy a break -- by my recollection this is his first sending off for us. As for those calling for him to be fined, I think a fine should be an absolute last resort to deal with a player who simply isn't getting the message, not for a first offence, especially at this level. If it was Paul Paton, who always looks to be in danger of talking his way into a booking or worse, then yes, but not here. Anyway, I wasn't at the match, but from what I've heard a draw was fair, even if the nature of it was a kicker for us. Considering we have important players either missing or struggling, I don't think we can be too upset with that, especially since most of us would have taken a draw going into this one.

I read a statistic that Albion Rovers would have something like 7 points more than they currently do if their matches finished in the 89th minute, so it could be worse!

I hear he was booked twice, the first time for dissent, though I wasn't at the game so can't comment further.

I wouldn't say he switched off against Raith, he was just done for pace, which is always a risk when you get to his age. He was excellent against Morton and good against Airdrie, so if he's up to another match there's no reason not to give him one. However, I can see a fast Livi team running rings round him if we leave him on his own at corners. Anyway, I think it would be interesting to play Bannigan or Sinclair at RB, and I think it would be a better option than playing Paton or Muirhead there. However, if we're going to need Bannigan in midfield (likely), then Muirhead is the next best option. He's no SOD by any means, but he can still contribute something from there.

It's an SFL match report, though I'm surprised the league are using that kind of language when there's such a long way to go.

All we need is for Raith to grab a goal at Dunfermline and a good day will become a great one!

Not unexpected given how little game time he's had this season. I think this will probably be his last season with us.

Paul Paton said on Twitter he didn't think it'll be on. Given the amount of rain due tomorrow, I'm not holding my breath.

I'm inclined to agree. We can tolerate bad results, but the attitude stank against a team we should be absolutely hosing. When you pay money and get that, you're within your right to voice your displeasure. Having said that, I didn't boo them off (I came close though), but when the full time whistle went I just stood up. I'm willing to applaud valiant failure, but not that.

I think that's our problem. When this team gels it's amazing to watch (5-1 vs Dunfermline, 7-0 vs Airdrie), but it's not happening often enough right now. Too many players aren't good enough for enough of the time, and it says a lot that Paton and Archie, two of the most experienced heads in the squad, are the ones who are consistently best during this slump. Compared to Morton, our highs are higher but our lows lower, as one would expect with a young team. It'll be a fascinating run because it depends who can maintain the highest level for longest.

I'm told that bringing a Capri-Sun (or any similar container which wouldn't do any damage if thrown) is absolutely fine if you like that kind of thing, as are sandwiches. The flask is your only problem.