Bleeding Gums Murphy

Thought Stevenson played well yesterday but on the fitness thing, I'm not sure the team look as fit as they were last season. Maybe just me this time. For me, Welsh further forward doesn't work, nor does Bannigan.

Not sure if this is aimed at me as well as the obvious others but I'll bite... This 'stoicism' thing that you're maybe suggesting that certain folk should be. Correct me if I'm wrong, football is s business & to be successful in business you have to have a good product. If the product isn't what the customer wants then they won't buy (or in the case of football, they won't turn up). If the person charged with making your business a success on a day to day basis isn't coming up with the ideas or is costing your business money. What happens? Football is a cut throat business these days & there is no such thing as loyalty for players or managers. There's not one person at the club (players/management & perhaps even the financial director) who wouldn't move to a bigger club as soon as they came calling with more money. Loyalty in football amongst players/management/chief executives long gone. The only loyalty shown is by fans. But hey, Alan Archibald a nice guy, club legend & kept us for a couple of seasons so that makes him exempt from criticism? At the end of the day, it's nothing to do with living in a throwaway society or being stressed. PTFC is a business & those running the business will look at it far more coldly & calculating than any fan. We're already losing money, unless Alan Archibald turns it around over the next few weeks then, as has been said by others on here, the PATG will start to find something else to spend their hard earned cash on- especially true on run up to Xmas & Janusry. ETA: Fearcher said in 5 lines what I said in an essay!!

No. I don't think he's going to answer either... I agree m'lady that everyone's expectations different but it was PT who said mine were to high without even knowing what they were. Having said what they were, I'd have thought he'd at least have told me which he thought were to high.

You know what DP? It was the same things I was saying Feb/March. I realise Archibald can still be classed as a relatively inexperienced manager but same could be said for Hartley. I just don't think he's learning. When the opposition have sussed your system, changing one player for another in same position isn't going to have a high percentage of success. He's done tremendously well on a tight budget to keep us in the top league over the past couple of seasons but other teams have sussed us out &, as yet (over 2 & bit seasons in SPL), Archibald has shown an inability to change things. That's why I think the next 3 games are crucial. Nothing changes in terms of results/performances then ultimately we may have to look at changing the manager.

Do you honestly believe that? Our plan B will revolve around a defensive right back? & which of my expectations are to high?

You still haven't said which of my expectations are to high? As for it not being the manager's fault? Whose fault is it then? I actually agree that it's unfair to expect him to click straight away BUT if the manager wants to play the same system where our fullbacks provide width & crosses then why sign Gary Miller? Hes s good solid defensive right back but ask any St Johnstone fan & they'll tell you his game is that, not getting up & down the park all day long. That's not a criticism either by the way. He's a victim of the system the manager persists in wanting to play. So whose fault is it we signed a right back only to decide he's not what's needed a month into the season?

Ahhh, good old selective quoting but I still don't see a criticism or a player/players. What was the context of that whole post? If I didn't make it clear, I'll explain it again. Archibald's inability to change/play any system other than the one we've used over past few seasons. The same thing his master being criticised for at DU. Teams have sussed us & when plan A not working we don't have a plan B. Example yesterday when Hartley brought on the boy down their left probably to attempt to stop Dumbaya getting forward as much as he was. Then he puts on a second striker taking off a midfielder. Meanwhile, we use our subs & system stays same. Come on, be honest. When Dundee scored yesterday, you weren't confident that we'd get something from it? You don't expect to go down with a whimper again though. So... Which of my expectations were to high?

Who are we talking about here? I haven't criticised any player.

That's ok then. We were 'unlucky' yesterday. Plucky, cuddly Partick Thistle. Oh wait....

You're right. I shouldn't expect my team to have more than one shot on target at home. Or for the manager to change things when we're losing. Or expect them to perform better at home against a team from the lower league. Or set a team up to have a go at a team who had played 1000s of miles away a few days previously. Are my expectations to high that I expect us to win games? Or win home games before the new year? Or win home games against teams that are around us in the league? Or indeed survive in the top league? Which of these expectations are too high?

What's the saying about making your own luck? Point is, how many times have we heard that? Are we really that unlucky that we can't hit the target on 1 on 1 or when you have a free header 8 yards out or when the centre half/left back slips & can't cover? We were 'unlucky' not to register a home win until Feb/March 1st year up as playing some good stuff. We were 'unlucky' last season in our winless run in the new year as we were playing some good stuff. Confidence a big thing I know, but when a pattern starts to repeat itself as in being 'unlucky' every other week then surely something has to change somewhere? We've now brought in an attacking full back to replace SOD (said on another thread thought Miller unlucky but all to do with us wanting to play a system. Predictable much?) & a replacement of sorts for Higginbotham in Muirhead. So... The manager has the players he wants to play the system he wants. So... If (& already said big IF) it doesn't click in next 3 games against teams that you would think are around us, then something else has to change. Like I said, I don't think we're at crisis time yet, I just think the next few weeks will define the season. If we continue to be 'unlucky' then something has to give IMO.

Think the next 3 games before the next international break the key. As it stands, Ross Co & Motherwell are 2 teams we would consider (on paper) not to have a better starting 11 than us. They're also teams that you'd expect to be in bottom 6. If ,still a big IF I know) we lose both then the DU game at Firhill becomes it. I think if we are winless by then, then a change of manager has to come. He's beginning to sound like his friend at DU by saying we were 'unlucky' & hinting we're going to give someone a going over soon. This wasn't a good Dundee team but their manager proactive, changed their system & won the points despite us having the maj of the ball & better chances. As I said, next 3 weeks crucial. We're on the verge of crisis time but not quite there - yet.

Definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over & over again hoping for a different result.

This. & although he did well today, the signing of Dumbuya highlights that further. Miller was a good solid defensive right back but didn't offer as much in wide positions as SOD. So, instead of changing formation to try something new, we show everyone we have a new attacking right back where we'll try get balls into box from. Booth I've said before awful defensively & can't cross the ball without hitting first man 90% of time it seems but yeah Fearchar I'd agree with everything you've posted. Genuinely think Archibald incapable of playing any other formation which ironically is exactly what the DU fans are saying about his predecessor. It looks very bleak for us just now & I think other teams in the league have sussed how we play. Then when you consider that the replacements signed for players we've lost in past couple of seasons are on the whole inferior it doesn't look good for the immediate future.

He was, for me, far & away our best player in the first half. Thought the front 4 were very good in their movement & positioning first half & Dundee's best chance of scoring looked like it might come from our mistake rather than them creating (ultimately it did). Also think it was no coincidence that when he started to tire was when we started to lose our grip on the game. As for the subs, notwithstanding fact that Amoo 8 McDaid awful, surely Muirhead should've been first off? His legs had gone. Lawless, tho not brilliant, was more involved in the 5/10 minutes before he was subbed than he'd been in previous 60.

Did we only have 4 subs listed? Thought that was a little strange unless Seabiscuit due to play & laddered his tights at last minute again!! How did the trialist play? Was it still Ronaldo? Any ideas?

Well if the Daily Record said it....

Go on then... I'll stick in a £10.

It was a Killie fan in work that pointed it out to me. had his contract cancelled by mutual consent by Huddersfield yesterday. He was hoping it was Jamie Hamill!

If the story I've just been told it looks like seeing signing going to be a wide player- Adam Hamill- so maybe that points to Miller being back up centre half.

I'm not keen on bringing Balatobi back. Like others have said, he turned his back on a contract & has touted himself, unsuccessfully so far, around numerous clubs. That said, from what I hear the Ronaldo kid with the u21s has been good for one mistake in the 3 games he's played for development squad & Seabiurne a waste of a wage. Injury prone &/or disinterested. Perhaps beggars can't be choosers re Balatoni. We'll see what today brings.

So Seabourne withdrew because someone in for him? (Please let it be true) or he's ripped his tights again?

If a deal does go through down South it has to be before 6pm. Hopefully we have target/targets lined up with the cash & an extra 6 hours to complete deals.

Like to see him as the link player off Pogba. Stevo coming in off the left.

Run out of likes for the day Mad Aussie but for once we're in agreement. I'm not going to call for the manager's head just now. I'll be interested to see what happens before the window closes but pretty obvious we need 2 players in to give us some hope in final third. Amoo following Ecclestone & Mukendi in ex Liverpool duds with jury still out on Pogba still but regardless whether him or Doolan (maybe even both) up top they need some help. Yesterday at times Pogba was 20/30 yards ahead of our midfield. We need a link player (Stevo?) & a wide player if the manager (Alan to yourself Mad Aussie