Fearchar

Bannigan has stood in as left-back, and even kept Sinclair (i.e. Mark 1 version) out of the starting eleven.

BBC ALBA is basically a commissioning and playout channel: decisions on matters like this are made by the production company (in this case, MnE aka Media nan Eilean). BBC ALBA commissions the BBC (Gaelic Department, obviously), MnE and similar production companies to provide the content. The only real exception to that is the links - AFAIK, uniquely in 21st-century European TV, provided by someone on camera. A Stornoway-based employee of BBC ALBA is hired to do these.

Apparently there was a technical problem during the later broadcast. However, the game can still be watched on the BBC iPlayer.

We've had a Kris for some time and recently signed a Kallum. Surely it's unreasonable to put the blame on players when their parents are responsible.

As my progeny no. 1 pointed out yesterday, we seem to have a team that has largely been attractive and successful due to its attacking style, and a formation that is rigidly defensive, leaving a sole striker isolated up front. Surely it's better to devise a formation round the best players we have available, such as the roving nature of Doolan, rather than decide on the formation and then insist on players not playing to take advantage of their various skills. (Bannigan being played too far forward is a case in point.) The results seem all too obvious when you see how few goals we score, either by comparison with chances created or with other teams at the lower level in the Premiership.

Perhaps it's not entirely realistic to believe that we should be putting out a team entirely made up of classy footballers. There's a niggling thought at the back of my mind that if we did in this league, then they would be steamrollered every week by tough athletes more used to playing in the kind of conditions that the city end of the pitch showed towards the end. Sometimes muscular triers like Elliott are needed, especially in Scottish winter weather conditions. As it is, we have the occasional unexpected gem, such as Conrad prancing through the DU team to create an opportunity (where did that come from?) and the odd let-down, such as Taylor not scoring from a clear opportunity. Getting a point against DU isn't a bad result, although their goalmouth threat seems to have withered. It would help our style of play if Gallacher could be persuaded to throw out the ball more often, and to aim his punts upfield at the team he's playing for, instead of trying energetically for distance. He's a good shot-stopper, but those, and his seeming inability to catch the ball cleanly in the box, are weaknesses. At times it seemed that the whole team had to get into the box to block shots- leaving Taylor isolated again. If, for whatever reason, we're not going to play Doolan and Taylor together, would it not make sense to give them starts alternately? Taylor seemed tired before the end of the first half; if Doolan had started energetically, bringing Taylor on later would have made more sense.

[Tongue firmly in cheek!] If we have a defence that can keep a clean sheet against the likes of St Mirren in gusty, muddy conditions, and have a forward pairing that is capable of getting control of a high ball quickly (Doolan due to working at it and Taylor due to his height), why do we need control of midfield to win?

It's surely a bit difficult to defend Craigen by arguing he's more of an attacking type when he hasn't actually scored for us this season. It was mentioned some time ago (not in this thread) that the players' ratio of goals to shots was low. Now that (it seems) the worst of the defensive frailties have been sorted out, I wonder if some attention will be paid to getting more goals.

To be fair, despite a potential red card for each side, he didn't seem to get much wrong in very poor conditions with end-to-end play. On at least one occasion, the assistant referee didn't keep up, but that's hardly the referee's fault.

There's a Gaelic saying that a good story is worth telling twice, but it doesn't mention over and over and over again. That doesn't take away the value of the story, though: it's a good summary.

This. Leaving the most talented player in the squad mouldering on the bench is crazy. In fact, it's the kind of approach that threatens relegation. Oh, wait.....

Exactly. Why was Craigen not taken off instead? There's a bad smell.

Really weak at the back in the first half - vulnerable to every cross that came in. Gallacher well worthy of his place, although his idea of distribution is a punt up the park to no-one in particular. If St Mirren had a worthwhile striker, we'd have fared worse. When Doolan finally came on, he was fighting for scraps, and the obvious supplier of through balls, Erskine, had been taken off.

Today he provided the creativity in midfield. When he came off, only ATS provided any.

"Sublime pass"？ You're having a laugh！ He missed a sitter and had a shot (unusual, I know) straight at the keeper. The usual performance of passes away from his own team and dithering in ineffective positions was also evident.

Looking out this morning, seeing rain and hail spattering off the ground and hearing it battering the windows, it struck me that perhaps we aren't forgiving enough. We watch young men going out into the teeth of weather like this to earn a low wage for a few years, in order to entertain us, although they're working in conditions that would persuade many of us to snuggle lower under the bedclothes and take the day off. So what, if Jim Goodwin pulls off another magnificent save or Conrad does just enough to put off Aero's clearance and let the striker through? These aren't really important events in the grand scheme of things. Let's just be thankful that these stalwart men are out there in the wind and rain just to entertain us, and give them the applause and encouragement they're due.

Funnily enough, I feel exactly the opposite: injuries can't be predicted, and can disrupt a small squad. However, the "bad luck" excuse has long since been overworked by so many ineffective managers that it just betrays thoughtlessness. It is worth considering that the fragility of Welsh and Osbourne was predictable, though: that's part of the reason that the club could afford to sign them. Apart from Welsh's medical condition, O'Donnell has a pacemaker, for goodness' sake! Big clubs won't take on risks like that, but our club can offer an opportunity to players like that to prove their worth.

Taylor also needs a rest. Doolan would be a better option at this time and with these attacking midfielders, especially Erskine.

The Greens have come out with a press statement reproduced below. Perhaps it's not just the exclusion of fans from decision-making but also the suspicion that the joint-stock model of a 19th-century company isn't really the best model for the future of football (or, indeed, other sports) clubs. Administration and even liquidation certainly bear that out, but is the Greens' suggestion preferable? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MEDIA RELEASE SCOTTISH GREEN MSPs For immediate release 23 January 2014 GREENS SET OUT PLANS TO PUT FANS IN CHARGE OF FOOTBALL The Green MSPs have today submitted proposals to give football fans the first right to buy their clubs. Alison Johnstone, Green MSP for Lothian and sport spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, will bring amendments to the Scottish Government's Community Empowerment and Renewal Bill, which Ministers are consulting on until tomorrow (24 Feb). The party's plans are based on the "right to buy" principle established during the rural land reform process, a principle the Scottish Government's legislation seeks to extend to urban land. The first amendment would extend the scope of the Bill beyond land and physical assets to include clubs' membership shares: important as grounds are, it is these shares which give clubs the right to play in the various leagues. Beyond that, the party proposes a number of additional measures to empower fans' trusts, including the right of first refusal when clubs come up for sale, the right to buy a proportion of the shares where they cannot afford the club's full value, and eligibility for Scottish Government funding support. (1) Alison Johnstone MSP said: "Too many Scottish football fans have gone through painful cycles of boom and bust at their clubs, where irresponsible owners run up unsustainable debts in the pursuit of short-term glory, or even simply fail to pay their taxes. Hearts, Rangers and Dunfermline supporters are just the most recent to have been put through the wringer. Quite simply, enough is enough. "Greens believe fans' trusts are most likely to be the most responsible and successful owners for their clubs in the long term, and they should not be treated just like any other buyer for a club. The international examples such as Bayern Munich and Malmo show how well fan ownership can work, just as it already does at Scottish clubs including Clyde FC and Stirling Albion." Paul Goodwin, Head of Supporters Direct Scotland, said: "Community and fan ownership must not be seen simply as a last resort; but as a viable and sustainable route for clubs to adopt. There are of course recent high profile, and impressive, examples of supporters and communities coming together effectively to save their clubs at a time of extreme difficulty, but those are not the only circumstances when fan ownership is appropriate. "There are many other clubs who have either moved into, or are progressing towards, a model of increased community and fan involvement in their clubs without the spectre of doom staring them in the face. At this time we are working with Annan Athletic, Ayr United and Motherwell which demonstrates what we believe to be a new dawn for Scottish football. As we can see in different parts of the world, this model can bring real and positive change to a club and to the communities they are part of." Alison added: "The Community Empowerment Bill is headed in the right direction, but we believe it should go further. Giving communities across Scotland greater control over the assets they rely on is essential for this country's happiness, economic success, and to boost equality. "For Greens, that doesn't just mean land: it means the full range of services that communities depend upon. Football is as good a place to start as any, given the key role clubs so often play in local economies and for local identity. We know these plans are ambitious, but we hope to secure Scottish Government support for the principle of fan ownership, and we will seek to work with Ministers to ensure the most practical and effective legislation possible." Notes 1. The full proposals from Alison Johnstone are available here: http://www.scottishgreens.org.uk/publications/ Jason Rose Head of Media Scottish Green Party The Scottish Parliament 0131 348 6360 07500 792995 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for your dispassionate comments, Billko.

Will you please stop reading my mind?

Armand2 is right, but there is a glimmer of hope: Archie finally subbed his favourite, Craigen. Maybe, just maybe, Archie is going to have an epiphany: if it isn't working, change it.

The soft centre that was our midfield was just gobbled up by a very average opposition. All right, there are problems with injuries and suspensions, but not having a midfielder that can tackle consistently? The favouritism shown for so long to Craigen is inexplicable: he cannot tackle, often makes bad passes (although not alone in that), doesn't win the ball in the air, doesn't score, doesn't assist. Is there no beginning to his talents? Even Elliott (a similarly weak midfielder) seems to practise combining with SOD, although when he came on he looked lost away from the right wing. My impression is that for weeks on end the midfield has been expanded to five players in order to cover the weakness introduced early on. To compound the harm, our most talented player, Doolan, has been dropped to the bench in favour of a more physical type of striker. (There is a real threat that he'll get fed up with this and look for a transfer to somewhere where he's appreciated.) This doesn't suit the team, since they collapse in midfield and then just panic in defence, punting aimless long balls forward in the (usually vain) hope that someone - anyone - will pick them up. At any rate, we saw last night that Taylor could be just as isolated up front as Doolan has been in previous outings; there was little goal threat until Doolan came on to the park beside Taylor, although by that time Taylor was dead on his feet (entirely predictably after the last outing). Erskine taking the ball past opposition players helped to provide some space and a threat in the box. Unsuccessful managers usually defeat their own teams by convincing themselves of their own prejudgments instead of paying attention to the results: Archie very much looks like a man doing this - determined to play Craigen in midfield regardless of the lack of return. The team is paying for it in points. Happily, Archie eventually subbed Craigen this time: so perhaps the message that this league is delivering is finally getting through.

Banking. Actually, politics, PR, advertising - in fact, anything involving the old boys of certain fee-paying schools. It's not what you know, you see.

[Original comment: It does seem that this season, unlike the last season, a number of players are running out of steam before the 90 minutes are up. Has there been a change in the fitness and diet regime?] I'm not convinced by this argument, Yoda: firstly, it's still a 90-minute period, and any additional running required can't be so very much greater within the same time limit, and secondly, I'm suggesting that the "mental fitness and toughness" isn't a cause but perhaps the result of some change in the purely physical side of preparations, viz. the eating and the exercise. Of course, it may not be, although comments have been made about at least one player's apparent beefiness.