Fearchar

Although Bundesliga Highlights is worth watching (although it would be nice if ITV could hire commentators that didn't use English pronunciation for German words), as a presenter Isabella Müller-Reinhardt surely takes the biscuit: she manages to be so emphatically ill at ease to the point that she sounds incompetent in both English and German - and frequently mixes the expressions in both.

Surely Son of Joe was not unknown for sticking out his bahookie into a centre back behind him?

Apart from not taking opportunities from open play, it's a bit of a concern that not one of 11 corners looked as if it would end in a goal. These are usually the opportunities for Conrad and Aero, but they have also seemed a little hesitant at the back. That may be down to knowing what some of the referees are like, though; under normal circumstances, if a game is dominated by one side, you expect more fouls to be committed by the side under the cosh, yet according to Willie Collum (dis)honours were even!

"Plucky losers", I hope.

I can't help feeling that we missed Conrad Balatoni's aerial dominance (although Cowdenbeath, fortunately, didn't pump too many high balls into the box), and that Gabriel Piccolo may actually be the best option as a replacement for Sean Welsh, rather than at centre back.

Scott Fox was my man of the match - and that's not a very good sign. The team seemed to gel and then showboat when they were 2 goals up: it seems that nervousness is still a problem, making them stop playing in the way that's best for them.

Believe me - that was the good half. The first half was largely head tennis, with a few punts up the park: truly dire. If we don't take full points off both teams this season, there will be something far wrong.

Short report from the Edinburgh derby (Sunday 11th August): 1st half largely head tennis, with a few punts up the park to no-one in particular just to keep the crowd awake. 2nd half a few odd (some very odd) passing moves, largely from Hibs, with more piggy-in-the-middle played among 3 players close to the touchline from Hearts. A few anxious dives from Hearts to ensure free kicks. Finally, a cross from Hearts with some suspicion that the Hibs defence had gone inside for a cup of tea. An explosion of happiness from the Hearts support, perhaps indicative of relief that something like football had actually happened near Gorgie Road this season. Funnily enough, I also got the chance to look over Archie's shoulder at his notes too: Hibs can use space when it's available, but apart from their goalkeeper they have no defence. They have a useful Irish centre-forward. Hearts just love head tennis: they won't have enough concussion by Friday to cause them any problems, but they'll be confused by passing moves on the deck, which will be a novelty to them.

For most of the game, Thistle dominated. County looked like a tired rehash of typical SPL footballers - give the ball a few taps, take it forward a few feet and then punt it in the vague direction of a strapping big athlete from the same team. It's dull and is made to look even worse by a young, alert, passing side. The fitness levels of this young side seem to be extremely high; not every side at this level could keep up so much movement. Part of it is down to really high morale and firm commitment to the team. Top 6 by the end of the season: you saw it here first.

My feeling about the Ayr United game was that Osbourne seemed to be playing in the third team on the park: he constantly tried to compete with Forbes in particular. It doesn't seem right to blame Forbes for being asked to play alongside strangers, or for being out of sorts when the positions he's used to are disrupted to accommodate them.

There was a lackadaisical attitude tonight that was rather worrying, with various players dwelling on the ball for far too long. Perhaps it's time to rethink some approaches - not because we're not Barcelona, but because Barcelona can now get systematically taken apart by a solidly organised, skilful team. Sometimes it's easy to see that the Scottish game is out of touch, when players (and fans, admittedly) find it so easy to forget that the only cross or corner that's worth anything is one that ends with the ball in the net. The success rate of crosses is very low by comparison with the success rate of on-target shots, which is why most top-class European teams only rarely use them, and in addition we no longer have the kind of presence in the penalty box that Son of Joe offered. So our team can put in any number of crosses and only rarely will they pay off enough to make them worth the effort. Why are we not playing more through the centre, and varying it with a few long-range shots? Ayr United, coming from a much lower level, could do so and give us a fright or two.

Since Billy Dodds has also predicted that we'll only be kept from the drop by Hearts, it must be a cert that we'll get into Europe.

Indeed, excluding the support of the Jags Trust for the club from official communications, even where it's significant (e.g. medical treatment for Stevie Lawless) is adding insult to injury - in the form of not giving shares to the Trust as was publicly agreed by the club's board. If sticking to your word between clubs is desirable, then should it be even more so within the same club? It would be open to the board to renegotiate, especially since it obviously has the whip hand (rather like Dundee United!), but ignoring the Trust smacks of petulance, and in the circumstances comments about other clubs leaves the board open to charges of hypocrisy. (A change in the makeup of the board does not remove duties to stand by promises.)

I really fear that the apparent exclusion of a major shareholder (the Jags Trust) is short-sighted and storing up problems for the future. Whatever the cause, it's introducing avoidable conflict into the heart of a corporate environment.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/romanov-claims.21260429 Supposedly in hiding, probably in Russia, with a warrant out for his arrest for illicitly removing funds from Lithuania.

All the more reason for appreciating Doolan's commitment to the Jags: he has signed up for another two years although he was being kept out of the team for much of the past season and his thoroughly professional approach to his game (he's constantly striving to improve his skills) must have earned him offers from elsewhere.

For some reason, I thought that perhaps Martin Hardie had made an impression on Chris Erskine, either by encouraging him or by riling him. That was just conjecture at the time, though.

Elliot got past players using his speed and his tenacity and looked the most likely to create something: twice he crossed low across goal, but no-one was there to tap it in. If Doolan cannot shift up a gear and ensure we score against the likes of Dumbarton, there have to be questions about his capability of making the step up - as a striker, at least. Maybe his ball control would be better applied in an attacking midfield role. In general, it was surprising that in a match designated to testing players' abilities to score against a successful First Division counter-attacking side (since their change of manager), more of the players didn't step up to the mark and ensure they'd get on the scoresheet. The closest to scoring was Sinclair! Forbes looked washed-out, and none of his free kicks near goal was on target. Lawless was getting pushed off the ball, although he did create problems for the opposition at times. A great run to the end of the season, though.

For everyone watching most of the games, especially away ones, it was obvious that McNamara had no idea how or why to change the pattern of play. Archie's substitutions have all been made to add something at the right time, and the team's general approach has clearly been successful to a degree that McNamara was not capable of: 18 matches unbeaten is a very good record indeed. So the player's assessment is obviously correct.

Surely Balatoni's problem is not to do with weight or speed, but that he turns very slowly. He seems to lose his footing more often than most, too, which may be a problem with the same source; time for a sports scientist's assessment, I'd say.

It seemed to be mostly youngsters, from where I was (in the JHS). Perhaps youthful exuberance can only be expected if we're attracting youngsters to games.

That's a stoater!

I couldn't help feeling that this would be his swansong, by chance with his father's old club. He was a very good signing for us, despite disparaging comments from Ross County supporters; sometimes the club and the player just seem made for each other, and I can't help feeling that this was one of those seasons when this was the case.

A good summary. A few lessons were taught this time, although time will tell whether they've been learned or not. Among others: don't ever treat the opposition with disdain, to the point that you're holding back from scoring. (Surely that lesson should have been learned from Culter and Queen's Park this season!) AndMcGuigan doesn't have the cutting edge of Doolan or Craig: he looks good, but he doesn't have the eye for goal of either, and he doesn't bring others into the game - although that may be down to a reluctance of others to support him. We'll need more cover for holding midfielders. Apart from losing Paton, all three alternatives were injured today, and Craig only came on because Archie spotted that he was essential. Archie's substitutions show a tactical awareness that may yet pull us out of the mire - vastly superior to those of....what was his name again? Part of that was down to Erskine, who won't be here next season; Lawless, in particular, was being bullied physically. Some players need to be told: "Play to the whistle!" Probably over and over again, until they can say it in their sleep. The tendency to look appealingly to the referee is only going to give the advantage to the opposing team. It's childish and unproductive - even where, as for Dunfermline's second goal, there has been a blatant foul. Referees hardly ever revise decisions or non-decisions, and in Scotland only where the deluded and the demented are involved: the players have to realise that and keep up with the action. To be fair, there was a fair bit of aggressive mishandling from today's opposition, but many of our players just passed the ball, got up and got on with it. Keep up this attitude, and this team should be looking for a top 6 place next season.

On listening to a radio discussion about this recently, it occurred to me that everyone mentioned alcohol and football, and some even the name of a club that went out of existence IIRC, but no-one suggested that the real problem is a cocktail: alcohol, crowds and tribalism. Take away any one of those and there's no problem. After all, even if every single supporter of, say, Cowdenbeath or Elgin City were drunk, it's hard to imagine any violence as a result. Since the type of tribalism that affects Scottish football in that way is limited, an alcohol ban could be applied locally, based on police assessment of the risks.