lady-isobel-barnett

I wouldn't be surprised if the crowd ain't bad but with Morton doing well in the league it was always going to be a decent turn out. As for doing it again if it looks a goer, fair enough, but not this season. That would be totally unfair on many season ticket holders. Anyway three questions.... What genius came up with this Friday night malarkey that couldn't have thought it up prior to the fixture list coming out? Why us as guinea pigs? Why mess about with the fixture that was always going to be one of our better attended games? If it all goes pear shape are we going to be compensated by the SFL? Oops that was four questions

Not often we trump Dundee or Falkirk on a deal . If this works out is it possible rules wise to get him on loan from January onward?

Certainly not before he gets a proper nickname

Did anyone here (I certainly did) wonder what all the fuss was about James McCarthy? Imo McArthur, Easton & Neil impressed far more. I'd suggest if the raw talent is there, even if the guy's not a stand out in our lowly division, then there's every chance the lad could go for a decent enough fee. Suggest it's another semi-nonsense story.

Perhaps the only difference between Levein and a better manager would be he'd manage to get us into the play offs. Might even manage to qualify but we'd probably be humiliated in the group stage. Getting a more suitable manager would be an improvement. Humiliation in the group stage would be an improvement as well but I think we'd be kidding ourselves on in believing that a change of manager would bring hugely significant change in fortune. It's the lack of leaders on the park that's badly missed. Guys who don't have to look over at the bench every couple of minutes for inspiration and instruction. To repeat we've had Scotland bosses before that weren't let's say the "strongest" of managers but have decent track records and many of our best results occurred under their reign. I don't feel that success was all down to playing ability. As Lambie would say we need a few heid cases.

I don't want us to play 3-5-2 unless at least one central defender is prepared to get forward in open play. Robertson might have been that sort of player but appears not to carry an attacking threat. Maybe O'Donnell is that type of player but I've no idea about him.

I'm not that sure that I agree with you, HJ, simply because so many before have crossed what should be the line of no return only to crawl back across again. In that respect Fletcher can call on precedent. Would he be that worse than so many who have gone before him? What I will say tho' is that every time someone returns to the fold and allows himself to be once again selected is a real turn off. He's usually even feted for such a magnanimous gesture something I suspect pisses off so many Scots even further. Myself I'm old school and was happier with days gone by when we'd inexplicably field guys like Frank Munro, Hugh Curran, or Davie Dodds. Guys that shouldn't have been anywhere near proximity of being selected for Scotland but poor as they were would at least have been as proud as punch to play for their country.

Let's hope so, I'm fast losing the will to live. btw how many regular Jags fans will be totally unaware of all these shenanigans? I've spoken to many fans who don't clock in to the official site never mind here.

last few paragraphs may be of interest.

I suppose you would Sorry, I was coming more from the fund raising angle and in that sense I used the word "unified". In that respect the JT seems to be limited given that too many folk, many of whom I suspect would have considerable input re fund raising, have distanced themselves from that organisation. I'm much less interested in the reasons each individual has felt it necessary to withdraw from the Trust than the fact they have.

This is true and it would be fine if we had a fanbase that regularly regenerated and there was a constant stream of Jags folk with new ideas and the enthusiasm to carry out those ideas. Sadly there's been too many gone before and left the Trust for various reasons mostly all negative. Now there's just too many with the ideas, expertise and enthusiasm outside looking in. A while back I believed that a re-branding of the JT with a dual purpose (one arm simple fund raising and the other, for want of another word, the "political" arm) would have worked. Now I feel the Trust is just too tarnished. We've hardly ever been in more need of a unified vibrant supporters association. Clearly the Trust can't give us that unity. Time then to start all over again with a supporters association free of all the baggage.

I'd imagine there'll be a fair amount of folk with ticket who may not turn up.

That's more or less what I thought McNamara said altho' he was generalising. It's not that guys like Bannigan aren't up to it in technique and even physique. It's in positioning/teamwork/decision making etc that's holding up their introduction. 93 days (or whatever an emergency loan spell is) is a short period of time but could make all the difference to the likes of Bannigan when he finally breaks into the team.

The only time we played decent football was in the few minutes after they equalised the first time. We've seen it with the Jags too often of late where we've been uncomfortable holding on to a lead, defending too deep, clueless at closing a game down but you expect more at international level. I fully understand those unhappy with Levein, I include myself, but it's a sad day when a Scotland side doesn't have leaders on the park. Some of our best ever results have been with managers out of their depth but they could rely on strong personalities on the pitch to more than compensate for their failings. I'm not even meaning the likes of Law, Baxter or Dalglish, that's pipe.dream stuff but just one or two players who can read a game and influence their teammates. Our biggest failings used to be players ignoring team instructions and doing their own thing. Grieves me to say but even that sort of cavalier attitude would be a step up from what we had on the park yesterday.

I take it you're saying that tongue in cheek but just to correct you he was near unplayable in the 2nd half against Livingston. Like most I thought he was a great signing. I doubt many would have criticised McCall extending his contract till the end of January. Extending it further was a managerial error as the guy was clearly unfit. To his credit tho' Lovell waived any payment of contract due him. It's sad when any player has to retire early but I imagine Lovell is financially secure.

Shades of our game with Dundee when a linesman isn't consulted and the ref who must clearly be in a worse position gives the penalty. Can anyone really believe that both the ref and the linesman both saw Wilson get even close to the guy who dived? The Dundee comparison of course goes further when not much later we're denied a penalty. I've only spoken to one guy who was at the game and he agrees with the televised view that the Czechs on performance were worthy of a draw. That's not the way games are decided,as we only too well know from three of our four league games this season, so we've every right to feel aggrieved tonight. Oh, and another thing, can anyone of an age imagine those two late decisions going against us at Hampden in a crunch match in the 60s or 70s?

Anyone know what's the average age of a Clydebank granny?

How different in substance and effectiveness is the current Jags Trust from the days when Gordon Peden was the JT rep on the PTFC board? Anyone?

Strongly disagree with above. The time for such a moderate approach has long passed.

I wish I had thought of that

Found the recorded thingy very interesting and illuminating. I attended more than a few McCall nights and got the impression there was more attention to detail in Jackie's answers. Just as McCall was refreshingly like night and day when compared to the Bunnet's onwards and upwards spiel, I feel McNamara's up a notch or two on his predecessor. That doesn't necessarily make Jackie a better manager, McCall delegated well for instance, but he certainly comes across as a good judge of player. If you want to be pessimistic you can refer back to comparison with the Whyte/Britton days but I don't see it that way. McCall to his credit left the Club with a decent infrastructure. If Jackie is critical of certain aspects of the youth coaching it's only possible as we now actually have a youth structure to improve on. If our current youngsters have to be nursemaided that wee bit longer before they're ready for the big bad first team so be it. If we come thru this season distancing ourselves from the bottom of the league and still playing the way McNamara wants it will be a major achievement given there's no teams that could be described as relegation fodder. So far he's impressed with his approach but I guess that's the easy bit.

If you're referring to my post I was meaning we shouldn't be experimenting with the one fixture that would likely have brought us the largest Saturday gate. I wasn't suggesting games against Ross Co or Queen of the South. Livingston, Raith or Hamilton would offer less of a risk financially.

Take your point and personally it will make little difference whether I attend or not as I've a season ticket. If I was pay at the gate I'd most probably still go along but I'm still against the notion of Friday night football. I wouldn't stay away deliberately as a protest against it but would be annoyed if my grudging attendance was taken as an endorsement of Friday night football. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the turnout is relatively respectable but I'd put that down to a combination of novelty value and tolerance for a one off venture. Football at our level is crying out for change and a huge majority of fans have come out in favour of larger leagues. I don't recall any swell of opinion re KO times yet the SFL choose to ignore what the fans want and come up instead with this crap. Playing about with the one fixture that comes closest to a derby match as an experiment is crazy. If the fixture was reversed would more of us go to Cappielow on a Friday night than a Saturday afternoon?

Thanks, Admin. As I said it wasn't a facetious question. I've been assuming that if you direct a question to the "Club", and it's answered, the person doing the relying will be David Beattie or the reply at least will be sanctioned by him. After today I'm not so certain that David Beattie and the "Club" are synonymous .