lady-isobel-barnett

Ah well another one slips through the net. Just out of vague curiosity, who is this footballing plumber?

Kinda along the line I take. I buy a season ticket but effectively it's the same thing. If the Club were to reduce gate prices from say £17 to £12 (approx 30%) yer man in the S & G isn't going to knock 80p off a pint and the pies aren't going to be 50p cheaper. Bus/subway/train fares are still going to be the same and likewise you won't see a 40p reduction in petrol exclusively for Jags fans. Thus an afternoon out that costs you around £40 becomes £35. If you can't afford £40 you as likely as not can't afford £35 either.

Well not Paton. Or certainly not just now. He's signed a one season extension along with MacBeth

Great pics as always, Jim

Welcome aboard, redhulk 44 . As to ticket prices being too high, you'll not find anyone on here disagreeing. In fairness our prices are about average. I think only Dundee and Morton buck the trend. Dundee are £19 and altho' Morton are cheaper than us, on a like for like basis they too are taking the piss. The other thing to point out is our £17 in some way subsidises the kids for free initiative. So in practice a parent taking an under 16 in will still cost a total of £17 and obviously if he/she's taking more kids to the game the value for money aspect increases. In those instances we offer far better value than other clubs. Sorry if that sounds like an endorsement for charging £17 entry but worth mentioning if you're comparing us with other Div 1 clubs.

I've no complaints about the ref tonight. Always feel it's the sign of good refereeing when you don't notice him.

Yes, he welland truly will.

I see the SPL have postponed the vote on a 10 team league. Nowhere near getting the necessary 11-1 in favour. Just typing the above brings home how ludicrously football is run in this country. They need 11 of their clubs to vote for a 10 club league.

Not a real grumble because I noticed it myself but I think the notice of pitch inspection for this afternoon is getting pushed too far down the home page. If you just go on the official site for a cursory look it would be easily missed. In my mind that's real news and should be displayed atop of on going pieces we've probably all already read. As I say in no way a grumble, I think the site has improved no end, just feel it's a bit cluttered and thus easy to miss a bit of hard news.

Is that not been closed for some time?

Just out of interest where is the nearest bookies to Firhill? An away fan asked me in the S & G and I sent him way down to the foot of Possil Rd. So there's a bookies closer to the ground. Where?

Bad? That's really tow pathetic.

An excellent idea . At the end of each season we could always take stock of the situation. Ah, but if the fans can't see the game not many would turnip.

When you see that in black & white it doesn't half tell a story. That's sixteen goalscorers in all. Dismiss Paton, Kinniburgh & Balatoni as goalscoring is not their priority. Forget about MacBeth, Fraser & Campbell as novices and that leaves ten players. Of that list of ten I'd say as a forward Doolan's 14 goals is more than decent and similarly Erskine, only occasionally started as a forward can be happy with five. Of the midfield Flannigan's four is acceptable but Cairney, Hodge and Rowson with four between them is woeful. Similarily woeful are Buchanan's six month return of five and two goals apiece for the two other front line players (Grehan & Donnelly) just as abysmal. Boyle, a player with little priority as a goalscorer, could easily end up our PotY even if he'd never scored a goal. So of the ten I make it only three players that can be satisfied with their goalscoring this season (Doolan, Erkine & Boyle), one maybe reasonably pleased (Flannigan). Forget about Buchanan and that leaves five players (Grehan, Donnelly, Hodge, Rowson & Cairney) with a measly total of EIGHT goals between them. The case for the prosecution rests, M'Lud.

Aye that maybe so but I can just imagine if you had an avatar who we'd be subjected to. No doubt it would be the chairperson of the Apostrophe Protection Society or Gyles Brandreth from Dictionary Corner.

Coming to think of it I did read somewhere that he shares a flat with Damon Gray and Pat Clarke.

The one that wasn't bothering his arse was Harris. Nice comfortable slot as a centreback alongside two robust central defenders. I got the impression that Mr Harris will not be likely to be getting seriously injured while he sees out his last few games with Queens. I wouldn't be surprised if Boyle becomes as good a player as Harris was a season or so ago. He's certainly showing more commitment.

Maybe getting him mixed up with someone else, Will. I thought he was from Possil or Ruchill. Of Course he could have moved down there when he was with Gretna .

See you can be critical and constructive when you want , It's a decent point you make. Personally I feel it's fine where it is for a short while (a couple of weeks maybe) then it should, as I'm sure it will, be moved to the commercial section.

I'll take a stab at McMenamin (a local lad I believe) being an example of one of those players that'll be looking for a club nearer home (I realise QoS train in Glasgow) and in any case I'd be fairly sure he no longer comes with a high wage demand. Since the turn of the year he's been scoring quite freely but that's the first time in a good while. Not so sure Rae (the Morton one) will be overspending to the same degree. I may be wrong but I don't think they've had a crowd of over 2000 since we went there in August. They'll be feeling the pinch for sure. Ross Co have to spend a good bit more just to get players re-locating to the Heilans. In budgetary terms I doubt there'll be much net difference between us and QoS, Morton, Ross Co, Raith, & Accies. Whoever wins the play offs is likely to have less dosh. Falkirk we're led to believe are in a financial mess and I doubt Livi will be going for a hattrick of administrations just yet. Dundee will probably on a combination of the strength of a their home crowds and their interminable cheatability along with the Pars (if they don't go up this season) be the two clubs who'll we'll not come close to when competing for a player. All in all I'll take a lot of convincing before I'll believe that we can't compete at the top of the division next season purely due to our financial situation.

three games against Falkirk I'll go for an undefeated 5pts for us. tiebreaker- Between Jags & Falkirk, total amount of goals- 6

Got a feeling that comparative budgets will be less of an issue next season. All clubs will be cutting back. I don't expect MacDonald at Hamilton to splash out the parachute payment on big time players and if Dunfermline get promoted only serial overspenders like Livi & Dundee could go against the grain. Even they might see sense . Why I say comparative budgets is that I reckon for say £100 more in a wage packet a player certainly isn't going to upsticks to another area, put kids into another school, wife/girlfriend give up their job etc. Even, with the cost of travel these days, relatively short commuting distances would soon eat into an extra £100 or so. The one advantage we've got over many other clubs is our central location (population wise), so even with a relatively low budget we should still be able to compete for players. All that goes out the window if another club breaks rank and does a Dundee. I just feel that next season there's a very good chance that there'll be no club trying to buy their way out the league.

You and your mate are real couple of blethers, eh?

Arguably our best goal of the season was Flannigan's when we won at home to Stirling. I doubt I'd get Angry Gaz or anyone (like me) who agrees with his post to disagree.

I'm uncertain about any injury but it was clear Doolan needed subbed. I wasn't to be honest shocked to hear some fans jeer the subbing but it always dismays me to know that within our loyal support there's still fans that fail to notice the blatant obvious.