lady-isobel-barnett

I know the feeling all too well.

My dug prefers Guinness.

I'm assuming it'll be a youngish team out tonight at Hampden. McCall in the past has put Bannigan straight into the 1st team squad on the strength of a stand out performance in the reserves. Let's see what tonight brings.

I know they're cheats but they still only get 1pt for a draw.

A petit point but well made. Fancy yourself as a bit of a pattern merchant, then?

Agree, but I'm still worried we'll go down this route for a quick money fix. Most of us know or at least suspect that the small league set ups, which fly in the face of what fans want, is unsustainable. Imo all we're getting presented with is a catch22. Well strictly speaking not a catch22 but Football needs Fans & TV, Fans need larger leagues, TV require smaller leagues and as I say not really a catch22 but just as unfathomable. My gut feeling is we'll go down the SPL/Doncaster road for a quick financial fix. A season or so down the line we'll be back where we are now. TV will have lost interest or more likely devalued their interest. Meantime fans will have continued to drift away due in no small way to the repetitive tedium of the small league system. I suppose, as I've complete contempt for the SFL, I should be in favour of amalgamation. Plus we can hardly call the SPL the "self preservation league" if they preside over all 42 clubs. I just fear that the changes prescribed offer not one modicum of a long term cure. Back to where I agree with HJ. Beggars can't be choosers so if given the choice we'll go for it.

I guess the most famous guy to play in Scotland would be Gordon Greenidge at Greenock. Got a good story that involved Omar Henry at Stenhousemuir but couldn't really do justification putting it on print on here. To put things back on a football footing maybe following club cricket is the way we should go. By that I mean the whole squad employed on a part time basis but for one player, the club pro, some supa dupa player from overseas. What's that Argie guy Lionel someone or other doing these days?

Disagree almost entirely. The longer Bannigan & MacBeth are out on loan for the better. Stuart is out to Ayr for the entire season anyway. If Clyde are on the turn (positively in their case) and thus also like Ayr offering competitive football bringing Ryan back would be inadvisable. Another thing both MacBeth and Bannigan came thru the youth set up as central midfielders. It looks like both are getting pushed a bit wider at their loan clubs. The experience they are picking up playing in unfavoured positions is also invaluable. Further if results go against us and we're not clear of the relegation/play off zone the last thing any responsible manager would do is throw youngsters deliberately into the fray. If as most of us suspect we'll be into a comfort zone before long why then take those two away from a more competitive football environment? Finally if/when our situation is considered OK then I feel guys like Campbell, Lochhead and Fraser should be given a start.

Was planning to go along but couldn't make it. Think that's the last game in the league and if the SFL website is to be believed the lads have won 8 and lost 7 games. So that was a significant result today. Thanks for the info, Jaggernaut.

I've no idea but they shouldn't stand for it.

On reflection we're basically in agreement. I'm maybe coming from the glass half full approach and you're glass is half empty. But we both agree the level the glass is at. Next season we're going to have to get lucky and source at least one striker. As we certainly won't be buying one we'll just have to unearth a hidden gem. I think I'm right in saying we've only scored 2 or more goals in 5 occasions in the league so far in 22 games. With poor scoring form like that I reckon we're quite fortunate to even have collected 25 points. On the positive side it's good to see both MacBeth and Bannigan getting 90 mins yesterday. Both are attacking midfielders, something that we've been missing since both Harkins and McKeown left and Cairney went off the boil.

I'm sorry, that's next door. It's being hit on the head lessons in here.

I wasn't there today but I can't see how you or anyone can draw a negative out of today's result. That said I suppose I can't eulogise too much on many positives. The main thing tho' is tonight we're one step closer to mid tableness. I think any team managing little over a point a game is going to be reasonably content with a draw away from home. Any team with only six wins in twenty games surely can't be too upset with a 21st game where they take a point away from home? As for getting irrationally disappointed with a result I'll mark myself down for next saturday against Dundee. Probably a draw would on form look a decent result but I'll be anything but happy with anything short of 3 points.

Surprised at that as County haven't been much of a goalscoring threat lately. a holding midfielder and three centrebacks seems OTT

I would suspect as much tho' it may be hard to distinguish exactly what system we're actually playing. MacCall has played a lopsided set up often enough before (most common one being one wingback and one full back). Seems rather defensive with Sid, Rowson & McNamara all capable of playing further back and no one really comfortable playing any further forward.

At least we're not alone Add that one to McDiarmid & evidently Fir Park (again!)

Congrats. I trust mother and daughters are all in fine fettle. Yip, forward planning is to be strongly advised. Even Jaggy could have checked his missus into Raigmore maternity in Inverness. But that's hindsight for you

Afraid not but I'm fairly sure you can get a pint at half time. And no, in case you ask, I don't believe you can see the field of play from the bar.

Admin, is there any chance this thread could be saved for posteriority?

What innuendo?

I'm not sure at Pollok as I suspect the social club will be open throughout the game. At their centenary game we retired to the club a couple of minutes before the final whistle to beat the queue. Couldn't figure out why the bar was relatively quiet till we found out we had miscalculated the score and the game had gone into extra time.

That's all true but you see how things can go from something completely unsubstantiated thru a could be to an it's common knowledge. Cairney does look a little overweight and doen't appear to have the engine he had during the earlier part of last season. Up at Cowdenbeath I thought Cairney looked a shade unwell when he came on in the 2nd half. Maybe he still hadn't fully recovered from the recent flu bug or of course it could be down to a couple of out of date cans of Guinness on the team bus or a dodgy Central Pk half time pie.

So you've posted on threads re "League Reconstuction, part-time football, the playing surface at Firhill, the potential of the young players, Simon Donnelly" Please accept my apology for a previous post. I also got the impression that you were a one issue poster.

I'm fairly sure I know what a golden duck is. Others I expect will either think it's rhyming slang or where Faberge eggs come from.

An interesting question, Mr Winter. One that I don't think we'll get a reply to somehow. And even if we were graced with a response I can well imagine what your follow up question would be. .