kni

Prestige, bigger crowds, better atmosphere and the ability to attract (and keep) better players. I was hoping for, but not anticipating, a top 6 finish this season. There's nothing wrong with optimism or ambition. The financial benefits would be considerable - not just the end of season "payout". The club could negotiate a better kit deal and bring in higher sponsorship and pitch advertising revenues. More coverage on Sportscene would help attract sponsors and advertisers too. It's encouraging to see Lindsay, Wilson and McDaid breaking into the first team. Scully will return a better player too, If the investment in Thistle Weir is successful, then that optimism may be realised.

It is not democracy. Salmond's recent statement showed that the SNP is ready to join Labour and Lib Dem MPs in the lobbies when voting on English laws. Why should MPs in Scotland vote to decide laws in England on matters that are devolved in Scotland, e.g. health, education and transport? Don't you believe in MPs being accountable to the voters for their actions? I condemn any Scottish MPs, not just the SNP's, who vote on English laws. Your last sentence is typical of the paranoid SNP nonsense that you post. "English controllers" is another example of that paranoia. There are Welsh and Northern Irish MPs in Westminster too. Why don't you blame them? It's obvious to me that the SNP and UKIP have similar Nationalist mindsets. The SNP blames all our problems on the English (e.g. "controllers"). UKIP's scapegoats are migrants, especially from the EU. Both are exploiting insecurity and bigotry for their selfish political ends. For the record, as a democrat, I believe that any voter should be able to vote for any party's (or independent) candidate. Remember that the SNP is not the only pro-independence party standing in Scotland in May. The Greens supported the Yes campaign too, are growing fast and now have more members than UKIP.

Blimey!! That's a very strange career move unless Tidser has other personal reasons for moving back to Greenock.

^ Bannigan is suspended, GinolasBald. That leaves Craigen or Wilson for your formation. Presumably, Welsh is still out.

I read somewhere that it was the 16th. It could have been a mistake, e.g. 18th. As he's been training with us whilst on loan, I was just wondering if he's in the squad this week.

Not a problem at the moment unless they knocked back our final offers. They may be hoping for better deals from us or other clubs. English teams could be looking at them too. If we can finish 7th, there could be more money available to offer them more at the end of the season.

Is Ben Richards-Everton is back from Airdrie and available for selection? He was due back last Friday but his profile page on the club website is blank.

Scottish MPs are more important than English MPs. They can vote on English laws etc in areas which have been devolved to Holyrood. Scottish and Welsh MPs can vote on laws that don't affect their constituents, i.e. they do as the Whips tell them and are not accountable to the electorate for their actions. In the past, the SNP's MPs have abstained from voting on English laws. Alex Salmond is now saying that he would support a change to that honourable practice if the SNP agrees to join a Coalition with Labour. So much for democracy! It would be the "tipping point" in England that would lead to UKIP gaining millions more votes at the following general election.

Why? It suits his agenda. Archie would have to resign as manager to take over from Dave the Rave and keep his beloved Bumbling Boris out of Downing Street.

Those notice terms are ridiculous. It appears that McDowall, unlike Sally, will work out his notice in his old role ("normal duties"). It would be funny if McCoist returned from his gardening leave to work out his notice. The seethe on the Sevco forums would be huge. Unfortunately, Easdale's share purchase suggests that a new funding package will be agreed shortly. Sevco will probably appoint another caretaker manager for the rest of the season after the announcement. If they have any sense, experienced managers (e.g. McCall and Butcher) will turn down such the job.

Dundee Utd loaned Simon Murray back to Arbroath for the rest of the season.

It's not a first. About eighteen months ago, the club rejected a bid of around £50k from Willem II (Dutch second tier) for Lawless. SOD is worth more than £30k to us over the next six months, especially with McMillan unavailable. If the club can identify a suitable replacement, a bid of over £50k could be tempting. Blackpool, given the high turnover of players in the last 6 to 9 months, could be a risky option for SOD.

It may come under Ian Maxwell's remit. I would, however, expect the manager and General Manager to be working together closely and consult each other regularly. I would also expect them to be up to date on rule changes which don't happen often. ETA - Is there no continuing professional development in Scottish football?

Typical nonsense from you. I never slagged off Osman and just pointed out that he played as a trialist before signing. I did not slag off Seaborne's ability either. My concern was that did not have a proper scouting network, proven by the subsequent Thistle Weir advertisement. Now please tell us if you stand by your previous claims that Eccleston and Carroll were quality signings to replace Taylor and ATS. I agree with Murphy that Eccleston has not had much of a chance but accept the manager's decisions not to pick him.

I, and others, got pelters from the "insiders" (especially Red Monkey and Dark Passenger) for highlighting Eccleston's woeful scoring record when he signed for us. They even suggested that he had a similar record to Lyle Taylor (if only!) when he signed for us. If, as reported on here, Eccleston is one of the highest earners at the club, we are entitled to question the judgement of those who decided to sign him.

I would expect the manager and his assistant to know the rules. Are the rules not part of the coaching badge courses?

Some good points there. The club has to be pro-active and sell directly to former customers, e.g. lapsed season ticket holders. It could offer them a choice of packages that include games, hospitality, merchandise etc. Direct mail, including a personal letter from the manager, is one option. Personal phone calls is another possibility and the callers could be current, or even former, players. At the very least, the club could find out why they are no longer attending games and address any problem issues.

So we were not a nation before the vote? That's news to me! We still have national teams. Back to the subject that Norgethistle raised, a blackout like he suggests could be worth a try. At the very least, there should be no live televised games just before or just after the 3pm Saturday matches.

Are you Colin Quinn who commented on the Jags' transfer window on the BBC website? Quinn was pretty scathing about Eccleston and ignored Carroll completely. "Nathan Eccleston hasn't done much. I didn't have huge expectations but when you see a player on social media talking about how cold it is at training, you know he's not cut out for the job."

A bit of luck would be very welcome but who could we get big money for? The best offer that we have had recently was £50k for Lawless 18 months ago. We got nothing for Cairney, Paton, Erskine and ATS. It now seems that our top young players are happy to stay with us until they are 23 or so and then move on for free.

The BBC is obsessed with Old Firm, especially Sevco's continual financial crises which are more entertaining than a soap opera. It's the Sevconians who are naturally paranoid, especially those who bought shares in the IPO and faced being fleeced again by the board and the new "investors". No wonder that they are staying away from Ibrox but they can, of course, rely on the broadcasters to cover the games. Typically, in the next round of the Scottish Cup, the BBC's live game features two Championship sides (Sevco and Raith) rather than the two all Premiership tie. Sky, as usual, chose the Celtic tie as its live game. With Sky, you can always cancel your subscription but everyone is forced by law to pay for the BBC's crap.

Eating one of Delia's pies? The hospitality food should be great at Carrow Road.

Has the club thought about offering discounted tickets to Maryhill residents? It could help build up local and community support.

United have received millions in fees for Gauld and Robertson. They also have much bigger home gates and will receive more SPFL prize money than us. Realistically, there is no chance that we could compete with them on wages in the summer.

The lack of Jags coverage on Sportscene is also a factor. We need more coverage to attract fans to our games. Sportsmen is free advertising for the clubs, their sponsors and advertisers. More coverage would therefore help to increase our commercial income too. The BBC seems to be deliberately minimising our coverage. It is actively promoting Sevco at our expense. A stronger Thistle is the last thing that they want. As television licence (i.e. tax) payers, we should be protesting to the BBC. An official TAG campaign, possibly in partnership with other clubs, would help.