Stewarty

Not a bad shout if Keenan is fit (is he?). The only change I would make is switching Stevenson with Lawless, as I don't think the former is mobile enough to play on the wing. Not seen enough of Eccleston to comment on whether he's deserving of a start. I suspect Doolan and Craigen will get the nod though.

It's our left flank that concerns me most. I was wondering whether AA might think about playing Bannigan at left-mid in a more defensive line-up, with Elliott behind him, but Fraser's absence may scupper that. For the first time in ages it's really difficult to predict the starting 11. It's difficult to see how at least one of the youngsters won't be handed a start.

By the start of 2013/14 I had come to regard him as predominantly a winger.

Eh? Physically, Elliot is one of the strongest players in the squad.

But they play in different positions.

Absolutely, although it's an imperfect indicator it's still a really important factor to take into consideration, particularly in a league where Abramovic-style investors are in short supply. The attendances at home are disappointing and will equate to a not insubstantial loss in revenue.

Yeah, I corrected that above. I also stress that this is an imperfect indicator of financial clout, but in the long-term a club's wage bill correlates best with it's league position.

Yes, that'll teach me not to read figures on a mobile phone. The figures for this season appear to be correct though, so the point retains validity. https://mobile.twitter.com/HeartsRant/status/541689085589721088/photo/1

Yes, that'll teach me not to read figures on a mobile phone. The figures for this season appear to be correct though, so the point retains validity. https://mobile.twitter.com/HeartsRant/status/541689085589721088/photo/1

I sometimes wonder whether we should *expect* progress at all, at least in terms of improved league position. We *want* it, obviously, but we need to be realistic. Last season we had the lowest average attendance in the league. This season we will likely have the second lowest. Now, I know such figures are an imperfect indicator of a club's financial clout, but in a league where oligarch owners are in short supply attendance statistics do give us an idea of where we stand in terms of our relative wage bill, which is the most reliable indicator of a club's final league position. Obviously people will point to Hamilton, who are currently punching above their financial weight, but we all know this is a temporary aberration and that we will see 'regression to the mean'. Should Hamilton supporters *expect* to consolidate and improve on their top four position? Obviously not. The way that I look at it is this: I think that it is reasonable to expect a higher league position *this season* largely because we have improved the squad. But here's the thing: Archie is the one who has unearthed players such as Seabourne and Frans, as well as holding on to the likes of Fraser and Higgy. So, somewhat ironically, he's the cause of both my increased expectations (good) and frustrations (bad) in the short-term, but I'm also realistic about our long-term position. Like it or not we are a bottom of the Premiership / top of the Championship club. In a way, though, this is an exciting place to be.

Ah well, I was looking forward to this one but given our injury situation it's not a terrible result. That and the fact it's bloody miserable out there.

This might actually be one of those games where Craigen's fitness and willingness to press high up the pitch may be particularly useful. I'm not denying that there are deficiencies in his game, as there clearly are, but we're going to have to harry Celtic today.

We now have serious problems at both LB and CM. If Bannigan is okay I'd go with this starting 11. Gal SOD Conrad Seabo Elliott Fraser Bannigan Lawless Craigen Higgy Stevo If Bannigan isn't fit I'd be tempted to move Stevenson to AM and play Doolan up front. Anyone know when Keenan returns to us?

Best of luck to the big man, he was superb in our championship winning season. He struggled with the extra bit of pace that strikers have in the top flight, but he's still young so hopefully he regroups and enjoys a new lease of life at whatever club he moves to.

Absolutely - someone who can overlap when Higgy cuts inside and can cross a ball with his left peg. Really good point.

Every time I've seen Christie moved to full/wing-back he's been excellent. I'm not sure how much work would be required to retrain him for that position, or if the player himself would be up for such a move, but it's worth considering.

Seriously, are we still having the two up front debate? Football tactics have moved on, people, and the solution to a poor result isn't to switch to an outmoded formation or to play three central strikers, as somone was suggesting on another thread. It's as though the spirit of Mike Bassett is haunting this forum.

McMillan isn't back. Gah!

With McMillan back we can return to a midfield trio of Fraser, Bannigan and Osman. While I'd take a point I think this midfield is good enough to get all three.

To add my list: 1. A new left-back (or the recall of Keenan if possible). 2. The return of a fully fit Sean Welsh. 3. A couple of Gary Fraser long-range thunderbolts to find the net. 4. McDaid to break into the team and make an impression. 5. The guy who sits to the right of me attends some anger management classes before he damages his health. 6. A win against Celtic, obviously. 7. Higgy signs on for another couple of seasons. 8. A decent cup of coffee at Firhill.

I'll be gutted if and when he leaves. He's devastating when on form and in the mood, and even when he's not having his best game he always puts in a shift.

I imagine the problem is one of an inelasticity of demand. Lowering the ticket price wouldn't increase attendance significantly, so the club would probably end up losing money. I agree that it's too much relative to other forms of entertainment, but I imagine this is the conundrum the club is faced with.

That's an improvement, as a couple of weeks ago you said it was over. What's the thinking behind these cryptic comments? Genuine question.

I'm generally pleased with how the season is progressing, as I think we have the players to comfortably avoid relegation. Seaborne and Frans have been fantastic signings and Stevenson is settling in well after a slow start. Yesterday was frustrating though, as we should have left with all three points. IMO having to shift Bannigan to LB weakened our midfield considerably, as Craigen had another poor game. I'm not sure that I can criticise the manager too much though, as I'm not sure what he else he could have done in terms of team selection. He clearly doesn't think Wilson is quite ready and I can't challenge him on that as I've rarely seen him play. Perhaps we could have tried playing Stevenson behind Doolan, but in doing so we would lose a bit of mobility in midfield. Perhaps we should have kept Keenan as cover for Carroll and McMillan, but at the same time we're trying to develop our younger players by enabling them to play first team football. So, yes, I'm definitely frustrated with yesterday's performance, but overall we're doing okay.

But Elliot plays on the wing. As Firhillista notes, the only way to make room for Stevenson to play in the no.10 role is by dropping one of the three central midfielders, unless you're going to change the formation. I'm not completely against this suggestion, as there will be situations where we want to throw a bit of caution to the wind, but it wouldn't be a wide player that would be sacrificed in such a scenario.