Semi Nurainen

I'm not too bothered about last night's result, as the performance wasn't all that bad. It isn't the end of the world to lose a cup game by the odd goal to a side just down from the SPL even if, in Bunter's spectacularly irrelevant aside they really do have to pay their own hotel bills (whatever that was meant to achieve Ian, it didn't - a bit like some of your substitutions). However, and this is is an enormous however, nothing less than three points (or just possibly a 5-5 scoreline) will do on Saturday. And get the Bombscare and Brian Backwards tae f---!

Chissy punted - Bunter goes to Dundee, sells Harkins, we get some loot and a decent manager. So, let's all laugh at relegation candidates Dundee!

I think Buchanan needs a spell on the bench alongside Paton. Strangely enough I think we will beat them tonight - it might be ugly, it might be penalities but we seem to play better in the cup when there is less pressure. Surely Bunter will have them motivated against his old club.

Strange thing is, the highlights don't look too bad (Ok 5 mins from 90), it shows us putting together some neat moves, and playing quite fluently. Yet the reports from the guys at the game suggest we were actually worse than at Raith The highlights also show Paton making a stupid clumsy needless tackle, for the second 'goal. Needs a spell on the bench, to help him focus.

... yep, that'll be the 90 minutes tonight then.

ToO be fair I don't think Pddy Boyle is instinctively a punt to midget man either.

Why didn't you challenge the stupidity of the term 'numpties' firstly? Or is it ok to use that term to describe other fans who are not content with watching this p1sh week in week out and are - as you say - 'just blindly supporting the team without realising the problems'?

The fact is that fans only complain when the long ball game doesn’t work. If we were humping it up to a big lad, and scoring bucketloads, no-one would be squealing. It the high balls to midgets – and midgets who are easily nudged off the ball – as well as Bunter’s inability to see that it isn’t working, that p1sses us off.

Turn my Auntie’s f-d into a tallywhacker and a pair of nuts and she’s my uncle. Point is we didn’t; in reality, fans will walk. We might be left with a few score happy clappers like yourself, but get this into your head – not many are going to pay to watch this sh1te. If McCall can do better why doesn’t he? This is one of the dimmest posts I have read in this thread. The Bunter party is running out of excuses.

Surely you mean mid-September?

Yes I noticed. I think the explanation is that his detractors have run out of patience, and his supporters have run out of excuses. Someone asks the question why not live with it and back the man: I could think of half a dozen smart rhetorical answers, but the reality is that large numbers of fans increasingly will not pay seventeen quid to watch this p1sh.

Know what, no way am I shelling out £17 to watch this bunch of full time diddies. Going by the ICT score there might be two vacancies in Dundee soon! Oh, that’s right Bunter has already f---d up one of the Tayside clubs!!!

Yep, I'll buy that.

The hope is that we can actually improve when Archie and Mac return to fitness as we have yet to field our strongest side. Some minor worries about Buchy, everything seems right – his fitness and sharpness, ability to turn defenders, lay offs, work rate etc. – just that final shot. It’s surely got to come good again soon, and I think it would be wiser to keep him in the starting eleven, unlike perhaps Paton, for whom a spell on the bench may do no harm, and may happen in any case when Mac returns. Part of the fun of winning is enjoying your rivals’ discomfiture: Dundee – big time Charlies, spent a bomb last year, failed to get promoted, now cash strapped, look like relegation rather than promotion candidates, stuck with a fud of a manager – and Captain Harkins, Get It Right Royally Round Yez!

I was simply going to say money isn't everything ... and that I'd take him back tomorrow! (who says fans are fickle?) Anyway, look on the bright side, the bigger the sheugh that Chizzy gets Dundee into, the sooner they have to sell their captain... the sooner we get our 'sell-on' bunce!!! Let's all laugh at Dundee!!!!

Don't think a spell on the bench would do Paton any harm at present. Presumably Archie relaces Maxi when he's fit. Another victory without Bombscare or Backwards in the side.

All over - 1-0!

Paddy Boyle nearly in for a second! Kni - I doubted him last season, but he really is a new man. A born-again attacking left wing back! Now Man of the Match! Nearly there - even we can't throw this one away!

Surely we can hold on for 12 minutes - Dundee don't sound too hot. Oh and by the way, in case no-one mentions it, GIRUY 'Captain' Harkins!

Great to hear that Boyle scored, couldnt have happened to a better man, his confidence has been getting stronger and stronger as the games wet by, a few fans were still (a bit unjustifiably) on his back. Think he will go from strength tp strength now.

I'm assuming that Buchy was hooked due to fitness reasons. Didn't like his gesture to Grehan and thought his 7 (?) yards miss was a shocker. Hope it was fitness/sharpness. Grehan's not the worst when you consider some of the donkeys we have had in our front pairing in recent seasons: Hammy the (fat) hamster, Paul (Oh I've fallen over again) Keegan, and I wont even mention the two Stephs (McC & Bonnes. Grehan certainly looks more convincing than Doolan who I think frankly wont make it even at this lowly level. Erskine always looks dangerous to me and tracks back better than most wingers - perhaps he and the improved Boyle could form a combination on the left. Quite significant that we won this easily (eventually) without the bonbscare or backwards on the park - wonder if Bunter was reading this forum after Saturday.

Have to disagree, and reluctant to criticise anyone when we win so easily - let's face it 2-1 flattered them enormously - thought he contributed more than Bucky who looks as if he still needs a few games to get sharp. Didn't like Bucky's gestures when Grehan put a through ball to him which the former couldn't or didn't control. Hope it's just frustration. Edited to say that the Earl beat me to the punch with that one.

Yes - keeper and no 4 apart - they were worse than piss poor, and better sides will punish us if we're so slack, but we never ever looked like losing the game in all fairness. And at one point I too did think that PB wasn't the worst replacement for the twadster.

In absolute total fairness to Bunter and the squad, I felt we never looked like losing this one. Even when we went 1 down, there was a buzz of frustration, but no real panic. Apart from their keeper and their number 4, they were thoroughly inept – without those two players they would have been on the end of a 6- or 7-1 hammering easily – and I’m no happy clapper. We were a bit slow off the mark, conceded a scrambled goal, but once we got our sleeves rolled up I thought it was men against boys. We completely dominated the game after 1-1, played some very good football, and all of the starting eleven played well I thought. They hardly won a single ball in the air – Balatoni and Robbo solid there (perhaps not so clever on the deck at times!) – and they played with one man up for the whole of the second half. Good performances all round – not a single criticism of the team or of individuals: Boyle, despite a couple of bad passes, a thoroughly different man from last season; Paton pretty solid – just wish he would take his man on more; great to see Cairney and Rowson scoring; Grehan worked hard; Balatoni good at corners. In truth what you’d expect – and ought to expect against a lower league side. Quite how Dundee will re-act to their hammering remains to be seen – frankly I’d rather they had won 4-1 tonight, but in the meantime football's about singing when you're winning and enjoying the discomfiture of your rivals so .....let’s all laugh at Dundee! Nearly bust, pumped by part timers, and greetin' about the state of the pitch, ... GIRUY ‘Captain’ Harkins! At least until 1650 on Saturday.

Some good points here, Allan Heron the voice of reason as ever (but do let us into the secret of attaining those ‘optimistic moments’ - I never took you for someone who used stimulants!) Yes part time football is just around the corner for anyone outside the SPL, it’s just a case of who blinks first. Mr Blutarsky’s comments interesting too, though to – shall we say – ‘lampoon’ people who fire off personal insults with impunity behind … a completely made up identity, and then to fire off insults about people with made up identities from behind a completely made up identity – I mean, are you trying to say that Semi Nurainen isn’t a real person?! Read your Thistle history or ask Robert Reid! And while we’re at it Bluto, if you can evince such studied pedantry as to write the plural of ‘forum’, as ‘fora’, you’d think you know to use a capital letter after a full stop, or at least at the beginning of a paragraph!! Aye, no more Jackie Campbells. Maybe it’s time for us 55 years olds to pack up and retire to The Clansman.