Jaggernaut

Three wounded, and the match hasn't started yet.

When the wall is lined up I always try to predict which one of the sitting (well, standing) ducks it going to get hit.

Good call! Definitely in favour of that. In fact, why not have an 8-sec limit for starting play after every dead ball situation: goal kicks, corner kicks, free-kicks and throw-ins. It would certainly keep the game going faster, and eliminate much of the waste of time taken up by players jostling around in the box (at corners, especially), walls lining up before free-kicks etc. All periods of non-action, which add up to a lot of non playing time during a match.

Or an 8-word rule, for, for, for example.

We over rely on one single guy to score.

That kind of suggests that the SD is seen as more important than the team manager. If that's the case, then would the SD also have a say in who gets hired (and fired) as the manager?

Yes, his performance might have been better than I gave him credit for; his usual anonymity is difficult to ignore.

Personally, I'd like to see this thread locked and if possible deleted. It has absolutely nothing to do with football, and the person who started it must know that.

Looks like we'll all be deleted before too long.

Looks like we'll all be deleted before too long.

Oh no! Thank you for everything!!! And best wishes. Here's hoping that somebody as dedicated and talented as you can take over the reins.

At our level it's like children pretending to be pop stars; imitating and even sometimes comical, but ultimately just playing around; nothing original, and they'll never actually become pop stars (I'm speaking from experience here!).

Yeah, you're right. My frustration at yet another winless result spilling over. Even mentioned to my brother on our chat that it was the best we've played for some time (especially the first half).

Basically more of the same with these winless wonders. Actually, Doolan in charge would have fared no worse than our results in the past two performances. To be fair, again there are some signs of improvement. Here's how I saw individual performances: Budinauckas: Looks dependable enough, though we've rarely seen him under real pressure (thanks to the defence, maybe). Clearly belongs to that cult that believes in taking as long as possible before releasing the ball. One day while he's standing with the ball at his feet, teasing the forward to come for it, he'll get caught out by somebody who moves and thinks faster than him. Megwa: Was having a kind of dream game, which turned into a literal dream for their equalizer. What on earth was he thinking? (Was he even earth at that moment?) Reid: Contender for MotM. Think we've got a good one there. O'Reilly: Standard, solid performance. Ashcroft: Standard, solid perormance. McBeth: For me, easily our MotM: The only one showing the will to take proceedings by the scruff of the neck and try to go at them. You can see his frustration with what's around him. Martin: Decent performance. Looks like he has more to show. Bannigan: Looks busy, actually does little. The King of "Stop immediately and see if you can pass it backwards!" Graham: Did what he's paid to do as a player: scored one goal, missed more chances. Chalmers: Excellent effort, especially in the first half. Another who I think has to lower himself to accommodate the limitations of his team mates. Crawford: I had to check the team sheet to see which player in the starting line-up I'd forgotten. Yep. Substitutes: Turner: Committed a foul, got booked. Our free kicks and corners were no more feeble than the ones he serves up week after week. Wasn't missed, and apart from the foul and card, wasn't noticed. Stanway: I think he should start: has more grit and two or three starters put together, and some good passes. Also got booked (again); congratulations. MacKenzie: I remember one header and one blooter to nowhere. Enough to guarantee his place on the bench before his next 5-minute appearance as a sub when we are desperate. Another observation: What the f*** is it with these goal kicks when we have two defenders on the 6-yard line and one passes it 3 yards to the keeper, who then has to do something with it as an opposition player bombs down on him? It's an absolute piece of sh*te, and somebody will need to show me convincing evidence of any team anywhere actually benefiting from this "tactic," which obviously has been copied from somewhere. The playoffs: If we make it, surely we'll go out in the first round.

If not, he can leg it.

Children who used to be called "cretins" were (are) often prone to petulant outbursts (one of their various mental disabilities).

Fortunately, so do we.

That's right, and we were also the best-form team in the league at one point not so long ago. But in the overall picture to date, we are Miles (or should that by Myles) off being the best, and Airdrie are by some margin the worst.

Looking at this realistically: Livi are undefeated in their last 6 games (won 5 and drawn 1). We have only 1 win in our last 6 games, and most recently failed to beat the worst team in the league. We know the outcome of Friday's match that we'd (presumably) all like, but unfortunately, the likely outcome is somewhat different. At this point I'd like us to go back to being "the great unpredictables."

Yes, that team also came into my mind. Yon match against Dunfermline when we scored 5 being another example of the brilliant attacking moves.

I was thinking something similar: the Scotland women's job probably comes with a much greater salary than you'd get from being the manager of Thistle. If BBG lands that job at this stage of his career, he's a very lucky guy. A bit like Maxi, who probably can't believe his luck, given that he wanted the Thistle job when he finished playing.

Sign him, we need younger legs!

Very happy for BBG if he wants and gets the Scotland women's manager position.

That's the kind of football I enjoy watching. McParland's young team in a nutshell!

I'm not sure it's a fitness issue. Teams are indeed faster and quicker, because we have been playing painfully slowly with all the passing from side to side and backwards without getting forward by even an inch at times, and too often even going back. This means that the forwards have nothing to run around for, because the ball isn't coming in their direction. No movement up front, so the midfielders hold onto the ball, and as they're getting no service (until the inevitable worthless punt), the forwards simply wait or walk around, and so the vicious circle goes. And then when opponents rob us of the ball and make a beeline for our goal, our midfielders are slow as hell to turn and to even try to chase them because they've been at walking pace and need to start from being immobile. The opponents have too often built up enough speed to slice through our final defensive line, who've been left exposed by the midfielders.