Happy Dosser

Regarding attendances, I worked with an old Communist who told me that, even when MFC won the league, crowds were quite low at FP, which really got on his nazzums. Happy for any statisticians to offer enlightenment. My absolute first game, was Third Lanark versus Dundee, about 1962. Don't ask why it wasn't the Mighty 'Well, 'cos I don't know. Football was all B@W then so imagine my surprise when entering the Cathkin stand to see the bright green pitch and the scarlet of TL and deep blue of Dundee. The latter had a bugler who gave a blast and then shouted, "Away the 'Dee". He would probably have been arrested today. I'm sure Gordon Smith was playing for DFC, but think Thirds won 2-1. It was a tragedy they folded because of that crook Hiddleston. I knew a good few TLFC fans who migrated to The 'Well in the aftermath, but I'm sure nothing could replace the Hi-Hi.

Great post and great to see Old FP again. The football seems very direct and quick. Coops was great, of course, but Wee Dougie could finish. My first memory, though I know I was at FP before, was a Joe McBride penalty aginst Aberdeen. He had scored two goals already so we all ran down behind the dyke to see him get his hat-trick. Unfortunately, he thumped it straight at Tubby Ogston and the score remained 2-2. Happy and very distant days.

"Back on topic guys. Just watched the TV highlights. MacDonald's goal that was chalked off was a very close call. Although I'm biased I tend to say he was in line. Celtic's first goal was a defensive disaster. Law was caught badly out of position but the covering in the middle was diabolical. Many of Celtic's on target efforts were the result of their players being in unmarked positions 6/7/8 yards from goal. Yes, you can say that this was down down to good forward play, and it was to an extent, but our defending was pretty poor." Some good points, Kmcalpin. Josh Law often gets sucked in and leaves us exposed. Although Laing recently only started at RB, I prefer his physical presence and ability to take his mad breenging runs up the right. We need a bull in a china shop there. It's always difficult to decide what is great forward play or poor defence. I thought it was great when Master Cadden outmuscled the much-vaunted Tierney for our equaliser and cut it back for Skippy. When Cads went off we lost so much momentum, and our heads went down after their second. No wonder MMG rates him for his attitude and work rate. Let's just enjoy the next five games. Points mean prizes.

Extra "t". Pure baggie nerves, soanumurr.

"Definite penalty, and totally unnecessary from Gomis... Johnson was just about to clear it." And boy, did Johnston tell him.

Still goes to Connor, despite his fumble. Head up, son.

I thought Gomis was pretty awful today: ponderous and missing tackles, and then passing like a plank. This allowed Celtic to pass their way through our midfield, although I thought Lasley tried hard to compensate and young Cadden stuck in well (made our goal). I'm not so sure McGhee planned a defensive first half. I suspect he thought we would be tighter as a unit, but we stood off them too much and our Trident didn't really link up. Once we equalised (for the second time ) I actually thought we could go on to win it. All those Sky stats BBC Scotlandshire eagerly mentioned after the game don't mean a thing if you don't stick in the pokie. Ridley played well and I was gutted when that ball squirmed under him. Delighted results went our way today. What an (almost) finish. Can we finish third? Screens, nurse! COYW

Agreed, Gollum is all over the place but I'd be a lot more concerned if the ref were Craig "Spirtle-Legs" Thomson. His performance in the ICT penalty and retake incident was dreadful. He epitomises the "Look at me, I'm in charge" school of utter spanners-in-black. We're actually the form club going into this fixture and we can beat them

Celtic will definitely not relish coming to FP. My Celtic pals are still traumatised by Helicopter Sunday and now we simply must win this to guarantee top six status. There is no point hoping other teams will do us a favour since every team is fighting its own battle and there are no dead fixtures. As other sage posters have said, we can make a lot of money if we make it to the top half and money means players. These are great incentives and I'm sure Mr McGhee will have them well "prepared". If we get fair play from the ref. we can beat them. Oh, I see..........

Thanks, UBH. Can we start a black sock club? Even Rangers got that bit right. I've never understood why we haven't stuck to what you rightly call our signature, the claret hoop, and the most persistent element in our kit design. And amber looks great with the contrast of white shorts. Och, well, dream on, eh?

PS Meant to say, not keen on sublimation in kit design generally. And we need white shorts. And black socks with claret turn-overs with an amber hoop. Screens, nurse. Time for my injection. I can see colours, man.......

UBH: thanks for your latest. I'll admit I'm biased because I'm 60+ but MFC should play in a hoop IMHO, although I liked our 70s retro strip this year, a memory of when we started to go to Celtic Park and WIN and Willie P and Bobby Graham ran them ragged. I would take rugby sleeves any day for the hoop and, as you say, they offer contrast for the compulsory sleeve patches. Don't suppose you have any inside info on the new strip?

"Looking back at the highlights I noticed that after Robson had disposed of Gomis and McDonald, he has a fairly robust challenge on Leitch, looks like he had lost it. " Yes, and I'd like to be able to lip read what Derek McInnes said to him as he waited to get on. Robson looked completely wound up. Leitch was lucky to avoid injury. Very strange. Thanks, Barry!

Nice touch from The Bois with the placard for young James, I thought, and great applause from the stands. And after the minute's applause, the time-honoured "Gerrintaethem!" Fitba's marvellous and daft at the same time, i'nt it? COYW.

Great spirit in the last two games. Confidence should definitely be high. I thought McGhee was going to burst a blood vessel at the fourth official for the foul on Robinson before the penalty. I thought the ref gave them everything in the first half but AFC very disappointing: little creativity. We'll even up by beating Ra Sellick, dinna fash yirsels. Louis Moult is brilliant: hard-working, brave and has a goal-scorer's instinct. On to the Haggis Munchers. Resistance is futile......

Me Lenin, you King Yabba? There may be trouble ahead......

"The Coca-Cola logo is certainly iconic, but I don't like it on our claret hoop." If only we had a proper hoop, weeyin (sighs wistfully). When I become dictator of the Scottish Republic, MFC will play in The Hoop for eternity, so there...... And circular badges are naff, in my opinion, but it's probably too late to remodel it. I say, let ubh get on with things, in good hands there.

"That fat bastard John Clark ate it" Harsh, but completely believable.

Those bunnets! Size of soup plates.....

Pearson has a punctured lung and broken ribs but some media types are going on about Skippy? One of the (many) lows of Levein's management of the national team was when Garry Kenneth got a cap and Mark Reynolds was denied one: cart horse before a thoroughbred. Our younger players will be the stronger for their treatment on Friday night. On to the Mutton Molesters. Resistance is futile. COYW.

Yes, Haggischomper, a style he learned when banjoing his own teammate, Graham Hogg, as I recall. Happy days. Weren't Hearts the dirtiest bunch in those days? Walter Kidd, anyone?

"I don't agree on this occasion Weeyin. Yes, you do expect some teams fighting for survival get a bit fired up and put in tasty tackles but last night some of their "challenges" if we may call them that, went beyond the pale. Morris poleaxing Johnson twice off the ball early on and not far from the linesman was inexcusable and should have earned him 2 straight reds." Have to agree, Kmcalpin. Some of these tackles were simply dangerous and vicious, eg Paton on Gomis and Morris on Keith. Once again you have to ask what the linesmen were doing if the ref didn't spot them? I would have been quite ashamed if we'd used these tactics, just as I can't stand the different kinds of tricks Panathonaccies and the Dingwall Dingbats employ to scrape results. I'm glad we stood up to them: Young Cadden and Thomas appeared quite unaffected by it all and they showed some grit. This game was like something out of the 70s but I enjoyed it because we took all their crap and still scudded them. I've always respected DU for their great European performances and attempts to play football but Mixu has taken them down the wrong path, imo.

I hear Darren Jackson was still harping on about Skippy's flying elbow on Sportscene Results. Strangely no comment on the hod-carrying honeymonsters in the United defence, Paton's blatant hack on Gomis, or Morris' dangerous lunge on Lasley. Don't think he ever got over the 1991 Final. Didn't he throw a boot at Davie Syme after the final whistle? Prince of the Pettit Lip.

What capt_oats said. I quite admired Accies when Neil was in charge but they rival Ross County as the worst set of divers and time-wasters in the league. Prepare for them getting an early penalty next week from an Imrie dive and then their goalie going down every ten minutes with a dislocated eye-lash like in the last game at Fir Park. Who's the ref? Gollum? Craig Robertson? MacLean? If so, don't waste the entrance fee. God, I'd love to scud them 4-0.

Dear old Psycho. On that night, as Kirkie slipped the ball to him, I was just saying, "He's no' going tae hit it fae there, is he?" when the ball took off and rasped down the rigging behind Dying Swan Bonner. Ahh, the memories.......... Hope he's over his personal problems. Good to see him with the wee lassie today.