MJC

No I’m not trying to use the “two European games” excuse, I know we’ve been dismal for the entire calendar year and longer. Like it or not the board aren’t going to sack a manager who (on paper) has more than matched his remit and got us into Europe after two European legs into the new season and before a league ball has been kicked. But trust me when I say this, if Graham Alexander left tonight then I would be happy with that.

Coyle’s his mate, he’s never going to criticise him.

Are you actually Graham Alexander? Seriously, are you?

As contenders for ‘worst result in our history’ go then these two legs are right up there with Stjarnan, Albion Rovers and 3rd division Rangers. Absolutely embarrassing.

2-0 Sligo. Disgusting.

I agree but sadly I think Alexander bought himself a lot more time than he would otherwise have been given had we not finished in the top six and got into Europe last season. I suspected as much at the time that all that would do was paper over some massive cracks and unfortunately it appears to be coming to fruition. On paper, whether anyone likes it or not the manager has more than met his remit so for that reason I don’t see them sacking him before the league season starts. In reality though we have been stinking for over a year now and especially in 2022 and the issues that were glaringly obvious that needed addressed at the end of last season have not been addressed so things look bleak. Needless to say though he does need to go and the sooner the better otherwise we are going to be in serious trouble this season, if it’s not already too late.

I don’t see them making the change after two European games and on the eve of the league season starting, rightly or wrongly. If and when the time comes that the majority of the support become vocal in calling for him to go at games like they did with Malpas and Baraclough or protesting outside the front door as they did with McGhee then I believe the board will act then. I don’t think we’re too far away from this happening.

By the same token the risk of keeping Alexander is that the support will vote with their feet and stay away. It was obvious in the second half of last season and at the end of the game last week that more and more of the support are absolutely scunnered with the guff being served up by Alexander and this team. We are absolutely AWFUL to watch and the entertainment value is Zero and only sheer luck and other sides cutting their own throats got us to where we finished last season. And as if to rub it in, the manager frequently comes out after these dismal performances and says that we played well and that he’s pleased with how things went! I don’t expect us to be playing swashbuckling football and challenging in the top half of the table or competing in Europe but I absolutely refuse to believe that what we are getting served up by Graham Alexander and this team is the best we can hope for. It is just so, so bad.

Sideways, sideways, backward, long ball, give it away. We are dreadful.

Better spell from us. Had the ball in the net but was chalked off and van Veen heading at the keeper.

Holy fuck

Tierney and Morris start tonight.

I wouldn’t say Livi and Ross County will be ‘okay’. As I said I think the bottom six will be as tight as ever and there won’t be much between 11th and 7th points wise. I admit to having grave concerns about us but perhaps that’s down to me having a lot more interest and knowledge of our players and squad than I do with the other sides. As for Killie, they’re the side that’s just came up so there is no pressure or real expectations on them to finish in the top six from anyone in the media. However as I said I fancy them to do better than Hibs who I reckon could have another shambles of a campaign.

Hearts will do well I think this season. They have added Shankland, a proper goalscorer at this level and already have Boyce, McKay, Mackay-Steven. Fancy them to finish 3rd and possibly even win a Cup.

That’s all fair enough but for me we were extremely lucky to finish where we did last year given how poor we were for most of the campaign. We also had Tony Watt to thank for winning us as many points in the first half of the season, otherwise we would almost certainly would not have finished top 6. Some fans were scratching their heads as to why we ‘collapsed’ so badly in the second half of the season but the reality is we didn’t collapse, we were never that good to start with, the difference was Watt wasn’t there to bail us out. Going into the new season, we have no Tony Watt and to hope/expect to carry as much luck again is unrealistic. Only time will tell.

So as the new league season approaches, what’s everyone’s thoughts on how we’ll do? I think we’re going to struggle badly this year, unless we do some significant transfer business between now and the end of August. Basically we are going to be relying on other teams being less shite than we are to keep us in the league and I think it’s going to be a scrap between ourselves, St.Mirren and St.Johnstone to avoid 11th and 12th. As for the rest of the league, I think Celtic will be Champions with Rangers clear in second. Hearts will be third again but will be pushed all the way by a much stronger Aberdeen and Dundee Utd will be in the mix too. I fancy Kilmarnock to do a lot better than everyone would expect as they have a very good manager in McInnes and I can see them pipping Hibs to a top six finish. Hibs will have yet another poor season. The bottom six will be as tight as a drum but as I said I reckon the three weakest sides will be us and the two saints clubs. Hopefully something changes over the next month.

And it was the first game for a newly appointed manager who had to rebuild the squad. Whether we progress on Thursday or not, we have big problems this season.

I see where you’re coming from however it’s only a one year extension and having an experienced forward on board will hopefully benefit us. He is inconsistent but he also clearly has ability and for that alone he is better than anything else we have got in the striker department. We need to sign at least one striker before the window closes, that was the case before this news and nothing has changed but I don’t see this extension as being anything other than a positive for us.

I’ll wait until it’s confirmed by the club but if true then it’ll be great news for us. Edit: Just now confirmed by club Twitter.

The difference with Ferguson, Mourinho etc is that they had the managerial ability and were delivering results which kinda of justified their ‘arrogance’. Now I am fully aware that their remits at the clubs they were at were significantly different to that of Graham Alexander’s at Motherwell, but jammy top six finish and European qualification aside, we have been absolutely awful to watch for over a year. Our form in the majority of that same time has been equally awful and almost to add insult to injury, the manager more often than not tries to tell everyone that black is white and that we have “played well” in debacles like we saw last Thursday night. There is arrogant and there is arrogant. And Graham Alexander’s arrogance falls into the ‘stubborn to the detriment of the club’ category.

What St.Johnstone, Hibs and St.Mirren did or didn’t do in the group stages is irrelevant and certainly can’t be used as some kind of excuse should we whimper out against a lower league side.

Surely we should have beaten Sligo Rovers at home on Thursday night! I’m afraid there’s no surelys atall for us and this team just now. I’d say this tie is a 50/50, perhaps 60/40 in our favour, but it could go either way and it will be no shock if they beat us.

Well it’s good to get a home draw but that is by no means a gimmie. ICT have of course been a bit of a bogey side for us in Cup competitions over the years and this will be another tough tie for us. Tie to be played either Tuesday 30th or Wednesday 31st of August.

Last 16 draw coming up shortly. We are seeded so that means we will avoid the Old Firm, Hearts, Aberdeen and Dundee Utd at this stage. We have never drawn a non top flight side in the knockout stages this competition since the format changed in 2016. Kilmarnock or Livingston are the two possible top flight options for us here, but we could potentially get QoS, Dundee or Falkirk which would also be tough.

You know what? That 02/03 team would scud this current lot. Faddy absolutely ripped Joos Valgaeren up for toilet paper in that 2-1 win against Celtic and did the same to Amoruso when we beat Rangers, so imagine him (of then obviously) up against Mugabi! Then you had Pearson and Hammell linking up down the left, something this current side just doesn’t have. Mind you having Woods and Dubourdeau as goalkeeping options would be a bit of a leveller I suppose.