Andy_P

I caught a couple of people tweeting him good luck messages for his op. tomorrow, but didn't catch what his injury or how severe it actually was.

That's the very chap SD. Ta!

Keep it for an away kit. We've had two on away kits that come to mind. A rather classy white number with an amber and claret sash conjours up images of Nick Cusack's flowing locks. Then there's the Scott McDonald scored two goals number. Again perhaps more memorable for the occasion than the actual kit.

Uncharacterly optimistic for you for an Old Firm opponent is it not?

Keep digging.

You know, you two have an almost unerring ability to have exactly the same opinion about, well pretty much everything you two post about really. Uncanny...

I disagree to an extent. The lack of a full bench, yes, that raised eyebrows at the time and was proven to be an awful decision in hindsight. The starting eleven however should have been perfectly capable of winning that game. Nine of that eleven (Kerr for Ramsden weakens things yes, but Anier for Ainsworth should have been an improvement if anything) played and beat a Livingston side two divisions higher than Rovers. That's not being Billy Big Baws, it's a reasonable expectation that much the same side should have it in them to see off a bottom division side. And again I don't think such predictions were unreasonable either. Obviously they look stupid after the result, but when we played Queen's Park we beat them 4-0. When we played Clyde we beat them 4-0. Both bottom league tables. Really so outrageous for fans to think we shouldn't be replicating that?

I think after yesterday's shambles I would rather they were going into a big game in the full glare of publicity rather than a game against a Ross County or Inverness where they might want to hide or wallow in self pity. That shouldn't really be an option when you are live on TV and facing a team like Celtic. We may very well get beat, that's a strong possibility, but I think there will be a reaction of some kind. With their result in Europe last week we no longer have the possibility of Celtic looking to play some of their fringe players with their Barcelona game in mind, although its debatable how much difference that would make. As it happens I'm away next weekend so I'm missing this one too but will be doing my best to make sure I'm around a TV or tablet somewhere to be able to watch it. First things first I hope we can regain some pride and even a point, however much of a long shot that appears at this moment in time, would be fantastic.

All you need remind your Airdrie mates is of their 7-2 defeat to Rovers a year or two back. Momentous victory as it was for them there are plenty Rovers fans who will cherish that 7-2 game more then yesterday.

Even as someone who tries to look on the positive whenever possible there's no defending it is there? I've seen similar before (Alloa - who were actually bottom of the bottom division when they beat us, rather than second bottom like Rovers) and may well see it again but in the here and now it's just seems incomprehensible that Albion Rovers should beat us, and deservedly beat us at that. The longer the game went on the more like the Aberdeen game it became an accident waiting to happen. They might not have had a huge amount of the ball but they had the two best chances of the first half and there was a noticeable edginess every time they got close to our box in the second. That we had one shot on target the full game against a bottom league team speaks volumes. There was no zip, no creativity and few willing to take any responsibility. Awful as is the result is it also has some pretty big implications going forward. We still have a decent fist of a chance of making Europe though direct results against our fellow competitors tend to suggest we may be a little down the pecking order there, which could very well mean our season is done and dusted with months to spare. I can't imagine that will do much for crowds. And lack of money coming in from cup runs this season is surely only going to decrease the budget we'll be operating with next season. But back to today and in finishing you have to say hats off to Rovers, they did themselves proud and deserve all the praise and publicity that will come their way as a consequence of their win.

I tend to agree Sieb, but it's a very difficult call for the club to make. It's just one of the unneccesary consequences that adds to the strong dislike I have about moving the Scottish Cup so far forward - the potential to kill a team's season off five or six weeks earlier than previous if you lose. In the past there was always that to look forward to at the turn of the year if your team was having an indifferent season. By a week on Wednesday you'll have a stack of teams that are effectively playing out time for last 6 months of the season. They won't win a league, won't be relegated, there is no selling point for fans to turn up.

McManus is on a 1 year permanent deal, the other two are loans until January. I don't know what the differences are now in terms of the rewards for league positions in comparison to the SPL but you are right there is now a question for the club to consider with no scope for further revenue from either Cup. Do we retain the likes of Ainsworth and Anier, or source replacements in January in an attempt to finish as high as possible, or do we run with the remaining squad, utilise the Erwin's, Moore's and Leitch's of the squad, see where we end up and potentially leave those guys better prepared for next season.

And yes I do know how utterly ridiculous it looks to have a Man of the Match poll when you've just been humiliated by Albion Rovers. You don't need to point that out. It's there because it's always been there win, lose or draw.

Always a difficult one for the club to balance. Very much a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. All very well saying we never sold at the optimum time, but what if the offers for him were paltry? As they were viewed to be for Hutchinson in the summer of 2012. If they sold then I would expect to come on here see the club lambasted for that too and read stuff about them lacking ambition and foresight, that another good season could have seen his value grow etc. What if the player doesn't want to go and is happy to see out his contract? If he doesn't want to commit one way or the other until a certain stage then there isn't much the club can do about it. Stepping back I'd say Hutchinson's move is a year, perhaps two years overdue if he is to realise the potential many saw in him when he first made himself a regular in the team. I'm intrigued to see whether he can step up a level but I'd say he's hit something of a ceiling in his development and an opportunity in a different league against different players won't do him any harm at all.

Well done guys, some good creative thinking in keeping with your usual efforts. Focal point for 'Well fans to meet removing the uncertainty of where to drink in Hamilton, opportunity to boost the SIWY funds for future banners and displays, great opportunity to spread the good word amongst those who turn up and it all still remains true to the ethos of the Scottish Cup where any away day should be as much of a cracking day out as possible.

This is kind of a special fixture for me in some respects. Growing up my Grampa had quite an affection for The Wee Rovers. I think the only time we ever met them whilst he was around was in the League Cup in the mid-to-late eighties when we beat them 4-0. I can't remember but I'm fairly sure I would have been as much a pain in the arse towards him as any 12 year old could be, bragging about my team beating his. Whilst it's a different stadium the last game he actually attended was in Hamilton as I bugged him to take me to Douglas Park to see us play a Lanarkshire Cup tie. So the whole Albion Rovers and Hamilton thing will mean I'll certainly be thinking of OId Frank when we run out on Saturday. There's also that very rare wee quirk of us taking on the professional team that's closest to my gaff in Bargeddie. "We support our local team"....ahem..... As for the game itself, the correct attitude should see us prevail regardless of whom of our first team squad McCall decides to select. Playing on an artificial surface may be more commonplace for our opponents but since these surfaces vary, I'm not so sure that will be anything too much of an advantage to them. Might have been different at Cliftonhill, but not so I believe at NDP. In terms of the team, I would expect that McCall to give Hammell and Ramsden a further week's recovery time with Celtic in mind, and in light of both ZFA and Kerr helping us to a clean-sheet at Killie. It would seem sensible to give Craig Moore more first team game too to bed him in further after looking the part in his first team outings. I might have expected Bob McHugh to partner him on Saturday but with Sutton getting back amongst the goals, and given how streaky he can be, I'd personally be inclined to keep him alongside Moore. Faddy is the question mark. I'm not quite sure whether its match fitness he needs, in which case this might seem a good opportunity for a full ninety minutes (although if that's the case why doesn't he ever seem to be involved in the U20 games?) or if its just a case of managing him delicately, in which case you probably wouldn't to risk him on an artificial surface. Whatever the team I would expect a similar type of outcome to that in the last couple of games against Third Division sides, that being 4-0.

In terms of the "Win, Lose or Draw it's party time" line you actually picked up on exactly what Fatcalf was getting at in your original response when you referred to the Bois. I do agree with you (shudders ) in terms of different age groups of 'Well having different perspectives based upon what they have seen in their lifetimes. But for me its how those experiences and expectations in times of adversity are handled. Where in many a year gone by a goal against or going in at half behind would have resulted in the support either getting behind the team even more, or at worst silence. Over the past couple of decades the default reaction for some when things aren't going well is just "booo fuckin' boo", "XXXX you're shit" etc, etc, there is no thought that encouragement might help remedy the situation, help spur the team on etc. Some are a ticking timebomb waiting for a certain set of circumstances for them to explode, abuse, to seek blame and point fingers. All my original post was trying to do was to ascertain when and why that change began to happen.

For me 1991'92 is the year I think you are looking for. Previously those who wanted to support the team more vociferously graduated towards the fence in the shed. When the East Stand came into being that focal point was removed. People were at a stroke, displaced across it. There was no strategy to keep those who provided the atmosphere together. At the same time opposition fans were displaced out behind the goals to a uncovered terrace limiting what previously was a close hand, potentially nasty but exhilirating interaction for the next couple of years. Then ofcourse the team were shite. Completely failing to build on the Cup win and spent the next 18 month on a downward spiral. The expectation level was huge that this was the "Great Leap Forward" to use the fanzine title of the day that we'd been building towards. By the time McLean rejuvinated the team the kind of backing that had been the norm in the previous decade or so was gone seemingly for good. It was like some invisible switch had somehow been flicked in some of our supporters overnight. Almost as if right I'm paying more to sit in a stand than you used to charge me for standing, you've won a cup so should be doing it every other year now and if I don't get what I want I'm going to let fucking everybody know all about it. People tried to change attitudes back to that of old, but a generation grew up knowing no different. Sitting not standing. Silent and critical instead of noisy and supportive. Fatcalf had that commendable attitude that he often referred to in OSB and still sticks in my head. Motherwell - win, lose or draw it should be party time but it so often fell on deaf, sometimes bitter ears. I think that's why the emergence of the Bois is to encouraged and supported as much as possible in current times. For me, and perhaps others of my ages, it feels as close as we've been to a return to that kind of noisy, supportive and positive backing that we used to take for granted and loved.

Perhaps a smaller travelling support yesterday had little to do with "poor fare" as you put it and more to do with the fact that we have two successive away games in a week. Or the fact that Christmas is only a month away and folk are gearing themselves up for the expense that brings. Or even the fact that Mr A.Father can get him and an urchin in for £19 next weekend whereas it was £22 just for himself yesterday.

Your thoughts and votes please....

His expense bill would make interesting reading as he makes his way back and forward from Holland! assuming ofcourse he still lives in Holland. On Pollock, Allsop never mentioned this! I'll need to ask him about the day he lined up alongside a former 'Well player!

Think he got a couple of games under Jim Gannon and possibly a subby appearance under Craig Brown in one of the European games. I think he was believed to have some potential, but it never happened for whatever reason. EDIT: Shit. I've mentioned Jim Gannon and decorator is viewing the thread. That can only mean one thing....

Pollock? For the Swally team?

Noticed that on Twitter during the week. Something of a coup, well done! What do your opponents make of it incidentally?

Statement from Rovers about the switch to Hamilton and, gasp , details for a replay should it be required...