weeyin

2 - 1 to Hearts (on red cards) 3 - 1 to us (on goals)

Just watched the highlights and it was good to see such a solid performance. It's amazing how much of this game is mental and the first goal put us on the front foot where we are most productive. We had the best result of the top 4 tonight which just goes to show how difficult it is at our end of the table.

If you become a marked man it's usually because you continue a certain behaviour. Cut out kicking the ball away and the problem disappears.

I couldn't watch it live tonight so it was a banker for a good performance and plenty of goals.

The whole Category A vs Category B thing is a ridiculous rip off - our club included. A game against Premiership opposition shouldn't vary in price.

Unfortunately Dunne seems to be one of those players that is always picking up injuires. It's how we managed to get him in the first place, so was a bit of a risk.

Glad you've found another good player to start picking on. It's almost like your saying that midfield needs a balance of players and that it's better for them to play together as a team than as individuals. That's pretty radical, and I doubt it will catch on. Next thing you'll be saying that strikers need other players to cross the ball to them. Madness.

Quite possibly. But then it won't be "just our luck if we finish 4th and one of the Edinburgh teams win the bloody thing" it will be "we missed out because we were diabolical".

Finishing 3rd is entirely in our own hands. If it ends up that we need to rely on others, we can have no complaints.

Scott was a unit, but his physical presence was negligible. While wee Allan Campbell is a boss.

Did Columbus ditch him already?

The summer of 2018. After all the criticism it took the previous season they tried to fix it. (I think it's fair to say it has not worn well). From their official site:

I hope it's to subsidise the pitch renovation fund, because they got ripped off the last time they spent £1 million on it.

I think Watford and Hearts just proved my point about teams at the bottom the league.

I'm keeping half an eye on the Hearts v Rangers game and the combination of pitch and style of play is making it look like a cup tie from the 70s.

There are no easy games at this time of year. Teams at the bottom have switched into survival mode and will do whatever it takes to grab a point. We should have enough to win, but I expect nothing less than a street fight.

We would have been if we'd sacked him today like you were hoping. (If you can't keep up with your own nonsense, how do you expect us to manage?)

The two big differences this season are that our bad run came later than the usual December dip, and that we are sitting 3rd instead of worrying about the playoff battle.

No need to apologise, but you have forgotten players that didn't even make it to the first team e.g. Reece McAlear and Stuart McKinstry. And Turnbull is only here because of his surgery.

You need to breathe when you are typing unlike the typing you just did when you didn't breathe so when you type shortly again you should breathe

It's certainly a fine balance, and one that obviously has market and timing pressures. It just feels that in the past 12 - 18 months the pendulum has swung too far towards "sell young and sell early" and now we are in the situation where our only regularly starting academy graduate claimed his place in 2017. It wasn't that long ago we had Cadden, Campbell, Turnbull, Hastie and Scott in the first team. We need to get back towards that model sooner rather than later.

We do, however, need to be wary of falling into the cycle of developing young players and selling them off before they play a full 1st team season in order to generate funds to improve the training facilities to develop young players to sell off before they play a full 1st team season etc. etc. At some point we need some of our next crop of youngsters to play the number of games a Cadden or a Campbell have given us. With Scott gone, there is going to be a gap before the next youngsters start making regular appearances. As I may have said before, the first priority of the academy is to develop a quality of player we could never afford to buy. The second is to generate income, but if we don't get a decent run in the team from them then we are losing value to the team - the value that is a fan paying money to be entertained; the only reason our club (or any club) exists.

And yet they are all below us in the league.

Agree this looks like the best option. Just hope we can keep them fit and suspension free.

We've lost the plot up front since we sold Scott. Of course he blew hot and cold, but offered something we haven't been able to replace so far.