weeyin

Do we not offer away fans some deals for kids tickets etc.? The biggest complaint at Accies seems to be the price for comcessions/kids.

They managed OK with Ariyibi. He couldn't pass, shoot, cross or hit a dead ball when he joined us.

And yet Seedorf was signed by Wolves - so there must have been some professional football coaches who thought he could contribute to that level of English football. So you have to assume they saw some basics there they thought they could work with. As I said, there are definitely signings that won't make it - that is a given at any club. But there are countless examples of players who just didn't fit a team or a style that have developed into good players, even at our club. (Skippy is the classic one). When we sign most players we're taking a punt that we can make them better - that is our model now, and will continue to be our model for the forseeable future. If the expectation among the fans is they are all going to be playing at their peak in August, they are going to be disappointed every season.

Glad everyone is back on form with their dismissing of every player we signed after 3 league games. While it's inevitable not all of them will make the grade, it's also inevitable that if you come from a lower league it will take more than 3 games to get up to speed, I believe the medical term is "Chris Porter Syndrome" (not be confused with "Bob Malcom Syndrome" where people insist how good a player is going to be before he's kicked a ball). It is going to be a terrible game, though. In the history of the SP(F)L, there has never been a good game on plastic between any two teams.

I never heard that about Cooper - but even if it wasn't true, I'm sure guys like Tommy McLean, Tam Forsyth (and maybe Iain Ferguson and Craig Patterson) weren't shy about reminding him of their Old Firm credentials.

I agree it lacks transparency, but the whole "just what they show on Sportscene" is well past its sell-by date - by their very nature, those are just the ones you hear most about. If it was Sportscene only, anybody outside the Premiership could do what they liked with no chance of being disciplined. As far as I know there is an official observer at every senior game that is watching the refereeing decisions (and missed decisions) - all without the aid of a camera.

If the ref has seen the incident and not taken any action I don't think it can be referred. To quote from an SFA Question and Answer: The Compliance Officer can only take retropsective action when an "on field incident, or an exceptional part of an on field incident, has been unseen by the match officials."

I agree about the decline in quality of the Twitter/Social Media output. Maybe something than can be brought up at the next Well Society meeting? Definitely sounds like something the members should have a say in.

Aye, I never expect to see Tait pull out of any challenge - very uncharacteristic. I wouldn't pick on Hylton for being mince, though. From Gillespie gifting a needless pen, to Dunne with his aimless long balls, to the toothless midfield and our inability to create anything in the final third, it was a dismal performance all round. Just hoping it was a one-off.

Definitely not. I think when the commentary was audio only a few of the players felt a little more free to express opinions. Hartley in particular. Seem to be a little more subdued on the video streams.

Cheating us because the other team is Celtic, definitely been said.

It was Tait shirking a tackle in the first half that surprised me. He's usually not shy in imposing himself on any opponent, but that moment seemed to sum up the whole team's display; everybody from Gillespie forward was off their game. The thing that annoyed me about Seedorf was the fact we kept passing to his feet (or just behind him) when he was standing still, instead of into space for him to attack.

I hope they never listen to the MFC TV commentaries - especially when Hartley or, to a lesser extent Tanner, have been working it.

The big issue with last Friday is everybody from front to back was awful. You could fill the team with Campbells, but if they don't run, don't cover, stay out of tackles and can't execute a simple pass, the result would be the same. When a guy like Tait is shirking tackles like he did in the first half, the game is over. The question now is how will the players respond.

Some guys need an arm round the shoulder, others a swift kick. As he works with them every day I hope he knows which is which. (Although I may be biased, as I always fell into the "responds better to yelling" camp when I played at my very mediocre level).

Not only that, but he had the flu all week, apparently, and it wasn't expected he'd even be fit to play.

So when Robinson backs his players in the media the posters on here get upset that he's too stupid to see the poor perfromances, too loyal and needs to start holding players accountable. And when he points out poor performers, he's not taking responsibility and will lose the dressing room. We can agree or disagree with his approach, but I'm pretty sure Robinson knows that every performance and every shortcoming ultimately falls on him. I wouldn't expect him to point fingers after every game, but a rocket now and then does no harm. Crags was the same when he was coaching the U20s - never afraid to point out the shortcomings of players, or what they'd need to improve to get their chance in the first team.

This - plus, as I keep saying, when we bring in new players from lower leagues the Betfred Cup is terrible pre-season preparation. It might help with fitness to some degree, but knocking in a few goals against lower league opposition is nothing like adequate preparation for the high tempo, high pressing game we need to play against teams that have internationalists in them. The only way to get used to that is by playing those teams. Some of the new guys will be able to make that transition, some will not. That is just as true for the youngsters we try to develop as it is for the guys we sign from elsewhere. It's no coincidence that a number of our new guys don't hit form until November or December. Arsene Wenger used to say it took 6 months for a player to adapt to a new league, even if he was playing at a similar level in a different country. I doubt we are singing players better than Wenger signed.

Hearts are closing us down and making chances in the final third. They are also handling the conditions better, running at our defence and making them turn in the treacherous conditions. That's not atrocious.

Gillespie looking for a red card so he can stay inside second half. Woeful goalkeeping from someone that should know better.

Oh, and "summer fitba' eh?"

As I said earlier, I don't buy into this "Hearts are atrocious, we'll beat them easily" chat. We never beat them easily.

If they want to use Seedorf, they need to pass it into space ahead of him instead of passing to his feet when he's standing still.

Dodgy handball decision against Dunne. Hearts hit the post. (Even Michael Jambo McHeartsface said it was a terrible decision)

Actually, I can see the stream now, and it looks OK.