weeyin

When MJC disappeared from here I'd always assumed he finally got his bus fare.

Quite possibly. But let's not forget that team wasn't an instant build either.

I assume we still have the scouting system in place that Les implemented. And Robinson said in one of his interviews that he had good knowledge of the lower leagues. So I'm hoping we already have a few ideas of how to replace Skippy and Moult. If we can sell on Moult and bring in a decent replacement that will be another success in our current business model.

100% this. Except I'm not cuddling anyone. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Haha, aye I was thinking that when I wrote it. When it comes to Rangers games, though, I think we are all in the same boat. I think the last time I fancied us winning was when Tommy McLean was the gaffer.

Best chance ever. Weak Rangers side. Defence we can exploit. New manager giving us a better organization. Due a win. etc.etc. 3 - 1 Rangers who then go onto lose their next 4 games. I can't get excited about this fixture. Sooner or later our mob will surprise me, but I'm not holding my breath.

Assuming he's happy in Scotland that would make sense. He'll never be Mr. Consistent, but let him play in his natural position and he will do a job.

A slow Alan Hutton.

He might have offered something as an attacking right winger. Difficult to tell when he was being played as a defensive left mid. Probably a good time for him to move on, though, and get a fresh start somewhere else.

Crazy talk.

I think both are probably correct. McManus has a positive influence on those around him (especially the younger players) and has obvious leadership skills. He also seems to switch off for periods during a game, that can lead to us conceding. I think his net contribution to the team is positive, but he always leaves me feeling a little short changed.

I don't know how actively he's been trying to leave but he's certainly been listening offers and I'd be amazed if he didn't take one this summer.

I expect Skippy to be off at the end of this season.

And for not scoring enough goals. It's all well and good blaming the defence every week, but we need to be scoring more than 1, especially at home.

I'll definitely not be there on Saturday.

He'd still have lose a few skills to be worse than Derek Murray.

From Craigan's comments I think there were only a couple of players with pass marks. I can see why that would be disappointing as, like he mentioned, now would be the prefect time to make a case for a first team spot.

Ironically, one of Accies' advantages is their appalling plastic surface while our billiard table pitch allows good teams to play well against us. Of course, it should be to our advantage too if we start stringing a few passes together.

I'm not sure how it could be regarded as a three-ring circus. They interviewed a few people and selected one. Even if it's true that people withdrew from the process at some stage, that is pretty normal in any recruitment once candidates get to discuss the opportunity. I'm sure I'm not the only person that's had an interview and then decided a particular job wasn't for me. Sometimes because of the company itself, sometimes because of the salary, sometimes because I have a better offer elsewhere. Our club never gives details of the process to the media - quite rightly in my opinion - and for some reason, that leads to a fair chunk of people on here branding us incompetent. Apart from publically announcing the names of every Steelmen Online posters' favourite candidate, I'm not sure what could be done differently to keep everyone happy.

In the 70s and 80s Liverpool did quite well with internal promotions to the manager's job. Bottom line is that any recruitment is a gamble. I doubt even the most optimistic supporters could have predicted the spell of success McCall had during his time. Similarly, Tommy McLean's woeful first few season in charge gave no indication of the success he'd have towards the end of his tenure.

If we had appointed Robinson immediately, people would have complained. If we hadn't spoken to Simo this time, other people would have complained. If we'd appointed Simo, some different people would still have complained. There were people complaining when Alex Neil was suggested - a gaffer who had a 54.5% win ratio with Accies and a 41.7% ratio with Norwich. Bottom line is, we are a miserable bunch, and whoever was appointed and regardless of the process followed, there was guaranteed to a number of unhappy punters. What isn't surprising is there are people already hoping he'll be punted in the summer and the guy hasn't even had one game in charge as manager yet.

Cheers Jay. I meant Board Meetings too - that example was just something that sprang to mind that was fresh in my memory. A chat platform might be the best option for members in a different timezone as we can keep up with it while we're at work!

I agree it's not every season, but if you look a post I made a few weeks ago that lists our position every season since the SPL was created, the position we have finished most often is 8th. The recent run of success has been great, but it's not typical, and even the Board said it led to unrealistic expectations when it came to budgets.

The question is, who would have whelmed them?

All good points - and all arranged under a transfer embargo.