Al B

To be honest, I thought we popped the ball around really nicely tonight! No urgency about our play whatsoever, but there never was going to be. There was a shocking amount of "if your not looking to try and score every single time you have the ball, then it's pish", and "if you pass the ball back the way it's shite" type-mentality going on around me. Thought Killie were chasing shadows for most of the first half, we passed and moved really well! Contrary to earlier posters I thought Hateley had a more than decent game!

I'm surprised thats what you'd suspect. I'd suggest you'd be completely on your own with that opinion.... If Sutton and Jenno were publicly on their way to Hearts/Dundee United next season, and you'd leave them out of the cup final in favour of Forbes and McHugh because they are gonna be here next year, then i'd expect everyone to say you're mental.

Look at the thread for the display ideas. Look closely at the idea in the first post. Something with names all over it. Not meaning to be all cryptic about it, but there's a point to it being put in a password protected forum...i.e. they don't want the ideas and decisions being banded about where any old TIM Dick or Harry can see the guys plans for a display.

If you're looking at it like that though, then yeah two up front is more attacking than one, three is more attacking than two. In the context of a match however, there are lots of things that have to be considered, and the flexibility and solidity of a 4-5-1means that, in my opinion obviously, 4-5-1 is more attacking than 4-4-2 while at the same time taking care of the other aspects of the match. Both Humphrey and Murphy have the pace and the engine to get up and support Sutton when the ball is coming in from the opposite flank, doing the job Jeffers would be doing as a strike partner. Difference for me is that with the 4-5-1 you get the benefits of that, whilst still having the solid trio of Las/Jenno/Hateley in the centre. Even aside from that, "The Big Hampden Pitch" is also a bit of a myth....it's exactly the same size as the pitch at McDiarmid Park. Again, obviously just my opinion, 4-5-1 is attacking without having to sacrifice anything and being able to take the game to Celtic. Midfield is key, and having the extra man in there is exactly what Celtic struggle to deal with. 4-4-2 and Humphrey can't even thinkk about Izaguire because he's got to match up in midfield. If Izaguire was a left mid and their left back didn't overlap, then we'd get away with 4-4-2 more easily...but it's the fact that one of Celtic's most attacking threat is overlapping their midfield rather than being part of it, we can't take someone out of a 4-man midfield of our own to pin him back because we're leaving ourselves 3 against 4...with one of our 3 being Murphy, who we don't want to be having to sit in. Against a lower team, i'd agree with you that 4-4-2 would be more attacking...but against Celtic, I believe we can take the game to them much more in a 4-5-1.

Surprised at the amount of people that feel 4-4-2 is automatically more attacking and "having a go at them", than a 4-5-1. Is it just because it's assumed 2 up top is more attacking because there's an extra striker? If you want Humphrey to keep Izaguire occupied, there's NO WAY we can play a 4-4-2...that would just mean that we're using a midfielder to occupy a defender...leaving our 3 in midfield (effectively 2, as you're not gonna get a strong midfield performance from Murphy) to try and cope with their 4...which in turn negates any attacking potential from Murphy. 4-5-1 is wayyy more attacking and offensive, and is needed to be able to utilise both Humphrey and Murphy, while at the same time having a midfield trio of Las, Jenno and Hately up against Ki and Brown (most probably).

Unfortunately knowing Fir Park and Motherwell, that song would go along the lines of - "If you've no signed by now...get tae fuck"

I believe we'll get slaughtered if we play 4-4-2. We need to play 4-5-1 to give us the extra man in midfield and really not let them settle, also so that our wide men can pin back their full backs without weakening us in the middle of the park. Our win at Fir Park had a great deal to do with Humphrey keeping Izaguire occupied defensively, and he was too scared to venture forward because he couldn't deal with the pace. We wouldn't be able to play like that in a 4-4-2. Humphrey and Murphy both have the engine to support Sutton's superb hold up play rather than giving him an out-and-out strike partner in a 4-4-2, and both have the legs and the skill to get to the byline to supply him from wide. Gotta be a 4-5-1 in my opinion, and we'd have the potential to give them a real fright.

Likewise....what's this poll for? A song wins and then 6 people that have paid attention to a thread on the internet sing it?

I have a feeling this idea isn't what the majority (all?) of the support were expecting.... Seems most thought we were getting some kind of special, one-season anniversary kit, a-la the claret Arsenal home kit from a few seasons back for the Highbury stuff....and it turns out what we actually have is just another bit of shop merchandise?

Nah not any more it's not. He realised he was a bit of a banger when he started a family and settled down, got quite a few of his tattoos removed etc. Doubt we could come close to offering him a deal he'd accept though.

Pretty much the full game on Saturday, Maurice Ross was going mental at the midfield trying to get them to keep it tighter, trying to get Jones and Murphy to tuck in and allow Las and Jenno to get closer....and he was absolutely spot on, and he was understandably frustrated as no-one listened to him (in fairness possibly under instruction from someone with more clout that Ross). Jones and Murphy, and Humphrey all work well going forward when we're playing a team we can take the game to (and that includes Celtic due to the way they play), but against Rangers every time we lost the ball in their half they didn't even have to bother trying to work it wide, they just bulldozed their way straight up the middle of the park through the massive gap in between Lasley and Jennings. Even if they had moved in to try and close down at that point, it's far too late because it then means they are leaving another man free and the ball just gets popped through. They only have two options, stay with their man and leave a huge gap through the middle, or close down and signpost an obvious pass in behind them to the man thats then left spare.

Naismith. Yesterday. Offt!

Exactly what I was about to say! First time I got to about 20 seconds in and had to put it off...went back for another try later with the sound off! Cracking vid otherwise though!!

Why do you need it explaining?

Never heard it...was nursing a hangover Saturday lunchtime until my walk in the rain from the car to Tynecastle cured it! What was said?

Seems to me that its the same people worried about 'well fans who make the effort to go every week but don't have a season ticket, possibly missing out on the final.... that are moaning about it not being a 50/50 split. Even with us getting 16,000 tickets....there will be plenty of decent, season ticket holding Celtic fans who put good money into their club, who won't get a ticket for the final because they don't have enough. They are giving 16,000 tickets to a group of 4000 people. Is anyone genuinely worried they won't get one? Really?

Especially after him openly saying when he arrived that being abroad was weird as fuck and he didny like it. Journo pish once again methinks.

Glad it's 4 per season ticket holder, means between me and my mum we have 8 tickets, and my bird wants to come, plus a bunch of my mates who are Falkirk fans.

That 2-3-5 formation for the 52 cup final sounds interesting!!

Murphy. Every time he gets the ball you can almost hear defenders going "oh fuck....".

Exactly. Im not saying for a minute that we should or would lie down...but should the situation arise and we were to happen to lose i'd be fucking ecstatic to have secured our place in Europe for the 4th season running, and would be hoping it happens. I couldn't give a flying fuck who wins the league...it's completely irrelevant to me, so im not bothered in the slightest about affecting or influencing the destination of the title. Europe secured please. Ta.

Weird possibility of Celtic v Motherwell last game of the season, and we all want Celtic to win!

MJC called it earlier when he said it will come down to bottle and who hold their nerve better. In a similar way that teams who regularly fight relegation can in a way "learn" how to survive when they need to...and teams that challenge for titles can do the same. I think we are about to see what will turn out to be the true benefit of our European experience. You can argue about how evenly matched the sides are in terms of ability and personnel, but our runs in Europe have given us something St. Johnstone as a team and a club, just don't have.

Fitzy.

The tradition of "lifting-over" was always an example of pulling a bit of a fast one. With this act of pulling a fiddle to get your kids in free in mind, what about "The Kiddy Fiddler Package"? Does have a ring to it...it's catchy, and people will take notice.