Kmcalpin

Really? If we stay up it'll because we finish 10th. If the 12th and possibly 11th teams go down it'll be because they deserved to. It sounds like you want us to go down.

Agree Alan. St Mirren are still 2 points behind us with a game more played. They've still to play Celtic before the split we don't. Hopefully we'll see some chages in personnel next week. Is it any wonder the players are showing a lack of fight when fans are so pessimistic? Feeding off each other guess? Yes, we've got a helluva fight on our hands but we are above both both St Mirren and Ross County. When did St Mirren last win a home game?

Can you post the full article please? I can't access it. Certainly its a high risk option but fortunately we're not involved.

I think he injured his groin against Stjarnan and this rumbled on for months. Suspect it was a hernia. He then had an operation a month or two back. The question is why didn't he have an operation (or elective procedure in medical mumbo jumbo) earlier in the season.

Good news indeed.

Its encouraging to see us linked with some fresh players. Despite signing Pearo again I'd still like to see us sign a defensive midfielder to play in the middle. We need a complete overhaul of our midfield and it seems Ian Baraclough has cottoned on to our structural weakness there.

I think it was the storm force winds earlier in the week that caused the damage. They really were destructive. In short you are saying that you simply don't believe Alan Marshall and the club?

Panels could be dislodged by a sudden freak gust of wind, vibration, frost damage or even the ball canoning off the panels. To play the game in such circumstances would be reckless in the extreme. Any player standing in the vicinity of a falling panel could be decapitated. Simply not worth the risk.

Dan doesn't have a great defence in front of him granted, but his biggest problem is his midfield and in particular his central midfield who leave him and the defence far too exposed.

No Howard Sameroff didn't play many games - the odd one as a stop gap. Ally Maxwell was never very impressive either until his later days with us - we never thought he was going to make it.

I've no problem whatsoever with folk raising concerns about what has gone wrong/what is going wrong, Alan. What I don't think is particulalrly helpful is immediately looking for someone to blame. Too often these days, and not just in football, when things go wrong the first comment some people utter is "heads must roll". I'm sure most of us have been the victim of such thinking or comments at work at some point. Much more positive and sensible is to analyse what has gone wrong and how to put it right as quickly as possible.

Its the time honoured and trusted method of managing matters when things go wrong isn't it? In times of trouble or crisis the first and most important question to ask "Who is to blame?"

X2 A bit part player.

In the main thats about right. What happened to the extra revenue fans were promising if we voted against Rangers' fast tracking and for sporting integrity? Cup results have been a disaster.

Dundee United will be paying him until the end of the season I'd guess or will make up for any loss in earnings. Basically they just want him out of the door.

Saints fans are far from happy if recent reports are to be believed. A lack of information coming from their Board and concerns that the new South American investors want to acquire 75% of the shares.

He deserves respect for what he has done and his loyalty, but being ruthless his time has now passed. He was never fast but has lost a yard of pace since last season and is being bullied by bigger and more aggressive opponents. Sentiment and blind loyalty are not whats required in our current situation.

Don't agree with all of it but its seems a pretty fair assessment to me. Bear in mind it would have been written a wee while ago. Certainly no justification whatsoever to ridicule it.

You can't explain some things purely in terms of bald statistics. However our central midfield hasn't been right for some time; in effect a season or two. Its also not just down to Stuart Carswell. There are plenty of other factors. However, Carswell lacks pace and is not creative. He's also not a great tackler. In effect he' s an honest journeyman. He's not what we need. Last season when we finished second we still had a very poor defence, although not as bad as this season. The central midfield failed miserably to protect the defence. In the second half of games our central midfield would often disappear as the opposition bulldozed our engine room. Fortunately our strikeforce scored freely to compensate for this weakness. We have a good number of central midfielders but very few or none are the quality we require. The one possible exception is Paul Lawson, who is however very injury prone and we've seen little of him. If we have a total clearout of our d central midfield in the summer it will be no bad thing.

Totally agree. ZFA is left footed, is pacy and good going forward, but his defending is mercurial and erratic.

Dundee were also very lucky - they won't get that good fortune every week. We on the other hand are due a break. Bad refereeing and bad luck has dogged us for the past 3 games.

Very true. On the pitch he's a very abrasive character and not one of my favourites. Not the way I like to see football played.

I know why you posted this but we have no left hand side at all and haven't had for months and its cost us. Personally I'd play ZFA wide left midfield with Steve Hammell at left back, if he's ever fit.

Decent shout but I'd be tempted to replace Carswell with Reid. Some pace in the engine room wouldn't go amiss.

Quite right too. Adam Stokes is a very capable replacement and had he not made the step up with us we may have lost him. On the issue of injuries - any news on ZFA? He seems to have disappeared wthout trace.