Kmcalpin

Yet again we have proved to be the better team in game but were also not good enough to win. The midfield missed Klimpl very badly and although its had worse games it simply didn't function right. The combination of 3 central midfielders (Hughes, Lasley and McGarry) just didn't gel. I'm not a big fan of Steve McGarry but he had a decent 1st 45 then faded badly in the second. When Aberdeen went down to 10 men we should have gone for broke and thrown on Jamie Murphy but we didn't. Typical again that Aberdeen had one shot on goal following a defensive blunder and it counted. Whilst we created a fair amount of chances, it has to be said that, apart from one great save late on, Langfield could have gone for a round a golf today and it wouldn't have been noticed. All that said maybe had Considine not been red carded then its a game we'd have lost as the Dons were turning the screw just prior to his departure. Last season we were winning games like this but this time round we're drawing them. Chris Porter is being badly missed. Although anything could happen in the last 2 games before the split I really think we've blown it. Hibs are well capable of picking up 6 points whilst we aren't. If we are to beat St Mirren its going to take more than a huge effort - it'll take good defending and clinical finishing.

Certainly the pitch is improving but there was a large puddle in the South Stand/Main Stand corner. Obviously drainage still isn't right in patches.

Once again the traffic control at the junction of Knowetop Avenue and Windmillhill Avenue was a bit shambolic after the match. As usual these days, cars were held back after the game but at 5.15 sharp the traffic warden on points duty simply walked off despite the fact that there was still a line of traffic queued at the junction. Surely with increasing police control at FP this is something that could be sorted? Unbelievable!!

Quite a few clubs have "troublesome" players on their books. How many Well fans would take Derek Riordan from Hibs on a free for example?

Yes, I'd second that Fraz. Why not? If the money can do some good then fine. A nice gesture. If someone could give me a contact I'd be happy to make a modest donation myself.

I'll second that. Standing in a crowd is all very well if you're over 6ft but if you're not it can be a bit of a pain. Not everyone in our support will be rushing to rip out seats. Some season ticket holders could well be turfed out of their seats against their will for example. Presumably clubs would still charge the same amount for standing areas? There probably is a place for standing areas, but IF this initiative ever came to fruition it would have to be very carefully planned, as there will be a number of issues to be thought out.

They're a bit arrogant and delusional are they not? Stuck in a 1980s time warp. What right have they to demand to removal of their current manager and the appointment of a manger with another club?

I don't know if its possible but the SFA should look at cutting back drastically on the number of English Premiership games in Scotland - it creates a false impression and sets the standard for young impressionable fans. The media too must cut back on English coverage and concentrate more on lower league Scots sides.

I can't speak for anyone else but my opinion isn't based on one game but quite a few. Before Brian's first injury he struggled at full back. He came back last season and I felt he struggled at full back then too. What is he? I'd say he has the makings of good centre back. Time will tell. He has shown great strength of character to come back from serious injury twice and I hope he can progress from that. He deserves a bit of luck.

My view exactly Grew. The strange thing is that we have a full squad to pick from or at least appear to have. The one question mark is hanging over David Clarkson as there is some suggestion he's motoring on empty. The telling thing for me,watching the telly, was that some midfielders hardly received a mention indicating that they simply weren't in the game.

I can't speak for everyone of course Flow but for me it was the manner of our performance that disappointed so much. Before hand we knew it was a huge game for a poor Killie side. It was also a very important game for us so much so that Mark McGhee took the squad down to Ayrshire on Friday night. The pitch looked ok although a bit bumpy it has to be said, but presumably able to sustain a decent game of football. For long spells we were camped in our own half and it took until the 83rd minute for us to muster a shot on target. I think we had 3 efforts on goal all day. The strikers looked forlorn and very isolated and our midfield seemed very unwilling to advance much away from the defence. We lost too many 50/50 battles. These for me were the really disappointing facets of the game. In short we just didn't seem up for it. Its anybody's guess as to why this was. Was it cautious tactics? Was it simply that the team had a bad day? Was it a combination of both. Were Killie simply too aggressive and pumped up to handle? All SPL teams, not just us are capable of turning in poor performances, but this season we seem to have put in flat performances in a number of key games. The joys of supporting MFC! Who'd have it any other way?

Firstly, well done to Eileen O'Donnell - it sounds like a very worthy thing to do. I wouldn't be too critical of the club though. We don't know why this was said. My last recollection of the tributes, unfortunately, was that many were soaked with the rain we had at the time. I recall a fan asking "What on earth do we do with thousands of soaking garments?". I doubt if MFC would have the facilities to wash and dry them. As with life in general, there are sometimes practical considerations which many folk don't, understandably, appreciate. All credit to the folk who did launder them. Not an easy task.

I agree up to a point Andy. Like you I think I know why MMcG has done this and I agree the type of game in which it should be used. However of the two, Paul Quinn is an out and out full back whereas Brian MacLean isn't. I don't know if MacLean has done brilliantly in absolute terms since coming back though. It might be that MMcG feels that he absolutely has to play Brian MacLean for some reason (to test him out, get him match fit) and the best way to do do it is to shunt his best RB, Paul Quinn, upfield. It gives us more of a defensive look in midfield although Killie clearly, and rightly, saw this as being our achilles heel yesterday. The situation on the left is a wee bit different. Many of us, but by no means all, don't see Steve Hammell as being our best left back. Mark Reynolds is perhaps better suited to that role. It could be of course that MMcG is playing a long game (in terms of his team planning) and is considering moving MacLean into the centre and Reynolds to left back. Craigan and Quinn would then take up the other two places at the rear. That would give us alot more height certainly.

No, I don't think so. He simply isn't a right back. Add to that the guy in front of him, Paul Quinn, is also playing out of position and you have the makings of a problem, which Killie exploited, but not fully thankfully.

Pretty much sums up my views too. I'll take some convincing we didn't set out for a draw. It was a case of safety first which is a bit of a let down as Killie aren't the best side in the SPL. If we HAD to play such a game today then Sheridan should have started with Clarkson, or if he wasn't fit then Murphy. We desperately needed pace and running in the side.

Null vote from me. The fact that we didn't lose a goal was more down to luck than design.

Overall I was happy with a point today. It was always going to be a difficult game and with Kilmarnock fired up and fighting for their very survival a point can't be bad. Killie were pretty poor but at least they showed ambition and fight. But how many times have we lost such games in the past? We didn't play badly just didn't play or maybe played to a limited gameplan. I had this down as a certain defeat beforehand, especially given our line up. I was baffled by our line up and taking all the evidence into consideration we probably set out to stop Killie, which in fairness we did. The right side combination of Quinn and MacLean just didn't work and the sooner Coach is restored to right back the better with someone decent in front of him. The midfield was quite frankly awful and left our 2 strikers totally isolated apart from the dying stages. That said John Suttton is a decent penalty box player and perhaps not suited to today's type of counter attacking game. Even the Setanta pundits couldn't fathom out why we were trying to stifle the game and slow it down. When Steve McGarry came on for Sheridan that confirmed my suspicions that we were trying to sit out the game and perhaps sneak a late goal if we were still in it by that stage. The team was certainly well prepared but I think our tactics and selection let us down. More fight, desire and ambition would not have gone amiss. The free flowing adventurous football of last season was replaced by a dull, boring, safety first performance today.

I won't say too much as its perhaps up to the club to make any announcement about this and I don't want to steal its thunder. However, mention was made, without any prompting from the floor, about concentrating on the existing support / season ticket holders rather than initiatives to attract new fans. Make of that what you will.

BOTH were mentioned at the AGM. The money from Faddy's sell on clause was split with creditors, which seems reasonable enough.

That is correct. I've never particularly liked the term "punching above our weight". However John Boyle was 100% correct in what he said. He said that, based on turnover, we were more efficient than many other clubs. Teams like Hearts, Aberdeen, Hibs and Dundee United have turnovers way in excess of ours (2X, 3X and 4X) and yet finished below us last season. In other words, our money was more effectively spent. No shareholder took, or could, take issue with what he said.

A lot easier said than done. Had the club held out for that, it might well have been a deal breaker, with the player eventually leaving for nought and remaining on the books totally demotivated and disinterested. It would also send out the wrong message to potential signing targets. If we manage to secure players on long, well paid contracts then you can start insisting on such clauses.

Good point. This struck me as being odd also. I still think this is tantamount to differential pricing for the same product. The prices for the Main Stand, East Stand and Chadwick Stand are the same yet only the latter has an "end on" view? The prices might be the same but the facilities certainly aren't. Clubs should be encouraging armchair fans to attend live matches and this will not help.

No comment from me about our own pitch - its all been said before. Whilst Easter Road might be be slightly better and certainly looks better it was still a disgrace. Ball control was virtually impossible and bumpy is an understatement. To their credit though, Hibs did admit that it helped to spoil the derby.

I agree - thats my understanding too FC. Ironically, was it not Killie fans who complained about our "unfair" charging regime?

Some fine play by Jim O'Brien. Both sides had their chances, but some of our defending was absolutely awful. Undecided about United's penalty claim. There may have been contact but the lad did go down very easily. Any club looking at Graeme Smith can't have failed to be impressed by his shot stopping but his attempts at United goal will certainly not have gone down well with them. At least if he moves to another SPL club we'll know how to put him under pressure.