David

I'm sure I've seen games get called on account of the surroundings being unsafe for fans to travel. I wouldn't be surprised to see that happen this weekend, sadly.

I understand where you're coming from, but I think some of those criticisms might not carry as much weight when you look at the bigger picture of our performances and results this season. Points about not closing down, defending too deeply, or not supporting the strikers can often be linked to tactical choices that have ultimately been effective. We're 5th in the league, with a comfortable cushion and games in hand, plus a cup semi-final in the books. These achievements suggest that the approach is working overall, even if it’s not always the most visually pleasing. For instance, defending deeper may not be ideal for possession stats, but it’s clearly effective in certain situations—particularly against stronger opposition, where soaking up pressure and hitting on the counter has proven successful. When it comes to possession, I think it’s worth considering that stats can be misleading. It’s not just about where or how often we lose the ball—it’s about how effective we are when we have it. Even with lower possession figures, we’ve still been able to create chances and score goals at crucial moments, which is why we’re in such a strong position in the league. So, while it’s fair to critique certain aspects of our play, focusing too much on possession numbers or isolated tactical decisions seems like nitpicking when the results on the board show progress. The balance might not be perfect yet, but it’s been delivering success so far, and that’s what matters most. In that context, our season so far has been a success.

I was poking fun at the usual suspects who overlook the current success of the team in favour of the only thing they can moan about. Possession. Jesus Christ man. This place is hard work at times.

I have a feeling you didn't quite get the gist of my original post on the matter. Never mind.

The issue is that Watt is likely to stay in this form as long as he only gets the occasional 15-20 minutes here and there, especially given he didn’t have much of a pre-season or any real match time before joining us. If we want to see the Tony Watt we had a few years ago, we need to play him regularly and allow him to find his rhythm and get match fit. What’s clear is that there’s a player in there. It all comes down to whether we’re prepared to give him the game time to rediscover that form.

My problem with the possession statistics is that they seem to be the only thing people can use to criticise our season so far. Some fans are going to great lengths to approach the situation from the angle of, "Right, we've reached a cup semi-final, we're 5th in the league with a four-point cushion over 6th place, and we have two games in hand, but what about the possession stats?!" Would it be nice to see us retain the ball more? Of course. Would I trade that for winning games and sitting in 5th? Not for a second.

#HappyClapperPatter

Never mind the result. That comes secondary to us winning the possession contest, surely? Will this be the game we finally crack that 35% number and send our possession-obsessed fans into a tizzy? Or will we do what we usually do? And win 2-1 while only getting 8 kicks at the ball team-wide?

At this stage I'd likely look at moving on from Tavares and Vale. Robinson is someone else I'd maybe look to move on, but with a deal until May 2026 it may prove difficult. As for Tony Watt, I think there's a player in there. He just needs a run of games and probably a proper pre-season. I'd keep him around.

I've always blamed Boyle more than Nevin for that whole period of time. He was the guy who hired someone who clearly wasn't qualified for that job.

Look at it from a positive aspect though. It means he's being actively discussed in the media, and any actual serious contenders will be seeing the figures floated about and will know they likely have to at least match or more likely exceed them. I'm happy enough to see him get the headlines.

I don't think so, no. We'll know how many tickets were sold for that section, and will also have every single individual who scanned their ticket at the turnstile, no? Unless people are sneaking in somewhere, which is would open up a whole new line of questioning.

I don't mean that as me saying you're talking nonsense, it's a legitimate question. Because it can only mean one of two things. Either Brian Caldwell has been given false information and is being lied to by someone on the club staff. Or, he was given the correct figures and is choosing to bullshit the fans. I'm not entirely sure either is plausible. I think it's probably more likely that us fans, sitting in various areas of the stadium with differing viewpoints and angles, are likely getting it wrong. Just my personal opinion.

Brian Caldwell being told inaccurate numbers then?

That says more about the squad than it does him, I think. Sad state of affairs really.