MelvinBragg

I see morning papers have linked us with Rory Donnelly from Gillingham. I suspect that we'll be linked with any number of players from Northern Ireland now...

The four worst I remember would be John Gardiner, Paul Kinnaird, John Reilly and Joe McLeod. There are probably others that were poor. Billy Thomson and Miodrag Krivokapic were more successful but I think the second of those happened after McLean Sr. left his post at Tannadice... EDIT If I remember correctly, Kinnaird never scored for us and it might have been his first goal for St Mirren that knocked us out of the league cup in 1989/90..

To me, Andy Murdoch is a pointless signing if you have Campbell and McHugh...

McFadden and...?

Three at the back again? Not really sure it's working...

I think somewhere there's a point about not haranguing the firemen unless they were the ones who set the fire..?

I think you'll find that one win in twenty was against Rangers at home. Doesn't make me any less concerned about the game. But there are enough reasons to be worried. We don't need to make stuff up...

I don't disagree but my point still stands. Laing or Jules? Fletcher or Blyth?

Louis Laing would be a standout in our current team. As might Wes Fletcher...

Sadly having watched recent games, hard to see where that one win is coming from...

Jules in for Hammell and Gordon in for Blyth. Interesting...

For those saying that Lasley should start ahead of Clay on Saturday, I would only ask what Lasley brings that Clay doesn't? I appreciate that three at the back has made us a bit harder to break down but really think we need to look at switching back to a back four. Frear and Cadden are being asked to provide width but they're starting so deep that they're having to run half the length of the park before they get to a decent crossing position. Increases the chances of someone from the opposition shutting then down. I'd be looking at a back four of Tait or Ferguson, Heneghan, McHugh and Hammell. A midfield of Cadden, Clay/Campbell, Pearson /Lucas and Frear. Up front Moult and McDonald. Harsh on Bowman but Moult and McDonald score goals and while Bowman is playing alright, I wouldn't be changing our shape to try and get him in the team. Just my tuppence, for what it's worth...

And have been for the last 20 plus years...

C'mon, Andy. Get the name right. It's not the Daily Record...

Sorry, I refuse to judge an 18yo as not being good enough based on one 25 minute sub appearance (25 minutes in which he won a couple of free kicks and played a couple of decent passes as well as making some errors). Thought Bowman and Frear were decent, the number of times Bowman took the ball down the channel and gained a throw or put a cross in impressed me. Frear is being asked to play as a wing back but still managing to get some good deliveries in. Clay, much maligned he may be, went off and our midfield ground to a halt. If Clay only lasts 50-60 minutes, then Campbell should be coming on in his place, not Lasley. Blyth, I might have to give you that one...

Kind of sums it up for me. I figure it's simple. As you get older, you realise there are worse things than losing a football match. And sadly as you get older, you also realise that nothing gives you the buzz of winning a match. Good times still feel great, bad times I can shrug off easier...

Three defenders off for a striker and two midfielders, you're not kidding.. Let's hope that they don't get an injury having used all their subs...

Tonight's result paint us in a better or worse light? Clearly Aberdeen can score a lot of goals against any team. But the fact that Dundee took so many goals off of us doesn't look quite so good...

Is he not a midfielder?

Thing with Dom Thomas is that he is apparently a standout at U20 level. But generally is seen to be ineffective when he plays in the first team. Possibly should have gone on loan earlier as his development has been stunted by only getting 10 or 20 minutes in games when we're struggling and he's being asked as a very young player to turn it around for a team that's playing badly. Being written off on that basis. Bob McHugh anyone? Let's hope it ends differently this time around and it doesn't turn out that the second tier is his level...

I notice David Templeton has got a short term contract at Accies. Might it be worth watching to see if he can stay fit and find form with a view to replacing Ainsworth in the summer?

I know it's not the way we do things but were we to stay up this season, I'd like to see us offer contracts to those players with a year left on their current deal that we might be able to build a team around. The likes of Heneghan, Moult and McHugh could be the spine of a decent team. As others have said, it wouldn't be surprising if no one came in for Moult. Heneghan is another with room to improve but there are raw materials there. Offering these two guys contracts with a pay rise and an understanding that we wouldn't stand in their way should a certain bid be made or a club of a certain standing come in for them might be a way to go. McHugh, I'd be offering the captaincy. While I don't have a great deal of sympathy for McGhee, his performances since his return make me wonder if our season might have turned out differently had he not been out for so long. Pretty much every game I've seen him play for us, he's been one of our two or three best players. Other than that (assuming McDonald leaves), Frear, Tait, Cadden and the U20s that show the most promise would be the others I'd be looking to. The much maligned Clay would be a decent backup to have on the bench but Campbell and now Shea Gordon seem to be making an impression in the U20s midfield. If they're good enough they're old enough. For me, looking for a fair few players this summer. Goalkeeper, left back, centre back and striker being the priorities...

Even before you consider the likely quality of those available as free agents, have to figure that anyone available now will be a country mile from match fitness. We will have to go with the defence we have. Which may or may not see us relegated...

Were you at the game? I ask only because you single out players that always get singled out, but who actually played pretty well yesterday...

I actually thought Clay did alright. Not going to win you many games but did reasonably well in the unfussy defensive midfield role and rarely gave the ball away.