Handsome_Devil

My first reaction to the video was it's a ridiculous idea. On reflection, I think it's a lottery ticket worth buying, although it'll be cringe as f**k and expectations should be accordingly low. Obviously the Hearts situation is the dream but in the meantime we want cash while not giving up any real control (for our long-term security) or profit (we don't make them reliably). So what we can offer to an American with more money than sense and a tenuous connection to Scotland is the chance to own his 'hometown' team, boast to his mates at the country club and some red carpet treatment the next time he's here for golf and whisky anyway. And probably a tax break for good measure. It's worth remembering that the amounts which would make a difference to us, either on an ongoing or one-off basis, are pocket change to plenty of people. Is it likely we'll find one who considers us a pet project of choice? Probably not. Is it worth the cost of a video and some social media advertising just incase? Probably.

It's clearly a fine line and we don't need to go over the definite cost v hard to define benefit of comms on our level again. It's one of various things that no one wants to pay for then complains when it's shite. But a head of comms wouldn't have let him leak, disown and dismiss his own club's fundraising campaign...not well bowled or batted that one.

I thought he came across well there, though I don't necessarily agree with everything he said. Re moving forward under new blood, clearly it's not going to be easy. Very hard, in fact, otherwise we and everyone else would have done it ages ago. I still think - from the outside at least - there's more that could be done...perhaps he'll do another video next year explaining why it wasn't!

I don't see why...if anything it suggests more we're looking for the opposite, someone who believes they can grow income rather than simply cut costs. I've not had a chance to hear Weir yet but I do find the timing curious - perhaps just coincidence but straight after Russell's manoeuvres and even Dempster's availablity (pending health scares), it is quite the dinghy.

There's no doubt that has the potential to work but I'm less convinced it would work week in, week out, for us given we'll also want a three at the back right now.

Main seemed to improve his all round game at St Mirren and I don't doubt he'd be an upgrade on our current bunch. Whether he'd be an upgrade enough to justify what he'd likely want is another question, especially as yet another forward whose primary contribution isn't goals.

Lots of people say this and it's maybe true in general but hardly with us - we must have a way better than 50-50 success rate on re-signing former players. And if you weight the contributions rather than just call it pass/fail we're probably off the chart successful.

I would say in fact that we almost never make 'bad' signings in the sense there's a logic behind nearly everyone. And it's the nature of where we are that some will work out and some won't. I'd make an exception for the likes of Souare and obika, whose records made them clearly questionable, but otherwise roll the dice.

Hny to everyone, hope it's a more enjoyable first foot for the visitors of course. You'd assume the situation with tickets would be resolved easily but Scottish football is almost unique in the extent it wants more customers while making it very hard for customers to turn up. I have a sneaky feeling we'll get something, based mainly on Hibs having a wobble after their new manager bounce. We're still a complete liability at the back and as nice as the finishes on Saturday were, we will certainly find attacking harder this time.

Aye, you could theoretically have new signings playing on Tuesday.

Aye and if we're obviously going to be 10th from March that's fine. But while 38 points from 38 games is almost certainly safe, you could also be on 35 points from 37 which is brown trousers time. And probably not the point you're offering SK even a rolling year.

I guess it's not been much considered given our immediate problems but if - caveats aplenty etc - we're going to keep him while not moving massively clear of the playoffs, we're in an odd position for next season. SK will - presumably - be pushing to stay and get a 'normal' summer transfer window. But we're hardly going to want to commit to a guy who might get us relegated. On the other hand, the whole reason for keeping him is to finally get some stability - renewing contracts, looking for targets etc is much harder if we're not deciding the fate of the manager till May.

A guy near me in the Cooper was constantly demanding we put our foot on the ball to kill the game - normally a reasonable shout, Slattery giving away 15-yard square passes probably showed why the tactics employed were correct for the circumstances. Obviously just guessing but doing psychology from a distance, when Slattery loses form he'd be much better staying calm, doing the simple thing and playing himself back into rhythm. Instead he seems to become ever more frantic and try ever more ambitious stuff because he's desperate to regain the lost touch. With predictable consequences.

Yesterday basically depends on whether you're minded to praise SK or still want to bury him... Those of a generous disposition will say he picked a team for the opposition and conditions, and pretty much nailed it, even if the second half obviously wasn't a pretty watch. Critics will say we weren't far off being as rotten as usual, 5-2-3 with Shaw is insane, and it was only Livingston being a joke that saw us win. I flit between both views tbh...the selection, tactics, performance and result on Tuesday will probably go a long way to deciding how much progress we made, or didn't, against Livingston.

Getting rid of Shaw would be a real bonus,only heard the Wilkinson story. Not clear whether on loan or permanent but hard not to think cutting losses there a good idea.

Someone said that to me last night, about the players, and while it's probably true in terms of potential, it's definitely not true on three months of form. Having watched you against St Johnstone, I can entirely see the same drab tactics getting you a classic Jose Mourinho win today... shelling it long will eliminate your mistakes, we create next to nothing until late scrambles and will inevitably boot the ball into our own net at least once. I'm very curious to see what SK does, not so much with the XI as that's fucked anyway, but how he has us play. Intuitively at home to Livingston you'd think we'd want control and to pass it but as above, in doing so we're both simultaneously toothless and a mistake waiting to happen. But equally it's been ages since we've looked remotely effective going direct and should that not work inside 20 minutes the fans will turn a lot quicker than if there's the impression of at least trying to play football.

Aye but when Livingston were so obviously desperate to sell him I don't think you can blame his agent. He's clearly a very interesting player. I did find it curious when Livi (and fans) were talking about £1m for him and defending his lack of goals by saying he was a winger not a striker, there seemed little done to convert him into that old inside forward type you'd back to hit double figures. Because for all his strengths, he never looked to me (limited view ofc) as a £1m winger either. Is he out of contract in summer? Would love him at FP if real bids don't materialise.

I know McGinn offers something on the ball going forward from rcb that Bevis doesn't but not using him there as cover for Butcher to the start the season remains a mystery to me.

So would I but tbh I've reached the level of struggling to care about the XI, there are clearly no good options. Still looking forward to Saturday mind, taking the kids to their first managerial protest outside the main stand is always a special moment.

Would Livingston actually sack Martindale? There'd no doubt be a bounce but long-term I can't see an improvement. And there's no chance we'll do anything till after Hibs. Since you're here, what on earth is going on with Nouble? You seem to have one of the potentially best attackers for our level then you neutralise him yourself by getting him to play wing-back. I can't see past a draw on Saturday, we will certainly concede at least once and will probably only threaten when in panic mode chasing the equaliser.

Watched Livingston tonight - two rotten teams obviously but they in particular look totally devoid of confidence in attack. They missed an absolute gimmie to win it with the last kick. Will be some laugh when it's 0-2 after 20 minutes on Saturday.

The Livingston game as redemption was fine four-six weeks ago with the hope we'd have already won by then - that second victory after the run would then really move us away from bottom and back towards hopeful anonymity. But now, yes, you're 100% correct. Livingston are clearly just as rotten as us, one of us will inevitably throw the game to the other. It does not mean at all the lucky recipient of the three points will do anything other than immediately revert to type. Our form has been so bad that our restart after the break no longer has the potential to keep us safe, merely keep us in a relegation battle. It also - should we take another 2/9 - has the potential to almost condemn us to the bottom two by mid-February. Even if we beat Livingston, is SK the man you want in charge for that? I find it very hard to give a logical argument saying yes.

Signing KVV would be a no brainier but only if we still have enough funds to bolster some other areas too. It's the defence, or lack of it, that's killing us. As for costs, obviously we're not likely at the top of the queue but we can take what Groningen say with a massive pinch of salt. KVV simply isn't worth what he was when they committed to him, they're not going to break even - they can either continue throwing good money after bad or salvage what they can.

Merely being on the verge of crisis would be a significant improvement on our actual current position!

Sounds like he fits our current profile perfectly tbf.