Handsome_Devil

Yeah, that's fair. Though if anything I think he'll be worse in a 'better' team because he's expected to play more. He was at his best with us on the left of Robinson's 3-5-2 because it emphasized his strengths - charging around the vacant space behind LWB and bodying people - and minimized his weaknesses - pretty much anything to do with the ball other than launching it the direction he was facing. That said, Moult would never have had his glorious second in the LC SF against Rangers without his delicate chipped assist!

Dunne's pace and strength always ensured he was a perfectly acceptable defender for a middling team in Scotland...if he could play football at all he'd be miles above the likes of Motherwell and St Mirren. He seems a really sound guy though so fair play to him if he gets a hefty contract after all his injury troubles. Paying actual money for him seems mental though.

Donnelly should just shell one into the East Stand or disabled enclosure straight from kick-off, the booing could be done and the more sprightly folks back to their pints by 3.03pm.

I was really looking forward to the St Johnstone game because I thought, perversely, we would finally get back on track. I am now really looking forward to this game too but much like you look forward to a trip to the dentist - the sooner it's over and done with the better. You can say that about the remaining seven games tbh...scouting for gossip and pre-season friendlies sounds like absolute bliss compared to any actual football being played. I made my 0-2 prediction years ago when this thread first went up and still see no reason to change.

Tierney's apparently good performance tonight is clearly proof we've been managing him correctly but he'll be way to tired to be risked on Saturday. Ahem.

Aye, that'd make much more sense. A gamble but an understandable one.

It's possible, aye. But you can also say Slattery was our best midfielder in the 4-3-3 which had us fourth on Boxing Day, he has hardly started in that shape since given the approach at St Mirren and v Celtic. He helped turn the game v Morton and while we were 1-0 down at HT at United, that was the best we'd played in weeks - we should never have been losing and GA himself admitted he told the team to go out with the foot off the gas in the second half. Slattery paid the price with the sub and being dropped but it could have been anyone...yet when it's a guy we've spent a fortune on and was one of our best players it's no wonder eyebrows are raised. And the game we won after, v Aberdeen, was now six matches ago for which we've been utterly shite for 90% of the time. There are always rumours and every fan will need to decide what they believe, while acknowledging that even if the rumour is true they might be hearing only half the story or something with all context removed (Gannon on Craigan, for example). FWIW between the weight of the Slattery stuff and in particular who I've heard it from, I'm convinced the disagreement is/was true. But whether that's everything to it or still the cause of his recent lack of playing time, I've no idea...I can well imagine GA saying he has put the rumored disagreements behind him (hence why he's not been fired into the sun like Polworth) and Slattery isn't being picked because of his training performance while Slattery will say his training is suffering because he believes the manager won't pick him. And whatever the reasons behind it, GA watching a two-man midfield get slaughtered by St Johnstone for 90 mins with Slattery on the bench is absolutely criminal.

It's a great stat which certainly suggests Kelly to blame. It's also a great stat which suggests why it's important to actually watch matches rather than just read spreadsheets...I don't think there's a single fan who'd put our issues on Kelly, unlike our autumn run when he was shipping at least one a game.

The difference between being cautious and overly negative is subjective and questioning subs in games we won comfortably is ridiculous but I don't think there's much doubt it gives a true insight into Alexander's personality. The one which stuck out for me (perhaps this is a personal one since I was back and it was the first win I saw in nearly two years) was St Johnstone pre-xmas. They were at their absolute lowest and were on the bus home at 2-0 - without going mental, it was the perfect chance to push for some goals, or show we could play a bit or give Amaluzor and Roberts a chance having barely played. The subs instead we're Shields 75 (fair), Carroll 82 (!) and a last minute cameo for Roberts. Of course seeing out the win is first priority and when we did that it was daft to be too critical. But even at the time to me it said so much about GA's attitude...St J were absolutely done, the risk was as close to zero as you could get and yet the only thought was basically shutting up shop. It just seemed an utterly needless approach.

With the usual caveat anything can happen in football, there's absolutely no reason to think Lasley will leave. 1) he's basically got a job for life at Motherwell, chucking that to be assistant at St Mirren is mental 2) we're obviously flexible on his working hours to let him study and swan around the place learning to be a sporting director 3) which club is most likely to make him sporting director when he's ready? 4) he lives near Paisley supposedly so why wouldn't he nip in and see former colleagues? If he had a change of heart and suddenly wanted to be a manager and applied for QotS, Ayr, Morton etc fair enough....but I will eat my metaphorical hat if he chucks us to be assistant at a peer.

Absolutely...it's the nature of football that everything is deemed good or bad by the nature of the current first XI's performances. We're obviously terrible right now but suddenly the youth system is a disaster, the club leadership needs cleared out and there's a rebellion in the squad because - checks notes - the clubs from Dundee have overpaid for two average players and a guy we didn't offer a contract too secured a job somewhere else. Of course it's always possible the other clubs have clocked where the market is going and have rightly determined these guys remain as good as they can get and as such have to move decisively...but we'll only know that come the end of the summer transfer window.

Not overly bothered - brilliant once every eight games, usually no better than average. We obviously agree given we reached mid-March without offering him a deal. Not a surprise Robinson went back for him either really.

I can only imagine Alexander will watch back our game from Saturday, conclude the problem was we had too many bodies in central midfield and move to a 6-1-3 formation. I've not seen much of St MIrren under Robinson, (the second halfs v Dundee and Hearts) but they clearly have an attack - or at least the potential in their attack - to leave our defence in shreds. And I doubt they'll be too bothered about us aimlessly booting the ball back to them whenever we have it. St Johnstone was the final straw for my hopes for this season, a win there would really have had me believing we could still salvage something. Not any more - 0-2 to the Buddies.

That was my preferred option too but there seems little doubt he's doubling down. There's been enough games you think ok, surely now he'll get put on the carpet or the players will complain and yet time after time nothing changes. And while the club might be minded not to risk a change when there's a chance things will turn round, I think - unless we have a totally unexpected end to the season - ST numbers may make them reconsider.

I wouldn't be against a more visibly motivational captain or character in the team but I don't think it's the decisive factor atm. A Campbell running around or a Craigan shouting won't solve the problem of lining up with two in the middle of the park v St Johnstone's three, booting it long constantly to a strung out front three and so on. Even in our rotten run we've equalised plenty, kept going to beat Morton, turned Aberdeen, stunned Rangers when we could have folded, gave it a right go against Hibs when the cause was lost etc. Even yesterday when we lost an injury-time winner we didn't just jog off the park, we manufactured a last half chance and forced Clark into another save. All that suggests there is still some character in the team and the players haven't yet chucked it under GA which in the circumstances might not be totally unexpected...it's clear some of the players aren't of a level we'd like but there's literally not a fan outside the top three who wouldn't say that about their team. It all - nearly always right now - comes back to the manager going off on one.

Honk!

I'm pretty sure that's the medium-term plan with Lasley. I'm also in favour of it but it's hardly a silver bullet.

Jim McMahon was sitting among the support yesterday rather than the prawn sandwich seats. I've no idea how connected he usually is to the feelings of us in the humble masses but safe to say he'll have little doubt after that display.

Given his previous record of starting well and struggling there was no reason to extend his deal before he'd shown he'd avoid that same slump with us. On the back of the year and in particular the run up to Xmas it was hard to be mega negative about it but it certainly seemed pointless to me. With our style of football and the tight nature of the league he wasn't attracting interest from anywhere else (publicly at least) and with his previous deal we could have easily waited till now or summer to extend it. The potential reward from extending him - that he became so attractive he was poached and we would bank more money should he leave essentially - seemed a very dubious reward in contrast to the risk of costing us more should the wheels fall off the wagon sometime in the future. In contrast to some folk I don't have major issues with the leadership of the club, I think by and large they get things right and in general we're well run. But this decision was a strange one even before our current form.

McFadden is a mental shout. But lasley couldn't do worse as caretaker till we find a solution.

Without wanting to go all conspiracy theory, that was a managerial display which makes it look like he wants sacked.

I don't see the point of that tbh. We either double down on the project and give him summer or say enough is enough and bin him now to try and rescue this season.

Brilliant goal to win it. Scarcely deserved on ability, entirely deserved on actually wanting to win the game.

How can you watch this for 75 mins and decide the first sub doesn't even up the 3v2 in the middle?

It would be hugely frustrating if not 100% expected.