Buttocks Brown

If we exclude the goalies who have already it, then that's 3/8 testing positive! Absolutely rife. Have to assume a good number of those self-isolating are also positive. Might have to forfeit Saturday but, with so many players having had it, things should be smoother for us for the rest of the season.

Hmm don't think so. Footballers are treated the same as everyone else: 14 days self-isolation if in close contact with a positive case. Ryan Christie's period began on 6/10 meaning that he missed the Old Firm match on 17/10..... There is a possibility though that the positive cases will be back for Saturday. If the test result was last Monday or Tuesday then 10 days will have elapsed before the Hamilton game. That's the reason why Killie were able to avoid forfeitting their fixture against Dunfermline: squad into self-isolation 2/10 with the League Cup tie on 13/10. They got a few of the early positive tests back but not the self-isolators. I'm assuming we'll have to do similar on Saturday. We'll have more senior players available than Killie had then but perhaps some will have to play out of position and an U18 or two may need to start the game. That's also assuming no more positive cases this week!

I thought the Motherwell game was postponed because we only had 12 players (including GK x4) who weren't self-isolating? If that's right then surely at least 2 of the 10 outfield players you've picked must have been self-isolating?

Has there been confirmation that those self-isolating will be able to take to the field on Saturday? Also, do we know who the positive cases are?

Extremely rare though I think.

There's a good chance though that some of those self-isolating for the next 2 weeks will be infected. When they return they'll probably be back to testing negative again. The number who have already had it may be considerably higher than our recorded positive cases.

Assuming the infected players and staff come out the other side of this with no health problems....... From a footballing point of view, you'd be as well everyone in your squad getting it at the same time early on in the season and having games postponed. Other teams might be pleased at the moment to have avoided positive tests but there will inevitably be more. Yes, disruption for St Mirren now but immunity is building up amongst our staff meaning that Covid should be less of a problem for us further down the line. There is a fair chance that there will be teams, perhaps at a crucial stage of the season, who are having to put out weakened teams, for weeks on end, because they keep having positive cases / self-isolators but not at the numbers required to trigger a postponement.

Internet / mobile phone technology was in its infancy back in 98. Different kettle of fish moving out there back then compared to today. For Iwelumo to go out there then, as a 19 year old, and stick it would suggest that he was cut from a different cloth than most. I think he did a degree in journalism after retiring.

I've realised during this that what I enjoy about going to see St Mirren is much to do with the matchday experience. The anticipation on a Saturday morning, meeting up with family for lunch and a pint, the walk up to the ground, the feeling of watching a game in the stadium, the craic..... Whether it's playing Motherwell in the Premiership or Brechin in the 1st Division a lot of the pleasure I get from football is rooted in the things that surround what's going on on the park. The problem just now is that all of that's gone and football is distilled to 90 minutes sitting in front of a laptop. The result is everything. It's pish!

"I was at St Mirren and I was playing but me and the manager Tony Fitzpatrick were having a bit of a battle of egos. He had some strange thoughts that I never really agreed with and I knew I had to get out if I was going to get on in the game." There's a story in there somewhere... When Lavety was sold to Hibs, I guess that's when Iwelumo could have been given a run. Mendes was brought in to partner Yardley instead though. McGarry was also beginning to come onto the scene around then.

A 0-4 at home to Aberdeen at the beginning of the 90s always sticks in my mind. I remember a guy throwing his scarf in a skip on Love St! It was when Eoin Jess was breaking through for them. Incidentally, does anyone know the story of Chris Iwelumo with us? Has he ever spoken about it? I remember him scoring as a 17 year old but never became a regular, despite us being poor back then. Considering the career he had, I never got my head round that. He left us to to play in Denmark I think, which was pretty unusual for the mid 90s. An early Bosman maybe?

McAllister hit the bar, Shaughnessy had a header tipped round the post, Tait shot over from 7 yards, MacPherson nearly won it at the death but for a great save..... Good game and Saints well-worth the draw I thought. Pleased to see Ilkay back at it though defence not great for the goals.

Logged in, paid my tenner through paypal and received an email confirmation. Nothing on the site though to suggest I've access and a blank screen under "my items / purchases". Hopefully, it will appear ahead of 3pm!

Well-spent tenner. Highlight the McAllister pass and Obika finish. Need more of that. We do have a lot of options going forward, hopefully a couple of them will hit a bit of form.

It's clear that the club are annoyed with Magennis. Maybe not the best statement but I get it: we've looked after him through his injury, the club are in poor form and much has been made of his return. He could have stayed for 9 months to help the club who have got him to where he is. Kyle decided "nah, I'd like to go now please." His prerogative but there's quite a strong whiff of shitebag. I'm with the club on this.

With the mortgage needing paid, I think his Mrs might.

Sorry Donald Findlay. Defamation?

Well they would. Engineering a move away the minute you're back from a serious injury is not a good look. Let's see if Magennis sues us for libel....

Disappointing from Magennis but seems to be the way with footballers now: a bid comes in which the club refuses, you say you want to go and the club is left with no option. Nursed back to fitness by us once again. Least he could have done was see out his contract until the end of the season. Cheerio.

Indeed. Be back driving a van-full of chocolate faster than he can say "kinder surprise".

Might be in the minority here but I still think Kyle has to prove himself at Premiership level. Flattered to deceive a lot of the time last season and was at the heart of a struggling team. I think if he'd kicked on as the hype around him suggested he would then we wouldn't have been so poor so often in 19/20. McGinn and McLean were standouts week in week out when they left. Magennis? If we get a decent fee and sell on then fair enough and move on.

Aside from the tackle, I thought that yesterday was Shaughnessy's least-assured performance so far (though it's a high bar he's set). Missed the header which Stewart put onto the top of the bar and made a hash of clearing a bread and butter cross into the box in the 2nd half.

Will be interesting to hear the Sportscene chat on the red card. If you kick a football with force then it's difficult to prevent your studs from ending up in a horizontal position. Just unfortunate that Stewart's leg was where it was. I don't think there was any malice in it. How many games will he be suspended for? Main positive for me is, given we were a bit worried about goals, that's 2 in 2 for Obika and he's hit the ground running. Last season, his 2nd goal of the season came on November 9th. Also, 4 games in, I'm cautiously optimistic that we've got a pretty decent side: perhaps the best we've had since 2013. Finally, S. Robinson must have been off his head not to tie up Richard Tait on a new contract at Motherwell.

Any word on McCarthy?

Big Kirk's reactions to the two calamitous goals Killie gave away today......