Slipmat

Well, looking at the positives we didn't lose, looked to have more attacking intent and kept a clean sheet. The windy conditions should have seen us try to keep the ball down a bit more - our short passing game is a strength, it's just a shame AJ doesn't place more emphasis on it. We obviously need to work on putting chances away as well, far too often it's a case of relying on individual skill from Connelly. I'm not sold on Cameron at all. Plenty of huff and puff but he spends too much of the game out of position out wide or too deep. I'm just as confused as everyone else as to why Nditi was in centre midfield and Gibson at centre back. Nditi didn't do very much at all today and Gibson is more error prone in the middle. Cochrane was my motm for us. Cooper, Connelly, McKay also played well but the rest were all a bit meh imho. The three league games before the turn of the year are going to be crucial.

We're just shading this although there's not much in it. I fully expect Graham to be introduced before too long as Rudden is having to cover too much ground for the Jags. This tactic of chucking every throw in - even those won deep in our own half - to Cameron is bloody annoying. If he does manage to win the ball he's flicking it into the space he's vacated to come deep for the throw.

In the 7 games Cameron has started the team has scored 5 goals. In the last 2 games Junior has started and we've scored 4. Johnston did play well at right back the other night but I expect he'll be back in midfield today at McGrory's expense. The only thing that is guaranteed with AJ's teams selections is that he will disappoint you.

That would be the sensible thing to do. But we have to bear in mind that in doing so AJ would probably then tinker with the midfield to ensure that Max gets his guaranteed start.

Hopefully AJ has learned something from tonight. We were excellent going forward, it's just a shame he shackles us to our own box in league games. Yet again, when we're down to the bare bones and he's deprived of the option to tinker we seem to play a lot better. Connelly, Paton, Gibson, Cochrane and Todd (first half) were superb. Rueben deserves to keep his place ahead of Cameron based on the last 2 games too. Morton were absolutely woeful it has to be said. It's a pity there were no tv interviews after the game because I'd like to have heard Gash MacPherson's assessment of that display. Worrying times for the Ton. I still maintain we dodged a bullet when Gavin Reilly went to Morton. He looks done.

Bwaaahaaaahaaaa!

That's a more obvious goal than the one he scored against Cove.

What a difference it makes when we get the ball down and play instead of standing around our own box looking shit scared of the opponents. Todd's made a big difference - you've got to ask why AJ has been so reluctant to give him any game time recently. Morton are looking as dung as the Peter Grant version of Dunfermline did when we played them. With Ugwu being tightly marked, often by two men, you have to wonder where Oliver is and what he is meant to be doing, other than falling over after minimal contact and emptyshirting. I'ts worrying it's only one-nil - if Morton get their act together they shouldn't have much trouble slicing through this defence.

That seemed to be where he ended up after Nditi's sending off on Saturday. Mind you, we did play a back 8 at that stage. You won't be alone. AJ won't have a clue what he's doing either.

Ooft. 1 sub capable of making any difference. Fair play to anyone heading out for that tonight. What do we reckon? Back 3 or back 4 with Max at right back and Wullie at centre back?

Pay £15 to go to a diddy cup tie on a sub-zero temperature December night where the reward for scrambling through could be a mouthwatering tie against Rangers B? No thanks. Watch two pish teams who see enough of each other already during the course of a season flailing about on a joke pitch while a teuchter gibbers away in your ears? It's enough to make you cancel your tv licence. For once I agree with Greenacres... 500 odd crowd at best for this, and that's if Morton bring a decent sized support. Let's bin this irrelevance of a cup as soon as.

Is Nditi suspended for this game? We may only have one fit centre back available if he is.

This is spot on. I would also throw our style of play and AJ's approach to matches into the mix. Yesterday was a prime example - we were playing a cup tie against a part time team from a lower league and went into the game with a set up you would expect to see if we were playing a top 4 EPL side. Two deep lying midfielders playing virtually the same role on the edge of our own penalty area means our attacking players had to come back deep to get the ball and then have no-one to play the ball forward to. We rely totally on the opposition giving the ball away and hitting them on the break, or getting lucky from a set piece. If we do score, we then form a 9 man defence, camp on the edge of our box and look to have no intention of scoring again - even if the scores are level. Even our keeper has clearly been instructed not to play the ball long unless absolutely necessary. We know from the experience of the League Cup and the first couple of league matches that we have players who can play attractive football but AJ seems to fear all opponents and has adopted the old Walter Smith/Alex McLeish style of anti-football we became used to suffering in Rangers European games in 90% of matches. The "Get intae them" chant is no longer relevant - it should be replaced with "get intae their half". It is a tortuous spectacle to endure and is not a product I'm prepared to pay £18 to watch.

If the Horror Channel is interested we'll be box office gold.

To save any of us watching the post match interview, I can reveal it will contain the following phrases in no particular order: Difficult place to come They are a good team packed with experienced ex-premier league players Conditions made it difficult Individual errors Bad decision making Need to defend better as a team The following phrases will not be included: We were too negative from the first minute to the last The team was set up with a view to not getting beaten - not to win the game The midfield need to support the forward(s) when we are in possession That was my fault

Yes and no respectively in an ideal world. No and yes in the boardroom though I'm betting.

Aye, we're going to have to see this out with just the 8 defenders.

I've absolutely no idea if our goal was valid thanks to the technological wonders of Pixellot. Scott Davie saw a replay which we aren't being treated to. That said, we are awful to watch anyway and there wasn't much there aside from the goal that I'd want to replay. We, unfortunately, are just as shambolic as Pixellot cameras. Ten men behind the ball whenever Cove are in possession and Ally Roy the only player near or in the opposition half meaning we have no outball. Only one winner here unless we show some ambition. At least the fans who have made the trip sound like they have oiled themselves up to compensate for the conditions - good on them

Another week, same old complaints from me I'm afraid. Sitting way too deep, non existent midfield, isolated strikers, hit and hope stuff.

The only thing that will prevent AJ selecting his boy ahead of Todd is if Max is injured, or the highly unlikely situation that Motherwell don't want him cup-tied. Week in, week out if and when the midfield aren't performing well Max gets 90 minutes while every other midfielder takes turns to get hooked before being benched the week after. I'd like to see Connelly playing in the hole behind a front two of Roy and Paton but AJ seems to think Cameron up top on his own is the answer to our goalscoring problem. (It isn't). I have to say that I've rarely felt less excited about a QOS Scottish Cup tie and have mixed feelings about how I'd like it to go. Win, and we have chance of a moneyspinning draw but AJ stinks the place out for a bit longer... lose, and he HAS to go, no ifs, no buts.

We'd probably have fewer injuries.

So going by the last two home games, crowds are down by about 200 since the beginning of the season. Something is rotten in the state of Palmerston.

It's very telling that, unless I've missed something, absolutely nobody has come to AJ's defence. Even toward the end of the tenures of Naysmith, Gus and Iain Scott you would still hear the odd happy clapper saying "give him x number of weeks" or "wait to see who he brings in in the next transfer window" but on this occasion it seems to be a unanimous opinion amongst fans that he's got to go and the sooner the better. I don't know if the board read comments on forums, but if they don't then I would be hoping that the SLOs are making them aware of the mood of the fans. This is a test which will prove just how much of a community club that has the interests of the fans at heart Queen of the South FC actually is, and is also an indicator as to what expectations and ambitions the board have regarding the club's position in Scottish football. If they are accepting relegation, they need only look to Falkirk to see how being a supposed big fish in a wee pond doesn't guarantee success. We've been shat on before with the Sevco vote and the pathetic apology for the Galloway shambles, surely Billy & Co can't be seen to be failing to read the room again. ETA - if the board come across as being apathetic, is it any wonder that the supporters become apathetic and drift away?

Great post.