Sweet Pete

Kevin McHattie to pitch up at Rovers this summer without a doubt. Probably Dale Carrick too.

Commiserations Rovers. You have my sympathies.

Spotted three P&Bers I know in the first video, and about a hunner including myself in the second. Great days both.

Lockey and his guid honest laddies to Starks Park. Those poor b*****ds will know suffering.

*immediately showers and puts on suit*

Working from home today, so I'm currently at my computer barefoot, wearing a novelty t-shirt and jogging bottoms, unshaven and unshowered having coffee and biscuits. I'm the king of the world.

Awa wi ye!

Got my guy on it now, Nick, but thanks for the suggestion. I suspect you'll know him come to think of it.

Sky Sports profile reckons he's a defender, BBC reckons he's a midfielder and an interview he gave to an unofficial Johnnies site seems to imply he's an attacker of some type. Clear as mud then.

My only retirement asset currently is my home. I habitually overpay my mortgage slightly to try and bring the loan down quicker and increase my equity. Definitely need to sort a private pension out though, been meaning to for ages but never got around to it. Off to email my IFA.

Ken what? The thing is, being Dumbarton's manager is pretty much the easiest job in Scottish fitba at the minute. If you barely stay up, as under Aitken, then you're a success. If you stay up comfortably, as under Murray, then you're a success. And if you go down then it's no big mark on your CV as you're the only part-time team (or one of very few) in the league and punching above your weight and everyone will say it was inevitable that the journey had to end sometime. They could put a monkey in the manager's seat and it wouldn't make a great deal of difference. Whether Aitken goes or stays therefore, in my eyes at least, doesn't make a whole lot of difference as the next fella could finish 8th too, or 9th and scrape through the playoffs and still be considered a solid appointment. Even going down, they could keep the same manager who oversaw relegation and using the funds from 5 seasons of Championship football give them the means for a League One title challenge. It's really a pretty easy number compared to most other managerial jobs in the country.

The club have obviously granted permission, otherwise he wouldn't be speaking to Raith and he definitely wouldn't be speaking to the press about it as that'd likely breach his contract. He's been phoned by a journo and given a single line response, no harm done. The club's decision not to comment may be frustrating, but that's their prerogative for whatever reason. Players will still sign regardless. Maybe not these players, but footballers nonetheless. It's not all that unusual for part-time clubs to be throwing players together with little time to spare or even after the season has started.

Abody calm the f**k doon. Raith have asked for permission to speak to Aitken and been granted it by DFC. Aitken has then spoken to them. Aitken has then been approached by the press and said "Yes, I've spoken to Raith". Any claims that Aitken is whoring himself about is pure conjecture born of post season boredom. DFC haven't made a comment on it because the web chap's away the now and / or they don't wan to comment until it's concluded, which is up to the club (not that I necessarily agree with not making a statement about it, but the club hasn't always been the most forthright with info so I'm used to it). Simple as that. Chill oot, lads. If Aitken stays he stays, if he goes, he goes. Players will sign at some point and the world won't fall off its axis.

The managerial merrygoround of Scottish football pisses me off. Hate seeing dross like Dick Campbell and Sandy Clark walking into yet another league club. I much prefer when teams take a chance on newly qualified coaches, guys who've been successful in managing non-league clubs or managers from outside the Scottish managerial fishbowl.

And Tommy Coyne Jnr.

Mark Canning's another.

How could I forget Davie Bagan? Was talking about him with some folk on Sunday.

I'll say it for the last fucking time: Gary Locke is a failed abortion of a manager. Shut up about him.

Shit. McCabe. Not Britton. Silly me.

I forgot about him. There's also Chris Boyle, Willie Gibson, Bob whatshisface (left sided forward signed by Gerry McCabe on loan), Mark Brown, Stevie Murray, Craig Dargo. Sure there's probably hundreds I've forgotten.

You could support Killie. It's a lot like being a Dumbarton fan, you lose most weeks and the stadium's full of moaners. Throw in the Ray Montgomerie, Gerry Britton and Neill Collins connections and the fact they're both two of the oldest professional clubs in the land and they're practically interchangeable. Some weeks I forget which one I'm supporting...

Gus MacPherson had St Mirren continually struggling until they eventually let him go, then he took Queen of the South down while playing more of the eye bleedingly ugly brand of football he'd been using at the Buddies. It's a massive no from me. Great Killie player in his day though. Pray it isn't Gary Locke.

Andy Rogers quickfire double. Sure it was two Rogers goals in two minutes. Same thing happened at home against Ayr that season, in another defeat.

It was ten years ago exactly that Thistle won the Division Two playoffs to get promoted to Div One. They qualified for the playoffs by beating us on the last day, finishing fourth and relegating us. The next season we were third (I think) in Div Three and the next season struggled like f**k and on the last day it finished with us 8th, Shire 9th (their first year out of bottom spot for about ten years) and Forfar dead last in the bottom tier. The following season we won the league and it's been more or less all positive since then. A really impressive decade from a Dumbarton point of view.