H_B

I finally decided I could face the highlights last night, and as well as confirming McDonald's woeful goalkeeping for both goals - for the second goal at least as much blame as those two have to go to the guy tracking back (I think it was Taiwo?) who completely ignores Vincent behind him and goes to Watkins, which he can do nothing about. If he'd had any awareness of what was behind him he could easily have tracked Vincent and put in a challenge when the ball broke off McDonald. Horrendous defending.

Eh, what? No one is saying it was incredible we lost based on the 90 mins. Its based on the fact we were playing against 10 men who were absolutely fucked physically.. Who we were dominating yet conspired to lose a 2 on 1 breakaway goal when extra time would have made us enormous favourites !

In theory this shouldn't have affected me much as I've been absolutely part time last few seasons and pretty disillusioned with the club and Scottish football. But I went along yesterday.. Taking a couple of the next generation with me. Brilliant day, from the morning in town through to kick off - it's the ultimate cliche but its amazing how a cup final energises a small town. I think a win would have been massive for local pride and the community. At halftime I felt fine. Had all the hallmarks of a standard cup final for a Falkirk fan. No goals.. Huff and puff.. Throw in an offside goal or a penalty shout and that'll do it. Then the sending off.. Which at the time seemed just an inconvenience to Caley. We were never going to score anyway. But we did. Utter scenes. Best celebration of a goal ever. I was absolutely convinced we'd go on to win. Absolutely horrific defending for the winner and brutal goalkeeping. You just can't lose that goal to 10 men. I still struggle to believe we did. As others have said for people my age that's it. We will never see Falkirk win the cup. To pass up an opportunity like that was just... Well words can't describe. The only one crumb of comfort was that Caley won. Probably the most decent set of fans in the country.. Were brilliant before the game and magnanimous after. Genuinely delighted for all of them. Hope this is the first of many trophies. But ... How did we lose? Worst feeling ever after a football match. Bar none. The queue for the train back to Central was like a funeral march.

I've seen it all now. An odious cretin like you taking the moral high ground. For fucks sake.

I think it was you who said it earlier, but it's astonishing just how many arch Uruk-Hai have suddenly decided they're "jist no' interested in the fitba' any mair". Strangely their interest seemed to be maintained during the WATP spending other people's money years, but now that the Rangers are a stinking mess of dross, they've beetled off sharpish.

I was thinking the very same thing. It will be like watching a TV evangelist show times 10. Look...look... he's no longer blind and confined to a wheelchair... he's up a ladder penting.

Wondered why Leask played this morning. What a tit.

I don't think we'll be taking Green Bigot fans' views on raging sectarian bigots seriously, thanks all the same.

Thing is, Kingy hasn't even got started yet. When you see his history, there's plenty of comedy potential to be mined from that source.

No he isn't. No it isn't. You should really get back to crying into your sporran about Butcher's Aprons and leave the tennis following to those with a clue.

They've been fucked over really by Pakistan beating South Africa and the Windies beating Pakistan I think.

What's even better is, like the coalition government, they have easily got 18 months to play with in a "my goodness, we had no idea the scale of the problems... books look awful etc" Whilst they can continue to fleece ra berz with a few well chosen media planted "on our way back to the promised land, WATP" interviews.

Quality analysis. No he doesn't, given we have more competent doubles players in the squad than Andy Murray.

But that is punters logic, which the bookies are preying on. The fear of losing. What they are doing is buying a bet from you with a success chance of say 60% likelihood of winning for 65% of it's value. So if with 10 minutes to go your bet is a 1/8 shot they are buying it from you as if it were a 1/3 shot. Bookmakers love Cash Out.

I quite like Ben Stokes, but I think the whole "where is he? " stuff some of the media have been engaging in is pure revisionism. It's really hard with cricketers to predict how long a form slump will last for. Look at Eoin Morgan for example. He's been absolutely terrible, but at some point he will get back to scoring big runs at a SR of 115. It's just not been now. Similarly Stokes has found form on the tour to SA. There was every chance if they'd stuck by him for the World Cup he'd be here looking as stinking as he did in Sri Lanka.

Correct. They are buying your bet from you at vastly lower odds than it actually has at the point they are buying it. It's a dreadful thing for the punter, in the long term.

The problem with the ICC is that it's effectly an extra branch of the BCCI. The game of cricket is run for India's benefit, with the occasional England and Australia input. They have conconcted a new system that is Cockwomblian in it's efficiency. The lower performing test nations can only slip below the Associates like Ireland if.... they choose to play them. If they don't, they won't. There is no forced fixture list. It's like saying to Burnley that you can stay in the Premier League if you choose not to play against Derby. If you want to play Derby though, yuo might be relegated, if you lose. Do you want to play Derby next week? Oh, you don't?

Ben Stokes as well. Being absolute gash in Sri Lanka saved him from this debacle and proved the old adage of a player increasing in quality tenfold by sitting in the stands

Correct. Though of course made moot by England's awfulness, a Scotland win to knock England out of the competition would have been bad news.

If England v Scotland had been the final match of the group, with England needing a win to qualify for the latter stages, many Scots cricket followers would have been hoping for an England win.

Head of Catering? Ah, that's sold off isn't it? Never mind.

It probably sums up Greig's particular brand of idiocy that they felt it necessary to single him out for attention. Rather than just assuming he fell within that collection of thickuntery that is "Rangers Legends".

No

In fact thinking about it, the best thing English cricket could do is get rid of that absolute chucklefuck Giles "We don't want uncompetitive games at the World Cup" Clarke tomorrow. Start at the top.