Monkey Tennis

He'd just heard that Arsenal weren't playing this weekend because of the International friendlies.

Having won in midweek, the big loser today was Kelty. 'As you were' for everyone else, but a game closer to the finishing line.

Credit where it's due. We've seemed incapable of getting decent results, yet we got one here in a fixture we traditionally struggle in. With Annan and Stirling winning, it's not changed much. We're a game closer to finishing though, with no further need to play Alloa. Our goal difference has also improved slightly in relation to the others, and Kelty have been drawn back in. Maybe, we'll have a little more confidence for the coming games. All in all, a good afternoon. If we'd even drawn though, it would have been grim.

Yip.

Let's not get greedy. I'll take it as is.

A big win this, if it happens. Could get above Stirling.

I reckon we'll win today. We might need to. Annan now in front too.

The only thing worse than the defending of the 3rd goal is that for the 4th.

Yes and no I'd say.

It's worse than that.

It's a bloody hammering.

Ach. This is annoying. We've played quite well. However, decent teams can, and will, beat us.

That was saveable. It wasn't in the postage stamp.

That might just be the best 3rd kit in our new division.

I know that this is news to nobody, but BBC Scotland's football coverage really does amount to downmarket, insulting pish these days. Ryan Porteous delivered some mumbly platitudes in a press conference yesterday. He had nothing of consequence to say, but it led the Sports News on the Radio this morning, it dominates the front of the website today and it got star billing on Reporting Scotland tonight. I don't blame Porteous for delivering nothing interesting (apart from saying "lesser teams" when he clearly meant the opposite). I do, however, blame the BBC for the witless, laziness of attempting to pin relevance and significance to any of it. I'm genuinely unsure whether it was ever thus, and I'm just more conscious of it now; or if the audience being treated as if composed of gormless children is on a sharp increase.

An important win for Kelty tonight. It ends a rotten run for them. Almost every side seems capable of digging out a big result. Just the one exception.

Well, Kelty have done themselves a favour tonight. Judging by the published match stats, it was well deserved.

As I've said on another thread, I can't really see Bartley walking. He'll stay in post I reckon until either his lengthy contract expires, or the patience of those in charge of it.

I honestly can't see Bartley resigning at any point. Remember - none of it is his fault. If he was going to fall on his sword, he's had ample opportunity before now. To be honest, I don't really blame him for that bit. He's clutching a contract with another year on it after this season. He needs to be sacked.

I thought you'd watched the Bartley interviews?

I'm treating it as a sign.

Yes, it's this idea that if he dreams up given scenarios and tells individuals how to behave in them, then the match will unfold along his desired lines. Obviously, there's a place for that type of targeted coaching, but to listen to Bartley talk, it sounds as if that's pretty much all his management involves, coupled with risible recruitment of course. He really is wildly out of his depth. I sometimes wonder if his apparent conviction and confidence masks an insecurity about his abilities. I'm not convinced of it though.

At the time, I didn't think the McIvor miss was that glaring. In fact I couldn't even recall the incident at first when people were mentioning it on here. I just thought it was too high for him and he couldn't quite get above it. Are people suggesting it was a comfortable header and he just popped it up and over?

I disagree. Either side might have been ahead at half-time. Neither was. All totally immaterial of course. Looking at it on telly, it's impossible to tell about the contact for the penalty. I do suspect that McKechnie's reaction is telling though. Contrary to what I thought at the time,the equaliser now looks onside to me. A clever pass and a well timed run which exploited the ludicrous way we'd decided to set up.

He already is. On Sportsound the other week, he said his football weekend had been good because Arsenal beat Liverpool. Meanwhile, we'd lost another home game.