Coventry Saint

Can't hate Gowser. Adam, I can hate.

We played 3-5-2 several times at the start of the season and it was dogshite. We switch to 3-6-1 and it prompts some of our best top-flight form for many years. So why the f**k we've switched back, regardless of who's fit, is fucking incomprehensible.

Yer man slid in on the edge of our box and clearly took the ball. Great tackle. Foul. If he's given it for high feet or whatever (it wasn't) then it's a yellow. But he doesn't give that either. Fucking shite.

He's fucking livid, tbf.

Player shoulders into Brophy, no attempt to play the ball, no foul. Kiltie stands still while defender runs backwards into him, foul. Beaton at his finest.

Is Millar fit? I'd hook Main for him and push Kyle up off Brophy. Dundee have done well here. They're being niggly as f**k but I don't mean that in a bad way. It's really knocking us.

Is that real?! FFS

Just tried to buy a pass for the game and it's saying I can't because I have an English address. Have last season's relaxed rules been unrelaxed? It's fucking crazy because now I'll just be getting a dodgy stream.

He's going to wait a year or so before he falls for it.

That's what happens when you Photoshop Biden.

We are so fucking establishment now. Shame about those three reds blotting an otherwise very disciplined copybook.

My prediction is that this will be a cracking game. There's been 22 goals in our last six games; 17 in Dundee's last six. BTTS seems like an absolute banker (I know Dundee went five without scoring but seem to have put that behind them). Injuries mean it's harder to predict our starting XI, even though our usual full strength side is nailed on now. I do think Main will make way again, and I'd go McAllister or Kiltie in the McGrath role next to Ronan. I just hope our defence can handle Dundee's flare player. Meant to be out and about tomorrow morning but desperately hoping I can get back home to watch this.

But enough about Charlie Adam's bonus structure.

Who the f**k do you think you are, Rangers?

Same here. I know that when you win you're meant to be all magnanimous and forget about the shite decisions, but I am still fairly raging about that performance from him. What a c**t.

Interesting that Goodwin namechecked Ryan Flynn when analysing the Tony Watt header, in the context of the defence being slightly all at sea. I for one would like to see Flynn get more game time and it's understandable that he might have been at fault in what is clearly a difficult system for the players to get used to playing (albeit an effective one when it works well).

I think you've been very hard done to there.

Yeah, fair. Maybe a 6.5... Brophy is starting to look like a bit of a revelation and easily our best striker since Thommo. Totally different type of player, of course. All the chat about him being a bit hit-and-hope totally did a mis-service to his all round game. What the Killie fans did say was that he needed the right people in and around him to get the best out of him. If Main isn't quite that guy*, Ronan and/or McGrath clearly are. * Main has a big role to play this season, I'm convinced of it. I like the big guy. Yep. I believe (but haven't checked) that we're on precisely the same points that Killie were after the first round last season. But we're decent; they were shite, so it'll be fine. County's result last night suggests it could be as cutthroat as ever down there. I expect Dundee to act on McPake sooner rather than later, but they've got a potentially good squad that the right manager could do decent work with. We're definitely better off out of the stramash.

Overall I'd say we have every reason to be quite happy with our first round of fixtures. We were robbed of a couple of perfectly fine goals in successive games earlier on, so when Jim talks about us being four points shy of where we deserve to be, that's probably what he's getting at. In all honesty, if we'd won those two games and were sitting on 18 points I'd be saying we're basically safe now; as it is, based on performances, personnel and levels of organisation, I'd say we're firmly on for mid table. The obvious issues with our personnel and system in the opening few games have been resolved, partly with the arrival of Ronan and Millar, and partly with the slight tactical switch. It feels rough on the likes of Main, and perhaps even Dennis who now looks a million miles away from getting a game, but perhaps that's justice for his utter fuckwittery against Hearts. Only Celtic have turned us over and actually looked streets ahead of us, and I'd argue that they were going to ruin us that day regardless of Power's red card. The only other defeats were to undefeated Hearts and the champions. I'd give us a solid 6/10 after 11 games. If we emerge from the next 11 having only lost a further three games I'll be delighted, but we'll have Dundee, County, Motherwell and Livi at home, as well as an unconvincing Hibs side, so should be targeting at least four, possibly five, wins from the next round. We desperately need to get this 'Can't Beat a Jack Ross Team' monkey off our backs, so a home win vs Hibs would be wonderful, thanks.

Only just seen the highlights but yeah, I'd say both our penalty award and also the retake decision are fairly odd. Usually with penalties not given I'm screaming 'that's a foul anywhere else on the park...' but I'm not even sure that's typically getting given elsewhere either. As for the retake, as @djchapsticks says, the offence is committed 99% of the time by goalies, but I think this looks like one of the lesser examples. So it's frankly bizarre that Madden's chosen that point to lay the law down.

Not if John Needham's got anything to do with it.

Unless it's Flynn and Kyle's at 10.

I think there's a reasonable chance we'll go to a traditional 3-5-2 with Main in for McGrath. Will be interesting to see how Ronan gets on in the 10 role on his own. Totally agree, though, he's an absolute baller.

Did Ethan not go off with a hamstring issue in a game a couple weeks ago? Must be slightly more persistent than they thought. Great news (relatively speaking) about McGrath, though.

Soon it'll all just be water under the bridge.