Durnford

It really depends on who's fit today; the strategy of playing with one striker for the first hour and then flooding the box has ween well and truly sussed by the opposition. We need to try something different. The strategy (if you can call it that) of lumping the ball up to one short striker surrounded by three defenders is only working for the opposition. Thought Reilly had started to show glimpses of what he could offer; now he's out for the rest of the season.

We won the last game didnt we - or am I having another one of my "episodes"?

Hopkins will get you to the Premiership in 3 seasons - whether he can keep you is another discussion..

People will excuse me if I dont talk about the match; that being said Motherwell have never been a happy-hunting ground for us since we came back up so no real surprises I suppose. One thing though; was unable to watch the PPV with away team commentary so watched it with the "home" coverage. Have to say the guys doing the home "analysis" was the best I've heard all season (and I include Sky/PremierSport and BBC in that). Even handed comments; questioning some decisions by the ref; good observations on tactics for both teams in equal measure and no real mentions of the "physical/agricultural approach". Really made a refreshing change.

I thought Lawson was excellent when he came on - night and day from the guy who turned up on Sunday. Time and again he blunted their attack down our right battling and winning the ball time and again. His passing was far better as well. I really don't understand the jekyll and hyde performances; some games he's fantastic and others pretty anonymous. The thing that really let us down though was our attacking strategy (if you can call jumping the ball up to a short lone guy; a strategy). Limiting what is currently the best form side in the country to one goal isn't much good if you cant add something at the other end. Attacking down the left seemed to be getting some results but we never seemed to capitalise on it. As for the yellow cards I cant comment on the time wasting one as Sky was too busy showing close ups of Gerard et al but the three we got for shirt tugging etc. were totally pointless. All three happened in the midfield; two if which when there were plenty of others around. We need to stop picking up senseless yellows; Guthrie in particular ended up walking a metaphorical tightrope for the remaining 80+ minutes.

I assume by your post that BT were the previous providers of TV coverage for the Scottish League cup. I chose 3 million as a figure out of the air; I have no idea what the real figure would have been. If it had been still on the old provider I suspect many English viewers wont have tuned in for two such "unfashionable" sides (to use the DR terminology). EDIT - just did a search on the Celtic v Rangers cup final game (2019) and the viewing figures through BT were apparently 915,000.

BT wouldn't have got anywhere near that figure; sky might have as it would have been available to the UK and possibly a wider European audience. I know I was abler ot watch Scottish games when at my sisters place in France but rarely did as it invariably involve one or both of the sisters. I believe our win in 2004 was on channel 4 so had a reasonable take-up even though most viewers probably weren't based in Scotland. It is however a sad fact of life than any match including a member of the old firm still generates significant interest in the republic and across the atlantic (not that I'd imagine that would do Betfred any good at all).

One point on the sponsorship thing; whatever the rights or wrongs about having a betting company sponsoring a sporting event, they doubtless would have been basing their sponsorship on a final in front of a packed stadium with maybe 3 million viewers on national television. Okay; there's nothing that can be done about the lockdown; but for the SPFL to sign a deal with Premier Sports which effectively limited the audience to maybe no more 10k live viewers doesn't look like value for money if I was a Betfred executive.

TBH I kind of feel sorry for the St. Johnstone players. To grind out a (deserved) win in such strange circumstances and then celebrate in an empty stadium is truly surreal - they certainly deserved better. Once the lockdown is lifted maybe they can organise the full open-top bus thing.

I know that is you , for example, tape a film on Sky Cinema and then cancel your subscription; then the recording will be blocked (unless you bought a copy through Sky Store). However Premier Sports is not part of your sky subscription, per se, so I'm guessing not. Just my opinion though.

Cancelled my subscription to Premier sports; 2 mins after the final whistle - the response I got was "Are you sure you want to cancel" followed by Are you sure you want to cancel" and "are you sure you want to cancel". Finally they hit me with "You can cancel your cancellation at any time". If I wasn't wound up already? Very nearly a laptop shaped dent in the wall.

Congratulations to our Saintee friends; enjoy your night. I suspect a sudden mysterious breakout of "migraines" in Perthshire on the Monday Sour grapes or not I just wish we hadn't left it until the seventieth minute before starting to play; however the pain is eased somewhat by the fact we haven't lost to you-no-who (or their brothers).

Aye - the same council that originally didn't want to allow an open bus tour down the boulevard with the trophy in 2004 in case it upset some local Hibs families? Going to be really strange not being at the stadium for this; will be at home, like so many others, with a pie and a cold one. Cant believe I'll also be wearing my scarf in the house. Maybe I'll pit a couple of Bovril cubes in a plastic cup and stir it with a cocktail stick for that true Hampden experience.

All you need is the appropriately colour scarf and I think you've really got something there

That's just silly. Komodo dragons have no need for cash; they simply eat the shop-keeper. And they certainly don't go for contactless payment

Funnily enough I remember away fans being allowed into the club house for lower league clubs such as East Fife; Annan; Peterhead; Berwick; Brechin City etc. and cant recall one case of trouble. We also allow away fans into the Almondvale suite but I wonder if that's partially due to the fact that the town centre was such a desert for decent boozers. TBH it doesnt really bother me either way; I just wish so many on my row didn't have such a weak bladder - sometimes its like I'm doing an impromptu mexican wave.

Indeed - their dental hygiene is appalling A quick floss and a squish of Listerine costs nothing.

As one of a dwindling band who can still remember when you could buy a beer at a football match; my experiences previously were not particularly awe inspiring. Normally the beer on offer was of the Whitbread best (anything but) or Youngers Tartan variety It was served up in plastic cups and was either miles out of date (due to the lack of a home game for a couple of weeks) or tasted suspiciously watered down. I also remember a time when someone was working his way through the crowd at a Cardiff home game with a tray of maybe five or six beers. Suddenly the home side scored; up went the crowd; up went the tray and up went the beer - ensuring everyone on the bluebirds home terrace got a "sample". That being said; I've had beers at Murrayfield and Twickenham and its been a wholly more positive experience. At football in the seventies; you'd usually have to wait up to quarter of an hour to be served; a far more efficient service at the rugby. One other thing for consideration; I've been to games where supporters have tried to rush down those last couple of pints, and a wee shot, before the game as they'd invariable have to sit around for the next couple of hours in a Scottish all-seater stadium in mid winter. I suppose one argument against would be that those that got bladdered before the game had a couple of hours to sober up before being allowed out onto the local area again. One thing though; under licensing laws there is a obligation on the licensee to ensure patrons remain within the law and do not get unduly intoxicated. Every club has its idiots so can see that not many would end up with their license intact after a brief trial.

I generally like reptiles but cant abide Komodo Dragons; take one out for a bit of exercise and it goes where the #### it likes. That, combined by the fact that they also consider humans as one of their five-a-day, makes them unsuitable for the Scottish Game. I mean you often hear the phrase "one man and his dug" but "one man and his dragon" usually just ends up as "one dragon". I think; I''ll all-so throw-in some ""s.p.u.r.i.o.u.s...."" punctuation! to make; it; sound; like I'm with the young-team.....

He's been an unused substitute for their last two games but Cardiff are one place outside the playoffs; a potential premier spot is one heck of a draw for a youngster like Brown.

Is the term "Arabs" a derogatory one to United supporters? I was told a variety of reasons; one due to the amount of sand put on the pitch and the other that they were one of the first sides in Scotland to drop the collar from the team shirt? I've no idea if either are accurate however I believe we have a number of United supporters on here referring to themselves as Arabs so presumably they're not offended by it? As far as the team being called the "Terrors" - I'd always thought they were called "Dundee United Nil"?

They adopted a clever disguise by placing "The" in front of their name. Surely the a cunning plan akin to Baldrick's scheme to reassemble speckled Jim.

One other bad omen - the club would normally have been advertising the match and providing the PPV details at least 24 hours before kick-off. So far not a dickie bird!.

Also kind of wonder what we would do with the stuff. At the last home game (at the weekend) were was still mounds of the gritty grey frozen snow all along the touchline. I suppose we could pile it into the stands; no-one's going to be sitting there for a while?

Spent an hour clearing the snow off the driveway yesterday so that I could get to the vaccine centre. Today there's another eight inches of the stuff - that's just taking the p155!