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Bluegrass Bairn

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Posts posted by Bluegrass Bairn

  1. so not quite accurate with my supposed ITK, but not far off... Sorry to see Sir Bob leave - gave us some fantastic scenes, esp v Hibs. Would reckon you'll be happy with his effort, attitude and most importantly ratio of goals taken against chances he gets. A natural finisher & good positional sense.  And bound to score when returning to TFS. Good luck to him, in all but 4 matches next season. 

  2. 1 hour ago, Tri-TON said:



    Early predictions for the Renfrewshire sides? (Just a gut feeling but by all means come July I'll change my mind) Morton 3rd/4th, St.Mirren 5th/6th.

    Mad, mental stuff, sir! Get out the sun!  Predictions this side of the window are wishful thinking at best, other than the sole prediction that Jack Ross will not actually be able to walk on water, contrary to the belief of his many acolytes here on P&B.  

  3. 2 minutes ago, bridge of allan bairn said:

    Have we signed anyone new yet? Have I missed it? 

    yup, a whirlwind day of activity to boost the rush for STs - using our well-established connections, we got a gang of young talent in from England; 2 centre mids from Southampton, a winger from Swansea, RB from Man C and the "new Stokes" from Arsenal.  Oh wait....

  4. "the aim is simple - promotion"

    big talk from the official site, so alright then, it's time for the club to put up, as we've all been saying on here ad nauseam. 

    In line with today's exchanges with BTH & Shadwell, amongst others, can we now expect at least 5, maybe 6 signings from that rallying cry/begging plea that make us all get moist?? 

  5. 18 minutes ago, Believe The Hype said:

    Maybe, just maybe, the fact that we finished above every team that's still in the league last season ?? 

    You may say the league table doesn't lie, but come on; to say we laboured our way to second place would be a bit of an understatement. Being honest it was more by default. So the table was mis-leading at least. Realistically, had Morton not totally collapsed - 0 wins from last 11; DU 4 wins Jan - May; QoS turning to mush mid-season - we'd have been scraping for 4th/5th. The team wasn't good enough last season. We saw a meagre handful of great team performances as opposed to a depressingly ample pile of utter dross - e.g. 2-4 v RR, 0-2 at Cappielow, or the nadir that was EEP on Boxing Day. Shadwell's point is pretty pertinent - there's a big improvement required on recruitment. And on performances. And flair. And tempo. Etc etc...   

  6. 12 hours ago, ChoppeReid said:

    Sadly, would evidently satisfy Houston's wish list all too readily. Another lightweight short-arse for our midfield, when we desperately need someone with a bit of drive/presence/pace/height, as has been blindingly obvious since the Rugby Park massacre. Watching our centre mid part like the Red Sea in the second half of the Play Off was just a tad irritating, and all a bit Groundhog Day.  Against Willo Flood FFS.  

  7. 17 minutes ago, Sonsteam of 08 said:

    See the fact Barry Ferguson - a catastrophic failure at Clyde - was linked with one of the biggest jobs in the country, and has been tipped for just about every other vacancy going purely because he was the Rangers captain.

    Sooner the press get him the job at Govan  the better - for all the rest of us!  Inept waster that he is would be so hilariously bad it'd make for the most fabulous car-crash viewing since, em,  McCoist's circus troupe were in town. 

  8. 11 hours ago, ShaggerG said:

    Should have white shorts, always white shorts.

    Agreed. The tops themselves are smart enough but Peter looks like a ref in all-navy...it's actually a bit dull tbh. Get the shorts changed on both - white with the blue and blue with the red - & they'd be tip-top.  Really don't like the mono-colour strips that loads of teams have introduced in recent years. Was it not some gash FIFA ruling, to help casual viewers at the last World Cup, that started this trend? 

  9. 41 minutes ago, Marshmallo said:

    If we stay down I'd go with a four of Austin/Baird/O'Hara/Miller (I'd have let Shepherd leave). I think we'd struggle to do better than Baird while we're in the Championship but if he leaves I'd not be against it.

    If we go up I'd only really fancy Austin as being anywhere near what we need. Miller getting kept around as fourth choice would probably do but I reckon we'd need at least two strikers brought in.

    Would agree re Baird & Shepherd but would like to give O'Hara at least the chance he's not yet had. 

  10. Full length seating, to the depth of the temporary stand we used to have there; hospitality boxes overlooking that; leading back into a decent sized club bar (not the pokey 200-odd capacity mooted for South Stand); then commercial/hotel/leisure/gym space to fill the building section and generate revenue.  Make it happen. 

  11. Good move by Morton.  I remember standing in there in the past - it would be great if other clubs could follow their lead. One of the aspects most mismanaged in our land of shiny/shitty new sterilised stadiums (including ours) - is the loss of the shared terracing...being separated only by a chainlink fence was integral to the day out at Morton, Broomfield, EEP, Love St, etc etc. Would make for a cracking atmosphere if we were to meet up in the play-offs this season.  

  12. 3 hours ago, PipoIsABairn said:

    Much as I agree it's great that we are playing well, my problem with attributing it to Houston is that many of his recent decisions were reactions problems that were there for all to see for months if not longer. Playing Gallacher ahead of Leahy seemed dodgy and it's no surprise that we look more solid at the back with him back in. McCracken has been a liability every time he's taken to the park this season and Mark Kerr, although being less of a problem, is still looking like it's a season too far. Sibbald looks way better in the middle but I remember listening to the commentator on our cup game against Dundee last season point out exactly that, months after everyone else had already picked up on it. Watson is more mobile than Gasparotto, but that's not some massive revelation, he needs a more mobile player next to him. Taiwo isn't a right winger and looks substantially better when he's doing the job he's best at, defending the midfield.

     

    What was most frustrating for me was that the team that started the game against DU, and played them off the park, have been largely available since the start of the season but instead we've had to watch Kerr, Rankin and Taiwo midfield line-ups how many times? If Rankin hadn't walked due to lack of game-time we'd still have the potential to suffer that mind numbing stupidity yet again. How many times has he buried Sibbald on the left or started McCracken and Gasparotto and wondered why we've been done for pace? Houston hasn't performed a miracle here, he's just started playing players in their preferred position and fitting the formation around the players rather than the other way round (with the exception of Craigen who is adapting well to the right wing but still looks a bit lost at times and gets dragged in-field).  

    This pretty much 100% for me. Boxing Day at Fife was a real low, and I honestly thought we were destined to drop down to mid-table based on that mind-numbing, flat, insipid display of utter ordinary-ness.  We've totally outplayed two teams in a row at home, one off a decent lengthy run, the other second top, co-inciding with these changes and the addition of a couple of new faces. Three, if including the return of Watson, who's looked confident and assured alongside Peter the Rock. But it is only two games, so we'll soon see whether its just a flash in the pan, or if Houston has finally got the dynamic right and we can now make a decent, consistent run for second place... coyb. 

  13. 14 minutes ago, Back Post Misses said:

    He doesn't work nearly as hard as Baird IMO. Baird can be awful but he rarely hides, he always shows where I think McHugh can disappear in games. IMO McHugh wont get another contract especially if Austin shows like he did on Saturday. 2nd half he ripped the Dundee Utd backline apart at times.

    This is a tricky one for me.  Agree with your comparison that sometimes McHugh seems to disappear when on from the start, but he's been such a fantastic impact sub I'd like us to keep him and give him the chance to get more consistent...He's mobile, quick thinking and has shown he has a great instinct for being in the right place - with those sorts of attributes that's not someone we should let go IMO!!  But it is great to see Baird right back in scoring form again and his confidence is clearly up, so looks like he's re-gained effectiveness to add to his non-stop effort... Maybe the issue is the two of them are too similar physically, for the occasions when we need Plan B or C... When we would need someone different, like Austin - who looked a little nervy I thought, but promising.  (And a better prospect than Biabi at this stage).  Interesting few weeks ahead, hope we can keep our re-discovered momentum going.   

  14. 1 hour ago, Bairnardo said:

    Hippolyte for 50k...... Jesus wept. Surely that is just bad trolling.

    He is raw but worth way more even in his current state. Not sure where the physical strength comment is coming from DB? He is quite clearly very strong. Doesn't apply it as well as he should often enough, but the strength is there. That all comes from coaching but if there is one thing he doesn't lack for the next level its physicality.

    For me if he can attain a good level of decision making and discipline over the next couple of years he will make a very good player and easily look decent for most Scottish Premiership teams.

    My impression of him (and tbf the entire midfield) is we're way too lightweight. Specifically against QoS & Hibs at TFS, & at Fife on Boxing Day, my feeling is he was simply brushed off the ball whenever there was a physical contest. If he has a head start or a bit of space against his opponent he seemed to do ok, but when marked tight he invariably lost out when the tackle came in. Will pay attention on Saturday, and then either "telt ye" or "fair do's" on Sunday!!! :-)

  15. 2 minutes ago, BottiBiabi said:

    Dundee, Hibs and Motherwell looking at Hippolyte.

    Been much better in last 2 months. Earlier in season was nothing more than a fidget, now notably upped his contribution and work-rate, and has undoubtedly become a legitimate threat; but not consistent or physically strong enough for step up IMO.  

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