Cutty Old

...and that's the problem; A subjective decision by a referee or VAR couldn't possibly be considered a precedent as no decision is taken account of when a subsequent decision is to be made. That's why the introduction of the VAR system is an utter failure. Rather than eliminating or even reducing controversy, it has merely added another layer of subjectivity.

I'm not convinced that you have an understanding of the word 'precedent'. Previous penalty awards, or any other decision made on a football pitch, don't set precedents.

In terms of fan experience, something that I would like to see change is the attitude of clubs in relation to visiting supporters. Four of us travelled to Airdrie yesterday, along with another 500/600 Ayr United fans. We spent money on transport, match tickets, food and drink. We settled down to enjoy the match from behind the goals, because the stand opposite the Airdrie support and running across the side of the pitch is totally closed. The stadium announcer gave a wonderful testimonial to the career of Ian McMillan and a minute's silence was impeccably observed by both sets of supporters. As the game progressed the announcer kept us informed about the scorers for Airdrie and the Airdrie substitutions. Apparently, Ayr United didn't score any goals and made no substitutions because I assume the announcer would have let us know if any of these things had happened. Having said that, I'm almost certain that Ayr scored three goals and they definitely made quite a few substitutions. On leaving the stadium we were prevented from returning to our car by a line of stewards and one explained that we would need to walk around the entire stadium to get back to our car. Meanwhile Airdrie supporters were allowed to walk in the opposite direction, so there was no segregation issue. Forgive my cynicism and sarcasm but; Why do home sides insist on treating paying customers as an inconvenience ? Is it too much to ask that visiting fans are seated in an area that is best suited to watching the match ? What is the reason for disregarding information about the contribution of the away team to the match ? Are they content in the knowledge that any neutral spectators were left in the dark about 50% of the match information ? I do understand the tribalism that exists in football; championing your own team whilst showing contempt for the opposition. However, people pay good money to attend matches and adopting the stance that Airdrie FC did yesterday, in deliberately disregarding the provision of information for Ayr United supporters and neutral spectators, makes them look deliberately unfriendly, petty, and lacking class. I should point out that Airdrie are not the only 'offenders' when it comes to fan experience. I've experienced the same at many grounds and for all I know maybe some people have been subjected to an unfriendly reception at Somerset Park. The point is that most of this nonsense is unnecessary and maybe fans and supporters' groups need to start speaking up about this for the benefit of supporters of all teams.

I must concede, that has become increasingly difficult.

Outed again...what a life !

Just to clarify a couple of points in your post; I wrote the book you refer to in the season that Ayr United finished in a promotion play-off spot. At no point did I say that I thought that criticising Mark Roberts "...was unbelievably selfish and arrogant". I'm not convinced that anyone expressed these thoughts. However, if they did, I'm not "one of them" Apart from these points, I would say that your post is pretty accurate.

What do they expect to achieve by reverting to 1970s fashion ?

Week 1: Queen of the South

Football is so unfair. Support the team through thick and thin but it's always the fan that gets hit with the shit.

Just glanced at the Ayr United comment. I'm not sure what your comments are based on. Ownership commitment: The owner has taken the club forward in great strides, building a new hub, following up with a new stand, created new positions of Managing Director and Recruitment (Officer), has opened up excellent communications with fans. Management Commitment: Lee Bullen has left his comfortable youth coaching role at Sheffield Wednesday to accept the challenge of football Manager at Ayr United, coming to Ayr, with his family still in Yorkshire. He has gone all-in with his attempt to improve his team who currently lie third in the table and pays great attention to the youth academy and community sections of the club.

Both games gut-wrenching. Alex Ingram's first minute goal given offside when clearly onside and a waterlogged pitch that worked against the ball-playing team and suited the big bruisers. As for the Dundee game, our best ever chance of going on to win a national trophy. Can't feel worse than I did up at Falkirk ? I do now.

Cannot understand why Wuffster is not still doing his excellent work for the club.

At 2-1 they were begging to be beaten. A team and Manager who have no belief and are terrified of the opposition.

In my opinion, juggling the wall shouldn't be a penalty.

Fundraising ?

It's baffling that the club are not interested in the service you provided, Wuffster. You've done a great job over the years and I would have thought that, with the club looking much more progressive in their approach, they would have valued your work greatly. I wonder if anyone at the club would be willing to explain this. I mean, are they sure they don't want this contribution or is it maybe a misunderstanding ?

I don’t get all the fuss about the Celtic fans’ banner. Surely they can show their disapproval of a Netflix series without action being taken by UEFA.

Where would you be without Ayr United players ?

I'm still waiting for the example of my tribal 'bollocks'. The main thrust of my point throughout this debate has been that supporters of all of our clubs are treated badly. Instead of trying to score cheap points over our rivals, we would be better employed in trying to make it better for all of us. That means calling out our own clubs when they treat away fans badly. When away fans come to Somerset, they should be given the choice of the west stand, Railway end or the away section of the North terracing. If it costs more money, too bad. They've paid good money to be treated properly. Instead of Morton forcing Ayr fans into the end of the main stand, they should organise their ground with a view to assisting away fans in having a good experience. My God, both clubs have plenty of room. The costs they incur in doing this is the price they pay for offering this form of entertainment. I can't see what's sanctimonious about standing up for ourselves.

My point in this post is about the way most clubs, including Ayr United, treat away supporters with contempt. Try reading this again and point out where I indulged in tribal 'bollocks'. If Morton are the home club it is their fault. If Ayr are the home club it's their fault. The fact is that, whether you like it or not, home club are tasked with managing their event.

Apparently not, Wattoo. They've been treating us like this for decades and we've just been putting up with it.

I apologise for that 'virginton' reference in my post. I didn't type that, it somehow autocorrected my post. I'm not interested in that kind of name-calling nonsense.

Surprise, surprise. virginton reverts to attempts at being a smart ass to deflect from his inability to engage in sensible debate. Quick VT, get another red dot in before they run out.

The staffing requirements for a match are the responsibility of the home club. The costs, additional or not are also the responsibility of the home club. Should the home club find it too difficult to deal with the issue of pitch invasions, they would be well advised to seek advice from the police. Liaison with the security adviser of the away club would also help in identifying transgressors to ensure that appropriate action is taken to deal with them and eradicate the problem. If the home club are unable to deal with this, perhaps they shouldn't be running a football club. Most clubs have shied away from having police deployed at matches because of the costs. Instead, they pay a pittance to stewards who are not equipped to deal with pitch invasions. Unfortunately, some supporters adopt tribal allegiances to respond to the problem. I would suggest that you have a preference for punishing 500 people for the actions of a few people, especially if Morton are the home club, due to that narrow mindset. My opinion is not an attack on Morton. I just believe that spectators at away games are treated with contempt. Sadly, some fans are so caught up in their tribal allegiances that they ignore the main issue to focus on the opportunity to have a go at their rivals.

Thanks, Richey.