an86

If I were to stand up at the next home game at Hampden and start saying things about Jews, black people, Chinese people and women, what would you expect the consequences to be for me?

Yep. Carefully built sponsorship relationships and links with community organisations would need to be factored in as well. I think most folk are capable of rehabilitating their character, but he wasn’t a daft kid. He was a man in his 40s. Even with apologies and reflection on actions, it should still rule him out of any leadership role. Not saying he shouldn’t ever work in football, but he’s wholly unsuited to being a leader and I don’t want him at our club. My own opinion is that he’s sorry that he got caught, rather than genuinely remorseful about the things he said. An absolute c**t of a man, in all honesty.

There’s no way I’d be putting the undersoil on in your position, despite how rancid we are.

The thing is, if we’d really wanted to do what Gretna did, we’d already be sitting mid-table in the Prem. The guy bankrolling us can afford it. They were buying experienced players directly from Dundee United and Aberdeen. We’re signing kids who’ve never played meaningful football.

Is one full season of stability too much to ask for? Nobody is turning down Ajax, whether they’ve signed a ten minute or ten year contract, right enough. Can we please use this as an opportunity to re-enter the real world, with a clear vision of who and what we’re trying to be? I don’t think this is something that can be done under the current Chief Executive. Her leadership has been farcical since joining. She should follow and allow fresh ideas to move the club forward, preferably in a way that acknowledges the existence of fans.

You could swing it another way. Do you think they’d ever say no to Haughey or Dempster?

Would be our best result in the league since August.

EEP likely to be ok after several nights of frost/ice for the QP game?

Have to say, anyone I know who has personally encountered him only has good things to say. Doesn’t mean he is or isn’t the man for the job, right enough.

Don’t necessarily disagree, but if we take a 4-0 or 5-0 at EEP, that’s the sort of result that ends tenures. Even in the event of a narrow defeat, it becomes a question of how long you give it? If we don’t take a win out of the next three, we’re staring down Dundee United at home. If Beuker’s going, just let him go now and let Veldman get on with it. We might not be able to afford the luxury of time and risk to see how things play out beyond January.

Our budget is competitive. Our team is not. I expected us to be inconsistent, but we haven’t even reached those heights.

I think we could all accept inconsistency. What we can’t accept is being consistently guff. We haven’t won in the league since August and our record against full-time opposition is one win in thirteen. It would be deeply embarrassing for us to be relegated, given the shouting from the rooftops the club has done about “the project.” It would actually be inexcusable given the amount of resource that’s been poured in.

I think he gets until Cappielow, unless we take an absolute skelping in either of the two games before it. If we don’t win one of the next three, it becomes very difficult to make a case for him continuing. We can’t just continue to base it on the hope that things might turn around. There needs to be some level of evidence that it might actually happen. I’m not seeing it.

League One is certainly a new direction, I’ll give them that.

286 fans for a Scottish Cup tie in the same city tells you exactly where we are when you scratch away the free tickets.

Despite my seething about him, I’ve softened having had a bit of time to reflect. Could tell how much that Raith Rovers result hurt him and he seems a genuinely nice guy. The fact that Malky Mackay is unemployed also has me firmly back aboard the Veldbus. Really want it to work for both him and us.

Whatever happens, we’ll be the absolute last to know.

Just hope it’s a good deal. Nobody is knocking back Ajax to stay in the Scottish Championship with Queen’s Park. Good luck to him. I never bought the ten year deal thing. Always reeked of bullshit. Suspect there will be all sorts of clauses on both sides in there. Too risky for either party to sign a straight up ten year deal. We move on.

Thistle either look absolutely class or absolutely shite. I really think it comes down to that on Saturday. If it’s the latter, we have a decent chance.

More chance of finding Shergar galloping around Lochinch than finding our esteemed Chief Executive showing any interest in that sort of thing.

Any properly functioning football club would have contingency plans in place for promotion this season and, indeed, a plan for the longer term anyway. History tells us that it’s more likely that we’ll be scrambling around after the event, should it happen. It’s completely unthinkable that a football pitch cannot handle a game every fortnight. We can all marvel at the quality of the pitch at Lesser, but what’s the point of it when most of the action it sees is horticultural? It’s another thing that doesn’t make sense about “the project.” A good quality all weather surface is obviously more suitable for a club which supposedly has community football at its heart. It can also make the club money. Instead, someone is being paid to tend a pitch that sees no action and a stand that lies constantly empty. The most expensive missed opportunity imaginable. We’re now at the stage where questions about next season have to be asked, not only for the women’s team, but the entire football club. It would be unacceptable for us to get towards the end of the season and not know. A return to the Southside should have ended all the uncertainty, but it’s simply brought more questions.

There’s a decent amount of pressure on the lad. We need a spark and we’re almost banking on it being him.

Down to 8th. Next few weeks are huge. Other obvious statements to follow in due course.