Fae_the_'briggs

We had an example of a quick throw in paying dividends at Falkirk last season and it was Dykes who, in my opinion, instigated it. Instead of waiting for a defender to come up and take the throw as would normally happen, and thus giving the Falkirk defence time to get back and cover, Dykes shouted to Carmichael to take a quick throw, Dykes squared the ball to Dobbie who scored with a virtual tap-in. If you wait on a defender coming up to take every throw it gives defences time to get back. The way we take free-kicks and corners is often varied so throw-ins should be the same.

I gathered that. Unfortunately I was being serious in wondering where Mercer now fits in the Manager's plans. If he can't even get a cameo appearance in a game like the Airdrie one.

It never seems to bother the manager of the full Scotland team, not just the current incumbent, picking players not holding down regular 1st team positions.

Agree with what others think about Rooney. He did give a silly penalty away V Stenny but you could see he was desperate to get forward and make amends. Also not many full backs in this division will find it easy against McMullan at Dundee Utd. Good to hear Rooney can take a long throw-in, hopefully we will see some evidence of it as it can be a good tactic if used properly. I don't think we vary our throw-ins enough. Jamie Hamill used to take long throw-ins when he first arrived but that seemed to be abandoned and we seem to prefer throwing it to a player about 4 yards away who has little or no time to control it. I think Mercer is still probably getting therapy after the last time he faced Morgan. Besides if he can't get a game at right back against the likes of Airdrie ahead of Fordyce and Rooney, in a game we cantered, it offers little evidence he can/will be trusted against better players. I makes me wonder what kind of games the Manager who signed him thinks he will be able to play in.

If Miller and Sibbald are suspended for the first team it may be Houston's way of keeping them match fit. You'll know his managerial ways better than me though. As for Muirhead, a few QoS fans have advised you quite often that he is an arsehole. I would still expect him to play on Saturday if you are short of bodies. Surely even Houston wouldn't leave out an experienced player just to prove a point.

I'd be more interested in if the manager or his assistant were there. Two-thirds of the board were there so I suppose the Chairman would get a report. No doubt the Chairman did have other business, I've no idea, but it's hardly worth getting upset or sarcastic about.

Aren't you U20"s playing in a big cup competition that day.

It's a secret. Even SD says he doesn't know so there's little chance of the rest of us being told.

Pretty sure Marshall was out for a few weeks with an injury last season. Mercer covered there in some games and Higgins probably got back in the team to cover that position too. I'm not sure who in the current squad apart from Mercer could play there. Having said that, if we were to sign someone I would like to see an attacking midfielder.

I can't see any over-critical posts regarding Stirling or any other if the summer signings. I would say most if not all fans hope/expect Stirling to come good and show the same form that prompted his signing. Everyone knows he has not yet shown that form and therefore hasn't featured as much as he maybe should. I have also mentioned that it would be good if Stirling, and other midfielders, took a bit of responsibility and tried for goal occasionally. Dumbarton fans say he was a slow starter last season but came good and also scored some goals. That is what I hope he can do for us too. I don't think that expecting that is being over-critical or writing the player off.

I think Stirling may get a start tomorrow. Gary should stick with the tried and tested defence, up front Lyle could drop out of the starting line-up, which is harsh if it does happen, but Kane came here to get games and I think he'll feature quite a lot. Martin Rooney Fordyce. Brownlie. Marshall Carmichael. Rankin. Jacobs. Stirling Kane Dobbie Maybe lacking a bit of height in midfield and up front, apart from Kane, which may give Dykes a chance instead of Carmichael or Stirling, but I think that would be a good line -up if we kept it on the deck.

Stirling is another one of our wide players/midfielders who I wish would take the risk and have a shot at goals when in a good position instead of feeding Dobbie and Lyle who are not always in better scoring positions. Carmichael has been in good positions against Dundee Utd and Airdrie in the past two games but has opted to pass or hesitated too long and the opportunity is lost. Murray also doesn't seem to have the confidence to have a go when close to goal. We need goals from other positions, we shouldn't rely on our front pair to do it all.

Hilson's a great player if he could only stay fit IMO. I don't think it's just coincidence that our good early form last season started to fade when he picked up an injury. As you say his injury history would have been a factor in the length of his deal at St. Mirren. I would have liked us to have taken a chance at QOS and offered him something similar, it can always be extended if things go well. We did give Callum Tapping a deal, another with injury history, so maybe too risky to have signed two potential crocks.

What exactly is the injury that's keeping Hilson out? I hope it's not reoccurrence of old injury or the doommongers predicting he was a risky signing could be proved right.

Tapping was moved out wide early in the game to help Rooney deal with the runs of McMullan, it didn't work. When McMullan was red carded Tapping tried to push forward more but he struggled to take on players and get decent balls across. A game where things just didn't happen for him. I would say that was the reason he was hooked.

Facts don't matter to some people who delight in having a dig at the Management and Board even when they know nothing about what may or may not be happening behind the scenes. Fair enough having a pop if you know for sure what the circumstances surrounding Thomson choosing Livi were and Management didn't/couldn't get him.

Everybody at the club is too busy playing hunt the goalie.

I can't see why you would describe the injury to Martin as an unexpected, emergency situation. Players run the risk of picking up injuries. The Manager must be very naïve if he didn't consider the possibility that his 1st choice keeper could possibly get injured and that it would perhaps be a good idea to have an adequate back-up already in place. If he doesn't play his chosen 2nd choice keeper, Leighfield, and back-tracks on his earlier stance and plays Robinson or brings in an emergency loan keeper, it shows, to me at least, that he and/or the Board have not properly prepared for or thought about situations that could easily happen during the season. I would think it would be nigh on impossible to bring in a loan keeper anyway when we already have 2 other keepers named in the playing squad. Obviously we need a good keeper for an anticipated hard game up at Dundee United or risk a heavy defeat, young Leighfield may do well enough if selected, but the buck stops with the Manager if he has not properly prepared for what should have been an anticipated situation.

I've just read on the OS that maintenance work is to be carried out on our floodlights which are described as the tallest free standing floodlights in Scotland, a claim that I have heard quite often before. Are they actually taller than the Meadowbank Stadium floodlights where Ferranti Thistle/Meadowbank Thistle played, and much more recently Edinburgh City play? The Meadowbank ones certainly appear to be far taller.

If Lee Robinson could take better goal-kicks and was comfortable with the ball at his feet, didn't clown about goading opposition strikers and indulge in stupid time-wasting tactics, didn't slip on his arse at vital moments when under no pressure, could set up a defensive wall properly, and was more vocal with his defence, he could possibly still be a good enough keeper. That brings me to another point. I would say that on last Saturday's evidence it looks like our keeper will be the busiest in the division (again) dealing with pass backs. I would hazard a guess that we top the charts for this. There's obviously not enough composure or confidece on the ball by defenders or good enough movement further up the park with players looking to get the ball from defenders so they are closed down resulting in the ball going back to the keeper. At least we now seem to have a keeper who looks fairly comfortable on the ball. (apart from one slightly scary moment on Saturday.)

Probably getting a Dodi cock or visiting Harry's dad (if she could remember who that was).

Those bicycles where the rider lies on their back and pedals, they just look strange. They've always got a flag on a pole as well. What's the correct name for these contraptions anyway. Also people with big cars who struggle to parallel park them. An old bloke in an old style Daimler just took about 6 goes to park in a space between my car and another car which was at least two car lengths away. I felt like shouting to him that he wasn't fucking drawing far enough forward before trying to reverse in. I was kind of hoping he would dunt my car to get some insurance, he must be loaded.

Pass on that one. He didn't really get enough game time to form much of an opinion on him. If I recall correctly he made about 1 start and came off the bench 2 or 3 times. I actually thought at the time it was a strange loan move which didn't really benefit the player or club. Others may have a different take on that though.

I don't think anyone's actually saying they would especially want him back at Queens now or even if we showed any interest in getting him back, but he is about the level of player we can target unless more cash becomes available. We will have to agree on differing views on his contribution the last time he was here, I thought he was quite steady after a shaky start, I wouldn't say he deserved POY awards though.

I don't think you fully appreciate our current standing in this division in football and financial terms.Employing jobbing footballers is about the standard we are at. Take Dobbie and probably goalkeeper Martin out of the equation and every other senior player on the books at present could be described as jobbing footballers. IMO Kyle Hutton didn't do too badly when he got fit and had a run in the team, I wouldn't have been too upset if he had been kept on. but that's probably more a reflection of our other midfield options at the time. Having said that I wouldn't necessarily want him back now, unless he replaced Rankin.