Arnold Layne

If both matches are draws on Tuesday and we win on Thursday we are up I'm pretty sure. Yes

I think Montrose could still catch us. Very unlikely though with our goal difference.

It's given us an unexpected two points head start.

Well done Montrose

Yes, it was. And the quality of the game has increased enormously, hasn't it?

Play every team home and away then end the season with Jeux Sans Frontières at Hampden. First one up the greasy pole in an inflatable costume and clown shoes is the champion. Time penalties based on league position. No 'meaningless games'. Excitement for all right to the very end. For added excitement the team that finishes in, say, seventh goes straight into the Champions League group stages.

I sympathise. We've been dreadful to watch for most of the season. We're coming good now but the league is far from over. The match thread is quite entertaining though.

I agree that some games are more important than others. Making every game 'meaningful' is, it seems to me, an attempt to imbue each with the same degree of importance. So I'm not sure what point you're making. Sport is about competition. Winners and losers. Those who win more than they lose rise to the top and those that don't drop to the bottom. That is the nature of competition. Ultimately, there is only one way to make a competition meaningful for all until the end. It's called a lottery. Setting aside those that earn tens of thousands of pounds a week (as I'm unsure of their motivation), most footballers play for the love of the game. Given that they only get to do that around 30 times a year, I don't buy into the argument that they don't try to win every game.

I don't get this 'meaningless games' thing. No game involving my team is meaningless. Each season teams should play every other team home and away. The one who has the most points is the winner. Simple. It's such a shame that there seems to be a need to manufacture excitement by introducing distortions to the even handed model of old. I guess it's a sign of the way we live our lives at the moment. Short term thinking, instant gratification. It doesn't make the quality of football any better. It simply increases the momentary excitement. Our game, at club and national levels, is not improved by these constructs. If you want to find a way to give every team something to play for until the last minute of the season, why not use league positions as seeding for a meaningful national cup competition the following season. Give the name 'League Cup' some real meaning.

Teams in 1st and 2nd place won't have to play Tue - Thu - Sat

So, not guaranteed then. Which was my point. Thanks.

Really?

as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns—the ones we don't know we don't know. You are Donald Rumsfeld and I claim my £5

Particularly as two HL clubs didn't manage to play any games.

Interesting. How many is a lot?

Its almost as if my post was not entirely factually accurate. Almost...

Long time since you've been to China. It's McDonalds, KFC & Starbucks on every corner despite Trump/Xi.

Five days ago Forfar released a statement saying they wanted to play. Not just the mimimum games required but four additional games too. Plus play-offs and the Scottish Cup. Today, their season has been rendered meaningless because games will be played without fans. Take from that what you will.

Read the Forfar statement. "it now looks almost inevitable" suggests that, up until now, they were expecting fans to return.

I agree but we don't know what the clubs have been told privately about the possibility of fans returning. It's pure conjecture on my part based on the following line of the statement which seems to show an element of surprise. "Sadly it now looks almost inevitable that spectators will not be allowed back to games for the remainder of the season a factor which to be quite frank has rendered the season almost a pointless exercise"

Reading between the lines of the Forfar statement, it looks as though the clubs have just been informed that there is little chance of fans returning this season. Perhaps that is why some clubs are now blowing cold on the plan to restart.

They should kettle them there for ten days.

Bonkers

I'm out.