AGPar

We absolutely wouldn't. I mean, it would not be anything approaching the apocalypse of last May, but they are a very, very decent football team - particular emphasis on the word team. What McCabe has done at Airdrie, on pretty minimal resources, is highly impressive. They lost Smith to Raith Rovers, brought in Todorov, and in terms of experienced players, that's about it in terms of changes, it's largely the same team as last season. But good use of the loan market - Hancock, Megwa - and they are more than holding their own in the Championship. Raith haven't been able to lay a glove on them, they disposed of St Johnstone in the SC with minimal fuss and I fancy them to give Hearts a hell of a game next week, by far the most interesting tie of the round. An Airdrie win would not be a massive shock. For as enjoyable as this season has been, let's not lose sight of the fact that a lot of what we are facing on a week-to-week basis is, frankly, dross. Very poor standard. Airdrie would be a step up from that. A big step.

Errm, no. Your "downfall" is to be up against a far bigger club and far better team on an excellent run of form. Rankin has the square route of f**k all to do with anything. Still a long way to go, and of course, you've got Agyeman/Miller/Morrison to add to what we are constantly told is the "biggest and best squad in the division". How's that transfer progressing by the way, all seems to have gone a bit quite recently? Any update from Gerry?

Just saying what? Sorry, but that's utterly wild. I have never been McGlynn's biggest fan - and even now, on the back of last season's finish and some of what has occured over the past week, there are still one or two lingering doubts - but there is not the slightest chance on earth that he won't be in charge for the remainder of this season, and every possibility of beyond. If that is what you are suggesting? McGinn has been a very, very decent player but injuries have seemingly caught up with him. To have one of your highest earners basically contributing nothing where it ultimately counts - on the pitch - in such a crucial season is not a great situation at all and he's one I'd quite like to now see moving on if feasible.

I'd say the manager "holding his nerve", getting his head on and back in the game - and very, very quickly - is of far, far, far more importance and significance than anything fans are or are not doing. The team selection at Edinburgh, thrashing about chucking on four and five substitues at a time - it's certainly not been his finest week. I also imagine there's a few amongst the squad less than happy with what's gone, and with reason, so there's going to be a bit of man-management required there. All just feels a bit reckless, a bit needless, a bit self-inflicted to me. Alloa away next weeks looks a pretty significant game, all the more so given that's it probably the last league game we'll play prior to Hamilton at home. I've no desire to give that vile wee mob any more encouragement.

So let me get this right. This utter clown who runs the football side of things at your mob has a strategy? And said strategy involves feeding the gullible, pliant local media fantasy stories about making offers for players he knows have not the slightest interest in setting back their careers by taking the step down to Hamilton in the vein hope that it may flush out other suitors who might have more of a chance of tempting both Falkirk and the player(s)in this transfer window and weakening us in the process? Is that what you're suggesting your club has been reduced to? God, I hope so. Desperation would not even begin to describe this particular "theory".

Yes, this clown of a Director of Football must surely be a complete embarrassment to all Hamilton fans. It just shows what utter contempt he holds your support in that he believes fans would swallow such garbage. Mortifying for you.

You can safely add on the other 0.01% .Why the hell would they take a step down to a far lesser club? Desperate tactics from a desperate wee mob. Laughable.

I would not bet on it. In fact, I'd bet against it. Because If either us or Cove - who are playing Brora Rangers - get through next weekend the game up there on 10/2 is off, as that's the next round of the Scottish Cup. So there's a real possibility that by the time the Hamilton game comes around on 17/2, they will have played a further four league games to our one, which will be absolutely no cake walk at Alloa. Hamilton being out of all cups means they can now just go Saturday to Saturday in the league. Who knows how beneficial that may prove to be for them? As enjoyable as the performances and results against QP and especially DU were, this Trust Trophy or whatever it's called this year is a pain at this stage, and one we could well do without. Binning scheduled Saturday league games in favour of it is just ludicrous. If I am well aware of the vagaries of the fixture list over the course of the next month, then I'll assume that McGlynn is as well, making yesterday's act of self-sabotage and offering of some hope to our main rivals when there was absolutely no need to all the more mind-blowing. Complete and utter lunacy. It all adds up to the fact that, for as good as this season has been, we're still a million miles away from achieving anything. We've still got a massive challenge over the next the three and a half months.

And guess what? He's up against (a) a manager who has also been very well backed across every transfer window for which he has been in charge and (b) a team who are on an exceptional run of good form. That's the context which you singularly fail to mention in any of your myriad diatribes against Rankin, so I've done it for you. Coming off second best to a far bigger club having an excellent season is nothing like the massive underachievement that you and a few other Hamilton fantasists believe it to be.

That's it really. I had Five Live on in the car on Monday afternoon and the contrast could not have been greater. No 3 p.m. English Premier League kick-offs, but an OAM style show with full coverage of the lower leagues, a presenter who genuinely knew his subject, knowledgeable pundits, varied discussions on players/teams/managers/systems going right the way through from the Championship to the National League. A genuine eye-opener. There are loads of interesting things going on in the lower leagues in Scotland as well. You'd never know it because there is neither the knowledge nor willingness amongst McIntyre and his awful gang to have a look and perhaps try to produce something even a tenth as good as the English equivalent. So basically, they'll just pay lip service for the next couple of weeks, get through it as best they can until the "real stuff" returns. With luck, there'll be some meaningless friendly involving one of the bigots next Saturday for them to get their teeth into. OTB is no better, the pair of them droning incessantly on and on about this pathetic nonsense from a week ago. Ok, there is the argument that they are at least coming at it from the point-of-view of supporters of every other club outside of the bigoted twins i.e. who gives a f**k ?,but they'd have been far better served simply not mentioning it all and devoting some coverage to teams who were actually playing this afternoon. It's all just lowest common denominator stuff. Truly pathetic from start to finish. I was never a particular fan of Richard Gordon but, by God, the phrase about never missing something until it is gone has never been more appropriate.

Yep. But just think what we would be doing if we had the best squad in the division....

They've undoubtedly assembled a very decent squad for this level. Fulton probably gives them the edge in the goalkeeping department. Kilday is a solid centre half who I would not have minded seeing at TFS in the summer. But would I swap for Lang? Tough one Scott Martin and Brad Spencer would constitute a very, very decent central midfield pairing one level up, maybe call that a draw. In terms of final third options I see no comparison really. Morrison/Miller/MacIver with viable off-the-bench options in the likes of Ross, Agyeman and now Shanley. Not even mentioning Oliver or Allan. Far greater depth and quality there and hopefully that continues to be the telling factor. Hamilton are a good team, but their belief in the strength of their squad relative to ours, and the "we'd be cruising the league if we had a proper manager" line is just out-and-out fantasy. As is the demand for Rankin to be emptied every time they drop points. Wild. Long may their delusion continue.

Quite an enjoyable and informative watch. For the most part. Until he made an absolute fool of himself with the "We've got the best squad in the league" delusion/out-and-out lie that one or two of their fantasists on here have been peddling for months and months, despite a mountain of evidence to the contrary. You don't lads. Not by a long, long way. Sorry.

Not for me, certainly not as any sort of alternative to Morrison. He's actually one of the few players I've not been particularly impressed with this season - some good performances, seem to remember him coming on against his former club and tearing it up late on - but not enough, and on recent form (both his and the team's) not close to a starting spot. What is this Morrison stuff anyway? Presumably that we've accepted an offer from a club, he's agreed to sign and that it will be announced at the opening of the transfer window next month? Given the importance to the club of the next five months, I'd be pretty disappointed if that's the scenario. Fair enough, off-days and inconsistent periods have been a feature of his time at Falkirk, if they weren't he probably would not be here. But he's a match-winner and personally I think he'd be a big. big loss. Hope we don't find out.

Never been a massive fan of Donaldson and would have happily seen another centre-half in the door in the summer. Today, he chose a very good time to have his best game in a Falkirk shirt by a long, long, long way. As good a central-defensive performance as I've seen in a while. Genuinely outstanding.

And for the next home game on 17th February, bung them a couple of hundred physical tickets in the post about 10th February and let them get on with it. They can always get another hundred if there is an unusually high demand from their travelling fans. And get them in the corner of the main stand where every away support this season should be. We won't of course, because we remain a soft touch, which is why nonsense wee outfits like Hamilton can get away with this sort of stuff. Utter joke.

Backing that he’s used to have you currently joint top of the league and in with an excellent chance of promotion at the first time of asking. He’s more than meeting his objectives. That’s the bigger picture, that’s what whoever makes the decisions at Hamilton these days will be looking at, that’s why his job is not remotely under threat and won’t be for some time to come. Even if you contrive to lose next Saturday there is not a chance he’s getting sacked. There is not a fan base anywhere who could not, if pushed, pinpoint perceived errors or weaknesses on the part of their manager as the reason for dropped points. If they pile up, and the club is fighting relegation or miles off the pace at the top as a result, he invariably gets emptied. That’s not remotely the scenario for your club at the moment. Last season is irrelevant, if that had any bearing on Rankin’s employment he’d have been booted in the summer. I could make a very similar argument in respect of McGlynn, got to a Scottish Cup S/F then fell off a cliff in the final two months culminating in one of the most disgraceful surrenders in the clubs history, most of the away support at Airdrie that night would have hunted him at half-time. But its long gone. Both are as safe as houses this season barring a complete implosion.

It would mean absolutely nothing of the sort. You're simply characterising it in that manner to somehow strengthen your argument that Rankin needs emptied. You'll be well aware that our game in hand is against a Cove Rangers side who (a) have won their last seven straight league games and 8 including the SC and (b) we have performed woefully against since we started playing them a few years ago - 6 points gained from an available 24. You dropped a couple of points at a difficult venue today and we took advantage, just as we dropped a couple of points at a difficult venue 11/12 days ago and you took advantage. I've seen nothing whatsoever to suggest it won't be that sort of title race well into next year, and possibly all the way through to May. Dunfermline had already taken a firm stranglehold on the league by this time last year and never looked like relinquishing it. And yet, after 16 games they had gained 35 points - both clubs are currently ahead of that, and we've played a game less. I'd love us to be doing what they did last season, but have pretty much accepted that the consistency and form of Hamilton means that is almost certainly not going to happen. That's why every draw or defeat for either side - and we'll have them sooner or later - is being magnified. Apart from a period in January/February Dunfermline never had to contend with any sort of genuine threat, and from March the cigars were out. At this stage I would not be hugely surprised by any scenario - Falkirk win it/Hamilton win it/both of us still flailing about at this level in 12 months time whilst Cove are back playing Championship football. Bugger all will be decided next week and we are under pressure too - any Falkirk fan who does not have their head in the clouds (and admittedly that excludes an ever-increasing percentage of our fanbase) will be very, very wary of our tendency to shit the bed in the biggest way possible in any game that matters flaring up again next Saturday. It's simply happened too often. If we cannot eradicate that we will be going absolutely nowhere.

This is a joke right? You've lost one league game in sixteen. You are currently top of the table, albeit on goal difference only. Most goals scored. Least conceded. At worst, you will be three points adrift of the top of the table this time next week (although our record of bottling big games is unsurpassed so there is every chance that you will find in fact yourselves three points clear) On what possible basis is that record criteria for the manager to be sacked? Unless you believe you should be five/six/seven points ahead, in which case you would be utterly deluding yourself. We've dropped eight points from 45. Any Hamilton fan who does not have their head in the clouds would have snapped your hand off for that scenario at the start of the season. Rankin is going nowhere.

Ethan Ross is turning out to be a very, very decent bit of business. After creating the winner for Spencer at Stirling seven or eight weeks ago, he's never looked back. Clearly fitter and more confident than when he first joined, and now always looking to go at the opposition, epitomised by that run late on today, albeit he probably should have squared it to, I think, Allan who was in a better position. On form, a really good player.

By ticket I'd imagine

True. What is equally true to say is that Dunfermline won key games against direct rivals at pivotal points in the season. That is where we still have a massive question mark against us. We’ve got the flat-track bullying/winning with a bit to spare against the lesser sides pretty much down to an art. We simply have to start performing and regularly picking up three points from matches against the other contenders- plural deliberately used as Cove are coming more into by the week. That’s been our Achilles heel for far, far, far too long. Last nights result will have greater context by five o’clock on Saturday. Win, and four points from six from two tricky games in the space of a few days will be a decent outcome. No excuses against Cove, or Hamilton two weeks down the line.

You really, really, really wouldn't.

footage.sales@stv.tv The above email address worked well for me, albeit about 6 years ago so no idea of the current situation or if their service has changed. I asked them if they would sell footage direct to me for a private collection only, they said they would (albeit not cheap) so I sent them a list of matches and they came back telling me what they did and did not have available They put the matches that were only the 2/3 minutes Scotsport highlights onto the same disc and I also got a couple of full programmes. Very helpful. Never come across any such service offered by BBC Scotland unfortunately, frustrating as there are a couple of matches I would love to see again that I know they covered at the time. On that note, if anyone at all has or knows someone who has full highlights of the following game: https://archive.dafc.co.uk/story.php?t=Dunfermline_1_Airdrieonians_1&ID=11843 Would they let me know.

So this "well-known angst of the Falkirk support" is really no more "well-known"or pronounced than that of pretty much every other home support? Cheers for confirming