Raith Against The Machine

I'd roll the dice. It's slightly unfortunate for him, but let Connell twist in the wind and see who else is available. I can't see him getting a deluge of alternative offers, so we should have some time. If in a few weeks time, we've still not found anyone else, bring him back in. He's not particularly good, but I do think some are overstating how poor he is. He's fine. I'd imagine there's at least one loanee available from the Premiership who'd do a better job than Connell has, but personally I'd be looking down the way rather than up. Go looking for a striker in his 30s who's played a few hundred games. I'm not bothered if he's particularly prolific or hasn't played much in the Championship or above before, I just think we need that experience and know-how when it comes to playing as a number 9.

Kilmarnock have released Kyle Connell.

We're maybe playing at Dictionaries a wee bit, but I think you're getting towards cohesion, or effectiveness. The team we've got, to a degree, functions. We have a defence, and a midfield, and forwards. They all do their jobs well... sometimes. Very, very rarely do they all do their jobs well together. Taking the Suzie Dent stuff out of it, I agree with you. The forwards in particular are all basically the same archetype. Frederiksen might be different, but frankly it doesn't appear to be remotely relevant. I'd be really interested to hear from Ian Murray on what he thinks he needs. If you gave him two free picks, not of realistic/available players, but just if he could get two players tomorrow, what 'profile' would be want? Where does he see the biggest potential improvements? You'd have to assume one would be a big hold up striker, but I'd be intrigued what his second choice would be, and whether he'd stick with the same system or use someone different to find a whole new set up for the rest of the team to fit into. We still feel a bit square pegs and round holes with our 4-2-3-1 that has one inverted winger and basically three number 10s with nominally different starting positions.

We are a very boring, somewhat functional football team. Hamilton are very boring and utterly dysfunctional. Not prime ingredients for a feast of football. If you played that game 1,000 times over, the Rovers would win 1-0 in about 800 of them.

That's a soft, soft penalty. There is contact, Doyle should know better than to get that close to Easton, but he's thrown himself down at the first touch.

By the way, for those at home just watching for updates, this game won't finish until near enough 5pm. Before the minutes silence we didn't get so much of a eulogy for Pelé as the first chapter of a Jonathan Wilson book, and then there was some messing about with one of the nets.

I feel so reassured when Tom Lang is on the park. I don't know if it's his presence at the back, or his big arms.

It's a 4-2-3-1, Spencer and Brown the base. Nolan is the left centre half. My concern if Lang had missed out was that either Nolan or Dick would have to play on the right. He's been fine so far but we were definitely stronger before Ngwenya went off.

Other way round. Easton on the left, Vaughan as the 10. We've been poor, to be honest. Accies haven't looked remotely like scoring, which is pleasing, but they're playing a high line that we've barely threatened to get in behind. All of our front four have only popped up in glimpses here and there, none of them have properly gotten themselves into the game. Gullan, obviously, took his goal really well, but this doesn't feel to me like a team that's happy with their lead, but one that can't find a way to goal to extend it.

I knew I shouldn't have gotten my degree from Hollywood Upstairs Medical College.

With his injury? Didn't look like much. Stretched a bit too far making a good interception. Needed a bit of treatment but he's back on and looks fine. He's started the game well, too. We've eased off a bit since the goal and Hamilton are seeing more of the ball, nut their sole strategy seems to be getting the ball to Andy Ryan by whichever means are quickest, and then seeing if something happens after that. Uh, Andy Ryan is now going off injured, so we'll see something different!

Hopefully Gullan takes a lot of confidence from that, a real striker's finish. Brilliant technique. Good cross from Millen, but the space he's getting is criminal. Early days yet, but Hamilton look every bit as poor as was reported beforehand.

Don't hate that team, to be honest. Feared Lang and MacDonald wouldn't make it. It's also the kind of game that should favour Easton.

Did I miss New Douglas Park being renamed again? The "ZLX Stadium"? Place has had more names than Apollo Creed.

Get to bed, you daft auld c**t.

Aberdeen confirming we've got Ngwenya for the rest of the season.

Is he Pacey?

There's a huge free car park at Bothwell Street that's a two minute walk away, and gives you easy access to the road out again after the game.

On the contrary, I think this is very much the work of an individual. And I think that individual's working process was "Hey, son, how many keepy-uppies can you do?"

Hahaha! f**k sake.

Under the banner "SCIENTIFIC FACTS", there's a promise that "Scientists compiled a study for the assessment of the "Football Se7en" 10 second challenges developed by Evro Football Pro. The aim of the research is to establish the suitability of the exercises for the technical development of a football player." That's it, by the way. Just the one page long SCIENCE.pdf. Seriously, if this Michael Dellios (tool) is involved in any way, he's needing chased pronto.

The website is better. It promises a blend of Eastern mysticism and Carlo Ancelotti. Also, if you can do 46 keepy-uppies then you're a Platinum. A Platinum what, you ask? Unclear. You can get a Bronze in POWER by doing fifteen push-ups, though. Revolutionary. Edit: There are videos! https://www.mindgoalsfootball.com/videos I won't spoil them, you should enjoy them free of context, but you'll never guess who the only player to reach Platinum was...

I like the still image of Michael "dominating the field", where he appears to be calling for a pass that a teammate definitely isn't going to make, but I think the best one is the suggestion that players improve by getting additional equipment like "hip pads, elbow pads and rib pads".

In the aftermath of O'Riordan leaving (and Tom Lang apparently having a calf issue), I suspect Murray's just interested in filling the bench for Monday. He's in the Courier today saying that he can keep Ngwenya if he wants him, essentially. Given the amount of gametime he's had, I'd be very surprised if Murray chose to go in another direction, particularly if that direction is Greig Young. More intriguingly, he also says the same thing about Kyle Connell, who's with us until 10 January. My understanding was that his Kilmarnock contract expires at that point, so I don't know whether that means there's already a tacit agreement on a permanent contract until the end of the season, or if Connell has a similar arrangement sorted with Killie, which includes an extension of his loan.