Officer Barbrady

This thread obviously needs a better vetting procedure to keep non-Edinburgh spectators off the pages. Tut tut. Imagine someone posting inoffensive material on an anonymous open forum!

Da fuq are you getting involved for, then?

You just stick to eradicating paedophobia at Ainslie Park, my fine Sir. There will be a special place in hell alongside Esther Rantzen and a traffic warden, just for you.

Whhoaah. Disproportionate response alert Gordon, my fine lad. These 'Keegan' moments don't usually heat up until March, even at the very earliest. You're obviously easily rattled by a mere still. I'd suggest not attending any more matches if it's affecting you so badly.

Where did the large crowd in the background disappear to?

Starting from scratch would be a tall order, given that a severe portion of clubs with genuine potential have been saddled with self-inflicted debts, and legacies of that debt in many cases are still determining the clubs' current financial therefore competitive position, and the current league format doesn't exactly welcome bold new ideas at best, and has left an ingrained outlook regarding many clubs prospects of success at worst. That said.... Previously a staunch 3x14, i now see that format as a continuation of the failed order that might not be wholly responsible for lack of decent players, as it certainly is a competitive enough environment, but it is now beyond any reasonable marketing strategy, whoever is conducting it. The problem that exists is, what exactly is being competed for? Whatever that answer is, it isn't manifesting itself in great numbers watching or supporting it, and those 'competing' in it being beset by their own self-interest (players, coaches, club reps etc naturally consider themselves 'the best available', under the conditions laid out in para1). Its a toxic mess, frankly. I'd overhaul the current structure, completely. I'd permit the awarding of 22 fully-professional club licences to be given out, per year. There would be one division, with two sub-divisions (or 'conferences' but that's a shite word) therein. The 22 clubs would be split 11-11 on an even, West-East basis. Each team would play its own sub-division clubs home and away (20 games) and the other sub-division teams once, with the exception of the team who finished in the same spot in the opposing sub-division the previous season, who all clubs would play a return fixture against eg 1v1, 2v2, 10v10.......you get it. Ideally those matches would kick off the 'next' season. 32 games, with a greater edge towards open competition raising interest and revenue rather than a fear-driven closed door policy directing (often bad) business decisions. Clubs hopefully learning to live in their means. An obvious omission for some in the East would be one home match against the OF, but offset from a sporting perspective that there's also one less visit to them as well, unless finshing in (likely) positions 1 or 2. The fact remains, games among the big teams are ultimately what sell the product. Everyone still faces 31 common opponents with their divisional rivals, so i don't see why one extra match would make a difference. Some clubs already operate with one less home game a season than they should. Bonus points handed out for four goals scored, and a further 0.5 of a point each goal thereafter. January break for three weeks, and the regular season should be done by the end of April. The top four advance to two-legged playoffs, (with a slight bias towards 1st and 2nd placed teams for finishing high) and none of which be decided by ET or pens if finishing level, but the results in the season until then. Bottom two enter into relegation playoffs along with the 2nd and 3rd finishers in the downstairs National League, containing the remaining 20 SPFL clubs likewise split on a NE/SW basis.

I don't think anyone is suggesting it's business as usual, but the nonsensical suggestions (some may be a joke, others are NOT) would indicate that a wholesale change in tactics and strategy is required to eek through his absence. Utter pish, frankly. I don't see any reason why we ought to play with an 'exclusive' out-and-out nine in general, even with Goodwilie available, as his best work is dropping behind into the support trio rather than waiting on the ball coming to him. Alongside DG, Boyle can and does drift off, perhaps with confidence in his partner rather than outright individial presence, but given who we're up against for the next month and a bit, i'd have no problem in principle of him doing the role hinted at here. The problem is if it goes wrong, we have five days to find an alternative. As for defenders queuing up to bully Syvertsen should he get the nod, why the hell would we throw the ball up to him (if he is used at 9) instead of playing to his obvious skills on the deck? Only we could try and put a futsal player up against a 'meat and drink' heed-the-baw and hope it comes off. Please, for Christ's sake, no.

This, absolutely this. If we ever sent out DG, and only DG, to play a game, the cast-iron certainty is that we'd lose. If the budget permits, i'm sure there will be glances towards the sort of players who'd make a good acquisition, anyway.

Perhaps i did take the "target man" term as read, but for good reason. Whoever (if necessary) goes in the team, won't do the same job whatsoever DG does. But the pressure isn't on them. It's on our midfield to continue its dominance, while providing options for the defence missing its best out-ball (hence the term "target man", loosely). Where the difference needs spelled out is that DG when "holding it up" is practically never stationary, and spends most of the time he's in possession deeper than at least one other player, normally a winger, rather than having balls pinged off him, something Syvertsen apparently ought to be able to provide because as a standard Nordic male, he's tall, and Boyle or Love won't be able to, by being short. Potentially losing Goodie appears to be panicking some into thinking we should abandon the system and style that's got us into this excellent position, and focusing on height now, in my eyes is an easy cop-out, verging on resigning ourselves to punting it and ignoring the team of actual footballers we finally have, because one is injured. What a terrible waste that would be. I genuinely think that over the next five fixtures, we can get the required results and points with or without DG in the side, and do so entirely because of the influence he's already exerted on the players around him. Syvertsen himself may only have had fleeting appearances since his Peterhead start, but imo he's looked better and a more rounded player than Belmokhtar was when coming on. Ergo, right now he's probably the likeliest option unless another striker is brought in. Personally, i felt the addition of a good one should have been priority, anyway.

Classic thinking there, regarding Boyle's height and/or physicality. Goodwillie i'd say is FAR from direct, ergo neither is our regular playing style. Why we should move from that, for any reason, would be simply insane, when we have what we do. It's completely against both our tactics and the development of our players to do so. Syvertsen's best work has been on the ball, not in the air. We must have wasted a dozen high balls at Edinburgh using what i'd call The Duncan Ferguson theory, that a tall man is automatically going to be good in the air so must have the thing shelled at him, despite an obviously more suited skill set available. Added to this, a large part of our possession based game involves drawing defenders out. Boyle and Love can do this. I'd arguably even consider Lamont moving further up, alongside them and playing as part of a rotating trio as an alternative, with a flat middle three (picks itself) to compensate. Going for a 'target man' solution, using a player who is nothing of the sort, will have us on the back foot from losing possession from such a strategy. I say we should press even harder in DGs absence, not less.

Len McCluskey spotted lunching with Tommy Sheridan in the Westerwood. Two prolific strikers, right there. To take it seriously for a second, unless we can source a player perhaps on the fringes a league or two above, with a reasonable record behind him, i don't see any harm in either Syvertsen taking the mantle, or even Boyle/Love rotating the position, as they'd still have Rankin beavering away in behind, and RG and CMS controlling the centre of the park, not to mention Lamont. Lyon may also creep in from off the bench. If the rumours come to pass, of course its a blow, but we're well stocked to carry on as we are.

Thread is invite only. Exit stage left, please.

Actually, he got under our skin from about 1986 onwards, with all three lower-rank, largely inconsequential clubs on quite a regular basis, too. However, during all those trouncings dished out very regularly at venues from Dens Park, McDiarmid and Brockville, to Love St, Firhill and everywhere else in between throughiut the 2000s, including giving Alloa a four goal start in the playoff, you didn't really figure much. The reference of Hibs as "middle of the road" is the equivalent of Clyde supporters labelling Manchester United as "the great under-achievers". Another club we've also actually beaten, in an illustrious history.

Knowing the things you've said you'd do to him (and have done by him), you are one sick individual.

Pretty shite wind-up, if truth be told. Straight out of the "Danny must re-sign Marsh" or "Craig Beattie could do a job for us" handbook. Honkin' patter.

If he was released today, when exactly was he "training with us to a view to signing" Original post would appear to be the mark of a bell-end.

Horseshit. Both the fake news, and the arguably fake player in question.

Middle of the road, full-time outfit. If ever a sense of entitlement required detecting from Postal Utd well-wishers was required, there it is.

I'm reporting this post for inference of canine stupidity. Dugs are far more intelligent.

Which would be admirable if he had no twitter account. He thinks he is an A-list 'baller, going ny most of it. John Gemmell-esque, and no lie. Think Andy O'Brien. Think Roddy Hunter. Think even Craig O'Reilly, all highly unorthodox athletic strides, but offered at least a glimpse of what the common man could dream of. No one wants to be an Aaron.

Had the colour drained from him?

No, they wouldn't have had time to suffer a humiliating defeat yet. What a thoroughly good situation to be in, after the last four winter windows of utter chaos, that we are arguably the most settled and best prepared team in the league. Last years' window activity of course was absolutely necessary, and every single one has proved their worth even with a few hiccups along the way. The complete horror of watching Ferguson abandon YET ANOTHER 'style' to fit his collection of wage-stealing charlatans will not be easily erased from the memory. Hopefully, funds, contacts or both can be exploited and help perhaps land one or two to bolster what we have. A striker of note alongside DG (not to provide cover) could help him bring on the likes of Boyle, Love and Lamont even further, even if their collective starting time was reduced to accomodate such a player. Squad game.

Ah, cheers. I over-estimated maybe what regard he was held in, later on. Pre Alex Miller, then?

Who was it to replace (or assist)? Meadowbank, Stenny then Alloa prior to straight to Hibs seems one helluva jump, in anyone's book. Especially given not what i'd call an A-/B+ club like Falkirk, Dunfermline, St.Mirren, or even steady B clubs like Ayr, Airdrie, Morton, Raith, even ourselves or such like showed any interest in him despite having come up against him regularly.