Salvo Montalbano

If we lose on Saturday and don't put up at least a reasonable fight at home to the wee team, I'd expect several calls for AJ's head and it wouldn't surprise me if he thought about resigning.

Said that at the time about Higginbotham @Grant228, and when he was signed along with Wedderburn I assumed we were moving to a 4-2-3-1 or something where he could play in a free role with big Nat and Geggan as the shield in front of the back 4. The fact that we didn't go for that sort of system today when Hibs were playing 3-5-2 and had acres of space in the middle, or that AJ didn't change things in a proactive rather than reactive way is just baffling.

This Sale v Toulon game is rotten.

Hutton wouldn't normally I don't think, especially with so many overage players outfield. Gill isn't in goals though so maybe he's going to be on the bench on Saturday? It's currently 5-1, Galloway got the 3rd with a low shot from the edge of the box and Moffat completed his hat trick with two quick goals from inside the box (although he should have had one peer to that too).

Feck, how could I forget the San Siro? It was the first foreign stadium I'd visited (for Milan v Messina; Pirlo scored two cracking free kicks) and somewhere I'd wanted to go to since the 80s.

Talking about old fashioned ways, can anyone remember when different grounds stopped announcing the half times in code? I think I remember being at a game in maybe the late 80s at Fir Park (might have been Tannadice though - I can remember a yellowy orange colour in my head somewhere) that still did the old "A: 1-0, B: 1-1, C: 0-0, D: 0-1" etc and me having to ask my old man what that was all about. The other grounds I'd been to at that point I'm sure had just given the scores out in plain speech.

Scotland - all the current SPFL Premier, Championship, League One and Two ones except for Annan's Galabank, and have also been to Broomfield, New Kilbowie, Boghead, the original Bayview, Firs Park, Brockville, the original Douglas Park, and Meadowbank. Also been to a few but not many Junior and Highland League grounds, particularly Kelty, Huntly, Clach and Nairn County. England - Emirates, Reebok/Macron, Etihad, Fratton Park, Majedski, St Mary's and Wembley, and I also was able to see Arsenal play at Highbury in their last season there. Also went to an Eastleigh game before they got their big investment to get up the leagues. Others - Millennium Stadium, Cardiff; Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam; Alianz Arena, Olympiastadion, both Munich; Westfallenstadion/Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund; Teofilo Patini, Castel di Sangro and Marc Antonio Bentegodi, Verona.

Aye, I wasn't suggesting we should have signed Goodwin once he made it clear he was looking to go part time (and is now in management so fair play) but if we had signed him then I'd have been quite happy, despite some of the mewing about the possibility on here and dotnet. I think we certainly someone of that ilk, but as to who? No clue.

I had hoped that we'd have used the Dundee United and Inverness cup games to try out some different formations (4-1-4-1 or 4-3-2-1 probably but maybe also 3 at the back) but instead we've used this open 4-4-2 with no plan B whatsoever and we still haven't learned a thing. There must also be questions asked about his signings. Why no right back? Why only one central midfielder when Falkingham and Graham left (and allowing Spence to go out on loan) when we're moving up a league and not going to be able to dominate possession like we did last season. People groaned when we were linked with Jim Goodwin pre-season before he joined Alloa but he's exactly what we're missing right now IMO.

Think there's some sort of rule about needing to have three keepers in a matchday squad and that the keepers need to be actual goalkeepers and not outfield players in a goalie top (North Korea tried to only name 2 for the World Cup I think, then tried to name a striker as their third choice but they were denied on both scores). Other than that though, you're right. I think Burke was with the squad in Slovakia though, as his tweet, later deleted, would seem to suggest.

When you put it like that it all sounds so simple...

Still an incredibly tough ask to qualify with this group (surely they need to look at expansion or a round for runners up or something?) but a great performance. I'd have probably given Pyrgios the man of the match award to be honest but Sarto was good too.

While I get your point about the positions having nothing to do with anything (and I think there's a rule about having three keepers in the squad anyway so that's redundant), surely it shows that he was still going to have players (like a third goalie or a third left back ) who were never going to play and so it makes even less sense to just stick him on the bench in a tracksuit.

I know the bus at NDP has been referenced a few times but can anyone enlighten me as to it's purpose? I actually quite like Douglas Park with the first row being high up and the canteen downstairs meaning you can still watch the game while queueing for a pie.

I for one am shocked at this. Is he ever going to be fully fit? It seems that we played him in two games we didn't need him (Arbroath and Cowdenbeath) and since then we've needed him and he's never been available.

You'd have to think that having to either uproot a young family or travel 100 miles or so each day for training would require either a big step up or a significant increase in wages. Is going from Under-20's Manager and First Team Coach to Assistant Manager that big a step up? Would St Mirren be able to give a big wage hike? I'm not sure this will happen but if he does go then I wish him well.

What time is kick off? Is it clashing with a Challenge Cup game or something? It's a shame that one of the games fans will find it hardest to go to won't be shown live now (unless it's elsewhere - online or via Italian TV maybe?).

Which Park is/was Parkside Park to the side of?

I'm sure it's been mentioned but as HJ brought up the enclosure at Stark's Park, Raith's ground has two quirks about it - the only ground that is a rhyme (depending on your accent of course) and that it's surely the only ground in Scotland where you can't see the game from the half way line.

East End Park has an enclosure although it has bucket seats and isn't used except for youth players in the home end and possibly the away end has had Rangers and Celtic fans since it was converted. I think the reason it's not used is a lack of toilets and catering although the away end now has a raised wheelchair platform so I'm guessing there is something there?

Heading down to Ayr today where the old fashioned nature of Somerset (which I enjoy) means nipping to the loo which is just a space between the two turnstiles with a trough to pee into (at least it's not just the wall as it used to be at many grounds and might still be at Cappilow?). I think female toilets were an afterthought for many years and there are not portaloos once you get into the ground.

Glasgow has a nice new velodrome and is hosting or has hosted world or European championship Gymnastics, Track Cycling, Swimming and will be hosting the first edition of the European Sports Championships (the athletics are being held in Berlin and Glasgow will host the aquatics, cycling, gymnastics, rowing, and a new team golf championship) so the sporting legacy is strong. I'm sure it made the city money too.

If they don't give any benefit why would they be on the banned substances list?

The stand at Talbot of course came from the Original Douglas Park, Hamilton. I have family down in Cumnock and as you can imagine they are quite disparaging about Talbot. Cumnock are getting a 3G pitch but their ground isn't as well developed as Auchinleck's.

Scenes at the Sant'Elia as Sampdoria score at last through Fernandes to equalise against Cagliari in the 85th minute, only for Viviani (surely the only keeper who wears the number 2 jersey) to fluff a clearance and allow Melchiorri an empty net from 20 yards 2 minutes later. Been a decent game this between 2 struggling sides.