Passionate

Going back a few years, how about Jimmy Lister

Congratulations Stenhousemuir, winning anything in Football at lower levels is very difficult, always an enjoyable day as an away supporter visiting Ochilview, Hope big Nat and the rest of the ex diamonds have been doing well. Enjoy

Back to the football, Airdrie played some outstanding one touch attacking play and looked a right good side, Frizz and Telfer pulling the strings, flip that over and we always have a howler in us, I felt we got lucky today with the passing from the back especially Fordyce, very risky and needless most of the time.... Not too sure what way the wind was going most of the time, Morton have some very good players but mixed amongst it is Broad foot and Power who both are totally done, along with the constant leaving something on the opposition, doesn't do them any favours... Morton engineered the penalty box scrap, to try and intimidate Airdrie, but to be fair we held our own, we gave Morton a bit of a foothold with our triple substitution , never a fan of multiple subs unless of course you are well down in the game, Donnell is technically decent but very slow, Gall I still think is playing like he will be away, O Connor is improving but still very raw , Lyall can find himself unfortunate not to be playing another very good McCabe loan signing.. Big week (again) coming up Target has to be 4th,

Personally not a big fan of black shorts, socks combo, not bad for a cameo like last night or of we play Falkirk.. Last seasons umbro kit was registered as black shorts and black socks although for some reason was rarely worn...

Wasn't at the game, nervously following on the club twitter, gave up on the fire stick... Rhys certainly knows his squad, on paper a risky starting line up, and outstanding 3 points and seems well deserved as well.. All you good Diamonds get up the road safe and kudos to every one of you.

Calum Gallagher exactly as you say, my favourite goal of his, was his last minute headed winner at Falkirk and his celebration after it, a frustrating player most are to be fair, looking at his body language the last few weeks and even his muted celebration at winning the cup, suggests to me he has something else lined up

I have kept my council on this since the game,news there in person and it looked a 'good' yellow bordering on a red at the time, watching it back it was a shocker we don't need to see someone carted off just to justify it, it should have been a red, McMaster got away with it, as the game was live on TV (are us and Ayr big time) everything gets scrutinized, that's their job, do not have a problem with Stewart, Brown or any of the TV saps... Are Airdrie fans getting a little precious, no one likes us we don't care, and I couldn't give a flying f*** what others think about us, I am far more concerned about how easy a limited Ayr team have managed to take 12 points off us this season, as we get ready to go to another of our 'bogey' grounds as we continue our recent quest for the promotion playoffs..

Hard to disagree with anything the league is still crazy and a bad week could have us in the mire, regarding the keeper I thought we was commited and dealt with everything pretty well, I actually thought it was a great cross and header for the second goal, should he have stayed on his line, possibly.... I don't know about Rae situation but I would be surprised is he is not back on the next 2 or 3 weeks, although season will be about done by then.

Don't know if you were at the game or not, but I felt at the game, Hemfreywas decent enough with a few decent saves don't think Rae would have done anything different, if you let teams fire crosses in all game , there will only be one winner...

It looks like the reward for Brown making a pigs ear of Ayr is the Aberdeen job

First half as you say very entertaining, TNS seemed to catch us for pace early on, no idea how Watson's challenge that led to a goal was not a free kick and a booking, our right side with Ballantyne literally just back from injury and young Gallagher who was playing out of position due to injuries etc, You could tell TNS were a front foot team, they had no centre halfs or organisation, Todorov had them all roads first half with McStravick in behind, first time we have really played that way, Second half was %football and over the 90minutes I thought we shaded it, McCabe looks the next big thing or the next Ian Murray who was fast tracked after success at Dumbarton, Rhys has to be careful IMO, a bigger budgeted side in the championship is probably his natural progression, Look at Goodwin at Dundee United a limited experienced manager who has put together a bigger bunch of mercenaries since the Expendables, Could Rhys sort that mess out with the attitudes and egos on show there, personally I don't think so... He is on an upward trajectory, he will move soon enough I think Airdrie might or I hope have him again next season..

There is a souvenir 68 page glossy programme on sale for the Cup final.. This is available through a website of Ignition Sports media, cost is £5 plus £3 postage. No doubt will be on sale at the game as well, We dont get to many finals, one to get pulled out the drawer in 25 years..

Agree he looks quietly effective but painfully slow, Centre mid will be crucial, McCabe ideally plays there only if Cammy is fit, McCabe drops to centre back and midfield becomes a bigger issue, young players like McMaster and G Gallagher will need to step up, I think they can, not too creative though.

Do we still call pitches grass when the surface is 60,% caked sand and dirt

It looks like we will have limited options for Saturday, personally don't Ballantyne will make, which makes for a positional change or two.. Shaping up something like.. Hemfrey Watson RB Hancock LB McCabe CB Fordyce CB McMaster DM Telfer RM Frizzell LM G Gallagher CM McStravick F Todorov F Cannot see many other options unless Lewis and Gabby can get patched up..

Looking forward to it, I think this will be a decent final, TNS looked good in the semi and stifled a decent Falkirk side and have a long unbeaten run to defend, Declan McManus plays for them, a striker that most clubs would love to have, and he isn't a regular starter for them.. Like all games the first goal will be crucial, they look very well organised.. Ticket sales are slow, expect a bit of a rush closer to the game though,. One of the things we will have to control is the pressure of expectation, a lot of our fans expect us to turn up, sword them and applaud like demented sea lions as Rhys parades the Spfl Trust Trophy around the Falkirk stadium on the back of a white charger..... PS. Airdrie and finals with teams that play in green and white hoops don't normally end too well..

The great debate. Grass or plastic, we live in a constantly moving world with hi tech being the norm throughout every part of society, but we are still happy to pay (overpay let's be honest) to watch Football on a 'grass pitch' with 40% grass on it the majority of the season, the rest hard caked mud... Or you can play on the latest gauge of an artificial surface, the same surface players mostly train on during the week, But I am not a member of the elite SPL where not for the first time Dundee have been the victim of an 'act of god' and has to cancel a televised game due to an unplayable surface. Dundee eh must have it's own micro climate, haud on, there is another pitch 100m away at Tannadice that's like a bowling green, (well it was 2 weeks ago) with a team in a lower league who even if they win their league will not even earn a fifth of the prize money Dundee will earn finishing 6 or 7th in the good old SPL.. We can moan about the 400k Doncaster earns etc, there are clubs throughout the pyramid who are putting our top clubs to shame with the state of their grass pitches, With the generous prize money (compared to the rest of the leagues) surely the league can insist that if they want a no plastic rule in the SPL , then every club must have an amount of money put aside every season for pitch upkeep, relaid start of season or through the season as required, Aesthetics.are important in football, better players might want to come, better TV deals could be sought, have we really tried anything different apart from moan about everything, the good old days of Scottish Football weren't that great if you remember.... Back to the main point if you want Grass make sure it's on the pitch, or it not really a grass pitch... OR. As a lot of fans think when Livi and their 'dreaded pitch' go, and Dundee United and their very decent facilities come up, the drawbridge will get pulled up , with a 2 fingered salute to the rest of Scottish Football......

Thought that at the time and also seemed lost with Innes Murray's shot off the post late on.. any word on how long Josh will be out for.

King George still out, some 'tickle' he must have got to his ribs

To be fair, to the keeper, he saved us just before the equaliser when one of the many misplaced first half passes by Fordyce was intercepted , crucial save that could have put us 2 down, As you say Lyall was excellent throughout closely followed by Telfer, McMaster continues to disappoint, when under pressure he tends to go into his shell and gets very negative and panicky and doesn't offer an out ball , when we are up comfortably in games.he.is a different player , Rhys rates him highly though... A very good important 3 points, last week's point in Inverness looks massive all of a sudden..

To be fair you gave us a s much as we could handle for 35 minutes, up front and wide players is decent enough and have our defenders are really tough game throughout, but your defence and midfield are painfully slow, Little looks done and TOB who everybody admires was poor again.. Bird up top looks a decent player.. ICT look a club with a lot of issues going on, surely must have an outside chance for 9th

So that's our last 2 games of the season on Friday nights, as you say the United game could and probably still will be a decent money spinner especially if United have the chance to win the league that night, it's hard to be to critical as all these games help the club gain publicity, which was basically zero in the barren years of League 1.

Noticed on the website a couple of weeks back, advertising for a First Team Physio, (looked decent salary 40k). Is J D moving on to pastures new or are we planning in expanding our physiotherapy dept. As like most clubs Physios can be worth there wait in gold to get players back out on the pitch ..

There is a lad called Cade Melrose who is the reserve keeper, he has been on the bench a few times this season, don't know anything about the lad, The reserve team have been getting hammered most weeks, so probably not a fair assessment in a struggling team, Pruntys boy Liam is the under 18s keeper... Would still think we would need a loanee to get us by if possible.

I see George Oakley was out with an oblique injury, nasty that could be his season gone... Good player too,is he signed up for Morton next season.