Domino the Dug

Where did the context for this originate? I can't find it anywhere tbh. Not that it matters now in terms of the current TCWCC, of course, but should we be concerned at fixture fulfilment further down the line? Peterhead's in two weeks. Enormous game, requiring full preparation, and that needs paid for.

So they can carry out a continuous count, in case they made an(other) error registering them? I'd be nervous as hell about that, if i myself had laid an enormous egg of solid f**k and was still entrusted with that.

Not a trace of irony either. If this is how it goes, it would be epic. The stangest part of the world i've ever seen. Portadown (another Billy team) play just down the road ....at a ground called Shamrock Park! It's a fucking mental place. Bring flags. All of them! An absolute must. I don't think we can throw stones over the OF tbh, given the content of a solid third of our own songbook. Times and places would have to be observed, in that regard. And if we got them, and waded through enough locals we might find the few home fans who give even less of a f**k about C or R than we do.

Sydney, I doubt anyone ever considered our fate in the hands of anyone but those you mention. That doesn't mean the learning process hasn't even nearly reached the end. Anyone concerned either moderately or in the extreme is yet to be unanimously convicted of 'negativity', whatever that is, when it can be determined by volume. Howie especially has evolved tremendously well in the regular season, for starters. McStay has gained fitness and confidence (ergo today's goal) in tandem, and Johnston, arguably the finest technician compatible with DG is mutating into a team player. We had this same issue, and all adjacent domestic arguments LAST autumn, too. These then, centred on starting our (at the time) technically and tactially poorest two centre-backs, and struggling to deploy Rankin. All came good in January, and we've grown since. Any criticism leading to panic-slating of the manager's choices regards to budget this season were certainly well-founded back then too, with the acquisitions of wasters like Ferns, Gorman and Hopkirk. The fact that only Mitchell, of the initial four summer signings this year, and now also Howie are established starters, leaves this open to discussion. I'm enjoying this spell more than can be imagined, truly - but let's see where we are when we need to set the pace and direction from the off, starting next Saturday. Points mean prizes.

Let's take care of the more localised adversaries first, if you please. As out-of-the-comfort-zone as Glenavon, Wrexham or Solihull may be, these are not teams, statistically or in status, better than any of our bread-and-butter opponents. Without exception. They're all semi-pro, for a start. Christ, a trip to another stadium (Hampden excepted) with more than 500 seats and a roof was 'progress' upon where we were stationed four months ago. We've already been to four such stadia already (albeit down to works at HQ) without leaving the country. This is clearly a matter of standards.

He's been largely unavailable for a third of our games, until now (half, including the LC). I'm delighted if we're aiding the prospects of young, potentially future internationalists especially if we know the SFA coaching can't ruin any good work that goes into them. But the loan arrangement isn't exactly providing us with consistency. There's no way Rumsby-Howie should be broken up in present form, for example. And McStay had his best game since the second half v Edinburgh last week, further clogging up the midfield ahead of AP, in my view. Yes, it's very strange. I think intl' call ups are generally containing a 72 hour window release period, and of course they aren't played any longer in sync with the full teams competitions (ie u21 played the day before). I'd be interested to know why too.

But they literally only played yesterday! No one else, to my knowledge, had players unavailable last week for international reasons. Perhaps he walked it back.

What reason was given for Petkov's absence last Saturday? Was any?

A decent point, with a right to feel two others went walkies based on the second-half showing. McStay had his best game since v Edinburgh in February, for me, and the centre of defence now shows real growth, to the extent even McNiff gave a few runs down the left circa last season. An addition or two (not necessarily tonight, given our tight budget) and there's something to build on now. The fact Johnston and Wallace have been ommitted twice now suggests they've a job on breaking the side up, something Lennon stuck to rigidly last season from January onwards.

It's either that, or you're just very easily annoyed. Love the dummy-dodge. *Aim for a bite, then point at the biter. Classic bully tactics. Won't work, i'm afraid. Indeed, if some of us duck-dived like that better back in the day at Shawfield, thus avoiding a bruised head or two, maybe the present IQ of the support would be higher and debate more eagerly encouraged. Enjoy yer night.

Are open, anonymous forums purely in existence to be full of spat-out dummies and for immature, tearful exaggerations to go undocumented? If you have a problem, there are plenty here who'll gladly direct you to the appropriate channels. Or you could just block me, if i so much upset the Zen bubble you're well known to inhabit.

Oh dear. Touting for likes against the big bad PnB supervillian, for calling out and debunking shite analogies. If you don't hit at least 50 greenies, i'd be raging if i were you. We've won one game in eight proper matches, and both best overall displays have come against the two teams against whom it should be easy to be up for. Far from convinced anyone is anywhere near their best, except Mitchell. Forfar away isnt a test of abilities, it's a test of the character of the team now.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, got in the way of anyone's sensationalism on Saturday, that's for sure. A Kleenex salesman would have covered his yearly bonus if only he pitched up outside the ground with a van, such was the gratuitous outpouring of grief and ejaculate in equal measure. Embarrassment, was one word bandied around. I was as delighted as is rationally acceptable at full-time, for what was an effective and energetic performance. I was as glad of the clean sheet as the victory itself, whereas a sizable majority seemed to be living solely for the result, (when the mantra normally reads ITS NOT JUST RESULTS- go figure) to the extent i was worried if Falkirk scored, we'd all be attending a mass funeral soon for those nutjob supporters who it all got a bit much for. Its a grave insult to the efforts of the players and management that a single result generates that reaction, imo. They're capable of so much more than gubbing that lot, but hystrionics help no one. It also blindsides this week, as now our Peanut Gallery have their standard and will hold the team purely to the Falkirk match, and not the previous two and a half matches of complete pish defending. Forfar away is a b*****d of a match to have after that, for this reason. I'll bump this as a reminder after the match.

So who was the second forward?

I can't be alone thinking that the West Stand looks an absolute mess in its present state? The replacement of broken seats and rearrangement of the lettering is fair enough (will it happen in the Main stand at any point?) but it would look a lot better with more than one row of seats along the bottom. Haven't noticed the netting making any difference yet, maybe thats just because the slightly better quality of player doesn't boot the ball out as much.

Who were the 'two'? Love, the only viable 'other' forward, i grant you played almost entirely defensively on the left.

I wouldn't waste your time with backward philistines intent on wallowing in eternal self-pity. "Big bad council", "big bad fans". Its also highly unfair to embark on a battle of wits with unarmed individuals.

I wouldn't say our support levels are consistent enough to attatch a percentage to either. Cold winter and midweek games, i'd wager two thirds as locals. Beginning months and through spring, i'd offer 60/40 in favour of Glasgow/SLan based. Which isn't very good for a club needing its fans to constantly fund it.

The furious crowdwanking endured by our support from March onwards last year (exceeding a bucket and a half each, easily) makes this apparent knowledge of other clubs all the more laughable. These thousands of Old Firm fans, spread over all towns with senior clubs, makes absolutely f**k-all difference to the success or status of one single team in the land. Falkirk have always been among the highest per-head-of-population teams regardless of them; and if their quota of "inadequate arseholes" were reversed, and they attended hometown matches and were matched by those in the towns of your rival clubs, the position you're in would still not change. Neither would that of any other clubs, from the Dundee two (the biggest two 'affected' by this ridiculous myth), all the way right down to Cowdenbeath and Queen's Park. These larger gates wouldn't prevent the clubs being run dreadfully, which is why you're here. Not quite the same as us, but in the ball-park on that front. It's also not a reason for the poor standard, or awful entertainment factor in the game. As i've said elsewhere, on a business level, the higher prices paid by Scottish fans doesn't keep them away, one iota, against those in other countries. Performing way below-par isn't going to be solved by idealism. The game should be thriving with all it has going for it, its certainly not the fault of glory hunters when Falkirk can pull in one in ten per home match (who won't all have Falkirk postcodes either, btw) against both C or R, with their 50k-plus crowd in a city of over 625k (one in twelve and a half, likewise not all from the city), you're actually ahead of them in that instance. The proof of this is not being a valid reason is in both Hamilton and Livingston nestling in the Premier, by whichever means its been achieved. They're doing it right, despite losing a lot more local 'fans' than Falkirk.

How dare you! I'm far worse than that. I do however apologise for the triggering effect the truth can have on some.

That was only a callous wee jibe! Absolutely, wasted at RB. That was never a debate. Clearly the step up has had very early ramifications over our expectations, as much as anything else. Lang, in my view would staff a better backline than what we have currently, but there appears a divide over the collective team being considered better than L2, including him despite being entirely untried by Crawford yet, but drastically short for L1. If i or others were championing the player over his form in L2, perhaps our jubilant mood may have been tempered better by considering largely who we were playing. That said, the congregation of Martin McNiff is a Good Centre Back Apostles might want to lay off their holy water, as the difference between those two individuals is literally eons apart. And this is who they want partnering poor Scott!

You're a confusing gentleman, truly. "Back in a heartbeat", yet in your retrospective view he didn't figure quite as highly as many other players as reasons for promotion. If he wasn't so outstanding, what do you feel he could he improve upon at this point? I also note only one of our peers is continually trolled over simply stating facts regarding Lang, yet several fanboys who can't seem to stop gawping at his Instagram escape the same ridicule. I think you know a lot more than you let on. Maybe HD really means "HighlyDisingenuous"?

Will you be purchasing it?

Could always ask the club captain and our second-top scorer about that.