Ralstonite

I agree that there's an underclass, to deny otherwise is folly. I live in a less than salubrious part of the West of Scotland. One thing I noticed early on when face masks were in short supply, was that all the junkies waiting for their methadone were wearing them. It was like they were sporting a fashion accessory, though about six of them had formed a tight circle and were chatting away with no regard for social distancing whatsoever, and most were not wearing their masks properly or had even removed them to aid conversation. Very bizarre. I think statistically the underclass are more likely to smoke, drink heavily, take drugs, eat unhealthily and possibly indulge in many other risky behaviours. I can only conclude that they are more fatalistic or place less value on their lives.

That was it, they both were in on goal and should have, at the very least, tested the keeper. They were excellent opportunities squandered. I'm not too downhearted about this to be honest, as I would have been devastated if we reached the final and couldn't go.

Obika's on the bench...?!

Yous need to watch it. The way you're going you'll slip into second and then the league will get called...

That's a really good effort! With not being able to go, the pre-match anticipation's a bit flat. A nice bit of culture, too.

Not so much on here. But aye, that's what I was referring to.

Have you ever read Elvis's posts on BAWA? As I said, I know of a few Old Firm fans who've seen the light, though most seem to switch to Thistle. Your experience sounds like an epiphany.

I agree with all that. I believe people should support their local club. I know folk who've lived in Paisley all their lives and have no attachment to their town's club, and I find it astonishing. I have that feeling, too.

I understand completely, as most folk I know follow one of the Old Firm, too. I enjoy not being one of the sheep, indeed I revel in it and wear my colours with pride. Like you I enjoy supporting the underdog club, which we are in the SPFL, given our budget. With fan ownership on the horizon, I'm really optimistic about our future. I'm also proud of our support, and the likes of the recent win against Rangers gives me immense pleasure, when I expect none. How I wish we could have been in the stadium for that one.

Excellent stuff! I'm glad you've seen the light. You're far from the first former Old Firm supporter to have done so. Those clubs are toxic and, I agree, not just because of the bigotry. Their fans' expectations essentially mean that unless they win the league they're unhappy...even raging. I forwarded a funny, non-football-related WhatsApp message to a Celtic supporting fiend the other day. I received a terse reply asking me to stop sending him messages when 'the Celtic' are playing. When I quipped that he needed cheering up, I received a barrage of abuse, including the suggestion that I was an unhygienic Orangeman born out of wedlock. To be fair, I think he's suffering from poor mental health because of the lockdown, as well as Celtic's 'dismal' form. ETA: @Div, could you not do something about this poor guy's username?

I see you post a lot in St. Mirren threads, and yet your name indicates you support Celtic. What's the script?

Physically going to the games is 80% of the attraction to me. If I wanted to sit at home and watch footy, I might as well support Barcelona...like many cretins do nowadays, it seems. Not going to this is actually depressing. It is an incredible story, to be fair. Let's see whether he sustains this success, though. Also will Livingston's faith in him be rewarded with loyalty if he is successful, or will he quickly depart for greener pastures? That's a pretty stunning statistic. It's cheered me up a bit. I've stuck £8 on a 3-1 Saints victory. The rest I put on a 3-3 draw, because I can imagine us going 3-1 up and being on the precipice of jubilation, only for us to throw it away.

Just had a look at the Covid Fundraiser page, which has thus far raised £4,175 : https://gofund.me/72bd79ad There have been some interesting donors, including President Trump (more than once), Nicola Sturgeon, Neil Doncaster (who has made several £5 donations), Willie Collum, Greenock Morton, Osama Bin Laden, and @virginton - which, if it genuinely was you, is very kind. I know many folk say that the club should pay the fine, but my donation is simply a way of helping the club out in these hard times.

Ladbrokes not available yet. I have money in my account with them, so will be using that. I'm not one to bet against my own team, but I really can't see anything other than a Livingston win - 3-1, maybe 4-1. I will see what I get for a correct score, as I will be even more raging if they win by that and I don't at least cash in on it.

It will be a test of the players' characters. The prize is a Hampden final in a national cup competition, what more motivation do they need?

A bit of feedback: What's the difference between 'frequently', 'often' and 'quite often'? Some dictionaries consider 'often' to be synonymous with 'frequently'. Perhaps it would have been better to define each response, e.g. 'Attend all home games and all or most away games', etc. As for Strict Liability in Scottish football, the idea is nonsense. I believe an individual should be held responsible for his or her actions, unless it can be demonstrated that the football club has somehow incited the actions of the spectators.

That is absolutely true. I've always liked Neil Lennon because of that, to be honest. He always manages to wind fans up, and ultimately isn't the game all the richer because of the pantomime villains? Obviously he's paid a personal price for that - what with being sent bullets, having graffiti daubed outside of his home, getting attacked down Ashton Lane, and the Hearts fan coming onto the pitch - but for the rest of us it's all something to read about in the papers. There will always be a small number of maniacs who don't understand that the pantomime's not real, and finishes when you leave the stadium. I thought Lennon was hilarious the other day! I wasn't sure whether he'd had a wee drink, was massively hungover or ill. I hope his lot pump Livingston tonight though, and it's very rare for me to write something like that!

Some of our own fans were quick to believe what those hacks wrote and put the boot in. Not so much on here, btw, but on another forum and Twitter.

Scotland has fishing, whisky and oil. What does Wales have? Much of the terrain is mountainous and unsuited to agriculture. What does Wales produce? How would it be economically viable?

I see what you mean.

I noticed Yes Cymru's presence online, mostly because I am interested in the Scottish independence movement. However, unlike Scotland, I'm not sure Welsh independence is feasible. However, that's up to the Welsh people to decide, of course.

I don't tell you how to spend your money...

Maybe I don't like being called a 'mug'...which is kind of abusive, no?

Ah, so now it's not so much that I'm an imbecile, but that I am donating money so that I can brag about my benevolence using a pseudonym on a football forum, is that it?

Exactly. I used to spend £8 per day on fags...literally paying to kill myself. I'm pleased to be able to help the club out at a time like this.