Tattie36

I admire your optimism but that 5 points might as well be 50 the way we’re playing. I also don’t agree with the Hamilton game. I think it was actually pretty similar to today but we held on for the win, yes we created more in that game but Hamilton had plenty too. Importantly, they are scoring and creating.

I think we have to face facts and admit that, barring an absolute miracle, we are 9th at absolute best. However, what I’ve seen of Hamilton, they’re miles better than us so my money would be on 10th. Yet again 2 measly attempts on target in 90 minutes - the goal and a weak effort. We’re already cut adrift, 5 points behind Cove and 9 behind 7th. Can anyone really see us closing those gaps or, indeed picking up another 28-30 points in 21 games? No chance.

Our squad is looking a bit thin at the moment what with all the injuries, so I kind of understand the reasoning, would much rather it was one, or both, of the aforementioned strikers though.

Yeah me too. Really hope it’s Joe Jordan or Kenny Dalglish.

I would imagine they’ll bring 80-100 max. Dons are also at home on Saturday evening. Would like to see it as they could easily be accommodated in the stand. We did it last season v Hamilton.

How can a new build stand have restricted view seats? Really sorry guys but your club have absolutely fecked it off the pitch. You had a great opportunity to massively grow the club, you have such huge potential but the longer this balls up goes on and the deeper it gets the bigger the wasted opportunity it becomes. You are such a historic club and surely that and your recent success and move to professionally full-time fitba should have been a catalyst for something truly unique. Lesser could have been re-built with true vision and ambition. Just look at my team, Arbroath, to see how it can be done. Massively increased support and engagement with the fans and town, and sympathetic development of the stadium. Every time I go to Gayfield I am impressed at how the club have modernised the ground and massively improved the facilities while retaining the character without destroying the fan experience.

We don’t, the lyric is “be THE nation again, that stood against him…”, most people seem to get it wrong for some reason, even some lyric searches get it wrong. Agree about the optimism thing though.

Think this’ll be another close game and would like to see us start Shanks again. Not really that surprised at the discrepancy between Cove’s home and away form. The pitch at Balmoral, while a pretty decent artificial surface, is a very different proposition to grass. The first game v us, Cove used the pitch’s properties to their advantage playing a wide, fast and direct game, just like how they played v QP. I’ve been impressed by this way of playing when I’ve seen it but obviously that style doesn’t necessarily work on a narrower, slower, bumpier grass pitch.

Bit of a relief to come away with a point. Wasn’t at the game but as soon as I saw us go 1-0 down, I thought that was it, great to actually score. Imo Shanks has proven now that he simply has to play and his goals to minutes played is actually half decent considering where we are. No it’s not ideal to have to play a young, raw striker but we have no other options. Dare I state the obvious but next week is a massive, massive game. Win and we’re just keeping in touch with the pack, lose or draw and we’re in danger of being marooned (pun intended) at the bottom or with Accies. Hamilton have 2 very tough games next so if we can pick up a win… or two, then we can at least open up a bit of a gap over them.

We’ve just had 3 must win home games in a row - 1 win, 2 defeats, 1 goal scored. Winning today would be very welcome but I just can’t see it. As I said in a previous post, we only scored once (a fluke) v ICT in 6.5 games last season when we were scoring loads and winning most weeks, so really can’t see that changing today. 0-0 best we can realistically hope for.

Yep. They’ve also got guys playing who were with them in the HL yet we won’t give Shanks a game. Scully got another 2 tonight. Their attacking options are head and shoulders above ours. It’s a disgrace the state of our strike force. After a season like last, we should have had guys queuing up to sign for us but instead we have the worst attack in the league... by miles. Cove are also part time and newly promoted so there’s no reason they should have a forward line much more competent than ours. We’ve absolutely fucked it.

Watching the Cove v QP game on tv tonight and we’re so far off this standard it’s scary. Cove winning 1-0 at HT but both teams creating loads of chances, playing fast attacking football. There’s no way Cove are going to be relegated, so the way things are looking it’s between us and Accies for automatic relegation, unless another team gets drawn into it or we hit some form.

It’s been discussed before. Essentially Aberdeen is a one club city and it’ll take man, many years of success to break into that. When Cove get decent crowds it’s always when Aberdeen are away from home. The only guys I know (I live in Aberdeen) who go to Cove games are Dons fans with a passing interest. Ironically I think that if Cove got promoted to the Premier in the next few years then then their crowds would possibly go down as Dons fans would likely stop going. There is also a huge amount of Aberdonians that will never support a team with Rangers in their name, a blue kit and a lion badge. All a bit “staunch”. I said before that they should have changed their name and branding when they got in the league, massive missed opportunity imo.

This is absolutely not a dig at Cove because I completely understand their predicament and how difficult it is for them to attract fans, but there can’t be more than 300 paying fans there tonight. Just shows how many Balmoral regulars are Dons fans. It was the same when we played them there a few weeks ago, Dons we’re at home that day too and there were probably more of us than them.

Well of course. Differentiate between the SNP/SG and independence is what I mean. An awful lot of people seem to think it’s one and the same.

There is literally nothing the SNP/current SG could do that would make me change my desire for independence. Thankfully I can differentiate between the two which some people seem unable to do.

Yet again, you’re confusing the SNP/current SG with independence. I would go as far as saying that the majority of independence supporters don’t have a particular desire to see an SNP government for longer than is necessary in an independent Scotland - perhaps 1 or 2 terms before we can have proper left, right and centre options. And, yes, maybe even the rebirth of a proper Labour Party… although they will probably have to change their name as “Labour” or even worse “Scottish Labour” is pretty toxic.

I feel the same. ICT are our bogey team, have been pretty much since they pumped us is their first ever league game. Get your mortgage on an ICT win- they’re playing crap, coming off a 4-0 defeat with a ton of injuries and (allegedly) some in-fighting. Remember last season when they hadn’t won in weeks, beat us 3-0 in our biggest defeat of the season. One things for sure - we ain’t scoring, only managed one goal against them all last season in 6.5 games when we were second highest scorers in the league with guys like Dowds, Nouble and McKenna banging them in. No doubt Ridgers will be back to stroll the game and play out of his skin as he always does against us.

Of course we don’t give up and I agree that the new system is a good thing, should have been in place months ago though. What I’m am saying is that we can’t continue the way we are and hoping for a miracle in January - literally a player/s who will convert us from relegation form to title winning form overnight. Is that genuinely a realistic possibility? We have to play the strikers we have so that come January, we at least have a fighting chance if we do unearth a Jack Hamilton mkII.

That’s all well and good but who are these magical championship level strikers you’re talking about? I can’t think of any. The 5 sub rule has fecked teams like us as premier clubs are no longer putting the same amount of guys out on loan. Also if you read pretty much any other championship team’s threads, there is a common theme - they all want strikers. We’ll be very far down the pecking order due to being part-time and likely at the foot of the table. Who would you rather go to as a player or loan a player out to as a manager - us or Raith, ICT, Morton etc? To put it simply - January is Likely to be FAR FAR too late. I could very well be wrong and I hope to feck I am but I just can’t see us finding this missing link in January. We couldn’t find one between May and September after all. All we can do in the meantime is actually play the strikers we have and hope upon hope that they start scoring.

Another thing that pisses me off with this “development played” crap is - Jack Hamilton is only 2 years older than Shanks but he wasn’t seen as too young or inexperienced when he was digging us out of a huge hole 2 seasons ago. Also, what experience do Corfe, Fosu and Isiaka (ok he’s not been getting a game either) have at a high enough level to make them more worthy of a game than Shanks?

Cove put up 2 x 800 seat temporary stands, one at each end of Balmoral pretty much overnight pre season. Ok they’re not brilliant but they’re certainly adequate for a season or two, until they see where their medium term future lies. I think QP have the potential to be looking at being a long-term Championship/occasional Premiership side so should really have been planning for that with the plans for Lesser.

Spot on. The most baffling one to me is Shanks. Despite what some think, I think he was pretty impressive for us when he was getting a game. A physical, bustling striker who creates opportunities and isn’t afraid to have a go. E.g. Ran that massive centre half for Fylde ragged and almost single handedly salvaged a point v Queens Park. Yes he’s not the finished article and, if we had other, better, more experienced options then of course he would be down the pecking order. To use his age and lack of experience at this level as a reason to not play him is just ludicrous. The world is full of young, raw, hungry strikers being first choice or getting substantial game-time, at all levels. How exactly is he supposed to do much with the odd 10 minutes here and there? Personally, I would start him every game. This isn’t kids development fitba. For the record - I think we’re down already or playoff at the very best. Can anyone really see where we’re getting 30-32 more points from in 23 games? If Dick hasn’t realised how serious things are by now and is persisting with playing no strikers and players out of position or the wrong players altogether, then when will he.

Don’t think many would want him back, I certainly wouldn’t. Best of luck to him at Kelty, hope he’s enjoying that extra 6 minutes he’s saving travelling to training and all those close away days like Peterhead and Montrose.

Genuine question. What happens if you get promoted? Surely what’s happening at Lesser is woefully inadequate for your potential. Would you move games v the old firm, Aberdeen, Hearts, Hibs to Hampden? Is that even an option?