ShaggerG

Harris is one of those laddies that's very good at football, it's just when an opposing team is added that the problems start cause he's fearter than Mr Feart from Feartsville! Yet there was one occasion yesterday when he slid in to block a clearance and the contact was actually audible! It's a shame really because he has the speed and guile to give defences problems but just can't seem to apply himself properly.

I was at the game but had to read the BBC report to confirm my suspicions. I'm still not sure that it happened therefore!

Did we not give them part of the old terracing roof from Brockville which had been new just a few seasons earlier? Re Nichol: if I had been him I'd probably have done the same thing. He wouldn't have expected to even get a gig with us at this stage never mind going back to his first love! Guessing obviously too but I'd imagine that he'd at least treble his wages and, given that money comes in fits & starts for somebody in his position, I suppose he's got to take it when he can get it. I think this is probably good news for us, particularly if we get a fee and, hopefully, he'll play a significant part in the continuing decline of sevco! Like others have said though I wouldn't want him anywhere near the dugout today as he'll just get booed which he doesn't deserve. I'd definitely have auld Alex in instead as he does seem to have a positive influence from the sidelines.

According to the league table published on the OS Celtic U20's have only played 3 league games all season, they'll all be as rusty as f**k!

I always read what he says second.

Don't listen to mongoose, he's a snake eater.

Yea, you're right, Austin has been utter drivel this season, in the league at least. I would suggest however that that's as much down to the manager as the player. A blind man can see that he's not suited to playing up front on his own and he did just fine when paired with Loy in the LC games. He's lost confidence and heart because he was hitting a brick wall any time he got a chance. The thing is we know what Austin can do when used in the correct fashion, it appears however that Hartley is going to persist with this one up front shite and we've signed a guy in Nelson who has no goal scoring record to speak of, presumably though he'll be good as a loan striker, maybe bringing others into the game, who knows? Saturday is going to be absolutely brutal with either Miller or Loy on their own 'supported' by a wee blue ersed flea in Longridge! I would have had Loy and Austin together rather than that formation all day long. I can't blame Fash for running away from this clusterfuck as fast as he can, especially if he has something decent lined up which seems likely. I count at least 7 'forwards' that I would have punted before him though!

Knowing our luck he'll be lining up against us on the 2nd!

Yea, I was looking forward to the new striker fighting it out with Loy & Austin for a starting berth. As it stands Hartley now probably needs to bring in two strikers as we were already a bit light there considering Miller can't really seem to give us a full 90 minutes and O'Hara isn't shaping up as we all had hoped. We desperately need more creativity behind them as well so he's got a big rebuilding job on his hands given that he needs to persuade somebody to take maybe 3 or 4 of the midfielders who aren't cutting the mustard at the moment.

Austin needs a striker partner, Loy needs a striker partner. How often have they played together as two up front? In the LC games and for 20 minutes v St Mirren when both looked good.

He's actually not all that talented IMO. One of those players who thinks he's better than he is and flatters to deceive much of the time. That said he can be very effective when he puts his mind to it and drives directly at defences rather than faffing about trying to beat the same man twice.

I would imagine that there could be a very good chance that that could happen. Certainly a better bet than Loy at the moment anyway and Saints will be a bit shy in the striker department if Sutton goes.

How long's his contract? Can't see us paying off two managers in the same season so I reckon he'll take us down and out!

Sad to say but I don't think Hartley has a fuckin clue!

By 'camp' do you mean that they all flounce about with their hand on their hip?

Well, I think the replies that you've already had probably sum it up. I've no idea at all of the specifics but it does appear that the stadium costs are the biggest drain. Hamilton for example apparently make a significant amount (or the Nigerian prince does) from their stadium each year while it appears that ours costs us a significant amount instead.

We sold Scott Arfield to Huddersfield after the 2009 SC final. Since then I think we've sold the following (in no particular order): Arfield, Stewart, Flynn, Murdoch, Wallace, Higginbotham, Taylor, Fulton, McGrandles, Kingsley, Blair, Biabi & Vaulks. Don't think I've missed anyone out? Most of these came through the academy. I seem to remember that Arfield's fee rivaled Yogi's to Celtic which was £375000 but would have been significantly more with the add-on's that were paid. I believe that the smallest fee on the above list was Murdoch's which I think was a £40000 development fee however the others would have been significantly more and I reckon we're looking at circa £3m (conservatively) without add-on's which would have amounted to a hefty figure too. So, without those fees we would probably have been out of business as we're currently running at a loss hence the cost cutting exercise of scrapping the academy which, rather ironically, is exactly what's been keeping us going over the past number of years!

Nice of you to think that but I don't think it's going to happen.

I was somewhere between embryo & foetus at the time.

Christ I thought I'd taken it too far too!

Fucky as fun if he shites out of a turn.

Think it's Loy? Cue loads of jokes about him hiding on the pitch!

I know, I'm sorry. This happened in the mid 70's and there's not a day gone by since that I don't hurt myself in some way to try to salve my conscience! I just thought it worth telling the story to illustrate the difference in intelligence between your average Auld Furm fan and the rest of us. Actually, I've just remembered another incident from the same day: As the bus was parking I saw an Asian shopkeeper chasing a young Sellick fan out of his shop armed with what looked like a meat cleaver. As the laddie was running away he was shouting all sort of obscenities at the man including shouts promoting the National Front which, I must say, I found quite amusing at the time.

I remember going to a Celtic V St Mirren game with my mate on a Celtic bus (yea, I know, I know, but we had no game that day!) On the way home they had some sort of sweep thing where we had to pick our man of the match. I said 'Beckett', (who had been brilliant) the guy looked at me, then the team sheet and said 'what'? So I says 'Beckett' again. He looks at the team sheet again and then back at me with a total look of bewilderment on his face. 'Aitken' says I. 'Cheers' says he before carrying on to the next seat!

Who, Watson or Balatoni? I believe we have an option on Balatoni?