pondsman

I use a mixture of car and public transport. Because I live a good distance from the ground, I do the first 25 miles by car, then I have a choice of either bus or train into Glasgow, then train from Central to St. James. However, when we're allowed back into the stadium, I'll have to drive the whole journey. Not keen on going back onto public transport in the near future. On the Saturdays when Buddies are away, I listen faithfully to Sportsound and Open All Mics. BTW Ricky, I'm a Senior Citizen, so it's not only young folk who use public transport.

Dead right, Bud. Hearts have started legal action. When will we ever see a ball kicked in anger again?

Thanks HSS. In that case I'd rather just stay with a top division of 12. No reason why we should take less money and greater risks just to let Hearts stay in the division. They were clearly the poorest team when the games were called off, so should accept their fate. As I said in a previous post, does anyone think that there would have been all these attempts at reconstruction if Buddies, Accies or Livi had been at the bottom of the division? Don't think so.

Sorry if this question has been answered earlier, but in a 14-team Premiership, will it still be one team relegated and one team into playoffs at the end of a season? If that's the case I might be tempted to agree with the change, but not if two teams are to be relegated. The other problem I can see is that the money in the division will have to be spread more thinly, among 14 clubs instead of 12.

Sorry to see Vaclav go. He's been a fantastic servant to the club. The video farewell shows he has appreciated the club as much as the club has appreciated him. A class guy! According to the Herald article he has other clubs chasing him apart from Rangers, so he doesn't need to take their money. Hope he gets a better move. He was a great find for us, just a pity we don't get any money for him.

Vaclav is indeed one of the top keepers Buddies have had, and we've had a few very good ones. JG is right to do everything he can to keep him for another season, but if/when football returns to something like normal, I fear he will leave for a bigger club which he undoubtedly deserves. I just hope SMFC can get good money for him. If/When he goes, he should go with our appreciation for the great service he's given to the club, especially the saves made in the season 2018-2019 play-offs when he almost single-handedly kept us in the Premiership. A very decent bloke. Good Luck to him!

So, Dundee FC gifts the Championship title to its greatest rival, Partick and Stranraer are relegated and the leagues are to be rearranged. All so that Hearts can stay in the Premiership. What a stitch-up! I doubt if all this would be happening if Buddies, Accies, Livvy or Ross County were in bottom place.

I'd take Mullen over Andreu on Saturday. Can't see why Goodwin has persevered with Andreu as his first-pick substitute for so long. Apart from one goal against Hibs, I don't think he has performed at the level expected of him when he was brought to the club. Danny will buzz around, causing as many worries to the opposing defence as Andreu does.....maybe even more. COYS!!

Annoyed that I missed the game last night. had made arrangements to be at the original game in February before it was rained off. Couldn't postpone a family commitment last night so had to make do with recording the Alba coverage, which I've just watched. Sorry if the following comments have already been made, but haven't had time to look back through the thread. Not a great match, but that wasn't to be expected given what was at stake. What counted was not silky soccer, but grit and heart (no pun intended). Buddies ahead in these qualities by a long way. Foley, Obika, Jakubiak, Durmus and MacPherson (before the last two had to go off) all in great form. Was excellent to see both Obika and Jakubiak back in our penalty area helping the defence out at times. Still not sure why Goodwin persists with Andreu as his go-to substitute, but he did run about a bit and made a nuisance of himself when he came on. I don't speak Gaelic, but I gathered from the caption that TV made Obika Man of the Match. It could have gone to a number of our players. My preference would have been either Foley or Wallace. The latter was just the guy for last night, a good pro who looked like he had bags of experience of scrapping through games like this. As good as we were, I thought Hearts had very little to offer. Let's hope that continues. They play RC and Accies in the next few games, so they still have chances to come back. Anyway, COYS!!

Also not attending this game. Haven't felt safe as a visiting fan at either Ibrox or Celtic Park for several years, and they don't need my money anyway. As for the game itself, avoiding any serious injuries is as important as getting any points because we are now getting to the business end of the season. We need all players available for the Killie and Ross County games and the vital fixtures after the split. I'd be delighted with no injuries and a point. Was going to the fixture with Hearts on 21st February, but can't manage to the rearranged game next midweek, so my next game will be a nice wee jaunt to Kilmarnock next Saturday. Looking forward to that one. Anyway......COYS!!

Tonight's game was always going to be important as it's one we can hope to take points from. But now it's even more important because of Hearts' upturn in form. We can't expect anything from Saturday's game against Celtic and next week's midweek game v. Hearts now looks much more difficult than it would have been if it had been played when it was supposed to be. Tonight Buddies can win if they reproduce the form of the recent games against Motherwell. Key players are Foley and MacPherson who have been alternately great and off-form in the last couple of weeks. Also, Durmus needs to put in his usual dependable shift and Obika needs to be more consistent in front of goal. Would also be nice to see a contribution from Jakubiak and a sparkling home league debut from Chabbi. As always......COYS!!

Went to the game expecting to see the new players. Surprised to see us start with pretty much the same team as last Saturday, but I suppose JG wanted to give them another chance after a decent result. But Morias up front on his own against a big defence seemed unlikely to work, though he tried hard. Very poor first half from practically everyone, including Foley and MacPherson, who are normally pretty reliable. Definite improvement in the second half although Foley was an exception to that. Thought he was really off form. Despite the improvement, still struggled to threaten their goal and needed a fantastic free kick from Ilkay to get a point. Got out of jail when Miller missed the penalty. Felt sorry for Hodson. He'd had a decent half up till that point. Jakubiak looked the part when he came on but needs more time on the pitch to prove himself. Ref's performance was very poor, but we can't blame him for the result. Surely JG must use the new players on Saturday if they're fit!

Tomorrow could be a big night for us if we beat Accies. If St. Johnstone and Ross County both lose, we will jump two places to eighth. County are on a poor run, so Livvie winning in Dingwall is a definite possibility, I'd say. Dons v St Johnstone is more difficult to predict as the Perth Saints seem to be finding some form and Aberdeen are below their best, despite getting a draw at Ibrox at the weekend. In addition, we really need the three points to keep ahead of Hearts who seem to be improving under Stendel and look likely to get some points at Tynecastle against a struggling Killie. But Buddies should be confident given Saturday's result plus the addition of our new players. Let's get McGrath, Jakubiak and Chabbi on the pitch and see what they can do. So, as always...….COYS!!

Looks tall and rangey. Speaks good English and gives an intelligent interview, saying all the right things about being here. This guy could be a surprise success for us if he plays as well as he talks. Welcome Seifedin! Hope you enjoy your time with the Buddies.

In his post-match interview JG was clear that he had deliberately set up defensively to avoid losing a hatful of goals like a few other teams have done against Rangers and Celtic this season. In my view that makes sense. It's often been said previously that our fate won't be decided by games against Rangers and Celtic but by the games against the teams around us in the bottom six. So it's sensible to set up against Rangers and Celtic to protect our goal difference, as that is likely to be very important at the end of the season. JG also made it clear in the interview that he wouldn't be setting the team up this way against other teams in the league. Seems a reasonable way of looking at things. On to Aberdeen on Sunday and...….COYS!!

This is the first of three very important games for us before Christmas. They could well define our season. We need a win against Accies to set us up for Livi at home and St. Johnstone away. But after a poor performance last night, can JG lift the spirits and get a sparkling show out of the players in just three days? Seems unlikely but we must keep the faith. COYS!!

Like any young player looking to build a career playing football, Kyle will be looking to raise his profile. A move to Hibs would do that for him. Unfortunately his form this season hasn't been the best, but Jack Ross may be thinking that he can turn that round, as he got good performances from Kyle when he managed him previously. The fly in the ointment for Hibs is Kyle's lengthy contract. How much could they afford to pay for him? I think they'd be happy to get him for around £300k, as someone has suggested above. So, it would be down to our board to reject or accept such a bid. I think they'd take it rather than have an unhappy player on their books.

Another game lost by a slim margin. And we had chances! After Obika's fine overhead kick and a great team goal last week, we're back to fluffing and sclaffing shots at goal. BBC stats tell the story...…..9 shots on goal, but only three on target. As usual, defence was fine in open play but got caught out by a set piece. Killie weren't great. Neat play up to the 18 yard box but then struggled and attacks petered out. As long as we fail to put away our opportunities we will fall prey to losing games by a single goal. Killie were not really any better than us yesterday, but look at the difference in our league positions. Looking at the game as a whole, it would not have been unfair if we had won it by one or two goals. Quick word for our supporters. Someone above says we took over a thousand to the game. It certainly looked like that from where I was sitting. Fantastic turnout given the poor run we've had. Well done to everyone who travelled! On to Celtic Park. Let's just hope they're concentrating on their European adventure! COYS!!

Mullen's strike against the post was shown in the pundits' analysis of the game, mainly for Obika's contribution. Fair enough, but surprising it wasn't included in the highlights of the game, as it was clearly the main highlight after the two goals.

Was at the game and then watched it again on BBC Alba. Not a great game (ball spent too much time in the air), but definitely a great and much-needed result for the Buddies. St. Johnstone might have been two or three up before we scored, but after Obika's great overhead kick, the Saints in blue faded badly. Heads seemed to go down, like a club at the bottom of the league. I expected them to rally at the start of the second half, but that never materialised. Buddies controlled the remainder of the game and produced the one really fluent move of the game. Great through pass from Broadfoot to McGinn. Ball crossed with pace and an outstanding controlled finish from wee Danny. Hope his injury is not too serious. Wasn't sure about putting S. McGinn back in for such an important game, but he did fine and Flynn might not be selected next week, if fit. Andreu was a bit of a mixture, not very good in the first half, but really up for it in the second. Obika had an excellent game, even apart from his goal. Real commitment in going after everything and a fantastic leap and flick on to Mullen when wee Danny shot against the post. When Morias came on, he ran about a lot without achieving very much. Foley was very solid, settling well into the midfield. Great effort from all the others. Goodwin obviously fired them up at half-time. If it can be maintained, this form will surely have us in a safe position in the league. Mullen given MoM on TV, but it could equally have gone to Obika or Foley. On to Killie...…. COYS!!

Like Turrabuddie, I'll be making a fairly lengthy trip to the SDA on Saturday. Due to living a fair bit from Paisley now, I can't always get to home games, but this is a vital game for us. Win and we put clear water between us and St. Johnstone; lose and we drop below them. Could also be the start of getting cut adrift considering the two games we have coming up after Saturday. I'm a fan of Stephen McGinn but don't think this is the game to put him back in the team after such a long time out. Foley and Flynn have been working well together, so we should keep them in place at the moment. Magennis gets into good positions but needs to get his shots on target, McAllister needs to show much better form than he's been doing recently, and, of course, Mullen, Obika and Morias need to show that they deserve the title 'striker'. Defeat is not an option, so...….. COYS!!

Have to agree with Cornwall above. JR had to take the chance while he was riding high with us, and I agree that he wouldn't have done anything special with us in the Premiership without massive investment which just isn't there. So, no hard feelings to Jack, despite the SMTID on his final message to Saints fans, which I thought was a bit over the top at the time. Only fans should be saying that!

A six-pointer this early in the season.....surely not? Sadly, I think it is! I agree with Sweeper's comments above and his team, except for MacPherson. Would swap him out for either Durmus or Djorkaeff. And as we're at home, we really must get something from this game! COYS!!

I think we can all see the area that needs improvement. We have a solid defence, backed up by an excellent goalkeeper. Midfield seems to be working pretty well, with Flynn and Foley developing a good understanding. It's the attack which isn't working. I was surprised that JG started Morias again, as he was very poor against Hamilton. What chance does such a small man have, playing lone striker against tall defenders? Before the game I was sure that Obika would start. At least he's a bit taller! Also thought Danny Mullen was decent when he came on. We urgently need at least one of the strikers to find a scoring touch. We've depended a lot on Magennis this season, and we see the result when he is even just slightly below par, like yesterday. Kyle McAllister continues to be a bit of a mystery. It's been a while now since we've seen him at his best. He really needs to perform better, and with more consistency.

Just watched JG's post-match interview and it's the first time I've disagreed with his reading of a game. He says they started slowly in the first half. That's un understatement. It seemed to me that they weren't very interested in going forward, especially in the first 25 minutes. When they had the ball it seemed to go backward as often as forward. Even after Livi scored, that seemed to be the pattern. Jim also said that fifty-fifty balls went against them. I saw it a bit differently. In the first half Livi players seemed more eager to get to the ball and our lads were beaten to it or muscled off it on many occasions. They also dithered on the ball when they had possession, seemingly unwilling to get into the final third and put it into the goalmouth. Despite all that, it was a very different second half, so presumably JG sorted out the attitude at half-time, something that shows he can get a reaction from the side when it's needed. Let's hope they can start a bit livelier against Ross County and Accies and get some more points on the board.