pondsman

Disappointing performance and outcome yesterday. We were the better team in the first half and could have been ahead at halftime if Brophy, Main and Kiltie had taken three decent chances. Looks like scoring goals will be a problem again this season. Livi's goal was a quick counter-attack which caught out the defence. Like last week, McGrath was the only midfielder who played to form, but he missed Power breaking up play and feeding him. As a result he had to run all over the pitch trying to get hold of the ball and make something happen. Erhahon really needs to up his game to justify his fancy haircut. Was left to McCarthy to get us back into the game with a late goal. And this is a centre half who would not even have been on the pitch if Dunne hadn't been injured early in the game! Don't know what system JG wants to play this season, but he really needs to work out a way to get McCarthy playing regularly. Subs didn't make enough of an impression on the game. Some poor crosses by McPherson and McAllister. In the end, scuppered by some poor penalties and one good save by the Livi keeper. Quick word for the travelling support which was brilliant throughout. Eased the pain of a tough day. Well done to all those who got tickets and attended.

Digital ticket with barcode now delivered by email. All set for Saturday! COYS!!

Feeling sorry for those trying to buy tickets for Saturday and having difficulties. I've just bought my ticket a few minutes ago and all seemed to go fine, though it hasn't been delivered yet of course. For anyone else who wants to buy, here's what I did: - went on St. Mirren's official site and clicked on the section for the game - clicked on the red text 'online at Livingston's platform'. - this took me straight to the Livi site where there were two sections of the ground available - clicked on the section and seat I wanted - then had to register with the Livi site. Very easy, just filled in my details and they provided a password which was filled in automatically - then taken back to their checkout page and completed my card details - Got a 'Purchase successful' message and told ticket would be sent to me by post. Fingers crossed it will arrive in time. Hope that is helpful to others.

After a successful season 2020/2021, when the fixtures were published for the new season, we saw that we were playing the two promoted teams in the first two games, followed by Celtic in the third game. There was a clear opportunity to get some points on the board before the Celtic game, even though one of the promoted teams was Hearts, a club with a bigger budget than ours. Now, to have one point from these two games is disappointing. We drew with Dundee and couldn't finish them off in twenty minutes of playing against ten men. On Saturday it took us twenty minutes to get to grips with the system Hearts were using. Unfortunately by that time, they were a goal ahead and never looked back. Our midfield never really got to grips with the game, with only McGrath showing decent form, and our strikers couldn't finish the few chances they got. Whether we like JG or not, he is our manager for the foreseeable future and now needs to show the tactical ability he seemed to have last season, by putting out a team with tactics that are not restricted to strong defence, long punts up the park and crosses into the box from halfway into the opposition's half of the pitch. After Saturday, it looks as though we have a hard season ahead and I fear McGrath will have decided that he needs to get away to another club to progress his career. And who could blame him? The only question now is, how much can we get for him? I'm no tactician, but I find it difficult to understand how JG can leave McCarthy out of the team, when almost everyone agreed that the defence was so solid last season and he was one of the main reasons for that.

Got the email last night and followed the process online this morning around 8am. All went OK and email with e-ticket arrived about an hour later. But I only wanted one ticket. Only downside is that my entry time is 13.45 so I'll be twiddling my thumbs for quite a while - and no pies or Bovril either!

Anyone know what's happening with SMTV this season? Are ST holders getting home games free like last season, or do we have to pay for them? Just asking as there doesn't seem to have been any news from the club. First home game now less than 2 weeks away.

Was great to be back in the ground (sorry, stadium) again! Fine performance. Dominated most of the game. Whole team, and substitutes, played well. In particular, the new boys. When I saw Tanser warming up I thought he looked very slight, but he was quick and put in some great crosses. Kiltie worked hard in midfield and had the assist for Main's goal. Main scored and never gave the Pars defence any peace the whole time he was on the field. Dunne looked nifty considering he has hardly played for months. Will be a real asset if he stays fit. And Power (well-named) gave an outstanding performance. Covered acres of ground and fought for every ball - and usually won it. Would have liked more goals, but it was only the first competitive game, so we shouldn't complain. Top of our group with full points. Thought McGrath was just OK but that's fine. Happy to see him being relatively quiet in games until the transfer window closes! Was a bit worried not to see McCarthy mentioned in the squad. Hope he is still figuring somewhere in JG's plans. Not impressed by the change strip. Didn't look as nice in real life as in the pictures we've seen.

Just had email saying I'm one of the lucky 500 for this game. E-ticket to follow on Monday but entry to be by cash only (£12). Detailed instructions on how to enter and when to follow, also on Monday.

Good for JG if he did, but I still think the club waited too long for JDH to make up his mind.

I agree with those who think JDH (or more likely his agent) has strung us along. But t's not all his fault, is it? The club gave him the green light to keep us dangling by leaving its deal on the table for far too long. Once it became clear that the lad was hesitating, surely he should have been given a deadline by which to make up his mind. Leaving the deal on the table was a gift to his agent, who was then able to tout the player to other clubs, saying 'Look, St. Mirren have left a deal on the table for him. That's an indication of how good he is'. I'm disappointed to see him going to another club in our league, but not convinced that he will come back to haunt us. Will depend on how the DUFC manager plans to fit him into his system. No doubt we'll find out when we have our first game against them on September 11.

Will be surprised if he does that. Looked good when he first arrived but fell away badly in the second half of the season. Maybe JG was just playing him in the wrong position, but I'd be surprised if he does any better at Dundee United. I agree that our offer to him should now be removed.

I take your point. I know nothing about technology, but did wonder why I was asked to enter information that they already had. Anyway, I just did what I was asked to do. If I get the ST for my old seat renewed, then I will be quite happy. Let's give the club a chance to get things right with the new contractor before we get on their backs. As for people forgetting their seat numbers and entering the wrong information, I think individuals have to take some responsibility. If people have had STs for a number of years, surely they will know where they were sitting.

Just registered for my ST with the new arrangement. Seemed fairly straightforward, took only a couple of minutes. Was then told that the club would be in touch about my renewal. Let's wait and see what happens.

Can't see why any of our supporters wouldn't wish Ilkay all the best in his new club. Considering the important contribution he made for us, I'm just glad he's not lining up for one of our rivals in the Premiership. Always seemed like a decent bloke. As for Lyons, no harm to him, but he was only an OK player for us, I thought. Nothing special. Likely to be the same for Killie in the Championship.

Very sorry to hear that Durmus is leaving. Apart from the spell when he was recovering from Covid, he was an important part of the team. Always willing to take on defenders and scored a fine goal to help us beat Celtic.. Thanks, Ilkay. Hope you find a decent team back home. Hope Connolly decides to stay. I think he still has something to offer the team. Glad that JG thinks he can still improve. Probably time to let JDH go. After a bright start, I thought he faded in the second part of the season. Not sure why the club has left his deal on the table for so long. JG must see something in him that I don't.

Big Jon had limited ability as a striker but always gave 100%. We'll always remember his first goal, the overhead kick, and the goal v Hearts in the last game before lockdown, and what about that fans' chant? Brilliant! When interviewed, he always spoke quietly and sensibly. The big man goes with our thanks and best wishes.

I'm unsure how this game will turn out. A few weeks ago I'd have said Buddies would win, but now.....? After Sunday our lads will be feeling a bit down. Has JG been able to lift them to give a good performance? We'll see tonight. There's also the question of how those players who are leaving the club will play. Will they put in the full effort for these last two games or are they just focussed on the next stage of their careers? That also will become clear tonight. Maybe the best we can say for the game is that it will be a pointer to how we are likely to fare against DUFC on Saturday. Do well tonight and we are back on track for Saturday. A poor performance tonight will surely mean we'll get the same on Saturday. Nevertheless, as always.....COYS!!

JG on the BBC website saying the club has had interest in McGrath from one club in Scotland and a couple in England. Making big noises about not letting him go for £100,000 or £200,000, but how much would the club really let him go for? £1m, £2m or more?

Great result which makes us completely safe. Alnwick, Henderson, Tait and Quaner the standouts. Others only played in the second half. And the bonus? We stuck it to John Hughes........AGAIN!!

Fraser and Durmus are two players we DON'T want to lose. I think JDH and, sadly, Obika should probably go. Big Jon has been entertaining but we need a better quality of striker for next season.

A win against ICT is a must, so that we go into the RC game with some confidence again. We showed in the cup game against Accies that we CAN score goals from open play, something which eluded us far too often in games before the split. If we don't do something similar against ICT, then the RC game will definitely descend into a blood and snotters pitched battle which we are unlikely to win, given RC's need for points. They will fight like tigers. We need to be playing decent football - and scoring - to counter that.

Very good performance today. The rest must have done them good! Thought most of the team was on form, even Erwin who did lots of good work. Obika and Dennis also good. Defence solid, Alnwick had some excellent saves and McGrath was as reliable as usual. Will risk the wrath of the rest of the forum and say I thought Erhahon didn't have a good game, but it didn't matter because the rest bailed him out. Must keep this form going through the last 5 league games. Most importantly, Dennis must stay fit. We've really missed him.

This mini-league will be no pushover, given the difficulties we have putting the ball in the net. Killie seem to be getting better under Wright, we needed a penalty to get past RC last time out, and Accies are their usual fighting selves at this time of the season. United have just beaten Aberdeen, though Dons are short of a manager at the moment. Only Motherwell seem to be still an easy touch. I'm not usually so pessimistic, but we'll need to be better than we've been recently to finish seventh.

At this specific time (Saturday evening) I think we require 44 points to be absolutely sure of not finishing in eleventh place. However, the scenario required for that to happen is highly unlikely, and the points we require for safety are likely to reduce as the final five matchdays are played out.

Despite the clarification of the topic, much of my argument stands.