W6er

Had the Livi player made his run a split second later he would have been onside. In my opinion such narrow margins in our favour can be construed as fortunate.

Their goal that was ruled out for offside was marginal and we equalised six minutes into injury time.

Just watched the highlights. I think we got lucky today and ultimately I was glad my prediction of 1-1 came to pass. We were due a bit of luck after last weekend, though. Top of the league! 🏁

I think it's my way of coping with disappointment. It's the hope that kills you.

Ah, there are two match day threads! @shull's was the original one, so I think this is the one that should rightly be used. Plus it's free of all the tangential/irrelevant pish (that I was also complicit in - mea culpa). I'm concerned about today. I think some folk are getting carried away, after having read folk suggesting we're due to give a team a pasting. I would be happy with a draw. 1-1

I'm confused. I thought Shull had posted a Tweet from Livi stating that tickets were on sale to away fans before today's game!?

I'm sure I read somewhere* that tickets are available to buy at the ground today. Please do not travel there on the basis of my defective memory, though! *Very likely the match thread on P&B

Have you got a source for this, Elvis?

This will be my last comment on the matter, as I am conscious that this is a match thread. Elvis, I haven't voted for many years. I have stated as much, however if you don't believe me then there's little I can do about it, as even if I were inclined to try to prove my lack of a party political affiliation, then I do not see how that's possible. I have seen no evidence that Ross is any worse than those other three mentioned - one of whom is being investigated by the police for very serious matters, another was alleged to have been a sex pest (albeit not found guilty of the 14 allegations, to the very, very high standard of proof required). The reaction to this is exactly why I don't like the club or our fans being overtly political, i.e. it is divisive. I cannot help but think that when @TPAFKA Jersey 2 states 'my point was that REGARDLESS of your politics, all right thinking people should think Ross is a c**t', it is actually because of Ross's politics he has formed such an opinion of him. However, I am not willing to explore this any more. I don't come here to talk about politics and I feel I have made my point. I will not respond to any antagonism or abuse directed at me, not that I am anticipating any, and will bow out of this conversation. Thanks.

Because he's singled out for abuse due to his political activity:

I think you better start the match thread to clarify matters.

I gave up on politics well over a decade ago. I think politicians are pretty much all self-serving, spineless hypocrites - though I can at least admire Ross for taking an interest in the game and having the baws to run the line. And I certainly don't think he's any worse than Sturgeon, Salmon or Yousaf. I find party politics to be tribalistic and divisive - the assertion that 'all right thinking people must think Ross is a c**t' is illustrative of this - therefore I don't like to see our club involved in it in anyway (unless a party is willing to pay for advertising boards). I would happily leave that to the arsecheeks.

I appreciate many folk don't like him. However, not all of our support will despise him as you clearly do, so in that respect it's divisive. Besides, irrespective of one's politics, I think it takes guts for him to run the line. I can't imagine any other Scottish politician having the (metaphorical) balls to do it? Alex Salmond, Nicola Sturgeon or Humza Yousaf? Nae chance.

You're having a shocker with your apostrophes today, Antrin. As for the Old Firm, I would suggest the history is slightly different. Celtic were established as a charitable club to benefit the Irish poor of the city, based on Edinburgh's Hibs. Right from the start Celtic were involved in Irish politics, and Michael Davitt laid the first sod of shamrock at the club's ground.(1) Davitt had been a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and was convicted for smuggling arms. (2) Celtic quickly became a very successful club and was very fiercely Irish, with the club's fans singing rebel songs and flying the Irish tricolour (some 30 years before Ireland gained independence and it became an official flag) and this annoyed many Scots. When Rangers began to challenge them, Scots from towns outwith Glasgow adopted Rangers as their club, which de facto became an anti-Irish club. At least that's how I remember it from the various books I have read. I recommend Bill Murray's book on the subject, as it actually explores the social history of Glasgow and the West of Scotland in considerable detail. Personally, I don't like our club being associated with politics at all - which is why I didn't like the booing of Douglas Ross when he ran the line on Sunday. (1) https://thecelticstar.com/remember-michael-davitt-celtics-first-patron-man-who-laid-that-first-sod-of-shamrock-smothered-turf-at-celtic-park/ (2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Davitt

Not only that, but he should consider what happened to Jim Goodwin after he left for the Dons.

I have been speaking to someone in the know for a while and he says that Baccus, Strain and O'Hara are on other clubs' radars. That's obviously not something revelationary, but quite scary if all three were to go with no time to replace them! I think that scenario would give me an @elvis outlook on our prospects for the rest of the season. ETA: I had the above comment sitting unpublished from earlier. Just read about the prospect of Robinson going to Hibs, too. Now imagine he also left along with the other three! Any players he had earmarked to bring in would be scuppered, too. Why would he want to strengthen a rival club, after all? Have they all got release clauses? 🤯

It says a lot about this team that we fought back from being a goal down and are disappointed with a draw. However, we played them off the park today and I am gutted to lose like that, but proud of the team. I hope the lads can pick themselves up and get a result next weekend at Livingston(?).

All true. I would like to think Goodwin leaving for Aberdeen will act as a cautionary tale. Aberdeen fans on my train in.

If someone is able to do a dot count later, around 1 or 2 pm, you will be the second greatest person* who ever lived! (*and no, I am not claiming to be the greatest person who ever lived, btw)

What can I say? I'm a bot dotty...

Time for a final dot count! The last one is my favourite, as it's always the easiest. W1 - 82 W2 - 23 W3 - 1 W4 - 0 W5 - 2 W6 - 5 W7 - 122 Total = 235 S1 - 13 S2 - 51 S3 - 11 S4 - 28 S5 - 15 Total = 118 M1 - 54 M2 - 18 M3 - 2 M4 - 0 M5 - 0 M6 - 0 M7 - 5 M8 - 14 M9 - 51 Total = 144 Grand total = 497 tickets remaining 7,937- 497 = 7,440 tickets sold I don't think it will be a sell out tomorrow, but I reckon we can shift another 200 tickets.

We can go TOP if we win tomorrow! 😃 If ever there was an incentive to get the crowd there, then that is it, surely?

This is possibly my final dot count (though may attempt one in the wee hours). So, whilst my lunch is cooking: W1 - 97 W2 - 35 W3 - 1 W4 - 0 W5 - 3 W6 - 12 W7 - 163 Total = 311 S1 - 20 S2 - 66 S3 - 16 S4 - 39 S5 - 18 Total = 159 M1 - 54 M2 - 26 M3 - 5 M4 - 0 M5 - 0 M6 - 0 M7 - 5 M8 - 23 M9 - 59 Total = 172 Grand Total = 642 seats remaining 7,937 - 642 = 7,290 The demand for the Main Stand is almost symmetrical with very similar numbers available at each end, whilst the middle has sold out. 642 seats remaining with just under 25 hours to go. Obviously, most folk who really want to go will have bought their tickets now. How many walks ups can we expect on the day? There are always queues outside the ticket office's window on the day, but I never know whether that's folk collecting tickets or because their cards aren't working, etc. However, I know some folk definitely leave it to the last minute. Remember folks, there are activities behind the Family Stand between 1 & 3 pm: Bouncy Castle Pillow Bashing Football Darts 50ft inflatable obstacle course Target football Basketball Facepainting Highland Dancing (Plus a fight between @Warrior Saint & @DougJamie ? 😉 ) Also, the game is available on PPV - which makes the ticket sales more impressive.

Aye, W7 seems to fill up on the day and I suspect for the reason you have suggested. You're correct! I made a mistake. There are 175 seats available in W7. Well spotted, sir!

Aberdeen have indeed sold out the away end: