flyingscot

Or do they not have faith in the management and are demoralised after pre-season hammerings by D1 opposition.... All ifs and buts, only those closest to the club know but the rumours aren't good. Lets have a look at this- first day of the season and we're speculating on the management and the squad strength. Says it all after a poor summer.

Well that result was predicable wasn't it. Very depressing day for all bud. We had a poor pre-season and our summer transfer business didn't look good enough and so it proves on day 1. A defeat to Inverness in the Highlands isn't a disaster but the manner of the defeat and the way our squad looks is worrying. Big month coming up, improvements needed and that is now clear for all to see.

Would a player coming out as gay today be a huge problem or issue? I could see it in the 1990s, but today I wouldn't think there would be many in clubs or on the terraces that would see it an an 'issue'. Personally if some player was gay I couldn't care less and I doubt many fans would make it an issue. Plus with the focus on inappropriate singing/racism these days anybody giving a gay player grief due to his sexual orientation is likely to be shouted down, prosecuted or vilified in the press- most likely all 3.

As others have said he is a wonderful talent. It is annoying that he sullied this in the early days by taking exaggerated tumbles. He is an example of the boy who cried wolf, and referees now don't give him sometimes clear free-kicks or even book him for diving due to his reputation.

Yes they do. http://crave.cnet.co.uk/homecinema/sky-gets-broadband-boost-in-49m-virgin-media-fibre-deal-50011311/ As for Sky Atlantic, doubtful.

I thought we were OK. We passed the ball about well enough at times and we tried to close Newcastle down. We were a bit toothless upfront, Thommo not looking the same guy, but we created some chances when he went off and Newcastle pulled off the big guns. Newcastle are just much better us, you can see the gulf. Mind you we couldn't afford the big toe of Cisse, Tiote and some of the other internationalists.

BT and Virgin are close to a deal apparently. However BT and Sky aren't best of pals. Sky really see BT as the first serious threat to their business and you can't call Sky to get the BT channels put on, you have to phone BT. They also don't let BT to advertise on it's channels (whereas ESPN did). BT have now sponsored Glasgow and Edinburgh rugby who won't appear on their channel- they play in the Pro12, a league that is on BBC/Sky/S4C (and Sky were triumphant about it after BT took English rugby rights) and Heineken Cup which is also on Sky! It's a bit of ambush marketing. Sky are a bit more pally with Virgin these days- they gave Virgin £49million to use their network for the internet and so Virgin get a better deal for TV channels. Wouldn't expect more premium channels such as HD sports or Sky Atlantic to appear, but you never know.

I kinda fear the worst for this!

Same for me. On both tablet and on phone the app will not load on 3G, but is fine on wi-fi. Same for the pie and bovril one. Doesn't really bother me as I'm usually somewhere with wi-fi.

Correct. If there is a crossing they don't need to have lollipop people. I don't like the number of traffic lights either, think they could save money getting rid of some.

It's footage of something that happened and in my view it's not as harrowing as showing the footage of bodies by the trackside and wrecked carriages. In any case it looks far too fast. Difficult to estimate from the film but the numbers quoted of 110mph don't seem far off.

There are many decent young drivers and bad drivers amongst all ages. However if you go by statistics it can't be argued that a higher number of young drivers are bad compared to the rest. The are far more likely to be in a fatal crash (think it is over twice as likely). It's the reason insurance is sky high when you are young and it comes from inexperience, often like to go too fast and over-confidence. This 3 things are pretty much what was shown in the incident with Lochwinnoch Saints wife. Another concerning stat which I don't think the media has made too much of is that the percentage failing a breath test to overall breath tests taken is very high for 20-24- think it is 5.5% failure rate whereas the average is 3.4%.

Don't understand why some people think a speed limit must be done at all times and the speed some folk do in wet weather is insane. Equally so many people tailgate- I had someone yesterday who zoomed up behind me on the M74 after I pulled out to overtake a lorry and sat on my bumper (despite the outside lane being empty) till I finished overtaking and pulled in then they accelerated past and did the same to the next person in the middle lane! Lucky everyone is OK, cars can get mended. The insurance will now kick the 19 year olds balls for the next 3 or 4 years- no wonder kids can't afford insurance!

This much is true. Do well in the first competitive games and all is OK with the world. However I think it is understandable that people are concerned with these pre-season results. I know we're told it's all about fitness, tactics, gelling and it is to an extent. Getting beaten pre-season isn't earth shattering however we've put out strong teams and have been gubbed by 2 lower league sides and lost 4 goals every game. Indeed people at the game say Queens missed a string of chances too. Such results can't be good for morale, and I think trying to convince people it's all about fitness is equivalent to putting fingers in the ears and shouting at the moment. Time with tell, but performances and results have been woeful.

Thought they were halfway through

Queens new pitch does look really decent.

Parisian more likely! Used to be that a car with a 75 in the registration was from Paris, and therefore the rest of France assumed he couldn't drive. Actually, I've driven in right hand drive cars through France, Germany, Switzerland and others. It's easy on Motorways however cities can be intimidating/stressful (France more so than the others). Metz and Amiens were interesting experiences to say the least- as for Paris I'd say forget it! Couple of things I noticed were overtaking on a single carriageway if you are stuck behind a tractor or something is tricky. 2nd is roundabouts, the vision is more obstructed as you are on the wrong side and are looking across the passenger seat. I guess this depends on the car but some roundabouts were tricky angles. France is easy to drive through and very quick on the autoroutes as they are tolled and empty really. Don't go attracting the police attention doing silly speeds on them through unless you have plenty of Euros to spare. They love to sit on the A16 and A26 and clock the rosbifs rushing for the ferry/train. Get a good sat-nav too. Vital if you head into a city centre.

Carey annoys me. I know there is a good player in there but he doesn't show it often enough. He's capable of the odd screamer, but overall I think he has been disappointing given how he played when first at the club under Gus. He isn't really a good left back even though he turned in a performance there on occasion. Equally he never seemed to really excel at left mid. Dundee United didn't see fit to offer a deal and I wouldn't either,esp as he doesn't want to be cover. Getting settled left sided players in would be more worthwhile.

Great round from Phil. Would be happy to see him win esp as he keeps coming to the Scottish Open. Also got money on him! Muirfield does produce the classic quality champions.

Australians have been utterly shocking in the ashes so far. I thought after the Agar stand in the first innings would fire them up but can see a whitewash so far Sent from my Nexus 4 using Black & White Army mobile app

Except they aren't getting records and are far from sell outs. Attendances have been very disappointing. We've had the best weather for ages, last time Muirfield it wasn't great weather yet crowds are down 25% or so down on Thurs and 15% down on Friday. Even the American media is asking questions as to why the attendance is so poor. I'd prefer to see packed galleries and a lot of kids there than empty stands scattered with people paying a lot.

R1 WTP. That's the shite you expect from idiot fans not the club!

I was there on a freebie on Thursday. Was great, but I felt it was quiet- although hard to say as people move around over a big area. 3 groups had a lot of people following- Mickelson/McIlroy, Tiger/McDowell and Jimenez/Choi (a good number for Choi as Doosan had loads of Koreans over watching). Near 12pm on the 8th green I think there was a danger of their being more officials than spectators- perhaps 15 spectators max! For companies inviting clients to the Open is a good idea as many corporate folk are into golf and companies can justify the high cost. However the R&A still need it to look busy and have a bit of an atmosphere, which is created around the course by the gate punters. You have to think in terms of money corporate/broadcasting and advertising will no doubt dwarf gate income anyway In the main golfers have high disposable income, however many clubs are seeing memberships falling because of cost. At £75+£15 for park and ride parking it's £90 to get in. Sure you get all-day admission and they might point out the cost of other events, but it does feel too pricey and it would put off the casual person/people wanting to get into golf a bit more. Free U16 kids tickets is great but what is the point if the kids pester Dad to take them only for Dad to refuse to go because he can't afford a ticket&parking/petrol? My Dad wanted to go with my Mum, but he can't afford £165 for the two of them for a day, esp with no concessions for the two of them. £75 a ticket is perhaps fine in Kent but not in Scotland. I'd have the tickets at £60 adult, £50 concession, £20 U21s and keep the £0 for kids- still expensive reflecting the prestige and days worth of entertainment. Equally parking in a field with frequent buses should be done for less than £15 a car I'd feel. The Open is a golden goose, but they need not to kill it by squeezing every penny from it.

Especially in the EPL- £42 a ticket for their first game and £31.50 concession and wheelchairs!

Doing Whitehaugh Avenue too. Pity not doing the Glasgow Road, that's a mess at that point