Bobby_F

Scotland's first owner manager since Mad Vlad?

I’d like to apologise to Tess. Didn’t realise even the Daily Record would attribute the quote from a taxi driver to a player!!! Oh and, adopts M&S voice…. “This wasn’t just a taxi driver, this was a Glasgow Airport taxi driver”. They’re bad enough when you’re ‘only’ going to Glasgow, but on the few occasions I’ve gone from the airport to Paisley the attitude stinks.

Indeed. Very Daily Record in fact.... Paris Paisley

Where to start. Disappointed in Tess for sure. Best you can say is that he’s been naïve and somehow hoped he could slate the town, the club and its fans, but because he did it in Dutch it wouldn’t make it back here. Angry, but hardly surprised, at the Daily Record – though yet another excuse (as if another excuse was needed) to despise that rag. But more than anything disappointed with the “yeah, well, Paisley is a shithole” responses from most people on here. Notting Hill was a shithole in the 70s – now it’s £1m+ for a 1 bedroom flat. Closer to home, Glasgow was a shithole (and a violent one at that) for most of the post-war years. People laughed that the city had the audacity to even think about applying for City of Culture status. Fast forward just over 20 years and it’s lauded as one of the best cities in the country with tourists coming far and wide for shopping, museums, events etc. Paisley is far from perfect due to years of neglect (some of it seemingly wilful) but has a potential that few other towns in Scotland have. Despite what’s gone, the town still has a beautiful and compact centre – and there are people out there who are trying to bring it back to life. I’m sure there are plenty of people who live in Paisley but work elsewhere, and shop and socialise in Glasgow, because of the current lack of life in Paisley. What we need is a ‘virtuous circle’ – more good places to eat, drink, shop means more people will spend money and time in the town – leading to more good places to eat, drink shop. I believe it can happen, but when I see how quickly even people who you’d imagine would have an affinity with the town are happy to accept the “it’s a shithole” position, then I can see why it’s such a hard job.

Yip. Mirror image of the Killie v United game. United by far the better team, go 2-1 up and it should have been 3-4-5... yet Killie spawn a lucky equaliser, then score from a soft freekick where the United defender helps out by inexplicably deciding to impede his own keeper. We were rubbish yesterday for the vast majority of the game, but oh how I wish we were all on here talking about how crap we were and how we did not deserve to win 3-2 with Cheesey scoring with a couple of close range headers.

Most of which normally start out as nothing

Missed opportunity IMO. Treated this like a bounce game, when in reality we should have treated it as a warm up for Saturday. We should have tried out a couple of different possible formations to see how best to combat the loss of McLean and incorporate the new boys. Bringing the two new signings and the two triallists on with 20 minutes to go, and to play along side another 7 unlikely to start on Saturday just seemed bizarre.

Was surprised at how well Gow looked, in the short few minutes he was on. Still not sure what we were playing at with our 'strategy' tonight.

Been quite difficult this season, and the last couple of months especially, to sit quietly on your hands with your mouth firmly closed as poor decision after poor decision has been given against us.

He should also point out that on that very day a Hamilton Accies player did a truly outrageous dive, then jumped up and screamed at the ref - no yellow card; whereas even with TV evidence it's very hard to prove Arquin's intent - especially when normally referees need to be doubly sure when awarding a second yellow. Well, actually, that's what he should say, but in reality what he needs to say is just "Sorry sorry sorry! I was 100% wrong, and you were 100% right, and I'll never do it again."

I think it is a LOT simpler than that. If there was a release clause in Kenny's contract, then he, and more importantly his agent, would know precisely what that was. Call from agent to Aberdeen - offer £275k, and he's yours. The big problem was caused by poor negotiations during the summer. It's clear Kenny is as good or better a player than several who went for many times his transfer fee yesterday - but the contract we had with him meant that the value was always going to be the case. Hugely frustrating in so many ways.

Think that was our worst footballing performance of the season. BUT... team spirit, hard work, a good defensive display, a bit of luck (or at least no bad luck), and a ref not getting involved in any meaningful way - and it's a win and a clean sheet. We played far better against Dundee and Well, but got nothing out of those games. Football eh! What are the chances our next game will see the first home win too!

So, Arquin stumbles, and looks up at the ref, and the ref - knowing it means a red card - sends him off without hesitation. Meanwhile in Hamilton.... a guy takes three steps then does a 9.9/10 dive, jumps up and screams at the ref for a penalty - and the ref just plays on. No wonder we're angry.

I agree with you 100%. However I can't help thinking that on top of whatever he's handed officially, he'll have a sneaky wee watch of Sportscene. After all, if he doesn't do that then he'd need to watch 95 minutes of 6 normally mainly dull SPFL games instead of trying to get to the next level on Candy Crush. So, 45 minutes of Sportscene and a quick swatch at the papers to see what's happened that weekend, and jobs a good 'un. Scott Brown wasn't cited for kicking an Accie. Even although he's a Celtic player, I'm sure if they'd highlighted that kick on Sportscene, and the 3 Diddies had agreed it should have been a red - he'd have been offered a ban.

It shouldn't be FS, but it is. What they decide to show or not show, and the spin they put on it, has a direct effect on what the compliance officer picks up. Last weekend, when Aqruin was red carded (thankfully their pronouncement that it was a stick on red didn't work this time), Scott Brown kicked an Accies player earlier in the day. Not shown. Show it and have one of the stooges say "Ah, he was a bit naughty there, he'll be getting a call on Monday morning" - and Brown is out for 3 games. Accies player's dive on last night's show WAS shown, but nobody said a single thing about it - despite 10 minutes earlier seeing someone sent off for something a lot less clear cut. Harkins shocker of a tackle in the first minute - not shown; but you can bet if it had been Goodwin they'd have been all over it. So while it may be piddly and pish, it DOES have an impact on the Scottish game.

Ball already behind both players so neither player took the ball. Dundee player CLEARLY taking Arquin out. What this picture, and the one for Harkins two footed lunge show, is that the ref can't be faulted for his positioning !

^^^^ this. Tesselar could have taken a really sore one from Harkins but he gets up right away. Arquin then gets a yellow for something far more innocuous - no doubt because the Dundee player rolled around like a jessie. And it's SAINTS that get a player sent off for cheating. Grand!

Really? I know we say it all the time, but it doesn't make it any less true.... what decision do you think the referee would have made had that been Jim Goodwin rather than Gary Harkins? I don't think it would have been a yellow, and I certainly don't think it would have bee a cosy wee chat and off you go.

And actually, worth pointing out no mention of it in the after highlights discussion. You'd have thought with a player being red carded for a 'dive' earlier, they'd compare and contrast with the much clearer dive in that game.

And of course it didn't. Anybody see the outrageous dive an Accies player did, followed by a huge claim to the ref? No card.

Anybody at all surprised that the BBC chose not to show the Harkins tackle or any of the two 'fouls' in the run up to their second goal or what should have been the corner to us before their first goal? No? Me neither. Anybody at all surprised that they chose not to show what even the Dundee fans said was a stonewall penalty when Arquin was brought down? No? Me neither. Anybody at all surprised that Sutherland mentioned, yet again, the supposed handball goal last week? No? Me neither. I AM surprised that Thommo didn't stand up for us better. Even a simple "Mallan says it wasn't handball, and despite your attempts to show it was, it doesn't prove anything"

Couple of people have mentioned the stats, and that they show Dundee had a lot more possession (maybe could buy that given the time wasting in the second half) but them 12 shots (7 on target) to our 8 (3 on target). At the game there was no point that I actually felt Dundee were dangerous or that they were piling the pressure on. And I thought we had lots of attempts, and a few great chances. 8 attempts seems really light? Arquin's header in the first minute, Arquin's poor volley, Mallan's shot that was well over, Naismith's missed header, Kenny's goal - all in the first half come to mind without too much effort. Second half, 4 headed efforts. That takes us to more than 8. And I'm sure I've missed a few. I know stats don't always tell the story of a game, but it helps if they're accurate.

Wow! Surprised they showed that. Hope it makes it in to the highlights on the Beeb tonight.

Not sure what that Saints fan's point was, but refs should not take the time an offence is committed in to account. This has been going on for years though. Anyone old enough to have been part of the 18,000 Saints fans at Fir Park in 1977 would remember Motherwell absolutely kicking the shit out of the young Saints team in the first 10 minuted - and doing so with no action whatsoever being taken against them.

Yeah, very early on. Arquin nearly scored from the resultant freekick. As much a red card as Thommo's against Well, in that it was a certain yellow, but a soft red - and one which couldn't have been appealed. But not even a yellow given. I know sometimes refs are more lenient in the opening minutes of a match, but it still doesn't make things any easier when Harkins gets off with that, Kenny gets fouled from behind numerous times... and the first two players in the book are Naismith and Arquin - no warnings, no friendly chats - just a card.