MelvinBragg

At the minute, for me the jury is out. One young centre back away on loan, a striker sold and a centre midfielder moved on. A winger returning from a loan spell at Alloa, another winger in on loan and a striker returning from injury on loan (albeit a striker with an excellent pedigree). I like the idea of adding pace and width but how we plan to set up is a mystery to me. Robinson has talked of now having 433 as an option. Where does McCormack fit in there? As the central striker? Not the best use of his talents. 352 to allow him to play off a main striker makes the signing of Aribiyi and recalling of Hastie pointless. Before anyone points it out, I know it's good to have different options but the thinking doesn't seem very joined up to me...

I agree with pretty much all of what you've said and your last post brought back into my mind a thought that had occurred to me a couple of days ago when reading the McKinstry story. Semple was being touted as a real prospect two seasons ago and yet others seem to have moved ahead of him. Has his progress stalled or is it a case of openings in his position being limited?

On our budget? A striker with all those attributes? You're not asking for much....

I was only kidding. But bearing in mind we replaced his width and pace with Petravicius, Ainsworth was nowhere near as patchy as some made out. And yes, nowhere near as good as others made out As far as I'm concerned, for the playoffs and for the cross to Moult at Douglas Park that pretty much secured our safety, I'll always think of him fondly...

Cue some people asking if we should bring him back...

My money is on three at the back with Tait playing centre back and Grimshaw and Taylor-Sinclair as wing backs...

The Ryan Mason injury did nothing to change things down in England so I don't know if a serious career ending injury would even change things up here...

Sammon, I don't mind. Why bring (rush?) Hartley back from injury on that pitch? On this season's form, Maguire or Tait would do no worse anyway...

And so you don't have one shoe, I'll eat the other one...

The choice of club captain in the summer was, for me, a huge mistake. While realising it's really a symbolic role, the fact that the role was given to a player who is all mouth with an inability to back it up kind of sums up our season...

I made this point weeks ago. If you'd said to any of us the start of the season that we'd concede one goal in each of those home games then you'd expect that we'd have got points from most of those games if not all of them. Certainly suggests that the defence isn't the main problem. Or it's certainly being put under too much pressure by our lack of goals...

How did we initially set up?

Hartley should be nowhere near the team...

Same 352 as last Saturday then. Slight concern that it was so obvious that we'd go with the same team that St Mirren have had all week to plan for it...

Not surprised given he has had previous run ins with officials. Banned from the touchline for three very important games so hopefully he learns his lesson...