Happy Dosser

Yes and I’ve just remembered a 2-3 victory at Celtic Park when Willie P and Bobby Graham did the Dens Park thing all over again. Easy to find on You Tube but I can never attach these clips properly on here.

Hard to disagree but I would add Willie P to the list. We beat Dundee 3-6 at Dens in 1975 (?) and my memory has me thinking Bobby Graham laid four on a plate for him, which he expertly despatched. Even if he scuffed the ball it would usually go in. Who could forget his winner against Sellick in the 3-2 win in the Scottish Cup when he latched on to Joe Wark's punt? 0-2 at half time, too. Happy days.....

Exactly so. It's not just that we couldn't do what France did after their slide in the 80s/early 90s. We couldn't even emulate Iceland. All we get is hypocritical hand-wringing from the footballing authorities and media who are in complete thrall to The Ugly Sisters, the baleful influence on all aspects of our game. Never mind, it'll soon be time for another pointless think tank presided over by Henry McLeish. He played for East Fife, don't ya know?

We're stuck with The Uglies for ever, weeyin, imo. The SFA will never grow the pair necessary to confront sectarianism and criminal intimidation. It only consigned Sevco to the fourth tier because the country's supporters told their clubs they weren't having any cosy deals made by clubs' directors to limit the sanctions upon The Hens.

Agree but Rangers' dreadful behaviour in Manchester at the UEFA cup final probably killed any lingering chance of that. The English aren't stupid. The other lot can be pretty unpleasant too, as I discovered a few years ago when I got stuck in the middle of The Green Brigade coming out of Airbles station. Their intimidating military marching and abuse directed non-stop at the police (without any action) was not pleasant to behold. Then they tried to demolish the toilets and seating in the big stand. Do they have shares in Armitage Shanks or summat? My interpretation of Strict Liability for the Ugly Sisters (and any other offending club, obviously) would be loss of three points (or more, depending on the seriousness of the offence) for sectarian singing or rioting, not just fining them or making them play games behind closed doors. Loss of points would be the only thing to make the clubs police their own support. This will not happen in a million years, hence the dire state of our game. I hate going to FP when the OF come calling.

Yes, and The Hens TV had the nerve to call it a "stirring fightback" too. At least they got the "fight" bit right. They are a club beneath contempt and I wish there was a way they could play in England, the spiritual home of so many of their support.

A final thought: it seems that UEFA can fine Sevco fans for singing sectarian songs but the SFA lacks the will. Some things never change.

If you wish to replace your misery with anger, watch the 1978 3-5 Motherwell-Hens match on YouTube, when they rioted to stop the match with us leading 2-0 and zilch was done about it, IIRC. I tried posting the clip on here recently but failed miserably.

One of the worst nights in my 'Well-supporting life. A few minutes before the notorious "penalty", Willie Pettigrew was chopped down by Captain Courageous John Greig in the box at the Rangers' end with the score at 2-0 to us, right in front of Gordon. He saw nothing then, yet gave a penalty while about 40 yards away against Rennie as tubster Derek Johnstone (aka U-99 fell) over on the edge of the penalty box. We crumbled after that, perhaps sensing the stacked deck we were playing against. Ian Archer in The Glasgow Herald (when it was a newspaper) later gave a withering account of the refereeing standards of Gordon and his linesmen. At least the Gordon-led Scottish threesome who cheated Levski Sofia against AC Milan were caught and punished. And then came the huge hail-storm after full time just to finish off a terrible night..... Bitter, moi? I try not to be but the old memory cells just won't let it go

I'm presuming at least one winger will be dispensed with for a "batten down the hatches and hope to sneak a goal" shitfest strategy on a crap surface. Without a Moult, it's difficult to see where the goals will come from, apart from a set piece (cue easy 0-3 victory, knowing us?). It would seem harsh to drop Gillespie but his giving away of that crazy penalty (and his defence of Griffiths' spot-kick) shows he's shaky at the moment, so Robbo has a big decision to make there. It will be very interesting to see how the players respond to the public gralloching they got from their manager. Another feeble, disjointed performance would set some alarm bells ringing (especially on here), so this is a big, big game for us.

Yes, looks likely. Andy Weir, our normal No. 11, was in hospital with meningitis at the time, I believe. Bobby Roberts scored in the replay, when we won 2-5. Sadly and strangely, no film coverage survives *conspiracy theories start here* .

Yes, he seems to go out of his way to make negative comments about MFC and to play to the worst instincts of Sellick fans. And I doubt he would have developed into the player he became if he hadn't played alongside David Cooper: he could bomb up the left wing and know that DC could almost always find him with a pass.

Even if we had won last night, I wasn't looking forward to Accies and their pitch but after that nightmare performance it's hard to see where the bottle necessary to get any points there will come from. I wonder if Robinson's "real men" jibe will rebound on him, too? It's not just the new players who don't look fit, either. I thought Tait (what's happened to him?) and Campbell looked sluggish and Gillespie's confidence and judgment also seem to have taken a knock. Seedorf looks ineffectual and weedy (same for Cole) but even he was better than Hylton, who looks the part physically but doesn't even track back. Mind you giving them the ball when they are almost stationary and double-marked isn't likely to end successfully. Seems no-one is capable of placing a pass inside the full back, apart from Polworth, who reminds me of Vigurs but without the nasty side to his play. Blood and snotters attitude needed for next Saturday but it's hard to see where it's going to come from.

Agree. Scott is aggressive and getting stronger every match. Long still seems to be "adjusting" to the pace and rigours of the Scottish game.

"The free kick ("he gave away" presumably?) today was a shocker." A shocker? Really? From where I was in the POD I thought it was a 50-50 so we obviously have different views on it. I predict that, late or soon, Gallagher will be a POTS contender. Feel free to save that for next year. You're welcome!

Yes, cling to that and hug it ecstatically, in the dark watches of your night. I'm sure it will make you feel so much better. FWIW, at the time I thought it was a harsh free kick, as was his booking for a 50-50 tackle but in general the refereeing was just as expected today. If you can't see his defensive and linking abilities then perhaps your doors of perception are all rusted up.

Fwoarrrrrrrrrr!

Thanks for that. I prefer staying clear of blue or green for obvious reasons but that's just my opinion, despite blue being part of our history. To complicate matters, we seem to have ignored our C&A stripes, worn between the claret with amber yoke years and the traditional hoop (apart from the claret with amber candy stripes worn in our "Dortmund " season).

Am I right in thinking the petrol blue is a theoretical (i.e. guess?) shade based on trying to derive a colour from analysis of b&w photos of our pre WW1 blue strip? Love the white, could thole the black, otherwise, meh. Thanks for the groovy stylings.

Thanks, I didn't know that. Doubly tough on Scotland, then, with the penalty decisions also going against them. Perhaps there was a realisation that such interpretations would cause endless controversy at the top end of the professional game, where matches are always televised. What are the chances of finding "a complete" dick in the SFA or refereeing fraternity ?

Yes and I'm awaiting with interest the infringements by goalkeepers at penalties for bias towards the Ugly Sisters after the debacle with the Scotland Women's team. Prediction: same old, same old, possibly starting on Saturday at FP...….

Ooops! Jimmy played for Third Lanark (when he got his caps) and Dundee United afterwards. Just checked in the WRB. Bert Bell, author of "Still Seeing Red" would be raging. Oh, here's nursie coming with my nice medicine......

You used to be able to access footage on-line of an Accies V Motherwell game in 1928 (?) from the Scottish Film Archive. It had a lot of crowd shots of mainly men, of course, wearing shirts and ties and bunnets the width of soup plates (obviously the fashion at the time). Last time I tried to view it access seemed restricted. I remember in the 60s my father and I were at Douglas Park for an Accies game (v. Kilmarnock in the cup?) when he pointed out a man resplendent in Crombie coat and bowler hat (!). He was Jimmy Brownlie, Dundee and Scotland goalkeeper, who I think lived locally at the time.

Wee numbers, bunnets……. Different world.