Happy Dosser

Thanks, UBH. Can we start a black sock club? Even Rangers got that bit right. I've never understood why we haven't stuck to what you rightly call our signature, the claret hoop, and the most persistent element in our kit design. And amber looks great with the contrast of white shorts. Och, well, dream on, eh?

PS Meant to say, not keen on sublimation in kit design generally. And we need white shorts. And black socks with claret turn-overs with an amber hoop. Screens, nurse. Time for my injection. I can see colours, man.......

UBH: thanks for your latest. I'll admit I'm biased because I'm 60+ but MFC should play in a hoop IMHO, although I liked our 70s retro strip this year, a memory of when we started to go to Celtic Park and WIN and Willie P and Bobby Graham ran them ragged. I would take rugby sleeves any day for the hoop and, as you say, they offer contrast for the compulsory sleeve patches. Don't suppose you have any inside info on the new strip?

"Looking back at the highlights I noticed that after Robson had disposed of Gomis and McDonald, he has a fairly robust challenge on Leitch, looks like he had lost it. " Yes, and I'd like to be able to lip read what Derek McInnes said to him as he waited to get on. Robson looked completely wound up. Leitch was lucky to avoid injury. Very strange. Thanks, Barry!

Nice touch from The Bois with the placard for young James, I thought, and great applause from the stands. And after the minute's applause, the time-honoured "Gerrintaethem!" Fitba's marvellous and daft at the same time, i'nt it? COYW.

Great spirit in the last two games. Confidence should definitely be high. I thought McGhee was going to burst a blood vessel at the fourth official for the foul on Robinson before the penalty. I thought the ref gave them everything in the first half but AFC very disappointing: little creativity. We'll even up by beating Ra Sellick, dinna fash yirsels. Louis Moult is brilliant: hard-working, brave and has a goal-scorer's instinct. On to the Haggis Munchers. Resistance is futile......

Me Lenin, you King Yabba? There may be trouble ahead......

"The Coca-Cola logo is certainly iconic, but I don't like it on our claret hoop." If only we had a proper hoop, weeyin (sighs wistfully). When I become dictator of the Scottish Republic, MFC will play in The Hoop for eternity, so there...... And circular badges are naff, in my opinion, but it's probably too late to remodel it. I say, let ubh get on with things, in good hands there.

"That fat bastard John Clark ate it" Harsh, but completely believable.

Those bunnets! Size of soup plates.....

Pearson has a punctured lung and broken ribs but some media types are going on about Skippy? One of the (many) lows of Levein's management of the national team was when Garry Kenneth got a cap and Mark Reynolds was denied one: cart horse before a thoroughbred. Our younger players will be the stronger for their treatment on Friday night. On to the Mutton Molesters. Resistance is futile. COYW.

Yes, Haggischomper, a style he learned when banjoing his own teammate, Graham Hogg, as I recall. Happy days. Weren't Hearts the dirtiest bunch in those days? Walter Kidd, anyone?

"I don't agree on this occasion Weeyin. Yes, you do expect some teams fighting for survival get a bit fired up and put in tasty tackles but last night some of their "challenges" if we may call them that, went beyond the pale. Morris poleaxing Johnson twice off the ball early on and not far from the linesman was inexcusable and should have earned him 2 straight reds." Have to agree, Kmcalpin. Some of these tackles were simply dangerous and vicious, eg Paton on Gomis and Morris on Keith. Once again you have to ask what the linesmen were doing if the ref didn't spot them? I would have been quite ashamed if we'd used these tactics, just as I can't stand the different kinds of tricks Panathonaccies and the Dingwall Dingbats employ to scrape results. I'm glad we stood up to them: Young Cadden and Thomas appeared quite unaffected by it all and they showed some grit. This game was like something out of the 70s but I enjoyed it because we took all their crap and still scudded them. I've always respected DU for their great European performances and attempts to play football but Mixu has taken them down the wrong path, imo.

I hear Darren Jackson was still harping on about Skippy's flying elbow on Sportscene Results. Strangely no comment on the hod-carrying honeymonsters in the United defence, Paton's blatant hack on Gomis, or Morris' dangerous lunge on Lasley. Don't think he ever got over the 1991 Final. Didn't he throw a boot at Davie Syme after the final whistle? Prince of the Pettit Lip.

What capt_oats said. I quite admired Accies when Neil was in charge but they rival Ross County as the worst set of divers and time-wasters in the league. Prepare for them getting an early penalty next week from an Imrie dive and then their goalie going down every ten minutes with a dislocated eye-lash like in the last game at Fir Park. Who's the ref? Gollum? Craig Robertson? MacLean? If so, don't waste the entrance fee. God, I'd love to scud them 4-0.

Dear old Psycho. On that night, as Kirkie slipped the ball to him, I was just saying, "He's no' going tae hit it fae there, is he?" when the ball took off and rasped down the rigging behind Dying Swan Bonner. Ahh, the memories.......... Hope he's over his personal problems. Good to see him with the wee lassie today.

Some thoughts: 1. Thistle were awful. 2. I loved Laing's mad breenges up the right: if he doesn't know what he's going to do, how are the opposition going to? 3. Great pass from Skippy for the second. 4. Moult also excellent. 5. Sounds like Ripley can be absolved of blame for their goal. 6. I thought Pearson was poor and missed quite a few tackles. Is he carrying an injury? Or is he done? 7. Cadden and Hall are making progress. The former is showing more confidence and tricks on the ball. I'm sure alert readers will have noticed I predicted the 3-1 score line and the Moult double. Accordingly, I am going to open a PayPal account (details to follow) for you all to send me your pounds for Tuesday's Euromillions draw. Two scouts "from the Leeds area" sat down beside me in the POD with their note pads and laptop and quizzed me about Moult: seemed to have done their HW on him but were surprised at Bournemouth's supposed interest in Marvellous Marvin. Favourite quote: "We've heard about Motherwell down south but Partick Thistle?" Quite. Onwards to Panathonaccies and their plastic cowp.

Fear not me hearties, I predict a 3-1 victory for the 'Well, with goals from Moult (2) and McDonald and McManus o.g. Wow, this wallpaper stripper sure packs a punch! Of course, MMcG might be working on a 2-1-2-3-1-1 formation to bamboozle the Harold Wraggs. Pass the Brasso.

"Fail to win here and the dream of mid-table obscurity is very unlikely." As Homer would say, "Dream of mid-table obscurity, mmmmmmmmm......" If only. Since Partick have four games in hand because they play on a cowp, they at worst could have a four point or so advantage on us by the time they catch up with their games. Therefore, I think the Tattie-Howkers and Panathonaccies are our main rivals for the play-off spot and that's presuming there is no continued improvement by Dundee Utd. I also remember John Sutton saying when he got relegated with Dundee that they had a twelve point cushion (?) on the bottom club at the split but still managed to go down. It's not much fun walking up Edward Street with that vague feeling of dread on a Saturday but I suspect it's going to be a long three months for us all. May The Force be with us.

These last-minute goals are damaging and incredibly frustrating but they would not be such a problem if we scored more goals. One reason we don't is that we are not very creative: we can't risk playing both Johnson and Ainsworth in the same team because that leaves us short in midfield and McFadden is in his mid-thirties (although he has assists in his last two games). Where is the creativity from central midfield? Oh for a Jackson Irvine. We're just not getting the best out of Moult and McDonald at the moment. What concerns me more is that teams like ITC, Ross County, St Johnstone seem much better organised and close teams down much better than we do: we are poor without the ball and bring pressure upon ourselves. This is surely a tactics/coaching issue but it's one which we seem unable to address. Also: when did we last score direct from a free-kick? Why are we like headless chickens at shies? These are long-standing weaknesses we seem incapable of dealing with but seem pretty basic. Which leads me to the question which often passes through my mind when watching us: what coaching is going on at the club through the week? Our next three games are incredibly important but there is a worrying lack of spirit about the team just now, as well as organisation.

"Given the very audible frustration (bordering on the venomous at times) at Fir Park in the last couple of weeks, it may be no bad thing we are playing away in midweek without the "pressure" of a crowd who if not exactly ready to turn on them are increasingly lacking in patience before voicing their opinions." Quite. It was alarming to see the normally diehard supporters around me leaving with ten minutes to go. I don't know if he's lost the dressing room but McGhee seems to be alienating long-time supporters with his selection and tactics. If he thinks Ainsworth and Johnson can play at the same time then the fans' dismay is justified. Going by his interview we seem to be playing for the draw already, which is an alarming idea, given the lack of fight and organisation on display yesterday. Worrying times: as the joker said, it's déja vu all over again, and I don't think my nerves can face another playoff situation.

Ally Mauchlen: that's who we need. Unfortunately he's about 56.

fergi4: please, don't even joke about it, I'm struggling with a Dry January already.

Fair enough in isolation, UBH. I just find the criticisms of our club and the national game continually negative. I struggle to think of what more a club like ourselves, with such a small core support, could do. You either believe in our national game or you don't. We are up against enormous financial forces beyond our control and a history of mismanagement of our national game from the unimaginative blazer mentality. The feeble media coverage of our game reinforces the "We are crap" idea which I just don't accept. I don't parade my political convictions in an avatar because in the first instance I don't think them relevant. However, unremitting negativity in that context does suggest an agenda.

"Stopped reading after this you utter cock." Yes, that's what to do: come on to a forum and not read the post. But thanks for your contribution anyway.