weeyin

Apparently, if they beat us we have to sign Simon Mensing again.

That is why it's a poor draw. Playing the same team away from home 2 weeks in a row in the middle of January isn't the most exciting prospect. If we have to play away from home, it's nice to get a change of scenery at a ground we don't play at too often. That's part of the attraction of a cup competition - otherwise it just feels like another league match.

It's going to be Falkirk away, isn't it?

I'm a fan of back fours, but not sure how the rest of the formation would pan out given the currently available personnel. I'm also not convinced our defenders could adapt to the new formation in 3 days, given how they struggle to adapt with marking, tackling and passing the ball to their own team mates. We do need to change something at the back, though, so maybe the 4 is they way to go. One of the side issues for me is having Miller as captain. I appreciate the idea behind it, but when you've had a drop in performance for a few games, having an angry old man for captain that yells in your face can sometimes be more beneficial than a nice boy with epic ball skills.

I don't take no-votes on my MOTM threads personally, but next game I'm going to add a null option and if you select it, it will permanently redirect your account to kerrydalestreet.co.uk.

The bounce back-ability of a lead balloon. Take your pick...

"How do you turn an Ox into a donkey....?"

To be fair, the club told them not to travel.

Shooting on target would help too.

The main positive from today is that at least we're not Hibs. I'm not sure we can keep blaming Kettlewell for Stama, though. I'm in no rush to judge him, but I'm also in no rush to apply the blame to SK. It was afterall SK that quickly changed our formation that led to KVV's record breaking tally, and it was SK that developed Bair. I will, however, blame SK for not figuring out how to get any urgency out of our players after an international break.

The only certainties in life are death and taxes (and a Motherwell defeat after an international break). Take your pick...

I hope Miller moves abroad for his career development, but it would be hilarious if he ended up signing for his Dad's old team, Aberdeen. The OF media would have a meltdown.

That, and I've also seen games called off even when only the area immediately surrounding the ground has been unsafe (icy pavements etc.)

I don't obsess over the possession stats, and I'm OK with counterattacking tactics when they work - and they are working right now. I also don't think it's unreasonable to enjoy watching us pass the ball around more than watching the opposition pass the ball around, so I get why people would prefer us to have better retention.

Same here. Boyle did a lot of (well-intentioned) damage to the club that almost drove us out of existence. On the plus side, we'd likely never have moved to the fan owned model if it wasn't for that. He also did the right thing when it came to being repaid monies owed to him that otherwise could have made our financial situation even more dire.

I've no doubt they heard someone from the club say they think Miller is worth more than Turnbull, so they just rounded up the fee we got for him to the next nearest million.

That's true - it's just the assumption that it's the OF that will be his dream move that grates. Although I appreciate that is largely clickbait to engage their target readership.

I know it's a slow news week thanks to the international break, but the amount of column inches being used to talk up Miller moving to the OF is ridiculous, even by West Coast media standards. EDIT: did I really say "West Coast" media standards? Been living here too long. I really meant "West of Scotland"

I don't think we have any say in how the police manage the fans or the crowds.

Exactly. I've got a leather jacket I still call "my new one" I bought it in 2003.

Ian St John is my cut-off. Anything after his move to Liverpool = recent Anything prior to his move to Liverpool = before my time. (Although sometimes I split it between post SPL and pre SPL).

100% - our entire national development structure is unfit for purpose.

Sadly, for the players involved, we can point to countless examples of youngsters who have left for the "big move" and ended up as bit players in youth teams down south (or with the OF) before returning to a lower league team in Scotland. McAlear, Mckinstry and Hastie are all recent examples. It's no coincidence that Max Johnston and Lennon Miller both have dads who are ex-players. They are in a much better position to offer career and development advice than well-meaning parents with no experience who are excited when a "big" team comes in with an offer; especially if it's a team from the OF that they support.

For me, Gary McAllister's still the standard for success in recent times.. After we set him on the road with his first winner's medal (Scottish First Division) he won the English First Division - before the EPL was invented - the FA Cup, the League Cup and, of course, was instrumental in helping Liverpool win the UEFA Cup.

According to his dad, it was Miller that wanted to play for the 19s.