Kmcalpin

The jury is still out for me. At our level, we'll never be successful, however you measure that, by playing open, attractive football. We have to be pragmatic to achieve anything and if that means being boring and physical then so be it. What I don't like, is playing unexciting football which isn't successful. That said, I do like to watch attractive football. Times have changed and what was considered as being entertaining say 60 years ago is certainly not now. TV has brought the big boys into our living rooms. A staple diet of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United/City et al has changed perceptions forever. The bar is set at that level. For my part, I'd rather go and watch a local amateur game than any of that lot on TV or in person. SK is still at an early stage in his MFC career. We've not had a lot of time to assess him. He's only had one summer to recruit his team. He kept us up after Steve Hammell's car crash reign and taken us to a League Cup semi final. He also brought in a fair bit of transfer income. He's not the most adventurous of managers and presided over a horrendous winless last season. Drilling down a level, I agree that he's stubborn, seems reluctant to make changes and isn't the best tactician in the world. He's not been to quick to learn from his mistakes. I agree about not replacing Spittal or Bair, given his tactical preferences. That genuinely puzzles me. In Spittal's case, perhaps Nicholson (with an injury record) was earmarked for that role. Had he recruited 2 similar types of players for those 2 roles, but they didn't work out then I could have understood his thinking. Should we achieve some combination of achievable targets this year - make top 6, reach another semi final and/or reap a huge transfer fee (Lennon Miller?) then my opinion will change for the better. However should we drop out of the cup without a whimper or finish in the bottom 2 or go on an another horrendous winless run my opinion might change for the worse.

The January window is fast approaching and we will no doubt be fine tuning the squad. Quantity wise, we are fine, but maybe an opportunity to improve the quality? Given that, we'll probably need to ship one or two players out. Who would you move on to clear the decks a wee bit? Johnny Koutroumbis, who appears to be out of favour; Davor likewise; Stuparevic; Tavares send back to Easter Road?

Good to see Harry Paton and Sam Nicholson get some game time yesterday. I know he's not everyone's cup of tea but I think we've missed HP, especially for his drive, energy and ball retention. Presumably we're managing his time on the pitch to build him up to full fitness. Its a positive too that Nicholson got 10 minutes or so and his return should give us more creativity and help our strikers. SOD appearing on the bench is also a boost. Maybe things are changing for the better on the injury front. A big IF though.

Ally Mauchlen?

Yes. He made a "controversial" comment about veterans and was suspended, temporarily, I think.

Loan update. Dylan Wells scores for Edinburgh City today.

Great news. We badly need a decent one. .

The media does have a soft spot for the Buddies though. STV evening news read out 4 of the 5 Premiership results but simply couldn't bring themselves to announce we had beaten Saints. We'll be on the naughty step now

Great result. Well done Tony Watt, a useful guy to have around. Karma for St Mirren's ticketing shambles. A clean sheet - who'd have thunk it.

Still 0 -0

Koutroumbis not on bench? Are his days numbered?

Another odd selection. Good to see SOD on the bench though. No Kaleta or Maswanhise. If, as expected, St Mirren block our wing backs then what? Cautious midfield. I can understand why Balmer has been dropped but Blaney? What was wrong with Seddon in the back 3? Halliday for Paton?

Yes, this is true, irrespective of the venue or who is in charge. However the SPFL (or SFA) has a bit of a cheek in this instance and is being hypocritical. The 3 clubs would have had little or no control over security at Hampden. It would have been 95% + responsible itself. So why charge the clubs concerned? The wider issue of strict liability - the SPFL/SFA cannot pick and choose which issues for which to invoke strict liability and we all know what thats about. There is also a wider issue about pyrotechnics, which is one for the Government to address, if it has the backbone. They are not just an issue for Football but for society as a whole. Its not ok to use them inside a stadium but what about in the streets outside? What about their use in crowded and packed demonstrations and marches, which have nothing to do wth football? We have to have a clear set of guidelines or laws to ensure consistency and fairness buit not only that, they have to be fairly applied.

Good on you. So they're not insisting on physical tickets for PATG home fans? Sounds as though St Mirren are getting too big for their boots.

You've hit the nail on the head.