Kmcalpin

Just wondered if anyone knows why Maurice Ross seems to have "disappeared"? I notice that Diarmuid O'Carroll has been taking interviews for the reserves for a wee while now, whereas Maurice took them before. Is it simply a change in duties?

Yes, I'm sure timing is a factor. Its not the first time that I've seen a shocking tackle put in by an Accies player early doors (we're not totally blameless BTW) and escaping with a yellow card when a red is warranted. I'd take the opposite view to the ref in these circumstances. Let the players know early doors that bad tackles will not be tolerated and that would stamp out most of them later on in the game. I'm 100% not against robust tackles but really horrendous ones like Hunt's no way. Fans pay to watch teams trying to play football not players being wiped out cynically. By letting culprits off lightly the referee encourages niggles and ill feeling to build up and pretty often more trouble follows.

An old chestnut I know, but the inconsistency of referees is really annoying at the moment. Not all poor decisions are game changers admittedly but they do make life harder. A few examples that have been evident recently: * Switching the direction of throw because we were taking too long at Paisley. I've never heard of this before or since. * Yellow carding a player for booting the ball away: Long gets booked at Hamilton but I can't recall the last time I saw a referee taking this action despite this happening in almost every game. * Yellow carding a keeper for time wasting ie Gillespie yesterday. Far worse example have gone unpunished and this happens very rarely. * Pulling up players for stealing yards at throw ins: completely random application by referees. * Foul throws: occur in almost every game but once in a blue moon does the referee take action and then at random. You'd think the SFA would issue strong consistent guidelines to cover these situations, but if they do they're never implemented except completely randomly. Rant over.

I didn't see him yesterday but you're right. Looking forward to seeing him fully fit playing with Long and Turnbull in a 4-4-2 or similar formation..

I would say that its cost them something like £40-45K this season (£20K per game). Many of us would like to see their accounts but thats never going to happen. I believe that is because their turnover is below a certain figure, and as such, like St Johnstone, they are not obliged to pubish their accounts. Maybe some accountants on here could clarify that? As to the game itself, I've just watched the brief highlights and again some of defending was very poor. Fortunately, unlike St Mirren, Accies are toothless up front. I didn't see a lot in Long's 2nd yellow card. A foul yes, but more clumsy that anything else. A yellow card? Maybes yes, maybes no. You'll see similar tackles go uncarded. I think he was fristrated by Accies' aggressive" defending which was a feature of the highlights. On that subject Hunt was extremely fortunate not to be red carded for his far worse effort earlier. These borderline refereeing decisions going against us just now are simply adding to our plentiful self inflicted woes.

Its a mystery to many others, including me, too. Alan Burrows did express his disappointment when the original decision was made to bump up prices, but I can't recall his exact words.

I think our last away crowd at NDP was 1600 so today was down on that. Like you I don't get travelling to English games given the cost of travel. The price hike by Accies has probably cost them something like £20K today. Ah well they can obviously afford it.

The overall crowd was very low, just what I 'd expect after Accies' ridiculous recategorisation of the fixture. That has cost them a good few thousand pounds this season. Hell mend them. What was our support today?

I thought referees stopped issuing yellow cards for kicking the ball away years ago. You see it week in week out with no action taken. St Mirren did it at least twice on Tuesday with no repercussions.

Agree with your opening comments. Not a bad side on paper but even if we did announce that it'd never be a 4-3-3; it would turn into a 4-4-2 or even a 4-5-1 as soon as we took the field like the first half on Tuesday and yes we'd end up trying to bottle up the central midfield in a typical derby day scrap with this choice of players. We have to bottle up the wings.

Absolutely. An injury update from Gavin MacCafferty on Twitter. Carroll is out for the season and will require surgery. Turnbull is back in full training and is just waiting on the go ahead from his consultant to start playing again. Gallagher, Long, Mugabi and Hartley all fit for tomorrow. So that gives us some options thankfully.

That assumes that Gallagher is fit and we've heard nothing at all about that. Both camps will be keeping their cards close to their chest until the last possible moment. I suspect Robbo and Rice will be stoking the injury crisis talks about known casualties but will keep quiet, as usual, about any additional ones. My reason for suggesting we reintroduce Carson at the expense of Gillespie is down in large part to his poor distribution in recent games. While Grimshaw and Hartley have rightly received flak for their poor distribution more often than its been Gillespie who has put them in trouble by giving them the ball when they're being closed down by high pressing attackers. The fact that he's moving on in the summer and that Carson will be our No 1 is also a major factor. A midfield 5 has its attractions on paper but depends on the personnel you have at your disposal. Hylton cannot defend and although Aarons has played in a defensive/wing back role before he would need to be instructed to stay wide unlike Tuesday. Our midfield 5 didn't work in Tuesday's first half. Hopefully Long will be fit but I really don't think MacIver is ready yet. Much will depend on who is injury free and also who is fit enough.

I see that Accies are sticking to their guns and still treating this as a Category A fixture. It'll be interesting to see what our support is. As to the team changes are required but they'll be constrained by the fitness of the squad. Management will know about individual players fitness, but could Ilic and Maguire come into the reckoning? Keep Donnelly in defence irrespective of who is fit, start O'Hara and rest Campbell. I might upset a few on here but I'd bring in Trevor Carson. He's due his chance again.

Right now I'd say that O'Hara is our best midfielder and should be an automatic pick. I thought Polworth had a good game throughout last night although his set pieces were poor. I'd move Donnelly back into defence. Campbell looks burnt out and badly needs 2/3 weeks rest. Could young Dean Cornelius come in and do a job now, if only from the bench? We'll certainly need someone to put the shackles on Gogic on Saturday. Unfortunately Jamie Semple is injured. To answer Fizoxy's question about young defenders I don't know. Certainly we have immediate short term defensive problems. Maguire is returning from injury and may be fit but can he step up to play in midfield or central defence? Does Robbo rate him? David Devine is on loan at QoS could he be recalled? Hussain is rated I think but is he ready to step up now? Maybe someone with a knowledge of the youth team could offer us some informed opinions on this.

It depends on the players that you have at your disposal. Gillespie's distribution is poor and that puts pressure on the likes of Hartley and Grimshaw, neither of whom can pass. Possible ways around that is for your playmaker i.e. Polworth to drop deep and provide an out ball for the keeper or defenders. Either that or launch the long ball to a well supported target man like Watt. The bottom line is not to get caught dithering on the ball or making hospital passes to colleagues Hartley style.

Agree with most of that but the reason for the first half shocker is down to a combination of wrong managerial decisions and poor individual performances (for several reasons). Many keep referring to a 4-3-3 formation but for much of the first 45 it was a 4-5-1 formation with Watt being isolated. Aarons caused a poor Grimshaw even more problems by continuing to drift into the middle leaving that wing completely unguarded. Whatever formation we are playing it just isn't working and teams have us sussed by playing a high pressing game. Accies will no doubt have been interested observers last night.

I couldn't have put it better myself.

Well, thats what supporting the Well is all about. Shockingly poor first half, great comeback and then the inevitable loss on penalties! We've known for weeks, maybe months, that our defence was very suspect and so last night’s first half debacle should come as no surprise. At the very least anyone who watched us against Accies, Livingston and St Johnstone won’t have been gobsmacked. It also put the Celtic scoreline into perspective. In short the first 45 although dire was no worse than quite a few in the past couple of months, but we did come up against a clinical team last night. The loss of Gallagher was huge both metaphorically and physically and I just don’t get why O’Hara was omitted from the starting line up as he’s been our best midfielder of late. Talk of a 4-3-3- formation puzzled me in the first half. To me, it was more a narrow 4-5-1. St Mirren had us sussed from the off; a high pressing game to pressurise our central defenders and it worked a treat. They crucified us down the deserted wings and Grimshaw (not the only one) had a mare. Gillespie and the central defence were shaky and Carroll wasn’t much better. I really don’t know where Aarons was meant to be playing; certainly not in front of Grimshaw. MacIver looks promising but is out of his depth at the moment. Some positives though. I thought Watt is beginning to look good; O’Hara is impressing us and Donnelly looks far better at the back. Tait too was better than of late when he came on. Lets hope last night was a turning point; like lancing a boil perhaps.

I stand corrected you're right. Our record is better than I thought.

No we lost to them in 1995-96 on penalties. No-one can say that our penalty record isn't consistent.

Is it? I know next to nothing about English football but its been incredibly easy to ascertain that their Premier League has 20 teams; their Championship has 24 teams; their League 1 has 23 teams; and their League 2 has 24 teams. Now as I say, what I know about English football could be typed on a postage stamp, but maybe someone can tell me if there is an outcry down south their clubs playing too many games?

The game is touch and go according to Robbo (P & B). This will surprise no-one. More rain forecast although not as heavy as Saturday.

Just what I was thinking Iain. What goes around comes around. County are certainly the masters of late goals.

Hopefully we can avoid a fixture pile up before the split.

There will be a one off fee payable to the clubs affected. I'd guesstimate it to be in the range £20K-£30K. There would have to be to compensate for the lower attendance at the game. Fees would be far higher if Sevco and Celtic had their home games televised.