Kmcalpin

Apologies over optimism. Thistle now one up and still on top. Game over?

Despite Thistle having a weak central midfield and us having an aggressive defensive midfield they've dominated possession 56/44 and earned 2 corners. Still goalless so far.

Yes, it has. However the team has done well this season and we shouldn't forget that. If we can can finish 8th or above in the league I'll consider that a success. We're now finding out the shortcomings in our squad. Tonight will be a huge test and I suspect home advantage will count.

Agreed. Moult apart, our strikers aren't exactly setting the heather on fire. I can't comment on Newell.

Move on either Bowman or Fisher and Bigi (if possible). Bring in a new striker or two and a creative central midfielder depending on departures.

It wouldn't surprise me in the least.

On paper its a game we should take something from but yesterday's performance and result has shown that the squad doesn't have as much real depth as many of us thought. Clearly, in terms of line up, more of the same won't do and indeed will not be possible. Our big problem is up front and much as I dislike it a 3-5-1-1 or 4-5-1 line up is our only realistic option gioven that Tanner is not a striker. I'd go with the same defence but include Campbell, Rose, Frear, Grimshaw and Tanner in the engine room in some shape or form. Cadden may not be as big a loss as some might think as he's been playing more in the middle and not contributing nearly as much as he would have done out wide. Again not having a third choice goalie will represent a risk. Thistle took a hammering yesterday and by all accounts aren't defending well but that wont be an issue if we can't pressurise them.

More than Kipre to blame. Hearts No 8 is given far too much room and time by our midfield on the edge of the box and thats where the catalogue of errors started. Kipre didn't do well and I wonder if there's a questionmark over Griffiths getting beaten at his near post - is that being harsh on him? From the TV highlights, Hearts seem to have been given too much room on a few occasions and only shocking finishing saved us.

Its clear that we need Moult to score goals. I don't know what our scoring record is when he hasn't played but suspect its not that impressive. Bearing in mind Wrexham will be due a wad of cash I would not sell him next month unless we receive an offer in excess of £500k. Thats an arbitrary figure of course. There's also the question of long term add ons too. For every league place we climb the reward is a minimum of £80k and that excludes extra gate money if we're doing well and a decent cup run. If he does move on then whoever comes in has to hit the ground running. In recent years many acquisitions, quite a few of them good, have taken a good few weeks to get up to speed and settle in.

Thats not good. It could mean that we have to play the next few games with one recognised striker in Bowman and he's not an out and out goalscorer.

Was it a case that our strikers just didn't use the ammunition they were given or was it the case that our midfield just didn't compete and had no creativity?

Lets get the facts first before drawing conclusions and agree also to disagree civilly.

Disappointing but not surprising result. I'll be interested to find out from those who went how we played. The possession stats, courtesy of the BBC, suggest that we lost the midfield battle. Thats a cause for concern as Hearts don't have the best midfield in the world. Did our strikers receive much in the way of service? I'm also interestd to learn why Fisher was taken off - was he injured or was it tactical to replace a striker with a midfielder. I'd rather we'd won of course but taking the positive from the game it'll help Robbo fine tune any plans he might have for personnel changes next month.

So, you're saying that the club's statement citing an administrative error is not true and it wasn't the case that the club didn't pay the legal rate ie through a mistake but that it deliberately chose not to? Do you know this for certain?

How do you know the club isn't already doing that?

Interesting comment. Too many folk have been quick to condemn the club without knowing the facts. I'm not saying the club is blameless but lets have the full facts first. It may well be that employee X made a cock up no more no less then again it may not. It happens and I've done it as have millions of others. I suspect that HMRC only check a sample of employers annually and we were one of the few caught out.

If pushed into a yes or no answer would you say that the club has told the truth or not? For my part I'm prepared to believe the club in the absence of any evidence to the contrary.

They shouldn't but they do. That said, how many organisations have never made a single pay related administrative error? As its a central government department in HMRC, that released the information I'll use a central goverment example to underpin my point. My first permanent job was with the Civil Service. Due to an administrative error, they missed my first pay and I had to wait for 9 weeks for it. Ironically my last pay was with local government and I had to wait some 6 months for them to rectify an administrative error which cost me quite a bit of cash. Administrative mistakes will always happen.

So Fisher steps in unless we go for one striker. Who is our back up striker if Newell isn't fit? Not Tanner surely? A decent player but not a striker. Presumably McHugh steps back into defence?

It doesn't sound good and it isn't but I'd like to hear the club's explanation first. Do you know for a fact that it wasn't an administrative error? Most though not all companies know minimum wage legislation but do all their employees? There is something wrong with the regulatory process operated by HMRC (probably due to under resourcing) if employers are allowed to underpay employees for a full year before being taken up for it. A bit like the Police saying we can't stop someone in the act of committing a crime we have to wait until they have finished doing it. As far as the club is concerned it can now afford to pay its lowest paid employees a little more and it should. It should also release a statement to explain what has happened.

Oh yes, its just that they're not operational yet and the wintry weather is delaying remedial work.

Just like the Queensferry Crossing!

It depends on how the comment was expressed. Oathing and swearing isn't on. A rebuke along the lines of "Come on hurry up son" would be perfectly acceptable but I suspect somehow we're not talking about that.

Players who are out of contract next summer are: Griffiths, Hammell, Plummer, Dunne (1 year option), Watt, Hartley, Grimshaw, Rose, Moult, Bowman, Petravicius and Newell. Quite a few there. That said I doubt if Griffiths, Hammell, Plummer and Watt will be offered new deals. Moult will be offski. Of those I'd want to retain the services of Hartley, Grimshaw, Rose, and Bowman. Not sure about Dunne's position. Jury is out on Newell and Petravicius.

No, he isn't. He's taken Scotland's 2nd/3rd largest team to 2nd/3rd place.