Kmcalpin

Rightly or wrongly, thats how Mark McGhee referred to him.

Pretty much agree with that. If Bowman had scored early on it would have been a different game. The pitch was absolutely horrific; I didn't realise just how poor until half time. Two City subs were passing the ball 10/15 yards on the deck to each other and l couldn't believe how much the ball bobbled about. City were always going to park their bus and play out of their skins. An indication of their intentions was that, at times, they tripled, not doubled up on Frear. We created a lot of chances but their keeper was only required to make one decent save in the whole game. Cross after cross went into our opponents box but we couldn't finish them off. Irrespective of the line up we should be able to beat a team like Edinburgh City. Given a free choice, I doubt if Robbo would have chosen the team he played. Some players missed out because of the pitch while others were played in unsuitable roles eg Rose. Cadden and Tanner made a difference when they came on and that turned the game in our favour. As the game wore on I thought it more and more likely that City would score and it was no surprise when they did. We've seen that scenario play out many times before in games which we've dominated. But, we were the better team and we won. letdown but we can't judge him on last night. Still last night it was job done and the fixture gave some more players game time.

I think Tanner might meet your requirements for a No 10. Still a question mark over Frear being played as a wing back for me. Otherwise I agree.

Agree with all of that. Don't forget he's been out of the game for months.

By all means play 2 or 3 other experienced pros from the start but we should do the business first then bring on the young lads. Albion Rovers anyone?

I think part of the problem is that he's being played out of position and by that I mean too deep. Many teams also double up on him. I like him but he has got to be played to his strengths for him to be fully effective.

Is he counting Griffiths?

Quote from the Morton website "A physically imposing and dominant Well were proving a real menace at deadballs..." Its a long time since I read anything like that.

I'm coming round to Bowman but he has to be played in the right role and with the right support around him. Yes, Kipre looks impressive and we held our breath yesterday when Quitongo rather unwisely had a go at him off the ball - he remain unflustered though and refused to be rattled. I was expecting the former to end up flat out on the deck out cold! Quitongo did himself no favours whatsoever with his attitude. He should concentrate more on his football. I thought Dunne had a solid game at right back for someone who has been out of the game for months. He got the basics right - a big guy who can win tackles, is positionally aware and sticks to his opponent. Chipped in with a useful goal too. That said he'll receive more exacting tests against better teams.

I don't know but we'll find out soon enough. Certainly the team seemed to show a different attitude yesterday. Their off the ball work was a class above what we've been used to in the last few seasons. They certainly worked far harder to make life difficult for Morton, by running, chasing and closing them down. As I wrote earlier, even at 4-0 up they still worked their socks off. As CoF wrote last season we would not have dominated midfield and would have given Morton the odd chance or two by failing to close players down or by making the odd blunder.

Add on my fiver Iain.

No real protests from Morton players at either goal and thats usually telling, but both calls were very tight and you may a point. Harkins' card was a red all day and he has previous for that kind of thing. A shocking tackle. The annoying Quitongo was a very lucky lad indeed to last as long as he did.

I felt more optimistic when leaving Fir Park today than I have for a while. We played some decent stuff at times, scored 4 goals and kept a clean sheet. Yes, Morton aren't a premiership side but they're a decent Championship team; just the kind of side who've caused us trouble in the past. It was a real team effort with the likes of McHugh, Bigirimana, Kipre, Dunne and Tanner catching the eye. McHugh was my MOTM. We looked more solid than we have done for a while and the midfield stood out. In the past few seasons, our midfield has struggled in games like this but not today. Although Morton didn't show much in an attacking sense our defence did look solid and closed them down very well. Not something we've been good at. Overall we looked more organised than of late and the work rate was far higher than we have been used to seeing from our team. It was really heartening to see our lads off the ball work at 3-0 and 4-0 - chasing, harrying and closing down. Again not something we've seen for many a year. Our team looks a good bit bigger than last term and it showed in giving us a competitive edge I thought Tanner had a good game in a very difficult role. Dunne too impressed me, and although he didn't have a particularly demanding afternoon he looked as though he may be a class above Hammell defensively - time will tell. Early days though. McHugh played a real captain's role. I can't recall the last time both our (full) backs scored in the same game or when a debutante scored so early in his Fir Park career. All that said, there were a couple some negatives for me. Frear was deployed far too deep and that just isn't his game (maybe the dearly departed Dom Thomas had a point; just the one, when he mentioned wingers and defensive roles). Secondly we still look uncomfortable when playing with a lone striker. Bowy worked his socks off and won quite a few aerial balls but more often than not, there was no-one near him to take advantage. We just haven't got that aspect of our game right yet. At times we missed a second out and out striker in and around the box to finish off moves. Early days and we mustn't get too carried away but we do have grounds for cautious optimism. Whatever happens this season we will have a different kind of team to the ones we've been used to watching in recent years.

Personally I value Stephen Craigan's assessment. If he doesn't know the player's capabilities and weaknesses then who does.

Maybe maybe not. Scoring goals is not just about a striker putting the ball in the net he has to have decent service. For long spells last campaign Moult's service from midfield was shockingly poor. I'm hopeful, this season that irrespective of the strikers playing they'll receive more and indeed better quality service.

He's also a year older and slower than he was last summer.

Clay's departure is best for both parties. An honest decent pro but didn't have what it takes at our level. It will also free up a wage. Presumably no fee was involved?

Apologies, for some reason my last sentence didn't appear. I meant to say that if managers can find something wrong with a performance so can the fans. No performance will ever be 100% perfect and so some criticism is quite acceptable but it should be set in the context of the result or how well the team has played.

Nothing wrong with that at all, providing any criticism is commensurate with the overall performance and result. I would temper criticism with the fact that we want to bed in new players and perhaps experiment a little to find out what works and what doesn't before the league starts. It could be that Robbo intends to play that way in all away games this year and wants to get the players used to that system and it just so happened that our first away game was against Queens Park. I know managers have a thin line to tread in balancing motivating players with constructive criticism but I would be very concerned if our manager couldn't find fault with some aspect of our game irrespective of the result.

They did indeed as they wanted rid of them both anyway.

Look at St Johnstone's record for dealing with players who brought the club into disrepute. Two employees brawling in public and they receive a smack on the wrist (because they were wanted by the club). Most employers would have viewed that as gross misconduct and instant dismissal.

I agree its unlikely that he will want to leave voluntarily. However if a player is injured the club will rightly expect him to be sensible and do everything to aid his recovery. If he isn't doing that.....

Overall very pleased with a 5-1 win given the circumstances. It was obvious we were ring rusty and had a few new lads to settle in. As expected Queens had a point to prove and competed well for 45 minutes. Their ultra defensive formation did make it hard for us. I was a bit surprised by our decision to play a solitary striker up front and 3 at the back. No doubt we lacked presence in the final third and I'm not sure that Fisher looks capable of playing in that role - early days though and he'll have a chance to prove himself. Not really a day for wingers and Frear was double marked for a good part of it. We scored some nice goals, scored by 4 different players, topped off by Louis' cracker. Bowman continues to impress and I think he's earned the right to prove himself. Very impressed by Kipre who can a pass a ball well. My MOTM was McHugh - he played well throughout and was a big influence on proceedings. I thought Carson also did well although he didn't have a lot to do. The defence needs further work though and I want to see Queens' goal on telly again. Anyway a good day at the office and we must remember the squad is still getting to know one another. Today's team may not be the one that starts the league campaign. I wonder what happened to Dunne? Can we also assume that Kipre will keep McManus out of the team?

The bottom line is that we didn't offer enough money. Money wise which other Scots clubs, outwith those in the cities, would have offered much more? Its not sad at all its reality. We move on. Yes, we do need other options.

I'm not surprised about all the Louis Moult discussion. I'm old enough and ugly enough to know that I know very little about what is going on here. We simply don't know what is going on behind the scenes and I'm not prepared to take the word of the media.