Kmcalpin

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.

Our biggest failings for some years now have been giving opponents space and time to shoot unhindered from 25-30 yards out; and losing goals to crosses. As regards the first it'll be interesting how effective a new midfield will be in closing attackers down. As for the second it'll be a good test for our central defenders and keeper as I can't see our full backs cutting out crosses (Dunne is as yet untested). As you say though we should be good enough to win in any event. I would expect Queens to be pretty fit and at the very least just as fit as us.

I can see where he's coming from. Its quite possible if you were to canvas the opinion of Fir Park playing and management staff that they'd say Thomas had been the most talented player on our books. If that is the case then I would not disagree. However, he could not translate that talent and potential onto the pitch in games. It was said by quite a few players at the turn of the century that the most talented player, by far, on our books at the time was Derek Adams. His finishing ability was amazing. However we never saw that on the pitch. Having talent does not necessarily mean that a player can turn it on when it matters. Our history is littered with very very talented players who just didn't make it....John Gray, Ramsay Bryson, Junior Burns.....

I'm not a fan of the mini league set up. The bigger teams are going into it half prepared without having the benefit of a full set of friendlies. How many of our starting line up on Saturday will have had a full 90 minutes under their belt? It suits the very top teams 3/4 however as they don't have to participate until the later stages. The timing just isn't right.

Its possible but we just don't know. Its also possible that for whatever reason he's reached his limit. Various managers have tried unsuccessfully to bring him on. Don't forget too that Celtic, with all their resources, couldn't make a first team player out of him. No clear evidence in my book that we messed up.

It'll help free up some money for our war chest. It was stated some years ago, at a club AGM, that signing on fees (if there are any at all) are normally paid by the selling club, not the new club. Given the circumstances, I doubt if there will be one at Kilmarnock for Thomas.

Probably a good move for all concerned. Thomas never achieved a breakthrough despite playing under several managers. He flattered to deceive and although talented his final ball let him down. We have negotiated a sell on clause.

Whilst its nice to have "quality" in our team I hope we don't need it this year. Solid, reliable journeymen which the likes of Partick, Ross County and St Johnstone sign will do me just fine this season. More than anything thats a quality that we've lacked in recent years. What we need is guys who make few mistakes, work hard, and can be organised into an efficient unit to play to their strengths and minimise their weaknesses. They can be supplemented by home grown lads with a bit of talent.

The scoreline was irrelevant and simply does not matter. Its how we played that counts and how the team performed in a stress test (I think that the fashionable term these days). Its like filling a bucket of water to see if it leaks and if so where. The fact that we didn't score doesn't surprise me given our starting line up. Saturday is our first real game and its how we perform then will count.

A strongish team Dezz, but not in an attacking sense, where we look a tad toothless. Fitness issues aside, I'd argue that McManus could replace Kipre to add more experience in the middle; Dunne might well replace Hammell and, if he can keep fit, he'll be the number 1 choice I'd think. Five midfielders and I can envisage Tanner, Bowman or someone else replacing Rose for example. Its hard to judge of course but I reckon we're about 3 or 4 players shy of our strongest team. Moult or not, I can't see this team lining up against Rangers. I'm confident that Robbo will want to add an experienced centre back at the very least. Hopefully too the line up will change for our competitive debut on Saturday. It may be that Robbo wants to test out his defensive capabilities this evening against a team exerting constant pressure and he may well have discussed tactics with his Barrow counterpart before the game. You'd hope that tonight's game will allow us to find out how this set up will protect Carson as our last line of defence.

Well, first of all, well done for buying 2 season tickets and supporting the club. Apart from growing our own lads, which we're doing at the moment, I don't care where we source our players from as long as they do the business - supporters of most teams think the same I'd warrant. In the modern athletic game the bigger the better, as long as they can play football. We have been a bit short of height in recent years, so its good to see Robbo address that deficiency. Pre season games are very hard to judge. Management will be trying our different tactics and formations. Going back a few years the MacLean brothers (Tommy & Jim), set up their teams to play played some pretty mind numbing stuff but the fans didn't care as long as they won. I don't like the long ball game and it may well be that we play differently this season I don't know, but if thats what it takes to succeed then so be it. We mustn't read too much into pre season games. Wait until say late September before we start to draw conclusions.