Kmcalpin

Presumably the post split fixtures are due out imminently? No doubt the precise timing will be down to the TV companies haggling and horsetrading over the draft list which they will already have been given. In my view our prospects will depend in no small part on the exact fixture list. Playing Partick at home is a very different prospect from playing them away. Likewise I don't fancy another trip to Dingwall. Accies travelling to Paisley might be a different game to Saints going to Hamilton. Ideally I'd like (in no particular order) 3 homes and 2 aways: Partick H Killie H Hamilton A Ross County H St Mirren A Thats how it should pan out on the basis of previous fixtures but we'll see.

Absolutely. Of course were in a precarious position no ones denying that. However as long as there's a chance we'll stay up then we fight on and fight together. We can do without a defeatist attitude at Fir Park.

Craig Reid is contracted for another year.

This also assumes that Killie beat say Hamilton, St Mirren and either Ross County or Partick - a tall order for them. A lot will depend on the post split fixtures and whether we get 3 home or 3 away games. Theres a "reasonable" chance we might have to travel to Firhill again because as things stand Partick would face 4 away games and that won't happen.

Thats my understanding too, Iain. The SPFL will try its best to ensure all clubs play an equal number of home and away fixtures BUT if there is any "clash" then the team in wrong half of the split will lose out. So as I see it 3 home games are not guaranteed.

I don't want to turn this into a sterile "who is the worst" debate. In my view both full back positions have been one of our achilles heel positions all season and I hope that neither Law nor Straker are with us next season. We will need two new FBs next campaign for various reasons - Luke Watt may start to develop and it'll be Steve Hammell's last year and no-one can predict how he'll shape up for that.

To take but two of your points. We don't know that the team "froze" under pressure. Its quite possible yes, but in my view the team was just "flat" and that could be down to a number of reasons about which we don't know. If you have experienced pros like MacDonald, Pearson, Lasley, McManus, and Sutton freezing then there's something wrong somewhere. I don't think anyone is blaming Sutton its more the decision to deploy him in the way that we did - thats a management issue. I doubt if many on here would issue a cast iron guarantee that a tactical/line up change would have delivered the 3 points but at best it meant we started the game at a disadvantage. As it was it meant that a striker's position was wasted but add to that Erwin being wasted out wide then thats 2 positions being weakened before a single ball was kicked. In a competitive game thats a bad start, a very bad start.

I agree about Sutton but not Straker. Sutton is very much a penalty box player to use when we're on top - not in yesterday's type of game. Straker? I admit he's a bit of a bombscare and erratic but overall he's no worse than Josh Law. Both were caught out time and again yesterday through poor positioning. In addition Law gave Ainsworth virtually no service at all. However to focus only on the failings of Straker and/or Law is to ignore major failings elsewhere in the side. Starker seems to be the figure of criticism for many but thats being selectively unfair. I agree with andy P in that we can't afford to throw in the towel. There's now 15 points up for grabs and even if we do finish 11th there's still a play off in which to do the business. If the fans throw in towel now the players are quite entitled to do the same thing.

A pointless substitution in my book. Ainsworth's big problem was lack of service and when Thomas came on he suffered from exactly the same problem. No surprise there. I could have seen the point in Thomas had been introduced in place of the totally ineffective Sutton. As others have said we were beaten before kick off with bad tactical and selections errors. Why oh why do we have to repeat previous management errors ad nauseum? We had a number of options to replace Johnson on the left - Straker, Moore or Thomas. Of those three probably Moore was possibly the best bet. Central midfield with a clearly unfit Pearo was the root cause of many of our problems.

Hopefully catch you guys later. Behave yourselves now. No shouting at the ref!

Thats the debate in a nutshell.

There never has been any seller at the POD Stand entrance. You have to buy them in front of the Cooper Stand. Occasionally there is no seller there either if that lady is unavailable. I agree this needs to be better organised. If it was the club would benefit even by a modest amount.

Yes, this game will be anything but easy. A win of any kind will be a real achievement but we can do it. Above all character and determination will be crucial.

Dead set against them from a football point of view. Its wrong they can overturn, in a few games, a season's worth of form.

Of course we all want 3 points but a draw would not be the end of the world. If we can keep our run going then I'm confident we'll pick up points after the split.

The sports scientist employed by the club is now working far more closely with all the players on a 1:1 basis. What is good for one player may not necessarily be appropriate for another. In general I agree with Andy. Much of this was covered at the AGM.

Overall I agree with you Greg, but there could be a good bit of movement in midfield. I can see a role for Pearson, Dom Thomas and to a lesser extent Lasley. Beyond that is very unclear. Paul Lawson may have 5/6 games left to convince the boss that he's worth a deal although as things stand I'd say he'll move on. I think Carswell will be moved on and Leitch - who knows? Nathan Thomas?

Great performance and result last night. It was a real team effort and encouraging to hear the fans react to the onfield activities.

Quite apart from the new players that were brought in, there is now much more fight and organisation than under Stuart McCall. The players' fitness has also improved. Existing players like Keith Lasley and Lionel Ainsworth are also playing much better. Thats down to Ian Baraclough and his assistant. Yes he was given money to spend in January and he would appear to have used it well. Not all of our signings were intended to be short term either - some are for the future. Despite what was said on the BBC last night Gary Teale was also given money to spend (lads like Dayton, Arquin, Sadlier and Gow to name but four) but that doesn't guarantee success. Last night it would have been so easy for IB to shut up shop after we went 2-0 up (remember the Stuart McCall days?) but he didn't and whats more made more or less like for like substitutions.

My thoughts exactly. There was so much that needed putting right. He's brought in some good players and improved the form of existing players who simply weren't doing it for Stuart McCall. He's also had to contend with a horrendous injury list and the new players weren't really afforded the luxury of being introduced into a settled side. Fitness has also been improved markedly.

Any word on ZFA - he was supposed to be ahead of Steve Hammell in terms of rehabilitation.

We've been playing like this for years now. As far as our tendency to lose goals from cross balls is concerned - if we have a dodgy keeper and central defence, why don't we cut our crosses at source? We concede far too many avoidable free kicks, corners and unchallenged crosses. Someone earlier said that Killie fired in 5/6 crosses in the first 30 minutes. Why did we allow them to do this?

Correct. First prerequisite for a good goalie is to be tall and built like a tank. They should then be allowed to attack the ball and anything else daft enough to get in their way way to ensure they reach it. Artur Boric immediately comes to mind as do most keepers Dundee United sign. More than a few strikers ended up with stud marks on their back when Boruc meant business. 15 or 16 stones of solid muscle clattering into you doesn't bear thinking about. Dusan Pernis at Tannadice was another in the same mould - and I feared for our guys any time they went near him.

The goalie position I agree with. For a few seasons now, with or without Steve Hammell, our left side has been weak to varying degrees and opponents have known this. However this season right back has also been weak. We have had a fair number of RBs but none have really impressed. As I've said elsewhere Josh Law has had a hand in a couple of goals we've lost against Killie. He struggled to handle Obadeyi again and conceded the free kick from which they scored. Part of the problem is the narrow defensive formation we play which allows opponents scope to attack freely down our flanks and whip in crosses.

I know Long is making a few blunders at the moment but Twardzik was dropped for a perfectly valid reason - he also was making more than a few blunders. A nightmare at crosses also. In the recent 2 games against Killie, Long has been criticised (yesterday rightly so) but don't overlook the fact that Josh Law was in some way responsible for both goals. He simply wasn't handling Obadeyi.