Kmcalpin

Is Ramsden not suspended for this game? I'd be tempted to bring in Watt at RB as Law hasn't been playing that well recently and has looked culpable at a couple of recent goals.

Friday's game is not necessarily a must win, although its very important. We can draw it or even lose it and still finish 10th. However we can't rely on any other team we have to do it ourselves. We have scored 2 goals only 4 times this season but half of those have come in the last 5 games. We are creating more chances now than at any time during the season. Bottom line is that 3 points on Friday will be a huge help to us.

Good post.

Fair point Mitch. What is generally less well known about Accies is that they're a very physical side and will throw their weight around. Like a few other SPL sides like Ross County and Inverness they simply won't allow us to play if we look like doing some damage. Going back to the New Year game, on the rare occasions we did threaten them our lads were quite simply and cynically taken out. A strong referee and vociferous crowd are essential on Friday. Lets take a leaf out of Dundee United fans' book and start booing and screaming at any challenge by or foul on an opposition player. We have to wise up.

Very good points. Don't forget Ross County recently got thumped at Pittodrie. Our real fight starts next Friday.

Thats true of any keeper we could bring in. Week after week they are left totally and unnecessarily exposed to crosses and shots. Last Saturday against Kilmarnock is a perfect example. Last night too, the first goal we lost was poorly defended by Law, I think. We might have a number of right backs but few look up to the job. We know about the left, but maybe its time to play young Watt on the right.

Its wrong to focus blame on George Long last night. In general he was continually left far too exposed by his 2 full backs and central defence. Aberdeen were afforded far too much time on the edge of our box and on the wings and it was no surprise they scored 2 goals. We have to start protecting the keeper far more. If the opposition can't get in shots or crosses they won't score - end of.

Tonight was never going to influence our position much. It was the hardest of our remaining games and a narrow defeat was very much on the cards. Our season starts next Friday.

I wonder what Dundee United pay for youngsters (from professional clubs that is)?

George Long is quite entitled to feel hard done by at the goal. The scorer should never have been allowed time and space to get so close to goal and be able to fire off an almost unstoppable shot unchallenged and at close range. It was the level of defending you'd expect to see in a school playground.

Or only clubs who don't want to be ripped off.

You've hit the nail on the head. Defending is a team game and we should look also at the amount of cover in front of the central defence prior to the ball being passed out to our right but yes, Josh Law appears to be in no mans land. Whatever the reason, we tend to lose this type of goal quite often. In the second half Magennis continually had acres of space on our left but fortunately his teammates didn't use him much.

Maybe I'm biased but the amount of diving going on in our past 2 games is nothing short of ridiculous. Managers are standing and watching this cheating from less than 10 metres away and doing nothing about it. It makes you wonder if players are actively encouraged/coached to do this. There was one instance yesterday of a Killie player going down, as if poleaxed, when in fact there had been no contact whatsoever.

Johnson for me. Law was good on the ball but poor off it.

A point won and we're off bottom so thats progress but in reality we dropped 2 points. In general we're playing far better now and creating far more chances. Poor finishing and bad luck denied us though I guess. Referee's decision to book Johnson was nothing short of absurd and if the Referee Assessor agreed there was contact then the yellow card ought to be struck off. Straker was the better of the 2 full backs as Law started out badly and suffered a bit of a roasting but then settled down came on to a better game. Skippy's fine goal was just reward for a cynical Kilmarnock side. Gary Locke ought to take a hard look at his charges, watching at close quarters as he did, several of them take blatant dives, none of which were punished. In fairness though Killie looked a half decent side. Onwards and upwards.

The club will not have paid Gunnar off in full - that would simply cost it more money and be of no benefit. Some compromise will have been reached.

He could never produce his undoubted talent on matchday and thats why he wasn't our number one choice. Two managers came to the same conclusion. An extremely talented goalie by all accounts but he never lived up to the promise.

Agree in principle but the problem is that some wingers, like players in general, may look fantastic in training but don't translate that form to the pitch on matchday.

We shouldn't underestimate our achievement Graeme. Admittedly Brill, Warren and Watkins were all out but the latter two were suspended not injured and that reflects indiscipline. It was also Ofere's first ever game for Thistle, having just signed. We had injury and absentee problems of our own and you equally well argue that the loss of Hammell, ZFA and Lawson weakened us.

I'd go along with that. They're by no means free of the relegation mire. St Mirren also have a toughish run in. A lot will also depend on how the authorities arrange the post split fixtures. As it stands I think numerically we will be due 3 home games and two away. However, we would only be due to play Ross County and Kilmarnock at home on the basis of fixtures after the split.

He should play again this season though there's no guarantee when.

Had a recent setback - 3 weeks. Maybe back for split?

And yet Dundee United and Inverness are two very physical sides who throw their weight around. Inverness were lucky indeed yesterday not to pick up 2 straight reds.

Very much so Andy. I suspect that most of us thought that Saints and Ross County were capable of picking up points yesterday and they did. On the other hand they knew we hadn't won a game in 2015 and weren't going to win yesterday and to be fair many of our own thought that too. On the contrary we did. They would have thought they were playing for the play off place. That would have sent shock waves through their respective dressing rooms. The C & A down and outs aren't down and out after all. Whats more Scott MacDonald wasn't fully fit and will only get better and the same could be said for Stephen Pearson. They'll know we did well yesterday but that we'll only get better.

The point I was trying to make, obviously not successfully, was that we've discussed many weaknesses/failings/issues on these boards, call them what you will. I had assumed that IB did not agree or was just oblivious to them but that isn't the case. He sees players on the training pitch during the week and that isn't necessarily translated onto the field on matchday. He comes across as a courteous polite articulate guy who can talk well, but there's much more to him than that.