David

If we're not interested in Europe, then why even bother trying for top six? European football is the pinnacle for a club like ours outwith winning one of the two cups. It should always be on the agenda if and when we ensure we're not in danger of relegation.

The truth is though that most teams exit Europe with nothing to shout about. We're never going to really do much, and the best we can hope for is a decent draw against a well-known side to add a bit of a novelty factor. It's a chance to dust the passports off, and the fans to create memories during the trips that they'll remember for years. The actual progress of the team is secondary in all honesty. One thing I will say though. I'd certainly rather we were earning €500,000 for beating Glentoran & Coleraine than pissing about against Queens Park or Annan.

I have to admit, I'm quite surprised at the amount of posters here who'd rather we were playing some early League Cup games against lower league opposition than actually playing in Europe. I always thought the idea of getting into the top six was to push for the European places?

Exactly. Why the governing body didn't take this possibility into account in the first place is a bit of a joke. I'm far from someone who has any time for Rangers, but it's on the footballing authorities in this country to be helping them have the best chance of success in Europe, while at the same time not shafting fans of the other clubs.

Not to mention that we made something like £750,000 from a recent European run, did we not?

That's what their £125 million gets them I suppose. We take their money, so we have to play by their rules to an extent.

Everyone needs to start somewhere, and in Scotland there's only a select number of clubs who have the framework and finances in place to offer that kind of job, so he was never going to drop down a division or two. He has his UEFA B, his A and his Pro Licence, and is studying a Masters of Sport Directorship at Manchester Metropolitan University, so he's preparing himself as best anyone possibly could. Now it's time to see if he can put all of that into action. Best of luck to him. My only fear is that if Alexander doesn't manage to kick on and next season begins in the same way this one has gone since Christmas we'll end up with an entire new backroom staff and manager needing to be hired.

Seems that Lamie to Dundee isn't a done deal after all...

At this stage, it's all a bonus now in my opinion. If we can challenge for Europe then great, but if we finish 6th then it's not that bad either. I'd like to see the players just go out and give it a go. Especially against the Old Firm. Those two games are the very definition of free hits, so go out and give it a try.

That could very well be true. I would like to think that some of those clubs were maybe interested when he made it clear he was leaving QPR, but that he preferred to come back to Scotland. Let's hope he signs an extension with us.

Ah, okay. Makes sense. I'm not a big fan of his style of football, but it should be pointed out that since sacking him Gary Neville has said "Last season, Graham Alexander should never have left this club. He should never have left, I should never have made that decision that I made." I guess the grass isn't always greener, and that's what makes it far from an easy choice to just get rid of him.

His style isn't easy on the eye and he's not getting results at the moment, but he's far from clueless. He's proven that with his results not just here but elsewhere. It's also worth remembering that the board, and Alan Burrows, will be speaking to Alexander daily, discussing the issues, and trying to put them right. We don't see that aspect, and I trust the board will know if and when the time is right to tell the manager that it's just not working and it's time to part ways.

Really? You think you were wrong to want Alexander over Wright, who was sacked after less than a year with Kilmarnock, who he had taken to 5th in the Championship? Or over John Hughes who's currently manager of 9th in the Championship Dunfermline? I think it depends on where the big offer comes from. He was sitting on what was most likely a nice contract down south at QPR which was set to run until June 2023 but chose to leave that behind and return to Scotland with us. I have a feeling he may not be overly keen to return down south perhaps? It would be interesting to see how that plays out, but I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if he signs an extension with us. He seems to be enjoying his football here.

If people want to buy a new kit then fair play, batter in. But if they don't, they don't have to. And if they collect the shirts like I do, more than actually buy them to wear, you just buy them when they're down in price at the end of the season.

No one is forced to buy the new kit every season. I think a kit refresh per season is the going rate now, for most clubs.

Unless St Johnstone go on a winning streak unlike anything they've done this season so far there's no chance they catch us.

Could be a confidence problem? There's been whispers of him not getting on with the manager after daring to challenge his tactics and approach? Could be a lot of nonsense, of course, but there's clearly a reason why he looks solid at international level, and why he also looked solid enough for us up to a certain point, only to fall away as he has. Not getting consistent game time won't help, and neither will getting dogs abuse from the stands when he does play. Bad enough that players get that from the opposition, but he gets it from his own clubs fans. Regardless, he's clearly capable of so much more than he's currently showing with us, for whatever reason. But for me, if a player is rubbish, he's rubbish. You don't go from being technically amateur as you suggest, to being good enough to hold your own against the eventual finalists at an international tournament.

I actually think O'Donnell's problems with us say more about us than it does him. He's a different player when he plays for Scotland, which may be because Scotland's manager knows how to better utilise him.

Have you seen the reaction to shit football this season? Imagine if we had an even smaller budget? And the teams around us the same?

What makes you think we'd get bigger crowds? The Old Firm would still exist, and thus would likely suck just as many, if not more fans from all over Scotland into their ecosystem. Imagine the interest in them if they were playing in the English league or something? It would maybe make our league a bit more competitive, but as mentioned above, the quality wouldn't be any higher I don't think, and we'd have less TV money coming into the game.

I'm far from an advocate of the old firm, but if they upped sticks and buggered off so would the TV deal we have in place, along with a decent chunk of the income we make from them visiting each season. While our league would be more competitive, it would certainly be less attractive to those outside of Scotland.

If the manager allows the reaction of the fans to dictate how he manages the team then we're in bigger trouble than I thought. Nah, if fans are happy to dish out abuse throughout the game to a player they need to expect to get told to pipe down now and then. Don't dish it if you can't take it and all that.

Don't you remember the reaction when he signed for United? A lot of our fanbase couldn't wait to get him out the door.

Let's be honest, if he was good enough to be even slightly challenging Kelly he'd be the second choice, not Fox. He's 24 now, he should surely be looking to at least make that slot on our bench his own.

As we head towards the end of the season we have the following players out of contract at the end of May unless I'm mistaken (please let me know if any of these have changed): PJ Morrison Ricki Lamie (pre-contract signed with Dundee) Victor Nirennold Liam Grimshaw Mark O'Hara (pre-contract signed with St Mirren) Liam Donnelly Liam Shaw (end of loan) Jordan Roberts Justin Amaluzor Darragh O’Connor I'd look to only retain Morrison, O'Hara, O'Connor, and possibly Grimshaw for his versatility as a backup from that list. Thoughts?