MelvinBragg

There are more goalkeepers that are not first choice than there are first choice goalkeepers. It could be that Oxborough realises that there are very few first choice goalkeeping slots available, even less at clubs that might be seen as attractive. Equally likely as his being promised something. And I'm not saying that's definitely the case but Oxborough is not 19, he's been around football for a number of years. It could be he's just more realistic than some other keepers...

A few points have been made on here following the lists released by the club. • Like most, I'm kind of surprised that Mugabi has been offered a contract. Not that I think he's any worse than Blaney or Casey but given how little he played the last couple of months, the game against St Johnstone felt like a sentimental chance to say cheerio. If he was the first centre half on our bench, I wouldn't be upset. We've had worse defenders... • I think it was Dave who seemed surprised that we offered Oxborough a contract when he wasn't deemed good enough when Kelly lost form. We have to remember that Kelly was club captain and clubs very rarely drop goalkeepers... • Before getting upset at our offering Slattery (and Mugabi and O'Donnell for that matter), maybe consider that we don't know what they've been offered Slattery offered pay as you play? O'Donnell and Mugabi offered terms of a bench player rather than a first pick. I reckon if we'd offered these players what they were after then they'd be on the same list as Oxborough and McGinn... I've been pretty uninspired by the names we've been linked with but will wait and see what the squad looks like as the league cup and then the league starts...

Let's hope that this is just an off night for Easton, have seen nothing to suggest he's good enough...

Casey is a bombscare. Not suggesting any of other defenders are fantastic, but he's no better than them...

To me it looked like 352 as usual with bizarre choice to play Nicholson at wing back. Which might partly explain why he was poor..

I tend to agree. I seem to remember he was injured a fair bit though at Fir Park...

Apparently we offered Simon Murray a contract when he was at Queens Park and he laughed at our offer...

Indeed. I'd also be happier if he played a bit closer to Bair...

Talk of Ryan Jack and his injury record got me thinking about a conversation had at Fir Park earlier this season. Should we be looking at our physio department? Dunne and Moult couldn't stay fit at Fir Park and now they're available for selection most weeks. And the number of injuries we've had this season seems a lot...

I think there may be a distinction there. The Society as an organisation aren't involved in negotiations. But as members of the board of directors, the society reps on the board may well be involved in negotiations or at least privy to information...

I know. Hence "I thought". Don't get me wrong, he wasn't alone in having a bad day at the office. Spittal wasn't great, Bair (although starved of supply) didn't do much other than his goal (and yes, I know if a striker scores a goal every week and does nothing else, you'd take that). For me, O'Donnell, Gent and Zdravkovski were the best of a bad bunch...

I thought Casey was atrocious...

Unlike Van Veen himself...

I'd guess that the keeper may be among them. Probably O'Donnell...

Given Obileye's performance against us recently, I'm kind of hoping so...

That name popped into my head as well. The thing is that there are bound to be a few good keepers not getting first team football, it's the nature of the position. Remember signing Carson and Gillespie in successive summers? George doesn't strike me as a terrible keeper but there may be better options out there...

Apparently a PCA with Kilmarnock. Given he's played with Accies and Livingston, he clearly has some kind of plastic fetish. Don't let him near your daughter's Barbie...

I had actually heard it was Obileye, the centre half we had a PCA with. Nothing I've see of him suggests he's better than what we have (but then I'd have said that of Bair). Maybe cheaper than renewing Mugabi if we're cutting costs?

Good to see that Vale has followed in the footsteps of Bair in being a signing widely dismissed as being shite before they had kicked a ball for us only to go on and make a valuable contribution to the team. Am I being naive in thinking that maybe people will, while being allowed to be sceptical of signings ("his statistics aren't great"), hold fire on the "he's garbage, why have we signed him" chat this summer? Just a thought...

Unfashionable as it might be, I'm going for O'Donnell. Set up a goal, prevented one with his defensive header in the six yard box late in the second half, set up Spittal's chance in the first half. I've been a huge critic of his in the past, and this is not me saying give him a new contract. But give him credit where it's due, he was good tonight...

Other than Dhanda, none of them looked up to much at Fir Park a few weeks ago...

That thought struck me as well but you wonder if we could outbid St Johnstone? Or the likes of Kilmarnock or a promoted Dundee United? On that basis, unlikely...

You have gone all guns blazing here without knowing the circumstances. Does it occur to you that the club using the phrase "personal reasons" might suggest it might not be for football reasons? It might be but equally there may be a family issue that has developed which is none of our business. This might have been a mistake by the club but to go all out and criticise the club automatically without any knowledge of the situation (knowledge that we're not entitled to), seems like looking for an excuse to have a go...

That's a separate question but a valid one. The point I'm making here though is that getting points off the Old Firm isn't always a barometer for a successful league season. Would I like to get results against them more often? Of course. But I refuse to get hung up about it. Just think of it as having a couple of bogey teams...

Just as an aside on our recent terrible record vs the Old Firm (particularly Rangers).. A few of these teams who are of a similar size to ourselves but have a better record against the Old Firm have also suffered relegations in this period where we've been awful against the two headed monster. I'm not saying we shouldn't be aiming for both, but if it's staying up or a better record against them... I know which I prefer...