The African

They seriously don't give a f*ck. A very sad state of affairs for. once proud institution. Just the ways things have gone across the board for the Beeb.

Goalkeeper is a unique position. One that you enerally don't change unless you have to. Chapman has possession of the jersey, but only by the most tenuous of margins ( sixty minutes or so). Still, he did nothing wrong on debut so I would be tempted to start with him. Longer term, a decision will have to be made by the manager. Important that he gets it right as the difference that a good goalie can make to the whole team's performance is significant.

My eyes! My eyes!

Is it just another symptom of these crazy times that Tony Fitzpatrick appears to have turned into Lady Macbeth? Anyway, to paraphrase the Bard, methinks he doth protest too much.

With news of the injury to Mugabe, I am now in the " a point wouldn't be the worst outcome" camp. It will be interesting to see how Robinson set up the team. I hope that the confidence that Gallagher and O'Donnell should bring back from the international aqua isn't allowed to be thrown away with a cack handed decision to be too clever by half with our selection. We have two options. Retain the back three, but with Gallagher in the central position, or go to a back four. Both have some merit, but are also not without danger, given the talent available. Right now, I'd look at a back four of O'Donnell, Gallagher, Lamie and McGinley. The lack of a genuine left back is still an issue but two holding midfielders in the shape of Grimshaw and Maguire should help bolster things. I think that the injury to Mugabe shows that we were wrong in not looking for experienced cover for centre half during the transfer window.

Any kind of win will be a very good result. Hopefully we can find a decent performance and that will be enough but we have been so inconsistent this season, you wouldn't bet on it with any conviction.

Willie Pettigrew was a significant part of my childhood as the goal scoring hero in the team I followed. Growing up in Edinburgh where myself and my Dad were the only ' well fans in the area, his exploits helped justify my loyalty. My brother showed no such fôrtitude and succumbed to the lure of his wee pals and has been a Hibs fan ever since. Seeing that youtube footage again just confirms a couple of things. We had a seriously decent and talented side back then, and Rangers, cheating the hell out of us in two of the featured games, are the complete shite stained bastard offspring of Satan. Some of the skill and touch displayed by Willie P and his teammates, on pitches which make you wonder if teams even employed groundsmen, are fantastic. From that era, my favourite players were Willie P, Joe Wark, Bobby Watson, Peter Miller, Bobby Graham, Peter Marinello and Ian Taylor ( plus a special mention for Stewart Rennie who worked with my Dad). How we never won anything with the talent available is a mystery until you take into account the antics of the scum from Ibrox. Seriously though, happy birthday Willie P and thanks for the memories.

I have seen reports that we are looking for a goalkeeper to cover for the unfortunate Scott Fox. Perhaps young Morrison's call up to the Scotland Under 21 squad ( congratulations and good luck to the lad ) might make them think again? No point spending money to cover a contingency when there are obvious deficiencies, requiring more urgent action, elsewhere in the squad.

Pure conjecture on my part. But you never know in these strange, crazy and unprecedented times.

Isn't it going to be ironic when the clubs go begging to the government for hand outs, as most surely will, after spending large in the transfer market? I am thinking mostly of the ugly sisters in a Scottish context, but Hibs might be planning to join them. Clubs that have played fair and lived within their means, like ourselves, will probably look a little foolish if we just use up cash reserves while others survive on "free money" from central government funding.

Certainly wouldn't disagree with that. We need to find a system and formation that all our players are comfortable and best suits their abilities. I feel that the loss of Donnelly has probably prompted the move to a back five. His defensive sweeping in front of our back four was a big factor in our success last season.

The key to getting the best out of Gallagher is probably as much to do with inding the right player o partner him at centre back. A so,I'd experienced operator like a fit Peter Hartley would take a fair bit of responsibility and pressure off and allow him to concentrate on his own performance. There is also a case for looking at the captaincy and maybe letting Carson take the armband for a few games. As our friend from Texas says, he is a good player and he will come good. We simply have to find a way to get to that situation sooner rather than later.

The decision to not resign both Tait and Hartley was probably sound on a footballing sense. They both poked like they were on a downward curve in terms of performance and fitness.The nature and quality of their replacements is another matter entirely.

I am not saying that the draw this season was not favourable. However, we obviously have different opinions as to how good we currently are.

The truth is that we have probably done as well as could have been expected in Europe this season. In reality, the draw was pretty favourable with two teams from Nirthern Ireland before getting a side rated higher than us. The Covid situation with "one off" fixtures and no supporters in the ground was probably also in our favour. I think it is fair to say that it would Bea major shock if any Scottish team, out with the old firm, were to make the group stages of the Europa League. As such, it seems churlish to criticise our team and players for their failure to do so. It is a money making exercise and we have, to a certain degree, achieved that particular goal.

Would love a win. Would take a draw. Will probably have to settle for bugger all. In truth, given how things have gone this season, anything will be a pleasant surprise and a bonus.

Not forgetting that baldy guy we signed from St Johnstone. Ironically, I cannot remember his name.... Edit - Simon Mensing. I remembered.

Trev, all the way. The only other contender would be theeferee, given the effect his performance had on the outcome of the match.

Away at Greenock when we went on to win the cup? Is this a sign I ask myself? Dont be so f*ck*n' stupid, I quickly retort.

Well we are through, somehow. Got to love the roller coaster. A result that throws up ore questions than answers though.

Not sure why we should be worried about this one. A great opportunity to get through to the next round and even beyond that. Raises the international profile of the club and gaining a good few extra shekels at the same time. The worst case scenario is we get knocked out now and we have still made a few quid. As I see it, we literally have nothing to lose. As for this fixture specifically, I expect Colraine to be better than Glentoran and their result in the last round shows that they have something about them. This is an exciting tie against new opposition. If we cannot get ourselves up for it and produce a performance then we need to have a good look at ourselves, poor start to the season, or not.

A day when the result was way more important than the performance. A win and a clean sheet will do for me now. Get through on Thursday night and then use the cash windfall to address some of the issues I need the squad.

I admire your optimism. Grim experience has taught me that wins at Celtic Park are becoming rarer as the financial gap between the haves and have nots continues to increase, but we need to believe that a win is still possible.

Murphy has only just turned thirty one, and is fondly remembered from the start of his career at Fir Park. He would definitely have been a step up in quality from what we currently have, though I agree with the suggestions that he was probably beyond our budget.

Yes, I think most of us know where we need improving, but does Robinson? I think we have been a little unlucky with injuries, especially at left back, but we have been found wanting on too many occasions and it has cost us points. I agree that another centre half would be a priority. Someone akin to an Aldred or Hartley to add steel and leadership beside Gallagher, or as a replacement should we receive a decent offer for him. Up front I also agree that our wide players aren't cutting it. I do feel that Long, Lang and Watt have the ability for this level and it is probably unfair to judge White at this early stage but it is possible that he will never make the step up. Seedorf has shown signs of improvement but we are not in the position to be able to give him too many games to see if this will continue. Hastie looks off the pace and if Hylton is considered behind those options then he probably isn't the answer. I think that, in the search for versatility in our attacking options, we have ended up with a number of jack of all trades who can fill in a number of positions but who fail to excel at any of them.