GrahamH

I think you're clutching at straws a bit here. They lost to one of the best teams in the league and then beat the worst team in the league who haven't looked like beating anybody for months. Says more about us than them IMO.

What has Baraclough done since he came in? Some of the complaints while McCall was still here were:- - lack of fitness- lack of organisation- poor team selection- poor tactics- making the same mistakes week after week- team not making chances- being outplayed every week- team not looking motivated- defence losing soft goals Has there been an improvement on these? Genuine question as I haven't managed along to any games recently.

What level have you played at mate? Just asking so that I know whether or not to take any notice of what you say.

Who is Don Blackman?

Hopefully it's just a case of keeping Black until his contract runs out to save on paying him off rather than offering him a new one.

Comes across really well in the interview. If he can get the current squad putting a shift in and enjoying their football we'll do ok. Good luck to him

Eh?

The same BBC site that can't even get our players names right? I wouldn't take it as fact until the club announce something.

Anybody got a link to the Express or Star story? I can't see anything.

Hopefully a double announcement about ownership and manager.

I know I'm clutching at straws but there was probably more money going on VDG at the time than anybody else. If it was going to be anybody else they'd keep taking the money right?

Looks as if they are still taking bets on other managers though whereas Motherwell has disappeared..

+2

Why should Steelboy have to identify a replacement for McCall?

Is Fraser Kerr playing left midfield?

First sub between 60 and 65 mins. Erwin for Sutton.

Who signed the players?

Time for McCall to go. A new man coming in will have the same players to work with but if he can organise them and have them fighting for everything that would be a start. look what Gordon Strachan's done with Levein's duds. Better to make the change now than in 5 games time when we haven't picked up any more points.

My opinion is also based on some experience in this field - 20+ years playing and still one of the fittest in any team I play in :-) I agree that we should have been back earlier to build base fitness but disagree that a friendly between the Europa games would not have benefitted the team. I don't get the point about being more knackered if we played a friendly. IMO, for a professional athlete to be tired after 30 mins against a part-time team is a disgrace at any time never mind 2 games in a row. How could playing a friendly in between make that worse? The 'training' obviously didn't work did it?

I don't agree with much of that. I might be old school but I think you're better off combining fitness with sharpness and playing a game. Tactics can be discussed and practised on rest days as they are not particularly physical activities. I think you're underestimating professional athletes as I know plenty of amateurs that could easily cope with with 2 games a week while working on fitness. Have you ever heard footballers say that they prefer games to training? Also, have you ever heard footballers saying that the best way to get match fitness is by playing games? I think they know what they're talking about.

Knackered 5 days after a pre season friendly? A game where you can play a weakened team at 75% effort and make virtually as many substitution as you want? Seriously?

As pathetic as it is ill-judged.

I was replying to David who said :- "Finishing second when you're competing with teams like Hearts, Hibs, Dundee United & Aberdeen is ALWAYS a great achievement". Not when they're dross it isn't, regardless of budget.

Even when Hearts and Hibs are the worst 2 teams in the league?

The best way to get match fit is by playing football. That's why teams play pre-season friendlies and players coming back from injury play in bounce games. Friendlies aren't as good as competitive games but they're the next best thing so for us to be going into the Europa League on the back of one decent friendly was a joke. Absolutely amateur.