vikingTON

Well no, because if your comparison between the end product of Muirhead and assorted sand-dancers on the bench was based on objectively recording 'recent form', then you clearly need to drop games in February on a rolling basis - and update your poindexter database - to reflect the fact that those games are increasingly no longer recent at all. Instead, you finally admit that you just cherry-picked a start date that best fitted your argument and presented figures from that fixed starting point. Which is not objective and demonstrates nothing of value. A page of tedious back and forth that could have been avoided, but there are enough questionable judgments as it is on here without having a fraudulent attempt at statistical analysis being used to support them.

So you have been removing February results and updating your assessment on a regular basis then, what with the passage of April rendering the first half of February's results equally irrelevant as 'recent form' by your own definition? Or did you simply form your argument first, looked for the precise size of goalposts that would best fit, and are now trying to pass it off as the second K-T boundary that Changed Everything? Tough call tbh.

So 'recent form' consists solely of the period in which you think a player isn't performing; any sequence of games that goes against your thesis isn't 'recent' and so magically doesn't count against your case. As I stated then, what you're providing here is an exercise in cherry-picking rather than credible analysis.

We're only six figures in the black this season because we a) got a favourable League Cup draw to get out of the group stage, which allowed us to b) draw Rangers in the next round, pocket a windfall and also create a credible player budget. We then did well and got some fortune with the draw in progressing to the Scottish Cup QF too, but that wouldn't have happened without the first two conditions being in place. It's entirely likely though that we'll get a complete stinker of a League Cup group next season that will leave us unlikely to progress unless we win the group outright against Premiership opposition. Which if we fail, then leaves us relying on a Scottish Cup run and money-spinner just to make ends meet. That's not sustainable in any way. The fundamentals of the club's income hasn't substantially changed and until we develop the infrastructure to address that then we shouldn't be speculating to accumulate on the first team. There's nobody to write the IOU if it goes wrong and we shouldn't want someone to do that again anyway.

The 'last two months' is quite clearly arbitrary. Why not the last three months? Who decreed that two months was the definition of recent form - other than it suiting the purpose of your cherry-picking exercise? And in any case even by your own goalpost fixing exercise, we seem to have 'player on a terrible run of form who should definitely be dropped' on level pegging with 'guid young player - start him instead and/or award new contract too'. I for one think that we should accept neither benchmark of performance as acceptable next season, which means upgrading on our existing options by providing serious competition instead. He has played on the right several times throughout the season. Fooling absolutely no-one: how many times has Muirhead started on the right hand side of our forward line this season? Be extremely specific.

The only thing that's bizarre here is someone who was throwing his toys out the pram about the club not swooping for 'Frankie Deane' and a ringer off Tiktok questioning Sir David Irons' decision-making skill. Next. That's 2 goals in 10 games versus 3 goals in 10 games. So even by your latest exercise in cherry-picked 'analysis' (RIP: The Lewis McGrattan Win Ratio, 2023-err, 2023) the difference in contribution is not substantial between Muirhead's worst spell of the season and Garrity's best. No serious manager is going to drop the former for the latter given what Muirhead has demonstrated to Imrie that he can deliver. Your argument about Muirhead starting on the right in one game out of 40-odd this season is self-evidently ridiculous.

The only two players who play on the left hand side are Garrity who has been okay, nothing more than that, and McGrattan who categorically has not contributed more than Muirhead either since January, August or indeed any other period you're now setting your stats by. While Bearne's performances are likely overrated too, they're irrelevant because he doesn't even play on that side of the park. I'm far from President of the Robbie Muirhead Travel Club, but the idea that our current wide options are an adequate replacement for his contribution to the team in this existing setup is demonstrable nonsense. The simple facts show that all the alternative options put together do not deliver as many goals, do not deliver a significant number of assists and also do not deliver any potential threat from set pieces. Which is likely why Imrie files all this mewling in the bin too. We lack serious competition which might get the best out of Muirhead if, for argument's sake, we assume that he and Oakley stay. Unless we change system, then our forward options next season would look like this: LW - Muirhead CF - Oakley/Muirhead/Davies RW - Davies/Bearne The priority should quite clearly be adding a capable, left sided forward. Which involves giving a sincere, thanks for your efforts but cheerio card to our current two options there as well as Quitongo on the opposite side. That's the only way to step up to the next level within a budget, instead of this endless, clutching at straws exercise for players who simply haven't shown enough.

He's 24 in July, which is by no means young in football terms and particularly at this level. The choice is whether we can reliably expect further development into a reliable Championship player at that stage in Garrity's career, or whether a better bet is coming through the youth cohort that is a good 7-8 years younger. And while Garrity will likely be a relatively low earner, he's still a professional footballer entering the peak stage of his career. If the combined wages of McGrattan and Garrity can be used to get a real left sided attacker, then we should do that instead. Be serious. McGrattan and Bearne are not even remotely equipped to do the Crawford role pressing from the front. One because it's the complete opposite of his own game, the other because he's simply multiple levels below Crawford in terms of ability and tactical awareness. It's funny btw to see this sudden desire to play Bearne on the left and in the middle of the park; no doubt you'd be berating the manager for shamefully playing the forum's latest great white hope out of position, if he actually tried that demented idea. Crawford and Muirhead have been de facto undroppable this season because the fringe players in the squad haven't been good enough to step up on their place. That's why we are where we are in the league and that's what needs to be ruthlessly addressed this summer.

Bearne plays a completely different position to Crawford though. Who, specifically, was available to replace Crawford in the same role for the team? Which of our left sided players has demonstrated the number of goal contributions that Muirhead has produced this season - including multiple from set pieces? The reason why Imrie 'persists' with those two players is perfectly obvious - they offer abilities that cannot be replaced by the current squad, because the alternative options are simply not good enough.

Dropped and subbed for whom though? In the cases of Muirhead and Crawford, the 'replacements' for their role in the current squad are entirely different types of players, who also haven't shown that they have what it takes to deliver on a reliable basis. It's a vicious cycle but the problem does not rest with those players or the manager persisting with them - it's the sub-par squad options that needs to be addressed if we are to progress. A bit of healthy competition wouldn't go amiss either.

I think Power has done about enough based on this season's performances, but the problem is that there's absolutely no guarantee we'll get the same level next season. If there are options out there with fewer miles under their belt then I'd be sincerely thanking him and Gillespie for their efforts but moving on. We cannot afford another Neil McFarlane figure. Blues' versatility merits a position in the squad and the application he has put in at various roles this season has been crucial. He shouldn't be in our first choice midfield though so it depends on budget/wage expectations.

I wouldn't say Crawford has struggled for a large part of the season, but his form dropped at the same time as Muirhead without anywhere near the same scrutiny. Look at the roles they're expected to do (and in Muirhead's case, his natural fitness/playing style) and for me it's an issue of overuse because our alternative options have been crap. Garrity has already surprised my expectations simply by making it to the end of the season and moving himself up the pecking order, but what is his actual role going to be at Championship level on a regular basis? With Davies coming in and Bearne signed up, I'd release both McGrattan and Garrity (and others) to try and add a genuinely credible left-sided option instead of two IMO capable League One level players. If we want someone to come off the bench and offer something different, we have a youth cohort coming through that have far more time on their side to benefit from that experience.

Conceding an Ayr winner was also a possibility and your own judgment of the game confirms which one was more likely.

How did our recruitment deal with the exact same position last summer? Was Scottish football awash with highly effective full backs, just desperate to join us? While I'd certainly be looking to upgrade on French (a largely competent Championship player, but no more based on this season at least) we should also recognise that we can and indeed often do end up with far worse in that position. It's a position we need to upgrade if we are serious about progressing to the next level and making our attacking play less one dimensional, but the same applies to several teams in the division who will be fighting over the same player or two.

Why were you disappointed with the latter, given your own pessimistic assessment of the balance of the game? Perhaps if we hadn't coughed up stupid defeat after stupid defeat from similar scenarios in recent weeks, then a draw at Ayr would be consolidating a play-off spot rather than just our current league status (both against 9th and dropping further down the table).