Toby

Looking at the international fixtures, there. We play Partick at home on the weekend of the next international break. Can see that being moved to a midweek with their game against Queen’s Park at the weekend there being called off for international call ups.

Jack Iredale has been called up to the Australia squad.

Great bunch of lads.

Looks like I fucked that rant up, then.

An “early bird” offer for hospitality for a game which takes place five days from now is an absolute belter. Almost as if nobody bothered their hoop trying to market it weeks ago.

Saw it mentioned on the match thread, but I hope that John McMaster in particular is never welcomed back to Cappielow as a guest. Joe Harper was at least somewhat balanced in his pre-match social media message, and I went away to talk to my mates who were smoking on the embankment at half time behind the shed so missed them both making a bee line for the Aberdeen fans before apparently being dragged towards the shed by Gherry. McMaster’s always struck me as a bit of a weirdo anyway, and the “Gothenburg Great” Twitter handle and book title strikes me as the attitude of a total egotist- the public decide if you’re a “great”, not you. But the carry on of “ah luv baeth clubs but ah hope we hump yeez” can get in the fucking bin. We platformed that guy for a week just so he could lord up the attention of the Aberdeen fans. When playing a cup tie against superior opposition we should be doing everything in our power to turn it into as intimidating a cauldron as possible, not making it akin to a testimonial.

I didn’t say they are charging different prices for home and away fans, but they’re charging their own fans the same as us for vastly superior facilities in the other two stands, and £2 more than we charge for similarly Dickensian ones at Cappielow. It should also be noted that they could accommodate our support in those two stands without impacting the home support, but choose not to. My point is that while we couldn’t do that when they visit, we could offset the impact on Morton fans by offering a multi-match deal which could save them a few quid while also potentially growing the crowd at two games.

I note that it’s £24 into Partick’s shit pit, fire hazard of a stand tomorrow. Would really like to see a bit of tit-for-tat with them if they think it’s okay to charge our fans so much. You can’t charge home and away fans different prices, but I’d like to see £24 across the board for their next visit to Cappielow, with the option to buy a ticket for that match and the home game that follows it for £40 in total. Would that be a way we could behave like complete dicks towards them and get away with it?

I don’t think he’s ever said anything to offend anyone, but the point about him rolling about the pitch is valid. His nonsense in Inverness’s 2-0 win at Cappielow that ended the long unbeaten run was extremely frustrating, but we’re all happy enough when the shoe’s on the other foot. ”Rat cunt” might be a bit extreme, though. Until he signs for Partick, at least.

Michael Tidser signs for Montrose.

I’m inclined to think that the issues with the pie stall are more of an infrastructure problem than a staffing one, and can’t really see a solution, to be honest. There’s no room to split the queue, and very limited space for the staff to work in, while I don’t think that the use of card readers has really sped things up from the cash only days. Not sure if there’s been a dramatic upsurge in the last half season or so since the new caterers came in, but it’s a recurring theme. Only possible ideas could be opening up at the old away end of the Cowshed to form a second queue or to convert the gym at the foot of the Cowshed stairs into a catering area, but I can’t see either happening. Think I was in about 2.25 on Saturday and the queue was massive, it just wasn’t worth waiting. If everyone’s think that, you wonder what the club are losing out on.

Was talking to my pals at the game about this yesterday- it really is incredibly poor. Ayr United modelled their new stand around increasing hospitality capacity knowing how much of an earner it is, while we, with a capacity of what, 80(?) can’t justify it on a sunny day in August when we’ve had the best part of seven weeks since the fixtures were released to promote it? And on the YouTube video previewing the very match we can’t sell any hospitality, we’ve got a director trying to push it for businesses as an employee rewards scheme? It really is beyond parody. We’ll likely do alright out of hospitality when Aberdeen come to town for the cup tie, but what chance do we have for any other run of the mill games if we have to cancel the first game of the season? I’d say we might as well just chuck it if that’s the case, but it looks like we already have. Must do better.

Fair enough, your overall point is fair so I don’t want it to look like I’m nitpicking at one particular facet of it or at the wording. That wasn’t what I was meaning to do.

I get that clubs are free to sign him, but there absolutely are restrictions placed on young players, and it couldn’t be more obvious than in this instance. The boy’s out of work because nobody will match his previous club’s demands, that simply wouldn’t be the case if he was allowed to walk without Morton collecting a fee. If the fee is putting off other clubs, then that’s a restriction to his movement.

It does, though. By all accounts Keay wants to go to St. Mirren and they wanted him. Now, because of his former employers and that pesky development fee, he’s out of work because nobody wants to pay it and Morton aren’t backing down. The club’s not wrong (they’re absolutely correct) in doing what they’re doing, but to say we haven’t made restrictions on Keay’s movement would be wholly inaccurate.