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Had the benefit of a night's sleep to calm down and think a bit more rationally about yesterday's goings on- and I'm still absolutely fucking livid. Not since John McKendrick in the League Cup Quarter Final in 2013 have I been so furious with the downright ineptitude of an official's performance. I'm always at pains to go down the Celtic route of calling referees out for blatant cheating, but that was a performance so bad, and so one-sided, that he's leaving himself open to such accusations. Brian Graham's behaviour all afternoon was nothing short of despicable. We all understand that players such as him will use their experience and the dark arts to gain every advantage they can, but when it come to throwing his elbow into Ambrose's face, when Ambrose had pocketed him for the entire first half (just like he did to Strapp earlier in the season) action really has to be taken. The evidence was there for Muir to see, Ambrose didn't just walk into a fucking door. Their penalty I'd have to see at closer quarters. Maybe it was deliberate handball, maybe it wasn't, it's difficult to tell from where we were watching it. I wouldn't go as far as to say I'll give him the benefit of the doubt over it, but I'd need another look. As for the foul on Crawford in the box, a penalty all day long, and made all the more frustrating by the fact he gave us a free kick in a relatively harmless position on the half way line for a similar foul a matter of seconds later. We'll not know Dougie's role in his two yelllows that got him sent to the stand, but our manager really must be questioning such poor officiating and giving out some really harsh truths. Whatever Dougie did say, his body language didn't suggest he was completely out of order, unlike the appalling behaviour of Graham, who, a few minutes later launched an absolute torrent of abuse at the linesman on our side on a rare occasion that a decision actually went against that rancid mob. It's little wonder you see such paranoia and conspiracy theories in Scottish football when there are such inconsistencies within a short period of the same match. A few of us have put forward the theory that since VAR, there's been a drip-down effect and we're seeing poorer referees as a result of the better guys sitting in studios, but this joker got Hibs v Celtic just over a week ago. What's his excuse? On the positives, Andy Millen's performance in the dug out after Dougie's expulsion was absolutely magnificent, not standing for the slightest thing that was going against us, from the referee and our opponents' behaviour to the Partick ball boy. And well done to Grimshaw for not standing for any of Graham's shite at full time. I can accept him goading us, as the feeling towards him is mutual, and we give him as good back, but it was clear that his behaviour all day crossed boundaries with our players, and Grimshaw in particular. He did extremely well not to stick the nut in him and end up with a ban. Speaking of bans, Dougie will of course now be looking at one after his two yellows. Quite what ban is appropriate for a manager for that I don't know, but there is of course his walking onto the pitch at full time when it kicked off, which may well see him being hammered further. One of my mates did point out that it might not be in Alan Muir's best interests to mention it when he reflects on how much his own performance contributed to yesterday's match being such a bad tempered affair, and how much it contributed to Dougie's fury and Morton walking away with nothing from the game. I won't hold my breath for such self-awareness from Mr. Muir, though. A dreadful afternoon that has left a terribly sour taste in the mouth. I trust that Dougie will use the injustices of yesterday like he did the inept performance from our own team at Firhill earlier in the season and this will act as a catalyst to move forward. Really, really sickened by all of that. And especially against them.

Not too hard to spot the subtext of "Billy Dodds is a bellend" there.

Not to worry - everyone has something to work on.

No point in starting a new thread about it, but I see at about 46:30, Kevin Kyle stating categorically that Morton fixed the game at Hamilton in 2014, and Dougie’s name being specifically mentioned by Ryan Conroy in relation to the “fix” in spite of playing well and scoring twice that day. Pricks.

Having read this match thread and also having looked at P&B, the Partick supporters seem to be under the impression that we 'want' some kind of rivalry with them, which is totally missing the point. We don't really, we just think they're a real shower of cunts. The difference between the likes of St. Mirren and Airdrie, they know who they are and in fairness they're similar to Morton albeit from different towns, whereas the typical Partick supporter is so far up his own arse he lacks the basic self awareness to know that those that come into contact with him/them think they're irritating cunts. Now, i've not got any great love for Rangers, however when the Ibrox hordes descended on Firhill and stole their flags and burnt them I found it fucking hilarious. You've got to give them brownie points for this: https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/football/1579379/rangers-ultras-stolen-partick-thistle-flags/ Also, their new board which they're all raging about. I know one of those on that board and he epitomises everything that the typical Partick supporter is. He's perfect for them, as he's an arsehole too. So in short, we dont want a 'rivalry' we just want them to know what we think of them.

What a club.

Remove the player we have on loan at them immediately and commence libel proceedings. Scumbags.

Seems to be a bit of a weird attitude towards Kabia for me that's bordering on being personal and nasty from some when he's contributed to a promising season so far for the team. I'm by no means his biggest fan but He's a young inexperienced guy on loan and he hasn't quite been up to the standard required most weeks but I don't think he deserves to be singled out as a massive weak link that is miles off it like he's Adam Coakley or something. Wish him all the best for his contribution and hopefully we have replaced him with someone more consistent in Miller.

There really weren't, unless bottling promotions from the seaside leagues at Stranraer/Peterhead is your idea of good times. We managed one credible tilt at potential top flight football in 11 years, immediately before the taps started to get turned off and we got the 13/14 campaign as a result. That's the cost of not being even remotely ruthless enough with the players and above all the management who were not up to the required standard during the early years of the Rae era.

Next year is the 150th anniversary of our club (although not of our limited company; if memory serves, that was formed in 1891 and prior to that Morton was run on an unincorporated basis.) I assume the Board has something planned for this, but I don't know what. It is worth reflecting on how big an achievement this is. It was a few years ago that I looked at this but in terms of full-time professional clubs, Morton are one of only 20 worldwide playing the FIFA code founded before 1875. There are of course other part-time and amateur clubs taking the total above 20, not to mention the many rugby and Aussie Rules clubs also older, but two points must be remembered: nobody cares about part-time and amateur clubs; and rugby and Aussie Rules are crap, which is why only sex offenders and Australians watch them. With this established, we must celebrate being one of a tiny number of professional clubs to have survived from the earliest days of our code through to the present day. I'd like a ceremonial burning of some rugby shirts and Queen's Park shorts to start with, but some kind of video retrospective might also be good. Maybe some kind of multi-season membership to the club to kick off the next 150 years? I don't know. There's lots of stuff we can do. But the occasion should not pass without notice.

vT is 100% correct and when people say DDF's biggest "failing" was letting his heart rule his head they're doing the interview thing where they say their biggest weakness is their humbling sense of modesty. In reality while he obviously did love the club, his failure to properly blaze a trail for its future isn't a symptom of love but rather a symptom of neglect. If I say I love my pet dog but let it get obese and eventually die of bloat, you can't say my overfeeding it was because my heart ruled my head. You can say it's because for whatever reason I thought Rover and I above the basic requirements of healthy living. In other words his stepping in with the magic checkbook - with the full understanding that the money was owed from the club to the Rae family, by the way, and he's eminently quotable on that score - also isn't a sign of love but a sign of the dependent state he left the club in, one that's now very slowly being repaired only now that GC doesn't own the club. [quote]*The running up and writing off of losses up to the point where GC had flushed away any other significant shareholding - at which point the IOU book was set up instead - was a cynical and unnecessary assertion of total control IMO. [/quote] Also 100% correct, and while it's appropriate to thank Crawford for seeing sense in the end, it's also permissible to ask what opportunities the club missed out on before MCT was formed due to that very rigid stance the Raes had for the better part of 15 years. Of course you can make the opposite case that by not having a fire sale we dodged a shyster or a Mileson. Either way, the fact that reality eventually intervened - against the wishes of several of Rae's acolytes in and around the club, mind you - should be treated *less* as something to be grateful for and *more* as something common sensical. They were never, ever getting "their" two mil back after the state they left the place in.

If you look back in the accounts DDFR/the Raes wrote off significantly more than £2m. The most recent write off reflects what DDFR wanted/promised but you have to acknowledge there was no obligation on the family to comply with his wishes. Of course some of the money can be set against tax liabilities but to suggest this write off is anything other than a massive financial loss to the family is misguided. The frustrating issue for me is what a wasted opportunity. If DDFR had only been willing to entrust the running of the club to others rather than play football manager we should realistically have been in the top league.

Absolutely honking today. We cannot keep harping on about referee decisions going against us and turn in performances like that. We deserved nothing from the game. Yes the referee was awful but that's only part of it. Blues and Muirhead have went back to their form of old, efe had a few dodgy moments, Roy was poor. Last 2 games we have lacked real urgency and threat going forward and it needs to be addressed. Shake up the midfield 3 and get Quitongo and McGrattan back in the starting 11. We are also crying out for another alternative to Muirhead up front.

Our squad is already an island of misfit toys with guys with something to prove and not deemed good enough for other clubs around our level and Dougie seems to thrive with those types of players so I'm hopeful he can be a useful addition over the second half of the season. Something tells me he won't be the last attacking signing we make this window either so I'll wait until the end of January before ei judge our window.

Only if he didn't snap Graham's cruciate ligament.

A few months back, I really screwed up on here with a stupid and hugely offensive post. I took it on the chin, apologised, and publicly beat myself up about it. Dave PM'd me out of the blue to offer words of advice, wisdom and consolation. He didn't have to take time out of his day to do that for a complete stranger - but the fact that he did says a lot about the kind of person he was. RIP Dave.

Grounds to sue

(Photo-Reuters) Oh, What A Night… Morton’s Greatest Ever Upset. By Russell Gordon With the tenth anniversary of Morton’s incredible League Cup victory over Celtic approaching in September, I had planned waiting until then to take a trip down memory lane, until fate threw us together again in this season’s Scottish Cup, just to mix things up and spare us a trip to Fir Park (for the time being, anyway). Scene Setter The autumn of 2013 wasn’t a good time to be a Morton fan. After challenging for promotion the previous season, and falling away as we hit the final straight, Allan Moore’s squad was decimated as out of contract players moved en masse to pastures new, and a seemingly more cost-effective squad was brought in to replace them, with ambitions for the season being far more modest this time around. With part timers Dumbarton, Alloa and Cowdenbeath in the division, the thinking appeared to be that there was enough of a buffer to allow a season of consolidation before Morton enjoyed the benefits of the almost inevitable arrival of Hearts and Rangers to the Championship for season 2014-15. However, after a lame exit from the Challenge Cup at Annan, and a league campaign that didn’t start too dreadfully, Morton were hitting the skids, and a relegation battle seemed inevitable. We had however reached the Third Round relatively convincingly. Although taken to extra time at New Bayview, Morton triumphed 6-2 after the extra thirty minutes, to earn a home tie with Montrose, which was comfortably negotiated with a convincing 4-0 scoreline. The previous Saturday’s league match though, an insipid 0-2 home defeat at the hands of Queen of the South which left us ninth in the table, offered little to whet the appetite for what lay ahead as Morton took the trip to Glasgow’s east end. Celtic on the other hand, were going through a period of uncertainty. Having made the Champions League by dispensing Kazakhstani champions Shakhter Karagandy by the skin of their teeth, they were drawn with AC Milan, Ajax, and Barcelona- the first and so far only time to date that four previous champions have been drawn together in the same group of Europe’s most prestigious competition. What may have gone under the radar for the Parkhead faithful that day was the Scottish League Cup draw which paired their favourites with lowly Greenock Morton. A tie that would hardly get the juices flowing at a time they were planning jaunts to three of Europe’s more attractive destinations. Having lost 0-2 in Milan the midweek prior to Morton’s visit, Celtic were to record a routine 2-1 home victory over St. Johnstone whilst we toiled at Cappielow against the Doonhamers. Predictably, Celtic boss Neil Lennon shuffled his pack for the visit of the ‘Ton to Celtic Park. The Teams For the hosts, goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska replaced the formidable Fraser Forster, with Nir Biton, Tom Rogic, Mikael Lustig and Dylan McGeough all coming into the team that had taken care of Saints the previous weekend. Whilst Celtic mixed it up though, it’s important to point out that this team were no mugs. Of the starting eleven, few would contest that Lustig and Rogic, along with Scott Brown, would go onto become Celtic legends, whilst Zaluska, Ambrose, Mulgrew, Biton, McGoeugh and Pukki all went onto have very credible careers. Only Derk Boerrigter would be happily forgotten down Parkhead way, whilst Virgil van Dijk would become arguably one of the best players of the modern era, winning every honour the club game has had to offer since joining Celtic. Morton, on the other hand, lined up with a squad which on paper didn’t stand a chance against their more illustrious opponents. Only Scott Taggart, Faoud Bachirou, and David O’Brien from the previous season started the match, supplemented by a collection of below-average journeymen and some guy who would go onto manage Morton a few years later. After promising starts to their Morton careers, which included a delightful 4-2 win at St. Mirren Park to win the Renfrewshire Cup for the first time since 2005, the stars of Habai, Peciar, Cham and Hands were beginning to dim, and dim quite rapidly. The latter’s quite dreadful penalty in the home defeat to Queens the previous Saturday summed up how Morton’s season was going, and confirmed that he certainly wouldn’t be taking the next penalty Morton were awarded, whenever that would be. Celtic striker Anthony Stokes looks to the heavens as another chance goes a-begging. (Photo-SNS) The Match With Celtic Park’s top tier completely closed, a paltry crowd of 16,998, over 2000 of whom were supporting the visitors, arrived to see what most expected to be a routine home victory, and probably with a good few to spare. What the majority of the crowd got was an insipid performance from their team, against an uncompromising Morton side who restricted them to as few chances as possible in the first 45 minutes. Biton and Rogic both headed wide, whilst Morton keeper Nicolas Caraux tipped a Charlie Mulgrew free kick over the bar. Morton were then to suffer a blow that would have, in this observer’s humble opinion, a catastrophic effect on our season as a whole. David O’Brien came off second best in a challenge with Dylan McGeough and was withdrawn from proceedings with a shoulder injury. Whilst he would briefly return months later, the game was over for him, and regrettably, he was never the same again. On the night, O’Brien was replaced by Tony Wallace, and Morton went onto complete part one of Mission: Impossible. We went in at the break with a stalemate. When the teams re-emerged, not much changed. Morton forced a couple of corners, but offered little threat, whilst Celtic had a few of their own but were again left frustrated. On the hour, our big chance came, as Gambian striker Kabba-Modou Cham went through on goal. He was stopped in his tracks by a combination of Efe Ambrose and Virgil van Dijk, to the tune of a couple of thousand voices from behind the goal screaming for a penalty, but to no avail. As time wore on, Celtic boss Lennon hooked Rogic, McGeough and the hapless Boerrigter for the more established stars (of the time at least) of Matthews, Stokes and Commons, whilst Archie Campbell replaced Cham, who had more than ran his race. A succession of Celtic corners came to nothing, and late in the game, it was the visitors who could’ve sneaked it when Dougie Imrie’s free kick a couple of minutes from time flew about a yard over Zaluska’s crossbar. So after an incredible defensive performance, Morton had managed to stop the best team in the land, and were half an hour away from chancing their luck with a penalty shoot-out for a place in the Quarter Finals. Nicolas Caraux and his defence draw yet another sigh of relief as Mikael Lustig takes his turn to fluff his lines. (Photo-SNS) Extra Time Whilst that was surely the best-case scenario from a Morton perspective out of the many that were going through all our minds, there was one which hadn’t really been considered. Five minutes into the first period of extra time, with Celtic again trying to knock the door down, Teemu Pukki twice tried to pass the colossal Jonathan Page, before team mate Anthony Stokes tried his luck, also with no joy. The ball broke to Reece Hands, who spread it wide to Tony Wallace on the left. Wallace then played a fantastic ball down the wing to Archie Campbell, who made headway towards the penalty box. As he reached the area, and was approached by Ambrose, the future Morton star slipped and made contact with the ball with his outsretched left hand, and this time referee Bobby Madden did point to the spot. Morton had a penalty. At Celtic Park. With Hands having missed the previous Saturday, Dougie Imrie was handed the responsibility of giving the ‘Ton a shock lead. With a couple of thousand pairs of nervous eyes looking from the other end of Celtic Park willing the net to bulge, Imrie stepped up, and with aplomb rifled the ball low down the middle past the despairing Zaluska and into the net, resulting in absolute bedlam amongst the away support and the grandstand finish of all grandstand finishes, with at least 25 minutes still to hang on. Reece Hands stung Zaluska’s gloves only a minute after Morton took their shock lead, but it was one-way traffic after that. Celtic had made all their changes by now. Van Dijk was thrown up top to win everything and anything at all costs. Chances came and went for Celtic, and Morton stood firm. It has to be said that a combination of good luck, tremendous (sometimes desperate) defending and horrific finishing helped our cause. Stokes shot wide before Commons and van Dijk were both foiled by Caraux as the corner count increased. Van Dijk was again terribly unfortunate to see his effort drift wide of Caraux’s left hand post, as Madden blew for the end of the first period of extra time. Only fifteen minutes to go. A series of long diagonals and throw ins to the makeshift target man were snuffed out by the Morton defence before we briefly threatened through Tony Wallace, who was quickly closed down by the onrushing Zaluska before normal service resumed. Caraux palmed a Lustig header wide as the pressure was ramped up, and it was the Swede who was to come so agonisingly close to equalising as another long diagonal to Van Dijk was directed to Kris Commons. The Scotland winger headed across goal to Lustig, who slid in at the back post, only to see his effort ripple the side netting. What a shame. Yet another long diagonal met the head of Van Dijk a minute later, but with Caraux in No Man’s Land, Page arrived to lash the Dutchman’s tame goal-bound effort away to safety before it reached the line. Moore made his final change as Mark McLaughlin replaced Campbell, and as we entered stoppage time, Charlie Mulgrew rattled Caraux’s left hand post before one final corner was headed wide. Bobby Madden blew for time, and the mother of all shocks was confirmed. For a game played in such a ghostly environment, the whistle was met by a cacophony of noise from both ends. The booing from the home support, sounding almost as sweet as the visitors’ roar. Celebration time for Peciar, Page, McLaughlin and Taggart in the aftermath of Morton's incredible backs-to-the-wall triumph. (Photo-SNS) The Aftermath Personally, I’ll never forget the sheer joy of marching down London Road chanting “We’re Greenock Morton, we’re better than you!” in the direction of the disappointed Celtic fans, and like many of us, have since never failed to bring that great night up in conversation whenever they get a wee bit too uppity about themselves. What was to follow is not as happy a tale. In spite of the result, it wasn’t a good week for either manager. On the morning of the game, Neil Lennon was banned for driving for six months for speeding on the A9, before facing up to perhaps the most humiliating individual result of his career, but tragically, Allan Moore lost his brother Steven, who suddenly died in Turkey, the day after the match. For the clubs, things didn’t pan out well either. Celtic of course, won the league, but in the absence of Rangers, pressure was on Lennon to deliver trebles, with the main source of competition out of the running in the league, and a wounded animal in the cups. They meekly exited their Champions League group with only a home win against Ajax to show from their six matches, and a home Scottish Cup defeat to Aberdeen leaving them with a historic “single” for their efforts in 2013-14. Morton however, were to suffer the worst season perhaps in our history- a 1-3 defeat to Dundee four days after the visit to Celtic Park saw us fall to the bottom of the league, and we never rose above that position all season. We were controversially knocked out the League Cup by St. Johnstone in the Quarter Finals, and Moore was relieved of his duties after a 1-5 home defeat by Livingston a mere two months after that heroic evening. He was of course replaced by the hapless Kenny Shiels, and a bad season got worse, culminating in an embarrassing relegation and the ultimate humiliation of a 2-10 hounding by promotion-chasing Hamilton. Whilst there was no joy to follow on from that fantastic night though, football’s all about memories, and ironically the fact that such a poor team succeeded where so many better ones have failed made that particular win so much sweeter. Scottish League Cup Third Round, 24th September 2013, Celtic Park. Celtic: Zaluska, Ambrose, van Dijk, Mulgrew, Lustig, Biton, Brown, Boerrigter (Commons 83),McGeough (Matthews 74), Rogic (Stokes 65), Pukki. Unused Substitutes: Fasan, Balde. Morton: Caraux, Taggart, Fitzpatrick, Peciar, Page, Imrie, O’Brien (Wallace 39), Hands, Habai, Bachirou, Cham (Campbell 78 (McLaughlin 120)). Unused Substitutes: Gaston, Russell. Goals: Imrie (97,pen) Referee: Bobby Madden. Attendance: 16,998.

Get VAR in the bin so we never have to suffer clowns like this in the Championship again. What an atrocious decision.

Our last home league game was on November 12th. That's what has cost us. I'm not excusing a rancid performance today, but the reality is that happens away from home in this division. We've had plenty of them at NDP and Imrie's first unbeaten run came to an end twelve months ago there too. You need to make it a) an exception and b) cancelled out by getting the momentum of a home win. The big missed opportunity was the game against a very depleted Ayr side on January 2nd. An ideal opportunity to put a play-off contender to the sword, and go into this run of away games with full confidence. Instead the club (IMHO) dropped the ball by losing that game and now we've got 0 points from 6.

Cunts should be docked points for every fixture they can't fulfill at their nominated home ground. Never bigger chancers as a club than Queen's park down the years.

Absolutely vital to get back to winning ways next week

That’s quite a career change.

Whilst I am happy that Partick are showing signs of being mid-table mediocre shite this season, I would really hate Queens Park to win the Championship this season. Horrible wee parasitic club.

A good time to get the star above the badge.

Dreadful contribution from DreamOakTree, here. Would not recommend.

We had a successful reset earlier in the season after three defeats in a row where Imrie purged the starting XI of some underperforming players then settled on one system rather than chopping and changing from game to game. What had been an encouraging trait in a young manager of not being wedded to one system and willingness to change things that weren't working had arguably turned into a negative of tinkering too much week to week, with the few players who had been playing well in turn undermined by that. A similar reset is needed now, with not dissimilar conclusions to underpin it. As with his appearances there in the previous losing run, King isn't a left back: if Strapp is out long term Miller needs to play there. He's not shown much to be deserving of a place himself though it's early days, but he at least has some experience of playing there. If we're playing a back four while also trying to press we need the full backs to get proper protection in front of them, just as he realised we needed more defensive solidity the last time by not having them bomb on to overlap every time we had the ball. Therefore a) a narrow midfield isn't going to work and b) Quitongo & McGrattan are the obvious picks out wide, who respectively have the energy and positional sense to carry out a pressing game while also protecting the defence, which Muirhead and on the basis of their short Morton careers so far Miller and Roy don't. That lack of protection doesn't excuse the performances of Pignatiello and King in itself, but it probably exacerbated their flaws and it's particularly pertinent when we have our second choice options on both sides of the defence. In turn, that means you can only accommodate one of Oakley or Muirhead in the starting XI unless you're switching to a back three. We also desperately need more options in central midfield. All three of Crawford, Gillespie and Blues have been in poor form for a month but they're all guaranteed a start, in Crawford and Blues' case 90 minutes every week regardless. What had been an encouraging trait on Imrie's part of ruthlessness in not being slow to bomb out players who couldn't earn his trust is showing some concerning signs of turning into a negative, with a flipside that players who have previously earned his trust are finding themselves undroppable or even unsubbable. He needs to be equally as ruthless with those players. Doing so would mean subs being made far earlier in games, and when a new midfielder appears on loan then if they're good enough to contribute regularly rather than being a body to fill out the squad they should be straight into the team in place of Blues.

Despite the diabolical VAR decision which, as others have said, it seemed like absolutely nobody in the stadium understood, I came away from the match on Saturday disappointed at the eventual scoreline, but still feeling fairly positive about what can be achieved across the remaining half of the season. A sizable payday of around £250k will help the Club out massively. A few wise signings this week and I still feel we can push for a play-off spot and return to winning regularly again. 10 home matches left and potentially crowds staying above 2k again? A lot is possible if we can sustain that. Many fans drifted away over the years after all the bitterly disappointing false dawns, but finally it feels like folk that used to follow the team everywhere, and in some cases their kids, are coming to watch Morton regularly again. Like many of us, I left Celtic Park feeling really proud to be a Morton supporter. The vast majority of our fans stayed to the end and kept the singing going. It sent a really positive message to the players and it does feel like there is a togetherness and a genuine belief in Dougie. He clearly won't get everything right, but he has his feet on the ground and is pragmatic in the interviews. He's humble but has self-belief. This is night & day compared to when that apologist for failure Gus MacPherson was in charge only 14 months ago. After suffering through that defeat to Partick at Firhill at the start of October, it did feel like maybe the wheels were coming off. But the response was fantastic and it's just a shame that we had the two postponements that kept us away from Cappielow for 2 months. Felt like the momentum taken away. Some blips on the road haven't helped, but the terrible standard of officiating in the SPFL hasn't helped. Hopefully the next 3 and a bit months bring an exciting end to the season. It'd be great to think that going in to those last two home matches in late-April that we're still fighting for something. Hopefully no dead rubber up at Cove in Aberdeen on 5th May either! C'mon the Ton!

What chance have you got when you get a pen like that given against you? Fuck VAR

That is never a penalty. It deflects onto his arm in a natural position. We would never have got that at the other end.

Celtic v Morton – Match Preview by Russell Gordon With Morton’s impressive league campaign hitting a sticky patch in recent weeks, under normal circumstances, the resumption of our Scottish Cup campaign may well be seen as blessed relief from the trials and tribulations of a promotion race. Not so much this weekend though, as Morton jump from the frying pan right into the raging inferno of Celtic Park, and a trip to the champions, and by far the best team in the land. With over 2000 ‘Ton fans travelling to back their heroes, support won’t be in short supply, but we’ll need everything we can to come out of what is unquestionably the hardest possible tie we could’ve drawn at any stage of the tournament, unscathed. It should also be noted that Saturday will be a historic occasion for Morton- the first match we will play with VAR in force, as the governing body have decided to implement the system when it suits, rather than consistently across all or none of the sixteen ties, for some bizarre reason. For those who aren’t travelling to Glasgow’s East End, you can watch the match from behind the sofa on BBC One Scotland. Photo - GBR Photographs. Squad News As far as we are aware, the squad are posting a clean bill of health ahead of the mammoth task in front of them. Grant Gillespie’s suspension will carry onto next week’s league fixture against Arbroath. The news of the aborted signing of former Celtic and Dundee United hitman Nadir Cifci will be seen by the manager as a blow, but it would suggest that Imrie is in the market for a striker, in spite of this latest disappointment. Current Connections In the Celtic squad, only centre back Stephen Welsh has had the honour of representing Morton, having spent the first half of the abridged 2019-20 season playing out of position under David Hopkin at Cappielow, whilst former Morton Caretaker Manager and all round good guy, Anton McElhone, is now a member of Ange Postecoglou’s backroom staff. In the visitors’ squad, new signing Calvin Miller started his career at Celtic under Brendan Rodgers, making only four first team appearances and enjoying loan spells at Ayr United and Dundee. Efe Ambrose enjoyed a more fruitful spell in Glasgow, winning all three domestic honours, including four league titles. He was a part of the Celtic team which beat Barcelona in 2012, and lost to Morton in 2013. Morton Manager Dougie Imrie once scored an important goal at Celtic Park. Tale of the Tape Morton unsurprisingly don’t have a great record against Celtic in the Scottish Cup, having only beaten them once in the tournament- Eddie Murphy’s extra time strike at Ibrox was enough to ensure a Hampden date for a final with Rangers in 1948, which unfortunately didn’t end as well. Since the turn of the century, we’ve met three times in the Scottish Cup and once in the League Cup. Celtic visited Cappielow for a midweek Fourth Round tie in 2010 and won a narrow match by a single Niall McGinn goal on a bitterly cold night on the Tail O’ The Bank. Morton then travelled to Celtic Park for a League Cup Third Round tie in 2013 and put on an incredible defensive performance, sneaking out with a 1-0 extra time win to shock the cup favourites and the rest of the football world on a night that will go down in folklore as one of the greatest in our modern history, thanks to Dougie Imrie’s extra time penalty. We’ve since made two more visits to Celtic Park, both on Scottish Cup duty in front of paltry crowds, with Celtic posting 3-0 victories on each occasion. Photo - GBR Photographs. Opposition Analysis There’s no hiding from the task at hand, here. Celtic are absolutely formidable opposition. Since losing to St. Mirren on 18th September, they’ve picked up 43 points from 45- only dropping points against Rangers at Ibrox three weeks ago. Whilst Ange Postecoglou will doubtless be tempted to mix things up a bit and give some fringe players an opportunity against lower league opposition, the strength in depth his squad has is such that even if he does, it will provide little respite for Morton. With Georgios Giakoumakis seemingly heading out the exit door to Japan, we may at least be spared his threat, although Celtic don’t exactly find goals hard to come by, regardless of who takes to the pitch on any given day. I spoke to Celtic fan Natasha Meikle (@natashameikle) of A Celtic State Of Mind (@ACSOMPOD) podcast, who is understandably enjoying her team’s work over the course of the season so far, and is looking forward to the visit of Morton, as Celtic begin look to progress in yet another domestic tournament. “It’s been a successful season for the hoops, who sit nine points clear of their local rivals at the top of the SPFL Premiership table. Domestic cup duties are also running smoothly, with Celtic having successfully secured a place in the League Cup Final with last weekend’s 2-0 victory over Kilmarnock at Hampden. The Bhoys will be looking to continue their pursuit of silverware with a victory over Greenock Morton at Celtic Park on Saturday. They are no strangers to trebles in recent years, and that will certainly be the target this time around. On current form, it certainly isn’t out of the question. It will take a monumental effort for Morton to stop those treble ambitions, but let’s not forget ten years ago when the teams went head-to-head in the League Cup and a 97th minute penalty by a certain Dougie Imrie took Morton through after extra time. As for this season’s Celtic side, they have been fond of a late goal themselves, but Postecoglou’s team will be looking to get the job done early on Saturday. Morton’s back line will have their work cut out to deal with a clinical strike force, who on current form will be hard to stop. Who will lead the line for the Hoops will be of particular interest for the Celtic fans this weekend. There is of course the option of the league’s top scorer, Kyogo, who has bagged 16 league goals in 20 appearances so for this season. A telling sign will be whether there is space in the squad for Georgios Giakoumakis. The Greek striker has been heavily linked with a move during this transfer window, with Japanese outfit Urwa Red Diamonds the rumoured front runners to secure his signature. He didn’t feature in the midweek win over St. Mirren due to “injury”, however it remains to be seen if he will even be at the club by the time comes around. If he is, the game is likely to be one he should be expected to start. Of his 19 appearances this season, 15 have been from the bench, so this would be a prime opportunity to rest Kyogo and have Giakoumakis lead the line. Postecoglou likes to keep Scottish football on its toes, and squad rotation is a common occurrence, with numerous changes on a weekly basis. Celtic have a relatively compact fixture list in January, and this tie is likely to present an opportunity for Ange to utilise his large and talented squad he has available to him, with some fringe players being candidates for game time. With Cameron Carter-Vickers recovering from injury, we may see a second start for new signing Kobayashi, although the game may come too soon for a debut for his compatriot Tomoki Iwata. Other players waiting in the wings for more game time include Stephen Welsh, James McCarthy, Yosuke Ideguchi and Oliver Abildgaard. David Turnbull and Sead Haksabanovic have recently returned from injury/suspension, and could also be expected to feature in this tie. Alternatively, Ange might choose to give some first team experience to some of the younger players. Attacking midfielder Rocco Vata and centre half Bosun Lawal have been impressing in the B team, and are on the cusp of a first team call up. This tie could be an ideal opportunity for them to feature. So while the line-up itself is relatively unpredictable, squad rotation is almost a guarantee. Regardless of who starts for Postecoglou’s side, it will be a tough test for Morton. As is always the case when Celtic play domestically, the fans will expect nothing less than a win, and given the form the Bhoys are in, we could see plenty of goals in this one. However, that aforementioned League Cup tie serves as a reminder that anything can happen in cup football…” Photo - GBR Photographs. Betting Guide All odds are supplied by McBookie. All odds correct as of 7pm on 19th January 2023 and are subject to change. Please only bet within your means and visit BeGambleAware if you are struggling. It may come as a surprise to some to see that Morton are the underdogs heading into the tie. The hosts are priced at a slightly conservative 1/33, whilst the draw is 10/1 and Morton to win comes in at 28/1. In spite of what I’ve said, we at the Morton Forum are eternal optimists, so Morton to repeat the feat of 2013 by winning in extra time is 40/1 and Efe Ambrose to score anytime is 20/1. You can buy me a pint when you win big. Match Officials Referee- Kevin Clancy AR 1- Ross MacLeod AR 2- Alastair Mather Fourth Official- Barry Cook VAR- Craig Napier AVAR- Frank Connor

I spoke to the club because I'm an 'out of towner' and they were really helpful. Due to postal strikes and various other shithousery that is well outside of the club's control, they put my tickets aside for me and I collected them the other day. They would have posted them out but we're very clear that I was totally responsible should they not arrive in time. Again, I think that's fair enough. GMFC aren't responsible for these things. It's all well and good to bash the club but I don't think on this particular occasion they could have done much more.

Imagine the abject misery of travelling from Wales to Carlisle to see your team get beat 2-0 on a foul afternoon in January, and as an added insult, having those bellends infiltrate your end of the ground and trying to befriend you? Maybe our afternoon wasn’t so bad after all.

That's the first time under Imrie that you can definitely say he fucked it with his team selection. Roy and Miller starting was completely the wrong call. Miller at least had the excuse of being on the right and therefore being unable to go outside for how poor he was - which goes down as another mistake in team selection - but Roy was laughably bad. The second half was considerably worse than the first until we put Quitongo on the right, Schwake was the only thing stopping that being 3-0. We piled pressure on at the end but far too late. McGrattan not even getting on the park while Miller was that poor was a bizarre call, and King replacing Strapp rather than Gillespie or Blues was another, particularly in light of Gillespie then going on to get a second booking. We need to get McGrattan back in the team, he brought a balance to that front three that isn't there with two out and out wingers. We've strengthened the squad yet managed to weaken the starting XI while doing so.

Critical 45 minutes for the rest of the season.

If the mods want to split it out, fine by me, but it's an interesting discussion. If there was any actual signing news, presumably someone would post it in the meantime.

Fuck off with this Irish league pish. I keep having a look hoping there might be an update about new signings but instead I need to wade through this irrelevant fucking drivel

Above all else, a firm reminder that the League of Ireland is absolute rubbish.

Can you point me in the direction of anything that looks personal or nasty towards Kabia? I don't recall seeing anything that comes close to personal abuse. The reason people are singling him out as a weak link is because for large spells of his time here that's exactly what he has been. Pointing that out isn't abuse.

Nope. They're a shower of horrible cunts. A horrible football club with a group of players and a manager who sum it all up.

He can be as fast and direct as he wants - the manager has judged that he wasn't going to contribute remotely enough at this level. Which is why he had next to no game time for months before leaving the club. Next you'll be bemoaning the loss of Hynes as another game-changing option cruelly removed from the squad for today. Meanwhile, back in the land of reality, McGrattan will be getting pushed even harder than before by Imrie to deliver the goods or else Miller (an anticipated upgrade) will have that left hand starting spot sewn up - while Kabia looks to be heading towards the exit door. It's a harsh but ultimately fair method that has undoubtedly raised standards across the board in the past 12 months.

I fucking detest that club. A lot.

Jim McInally, Warren 'Iron Man' Hawke and Dossier Dave McKinnon were all guid Scottish fitba men, with an impressive depth of knowledge of the game based on their CVs alone. They were all charlatans in their own way though. The real failing - and this is not a heart ruling the head move at all - was failing to plan a credible business model for the club. Rae believed that a midtable second tier Morton would be getting 4000 average gates by 'bringing a friend': there was no credible basis for this at all. Rae was a director at the club when were in just such a position for years and attendances were nowhere near that figure. There was no credible investment in other ways of generating revenue either - it was bring a friend or bust. While his intentions were mostly* benevolent, the conclusion of the Rae tenure is that a businessman owner proved to be incompetent outside of his specific wheelhouse. Nonsense forecasts and basic inefficiencies that wouldn't have lasted one week at Fort Matilda went on for ten years at Cappielow. *The running up and writing off of losses up to the point where GC had flushed away any other significant shareholding - at which point the IOU book was set up instead - was a cynical and unnecessary assertion of total control IMO.

https://twitter.com/drussell87/status/1610976411019354115?s=46&t=sBcBIaR7rZ8i9GmL6k2Dsg Port-ton’s beat me to the punch as I was typing, but I’ll carry on as I was anyway. I always chuckle to myself about fans of other clubs complaining about their incompetence when we’re Morton fans- I’m always waiting for a “hold my beer” moment considering how bad we have been down the years, but this is as spectacular as it gets and makes me grateful for the fortunate position we’re in now. Obviously there’s the common denominator of Dossier Dave from the Morton of a couple of years ago and today’s Accies, but to be honest, whilst I think he’s incompetent enough to screw up a social media post like that, I don’t think he’s so downright rude. From what’s going on there, I think this guy McGowan at Hamilton could well be the next Bill Hiddlestone of Third Lanark fame. Whilst we’ve seen Airdrie, Gretna and Rangers die through spending out with their means, we might be seeing the first club to be liquidated as a result of a deliberate sabotage since 1967, here.

I feel quite sorry for Hynes, to be honest. It's the right thing for him to move on at this point for sure, but particularly when he first emerged he showed more than enough ability to merit being properly nurtured as a potential first-team player for us, and to be sent out on loan for a while to get him some experience of playing rather than just kept hanging around kicking his heels. Whilst he might not have quite fulfilled that potential, the chances are he'd be at least be a pretty decent lower league player by now with far more minutes under his belt than he's had so it's a shame he's had his development hampered in the way it has been. I hope he can go somewhere else and make up for a bit of lost time, he's got the ability to do so and he seems a very likeable guy so it'd be nice to see him doing well.

Wouldn't be against going 3-5-2 if left back is going to be an issue for us. Schwake O'connor Ambrose Baird Grimmy Gillespie blues Crawford McGrattan Quitongo Muirhead/Oakley

It's pretty common behavior in other countries to move big games to big stadiums. In Brazil, many clubs have a "spiritual" or normal home, then they move to the big regional stadium nearby for derbies. For example, in the city of Belem, the two big clubs Paysandu and Remo both have their own grounds with space for about 15,000. But if they have a big promotion tie or a derby with each other, they might move it to the Olimpico, which has about 53,000 seats. In South Africa, most teams will faff about in front of two men and a vuvuzela until they have a game against Pirates or Chiefs, which they'll play at a major stadium that might not even be in the same province. But this is very unusual in western Europe, where - aside from the Cups and in UEFA competition - you play games at your home ground. In our footballing culture, playing home games at home is near-sacrosanct and I would hate for that to change; and I'd especially hate for it to change for those scabby losers. But it'll be all too predictable if it does happen. They took the piss for years with their "ownership" of Hampden, and were massively ungracious as that untenable situation came to an end. But the authorities have a soft spot for them and I can see all kinds of rules being bent in their favor, particularly since Hampden was once upon a time their home.

It happens in every country, a small team gets bankrolled to the top. Nothing really embarrassing about it. Bournemouth are obviously very well-managed, with good recruitment and coaching, but they still spent an absolute fortune getting to the top flight (and indeed breached FFP rules while still in the Championship.) In France a few years ago Gazelec had a tiny budget but still far bigger than their modest means, hence they collapsed into the regional leagues shortly after their Ligue 1 adventure. Hoffenheim is a tiny village and while they have a big catchment area, traditionally it's not "theirs" and if they were still playing regionally that would be the case. Casa Pia in Portugal, Monza to an extent in Italy, Arsenal in Argentina, Unirea Urziceni (remember them? They horsed Rangers) in Romania, Groclin in Poland... it's just the nature of having open promotion and relegation. The alternative is the US model or returning to the 'election' model of the old SFL. I'd rather take the jumped-up diddy clubs occasionally getting above their station. edit: Plus it's worth remembering that only by wee teams going up can big teams come down. If you're Scottish it's hilarious watching Hearts and Rangers and Hibs faff about in the Championship. I imagine Spaniards enjoy Zaragoza's multi-year trainwreck (incredibly they're now in their 10th consecutive Segunda season.) Schalke, Werder Bremen, Hamburg (still in the 2. Bundesliga!)... St. Etienne are in real danger of falling to the third tier in France... and of course the likes of Leeds and Sunderland in England. These are part of what make football so fascinating, these tales of clubs ending up in such weird divisions.