vikingTON

Would very much like to see us target this competition, given our league campaign is unlikely to involve any serious promotion tilt. That said, I'd still rotate to avoid risking any key players with ongoing issues: Mullen, Wilson and Garrity in particular; possibly Stuparevic too.

I think the scoreline and possibly the result flattered us today, but it evens out with the Hamilton game when we failed to be as clinical in front of goal. Baird was MOTM not least for two key blocks in either half for Raith's best openings in the game. For me the midfield structure still does not work. I'd much rather have Gillespie alongside Wilson at its base and play from there, as we are still too lightweight out of possession. Reynolds did exactly what was needed in the closing stages, which is fine as an impact sub. Hopefully we get more salmon leap headers from the Serb hitman.

One player is not a midfield but enjoy your night anyway.

I'd put much more weight on just how poor Airdrie were today than your assessment. While you can always make some case for Morton's good play making the opposition look poorer, it wasn't exactly an Ajax '95 display blowing them away. One semi-competent side dispatched a rabble that look at least as in as much trouble assembling their squad as ourselves. I'm relieved that we're on the better side of that equation.

Must win and a deserved win. I wasn't massively impressed by our performance though - still pretty toothless before the red card; then lost control of the game for 15 minutes before the second goal. Reynolds put in a decent shift out of position but that's not a solution. Wilson was twice the player of anyone else on that park. The biggest positive to take from that game is that Airdrie are absolutely gubbins - between them and Dunfermline, there are grounds for optimism about our place in the division.

'Competent' is doing a lot of heavy lifting for performances that have yielded literally zero goals and zero assists from open play in the league so far - in addition to getting horsed out of a diddy group stage of the cup. When were these competent performances shown exactly? Paul Di fucking Giacomo racked up four goals in one afternoon against better opposition than the current sand dancing collective managed against East Fife, Brechin and Cowdenbeath combined. They have demonstrated zero competence in the attacking third against credible opposition. More significantly, the pressing off the ball also isn't at the same level as any previous team under Imrie; so when it comes to carrying players in the current team the problem doesn't start and end with our recently departed number 9.

That same criticism applies to certain other players too, at least as shown by the last home game. If we actually had 10 players pressing and marking effectively like last season then carrying a player out of possession would have been possible (Robbie Muirhead as lone striker was not exactly gegenpressing). The bigger problem is that we're already playing with a couple of players down whenever our sand-dancing antics break down, relying on Wilson to cover literally everything.

You said that we wouldn't get anyone though, not that the player we almost certainly add will be any good.

No. They can sack any employee but may be liable *if* that employee can successfully bring a case of unlawful dismissal. Which is: a) not certain to either be pursued or succeed (to say the least) based on the public domain information b) not worth a lot of money in potential damages anyway, and c) worth less to GMFC than the costs of not acting. There is no magical risk-free solution to a problem that is not of the club's making. But they absolutely do have that option open - just as any professional or public-facing organisation can and do empty employees long before any criminal case is concluded.

Erm no, they can sack him, just like any other employer can terminate the contract of employees prior to any criminal case being concluded. Bringing the organisation's name into public disrepute for one grounds alone. The employee is of course entitled to then claim unfair dismissal and try to reclaim the value of their contract plus any damages. But given the low total contract value until January and the high opportunity cost of having this player on the books in any capacity until January, that's a risk that a competent GMFC management should absolutely be taking.

No, the new system* needs to have players who can reliably hit the back of the net from 2, 6, 12 yards from goal. With no goals from open play in any meaningful match by the middle of September, I am done with insisting on yet more creative licence for this parade of ineffective sand dancers. * Just like the old system or any other competent setup

Oooft, this is somehow more pathetic than the previous breakdown about your goalkeeper coach mate being shown the door. The proven value for Muirhead - just like pretty much every other first team player who left in the summer - can be weighed in old £1 paper notes, provided by a club shovelling their parachute payments at mounting a promotion challenge this season.

Yep, what matters is the relative comparison of budget with the other teams in the division - and regardless of dud signings, we'd always be likely to struggle from that fundamental starting point. There's simply no hiding place this season when several clubs are chucking money they don't have or using parachute payments (Livingston) to built objectively stronger squads. Which is why the Airdrie game next week is a must-win, because mewling about the budget can only take us so far though.

Last time I checked, it was in fact the chief executive who pledged that none of this would be happening thanks to his innovative 'minerals' based recruitment policy. Managers will all make their share of dud signings (having an acceptable ratio and avoiding a clusterfuck in one key role keeps your job), but the only factor that has substantially changed over the past 3 years is the galaxy brain apparently minding the shop.

For Moffat and Lyall to be genuinely 'good' players at this level then they need to be chipping in with goals on a regular basis from their positions on the park too. That's one of the fundamental problems in this squad.

I mostly agree with your points but let's not forget that this sand-dancing tippy tappy nonsense was in fact what a substantial and noisy section of the Morton fanbase were clamouring for, in opposition to 'hoofball' which actually made us an effective Championship side that punched above its weight. That said, we were at a fairly obvious end of a squad cycle over the summer and trying to find direct replacements for players like Oakley given our budget - expanded or otherwise - would have been folly. The issue is that too many gambles have proven to be duds and we also haven't been ruthless enough in discarding 'nice' players who offer no reliable goal threat. Excluding JET's English career from ages ago and the Welsh pub league, Cameron Blues is the closest thing we have to a proven goal scorer.

Well we got horsed by them in the cup under your big mate Duffy, who unveiled the tactical masterstroke of a 'narrow' 3-5-2 to turn around a two goal deficit. On the biggest pitch in the country. We also got horsed 3-0 by a team divisions below us (and not some Gretna outfit either) a couple of months ago. Team with bigger budget beats team with smaller budget in the same league is really not a scandal.

I see absolutely no reason why we can't win this because 'Queens Park' are not actually any good either. I'd be content with a draw though and moving on to the key game against Airdrie next week.

Is this a Glasgow Caledonian definition of 'graduate'?

2-0, no doubt they'll have a suitable gif prepared for this unfortunate turn of events.

Not played once per week it won't. Call it fitness or sharpness but there's no question that players and clubs can do all the aerobic preparation they want, but the player won't be up to the pace of a competitive match without getting (as good as) 90 minute segments in matches under their belt.

Playing one full pace football game is not more effective in terms of gaining fitness for JET or anyone else than a full two weeks training. Because the players who are intended to play on Saturday will have recovery time after (and possibly cotton wool before) that game. 'Resting' any player from first team football shouldn't mean they actually get a physical fitness break unless injury requires that - ideally, it's the opposite way round. The reality IMO is that the manager will pick a 'solid' team to reduce any key injuries or critical suspensions in this competition. For example, Ian Wilson. Delaney getting a straight red card against a stupid wee outfit is testament to that.

He really isn't, given that Reynolds • wasn't 'scouted'/headhunted to join the club in January at all • didn't sign a pre contract agreement back then either • wasn't signed on a two year deal But other than that yes, those situations are definitely equivalent and you're not just boring everyone with your 10 Hot Takes From That Livingston Game I Went To.

It only demonstrates that, if you can identify a cohort of managers who have never signed a total dud in his career. The rest of your snider post is not worth analysing at all - simply your claim to factual observation which is demonstrably total bollocks.

Indeed. So are you wanting him to triple down on that decision by giving him unmerited game time? Doesn't seem like a logical argument to me.