wee toon red

Under the present - admittedly fucked, as well put by @RicoS321 above - setup, the 12 team league "works" as far as retaining some kind of interest for most clubs for most of the season. However, it's all just playing for crumbs really and the fact that Celtic can sit with almost £80m IN THE BANK and still lord it over the rest of the league should be all the motivation anyone needs for major change rather than shuffling the deckchairs per the "new" proposals. In reality, Celtic and Rangers fucking off to some new European league would be the only potential catalyst for any kind of meaningful change. However, I don't trust any of the other "big" Scottish clubs, including our own, not to try and simply step into the vacant, shit-stained shoes of the "old firm" rather than enact or lead a new setup which would achieve genuine sporting competition. In short, it's fucked and not likely to get any better.

We've got a championship-level squad plus a handful of one-step-below-top-tier central midfielders and two left backs who are on the way down. No goalie, no centre backs and no strikers of any note. Clarke still frustrates the life out of me with his team selections but he isn't exactly leaving Brazil 1970 on the bench. McLean instead of Ferguson was daft and you could have made a good argument for playing Tierney ahead of Robertson - or vice versa - from the start to try and nullify the young boy but I still don't think we'd have laid a glove on Greece. We need the aforementioned midfielders to be on top form for us to have a chance in most games but all of them, plus our other "top man" Robertson, were rubbish last night. Hickey and Doak should walk into the team when fit and that'll help a bit but not enough to make us a consistent "league A" team until we find some defenders and a centre forward.

Any idea when they're announcing which day is which? Daughter's playing football on the Sunday so hoping for the Saturday.

That’s a very pessimistic view of things. There’s nothing particular “shitty” about the whole day and even if there was, Fletcher Boyd getting half an hour and Jack Milne coming on provide plenty interest.

In general I tend to agree with you about Morris and it’s possible a championship team is his level, but he’s been really dangerous so far today and has two quality assists to his name.

I'd like to see Keskinen on the left to see if that helps his game but I'm a bit torn about that meaning Morris needs to play on the right as beyond his pace I really don't think there's an actual footballer there. However, Okkels isn't up to much either so I'd be inclined to go with someone else's suggestion of Devlin back in at right back and Jensen playing in front of him. Always suspected Gueye's run at the start of the season was nothing more than a Cosgrove-esque purple patch and it's looking that way, so I'd have Dabbagh back in ahead of him. And I still don't see "it" with Palaversa so get him out and Shinnie back in.

I take the point about Hibs but if they're using this money to sign Hoilett and McGrath then I'll sleep easily for a while yet.

A four year deal for an influential 28yo wouldn't have been ridiculous - but I don't consider him influential and clearly the club doesn't either so it's the right move for all parties. A good player and signing but one who should be replaceable.

You wouldn’t put that lineup on radio Scotland never mind your dugout.

ICT are “crap” in that they’re a league one team but since they punted drunken Ferguson they’ve been near enough the best team in that league so I’d say you’re being a touch harsh there. Good to see Bavidge doing well though, his spell a level up at Ayr in the first half of the season wasn’t a disaster but he didn’t set the heather on fire either. He’s only young so a good run in league one between now and May might set him up for another crack at the championship next season.

Wouldn’t disagree with much of this but for me the jury’s very much out on Palaversa. I just don’t see what he’s bringing that is anything above average and he gives the ball away too much for my liking, which might be ok if he was balancing that with stunning assists but we’re not getting those either. In the bigger picture a manager-led recruitment structure might not be ideal but ever since we ditched McInnes and that apparent model we’ve been utter pap, so I’m not going to complain if that’s the way it is now - as long as it works…

RIP Jimmy, a character who made a better fist of the Dons job than many.

Anyone hear Tom English on the radio pre match? Says he has it on good authority that Thelin has realised/decided that certain of our squad just won’t cut it and that he’s expecting about six new players this window. No reference to any specific players either in or who have run out of time that I heard though.

A decent enough win in the end. Still not convinced by Palaversa, I really don’t see much of any note about him.

Our team has been utter shite for years so until we’ve replaced more or less the entire starting 11 then I don’t see why anyone expects any massive improvement. The start to the season was incredible but was never going to be sustainable so it’s going to take a lot more than one season to sort our dross out.