RicoS321

Is it maybe Lee Mair? He said he scored one for the Dons, so would maybe be him. Aberdonian too.

Yassss. Duk, top diving decoy.

3-5-2 then. As expected to be honest. Hopefully should be enough to keep us in the lead before the inevitable 112th minute var pen.

Not wholly irrelevant. Is it safe to say he might have been a bigger star this side of the pond if he'd not married his thirteen year old relative? He's no Michael Jackson of course. Fantastic singer though.

Great cousin to his wife.

I think you're right, but you have to factor personnel into that too. Utd had 14 attempts against us and scored 4 when we played 4 at the back. If we're playing a four then we either have to sacrifice attacking fullbacks or play two holding midfielders as Stewart simply can't cope with the gap between midfield and defence. We'd basically have to do what Livi did against the Huns the previous week and sit in. I'd be okay with that, but most Dons fans are suggesting that they're weak at the back (the BBC has some good stats showing this to be true) and that we need to be attacking them. We can't have it both ways and Stewart (like Gallagher last season) is a penalty box defender.

Pretty much every error I've seen Stewart make is from his own doing. The gap between him and Richardson is often huge as Stewart wants to drop into the box to intercept the cross. In fact, I don't think I've seen him offer Richardson any support whatsoever, either positionally or vocally. I'd expect a guy of his experience to be dragging Richardson through a game, constantly talking to him and dictating to him. Richardson is pish in his own right and Stewart his. Obviously Stewart would be better with a better fullback, but it doesn't solve his own obvious flaws. If Goodwin wants to play a back four then he either has to sacrifice an attacking fullback, play two deep lying midfielders to reduce the gap between midfield and defence or get a right sided defender that isn't slower than Liz Truss (remember her?).

Banks o' dee deducted a thousand points for secretarial errors. Shouldn't be possible in the modern game.

Agree with that, apart from getting another right back in January (not that we shouldn't, just that it wouldn't solve the problem). I think we've got a decent sized squad at the minute, so I'd be looking at a midfielder as the priority. Moving McRorie into midfield doesn't solve Stewart's glaring deficiencies (which moving him into defence have certainly helped with), nor does it address McRorie's glaring deficiencies in midfield - he's simply nowhere near good enough at passing. Bursting runs are nice to watch, but there is almost never an end product and often a giant hole left behind. Richardson is an issue in his own right, but replacing him will only solve that issue. We're only likely to sign a fullback that can push forward, so that would leave Stewart facing exactly the same issue. He's probably never going to be a back four defender in a team that wants to get forward a lot. Midfielder would be top priority for me, especially with Clarkson leaving and Barron too if he's not signing a new deal. With a view to getting a good right sided centre half in the summer, or giving Milne a lot more minutes if he's good enough. I think we'll struggle against the Huns at the weekend. We're not good enough at defending to do what Livi did at the weekend and whilst I think we're more than capable of causing them problems, they're still a very good team that will score some of the numerous chances that we've afforded all our other opponents this season. Our pressing and work rate has been excellent recently, but our organisation is still a bit away from where it should be (not a criticism, we're an entirely new team), and I think that'll be our downfall. They're confidence will grow if they get a goal, and I don't see us stopping that goal. I'd take a draw in this fixture and with a bit more work on the training ground we should be ready to horse them in the semi, whilst pipping them to second on the final day at Ibrox with an easy 0-6 win.

Says who? Would be absolutely fucking ridiculous if true.

Great points you make. I slightly disagree with the above though. You're correct in that that's what people wanted. The point though, is that it could never be as you describe. That instant feedback would always lead to a VAR type situation. As soon as the first pen is incorrectly given against the Huns (or the English Hun equivalent), the system needs looked at because he didn't spend enough time assessing it, or he didn't check it from the sixteenth camera angle available on Sky TV (the sheer number of camera angles means it's going to take longer). If we've got those sixteen cameras, then we have to be using them for offside, don't we? Any introduction of video replays will always lead to what we've got. There is no good system of video replays, it's just a failed experiment. If we could automate offside decisions in the same way that they do goalline technology (correctly deemed too expensive in Scotland) then that would acceptable, but it would need a change to the rules (interfering with play could likely only be a human decision). Anything else doesn't work, and never will, it just changes the point of controversy to: "was the foul on Lamie not clear and obvious?". It's failed in its first weekend in Scotland, just as it has failed since its introduction. There will never be a situation where we can have a quick check, or only the correct the clear and obvious errors, because those things are mutable (and the point at which you only correct the really clear and obvious means that the system is too expensive to bother with like goalline tech has proven). Even a system of X number of challenges would only get greater over time, like subs have. What really surprises me though, is the inability for anyone, anywhere, to recognise that it's a failed experiment and that football fans (I mean actual fans) have allowed it to happen. It's like everyone is giving it just one more chance - in perpetuity - to work. It's like a fear of not having the latest thing.

I don't think it's necessarily a bank balance thing. It's about happiness and a bit of adventure, just the same as it is with any of us in our normal jobs. Maguire was never at the pinnacle of the game, he was just an average (maybe slightly above) SPFL player. I'd equate him to someone like Mark Reynolds, Lee Miller, Zander Diamond, that ilk. He never had the pace that would get him into the Scotland team for example, and he was always going to be limited in that regard. I think he's done as well as could be expected, no better, no worse. He's made a career in fitba, that's pretty good I'd say. That's probably a lot harder for a young lad than we give credit for.

One minute? Fucking hell. Even a sport that takes days to complete a single game has a faster turnaround.

I know that, that's why I said "it does nothing" to help. It's those little decisions - fair chance Lamie wouldn't have lasted the ninety - that have a big effect on the way the games goes. There was another missed booking when two Motherwell players should have been in the book for taking out Duk in the same run, but only the second player was cautioned. Anyway, I'm not asking VAR to intervene for yellows, it's horrendous enough as is.

It's taken two minutes at every goal, it's horrendous. They weren't just checking for offside at Miovski's goal, they were checking for no fouls in the build up too. I'd like to think that the tech guy sorts the framing for the offside while the ref checks for fouls and then verifies the offside. But maybe they're going through some sort of checklist, ticking stuff off (no handball, no fouls etc). The obvious criticism of Miovski's goal is that the flag was raised at all. If VAR is checking everything then why does the linesman raise his flag after the ball is in the net? If the move had come to nothing (or a pen like in the Hibs game) then fair enough, raise your flag. When the ball goes in the back of the net, at least let the celebration happen and let VAR pickup the offside if it's close (which it wasn't). In my opinion, the refs and linesmen are acting differently in the knowledge that they have VAR to bail them out, it's rank. The stoppage after every single goal and the pathetic "VAR check" on the big screen or over the tannoy is just a complete game ruining experience. I've sat through the worst of Miller, Aitken, Miller, Patterson and McGhee, but I've never been so close to giving up my season ticket as I am now that these bureaucratic, "technology" cunts have seeped into our game in the pursuit of "accuracy" at the altar of the English fitba pundit. It's the worst thing that has ever entered the game of fitba. Worse than the champions league shite, which I can at least avoid. The fuckers that sit and watch the English premiership on the TV who don't attend games of fitba, that have been prioritised over the game going fans, should be taped to a chair and have "VAR check" burned into their retinas.

Good result. A decent away performance given our record. We did just enough. Duk the stand out, but hardworking all round. McKenzie and Barron looked knackered by the end. Third at this stage is good going given the personnel turnaround. Impressive stuff.

Fuck VAR. Fuck are we waiting for? Pathetic.

Great play McKenzie. Lovely ball, great header.

Decent half (I turned on just after the goal - an awesome finish). Duk looking good and we're pressing hard in attack and midfield. Stewart and Richardson playing well. Ramadani letting his man ghost past him on a couple of occasions a bit worrying. Otherwise, keep it up and we'll be fine.

VAR does nothing to help shite decisions like booking Duk there. How on earth has Lamie not been booked?

Has VAR confirmed it was okay yet?

Pretty much as expected then. Coulson unable to play two consecutive games is frustrating. Although someone mentioned his wife having a child, so perhaps it's because of that.

Ref leaving the decision for var to make as the vicTims get a penalty against them. Only three minutes to make the decision.

It doesn't. It is an absolute failure in every single respect. Watch the highlights on the BBC, and you'll see them hanging around after the Saints goal in order for the checks to take place. It totally stifles enjoyment of watching fitba. It just moves the point of controversy from one location to another. There is no point that can be clearly delineated as "clear and obvious", so no "version" of VAR works. Furthermore, we're going to have the pathetic situation where refs are told that games involving the scum will be under greater scrutiny and so more time will be spent looking for potential incident for fear of missing something. It'll be interesting to see how long the game is held back for after their goals versus the rest.

Hibs denied a penalty because someone's tit was offside or some shite. Correcting minor discrepancies in a player's timing of a run is exactly what fitba is about. Thanks sky.