The Mantis

Try the dealers like Peter Rundo.

Fecks sake

I kind of agree, although if you saw us lose at the Midden this season it was Wyness who was pulling the strings. A draw's not a disaster today if Killie and Falkirk both lose. However I'd love to see us stuff the Midden and pull them right into the mire.

So I was right apart from the last two words then :thumb04: :018: ;)

A young family moved into a house next door to an empty plot. One day Joe, Steve and a gang of building workers turned up to start building a house. The young family's 5-year-old daughter naturally took an interest in all the activity going on next door and started talking with the workers. She hung around and eventually the builders, all with hearts of gold, more or less adopted the little girl as a sort of project mascot. They chatted with her, let her sit with them while they had tea and lunch breaks, and gave her little jobs to do here and there to make her feel important. They even gave her very own hard hat and gloves. At the end of the first week they presented her with a pay envelope containing two pounds in 10p coins. The little girl took her 'pay' home to her mother who suggested that they take the money she had received to the bank the next day to start a savings account. When they got to the bank the cashier was tickled pink listening to the little girl telling her about her 'work' on the building site and the fact she had a 'pay packet'. "You must have worked very hard to earn all this", said the bank cashier. The little girl proudly replied, "I worked all last week with the men building a big house." "My goodness gracious," said the cashier, "Will you be working on the house again this week, as well?" The little girl thought for a moment and said... ..................... "I think so. Provided those w*nkers at Jewsons deliver the f*cking bricks."

Taken in 2001:

Just noticed this Yeah we were in The Clarence which was about a mile walk. I think it was to the north of the ground. Fairly civilised, plenty of fans but easy to get served.

And a trip on Rooney in the box which was waved on.

Spot on Manfer. On a good day we can beat Falkirk, on a bad day they can beat us. Not much between the sides.

If you want to make comparisons with Stoke City - we had the bottle in 2004-5 when we first entered the SPL. Everybody was writing us off but we BELIEVED. 4 years later some people seem to be a bit battle-weary

I don't think they're biased either but you have to question the competence of Murray and the far side linesman who seemed to find the game as boring as us and went to sleep. In the lead up to the first goal Lionel was pushed, right in front of sleepy, but on his blind side. Lionel then decided to foul the man back and this time it was given as it was three inches away from sleepy's nose.

Even Pele's team got rogered 6-0 one week at Airdrie and 5-1 at Morton. One week Airdrie came up and did us 5-1, same as some amateur team from the Highlands did once, so I heard, though I don't believe it myself. Anyway the players have 2 weeks to think about this disaster now. As Mary says let's see how they react.

I often went and watched Falkirk a year or two before our merger time and I always liked the club. I think they're in much the same boat as us - very little money to buy creative players. I also think the standard in the SPL is woeful compared to even 10 years ago. Yogi would probably kill for some of the players that Jefferies had, such as Stainrod, McCall, Weir, Cadette.... I think they are now a very physical side who also pass the ball reasonably well (as we can do when we're not in the mindset of panic and punt). Like us they can't score goals (except yesterday obviously). I think that Calum Murray let some bad challenges go yesterday and penalised us a few times at crucial points in the game (e.g. the first goal). But anybody who thinks refs are biased needs to grow up. The day after, I'm trying to be positive about our performance without sounding like Brewster. But we really played no football at all and deserved to lose. On the few occasions we did get it on the carpet, we were as good as Falkirk but the end product was always a high cross mopped up by Bullen or Pressley or whoever. I think there's not much point in criticising Black, Duncan, Foran and Proctor as they must have all had stiff necks from seeing the ball whizz into orbit over their heads. I'm worried that whatever Terry and June brought us has just disappeared down the pan. The second half last week and the whole of yesterday were just dire. We now need a performance against the Midden.

I felt the stewards did very well being civil and polite to us but they obviously had their instructions from some numpty who wasn't having to follow those instructions. They moved us into the third row from the back and we sat there happily for 10 mins till the game started, then they suddenly decided to clear that row too, even though they had put us there. So we refused as we had a good view of the game and didn't want to go away down the front. Also we started off near the young lads - many older guys like us will usually join in the chants if we're nearby. So the place would probably have been rocking. But when they moved all the young guys down the front they effectively divided the support - good tactic if they had been clever enough to do it deliberately.

I think that if you take away the numpties that support the OF, who call themselves British or Irish out of some dogmatic devotion to a cause by their twisted logic, which includes one lot supporting Palestine, so the others must support Israel etc etc etc- take away those and your average weegie is more patriotic than your average Edinburgher. I always feel Aberdonians are very patriotic as well, but Edinburghers less so, because a huge part of the Edinburgh middle class is English. Edinburgh University has long been the third choice for those who can't get into Oxford/Cambridge and these people take the place over in the summer when the fringe is on. They like the quality of life and move up permanently.

A bit of a sweeping generalisation Mr A :thumb04: :018: ;) Certainly a good few people may have been swayed for business reasons. But down here we're a bit closer to the border than Sneckie is and there's been more animosity without necessarily taking part in uniformed combat :015: Not forgetting that we had Flodden, Bannockburn, Stirling Bridge etc. In fact, come to think of it - what a load of bollox :D Also you forget that the ordinary people of Edinburgh were rioting in the streets when the aristocracy sold us out to the Union. And those brave footballers you mentioned - where did most of them grow up? And the fans that followed them?

Aye, Ness is quite a healthy community with a bit of pride in itself. The Uig district where I go is a bit remote and it's about an hour's commute to Stornoway, with a lot of single track. Most of the population are aged, but there's a fair number of incomers having kids. Many of them are very interested in going native, but there are very few natives left! And sadly others come up from England and only want to turn the place into the place they've just left.

No, it's just you (that's become more arrogant, judging by some of your dismissive posts on just about anything) :thumb04: I'm not, er, assured. Care to provide a bit more than just prejudice? In my experience, the tourists think it's what makes the Isles what they are. Before anybody accuses me of representing the 'Gaelic Gang' (eh?) can I say Mrs Mantis is a native speaker from Lewis and I visit the Isles every year. I did a learner's O Grade over 20 years ago and find the language and culture fascinating - but not something that should be preserved artificially. That would be pathetic. Maybe to push Gaelic in the Sneckie area is too much (but let's have some reasoned argument without the abuse). However I do think some effort should be put into preserving it (in the heartlands) and just see whether it bottoms out and recovers, or continues to die. This would be a small price, in return for all the efforts by various governments since Culloden to eradicate the language and the culture completely, ethnic cleansing in effect. In my experience over 30 years, all of you won't have much to worry about shortly as all the natives are dying off anyway.

What do you mean 'even the Welsh'? Oh we know all right. That's why we boo it.

What alimci said. Away crowd 542. Didn't deserve anything but you have to say it was heading for 0-0 as neither team had created anything. Then a definite push on Lionel before the first goal but the linesman never saw it then awarded a foul when Lionel tackled the boy back. Then a weak header away from Granty who had a terrible game. Finnigan looked offside to me but would have to see it again. Second goal - we were still in the game and actually did a bit of pressing for once. Typical sucker punch on the break, seemed like Granty phucked it up. Good finish from Stewart. Right away Imrie had a volley over which would have changed the game and we did chase it for a while but obviously the pen was game over. Have to say that was as bad as any game under Brewster - we just punted it long and nobody could look up and make a pass. I didn't think Falkirk were much better but they got the breaks at the right time. This could give them a boost and us a right bad blow. I never usually criticise refs but I thought Murray and the far side linesman today were shocking.

Never had any problem with Killie fans- don't think they are huns any more than we are. Now JJ - that's another story But I'd rather see the Midden take the big tumble.

I mind being at the Clach Park about 1990 or thereabouts. At half time the announcer said 'They say Caley are talking about an all-seater stadium. Judging by the support they've brought along today, it'll be a 3-piece suite they'll need'.

I'm guessing that 'South' means behind the goals? Isn't there a restriction on building opposite the main stand?

Craig Nelson in his many guises but especially on May 15 2004 :thumb04: Willie McCulloch of East Fife (who remembers him?)