starchief

I thought he was unfairly criticised myself. When Dods left and Proctor went in there, Hastings was left covering in central defence (Proctor didn't have the strength for that position but neither did Hastings - poor judgment all round), meaning he was constantly out of position for left-back. Djebi-Zadi came in. Didn't bother covering, so we lost numerous goals down that wing. If Hastings had got the nod when Mihadjuks was there, I think that could have been a more solid back four. Best of luck to him.

I'd have thought Cammy Bell would be a better prospect. Still very young for a GK. Possibly now Scotland's third-choice. Lives just down the road. Probably on less than Esson given that he's not long become a first-team regular. How much Killie would want for him, I've no idea. I think he's an immense prospect, so I'd hope he wouldn't go - or only go if he was given a first pick guarantee. I could well see him challenging for Scotland #1 in 5 years time if he plays his cards right.

Can you explain what you mean by that phrase? Release his favourites as in put people like Gil on the park and let Foran/Odi attack. Or release as in get rid of Foran/Odi or whoever?

As much as I agree we should be changing from the counter-attacking 4-2-3-1 at home, our next match is away to St Johnstone, so I'll stick with that: Esson Duff - Tokely - Munro - Shinnie Duncan - Cox Ross - Gil - Foran Rooney Someone like Gil or Sanchez desperately needs to come in. Tactically, that position should be the creative centre. Odi is really a runner. Maybe when we switch to something like a 4-4-2, he can play up front, using his pace to score from flicks from Rooney. As the creative lynchpin though, we're really stuck with a hit-it-long-and-hope. He's just not a passing midfielder. Another midfielder is probably what we're missing to take over from Duncan or Cox - I wonder how Brittain's doing at RC? At least, when Proctor's back, we'll have a chance to rotate when someone's form drops a little.

Inverness CT: Esson, Tokely, Munro, Cox, Shinnie, Duff, Ross, Duncan, Foran, Odhiambo, Rooney. Subs: Tuffey, Golabek, Innes, McBain, Blumenshtein, Sutherland, Sanchez. Kilmarnock: Bell, Fowler, Wright, Gordon, Hamill, Taouil, Bryson, Kelly, Pascali, Sammon, Eremenko. Subs: Letheren, Clancy, Hay, Sissoko, Rui Miguel, Silva, Kennedy. Thought Gil might have been given his chance. I expect him to be on fairly early (that being about 45-65 mins mind you). Strong Killie team - maybe weakest down the wings?

Is that Celtic going for a 4-5-1 line-up?

Hibs are a strange one. On the face of it, a well-run club with little to no debt, plus an enviable infrastructure. But football doesn't begin and end with debt management. There have been times when a small investment, or keeping a player or two, could have made the club more successful. I don't mean throwing money at the problem but there were certainly times when, if Hibs had invested in a couple of players - probably less than ?500k - then they may well have been competing for, at the very least, third slot and a decent chance of more silverware. Whether that would have resulted in more cash long-term is difficult to say but surely being the best your club can be without running it into the ground is the whole point of professional football? For me, Hibs have been too cautious. It's a fine line but strike when the iron's hot. Consolidate when it's not. Despite a bewildering array of talent, there's been precious little for the Hibs fans to have been proud about in post-war football.

Wish "we" had. "we" lost. Think you may have accidentally gone to the wrong message board.

It's not so much this trial as the last. First of all, a best man, at least, shouldn't sell out your mate down the the river to his worst enemy, Rupert Murdoch, knowing what an effect that would have. There hadn't even been a falling out for him to do that. Just pound signs. For the SSP - know your enemy. Murdoch always has, and always will, be a bigger enemy to socialists than whether Sheridan has had 3-in-a-bed sessions. They don't need to lie, but when the NotW's solicitors come calling, as the Yanks say, take the Fifth (or as Manuel would say 'I know nothing'), i.e. no comment. Just as David Cameron or Murdoch would do with Andy Coulson. Apart from that, I pretty much agree with DoofersDad. All Tommy had to do was say: "3-in-a-bed sex sessions? Is this the best the NotW can come up with? Your mind may be in the gutter, Mr Murdoch, but mine's with the Scottish people's drive to get rid of this gutter press" (cheers all round - all hail Tommy for sticking it to Rupert - the SSP continues to gain seats) For the record, I'm sad that the SSP has taken a dive. Although my own views aren't that extreme, I do approve of a small band of these working in parliament, almost as a pressure group, fighting for the poorest in society. It's be a disaster to have them as the government but a timely reminder to have them as a voice. I also find this whole trial a bit ridiculous. Sheridan and the NotW presented their evidence at the libel case. The jury believed Sheridan. Surely, that means the NotW and the people that spoke AGAINST Sheridan should be on trial for perjury (or not as it should be case closed)? As far as the court should be concerned, Sheridan was jury-proven to be truthful. By my reckoning, he should then be exempt from being examined again on that basis. How can one jury be considered more important than the other? It's double jeapordy under another name.

The Scottish Socialist Party must be very proud of helping Rupert Murdoch out of a sticky situation. They remind me of the 'splitters' in Life of Brian. So busy fighting amongst themselves, they've forgotten who the real enemy is. Rupert Murdoch will be richer, he'll be grinding the socialists bones in the dust - no matter which side they were on, making them completely unelectable. And all the SSP will do is proudly proclaim they stood against their leader in battling the NotW over some stupid sex story. Pathetic!

Nah, not agreed. Duff is our first choice RB, with Proctor coming back too as cover and Tokely able to go back there if needed. I don't think we need anything other than squad players (or someone exceptional - hard to find on a budget) for the defence. Maybe a younger centre-back to take over from Innes and develop. I'd rather another centre midfielder at this stage. Duncan and Cox have blown hot and cold together (currently hot). I quite like to see Proctor as a defensive midfielder (so a cover for both Duncan at DM and Duff at RB) but only Duff can take Cox's more central midfield passing position and I'd rather he stayed at RB. I'd have a look at that position. Must also think about a striker. So far, only Sutherland can take Rooney's position. Using Odi, Sanchez or Gill would mean altering tactics - maybe Foran could do a job but that has other problems. I'd be quite happy though to see this season out. Find out if we've got Rooney next year, then decide if we need a squad player or first team regular. Of course, it'd be great getting someone in as good as a first pick but prepared to bide his time. That's unlikely I'd say.

Neil Lennon has stated he wants to bring in - more defenders - they already have Hinkel (ok, injured), Du-Ri, Wilson, Majstorovic, Izaguirre, Thompson, Hooiveld, Misun, Loovens, O'Dea, Mulgrew and Rogne - a winger - and yet they have Maloney (fine, he's injured), McGinn, McCourt and Forrest, with Ki, Samaras, Kapo, Juarez, Towell and Ledley also being able to play wide - a striker - Hooper (out for a few weeks), Murphy, Stokes, Forrest, Samaras, Hutchinson and Rasmussen How much money have Celtic wasted?? Pretty much every single one (probably bar Hutchinson, Misun and maybe Kapo and Towell) would be a regular in every SPL side bar Rangers - and even then, quite a few would. Such a lot of money wasted on devaluing players sitting on the bench or in the reserves. Is Murphy really almost ?1.5M better than Cillian Sheridan? All of this wasted cash on a team that can't win against their bankrupt rivals, have crashed out of Europe early on and lost a cup semi-final to lowly Ross County. More money than sense, springs to mind.

Just to add McLeish doesn't actually favour a 10 team league playing each other 4 times a season (he favours a 14 team league). Consultations with the TV companies and clubs meant the option of 4 times a season was the only one they would support financially. His take on it was then, ok, what's the best I can do with that? You may say he should have asked fans and ignored those companies but he didn't feel that was in the best interests of Scottish football to take that line. I can understand the logic.

A brilliant comment below the story: Maybe he could be promoted to the board at Venky's Poultry? Oh, yeah, he's not qualified to be in the Poultry industry. And the Venky's people are not qualified to be firing and hiring football club managers. Sums it all up!

No. Clubs are just as free to do that now too. Have a look at Celtic. Not many Scots there. The current situation is that clubs are able to bring in as many foreign players as they like (note: I'm not in favour of this - I believe it should be limited to help our development). The difference between a summer league and our current setup is that European clubs might be prepared to lend us better players (I'm sure you can think of the reasons why). If you disagree, fine. But it seems that you're trying to twist my words. I never mentioned "filling teams up with youngsters". I suspect much the same would happen at the moment. Mostly Scottish players with one or two loans here and there. Instead of it being a trawl around English Division One for that loan, it might instead be a player in the shop window or injury recovery from the Premiership. No filling teams up, no disregard for youth development, no change in the amount of loans currently happening. Just the opportunity for a better class of player to come up here for a few months. Something that would aid youth development.

Yeah, coz it really damages young players to play alongside better ones. Remember when Man Utd were playing kids alongside Cantona? I remember the names - Giggs, Scholes, Neville, Beckham...but where are they now? That was saracsm too.

Dundee United did it with Scandinavian players a few years ago. Loans also happen all the time. I suspect Robbie Keane may well have ended up at Celtic in the close season had we had summer football. Injured stars? Young talent needed competitive games? Players in the shop window being given a chance to impress? Stick 'em up to Scotland, see how they get on.

That's a weird one huh? Sounds like a complete muddying of the waters with neither side coming across as competent mind you. Still, a great result. The team can build without having to pay back money and Marius got the transfer he wanted on, no doubt, more money than most of us will ever see. Hope that's the last of it!

That's it. Sounds exciting doesn't it? Every match is a battle for a trophy or relegation.

In my solution (used in some South American leagues), the season is divided into two, so you only play each time twice a season. More titles, more relegation, more excitement. The second division would also mean more promotion, so exciting there, plus dropping down means the possibility of getting back up again sooner rather than later. There might not be meaningless games to a team but unless we're only appealing to those who already go to matches or television companies that already pay, I can't see those matches attracting any more supporters or tv cash. That's why the SPL was originally set-up in the Seventies. It was getting dull with too many matches that meant nothing.

But the refs are told how to referee a game by the powers-that-be. I can remember a World Cup when the refs were getting a lot of praise for letting the game flow, only for Platini to come out and criticise, saying they had to referee according to instructions, not what they interpreted the laws of the game to be. The World Cup then descended into the usual farce of play being stopped for rolling down a sock.

I'm all for two top ten divisions - only split the normal season into two smaller ones. A 16 team league will only create more meaningless games. Not sure that will be too appealing. Anyone desperate to see an end of season Hamilton v Queen of the South for the difference between 12th and 14th place? Can't see any demand. We just have to have summer football though. Big name loan stars from the Premiership, people like Cowie coming back for the close season to ICT to stay fresh. Games in the sun. Why is it taking so long??

Let's look at it another way: - did Strachan lose the title because he didn't buy in another striker, rather than rely on the injured McDonald or the ineffectual Samaras and van Hooijdonk? - was the team Mowbray built good enough to win the league? - who is the better manager - Strachan, Mowbray, Lennon or Smith? - has Lennon ever won a must-win match? Celtic haven't had a good enough team or manager to win the title. Be good enough to compete, then start whining. "honest mistakes" and "wee sensible debate" = we're so oppressed, poor little us having to cope with being second.

Ok big man. I thought there were two points you were trying to make, the cheating of players and cheating of referees. I just don't buy the second - there are plenty of mistakes in favour of the green-n-white (anything more blatant than Boruc's assault on Dargo? - not that i've seen) But I agree with you in the first point. In fact, I'd blame FIFA/UEFA for that for allowing 'simulation' to be so acceptable that now it's the norm to go down. A foul should only be awarded when an actual foul has taken place, not because a striker wants an advantage of a free-kick. If a team is going to be continually rebuffed whilst the other team cheats, then it's a long slippery road. I applauded the stand Gordon Smith took but then he got criticised for it. It's the biggest blight on the game.

Remember last season? When we were getting all the dubious results? Was that also because of biased referees who were really into the Highlands? You can't have being lucky when it goes for us and being cheated when it goes against. So did we cheat our way to the title? Not in my opinion. Try reffing a kickabout and see how tough any decision to make is.