starchief

Allison Stratford - Bulvitis - Tokely - Djebi-Zadi Morrison - Proctor Ross - Sanchez - Eagle Odi This line-up isn't so we can relax. Instead, we need to see who can play against SPL opposition and Dundee is as near as we can get. Quite a few need to prove themselves worthy of a new contract. This is their chance. I'm especially looking at Sanchez, Eagle and Odi, as well as Allison. They have to perform. If they can't, no point having them for next year.

I'm a bit worried by this: "We have to prepare for the challenge of next season and that is being done. But we'll wait till this campaign is over before focusing on that." So still no new contracts? He who hesitates is lost.

3-0???? WE WANT 37! A new record score?

Hayes already? Thought we were taking it easy?

What a lot of nonsense. ?500M pounds to be found. HALF A BILLION! In these economic times. Is McLeish not aware that clubs are basically survivng on debt? He should have made some sort of an interim report, asking how much money he was able to spend instead of wasting all our time on this idiocy. Of course the situation can improve with that money. We could broacast SPL matches free and excite youngsters for a start. We needed someone to think outside the box. Come up with drastic solutions. Why? Coz there's no bloody money! Doing it with cash is the easy way. I'd rather ?500M was spent on hospitals, rather than football, and I say this as a fan. How about low cost solutions? Focussing on pyramidal systems in schools and youth leagues. Making a requirement that what pitches there are (yep, I know not every school has grounds now but some do and there are municipal parks), are fully utilised. There's a fair few free, or virtually free, things that can be done to make sure youngsters are both excited and have a club to play for. But for your report to say, we want half a billion and it's not going to work if we don't get it. Sheesh! It's beyond comical. Just to add: I read Neil Lennon's thoughts and agreed entirely. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/low/scotland/8640779.stm

I remember when Mark Walters signed for Rangers and Celtic fans (and then Hearts I believe) were walking around in gorilla outfits* and throwing bananas. And this was in the late 1980s??!! (*which reminds me of that great episode of "One Foot In The Grave")

I'm sure what's been said about your father is innocent humour and meant in the best possible taste. Or as a football analogy, it's a bit like Dundee's season... ...ONE BIG JOKE!

I can't see how a three-year deal for a very promising talent can be a bad thing... ...not that I'm expecting it to happen, mind you...

Shame on you for not recognising our first female prime minister.

I did mine on my blog a while ago. I've ruled out ones that I've barely seen, such as Law, Jimmy Johnstone, Baxter etc. Only just about remember Bremner, so he has to be out too. Mine was: Goram McGrain - Miller - Narey - Donachie Strachan - Souness - McAllister - Cooper Dalglish - Derek Johnstone Bit controversial in places I know. Jardine played right-back for his club, so I've given it to Donachie. Willie Miller carried McLeish and a Hansen/Miller combination wouldn't have worked. Gough might have got in there but Narey was the defensive rock that a European level Dundee United was founded upon. Just let that sink in to see how great Narey actually was. And Sir Alex dropped McLeish for Narey in the World Cup, despite the club link. Gary McAllister is a far better player than he was ever given credit for. At Leeds, he was absolutely world class. Certainly better than the likes of Fletcher, Brown, Ferguson or McStay (even though I like the latter a lot) from recent times or Rioch, Masson, McInally from past days. Derek Johnstone didn't get very many caps but he was the best Scottish striker when I was growing up, bar Dalglish. Bad management by McLeod that stopped him being recognised as a dark blue great, the way he was as a light blue legend.

Why Bobby Williamson? Did magnificently well at Killie, winning a cup and a decent run in Europe. Did well at Hibs, even though they hated him for being a Rangers man (how pathetic is that?) and he was the one that got the Riordan/Brown/Thomson etc players developing. Mowbray came later. Got Plymouth promoted (okay, most of the hard work was done) and they were never in the bottom three of the Championship during his reign. They were as soon as he left. Nobody else could do much better. Franck Sauzee was pretty poor. So was Tony Fitzpatrick. He developed some decent players but when you look at the before and after of him leaving (twice!), you see that he might have been a decent coach but a poor manager. Especially with that Saints team he had with the likes of Victor, Stickroth, Archibald, Lambert, Martin etc etc.

Surely ICT must be the most northern team in the league? There's no other team from the Highlands. Oh no, sorry, I meant the league as in the Scottish Premier League. I don't really pay much attention to the lower divisions :D

Heilandee :P

Think you might struggle to get to a game then :P

It was in a paper I read that the SFA were talking about 'promoting from within'. Wonder what that could mean for progress... Someone like Walter Smith or Alex Ferguson would have done a good job but, to be honest, I think it's an impossible task. Both would leave after a couple of weeks. I really do wonder if GS can make a good number of changes now that he can tell the whole truth from the sidelines, without 'collective cabinet responsibilty' tieing his tongue.

Gordon Smith would often embarrass Traynor on SportSound. GS had far more insight into the goings-on at Celtic than Big Jim and would regularly trounce him. It quickly made me realise that Traynor and many staff journos (there's another non-footie story here I won't bother going into) are really in the business of selling. Spin, not facts, are the order of the day, whether that be Scott Brown being sold by Mowbray (who actually makes him captain) or 12 players of the UEFA Cup team being sold (GS didn't let that one go for weeks). It's not always that way with every journo/pundit. Some, like McNee, Traynor and a few others before him, are valued in newspaper circles because they create controversy. They see the spin that'll get people talking. And if it's not 100% true? Well, that's not their job. I've never heard of Chic (who's not been a journo for years, just a columnist) and GS having a bust up. Chic's got inroads into Ibrox (whether he supports them or not), Love Street and Rugby Park. Aside from that, he's there as a fan with a mic. Not to be taken too seriously but someone with a bit of passion, rahter than a sneer.

Do you tend to get a lot of work from Romanian footballers? No? Just the one?

Yeah, I wouldn't advise Aberdeen to Hayes or Rooney. Foran's more towards the end of his career (still plenty of time to go but not up'n'coming), so a top six is about the best he'll get. Hopefully, that'll be with an ambitious ICT. For the other two, going to a failing Aberdeen team with a manager under pressure isn't going to achieve much. Prove themselves with a year or two with ICT, then a step up is easily possible. Maybe even with an Aberdeen team if they can get their mojo back. But a good time to sit and wait IMHO.

I would have thought Foran would be the subject of quite a bit of transfer interest. Who, below the OF, wouldn't want him? I hope we either hold out for a lot of money or let him go on a free next year for Rooney if he wants to leave. Fed up being ripped off.

Decent article here about Smith's wishes and how they were all derailed. http://sport.scotsman.com/football/Gordon-...were.6238335.jp I'm in favour of every one. I look forward to GS telling his side of the story.

Andy Barrowman. Look at the way he played against Celtic. He never showed anything like that energy at the start of the season.

Don't think we've much need for that position. For me, get in Pavels (whose been right-back at Dundee Utd) and let Tokely play in the centre. Swap about if it's not working. Proctor, Duncan and Cox (assuming all three are there) are good enough for def mid. If Falkirk go down, I'd like to see us enquire about Burton O'Brien for that central attacking mid.

I thought he was a terrific pundit (even if he was pretty shameless in his MoM always being one his clients). Most of the ideas he spouted as a pundit, he was unable to push through as SFA boss. I suspect if he was given more power, we would have seen summer football, bigger leagues and more streamlined finances. I would be more in favour of promotion rather than resignation.

Been a few, like Doofer's Dad, Sorted, Renegade, Reliably Informed, ralph milne, Harry Chibber, MissICT. All for very very different reasons.

Pretty much my reading of it, although I'd drop one of the Tokelys (I'd keep Ross in and leave out his twin, Yakamoto Tokely) for Malpas. He's due a run-out. Also Foran in defence in place of Munro, who is dropped altogether. No replacement. We play with ten men. Just trying to make it tantalisingly close for Dundee :)