starchief

I'm at the giving up the ghost time. It's too late for promotion now. So I'm building for the future and getting onto the board to sign up a few long-term, i.e. Cox, Sanchez, Rooney and Hayes. Decisions on Shinnie and Ross to be made pretty soon too. They seem to be future material but a couple more run-outs might give us a better idea. Esson Stratford - Bully - Munro - Shinnie Proctor - Cox Ross - Sanchez - Hayes Rooney I know Stratford is the biggest surprise but that's to give Proctor and Cox a chance in midfield. Let's see if they can bond as well as I think they will. Shinnie and Ross to be given their chance to shine. Barrowman, McBain and Golabek to be released. Foran to be offered a new deal. If he doesn't accept or it costs too much, then let him go to save money. Similarly, Imrie to be sold too. I like both of them but we need long-term here. Duff (preferably) or Duncan to stay as a steadying force in midfield, although I would also consider Gary Mason in that role. Basically, one experienced midfielder on a decent wage. I realise Proctor's been around for a bit but has never really made a position his own. Pele to be brought in as DoF or some such title, basically keeping a hand on the tiller until the new regime (Robbo) starts the empire all over again.

I left the thermometer in the sun and it went to 41C. Only about 24C now though. Brrrrr!

Foran is probably on a big wage, so maybe understandable. Hayes almost certainly isn't and I doubt Sanchez, Eric (think he's worth it though?), Rooney or Cox are on big bucks (I'd include Nick Ross from what little I've seen of him). Sign up the cheap and the talented straight away. They won't break the bank, they could give a good future and they almost certainly won't go down in value. Or else we could get back Vigurs for free. No? Then why the hell did we let him go for nothing?

But if you count North Sea money (and why wouldn't you?), then Scotland actually pays out more money than it gets in. Do the SNP supporters want closer ties with the EU and entry into the Euro?

Yes, I'm a vegetarian environmentalist. How did you know? :cold02:

That would probably be Barrowman and McBain then. Possibly Imrie, although he's not long back from injury and featured a few times. Djebi-Zadi? Well, he's in a battle for left-back so maybe not handing in a transfer request yet. Eagle's never really played anywhere before, so don't see why he would be too desperate to leave. Cox has had a few chances but not quite a regular. Seems fine for a young boy in that centre-midfield position.

It's all so airbrushed that any real individuality is lost. They're told what to say, what to wear etc etc. Even if you do see something inspiring, then your vote is just one of millions, so it has little effect on the outcome. And, of course, just because they seem all sweetness and light, full of hope, that's only because they want to win. Once the voting is over, there's absolutely no guarantee they'll be any good. Politics? I was talking about X-Factor.

A team of mutant super-heroes from Marvel Comics

Maybe we ought to take a look at this McAllister lad. I mean, when you compare him with Barrowman...

I don't either. You're young and idealistic. I'm pretty sure that'll dampen down as we have to live in the world that is, not in the one we wish for. But at this stage in your life, it's a good place to start.

I put 'not sure' as he would be better off finishing this season with a smaller club, then promising him a future in a new set-up with the likes of Robbo, Christie and Pele, with the likely chance of us failing to get promotion and Butcher offski. Then sticking with that vision for a good number of years, through thick and thin.

Brewster - I don't dislike the guy but it was totally wrong to bring him back after the DU fiasco. Didn't have the guile to get us out and, more importantly, didn't have Black, Cowie and Rankin on longer contracts when the opportunity was there. Butcher - Wasn't my first choice but really sparked ICT when he came. He's still finding his way and should have kept both Hastings and Vigurs at least but I feel we may need to go a long-term route to get us back. The Team - We need either a centre-half or a right-back with Tokely moving inside. But until Duff came in, we were so lacking a creative midfielder too. Tactics - The half-time talk isn't working. Maybe we need someone with a bit more tactical nous as an assistant? The Fans - No comment! The Board - Probably mostly to blame for not seeing Brew wasn't the right man, not signing up our brightest talents, then giving Butcher too little time. The Future - St Johnstone mark 2 - there or thereabouts but will we ever get back?

Probably felt with Foran out, it was his turn. Personally I feel Eric and Barrowman are both unproven. In a 4-4-2, probably Barrowman but I think Butcher was looking for a bit more creation with Rooney as the target man.

But there was only one team in the way. We need ALL the teams above us to drop points and that's pretty difficult to do when they're playing each other.

I read recently that the cabin crew are also on one of the most lucrative contracts for their type of work too. "Last month it revealed (BA) had lost ?292m in the first half of the year" "its two pension schemes now have a combined deficit of ?3.7bn" So, why the hell have two weeks of strikes during their busiest period? Would they prefer to negotiate with the dole office as to weekly or fortnightly?

One of my favourites. Almost worth the plane fair to get across.

I'm of a left-wing bent but British Airways is in such trouble, it should be about protecting as many jobs as possible. The strike can only harm the company and the staff eventually. Bad call by the workers.

:D They were hauled off to the data mines of Cyber-ia (groan)

America protects it's own interests. As soon as you understand that, it all makes sense. I don't think they're doing a great job mind you and would have been far better with a less hawkish government after 9/11.

Regarding unemployment, I do think it's amazing how the vitriol against the 'scroungers' is linked to employment rates. During good times when unemployment is low, rarely a word is heard, yet when unemployment is high (like during the Thatcher years or the Credit Crunch) people will complain heavily about benefits. As if somehow a significant proportion of the population becomes lazy altogether for a couple of years, then somehow gets the will to work when the economy improves.

I can't have Renegade giving a team like that. Right, here's mine then! Esson Duncan - Duff - Golly Stratford - Proctor - Tokely - Sanchez Bully - Barrowman - Djebi-Zadi And no, I don't care who's fit or not. Whew, I feel better now.

I would prefere Labour than the Tories. They're so close politically now, it's tough to see any major differences. They both follow the same economic policies (credit crunch would have happened with both). They both support the war in Iraq (and Afghanistan). Brown is pro-EU but won't do anything about it, Cameron is anti-EU but won't do anything about it. Neither are anywhere near close to the parties of the 1980s, be that Thatcher on one hand or Foot/Kinnock on the other. Instead, the John Major/Ken Clarke government is the role model for both parties. Strangely enough, I sat next to a couple of House of Lords Tory Ladies (as in Lords and...) who were both saying that they thought the UK had a pretty good Conservative government. This was in 2006.

I think the term is "a fair day's wage for a fair day's work" It's pretty idealistic but it's a good way to start. The current system isn't working. Neither would that, as there are different ways of inspiring people. Some with money. I happen to be an ecologist. It can actually be fairly well-paid depending what you do (although hell of a difficult to get into) but I don't know of a single ecologist that entered the profession for financial gain. Some of my favourite quotes from Churchill are: "Democracy is the worst form of government ...........except for all those others" and "The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter" Idealistic but not too bad if you're still at school. Blair was even a socialist then.

Not a lot. But my point was that countries can't be compared when they are not at the same standard of development. What use is democracy in Afghanistan when it's still run by warlords, the election is corrupt and voting can get you killed. But it doesn't mean, get rid of democracy in the UK.

Highest standard of literacy in the world and yet still only a developing country. I don't think a developing country can really be fairly compared to a First World country. When I was growing up, it was always 'would you rather live in Russia' if you were found to be left-wing. Then, Russia became right-wing. Food shortages, oligarchs, high crime, racism etc etc. So don't vote Tory or the UK will end up like Russia? Nonsense. You got to compare like-with-like. Is your socialism a hard-line totalitarian regime? Then, ok, compare it with the former Soviet Union. But if it's democratic socialism, then it's probably closer to most European countries, such Germany and France for most of their post-war years. One of the things that gets me is people voting for what the major parties represented 30 or so years ago. Socialists still vote Labour, despite them abandoning their left-wing principles and people still vote Tory for their sound economic sense (record unemployment, interest rates at 15 %, more business failing and bankruptcy than ever before in history, anti-EU). It's like when voters were asked what policies of Sarah Palin they liked