Caley Stan

Charles, you're probably right on all of those points. I was pretty young at the time so can't put that side into historical context (i only saw Caley win the two trophies you mention), but I just felt that there were a lot of very good players in that squad (if not the best squad in the league then surely the largest budget?) and Sergei failed to turn them into a decent team. The atmosphere around the club obviously didn't help.

Renegade's updated list is reasonable for the most part but i do think there is a general tendency in his post and in the thread to overrate Robbo and underrate Brewster 1 and Charlie. Robbo had a hellish start to his first reign and ground out promotion from a very weak second tier with Pele's team the following season. We were then in a relegation scrap until he left and at that point the idea that we were about to establish ourselves as a top tier side for the next decade seemed beyond fanciful. When Brewster stepped in and inspired us to a series of comfortable wins it changed the whole scope of what seemed possible for the club to achieve, and we very quickly started to feel like we belonged in the top league . The 4-1 at Livingston was the turning point and we then went on a heady run that included a 3-0 win at home to Hibs and a 2-0 win at Tynecastle. Brewster's management style meant that he was never going to maintain that kind of impact, and it was clear from the lift the players got from his departure that he had already started to lose the dressing room. That lift, and Charlie's first months in charge, saw us play some fantastic football with Wyness, Dargo and Black seemingly liberated from the constraints of Brew's reactive system. The 4-2 at Tannadice and the 4-1 at Falkirk stand out from that period for me. While the following season saw us found at times, we were playing attractive open football and we beat Rangers home and away! No arguments with Pele top and Foran/Baltacha bottom. On Sergei, worth remembering that he had a full season with Caley in the Highland League prior to the merger and failed to win it with what was, by some distance, the best squad in the league. He took that same squad into the SFL and again underachieved while playing turgid football. Enter Pele....

5 days left of the window. We've lost Raven, Cooper and Elsdon and added Austin. With Susan and OFW frozen out, the squad is much thinner than the one we started the season with. If we're serious about challenging for a play-off place, we're going to need to add a bit of depth.

Anybody know who our young central midfielders are? Wouldn't like to see them blooded on Saturday when they haven't made the bench all season. If our other defenders are fit then playing Coll in front of the back 4 might be a partial solution.

I talked to number of folk yesterday on this subject and a fair few just refuse to see his contribution. Rumours are that we can expect a bid for him this month. If he moves on, I suspect he'll be missed more than he's been appreciated.

We went back to basics after the Dumbarton travesty and have slowly introduced more attacking intent. I really enjoyed watching us today, particularly in the first hour when Doran, Polwarth & Vigurs were a cut above anything Queens had in midfield. While I remain an Oakleyskeptic, I thought he did a good job of hassling their centre-halfs and the creative players had more space as a result. We retreated & tired in the last half hour, but Calder & Donaldson deserve a mention for going full pelt right to the end. Excellent performances from both.

The standard of refereeing is the same for every team in the league and Robbo needs to take responsibility for failing to have us prepared for it. The likes of Dumbarton, Morton and Livingston are clearly coached to play a physical game which is constantly on the edge of the rules and they apply it with discipline. We try to play more football than those sides, and when our play is thwarted and decisions don't go our way, certain players lose their heads. Vigurs' red seems harsh, but he has been the worst culprit throughout the season. Robbo suggests he's got a reputation for being "talkative". If that means aggressively swearing in faces of the officials then it's hardly surprising if they bear a grudge.

I'll lay out this team just to try and get my head around it. Many surprises: Ridgers McKay Donaldson Warren Chalmers Trafford Vigurs Mulraney Polworth Doran Oakley

Polworth and Vigurs.

I would continue with Baird over Oakley until we make further signings. While Baird is clearly not a goal threat, he puts in a power of work and links well with the midfield. Oakley is also hard working, and has more physical presence, but he offers almost nothing in terms of link play. Whether he's competing in the air or receiving the ball to feet, it's a complete lottery as to whether we will retain possession. Very poor management from Robbo to leave us with such poor options up front for the first half of the season.

A very poor performance. Morton were carving us open at will until they scored and could've had the game wrapped up inside twenty minutes had it not been for some excellent goalkeeping from Ridgers. Thereafter, they sat off us and saw the game out very comfortably without conceding a single shot on target. Whilst i agree that the referee was abysmal, i think we should also recognise that Morton were far more disciplined than us - all the holding, pushing, time-wasting, winding people up and cynical fouling is clearly coached and well controlled. We, on the other hand, have Vigurs lunging with two feet in the centre of the park for no good reason and Baird pushing Quitongo right in front of the referee while waiting to be booked for a previous retaliation on the same player. I gave Baird a bit of an earful at that point as he seemed to be losing his head and he gave some back as well. I was quite embarrassed later in the game to discover that i had been seated next to Mrs Baird, Mama Baird and Baby Baird throughout. The play-offs are starting to look out of our reach now. The likes of Morton probably have a smaller budget and inferior players but they're just much better drilled for playing in this division. A special mention for Cappielow. It's a delightful time warp, the kids got in free and were presented with a big bag of free sweets from youth team players on arrival, and they played Frankie Laine. It's just the best ground in Scottish football.

Obviously we're crying out for physical presence up top but I don't think it's up for discussion until we bring someone in. Oakley just doesn't offer nearly enough to justify a starting place.

No, that's a Crown accent.

It was a bit disjointed & we defended far too deep in the first half but we still look pretty solid & kept the run going. Polly & Vigurs at the heart of all our good play again. Can't believe Polly's still getting stick - there will be bids for him in January on current form. Great to see Doran coming on.

Rae's won me over with the dolphin analogy.

A very tight competitive game in which we had the better chances. Mulraney played well but should've scored when clean through in the 1st half. Bell was more composed with his 1 on 1 in the 2nd but Alexander made a brilliant save. Polworth and Vigurs stood out again, although perhaps not quite at their best. They were both down with knocks during the game and you wonder what we'd be without them. Superb support.

When i first saw Joe Chalmers prancing along the Forthbank touchline i thought he looked like a dud of Vetleesque proportions. At full-back he was frequently done for pace and appeared to have a complete lack of positional awareness. When Robbo moved him into midfield that night his sanity was questioned by most of the travelling support - Chalmers offered nothing positive there, misplacing passes and getting in the way when we tried to create openings down that side. Since then, i've caught a couple of glimpses of his fabled sweet left foot, but seen little to question that first impression. Until yesterday. Yesterday he was one of our best players, making a number of interceptions in midfield, retaining possession well by playing simple balls into Vigurs and Polworth, and getting to bye line on a couple occasions including for the excellent cross that led to the corner for the opening goal. Did anyone see this coming?

It's not a national event - Armed Forces Day is in June. I think Renegade and Kingsmills are correct to broaden the topic to raise concerns about US style jingoism. The feting of military personnel is dangerous. It's used by governments to stir up nationalist fervour and provide public support support for imperialist foreign interventions. To those who say they'd be happy to support a similar day for nurses or teachers or whatever - you're not being asked to. Only armed forces. Why?

Excellent performance all round. I was particularly impressed with the composure we showed to see the game out. Champing at the bit to see these highlights, especially Jake skinning his man on the bye line.

Happy to say i jumped the gun with the seething mess above. I still think Robbo made some poor signings and we are probably unable to challenge for the play-offs as a result, but he deserves a lot of credit for stabilising things. To take the side from that loss of discipline at Dumbarton to yesterday's solid, composed performance in a month without conceding a goal is some feat.

They played together at Dumbarton. It wasn't pretty.

Warren is finished. He cannot defend when the ball is below his head. Every attacking player in Scottish football now knows that if they run at him they will either go past him or win a free kick. It happened throughout last season and sadly, it's continuing at this level.

Robertson's failed to restore confidence to the side, and during the 2nd half on Saturday they showed a lack of desire and a loss of discipline. Some of his signings are so out of their depth (Ridgers, Elsdon, Chalmers, Oakley) that there is no trust between the players. He's changing the shape almost every week and never influences a game through substitutions or tactical changes. I'd take Houston or McIntyre in a minute.

Big changes next week? Obviously Tremarco, perhaps Mulraney, but i'm not seeing anyone else on that bench to improve this team.

All 3 of them?