ALSY

This. Can't set too much store by a friendly result, especially with Foran and Hayes missing. Will be interested to read IHE & Red Card's thoughts on the game - if they can remember any of it after their Russian-themed breakfast.

This. Will probably still get the shirt though.

He's here, he's there, he's every f***ing where...

It would be great to see some of the youth team players pushing for starting places this season. I'd almost forgotten about them because of all the focus on the new signings and on whether last year's signings could make the step up.

I'd love it if you were right about this. Can't see United maintaining such a strong challenge for so long, however. I think they'll miss Webster in particular. I wouldn't be surprised if Celtic won the title by some distance this season. As for ICT, I agree with those who think that 11th would represent a good season for us, but I'm cautiously optimistic that we can do a litle better. The squad looks stronger than it did in our last couple of seasons in the SPL, notwithstanding the absence of Black and Cowie, and Butcher is a far better motivator than Brewster and also, if last season is anything to go by, more prepared to change his approach if something isn't working. Top 6 does look a bit of a stretch though. Motherwell have a lot of good young players and a shrewd manager - I'd expect them to be up there. Despite losing McArthur, Hamilton seem to have kept signing players and looking to improve and will probably hit the ground running faster than us. St Johnstone have also god quite a few good young players and I wouldn't surprised if they push on in the way Hamilton did in their second season in the SPL. At the moment Killie and Aberdeen look weak and St Mirren are a completely unknown quantity. I'm guessing the SPL will finish something like this: Celtic Rangers Dundee Utd Hibs Hearts Motherwell Hamilton St Johnstone ICT Aberdeen St Mirren Kilmarnock

We need experienced cover at centre back and Innes should provide it - Rosscoe hasn't much experience of playing there in the SPL. Not exactly a long-term solution, but in the best case scenario this could turn out to be like Dods signing for us when we were promoted first time around. Alternatively Innes could be a total donkey and ready for the knacker's yard. Time will tell...

Agree with this, and I think there's a good chance these are the tactics Butcher will adopt. Long ball wasn't ever really a managerial poicy last season as far as I could tell - the central defenders just seemed to have a tendency to revert to the punt when things weren't going as planned, particularly in the first half of the season. I'm guessing Butcher will be looking at playing either Blumenstein, Sanchez or Odihambo in behind Rooney - will be interesting to see who he starts the season with. I still think Sanchez could be effective in the SPL if he gets the space to make passes, but I'm also looking forward to seeing how Blumenstein shapes up.

Couple of financial disasters since I bumped into you means I won't make it - out of pocket to the tune of ?400 thanks to an exploding washing machine... Maybe try to arrange something for the Celtic game if you're heading up, though?

I'd love Murray to win it, but I have the feeling that he won't do it this year. In the really important games his first serve often lets him down - this undid him in the semi against Roddick last year and although I reckon he'll beat Tsonga tomorrow, I could see the same happening in this year's semi, especially if he's playing Nadal. Also, if he does manage to make the final, the chances are he'll be playing Federer, and I worry that having been beaten in straight sets by Federer in his previous two grand slam finals, he won't have the psychological strength to win this one. Really hope I'm wrong though.

For any of our Irish players to be considered for an international call up in the near future, he would have to have an exceptional season, and the team as a whole would probably have to be performing well above expectations. It's not impossible, though - George O'Boyle won Northern Irish caps whilst playing for small Scottish clubs, and Tommy Coyne won most of his Republic caps whilst at Motherwell (admittedly a pretty good side at the time). FWIW I think Rooney should do OK next season as long as he gets decent service from midfield and doesn't have to rely on scraps from long balls. In his previous season in the SPL he certainly showed more promise than Barrowman, although, in common with the form of the whole team, this was very sporadic. I think Hayes might struggle to make an impact in some matches if opposing teams pick up on how to keep him out of the game - he had a few quiet games towards the end of last season once the other sides cottoned on to how much of a threat he could be and started making him more effectively. Looking forward to seeing how they do though, and also whether Sanchez and Odihambo can make any impact at this level.

Great to have something tangible to discuss again at last. I'm happy with Celtic at home first - we won't be expected to do much against them whereas a home game against, say, Killie or St Mirren would immediately be treated as a barometer of how our season's going to go. Definitely going to try to make that one, and already planning my away programme. The midweek game in Aberdeen presents a challenge to my aim to get to every away game this season, though - will need to try to wangle a free period last thing that Wednesday, or else try to beg a lift off someone leaving the Glasgow area after 4 pm. :D

Uncanny.

No he isn't. Not when he mentions 17-20 supporters. Everyone knows we have one of the smaller away supports and obviously it will dip if we have nothing to play for at the end of the season, but it is lying, disrespectful, disingenuous bullsh*t to claim that it will ever be as low as that. Our way support was in three figures for almost every away game last season and the season before that, and I suspect was one of the best in the division for the final quarter of the season. It's fair enough to say that Dundee being promoted would have been far more advantageous to Utd, but why lie like that to make your point? My point was that it's obvious a local derby would be more beneficial to DUTD as opposed to a tricky journey up the road or against a team with a fairly small away support. But it's the same as a local derby would be good for anyone. Im sure Killie would love Ayr to come up (although we all know that'd never happen ) just as we would love to have County to beat in the same league. He's not really lying either. It's much more of a rash speculation to exaggerate on his point. And the reporter has latched on to that for a better story. It's not big news to be honest. I don't really care for what he has to say but hey it's his point of view and he's entitled to think that... whether he's right is another matter entirely. I do appreciate the basic point he's making, but the '17-20' remark just really irritated me, maybe because I did keep faithfully going to the away games throughout our last two disappointing seasons in the SPL and saw the same faces there every week - a good bit more than 20 of them. Had he said '80-100', which would have been more accurate, he could have made his point about Dundee just as well without putting the boot into us and giving extra ammunition to all the Saints- and Killie-supporting @rseholes on P&B who delight in telling us what an insult to the SPL we are. I am aware, by the way, that this is probably a mad, tin-hatted over-reaction...

No he isn't. Not when he mentions 17-20 supporters. Everyone knows we have one of the smaller away supports and obviously it will dip if we have nothing to play for at the end of the season, but it is lying, disrespectful, disingenuous bullsh*t to claim that it will ever be as low as that. Our way support was in three figures for almost every away game last season and the season before that, and I suspect was one of the best in the division for the final quarter of the season. It's fair enough to say that Dundee being promoted would have been far more advantageous to Utd, but why lie like that to make your point?

Finally got round to paying again.

Tsk. And I bet you've spent the past week, as I have, repeatedly telling your pupils to read the questions properly...

The Snug is in Dundee - on the town side of the ground rather on than the far side like the Centenary. The crack in Munn's before the last Partick game was great, but I chose not to put in any of the pre-Partick pubs because it doesn't really feel like an away day for me. Was in the Elizabethan and the Airdrie stadium bar as well this season, but they didn't quite make the Top 5.

The Ship Stark's Bar The Norseman The Snug The Mallard I never made it to the bar at Palmerston on either journey to Dumfries this season - staggered through a motley collection of Dumfries bars instead, none of them very memorable.

Who will you build your teams around next season?

June 17th as far as I remember.

The problem with Perth - like Inverness - is that Macdiamid is so out of the way. If you want to take the risk out trying to get enough taxis at quarter to three there are a few decent places in the city centre where the away army could congregate: the Old Ship Inn, in an alleyway off the High St, is a good old traditional pub; the Moncrieffe Arms on Princes St has (or at least used to have) a couple of pool tables; from memory Mucky Mulligan's, an Irish pub on Canal St, also has pool and a decent juke box; and the Twa Tams on Scott St has a beer garden and live music. Guess Alex M and Yngwie might have the best ideas about where to go, though.

Both the Snug and The Centenary Bar in Dundee are fine. In the past have just headed to the 208 in Perth - 2 mins walk from the ground, cheap & cheerful. We ended up in there again before the Challenge Cup final because the Tulloch was too full to take any more ICT supporters. Hopefully we'll get Hibs away first on a nice sunny August afternoon, and can enjoy the Iona's beer garden.

Preferably Hearts or Hibs away, although I'm not sure whether the SPL will try to have us at home for the first game so we can raise the flag? They didn't last time, but I remember a lot of people being quite surprised about it.

Agree with Caley D that the decisiveness is a good thing. Terry must be fairly confident of getting cover in in central defence. FWIW I wouldn't have been sorry to see us keep Bully - sometimes he had a bit of a tendency to lose opposing attackers but I saw him have a few very good games for us. I warmed to Eagle too after the 0-0 at County and the Ayr game, where he showed some promise, but he was never going to be challenging Hayes or Foran for the wide positions. Clearly, though, we can expect to see a few new signings, which will make the summer more interesting.

Obviously not. In fact I'm thinking of changing my username to 'Bottom Six Next Year'. Fancy ?20 on it? :023: How about this: The last away game, if we're top six, you pay me in. If we're bottom six, I'll pay you in. Tickets for the infirm are more expensive so this works in my favour... You're on. Just as long as you don't expect me to pay for the pies as well...