KirkieRobRoy

On Facebook I have had two separate features about St Johnstone winning 'suggested' for me. I view this very dimly.

That was tough to take. I actually said at h-t that we'd played really well but might pay for not taking the chances. At h-t Davidson clearly reminded his players that a similar 45 might see them in the Championship. It was a great support from ICT, too. Not sour grapes but we should just have promotion playoffs as in England, not a second chance for sides who deserve to be relegated.

Can't find where to buy Monday tickets.

Wouldn't say Willie the Gollum was biased any way - just incompetent, clueless and card-happy. Re supervisors: their job is to write up the refereeing performance bending over backwards to defend the ref and conclude that everything's OK and the SFA are dead brullyant. Was thinking that St J are a team used to losing and may be psychologically weaker than the Smokies. Then someone upthread reminded me they'd drawn away to Galatasaray. Hopefully the bumbling mid-season St J will turn up...

Historically ICT flourish in cup ties - and yes, this was a cup tie - with nine men. Nothing between the sides, there was never going to be, but ICT lads showed the character. Willie the Gollum was a joke in the juniors and there was relief and laughter when he got kicked into the top flight. He hasn't improved.

Checked the Met Office forecast for the Arbroath area. They're suggesting gusts in the upper twenties still in the early evening which will be even stronger at Gayfield. The wind's often a factor there. Keep it on the deck!

It was actually a pitch for hoofing it up the park but you have to do it well.

The first 25 minutes were Don't Watch Alone. Things have improved but you cringe whenever we have to play out of defence.

In fairness, what else is there to do in Elgin?

It was carnage among Scottish football managers thus week. Billy has to really demonstrate clearly why he shouldn't be next.

Who coulda predicted even half an hour ago we'd be - marginally - the top five side who gained most?

Quite agree about the commentators. Prefer them to the BBC. Could have gone either way and you could argue the league leaders should be winning at home, so celebrate the point.

It's how hard you work and how well you're coached that matters most. The main problem with Arbroath being up there is that nobody at ICT can use the 'Och, we're just a wee team wi a wee budget' getout.

The League Cup is a competition we should have a chance of going deep into, but this is embarrassing. I say it every year but an unambitious pre-season of mainly doling out beatings to HL teams disnae prepare us for the hard stuff.

Still a bit focused on the might-have-beens to think too much about next season. I think the general improvement - there is one - since McCann took over is indeed a thing to ponder. Whoever takes the team into the new season, let's have a half-decent pre-season with fewer hidings doled out to Highland League teams and a few more interesting and testing match ups. As I say every summer, how about ICT v Kirkie Rob Roy?

Funny watching the game and the summariser turns out to be one of our coaching staff. It's like being the Old Firm.

Two unbeaten finalists in a national cup competition. We'll be part of a pub quiz question for all time, anyway.

Defensively, the record isn't too bad but if you don't score, or can't score, one goal beats you, as tonight. And if there was one thing for certain about the Pele years, whether we played Celtic or Cowdenbeath, win or lose, we didn't often not score.

Agree. He's a matchwinner when fit but he never is.

It is frustrating that we're walking a tightrope where a couple of bad results would put us in deep trouble but a couple of good ones would put us right in the play-off picture. That said, who fancies us in Spiffle Premier play-offs? I was actually quite possitive about the squad at the start of the season, thought there were some good signings in there but that's how much I know.

Cervantes might be beyond our means. You could be tilting at windmills there...

Come back refreshed and rejuvenated, Robbo, and take as long as you need. (But sign our souvenir Hearts tickets before you go...)

Aye, I enjoyed the commentators - was Andy Ritchie the summariser? I came to the game late.

Two games in a row where other results generally ran in our favour and we couldn't capitalise. A bit like all of last season, then.

Letting the Evil Two youth teams in helps the Evil Two and no one else. So at some stage it will probably happen. The whole game in Scotland has been badly run - and run in the interest of the big two - for so long that there was no way it could cope with the disruption of Covid. Whatever you think of English moneybags football (and I loathe it) their authorities were clear about what they wanted to do from the off. The SPFL and SFA are making stuff up as they go along. Every poll of Scottish fans makes it clear we are fed up with playing teams 3/4 times a year. Everydicussion of change makes it clear the authorities and the broadcasters want to keep four league Domestic Abuse Derbies a year above all else. In many ways I don't see any hope for Scottish club football. We just must cultivate our garden - fllow your team wherever, whoever they play, at whatever level. I accept what some have said about the dead wood in League 2. Assuming the clubs and syste survives there needs to be a wider exchange of clubs between L2 and the Highland and Lowland (and, now, West and East tier 6) Leagues. That'd freshen things up and bring fresh interest. So it'll never happen.