DoofersDad

Home again against Montrose would do me as we were in the first round of the Alba cup when we were unable to get the better of them over 120 minutes. This would be an opportunity to desmonstrate that despite the disappointments of the last 2 weeks, we are now a much better side than we were at the start of the season.

If we don't win the league he'll blame the Board for not giving him the cash to buy players and say he's going somewhere where his talents are appreciated. If we do win the league he'll say he achieved that despite the Board not giving him the cash to buy players and will say he's going somewhere where his proven talents are appreciated. Of course, if he gets himself introduced on STV as ICT manager, I might change my mind.

Hear here

Think positive. The last game of the season is the Scottish Cup final on May 15th!

Good thread Northern Jaggie. I like the idea of being able to sit anywhere on a first come first serve basis. It brings together all those who want to make a noise and will help to create much more of an atmosphere. It would be rather like the good old days of the terracing when the atmosphere in some of the grounds was superb. It would also mean that the moaners could moan together in a quiet corner and those who choose to leave before the game has finished can sit at the front so they don't obstruct the view of the rest of us when they get up to leave. I appreciate that some folk like the seats they have and wish to remain in that spot. No problem - just get there early if it is that important to you. If someone else has got there first, it just means they wanted it more, so good luck to them I say.

No way can we let him go. We do not have many options at the back and as others have said, he is improving and scoring goals. The problem is on the flanks: Tokely is only showing glimpses of the kind of play we have loved over the years whilst Golabek flattered to deceive on his return and is now showing that he no longer has what it takes. There are various options midfield and up front but for me the 3 names that should be first on the team sheet every week are Esson, Munro and Bulvitis. The lad's probably gutted after his unfortunate own goal on Sunday and the last thing he needs is fans suggesting he should be shown the door. I thought he was one of the best players on Sunday and can't understand why anyone would feel his contract should not be renewed.

I expect there will be some period of time after having glandular fever when they wouldn't take your blood but it won't be more than a month or two I would have thought. I had glandular fever when I was in my early twenties and it hasn't stopped me giving blood.

One would hope the club should have something to say about this. It ought to be in his contract that if he does any pundetry on the box he is introduced as ICT manager. I suppose we should be grateful that he is not introduced as "former Brentford manager".

I've been giving blood for years. It doesn't hurt, you get to lie down and relax for 20 minutres and get free coffee and biscuits after. It's all quite pleasant really. There are loads of folk, like Mrs Jnr, who can't give blood for a whole host of reasons whilst there are loads of folk who need several pints of blood during major surgery. There is often a big demand at this time of year so if you can, why dont you give. Phone 01463 705315 and someone nice will tell you how you can help save someon's life.

After such a brilliant first half, the second was obviously hard to take. But I share the view that even then, we weren't too bad. It was just one of those days. Dundee must have been very grateful to go in at half time only 2 down and still in the game. They were fired up for the 2nd, they got their tactics right, we got ours wrong and they got the breaks. Over the peice we were the better side and they know it. Of course there are concerns in certain areas which need addressing but let's be positive here. The 2nd half performance, disappointing though it was, represented a massive improvement from the 120 minutes of dross served up in the opening match of the competition against Montrose who are still without a win at the bottom of the 3rd division. Yes, we are inconsistent, but the average standard has improved by a mile. Sunday's first half performance was a joy to watch and would have graced any SPL game. Well done lads! Believe - we can win this league.

Leave the brolly at home.

That's a fantastic interview. I'd only ever really seen Pele speak in after-match interviews, when it was the usual cagey, dour Scottish manager stuff - I'd never realised the extent of the humour and warmth and modesty the guy has. It kind of gave me a shiver when he talked about wishing he could have finished his career at Inverness, like Guy Roux at Auxerre - realistically, it would probably have gone sour at some point, but I still have this dream of us playing fast, recklessly exciting Pele-style football in the SPL. Abstinence makes the heart grow fonder ?? I'll drink to that

So does that mean the Liverpool beachball game should be played again?

Oh dear! I knew it was a mistake to reply to such a tasteless post so I'll say what I have to say and simply ignore you from now on. The sad thing is that not only do you suffer from Schadenfreude, you clearly know you do and take great delight in something which most of us would consider a mental illness. For those who do not know what Schadenfreude is, it is the malicious enjoyment of another's misfortune. The key thing here is that it is malicious. You are owning up to and taking delight in being malicious. That has no place in CTO. You suggest I "get over it and learn to see the funny side of life". I can assure you I rejoice in the funny side of life but I don't get my kicks from a maliciuos enjoyment of the misfortune of others. If you think you are being funny or clever by referring to your Schadenfreude (and you clearly do) let me assure you that you are being neither. I will not waste my time pandering to your misplaced sense of humour again but have written this just to offer a friendly word of advice that you seek help for your sickness. Maybe one day you will "get over it" and learn to see the genuinely funny side of life.

There's nothing funny about it. Regardless of who you might have preferred to win, and whether or not it was deliberate, the fact is it was an obvious handball and the goal should not have stood. Indeed, had the referee or assistant done their job, France would have been down to 10 men. Of course, there was no guarantee that the result would have been different at the end but my money would have been on the Irish. For the Irish players and their supporters this is heartbreaking. They were unbeaten through a tough qualifying group and were then the victims of a rule change which led to seeding in the play-offs where they were unlucky to be drawn against the best side. Having overcome all of that to outplay the French in Paris, only to then be victims of one of the worst refereeing decisions for years is not funny. These lads have given their all to try to get to the World Cup finals - a tournament which is the pinacle of any player's career - and for most, if not all of them there will never be a chance to come so close again. To have it snatched from their grasp in such a cruel way is anything but funny. Anyone with a shread of decency in them will be feeling heartfelt sorry for them and will not be laughing.

The great thing about the Alba cup is that it simply doesn't matter. OK, if we win we'll pretend it does matter, but if we lose, so what! Let's get right behind the team and enjoy a great day out whatever the result.

I've only joined the forum fairly recently and from what I'm reading here it seems my joining has coincided with a deterioration of the site. I hope this has more to do with the fortunes of our beloved team than my contributions to the site. Being new and not having experienced the site in "the good old days" I have to say I am rather surprised by the disillusionment of the mods because I think the forum is really pretty good. Of course there are some erses but the common sense, insight, enthusiasm and wit of the majority more than make up for that IMO. However, I respect what the mods are saying and support any efforts to get rid of those posts that just make you want to say "fer fecks sake". As others have said, respect is the key thing here. But let's not use the notion of respect to sterilise the banter. Lets face it, there are a handful of contributors who seem to delight in making statements critical of the club or players or fellow contributers which are so negative and without foundation that it is hard to believe they are expressing a genuine opinion. IMO these folk are fair game for a bit of light hearted ridicule. I'm sure these folk don't feel bullied by this, instead they will get a wee thrill from having provoked a response. Such exchanges can actually be quite entertaining but the problem is that some folk take the jokers seriously, are frustrated by the lack of objectivity and respond in an abusive way. What should be entertaining becomes unpleasant. The challenge is getting balance right and it is not a task I envy the mods. How do you maintain the mutual respect whilst maintaining that cutting edge and gentle humour that makes people want to read the posts? There have been a few good ideas posted and I sense a generally firmer line against the few will be supported by the many and will make what is already a good forum even better.

Doofer's coming up from Yorkshire and is hoping I'll be travelling down cos I've got the tickets.

How about Walsall? That way you might look forward to coming back North again.

How do we know we don't like what you have to say unless we read it first? If we just ignore all your posts, we would miss anything you had to say which might be worth saying and we wouldn't want that.

It's a numbers thing. With only 5 million of a population Scotland are never going to be world beaters. But these things come in cycles. Teams with Law and Dalgleish were better than average and the team today is worse than average. Don't worry, in a few years time Scotland will rise once again to the heady heights of mediocrity.

If you want to watch good quality football, **** off and go and watch Arsenal. The rest of us will be happy when our team wins.......... Beautifully put. B&C, I think Dover also has a Bridge and a Castle. Why don't you go there? - and then catch the ferry?

I'll make a comment rather than a prediction. There have been a lot of draws in this league and there will be a lot more to come. But with 3 points for a win and 1 for a draw I think the key in this division will be which team can avoid drawing too many games. If we were to draw all six matches then 6 points. If we win 3 and lose 3 then 9 points. As long as the team is playing attacking football then it won't matter if we lose a few matches. Now that all our strikers are scoring and we are the top scoring side in the division there is no reason we can't beat any team home and away. We won't, of course, but 4 wins and 2 defeats will do me nicely.

He may not be perfect and his final ball is often not that great but he works really hard for the team and pulls defences all over the place. He is an important factor in the improved recent form of the team. Whilst we need to strengthen the defence it should not be at the cost of letting Imrie go.

When we were struggling early season everyone was talking about how it would be fine when Imrie was back because he was one of the few players we had who had made the grade in SPL. Now everyone is getting on his back. I agree he hasn't been at his best since his return and his final ball is often disappointing, but the work he puts in really unsettles the opposition and he pressures players into mistakes and makes himself available for passes. As a team we have looked much more threatening since he has come into the side. I think he should start but be told that he will probably come off after 60 minutes or so and to keep pressing all the time. Hayes and Odhiambo will be effective substitutes with their pace later in the game when Dundee are pressing forward in a vain attempt to get back into the match.