DoofersDad

I'll second that.

Just because Tulloch have helped the club in the past does not mean they will always do so in the future. I have no doubt that they are genuine in wanting the club to prosper and are willing to play a part in that, however, their priority will always be the success and security of their business. If the interests of the club conflict with the interests of the business then you can be sure which interest they will prioritise. I'm afraid I can't make the AGM but I will be very interested to hear what transpires.

I felt we really missed Vigurs in midfield today. Polworth worked his socks off and whilst he had a couple of decent efforts on goal his weakness were rather apparent today. He tries to play the telling through ball but too often he delays too long or simply misplaces the pass and loses possession. And for a central midfielder he simply doesn't win enough ball. Chalmers is generally solid enough. He gets into space and moves the ball quickly but rarely to any telling effect. Trafford is much the same although probably a better ball winner. I think Alex makes an excellent point about defending from the front. It was often the 3 at the front who nipped in and dispossessed the Dumbarton midfield and prevented attacks developing. Without that, and in the absence of Vigurs, there would have been a lot more pressure on our defence. Our good defensive record recently is a reflection of a great all round team effort and having a very astute manager. But we do need to create and take more chances if we are to make the play offs. I thought Mulraney did pretty well in that regard today, he varied his play well, was determined in the tackle and gave a good team performance. It seemed to me that he tweaked a muscle in the 2nd half and maybe should have come off sooner. We need to get a better understanding between the midfield and our front men as there were several instances today when opportunities to create a chance were lost. Another very commanding performance from Ridgers. All these clean sheets seem to be giving him and the back four confidence in themselves and each other. All in all, not the prettiest of games but a very important win and far more positives than negatives.

The Carl & Coll show.

This (deserved) adulation for Raven and Tremarco is a bit of a contrast to not so long ago when fans used to chant that Greg Tansey (remember him?) was "the only decent thing to come from Liverpool".

You might need to buy the stands as well.

Carl hasn't quite shown the level of form he had before his injury but clearly his return has significantly strengthened our defence. His signing is a huge boost. I think his value is not just what he does as a defender but the influence his attitude has on others.

Incorrect. It's a postponement not a cancellation!

Excellent news. There were some on here who were less than impressed when he was originally signed but he has proven to be an excellent signing and should continue to improve. Having some solidity at the back is key to getting some positive results so it is great that Robbo and the Club have got this bit of business tied up before the January window opens.

One way or another, this situation must be resolved sooner rather than later. The club itself could be heading for difficult times and it may be that the supporters voting share has an important role to play in shaping the future of the club. If that was to be the case, it is imperative that there are no questions about the legitimacy of CJT to have those votes or about the fact that those CJT officers using the vote truly represent the supporters. I was unable to attend the AGM but have since written to CJT to express some concerns about both the paperwork (or lack of it) in relation to the AGM and the general lack of communication from and information about CJT. Given the importance of retaining the 10% voting share I reiterated a previous offer to help behind the scenes. I concluded by writing "I don't know any of the people involved in CJT personally, nor do I even know who most of them are, and therefore I have no preconceived view on where any responsibility for the current failures of CJT lie. I am willing to help behind the scenes but, as outlined above, I really need to know a bit more about CJT first. I need to be assured that the help I might give is working towards specific and appropriate goals." That offer of help applies to CJT whoever might be taking it forward, provided that they have or are developing a clear programme of working towards specific and appropriate goals.

Don't get too excited. Sounds too much like the Brexit deal to me.

Me too.

So Celtic have lost 5 of their 6 matches in the Champions League group stages with a goal difference of minus 15. As a result of this magnificent achievement they have "qualified" for the last 32 of the Europa league! Having been rewarded with pots of money for their failure, Celtic now have the opportunity to earn even more in a different competition. Doesn't this just illustrate the obscenity of the way the modern game is structured and financed! Instead of having the 8 3rd placed teams from the Champions league gaining a place in the Europa league, this should be an opportunity for more of the teams who started out in the Europa competition to participate in the group stages. Having 16 groups instead of 12 would have allowed a further 16 teams the opportunity to play in the group stages. Better still, IMHO, would be to do away with these mini leagues and have more teams competing in a straight knockout basis - a bit like the FA and Scottish cups. Unfortunately, it's all about the money and the players and the genuine fans from smaller clubs get no consideration.

Really sad to see him go. Since he came back into the side he has consistently been one of our better performers both defensively and supporting the attack. Always gives 100% and always one of the first to acknowledge the fans after the game is over. He'll be a real miss. Hopefully he'll not be going to Dundee Utd. I thought he was headed back Liverpool way. He could probably do a job for Everton at the moment!

Very comfortable win without ever playing particularly well. We will certainly play better than that and lose in other games. Brechin were a bombscare at the back and I think the number of chances we had is more a reflection of their woeful defending rather than any real incisive play from us. The fourth goal was the pick but the game was over as a contest by then. For Brechin, McLennan and particularly Layne were strong lads who offered a genuine threat up front. however, McKay and Donaldson marshalled them very effectively and were central to us getting another clean sheet. I thought Mulraney gave one of his most mature performances to date. It was a good mix of taking players on and playing the safe ball and he was close to getting that elusive 1st goal for us. He is clearly developing under Robbo. Good shift to by Raven and Ridgers looked assured between the sticks. A good confidence booster all round.

We are all entitled to our opinions but I doubt there will be many who share yours on this. When referees realise they get something wrong they usually err on the side of the wronged team to make amends. That clearly didn't happen. If anything it appeared he wanted to punish our players for having the audacity to question his decisions. For example, for the brief time he was on the pitch Oakley was being held onto as though he was a life raft. A couple of times one of his buddie companions had such a hold on his shirt that half of his bare back was displayed to the referee. McKendrick ignored that but then pulled Oakley up for the slightest of tugs at one of the opposition players. It was quite farcical. Of course players need to show discipline when they are being wound up. Vigurs needs to button it at times but at least he didn't raise his hands to the opposition, let alone strike them. Samson wasn't the only St Mirren player to strike an opponent. Just before Vigurs' first yellow, Baird was pulled to the ground by a defender and then off the ball was given a totally unnecessary push in the back. In general I felt our guys were pretty restrained in the light of major provocation and shameful refereeing. As for Robbo's interview, there is a world of difference between being a bad loser and being honest about being cheated. I thought he was very restrained. Being too honest might have got him into trouble.

Second version looks good! It's good that "average" isn't there. "Average" doesn't mean you are half way between good or bad, it is where you are relative to others. Sadly, the reality is that the average ratings of referees has been somewhere between poor and terrible.

You are quite right. I realised my error and must have been editing my post whilst you were writing yours. Apologies to you and anyone else who might have been confused by my confusion.

Me too. It's a shame I can't attend the AGM; it should be very interesting indeed! For those who haven't seen the letter, the gist seems to be an allegation that Tullochs have been simply using the club to feather their own nest. They suggest that the "gift" of the stands to the club is of little benefit to the club if Tullochs continue to own the lease and plan to develop the car parks. They point out that the lease was originally granted to the club by the Council but appears to have changed hands at least 3 times. They ask "Did the Club agree to the transfer of the Lease to property developers if there was no apparent benefit to the club? If so - why?" Given that they also say the lease has previously been valued at £30 million, that seems a very pertinent question. They go on to say "This great club seems to have lost its way with private interests taking precedence over the good of the club. This is shameful and totally at odds with the spirit of partnership between the Council, the Harbour Trust, HIE, and the original Highland League Clubs that characterised the birth of Caley Thistle. The possibility of the demise of Caley Thistle in these circumstances is real. " Serious and worrying stuff. I assume that the signatories will be raising these issues at the AGM. Of course, the current Board only has 3 directors with Allan MacKenzie and Graham Rae only being appointed in May of this year and Alan MacPhee in 2015. It is a new Board and I for one have no idea what their take on this might be. It certainly would appear to be significant that about a year after the announcement of the "gift" of the stands, the paper work surrounding this is still to be completed. I think there have been 2 or 3 statements in the past saying that it is expected that the deal will be completed with the next couple of weeks, but it never happens. Clearly there is more to it than meets the eye.. A further point is that this serious matter brings the ongoing concerns about CJT into focus. CJT has a 10% vote on the Board on behalf of the supporters and yet appears to remain moribund. It has put out an email to say it's AGM is on next Tuesday and yet 2 people who have previously been heavily involved in CJT have posted on this site to say they have received no notification. There has not been a word from CJT on this, the supporters' forum, about the AGM. Both the Club and the supporters body find themselves in a unholy mess. Hopefully this will not all dissolve into a hail of blame and recrimination. What is needed now is for people with the interests of the Club at heart to come together and work constructively to sort all this mess out. It doesn't look as though it will be an easy task.

Samson: John my old mate, what's that for? McKendrick: Not hitting him hard enough.

The only way that was not a red card would be if none of the officials saw the incident. As Samson got a yellow card then clearly the referee did see it. Had I done to a St Mirren fan what Samson did to Vigurs, I would have been escorted out of the ground by the police. It was assault pure and simple.

It's an additional category we need. We have had a few that were terrible but McKendrick was something else. He was no where near as good as terrible.

They were probably drinking Bells in the warmth of hospitality. Mind you, to be fair, I thought Connor did pretty well.

Great effort from the team today in horrendous conditions. The better side lost because the referee was even more horrendous than the weather. There is little point talking about any other aspect of the game as the game as a contest was simply ruined by the most inept referee and biased refereeing performance I can remember. I trust the club will be making representations to the SFA about this because such incompetence is simply not acceptable.

18th December isn't the greatest date for an AGM. Lots of folk are involved in lots of events in the week before Christmas and I, for one have already shelled out for a Christmas "do" on that evening. As with the CJT AGM, there is so little notice of the date that attendance will inevitably be affected. The distribution of formal papers is required to be done within defined timetables but those organising these meetings obviously know the date a good bit before they actually issue the formal paperwork, so why not just communicate the date earlier so that people who may wish to attend can put it into their diaries?