PerfICT

It's tough at the top! By definition, being in the top 6 means we'll have a hard set of fixtures coming up - the fact that we end the pre-spit fixtures with United, Aberdeen and Celtic just adds spice to the mix. What it means is that where we finish is entirely in our own hands - win them all and we might well be champions!

Did Warren get a yellow and then a straight red or 2 yellows? Sounds like Cifci was up to his usual tricks - wound Watkins and Warren up - shame Foran wasn't there: he usually is the match for Cifci!

Doran injured is he not?

Mmm. A valuable point, but at what cost? Warren suspended for a couple and Watkins will miss one too for disciplinary points (I.e. No recognised striker!) Sounds like we were mince in second half. Not so good! And why were Raven and Warren not subbed to avoid exactly that!

Football is the great game it is because form fluctuates and sometimes the better team doesn't win. So on the day that Chelsea drew with Burnley at home and Dundee United lost to St J at home, we failed to win against Kilmarnock in a game many thought we'd win. We weren't at our best and they're on the up. We can't expect to win every game from now until May. This is a small setback that would be forgotten if we beat United and Motherwell this week, which would likely take us above Aberdeen into second. So, on form maybe we should have won this but on the day we didn't deserve to. Next!

Think you're right, but would prefer to wait until the outcome doesn't give me brain-ache to calculate!

...make that 2014/15 - got ahead of myself!

It might have slipped under the radar of many, but we officially cannot be automatically relegated: St Mirren could only reach 51 points with straight victories until the end of the season. Given that this has the potential of being a record-breaking season, it might be worth tallying notable achievements starting with: 1. Avoiding automatic relegation spot (earliest ever for us in top flight)

...honeymoon's gotta go! Or "how about a wee trip to Belarus instead of Barbados, Darling?" Could just work

...except they've already played Aberdeen and Celtic for the last time. So, we just have to hope they beat Dundee United and perhaps Hamilton? In answer to the main Q, I can't really make my mind up on this one. The poor away support from County at TCS is weird and counter-productive: that sort of attitude will surely kill off Scottish football for good! I must admit, I thought they'd fill the away end every game, but the fact that they don't means that their demise might not be as detrimental to ICT as I had originally thought! However, I would miss the derbies, so I've sat on the fence on the vote...wimp!

...and a silly booking on Saturday (dissent). Hopefully a back-up plan is at the ready....Christie? Ferguson? Trialist?

Wow, never thought we'd attract Drogba up here!

Exactly, Hawkeye! As I said on a previous thread "just smile and wave, boys!" How sweet if we were to sneak in for one of the big prizes ahead of the Darling Dons.

From the Alba highlghts, I took the following: 1. We won heaps of key challenges in our own half - Draper, Tansey, Warren and Meekings were immense. Importantly, when the ball was won, it wasn't just thumped, but was played constructively - transition was excellent. 2. The one touch triangles in tight spaces in the first half were outstanding. Ross and Williams looked like they were key to this part of our game today - I thought Ross looked like he had an excellent game, particularly tracking back. 3. Shinnie and Raven were tremendous on the overlap - setting up both goals. 4. The chances we're creating now are clear-cut ones - we had 5 or 6 one-on-ones or clear shots from inside the box. Watkins, Christie, Ross, Warren all narrowly missed, or the final pass was inches off being perfect. 5. The Midden were restricted to 4 set-piece opportunities - always a good sign that they couldn't get through us in open play. That said, we didn't defend set pieces particularly well yesterday. 6. Yogi is right - we're not great with 2-0 scorelines and haven't yet got that confidence to put teams to the sword when we're up a couple - taking the foot off the gas and not being brave. Hopefully, that will come. Looking back over the above, I think every player (except Esson) gets a mention - which says it all!

Show me a team that doesn't time waste. He'd have been gushing about "professional attitude to see out the game" if roles had been reversed. Chick Young is a tw@t.

Well done again lads - seeing out a deserved win by all accounts. DU dropping points was a bonus, now let's hope Aberdeen do too. Bring on Killie!

Wish you'd all stop beating around the bush

Love it! Chuckled away to myself. Banter at football is what makes it. Childish humour, but I remember as a 16 year old watching Ipswich v Oldham (don't ask) and the Oldham fans struck up the "give me a teeee...eee"...since when did Oldham start with "t"? The next letters were I, t and s. The next line was "and what do you do with t!ts?" "Oldham, Oldham". Maybe you had to be there and be an adolescent boy, but it's rare to see 20,000 home supporters fall about laughing and applaud an opponent's song

A superb result and glad it's for more than a year! Next year is starting to shape-up nicely. Now get the other boys on board for a couple more seasons and some new faces in the summer (don't know if it's been said before, but a striker, perhaps?)

Good point, well made! Delighted for JH and very well-deserved, but the hoodoo around these awards is unnerving!

Fingers crossed for Meekings or Watkins. But I'd also be happy with Ross or Raven... My guess would be Meekings - think Watkins will be away in the summer

I thank you kind sir, although I started to doubt my own logic for a second! Obviously spent too much time in the bookies!

....BBC will be delighted - another opportunity to kick coverage of our game into the long grass and concentrate on the DUFC/Celtic and Hibs/spartans (or Berwick) games

Cannot complain about a home draw, but this'll not be a cake-walk! what an opportunity, though!

Home draw...............please! If I understand the changed rules for European qualification correctly, we might actually want Celtic and dundee United to be kept apart because, in the unlikely event that we don't win the cup(!) those 2 meeting in the final would mean a certain European spot for 4th place in the league (to allow Aberdeen to qualify, given that we'll already have qualified through winning the league!)