Didnt I have a lovely day the day I went to ...

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

Yes - I got my cut price ?19.00 a room offer at the Livi Travel Lodge and I decided to keep it. Gets there at 12.30 and get straight into the room - 3rd floor and the lift was working - in fact everything was working - I looked out the window and could see one of the goals at Almondvale - 400 yards away with the pub rite across the feckin road - so I drops off Mrs Ihe at the Designer shops and makes ma feckin way to Muvversmell.  :019: :019: :019:

And there followed one of the most surreal football matches I have ever been at - and possibly the most dire (could even says it beat Hearts 0-3 but then again I was pished then !!). Into the empty Supporters Club - I have never seen it so dead - and mostly inhabited by ICT fans - and the bestards hiked the price of a drink  :32:

No programme but a sheet of photocopied A4 paper with both the teams on it.  :017: ?26 feckin kid for a parent and child - and the turnstile operator was counting people in with a pen and paper.  :rotflmao:

TBH it looked a shade more than 431 - at first when they said 4-3-1 I thought Brewster had changed the system again !! Must have been 200 odd from Sneck - and a few us had a go at a few sing songs and the stewards never bovvered us all day. Even Dorseboy was there - think he had a tag restricting him travelling past the Slochd.

And to the game - unfortunately again - but to be honest apart from playing Imrie up front and sticking to Maguire I thought fair enuff - at least we will be passing the ball and attacking - was I feckin wrong.  :018:

So we go 4-4-2 - another change of system - and stick with it.  :029: And we have tons of time to set up play from the back and have Bazza and Cowie in midfield. So what does Brew play. Mikey Fraser to hoof the ball as far up the pitch he can - every feckin time - to the heads of Imrie and Wyness !! that was absolutely ridiculous and I can tell you that Proctor, Rosscoe and Hastings were "open" to throw outs nearly every time. What was the point of playing Bazza and Cowie ?  :029:

To be fair we should have been in cruise control and 3-0 up within 10 minutes and 5 or 6 up at half time - but mainly due to woeful finishing by Denzil, Patti and Maguire we didnt. To be fair to Patti I think Denzil should have and did shoot fer goal and it wasnt a cutback but a sliced shot.

Gretna probably had the majority of the possession, made the most passes and looked the less nervous outfit - but apart from the goal and a smashing effort that crashed off our crossbar they rarely settled. At 70 minutes you began to get this feeling off 0-0 but then we hit them twice in a minute. The first goal was comical as McBain completely ersed up a pass which hit the Gretna player, ricocheted to Imrie who fed McBain who actually tucked it away sweetly again in the bottom corner. Cowie's persistence got the second. Suddenly we started pasing the ball but the nerves came again when Barr brought one back. Brew puts on the subs - too late as ever - and it sums up the performance that we are on the rack and desperately hold the ball at their corner flag waiting fer time.  :029:

The first half hand ball was clearly out of the area and where I was sitting it was difficult to judge the Imrie incident - will have to wait fer setanta.

This game cried out fer Ian Black but instead we got the very entertaining John Paul Kissock - remember the name.  :022:

In August - at Fir Park - I first commented on a lack of togetherness - that ws clearly there again yesterday - I have to say that I have rarely seeen Brew and Malky so animated on a touch line - but I call that dressing things up. Brew HAS lost the dressing room - no doubt about it.

FRASER  :001: :001:  Rarely troubled but shades of the past - His handling of crosses was shocking - he looked very nervous - should have stopped the goal as well.

TOKELY  :001: :001: I have rarely seen Rosscoe so lacklustre - despite being the captain he looked miserable - pissed off - and rarely ventured forward - silly, silly booking as well.

PROCTOR  :001: :001: I have never rated him as a central defender and was looking forward to see how he played - may have to wait but he still doesnt look the part but why wasnt he allowed to play the ball out of defenec - the hoofing looked tactical.

MAGUIRE  :001: He may only be getting a game now cos he is a buddy of Brewster. Looked nervy and ragged and miskicked several times. Two decent headers in the first half but one should have resulted in a goal.

HASTINGS  :001: :001: Defensively OK but dire again going forward - I would love to see him at centre back.

BAZZA  :001: :001: What the feck is Brew's thinking - He practically shuns Bazza and shows him the door and then he gives him 90 feckin minutes - he sticks him wide on the right but rarely gets the ball.  :029: And Bazza has put on at least 1/2 stone and that must be obvious - another Brew attempt at appeasing the masses - well it feckin misfired.

COWIE  :001: :001: What the feck has happened to Don Cowie ?? He looked lacklustre apart from a 10 minute spell in the second half. Tactically this was the game to play him wide on the rite with Black in the middle. Bazza had Skelton on his own but didnt have the pace to trouble him - Cowie would have.

MCBAIN  :001: :001: :001: :001: Ran his feckin guts off and got into some good positions - took the goal well too. Won most of the balls back when Fraser hoofed it and the Grtnea defence beat Imrie and Wyness in the air.

PATTI  :001: :001:  Sorry but he just doesnt have the pace to be a wide midfielder - attacker maybe. Excellent attempt hit the post after he cut inside and curled a shot - and I think Wyness went fer goal although Patti was stuck at the back post. Rarely got into positions to hurt the opposition.

IMRIE  :001: :001: :001: Played totally out of position and again would have been far better playing wide left - but 110% effort and really got stuck in. Had a part to play in both goals and was evidently playing fer his future.

WYNESS  :001: Oh Denzil - did you miss a chance to deliver a two fingered salute - could have easily had a nap hand and the Denzil of old would have. Bye Dennis and thanks fer the memories.  :clapping03: :clapping03:

RORY  :001: :001: :001: Actually did well when he came on - and in the absence of Niculae and any height up front he should have been started.

HART  :001: Why ?  :024: Although there was one segment of grass that looked lush and inviting - and Richie spent most of the match on it - there must be a feckin joke in there somewhere.  :023:

So three points but a miserable game - but it could have been a feckin rugby score.

And if I was a coach I would be doing two things - Firstly I would be on the phone to Davy Moyes to pick up Kissock on loan fer next season - the boy oozes class and would be the answer to our long term creative left footed player - and the portly young Shirley Temple lookalike has evidently been scrounging too many Scouse bins but fitness training  t ICT would improve him even further. And then I would be signing up Greg Fleming - another star in the making.

So it was back to Livi and a very enjoyable, restful evening with three of the things Mrs Ihe loves the most - shopping, snow and me.  :014:

BREWSTER MUST GO.  :020: