Skyline Drifter

Yes, I've actually read them. And worked on them. It would be very wrong to suggest this is a "couple of hours of copying and pasting".

The injury situation is a real worry in terms of filling out a squad. We've been very lucky so far that by and large it's not affected the best eleven barring very obviously at right wing back where we may be without our best two options. I accept Tierney and Gilmour are currently out but both are expected to make it. I suppose there is an argument Hanely's in our best eleven but he's been out more than a year so we're a long way down that road. None of the other outs or major doubts (Armstrong, Ferguson, Jack) are likely starters anyway.

And we very rarely win a game before the 3rd one where it's either death or glory or we're already out. 1954 World Cup - Played two, lost two to Austria and Uruguay - Out 1958 World Cup - Played three, drew 1st one v Yugoslavia, lost to Paraguay and France - Out 1974 World Cup - Played three, beat Zaire first then drew with Brazil and Yugoslavia - Out due to not scoring enough against Zaire 1978 World Cup - Played three, lost to Peru, drew with Iran, beat Netherlands - Out due to not beating the Dutch by enough! 1982 World Cup - Played three, beat New Zealand, lost to Brazil, drew with Soviet Union - Out on GD again 1986 World Cup - Played three, lost to Denmark and Germany, drew with Uruguay - Out 1990 World Cup - Played three, lost to Costa Rica, beat Sweden, lost to Brazil - Out 1992 Euros - Played three, lost to Netherlands and Germany, hammered the Russians - Still out. 1996 Euros - Played three, drew with Netherlands, lost to England, beat Switzerland - Out thanks to David Seaman conceding late v Netherlands 1998 World Cup - Played three, lost to Brazil, drew with Norway, hammered by Morocco - Out 2020 Euros - Lost to Czechs, drew with England, lost to Croatia - Out 11 tournaments. We've won three of the 22 games we've played in the first two each time. Two of those were 'minnows' in New Zealand and Zaire back in a time when minnows genuinely meant gimmes. Sweden in 1990 is the only time we've won one of the first two games against anyone not just making up numbers. In fact in 32 games we've only had six wins total, and the CIS one in 1992 was a dead rubber. The wins over the Dutch in 1978 and Swiss in 1996 were achieved under necessity but we still fell short of what we needed to do. Agree with your comment though. First aim is to be competitive and not slink off home with three defeats. Ideally we want to finally get out of a group. That's achievable given 4 of the 6 go through in 3rd. It's not the weakest group but it's not the strongest either. We should be able to compete with at least the Swiss and Hungarians but much depends on the team we can field.

It's not though. EK have a licence. There will be a relegation playoff and arguably EK will now be better prepared for it than they would otherwise have been. I also acknowledge there's an argument that sitting idle for a fortnight before is less than ideal.

The rules change every single year. Club licensing is a never ending fight against the tide, like bloody King Canute trying to stop it washing over you constantly! I see they are not compliant on the Diversity and Inclusion point. They have my sympathy. It's an absolute nightmare to comply with that sort of thing and it only came in a couple of years ago and was made far more stringent last year.

On assumption we don't drift into the playoffs and that remaining two games go ahead without postponement, updated list for QoS: Never - Bonnyrigg Rose 05/09/90 - Celtic (11/09/01 - East Stirlingshire - No longer a League Team) 20/04/13 - Forfar Athletic 27/07//13 - Spartans (21/03/15 - Cowdenbeath - No longer a League Team) (29/07/17 - Albion Rovers - No longer a League Team) (02/09/17 - Berwick Rangers - No longer a League team) 24/03/18 - Livingston (28/04/18 - Brechin City - No longer a League team) 14/07/18 - Stranraer 14/08/18 - Stenhousemuir 10/02/19 - Aberdeen 26/04/19 - Ross County 20/07/19 - Dumbarton 27/03/21 - Heart of Midlothian 05/04/21 - Hibernian 30/04/21 - Dundee 19/03/22 - Kilmarnock 03/04/22 - Raith Rovers 19/04/22 - Inverness Caledonian Thistle 12/07/22 - Ayr United 16/07/22 - St Johnstone 30/08/22 - Rangers 26/11/22 - Morton 11/03/23 - Clyde 01/04/23 - Peterhead 15/04/23 - Dunfermline Athletic 29/04/23 - Airdrieonians 18/07/23 - Motherwell 22/07/23 - Elgin City 25/07/23 - East Fife 29/07/23 - Queen's Park 09/09/23 - Partick Thistle 14/10/23 - Arbroath 25/11/23 - Dundee United 20/01/24 - St Mirren 09/03/24 - Annan Athletic 16/03/24 - Falkirk 23/03/24 - Alloa Athletic 30/03/24 - Hamilton Academical 06/04/24 - Kelty Hearts 13/04/24 - Edinburgh City 20/04/24 - Stirling Albion 27/04/24 - Cove Rangers 03/05/24 - Montrose Updated for another season. Yet again avoided playing Celtic and took the time span since we did up towards 34 years. Other than Bonnyrigg Rose, who we have never played, Forfar Athletic are next longest at more than 11 years. We played East Kilbride competitively in July 2017 in the League Cup group stages. We've never played Buckie Thistle. I'll update once we know who next season's Club 42 is.

Queen of the South infamously clinched the 2nd Division title in 2012/13 after the snow had been cleared off Forfar's pitch! It was actually on Wednesday 27th March 2013 so was a fairly unseasonal snowfall but it only went that far in the first place because Brechin, who were 3rd but had loads of games in hand, had been unable to get games played at Glebe Park for so long. Eventually the league lost patience and ordered them to play some at Station Park, including ours. We still had 7 games left to play at the time (19.4%). I think we'd have at least matched the record of 22.2% left by winning it a game earlier if Brechin didn't have so many unplayed games, or if the game that was played then had been played on its due date.

Technically hybrid currently but I think Callum Gallagher, who is leaving for Arbroath at the end of the season, is their only part time player now. In reality they are full time and will be fully so next year as far as I know.

Appreciate the point your making but the pedant in me feels the need to point out McKenna wont be returning to Forest. He's out of contract and will leave in the summer.

Looks like about 1,500 tickets for Away fans via the SFA.

Indeed. But if we're at a stage where he genuinely thinks he's not going to play those extra 3 players in nearly any circumstance, then might he simply use the three spaces to reward loyal servants who might otherwise not make it such as Taylor, Souttar and Jack if they weren't in the initial 23? Hence my slightly mischievous suggestion that he might use one of the extra three to take a 4th keeper and save him disappointing one of his most loyal. I don't seriously expect him to do that as he can call a goalkeeper up in the event of a tournament ending injury so it's pointless, but it would save him a decision.

Stating the bleeding obvious here but if Patterson and Hickey are out and he replaces them with two RWB's (Ralston and McCrorie most likely) then that's not relevant to how he's using the extra spaces. Taking two more right backs PLUS Hickey and Patterson because they are a doubt would be him using the extra spaces though.

I considered listing McCrorie but in reality he's only got a chance of going if two of the other four are injured in the next month. He's not a consideration to be actually picked and all four keepers are currently fit so I deliberately didn't even mention him. I concede I completely forgot about Hyam but the last thing we need right now is another centre back. Even if Hanley doesn't make it Hyam's on the outside looking in for the summer I think. I think if we'd had everyone fit and the widely accepted 23 picked (allowing for the debate about Jack / Souttar / Taylor for the 23rd shirt) then the "26" would simply have seen all three of those go and one other from Ralston, Brown, Nisbet, etc. Even Anderson or Barnes if they'd declared late. The injuries to Ferguson and probably Patterson have opened up another couple of spots to play with. If Armstrong or Hickey don't make it either (I'm assuming Gilmour should be fine) it becomes really difficult. He's had such a settled squad for so long you have to go back a distance to find three or four more names, or he bloods youngsters. Ralston would clearly have to come in, probably with another right back be it McCrorie or Johnston. Otherwise anything is possible. Might he even take all four keepers despite saying previously he wouldn't? It saves making a decision on one of his more loyal players and given the lack of an obvious replacement it's possible. I doubt it because it would be a purely sentimental pick but.........

Patterson's done. He's playing with Sheffield Wednesday but although he's involved most weeks, he's not a regular starter now. And when I've seen him come on it's been as an attacker (mainly because Wednesday are usually chasing a game perhaps). I'd call up Stephen O'Donnell before Callum Paterson to be honest but I wouldn't be calling up either ahead of McCrorie or Johnston.

In a 23, with Hickey first choice right back and 2nd choice left back, plus Tierney already in as a centre back but 3rd choice left back I don't think you need an extra left back. You obviously have Patterson (if fit) as 2nd choice right back and you take another (presumably Ralston) to cover if Hickey has to go over to the left. If Patterson doesn't make it you take another (presumably McCrorie but Johnston is a more outside shout). If Hickey doesn't make it then it's a bigger pain because you lose the flexibility and maybe need Taylor too. In a 26 of course I don't think it matters, we'll take Taylor anyway.