Morton may only need to stretch their lead a little more to be comfortable. Every other team in the league looks, on their day, capable of beating every the other team except Morton. Five points separate Morton from Stirling (justifiably in second place IMHO). Another five points takes you to seventh place.

Morton just need to average maybe 2 points a game from now forward to do the business. The play off places look like a lot more of a competition.

Morton look the strongest team in the division but i think youre a bit early with the celebrations.
I think the Greek word is "hubris"

Hubris though is more popular than Hugh Scott down Greenock way no doubt.

The only part of that I'd disagree with is the "except Morton" bit tagged at the end of the second sentence. I felt that we could've beaten Morton last week although how meritted the result would have been is certainly debateable so I think to imply that Morton are untouchable is wrong.

Other than that everything Tonsilitous says I would agree with. I don't see another team catching Morton, although that's not to say I'd give up on the Binos (or anyone else) doing it but I don't see it likely. Given their start and the nature of the league 76 points would seem to be more than enough points to win the league (the number Tonsilitous suggested). I think second place will struggle to get more than mid-60s.

The usual offering from Tonsilitis which is both arrogant and off the mark. Any team in this league can beat any other and Morton will certainly not walk though this season unscathed.

Some people never learn

I disagree. Morton this season, so far at least, appear to be a much more robust team than in the last few seasons. Last season we tended to drop points in games we hoped to win - this season we seem to have stepped up a gear, with Stevenson making a lot of the difference but also there are improvements in most of the players - even Templeman has been impressive now that our style is more passing and less high balls up to the front. Lilley has been a revelation - I thought he was past it last season. Finally, the loss of Andy Mclaren has improved the team, suggesting that maybe too much was expected of him.

We may have a wee wobble at some stage of the season, but the way things are going just now, this could be a record breaker. I think only the lack of depth of our pool (I know it's football, not swimming) can stop us winning the title. Not being cocky, just realistic as it is in reality a fairly weak division this season compared to the last few. For what it's worth, I think Stirling, Cowdenbeath and Ayr will be 2nd-4th although maybe not in that order.

is anyone taking into account mortons traditional end of season bottle crashing?

Whilst I must applaud your start to the season I would just like to point out havent you been in this type of situation before!

I have no doubt that you mob will be sitting top of the table come the end of the season, but it might just not be as easy as you lot think it will be.

I recall that the first half at Stair Park your team were out played so there is signs that you are still beatable, by far the difference in your team to everyone elses has to be that Celtic Kid you have on loan, he seems a good player.

Anyway good luck but keep your feet on the ground your not Gretna you know and could you lot really take another disappointment.

I think I am just stating the obvious. I have not said at any point that we would walk through the league unbeaten. I think you will find that I have said that what we are looking for is 2 points out of every three on offer. That means we can afford to lose or draw nine or ten games between now and the end of the season and still end up with around 75 points plus which should be more than enough.

My point was that, I can't see any other team having enough in the tank to challenge that sort of total because, teams will beat each other. If that is arrogant, I must be arrogant. As for being off the mark, do you see Morton losing more than 10 games this season? If so, you must be seeing something I'm not.

Or maybe you just think I am tempting fate!

This is a different team from previous seasons.

There are only three survivors from the team that blew a 13 point lead. Two years ago, we came from thirteen points behind to miss promotion by 1 point. Last year there was the Gretna factor and without them we would have won the league. I accept we blew the play offs but, as has been said, any team in the second division can beat any other team in a one off match and we came on the wrong end of that.

Apart from all that this is a harder team with a lot more fight than previously. Plus they are very quick - they get from box to box very fast.

Having said all that we will drop points and for me the most likely teams to punish us are Stirling, Ayr and Raith. Cowdenbeath's open attacking style suits us and we will generally beat them if they play us that way.

I thought Morton were pretty good on Saturday but by no means the best Morton side I have seen in recent seasons. That said I think this is by miles the weakest second division in years and would not be surprised if Morton are promoted by March.

They seem to have the best defence and that usually wins the league, of their likely challengers: Stirling, Brechin, Cowdenbeath , i think they will always lose goals and that they're more likely to drop points to lower teams.

Tonsilitis doesn't represent all of us when he makes his long speeches.

I dont think it will be easy, yes i think we will win the league but i'll take each game as it comes without being arrogant or over-confident.

We are a lot better than we were last season, but we have still had the few slip ups when we should have won like Ayr and Stirling and it will happen again, so feet on the ground at the moment.

I'll leave the gloating when it's mathematically impossible for anyone to catch us, considering what we've been through in recent years.

Beat me to it - I'd wait until we are top and can't be caught before blowing any trumpets.

Correct tht so far this league could be anyones and that morton def arent away from the pack yet. Could b plenty of slip ups and teams improving lyk stirling done lst season.

The real difference between last seasons team and this one comes down to 2 players. McGowan looks like a very good prospect and he has a better eye for goal than anything we've had for a while. However he is a loan signing and god forbid he could be away at christmas. Stevenson has also made a very positive start and he clearly has the ability and guile we've missed in the past.

Take out either or both of these players and and we may well find that some of our weaknesses re-emerge. With less than a quarter of the season gone it is entirely possible that injury and suspension will have a part to play in the final outcome and I personally think it's far too early to be counting chickens.

Both Stirling and Ayr have played an effective game against us at home so far and others will follow the example. Away we may well have a bit more freedom but teams like Brechin in the cup have shown we can be beaten if we are not on our game.

Overall it is a much improved side with a far better balance than previously but it's a long season ahead and plenty can go wrong.

indeed

Yep - we are a measly 5 points clear. Other (better) teams have thrown away bigger gaps and we managed to p!ss away a 14 point lead and change it into a 4 point deficit a few years back.

I was not really intending to blow Morton's trumpet. The point I was making was that the rest of the league look pretty close.

Next week, for example, we play Brechin, another team who will make it very hard for us and who are the only team to beat us in a competitive game this season. If, however, we get a result then Stirling play Cowdenbeath and Ayr play Raith. Thats all the top six playing each other this week and something has to give. If Morton can beat Brechin (and that might be a big if), then at least two of the rest must drop points, if not all four if their respective games were draws.

Oh and Rossco,

I don't try to represent anyone's views other than my own. If you don't like my posts or find them too long why don't you just put me on ignore!

Nothing wrong with the point that most teams look capable of beating each other - which will be an advantage to us but the 'except Morton' bit does sound a lot like a self blown brass instrument

The 'except Morton' bit is correct at the moment but could all change next week.

I don't think so but , having been bitten on the erse several seasons in a row we should probably keep a lower profile.
(I see where Tonsilitis is coming from though)

I can too - at the top it is convenient to have the other clubs cutting each others' throats week in week out.
However, he does have a habit of starting a weekly "Can Morton win the league really easily" thread, which has me shaking my head and wondering if I should even bother clicking it.
Little wonder many other teams fans can't stand our own fans' attitude (I mean, at times we are almost as unpopular as Dumbarton fans were last season ).

Think tonsilitis is an exception to the rule tho.Your spot on AT,i can see his point but he puts it across in a way that makes me cringe! Majority of morton fans on here know how hard its gonna be and we will lose games,we will play badly and we will have a real bad patch.No chance we have won anything yet,we are not even close.We are playing well, that is all.

If I'm being pedantic (and this is Pie and Bovril so of course I am), that statement isn't correct. Morton currently being unbeaten in the league has no bearing on whether any of the other teams are capable of beating them.

I never said you did, but when you state a lot of things, which come across as arrogant, then we get the usual replies about ALL Morton supporters being arrogant etc.

I was merely stating to OTHER supporters that your view doesn't represent all our views, it was nothing aimed at you.

OK, I accept that the use of the term 'except Morton' was maybe a bad choice of words. What I was trying to say was that in this first quarter of the season, Morton have been the best team but, apart from them, there's not much to separate the rest. My point is that even if Morton slip back to being a good average second division team, the comfort of say a seven or eight point lead (if we can get there) will probably make them hard to catch be cause other teams will find it hard to make it up because of the 'every team is capable of beating every other team' position.

Thats this season. In other seasons it has been different.

If its arrogant to say that then, I'm arrogant. I hold my hands up.

I didn't think it was particularly arrogant, in fact you're pretty much spot on.

Morton are far from untouchable.

They have a better side than most but thats to be expected. Every team will beat every team in this league, including Morton, but thats what tends to happen in the early stages of these divisions. For all we know Morton could lose one and collapse, we just dont know!!

Lets wait until Xmas and Morton are a distance ahead, then they will have the right to start blowing their own trumpet.

Morton are comfortably the best side in the league this year. Overall from the matches I have attended the 2nd division is extremely weak this year.

Stirling have played well within themselves but are still 2nd in the league.

Peterhead do not look to be the same hard working, grinding side as in previous years.

Some of the teams such as Forfar have been absolutely dross. Knowing me they will probably play really well against us the next time and beat us

I was impressed with Ayr, but their home form has been well documented

Why did I take Tonsilitis' droll pish of ignore?

Excellent post, a lot better worded this time, your learning

I take it you mean

'Why did I take Tonsilitis's droll pish off ignore?'

Can I suggest that you just put me back on ignore as clearly you find my posts intellectually challenging due to your low boredom threshold!

Thank you for that and may I say that I am truly humbled that you think I am learning - its just so encouraging!!

Oh the irony of correcting a typo, when you're too stupid to know the difference between a ? and an !

I agree Andy, that we are definitely not untouchable as proven so far this season by Brechin (in the CIS cup), Ayr and your goodselves. It is the case though that any team winning 7/8 points average from every other team will win the league. Put the other way we can afford to lose to every team in the league and still win it. We just need to avoid making it a habit and the closeness in standard of the rest of the teams will almost guarantee that come the end of the season, 70 points will probably be enough to win the league. I don't expect there to be a lot more than 10/12 points separating third top from third bottom at the end.

Pardon?

I was only pointing out that if you are going to insult someone, it comes across better if you manage to present it in a grammatically correct manner.

It's still difficult for us to determine how good teams are so far this season considering that our own teams apart we've probably only seen other teams once, or not at all.

For example Alloa and Stranraer fans will have completely different views on how good we are, although I think Alloa know we're bad considering they've played us twice.

As for Morton, they probably will win the league but it'll be a battle, they may have won a lot of games but they've not been completely blowing teams away.

Stranraer, Peterhead and Alloa have all been very confortable. Raith were dire and Forfar and Cowdenbreath we beat away from home.

2 slip ups to ultra defensive teams let us down, but at home we should be able to break teams down.

A very good start to the season but i'll judge teams when we have played them home and away.

Dont start that pish again

You are quite correct. If you replace the 'at the moment' with 'up to the present' - the most ardent pedant should be satisfied.

Peterhead 0 Morton 4
Morton 4 Alloa o
Stranraer 0 Morton 3

Well, we blew those three away.

Fair enough. All I was meaning though was that it wasn't going to be easy, that was the point of my post, it wasnt a critical post.

It wasn't a dig at anyone, more of a sugestion that Morton find it hard to break down defensive teams at Cappielow but seem to perform better away which is so different from last season and the season before.

2 slip up to ultra defensive teams tells me that we were apparenly all backs to the wall and you guys were all over us....

but lets not go back into that argument again.


Morton do have the best squad in the league without doubt, but i still reckon if teams have a go at them, then they will be broken down...they dont look leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else like Gretna did last season