Slipmat

I quite like the look of your line up and formation there, providing that Cochrane plays and Ferguson doesn't. Ferguson for me is the new Connor Murray, you know he's on the pitch somewhere but you'd be hard pushed to identify where and what he's supposed to be doing. For some unknown reason he has also taken over McKechnie's role as Mr Undroppable. I suppose it may depend on the fitness of our centre backs, but I fully expect Bartley to go with his beloved 3-5-1-1 if all are fit with McKay slotting in for Brydon or McClelland if one or both don't make it. If McKay starts in defence or midfield I for one will be disappointed. This could be Gibson's last chance to line up against his dad, so Bartley will no doubt try to keep him away from the pitch for as long as possible.

I went for Moffat. The black third kit of a couple of seasons ago was a thing of beauty. Moffat came closest to reproducing it.

Aye, I think when Mark Robertson became a director it was during a close season and can't recall there being an EGM at the time.

Yet despite what you say in the above quote you were defending Bartley until a month or so ago? Baffling! What you wish for begins with recruitment. Getting the right manager in place. One who can spot a player who fits into the style and system he wants to play, which is hopefully attractive, attacking football. Witness what has happened at Aston Villa since Gerrard was replaced by Emery - no change of ownership required, just a change of manager. If the new BOD get recruitment right - an area where the current board have continually failed - that would be a start. In other words, to continue with EPL comparisons, we just have to hope we end up with a Tony Bloom and not a Todd Boehly.

Absolutely not!! I'm not sure if @qos_75 is being entirely serious, but I couldn't think of a worse outcome. The ensuing media circus would turn the club into a Scottish version of much despised outfits such as Wrexham, Salford City or MK Dons. In all honesty I can't see what attraction the club would hold to anyone who doesn't already have the club at heart (local or otherwise), shady characters looking to seize an opportunity to do a quick spot of asset stripping, or egomaniacs. We may have a full-time playing staff but for me the reality is that the club is part-time in all but name, with nothing like the infrastructure needed to support top level football and a heavy reliance on well-meaning volunteers to keep the club going. It's going to need a lot of investment to turn the club around, but let's not be distracted by pound signs.

Another post match interview, and once again Marvin decides to name names when it comes to individual errors. Efe and Logan are this weeks scapegoats - two players that he will almost certainly have to select in the starting eleven next week depending on the severity of the injuries to Brydon and McClelland. That's a sure way to restore confidence in players who will only be too aware that they could have done better in certain situations. I've thought from a spectator's point of view that the players don't know what they're meant to be doing this season, but now I'm also of the belief that they are actually frightened to do things for fear of being publicly singled out as the reason a goal has been conceded or a game has been lost/drawn. As forecast above by others, the officials get hammered over a supposed missed foul, and Brydon going off is factored into the explanation of why Bartley isn't to blame. No mention of the personnel he selected or positions he chose to play them in. In fact it seems he did nothing wrong again but bad luck, poor officiating and individual mistakes cost us dearly. For those who can't be arsed listening to his thoughts, the remainder of the interview consists of Sandra making statements and Marvin agreeing with her. The highlight of the interview was that it was shorter than usual - he must have been in a hurry to go and admire himself in the mirror before heading off to the testimonial dinner.

He'll probably blame this latest setback on Dan Armstrong, SD & Homer T. Apart from the BOD, they're about the only people left at the club he hasn't blamed for this season's shitshow.

The board have "propelling the football club forward" Full steam ahead! V That'll be them in the foreground. V

Home attendance stays below 800 and more ground lost in the battle for that all-important sixth place. Good job that Hewitson & Co have been "propelling the football club forward" otherwise we the fans might start to get disenchanted.

There are no parking wardens in Dumfries, so you're safe to park on the streets if the car parks are full (doubtful). Residents may not be best pleased, mind.

Yes, I'd like to see the current "matchday experience" put into full reverse mode and see the re-introduction of cash turnstiles (I don't have a smartphone), freedom to move from the stand to the terracing or vice versa if you so desire, programmes priced on a 10p per page basis, no goal celebration music, no family sections, and no plastic pitches. From my earliest visits to Palmerston in the late seventies the only thing I can think of that I don't miss is the "toilet facility" at the back of the Terregles Street terracing (ie go behind a wall and piss on said wall or your shoes). Although the current facilities are still pretty primitive it has to be said. On the subject of the late 70s, is my mind playing tricks on me here or have I imagined that the big gates got opened at half time and people could just walk in and watch the second half for free?

Last night my thinking was that the new board must have been in place and just awaiting ratification and approval or had at least been sounded out. Worryingly it looks like that isn't the case after all and no-one is lined up: Queen of the South directors set to step down - BBC News I'm pleased that Billy isn't keen on following up on foreign interest. If a gulf state trust fund came to us, it would be our luck to find out that it was from Yemen!

I'm kind of struggling to see any recent evidence of this forward propulsion he talks about.

...and how many would want to become directors?

I expect the chairman will be announcing the following well thought out plan for the future tonight at the AGM.

Did a spot of commentary during the pandemic too, so we can add media officer to that list. Maybe he could interview himself after every match too - he'd probably ask himself tougher questions than Sandra would.

100% agree with you here, it's a real indicator of how desperate we are getting, but - and please correct me if I'm wrong - was JT not commercial manager when he took temporary charge after Skelton walked?

By way of comparison here is Alex Ferguson's heat map from the Montrose game. Hopefully Todd is match fit and Ferguson can be "rested" this weekend (not that he needs one).

On the contrary. Recent history suggests that no matter how bad a manager you are you will still be in the job for a minimum of six months longer than you deserve to be. If you are a really bad manager, in the mould of a Bartley or a Johnston, you will likely already be on a 2+ year contract which we can't afford to sever. The one thing you can be assured of is job security.

That's a bit harsh on Stirling.

I think the most laughable line he came out with in the this latest cringefest was, when discussing the players he says "I'm here to protect them". This from a man who has spent, I would estimate, around 90% of his post match interview time throwing players under the bus, pointing out their errors, saying that they don't listen, alleging that they are not behaving like professionals, have a questionable attitude towards fitness... the list goes on.

Never saw the clip, but the set up you describe makes me think he must have been rambling on about professionalism again? Strange that earlier in the season he went on a rant about players sitting down too much, then proceeds to hold training sessions which involve the players doing little else but sit down. Instead of concentrating on their playstations they now have to sit and listen to him instead, by the sounds of it.

If Bartley looks upwards all he will see is his digestive system, his head's so far up his own backside.

Not often that I leave before the final whistle, but today I was away after the second penaly. Absolutely atrocious - again. Even the generosity of the officials was no help to this lot. Must be one of the most blatant penalties/reds I've seen at Palmerston for some time yet they all managed to miss it and Kilsby stayed on. The back three were totally devoid of options to get the ball forward thanks to McKay being totally stationary (other than pointing at nothing in particular) when he should have been offering himself. As a result Cochrane got dragged further and further back to become a second sitting midfielder so with two defenders as wing backs, three centrebacks and two deep midfielders we resorted to long balls and misplaced hit and hopes. Ferguson was a total waste of space when actually took his invisibility cloak off. Why Bartley persisted with him and hooked Connelly, our only midfielder to look busy and try to be creative and probably our MOM, is another howler to add to the catalogue of mystifying decisions he continually makes. Reilly looked isolated at first and seemed to continually get the ball stuck under his feet, and just as I thought Bartley was going to go two up front when Mumbongo came on Reilly was moved back into more of a number 10 role as he persisted with the same formation shambles. At the back, Brydon was good, Ambrose had his usual fair share of brainfarts and McClelland cannot play in a back three for me as he drifts into no man's land and leaves acres of spaces around him too often. No atmosphere in the ground, and it was bloody cold, I'm hungry due to the stupid o'clock kick off time and have now had enough for this season. See you in 2024/25, unless Bartley has been sent packing before then.

If that allows Cochrane to play further up the park that's not necessarily a bad thing.