Monkey Tennis

If true that he's off there, we can safely say that no boats have been missed. St Mirren are a team in the SPL who we shouldn't for a second be attempting to compete with on wages. I'm really sorry to see Burns go, but I've been resigned to it for a while. I've loved him as a player for us and if a move has come, I'm glad that it involves a clear step up for him. I hope he does well.

Yes, numerically a smaller squad, but still a costlier one than we'd had in all but the two or three seasons before it. The only half decent team with any interest in beating us during the Alba Cup competition, duly did so with ease. In the league, we did fine with our expensive players available and duly crumpled without them. You've also got to recognise that the league was particularly weak this year and that the Dundee situation undermines the 4th place finish a bit. Throw in how we performed in the cups that matter and some of the gloss comes off. Oh and much of our 'football' was horrible. Now, I'm deliberately putting a negative spin on things here, but at least I'm admitting it. It's no more inaccurate then the stuff above about how well we did under KB. I'll say it again: in a football sense he did ok - no better, no worse. He did however behave like a total dick all year and I hope we needn't endure him much longer.

If you're right about the managerial position, then as far as I'm concerned, things just got a lot bleaker. Seriously, what exactly was "achieved" this season?

Yes, such comments do go back a long way, and I agree that they reflect a disinterested ignorance more than anything else. We'll have to agree to differ on the unwinnable argument of how much impact Brannigan's comments might have had though. You think it was next to none; while I'd say his comments were one important factor among a few others, but I certainly can't prove it. I'd also take issue with the "so successful" part of your post. To my mind, it's been ok over the piece - the last fortnight apart, much worse than that latterly. For me, the footballing evidence for renewing or otherwise would be pretty neutral. The rest however, tips the balance against him. Quite heavily.

I've not seen the Standard. Are you saying that there's mention there of possibly moving training to Carlisle? If so, that would imply a complete change of strategy, in that we'd be looking to the North of England for players again. Have I got totally the wrong end of the stick here, because to me, that sounds unlikely?

You say that his whining about enforced cutbacks has no impact; yet concede that a perceived lack of ambition is among the reasons cited by those who don't attend. It's impossible to gauge accurately how much damage Brannigan's doom mongering might have done to gates. I don't think however that it can be dismissed as a potential factor, for the reasons you pretty much admit yourself in the above post.

I wouldn't say that the footballing reasons for offering him a new contract are all that compelling. I accept however that he's done well enough in that sense to merit another crack in normal circumstances. The personal factor is a deservedly big one though. He's spread negativity from the outset. I'm no fan of the board, but some of his published comments about the club have been downright unprofessional. He's deliberately given the impression all season of being outside the tent pissing in, rather than the other way round. It's time to make this outsider status official.

I'd be amazed to find we've been employing any system quite that sophisticated.

There's a sifting process?

So he wasn't overly enamoured with Scott or McCall either? Sounds like the exercising of critical faculties to me.

I'm sure he doesn't need my help, but I'd tend to defend Kirky here. The fact that he's found plenty to "whinge" about with regard to the last two managers doesn't mean he'll always moan about whoever's in charge. It just means that he's in possession of some critical faculties. That's actually not a bad thing.

Best place for this I suppose. From the OS - Hope I'm not breaking any of your rules Mr X. http://www.qosfc.com...aspx?newsid=593 I'm not really sure that it means much beyond its admission of mistakes. We're also being prepared to see lots of Under-19s next year. Detailed communication like this should probably be welcomed though.

I really hope QOSMad doesn't present an accurate cross-section of our support; but if it does, the answer to your question is an alarmingly large number.

That's dead right. Unfortunately, a great many people seem to be buying it. Now that things have come to a head, of sorts, I actually think it's time for the board to defend themslves on this a bit. Again, they'd have difficulty defending themselves against some of the charges levelled against them, but with this one, they're surely on firmer ground. Instead, when we do hear from the board, it seems to take the form of last week's nonsense or whines about the winter's weather. We're past the stage where the board need to continue to pretend there's any unity between them and KB, so it's time they stopped surrendering any propaganda advantage to him. I'm unhappy with the board, but they'll be around longer than KB and I think they need to start working harder at taking people with them.

I'd agree with all of that. The delay with the Cup Final prolonged our season and perhaps put off for a while the stage we've now reached. You're right in that the future needn't necessarily be all that bleak, but effective leadership is now what's needed.

Yes, this had crossed my mind. In some respects, it does seem unfair on players, but it's a reflection on the modern football world at this level, rather than anything peculiar to Queens this season. Players are generally on 1 or 2 year deals, which mean that in any given summer, plenty will expire. That situation is perhaps a little exaggerated in numerical terms for us this year due to cost-cutting, but for the individuals concerned, the situation is as we (and they) would expect. Yet again, it's something which KB has had a public whinge about and it therefore provides an opportunity for people to have a go at the Chairman and the Board. There are enough legitimate gripes surely, without people finding new and inventive ones.

There's no chance of it happening, but if it were to, it would make me (and I'd imagine, most others) desperately unhappy.

Good to have our own thread. I've got sod all to say, but it's nice to have a place to say it in.

Well done all. Always a splendid thing when Queens fans breed successfully, especially outside of captivity. On the sleep thing, you might get lucky. We did the first time round, leading me to believe that I'd sussed the situation and skilfully played it brilliantly, as she settled into sleeping for 12 hour stretches overnight within a fortnight of her birth, Four years later, her wee brother came along though to prove we'd cluelessly fluked it the first time. Enjoy it all.

Christ man - you're on a roll. You'll probably all look back on this one day and laugh, but it really does sound like no fun at all for any of you. All the best.

Absolutely magnificent. I had to break my own embargo on emoticons for that one - tremendous.

Agreed. The books don't for a minute require sequential reading. Each happily stands alone. Just finished Espedair Street by Iain Banks. I've not read as much of him as I should and this is one of the earlier ones. I really liked it. In evoking its period while avoiding the clumsiest cliches, it's pretty convincing. It's detailed, yet not unduly complex and is well worth a look. Time for some more Iain Banks I'd say. Anyone want to suggest what my first Iain M Banks foray should be?

Maybe - have I been whoooshed by but a foetus? Yes.

A Dundee Utd fan for whom the name Kevin Gallacher rings only the faintest of bells - despicable, even if you are but a foetus.

Oddly enough, I too had been saving the same book to read on holiday and thought it was bloody good - up there with the best of his. The rants are always fun and convincing, but the real genius exists in the devising of plot. There is such detail, yet it hangs together very successfully. I could easily fall for Angelique were she not a Rangers fan. So well crafted and funny that Brookmyre even gets away with the soppy ending.