tarapoa

Hmmm, walked out of the old lady yesterday convinced I wouldn’t be back til later in the summer. Don’t do dead rubbers, especially in the bottom six. Today’s result changes everything and maybe even delays the Thelin appointment. Also how they address the imbalance of fixtures will be interesting, as we are due three at home, but only Livingston and Motherwell have only played once at Pittodrie already.

Vinnie watch

Ah, you might not be wrong there. Getting mixed up in the mists of time. Maybe it isn't in the stars that you complete the hat-trick tomorrow then !

Just looking at the teams for the 2004 game when our strikeforce was Leigh Hinds and Budgie Stewart, then I think we've had a lot worse than Billy Dodds. No wonder there was a protest at the state of that ! Dundee had obviously cooled their jets a tad recruitment wise by then, and had three soon-to-be dandies in their side - Lovell (who scored a peach of a winner), Mair and the useless soapy t1tw@nk in goals.

Most managers are a gamble - the relatively safe option would have been the usual suspects that "know Scottish football" and how to grind out results, a few of whom are currently occupying the positions above us in the league at this time. I had Thelin pinned as the new Kjetil Knutsen, in terms of the leftfield choice for cooler people - but provided we don't get relegated, it looks like it will happen. Some will put this as a last chance saloon for Cormack and the board, but considering most fans seem to be onboard, hopefully they are not all revisiting this with a large dose of hindsight-based revisionism a year down the line. I was dead against Glass and Warnock, but will admit I was happy enough at the time with the Goodwin and Robson appointments. The natural comparison on this one is Skovdahl (who did manage some relative success after the start from hell, but soon tailed off). This one seems worth a try, but I think it's important JT gets players that have the character and adaptability to buy into him and his coaching team's way of thinking, as we are traditionally a dressing room that is easy to lose if not.

There is an element of deja vu around this fixture. If I am not mistaken, Dundee have twice clinched 'top six' at our place. One of the times, I think Caniggia was among the scorers, and the Dees celebrated like they'd just won the Champions League. That may sound snide, but it's not meant to, those were bizarre and exciting times at Dens. The other game was more infamous in the Granite City for the planned walkout in protest at the shambles the club was at that time on and off the park peaking with Pele P's car boot exit. In the event a few folk did exit stage left around 4.30 and got absolute dogs' abuse from others for doing so. I always found that rather strange, considering there were only around 7K home fans in the ground - and if people cared enough to turn up at the ground for a dead rubber (for the home side) and then walk out in protest, then they clearly cared about the club. As for tomorrow, I think it suited Dundee to have their midweeker called off, as the three points they need are clearly much more attainable here, then they would have been against Sevco. Coming off a midweeker on a heavy pitch wouldn't have helped. We still need a result or two to ensure we avoid the abyss and a sudden u-turn from a nordic management team that don't fancy trips to Airdrie and Greenock next season. One thing is for sure, we will need to play a lot better than we did at Dens recently, and also this time the borderline VAR call that seems to happen in every one of our fixtures goes for us.

What is ‘elite level’ in this context, and is there any relatively recent examples of a Scottish club (outside the cheeks) hiring someone of that status?

I had been a seething mess at the club's lack of statement on this one since the bizarre decision not to 'release the lines' to the broadcasters. Breaking our 'never been relegated' record has never been so appealing, such is the ruination of our game by VAR. It has just made the corruption/incompetence worse, after the the foolish notion of thinking it could put an end to that - not to mention killing those spontaneous moments of joy that are the reason many of us watch football.

Pat Bonner saying that Butland save from O’Reilly could still be a defining moment for sevco in getting back into this. The penalty came from the corner.

Let’s see if the Belgian is the genius we’ve all been led to believe.

We seem to have endured this period of Tavernier getting smoke blown up him from all angles. Nice of him to give us a rest from it.

There was an all too rare bonnie through ball from Clarkson midway through the second half where Duk looked like he was in and the ball bounced up and hit him on the coupon. Whether that was the pitch or poor control is up for debate. AFC need to demand in the strongest terms to that the offside line that was used to adjudicate that decision is released to the broadcasters. At first it looked a no brainer, but that Livi guy on the far side look suspiciously like he played everyone in red onside.

I had been swithering about not renewing DNA as some kind of mini-protest at the current clusterf**k. However, I have now seen that DNA members get £3 off the £18 they want for a Q&A with Eugene Dadi, so that'll be me signing up again.

Hearing AFC ticket sales very poor for this so far - will be lucky to reach five figures. I do recall only around 8k went to the Sunday 1230 semi v Celtic in 2011 and it might not be much more this time.

Aye I do get the impression that the only reason Warnock would have a laptop is to get the online Daily Express, in the event the closest newsagent in Cornwall is a bit too far to walk every day.

Warnock apparently on the radio this morning. Not too uncomplimentary about the club, but did state that he disagreed on their overreliance on stats/data when it comes to recruiting players.

It's nonsensical in many ways, but makes sense for us due to the peculiarities of the game up here. Looking forward to only our second season in a decade in this "bottom six" thing.

Any music video from when we were domestic champions, cup holders and France Football's reigning European Team of the Year is fine by me. Beats being 9th and grateful for a scruffy win against a side who were in the Highland League at the time. Still, I think Peter Leven is probably fine for now, and the FMB can perhaps cool their jets slightly as any primary candidates were starting to hold too many strong negotiating cards.

Our interim manager once scored a bonnie goal at Pittodrie. https://redtv.afc.co.uk/video/68 3mins 52 on this clip

Agree with most of what has been said. Leven has eeked out a couple of wins from what probably should have been draws on the balance of play/chances - and Dens Park remains the only blot on his copybook from the four games he's taken the team for. Not out of the woods yet, but for now he's probably removed any sense of urgency in making a panic appointment. Not sure from the one glimpse on Sportscene whether that complete sitter County missed later in the first half was offside. That period was a real concern, as Mackenzie in particular had gone into full quivering lip mode, and the midfield were being overrun. White coming on in the second half did worry me, as Gartenmann and Jensen have struggled with route one target man jobbers all seasons, but strangely that alteration seemed to work against County, who fell out of things a bit in the second half. It did, however, need the substitutes to make a difference for us. Hopefully Leven can start getting more out of Duk, and Dante played very well - and possibly could be playing his way into a start at Hampden.

Can't have that. It doesn't matter the year, manager, players etc - this is kryptonite for AFC.

I have heard quite the opposite - it's IFA that are the stumbling block apparently. Maybe why he made the comment on how much compo they got when he went to Stoke City.

Friendlies are rubbish. I see little need for pant-pishing as a consequence of either of these games. NI did a good job of looking like a defensively efficient Kilmarnock/St Mirren going to Easter Road/Pittodrie, frustrating the life out of the home team/fans and returning back with the points, after snatching a goal from a breakaway/ set piece. Will that match have any resemblance to playing Switzerland or Hungary in June in a major tournament? - I'm not so sure.

Hughes may still end up ultimo hombre in this process.

Sunday Post going with ‘announcement in next 72 hours’ (presumably whilst still telling us the price of a cup of tea in Aberfeldy). This would conveniently be a day after NI’s next match.