renton

That was grim. We got away with one, massively. Notwistanding Dabrowski's error, the major issue is that the 4-1-3-2 doesnt work without Stanton and the whole of the 2nd half, Ayr were able to nullify our extra man with about 2 passes. We didnt use the extra man at all. Went through the middle to a player that wasnt there, didnt use the width at all and let Ayr run at us constantly. If we had gone 4-2-3-1 from the 2nd half, we might have built on that. As it was we were lucky to get out of that by the skin of our teeth.

Aye, that was an absolutely appaling performance as well. Don't think we had a shot on target. Probably began the rot that would lead into the Goodwillie debacle.

Most of ScotGov's budget still comes from the bloc grant, the value of which derives from the UK government's budget decisions. It's not that the Scottish Government spent more money than it had, it's that it will have less to spend than planning assumptions to date, based on the previous bloc grant. In much the same way as the MoD suddenly found itself with a similar 10 billion hole in it's equipment plan, despite not actually having changed the plan, UK government refusal to inflation proof public services will clearly have a knock on effect to any fixed budget - like Scotland's. That's the harsh reality of devolution. It was never designed to be compatible with too much divergence. Not much can be done until Starmer arrives in late 2024 and suddenly increases public spending in vital services, introduces progressive taxation of it's own, a true living wage for all, reforms local government spending and introduces radical constitutional reform to deliver a more sustainable settlement for the devolved admins. No laughing at the back please.

Ftfy

Aye, on the face of it, Dundee Utd going into this game with only 6 goals conceded all season and still undefeated in the league would suggest they shouldnt be all that worried.

Traditionally this is where we fall apart as well

If it makes you feel better, that's as shite as we've been since we lost to Airdrie.

For all the chat about our late goals, for the most part I think weve merited the points, whereas tonight we were definitely on the lucky side of the spectrum. Granted, the game plan gets fucked by the late call off, but without someone to win 2nd balls up top, and Byrne badly outnumbered by a packed Arbroath defence we struggled. Second half we had a couple of decent pull backs but our corners and free kicks were brutal. Dont think our tempo was high enough at any point in the game, but fair fucks they kept going.

Referring to it as "Tannadicci" was the peak cringe moment.

Stuggling to win 2nd balls going forward, or the first ball in defence. Outnumbered in midfield. Weve created a good few chances and looked decent when we have gotten the ball down but not sure we dont need to shift something about here, if only to get us more possession in midfield to play Gullan and Smith in rather than expecting them to win high balls.

Well, my nerves are starting to jangle.

I think the whole Bi-Generation thing ties into Davies rebranding of it as series 1. It seems odd that if 14 was suffering from the accumulated trauma of Eccleston through Whittaker, that 15 shouldnt also be in the same place but he clearly isn't. In the Tardis scene he seems to recognise that 14 needs a break even as he, ostensibly the same man, doesn't. The regeneration narrative trick only works so long as you sustain the illusion that it's the same person, even allowing for the differences in how the character is played by different actors. Yet that's much harder when you have the two of them side by side not physically the same being anymore, on divergent narrative paths as well. To my mind, the whole stunt is a way of parking the 05 to 23 continuity. The new Doctor may have the memories of the old one, but in a more abstract way, and not in a way that will require too many or any references at all to the past. He can fly off to a continuity free future on Disney + while Tennant marks the end of NuDoctor Who.

Must be grim for you to be doom posting. With that in mind, home win.

Read this in the voice of that guy that used to do all the movie trailers.

Hope @Rb123 put some money on my advice. Christ, if we could sort the first 15 minutes of the 2nd half....

Aye, you can take an equaliser in the first 15 minutes to the bank.

No, i'm content to shite it for tonight.

Thistle ran all over the top of our 4-1-3-2 at the start of the season, albeit without a recognised sitting mid at the time. Doolan's Thistle teams really do attack quickly down the flanks and I think I saw a stat about goals vs xG that gives you an idea of how good they usually are at getting the ball into Brian Graham between 6 and 10 yards out. Really could see us dropping points tonight. Defence should hopefully look a little more settled than it has against Dunfermline and ICT at least. Byrne has been different class since he came in and should hopefully stem some of the Thistle flow, but think this is the best attack we've faced outside of Dundee Utd by a long shot.

Regardless of what you think of the GRR act itself, this ruling effectively gives the SoS for Scotland an extremely broad remit to veto anything the Scottish Parliament comes up with. Any law at Holyrood, even if within devolved competencies that confers any status referred to by any other reserved law is automatically within the scope of being vetoed. Any administrative or operational changes proposed by ScotGov would fall in that remit too. The ruling seems to me to state that the principle judge of whether there is sound reason for interfering is in fact the SoS themselves. What's to stop the UK Gov passing "UK wide" laws and then using that mechanism to force alignment?

That has fairly wide ranging implications for how devolution is operated (or not). Basically, the SoS for Scotland can veto naything they damn well please for any damn reason they like with no route of appeal for the Scottish parliament.

Aye, that's the kiss of death.

He's gone

We werent exactly flush when we signed him tbf.

I stand corrected. What a team.