Captain_Imra7

I think that UEFA requirements mean that a large volume of the main stand can't be used by fans. The club are also setting up an area of the ground (I'm not sure where) for social distancing for fans who aren't yet comfortable going back to sit close to others. Combined, I imagine these will add up to 2500 seats or so.

This, it's 5m longer and 2m wider than the pitch at Pittodrie. That's not insignificant but it's not notably expansive. It's the same size as the pitches at Ibrox and Easter road (and probably a couple of others in Scotland). The "Hampden has a massive pitch" myth is an optical illusion. It looks massive because it is a crap football stadium with stands miles from the pitch and massive grass runoffs.

The behaviour commonly exhibited by sheep is known as herd mentality, not flock mentality. This is the pun I was going for, so you've actually broken that for me.

Herd mentality m9, it's what we do.

Aye, but he could have delayed the Wright for Watkins sub a couple of minutes given Edmondsen had just been clattered head first into a wall and was likely about to need subbed too. Had he done that and stuck Wright and Cosgrove on at the same time, he would have had one more chance to change a couple of players later on if needed. Given that was at the 60 minute mark, it could have easily ended up being a huge mistake had a player got injured between then and FT. We've (for the first time in ages) the squad depth where we could actually use 5 players from the bench and not weaken the XI. Derek hasn't been the best at using the new 5 subs total but during 3 occasions rule and today it could have cost us. Appreciate it didn't and this is all ifs and buts though.

Duffy is rank, Scott Wright made him his b***tch.

This, this is his make or break season and my word how he is making it at the moment. Every time he got the ball he made something positive happen. Roasted yon galoot Duffy almost every time and his dribbling in the build up which lead to the 2nd pen was superb. Big performance from us there, even though Celtic weren't great they still have far more quality than we do. Also, how on earth did McGregor avoid a second booking when he binned McLennan?

Big Sergej won't know what's hit him.

I'm not sure he should get straight back in the team to be honest. He doesn't work the channels and hold up as well as Watkins, but he's scored so many goals in the last couple of seasons that you can't not play him. Hopefully his return (whenever it is) doesn't signal a return to hoofball. Feels like we are just starting to play proper football again and I'd be sad if we return to the eye bleed stuff. Excellent gifing by the way.

Got my application in for the ballot, don't expect to be one of the 300 but a boy can dream. R.e. Bryson, he won't be a miss on the pitch and will be a big saving off it. Shame it never worked out with him as I was convinced he would be a huge player for us when he signed. Can't imagine us shipping out another CM though, at least not until January.

Given our US connections, I could also maybe accept "y'all" in a pinch. Agreed that "yous" just doesn't fly though.

This is also a distinct possibility

4-1-2-1-2 maybe? Back 4 self explanatory, McCrorie CDM, Ojo and Campbell CM, Ferguson CAM and McGinn and Wright up front? 0 physical presence up front so hopefully we've figured out how to actually football for the first time in a long time. Other possibility is Ferguson is a striker with McGinn and Wright is at CAM. God knows, we will see in an hour.

McGinn is the best player we have had since Jess (with the exception of Maddison, but he was a 6 month loan so doesn't count). I think the main reason he gets abuse from "fans" is his resting glaiket face. He is the one man I want on the ball within 30 yards of the opponents goal as he is by far the most likely to dig out a pass / cross or beat a man (or two) and stick it in the net. If he had consistency he would have been in the Premier League imo. As it is, we get almost a decade with a mercurial talent who is the best player in the league about 3 times a season and a match winner every 3rd game or so. He also, almost single handedly, kept us out of a relegation battle in his debut season. I f***ing love Niall McGinn.

Ssssssshhhhhhhh John, how can I continue to be disgusted and enraged by the players in question being a massive bunch of eejits if it gets out that this photo exists!?!?

Not sure I can even argue against this defaulting to a St Johnstone win to be honest. Don't think it should effect goal difference though, just the points. It's not fair on them to congest their calendar because we've got some morons in the squad. What an utter embarrassment the players involved are, club needs to fine them to high heavens. Beyond unacceptable for them to be going to a bar at times like this even if it's within the rules, they should be setting an example.

Gotta love the overreaction to pre-season friendly results, it's the same every year.

So you reckon that this person on AbMad is deliberately spreading nonsense rumours at the behest of the club, primarily to quiet discontent amongst the fan base regarding the bid being accepted for Cosgrove, do I have that right? If I do, then I would suggest that the only reason the club would do that (i.e lie to keep fans happy right now) would be to try and mitigate against damage to season ticket sales. Ergo you are saying that the club is surreptitiously lying to some parts of the fanbase via an internet forum to try and encourage them to buy season tickets (or other merchandise). That is more or less defrauding the fan base out if money, which is nothing like the same as spreading nonsense in the press to get inside opposition player's / manager's heads as per your Paisley and Strachan example. I accept that this is possible, anything is possible, but I think it is far more likely that transfer rumours on fan forums are spread by people who have put 2 + 2 together to get 5 and want to get a conversation going online rather than the club trying to distract from a bid being accepted. Not sure about AbMad as I gave up on that site a few years ago, but most on here seemed accepting enough of the value we agreed with Guingamp so I'm not sure what fire the club would even want to try and fight by spreading false rumours online. As I say, believe what you want and go about your day, it does zero harm to me. It's clear neither I nor anyone else is going to change your mind on this one.

There's a huge difference between monitoring forums and social media and actively spreading nonsense stuff as PR to try and deflect from a bid for a player being accepted. One is doing your job, the other is conspiracy theory through some severe cynicism. I got the username wrong but what you're suggesting amounts to effectively the same. Believe what you want, I just think that notion is utter piffle. Just one man's opinion.

I like how Vancouver Don posting a theory, which thus far is unsubstantiated by events, on P&B and another (possibly the same for all I know) person doing it on AbMad has Bogbrush totally convinced that it's a conspiracy by AFC to sell season tickets. That's some top level tin foil hattery. FWIW I bought my ST, fully in the know that there is a good chance I won't get to Pittodrie this year while hoping that I will get in (wherever I will be allowed to sit) sooner than that. I think the club has been pretty open and honest, though admittedly the use of the word "guarantee" in that email is a bit misguided imo. Hardly a con attempt though imo, and I think they must be confident they can maintain appropriate social distancing with 7500 fans before they advertise it.

You still get them and they are still as glorious (or vile, if you are a wrong person who doesn't like them) as you remember. Too expensive now though, like all sweeties.

I'd go with pretty much your lineup except Maddison for Christie and McLean for Severin (if basing it purely on the quality of player rather than how the performed with us). Worth noting however that I never saw Severin play all that much as I started part time working around the beginning of the Calderwood era so sadly never made it to many games during his time.

Clichéd but correct, if McKenna goes and Hoban signs then that would be a pretty sizeable upgrade in terms of ability (particularly when on the ball). The keeping him fit side could be a massive problem though. But as you say, he would be nowhere near us if he hadn't been made of paper in his career so far.

Agreed, Hoban could also cover at RB if Logan is to leave. He'd need to be on some kind of fitness based contract. I.e a relatively low base wage which is made up by being available for selection fitness wise and further appearance based bonuses. Hoban clearly has plenty of ability to play for us (probably at a higher level tbh) but his fitness record terrifies me.