GallowayBlue

I know I'm a broken record but there's something strange about this season. Feels like we're just accepting our fate because fans and those in charge at the club like Scott Agnew (including me). Hammill was sacked for much less, as was Keith Knox, as were various others over the years. Also, I'll say it again, the contract extension for the manager was wild. Better to sleepwalk to relegation and hope for the best, or roll the dice with a new manager and hope for the best? Hard to say now, I guess we'll go with the former. Also, The Lowland League is a dreadful fate, at least for my tastes, if that's where we end up.

We're going to be staying in Cologne for the duration of the group stages and that's obviously a long time in one city. We're thinking about interrail passes to travel about Germany freely on at least a few of the days Scotland aren't playing (day trip, early morning out last train back). Anyone with any thoughts on whether that is a good/bad idea. We could hold off and book trains as we go I guess, but don't mind paying a bit more for Interrail if it's convenient. Will also be travelling to Stuttgart as the only game we have tickets for.

What was going on with the Dumbarton goalkeeper's kicking? Straight out of play under no pressure on several occasions.

Definitely fear that we've been sleepwalking into a bad position, and today confirms that. Then again, maybe we've been approaching this point with our eyes open. Worrying times.

Incidentally, it would be nice to see a club lobbying for better access to the SPFL for teams in the LL and HL. Surely much better to do it now (or at least next season if we survive) rather than to leave it until you're out of the club shouting into the void.

I should have added the word era after SPFL, but I was really meaning in that timeline. I would imagine in the last 20 years we'll have had the lowest attendance in quite a few of them. We also have some advantages that others don't. For example we seem to be well placed to take players from Ayrshire and the like, seemingly more so than other clubs and this has served us well over the years. I hope things turn around as I really don't want to be watching us play B Teams anytime soon.

We've (pretty much) always had the lowest attendance in the SPFL and presumably one of the lowest budgets, yet have never found ourselves so far down the table. The acceptance of a pretty poor season is surprising, people wanted Hammill out for seasons similar to this one (including me towards the end). I'm still not in the manager out camp, but I don't think that low crowds can excuse losing over and over again.

That's all fair, I'm just not sure why they needed to extend his contract at the moment they did. Hopefully it will work out for the best. On a separate note is there any reason why Sonkur celebrated so wildly? No issue with it, but was there bad blood when he left?

I said this at the time, baffling that we offered the manager a two year contract. Not saying he has to go, but found it to be a strange decision and it looks stranger as we slip down the table.

Great to see a testimonial announced for Grant and Robbo. Hopefully not in a season which ends in relegation... Not sure who chooses the opponent, but please no Celtic/Rangers nonsense. Twente, or even better, Twente away!

Did anyone else think the choice of strips was a bit strange? Felt there were a couple of times where players got confused, but maybe not.

Just logged into Facebook for the first time in a while and ventured onto the Stranraer FC Supporters Group. What on earth is going on? Arguing about tickets, going to the press, videos of stewards, Christmas spoiled? Logged straight back out.

I don't support a Lowland League club (yet) but I do wonder if some kind of boycott is the way forward now? Not sure if Scottish football fans can generally be bothered with that sort of thing though.

If we list the teams that could be against based on form/previous statements etc: Albion Rovers Berwick Rangers Bo'ness United Civil Service Strollers Cowdenbeath East Stirlingshire Linlithgow Rose Tranent Assuming they all do vote against, still one short.

Is it a simple majority of the 16 teams with someone from the league having a casting vote? So essentially need 9 against? Is that doable?

The phrase "inside baseball" seems to be creeping into usage in the UK. Also not sure if it's an Americanism but I have been hearing "grinds my gears" a lot recently and it sounds like it should be an Americanism.

For someone with almost no SSC points, no tickets from the draw and no desire to pay the hospitality prices, will there be the potential to buy tickets from some kind of resale site before the games?

Between the random ballot, team specific sales phase and then potential resales, do people think non SSC members will be able to get tickets? Humming and hawing over hospitality for one of the games but not sure if I can justify the cost.

Did anything ever come of the "fan fund" that was mentioned on social media? https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02jCU9Xt8M4ysuZ1XRMHnoYEbpgsJkuysnvrLk294Aw7XkaSVp8qGfzcQdz94vW2fSl&id=100031660668046

Would it be crazy to splash out for the hospitality package to guarantee a ticket for the group stage games?

Where are people booking flights this early? Lufthansa? What will be the best way to get tickets for people with no SSC points if Scotland qualify? Splashing out for hospitality...? Or will there be another way? Ticket resales maybe?

Any tips to avoid injury? Have done four half marathons following plans with slow build-up, tapering etc and every time I seem to end up injured for an extended period during training or after the half marathon. This time I've got something that feels like sciatica (based on Google search) and haven't been able to exercise for three or four weeks now. I don't tend to do strength training alongside the running, could that be the answer?

Any genuine thoughts on how we beat the B Team suggestion for good? I think everyone wants the best for Scottish football, but B Teams are wildly unpopular with the majority of Scottish football fans as far as I can tell. Every attempt at change hat focuses on them feels like such a waste of time and not sure why those in charge don't get the message. We don't do boycotts particularly well in Scotland and would be impossible to organise. The social media and particularly Twitter response was amazing this time, but that probably took off because it was a yes/no with a concrete vote to rally against. Is there anything we can do?

That was reported in a newspaper in relation to Aberdeen so probably true.

Time to take B Teams off the table and put some genuine effort into improving Scottish football.