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Well, no point in crying over spilled milk or missed opportunities...................losing two last minute goals to Albion Rovers, hitting the woodwork four times in the next game against them, the disallowed free kick, hitting the bar, and the one off the line v Stenny. The league table doesn't lie and we deserve to be down. It's not our first relegation, but unlike all the others I've experienced it's the first time (perhaps I just didn't hear them?) I've not noticed anyone calling for the manager's head after the final whistle. Apathy or a realisation that year 2 in a higher league has always been a struggle for us. We have been promoted 5 times since World War 2, and each time (with one single season exception) we've been relegated in the 2nd season, so I think there's an acceptance of how hard a mountain that is to climb when your promotion stalwarts depart after the first season. So unlike his predecessors, Gus appears to be under no pressure to resign, but will he fancy another crack with no money to spend on recruitments - it must be hard to have 4 out of every 5 targets (an informed guess) turn down his signing offers, or will the Committee take matters into their own hands............incredibly some think "waiting in the wings" Gardiner is the answer, in which case I'd love to know what the question was! Looming like a dark thunderstorm on the horizon is the question of Hampden's future. Will we be well rid of our dependency on it's income, or will a necessity-driven blackmailed bargain sale just be the first nail in a coffin of steady deterioration? I've absolutely no idea what effect on player recruitment this will have. Unless we can no longer afford to run them it should have little effect on our youth teams and the steady stream of talent that produces. But all those players are novices when they reach our 1st team, and they need experienced players to guide them. Will the Ferrys, Troutens and Dunlops of this world want to spend their final seasons with us, or are we like an elderly aunt who deserves a nod of appreciation, but little more than that? Are there more like Gerry McLauchlan for whom the love of playing now outweighs picking up a few quid here and there? Perhaps, but since the demise of any quality within the amateur leagues (oh for another Jim or Mick Gillespie, Keith Mackenzie, Davie Greig etc.) it's the Junior ranks that recent coaches have had to heavily rely on, and Gus is perhaps one of the most knowledgeable and influential coaches currently operating within that market. The unanswered question though is how many of those signings came to us because they could see the bigger picture (a successful year or two with us and the possibility of landing a decent signing on fee that would more than cover the loss of taxed earnings in that period), or were they just here because they fancied playing at the National Stadium in the footsteps of Law, Baxter, Dalglish et al? If there were several in the category, then the loss of Hampden will have a profound long term negative effect on us, although there could be a short-term two year hiatus of players queueing up to enjoy that final privilege before it's gone forever. I'm sure that there's also been the occasional 50/50 decision that a player has had to make between staying Junior or signing for Albion Rovers (for example), where the manager's passing comment "you'll get to play twice at Hampden next season" has struck a chord, so perhaps other clubs will be affected by the ripples too? Is it overstating it to suggest that the next three months rank amongst the most important in our entire history? If we get screwed over in the Hampden negotiations (it matters not whether it's due to Committee weakness or simple acceptance of the Debenture situation) and we don't recruit well during the close season, we could find ourselves looking for a brand new home at the same time as facing a struggle to remain in the SPFL. Perhaps more than ever before, I suspect that most QP fans will be remaining very "switched-on" during the close season and keeping a close-eye on things. Not for us the luxury of simply putting our scarves away for 10 weeks and then catching up on things at the first pre-season friendly.