rocket_scientist

Thanks for the tip. Just took a bit of each way on him. I wouldn't have at 66's or 80/1 but that's too good a price to ignore, especially given his last two majors. When I say he makes me cringe sometimes, it's just that if I'm still learning at more than twice his age (just), he's sometimes too forceful in his views. He expresses his opinions as facts and doesn't appreciate this crucial distinction. He's young, he'll learn. I also thought I knew more than I did at that age.

Excellent golfer and his direct and forthright nature is good for the game. Being twice his age however, I cringe at some of his posturing. Like many with talent and riches beyond their dreams - and trust me, he is well beyond his dreams until his Challenge Tour win (on an invite) kick-started him - they think they know everything.

Everyone forgotten about Bruce already? Brainwashed by McInnes' lack of belief in youth by any chance? SAF went with youth.

You didn't read carefully. The penalty was his second fuck up. Pulling his shirt, even for the briefest of moments was ASKING for trouble. I said "BEFORE the red card". When he tried to step out for offside, he failed to see that another defender was playing his own man on. When the ball came over him, he left a simple one-on-one and his blushes were saved by a combination of poor finishing and Joe Lewis's right leg. We were lucky not to be one down by then and we were lucky to get a draw, given one shot on target all day, in the 93rd minute. I thought McInnes was spiking shite about doing ok in the first 10 minutes. We were fucking terrible before they had 10 men and also after.

I said it was a soft red card at the time. A player gets barged off the ball, twice, in deliberate provocation. He reacts by kicking out, not with his studs, just a natural reaction, a wee kick that McKenna hardly noticed and gets sent off. That was the ref applying the rules to the letter of the law but it wasn't the right decision, a yellow would have been more fair. Imagine if it was the other way round! It wouldn't have even been a yellow in previous years. As Jerry Sadowitz says, Britain's gone gay. Poor wee lambs needing protection from a wee show of petulance. It was clever by McKenna given Morelos's known temperament. The decision cost Rangers three points as they were going to HORSE us on Sunday and should have been one up before the red card following Ball's major fuck up.

No I never argued that Norman and Colon underachieved by virtue of being discentivised by their already healthy bank balances. I don't even think Monty underachieved. His European Tour and Ryder Cup records were exceptional. He did fail to win majors however and he bottled the best chance he had at the 72nd. Him and Norman did have questionable mentalities in the big ones, Faldo coming from 5 back at Augusta being the most painful for Greg, an ELEVEN shot swing on the day that matters, the Sunday. In my opinion, DESIRE is the quality above all others that determines success at the highest level. The desire to work harder, the desire to work smarter.

McIlroy has four majors. Colon Monty has none. Norman got two. I agree with your point that some sportspeople (inc. golfers) underachieve once they're loaded. I don't think it applies in Rory's case.

Yes I did. And furthermore, and unnecessarily explained where I had received the recommendation. Unfortunately the trail runs cold at this point. Canna mind the boy who recommended it over the airwaves far less being able to ask him who telt him

Good post Rico min. There were two angles spouted by Gerrard. The match on one hand and the victimhood paranoia on the other. On his match comments, he was obviously gutted not to pick up 3 points and was probably as surprised as many of us were that we finally managed our first shot on target, well after the 90 minutes. He was right that we had "no ideas" and his comments about being a "different class" were obviously designed to 1. ingratiate himself to the knuckledraggers as well as 2. tell his own team that they should be destroying the likes of Aberdeen and have no excuse finishing behind us come May. And if they were half-well managed, there is no doubt that they will finish above McInnes's AFC at the end of this season. He saw how shite we were yesterday and must've have been wondering how on earth we managed second last season, without appreciating that we aren't always that bad. On his victimhood shit, that doesn't interest me. It's just total bollocks from a scouse ned prick who showed his true colours.

I've also not seen any "ridiculous knee jerk reactions" but not using any other social media for AFC matters - the pub, mates and family and this forum being my only outlets for spikkin aboot AFC - I would be unlikely to. Whatever a fan or a bunch of fans say online doesn't really matter in any event. The only fan action that matters is heads through the turnstiles. Actually, that's not even true, the number of tickets sold is the true indicator of customer satisfaction. That performance won't have done much to assist ticket sales this season. The quality of footballers in the squad and the imbalance within it is screaming for additions in the right places and unless McInnes adds quality to assist our midfield and attacking options, we can only expect to face a long, hard and fruitless season.

Tom Watson - probably my fav golfer in history - said that putting was 10% mechanics and 90% feel. That was in his book that was published before the invention of the first "golf psychologist", or should I say the first dedicated or labelled golf psychologist because great coaches and players have always recognised the influence of the mind. I borrowed from that in that I say that putting is 10% technical and 90% mental. However, it is understanding the relationship between the mechanics and the mind that is key. For example, when you say repetition, you may be referring to consistency of process with regard to the putting stroke itself (technical) or you may be referring to the need to think the same way (mental), or both. Until we have actually invested hundreds and thousands of hours on the subject, let alone the tens of thousands to hours to become expert in it, we are just enthusiastic amateurs. Thousands of hours playing doesn't equate to hours studying, examining and teaching by the way. One thing I'm convinced of, your "confidence, feel and repetition" is pretty close to the money and a whole lot closer to the truth than the places McIlroy has been searching in. I reckon that great putters (and great golfers) have big imaginations. Not everyone has the intellectual artistry and mental flexibility to understand the importance of the role of the mind in golf and therefore your words like confidence and feel, not being tangible and therefore not capable of being held in their hands, are unattainable for them. A "streaky putter" is a poor putter. We have data to prove this. When Rory had his meltdown at Augusta, they showed him in the houses left of the 10th. They don't point out he missed THREE times from 7 feet and less before that and his 4 putt at 12 from 25 feet was a man who's putting confidence had been wrecked. Two months later, he won at Congressional (possibly his first major?) and he putted superb that week, his first (and only) 3 putt coming deep in Rd 4 when he was already as good as victor. When it was Rory v. Luke for OWGR no. 1 at the season-ender in Dubai, Rory putted superbly to blow him away, finishing the tournament with 4 or 5 straight birdies. McIlroy's streaks of good putting are now so infrequent, he's getting nowhere near winning majors.

So it sounds like you're saying his pace control is out on his putting too. I'm pretty certain the data would not support your impression that he's putting it long all the time. I remember a lot of low and short sides from him at Akron and at The Open, which is what we can expect from a putter low on confidence. For me it's not so much that he's trying too hard. Rather, he's scared. He's not won a major for a long time (relatively, for him, given his enormously powerful talent) and he's starting to question whether he'll ever win another. I'm sure that he will, and I'm sure that he's sure that he will but the doubt and the mental scarring is patent now, particularly visible in his interviews when he just bullshits, putting on a mask, softening his tones and adopting a facade of humility. The true winner is ruthless to the core. He's becoming afraid of himself. And the one thing above all others that is worrying him and may eventually sink him and thwart his ambition is his horrible putting. He doesn't have a clue what he's doing on the greens and is stuck at an impasse having consulted "specialists" who have been unable to connect with him.

I recommend The Football Cub; an artist in residence. Channel 4 Catch Up. Available for another 2/3 weeks. Heard one of the TalkSport commentators recommending it a few days ago.

Arena about Spitting Image starting on BBC4

I agree that McIlroy is underperforming but I don't agree with you recommending centre-shafted nor cack-handed. There are personal preferences and NNF's (Non-Negotiable Fundamentals) in putting. Which weapon we use and grip-type is strictly personal preference. On the latter, McIlroy tried it and it didn't work. The vast majority of best putters even this decade are not cack-handed. His biggest issue this week has been surprisingly poor distance control with his bread-and-butter approaches, particularly his wedges, just shocking.

Agreed. Looks like a very good signing already *fingerscrossedsmiley*

Without McLean and Christie, we have even less options in the middle of the park and that's the area where games get won and lost. It's an indictment of how bad this squad is when a player who largely cheated the fans until he got a move to Norwich and a player who was on a severe declining trend were infinitely better than anything we have to replace them.

I think you should quieten your emotions and stick to the debate. Are you saying he was wrong? On which of the two points?

Most folk would rather be kissed with a lie rather than be slapped with the inconvenient truth. The queue for answers that are simple but wrong always exceeds the line for complex and right, not that complexity itself can be simplified. Gerrard was right. Aberdeen had no idea and they were a class above us. And anyone who can't see this doesn't understand fitba. There is zero doubt that Gerrard will finish above McInnes at the end of the season.

Pathetic performance saved by a teenage debutant. He must be our first choice striker until further notice. Cosgrove has been toilet and May is too, reduced to trying to cheat, claiming for corners that aren't. GMS is a weak weak man. And that cunt is meant to be one of our better footballers. To win games, you need to score goals. We were lucky to get one v. 10 men, our only chance of the 96 minutes.

Unbelievably shocking first half. Ball made a fatal error before Morelos got a (soft) red and then makes another one, totally unnecessarily to hand them a pen. Did McInnes not see the game at Parkhead, the first time he tried him at RB? Cosgrove looking like he needs four on a plate before he gets one. Absolutely zero chances against 10 men not a good sign. Jack strolling through the game.

We did white water rafting today down the River Tummel. My first but will be doing many more. It was awesome. My mate got thrown over within 5 minutes. The wifie (who with her teenage daughter drove up from Berkshire for two nights stay at Pitlochry JUST to do it) got thrown out and the boat went over her. It was scary at times but what a rush. The last double waterfall was 7 metres drop. If you land on one of the many massive rocks the wrong way, broken leg/face/back. Don't wait until your my age to get into it. It's class. Findhorn next.

You're becoming an obstinate pain in the fucking arse. Ever since you lost money being a spastic punter coincidentally. Him "wanting" to sign for Aberdeen isn't relevant. He WOULD have been an Aberdeen player if we were the first club to put up the money, or at least gone straight in to negotiate. You need to clean up your thinking son.

You may not be aware but we were offered Kilnnsman for 20k a week. We know this for fact because the chairman told us, at the first AFC shareholders meeting at the Capitol. He had received a fax that week. For younger posters, a fax was a communication medium that preceded the internet and e-mail. He dismissed it as ludicrous by reason of the exorbitance of the wage demand. Some of us calculated that an extra couple of thousand on the gate MORE than paid for it, let alone other commercial opportunities including shirts but that was effectively the last thing the hapless Ian Donald ever did in an AFC capacity, before being usurped, screwed over and spat into the dirt by an ambitious new director sitting to his right, a certain Stewrat Milne.

May was a hugely promising player once upon a time. We know this from personal bitter experience. He's been thoroughly disappointing for AFC. There are reasons for his performance differential between then and now. If the injury he suffered before we signed him is the principal reason then that's a failure from our management team and specifically our medical specialists. The high foot by Ryan Jack is NOT an excuse. That one wasn't a long termer let alone career-threatening and he'd had enough games for us before then that we could see he was nowhere near his previous excellent standards. If injury is NOT the main reason, then it can only be his lack of discipline/work ethic. Which is a management failing once again. We either recruited a dud or we are managing him into further dudness. One thing is for sure, Stevie May 83 is as much history as our own club's history and as much as his shirt number last year. The boy is fucking murder and he ain't coming back.