chunk

That result could make such a difference to this season. I was torn between good and bad, with the Euro experience being good, and domestic being bad. Even the CIS semi was a bad due to the capitulation. If we can see off QoS and go on to win the cup, or at least have the consolation of Europe next year, it will be a great season. One eventuality of this obviously involves me putting aside my years of ranting about Scottish Cup runners up getting into Europe and how it was unjust, but I only really meant diddy Scottish Cup runners-up like Dunfermline and Gretna. And us, the last time we did it.... Anyway, beat QoS and it's a great season, I guess that's all I really wanted to say!

I had a fiver on hunt to score first and United to win 1-0 @ 60/1. Fuckin Mark Kerr....

Fair enough Padre. I'll be honest, I don't tend to waste time actually reading what other people have said. Out of interest though, what would they be getting a cash advance on, if it's not prize money?

Exactly. From what I can gather the loan, or rather advance, which I beleive is a more accurate description, would have been given to them on the basis that they could guarantee they could then fulfil their remaining fixtures. Essentially they would get their 'prize' money for finishing bottom in March instead of May. As it looks like the money may not guarantee that they can do that, the league are obviously not wanting to just chuck money at them for it to serve no discernable purpose.

So under previous management teams he didn't play as much? Sounds like further confirmation of the original thoery to an extent, though obviously may just be coincidence

I was eating wiener schnitzel and chips. Good chips they were too. I meant to mention their quality to minijc when I bumped into him approxiamately 1 hour later but I forgot.

Nope, wasn't me. That said, it does mention on their website that they are showing Utd v Rangers on 6 April, which takes them right up to the split so I would assume that would mean you are safe to go for it mate.

I caught the 'highlights' of the Kilmarnock game on Scotsport, in the process reminding myself why I haven't watched the programme for about 18 months, and JC was interviewed afterwards. He was talking about sloppy defending and the like, to be honest, I wasn't really listening, but I did catch him say something along the lines of 'no formation in the world can help when we do things like that'. I have to confess to thinking 'To be fair JC, that statement has some gravitas, as you have probably tried every formation going...'

If only you'd said, I could have saved you the £9.99. That said, the return train fare would have probably cost that, so maybe things have worked out for the best...

Yeah, and the response will be along the lines of 'emergency loan, football league rules, only one month, match practice, blah blah blah' And that should be the end of that.

I got told that team this morning. It came (indirectly) from someone who had allegedly been on a train with Lee Miller. I dismissed it at the time as piffle due to the prescence of Mair and Considine. I fear I may have been wrong to do so.

Hmmm. A good point well made there.......

Were you not at either of the last two Scotland Italy games? (well, the one we drew definetely, just assumed the last one would be the same)

Sorry, I was just thinking of SM, rather than SMH - hence the mention of an estate. I also don't really believe this to be the rationale behind keeping the company in debt, but I know that before calculating IHT, you remove any outstanding debts, though I wasn't sure how this would work if you are a guaranteur, rather than the actual holder of the debt. Incidentally, if he is guaranteeing the loans, but dies, what happens then? I assume this will be covered somewhere in the company's set up, but not sure where or how....

Knocks a couple of million of the estate for IHT purposes?

Guess who knows him? last paragraph http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/aberdeen/7239734.stm

Yeah, you'd think with the kind of scattergun approach they use, they would get at least one of them right.....

Bunch of fairies? Is not only mizer that has expressed concern around this? Bitch.

To be fair, I posted a similar thread while ago using the BBC website. I too have been duped by these charlatans.

http://uk.weather.com/weather/local/GMXX0087?x=0&post=post&code=code&y=0 Chilly, but not horrendous. Mizer, if you got your's from the BBC, ignore it, the weather forecast on there is pish. I am always surprised that the BBC gives a different view of the weather on the TV, radio and internet.

Is it not because Jim Leighton does the goalkeeping coaching? Blind leading the blind and all that......

It really does appear that JC has an inherent fear of attacking teams, unless he really has to, which leads to such circumstances as the 2-4-4 nonsense. The odd thing is that, because these tactics are much more obvious than counter-attacking, these are the ones that the media pick up on, and thus JC becomes a 'gung-ho risk-taking adventurous manager'. This fails to take into condsideration that this only happens when his hand is forced - ie, a couple of goals down, or when a game MUST be won. It may be that this stems from managing what could be seen as smaller clubs, such as Dunfermline, where successes and expectations (rightly or wrongly) are lower and the pressure to entertain while winning may not be quite so high. Unfortunately, despite what the media says, I think JC is simply a very cautious manager, who's first instinct is not to lose. Then, when something or someone forces his hand, and there really is nothing to lose, he has to go for it, and only then will he become the maverick manager he is portrayed to be. I think this is starting to be shown up to be a limitation to JC's management, and while I think he has done a great job, and if he stays in the job, I don't think we will go significantly backwards. I do however think the next level - being an entertaining and succesful side on a regular basis - may be hard to acheive. That said, I would take winning ugly over not winning at all.......

On Saturday United were rubbish, and St Mirren not much better. Dillon and Dods looked like they had been involved in the same passback lesson that Duff attended, though it did show up that Zaluska looks to have good awareness and be comfortable with the ball at his feet. He also made a couple of good saves. Willo Flood was atrocious, Hunt was stranded up front on his own for the first half. When de Vries came on they went to 4-4-2 and began to stretch St Mirren a lot more with Swanson (who's cup-tied I think getting in behind and trying to put balls across. Ultimately, they did miss Robson, of that there's no doubt, and Swanson being cup-tied is a bonus as well, but I'm not sure that they are any worse off with this new keeper.

I see it's a one year deal - if he's any good for us, might be able to wangle a year long loan and Boro can then make a call after that, having seen him play a season at a higher level than reserves. Maybe.