The Oxford Don

RS - for the avoidance of doubt this bloke and I are not the same person. I’m the one who posts mainly on AFC Chat. As you were folks...

I can relate to that. I just turned 33 and my whole experience of the Dons is one of utter frustration. 12 in 1990 when we last won the cup, and with only vague memories of the cup wins in 84 and 86, the whole of my adult life has been spent watching us get steadily shittier. I'm not about to just give up, but I couldn't honestly provide any real reasons why not.

Glad the games are over just because I was on the verge of some sort of breakdown with that unbelievably irritating 'Just Can't Get Enough' chant that Shellac have adopted. A clear contender for most annoying football chant of all time, I'd almost be happier if the Celtic fans stuck to numbers from their more 'traditional' [cough] repertoire.

Shell-shocked sums it up. So much hope and expectation and it had completely evaporated by the 20th minute. Supporters and players form a symbiosis, they feed off each other. We make noise, noise inspires players, players play well, we create more noise, etc etc. The fans kept their side of the bargain yesterday and were there in numbers, offering great encouragement and noise before kick-off and up to the third goal. But when #3 went in folk were just stunned into depressed silence. You can't create noise in a vacuum! We were given nothing to feed off yesterday from the team, who yet again completely shat it in a major match. I stayed to the end, am not entirely sure why I did, and have absolute sympathy (envy!?) for those more sensible than me who left early.

Good riddance to at least one half of this insane piece of business. As Jute says, if we can magic our way out of the other 50% of this nonsense and get Dicky Aussielager back then so much the better, but by God this is a decent first step in the right direction.

Draw for the next round is on Tuesday afternoon from Hampden, and will be made by Biffy Clyro!

Close run thing between Tynecastle and Tannadice, but just went for the latter. Great atmosphere and bounce when we score, and of course we seem to have about half the crowd.

Aaaarrrrgggghh! Oh well, at least we seem to have played ok. Frustrating outcome though.

"Great tackle by Sone Aluko" - WTF? Shome mishtake, shurely?

A very good, important victory which would be rendered fairly meaningless by losing to Hamilton. Let's hope the boys are plugged-in enough to get 3 points on Wednesday. V happy for now though!

The Globes chanted his name at him when he was a sub in an away game at Hamilton when he was warming up on the track in front of us. He was so startled he looked up and then burst out laughing. It was a very warm moment, but you had to be there.

Then provided Smurn and Killie both also lose/draw (both are away from home) we would still be 5 or 6 points off bottom spot, but with one fewer game to play. This is why it will be difficult for us to go down. I'm not saying it's impossible BTW, just very very unlikely. We are 5 or 6 points above 3 teams, have to play all 3 teams ourselves and they have to play each other. MASSIVE factor.

Just think of it as this: the split works in our favour because all teams in the relegation scrap have to face each other. So even if one of Falkirk, Killie or Smurn goes on a 'run' of results, by definition (because of the split) they will do so by taking points off other teams who are already below us! Basically if we beat Falkirk on Saturday we are already virtually safe and only require one point thereafter to make it mathematically so. This of course is what the split is intended to achieve - having all the teams in the same situation (title, Europe, relegation) playing against each other.

It's very difficult for us to go down because of the split and the 6 point gap which we already have. In fact we need to lose every game and almost every single other fixture would have to go exactly the way we don't want it to. Which is hardly reassuring and it's a farce that we're in this position in the first place, but hey ho. Even 3 draws SHOULD keep us safe.

Actually converted to Roman Cafflicism once he'd left office.