RicoS321

Great half from Scotland, don't look like the away side. Definitely not a pen, but once the ref has given it, would have been difficult to overturn. The ref has actually been fairly decent, letting the game flow, as they love a dive. The shape has looked very good for us, we are nice and compact off the ball, and pressing well, and very good on the break. No real underperformers in that team so far. Adams was unlucky with his chance, he was taken by surprise and probably didn't realise how much time he had. His second chance was maybe easier for him in that he had time to pick his spot, and he was inches away. He was working hard as always and he's always on the shoulder.

Come on Fiji.

Actually, I reckon he'll use both, maybe even in both games and retain the shape. Tierney hasn't played 90 minutes in a while, and Robertson will be wanted fresh for starting on Sunday. Obviously that could change depending on tonight's result, but that'd be the plan in my opinion. Although, I have to say that I'm pleasantly surprised that we're not shoehorning them both in, I think that @Panda's suggested setup was the best shout, with McLean in for Tierney. As @wokinginashearerwonderland says, that's our best eleven.

Good idea (the video). Left a front three makes sense, but not sure I'd have him in ahead of McLean sitting. I don't think Tierney uses the ball that well. He's not a natural midfielder. Even though he's a better defender than McLean, I expect that McLean would be far better at dropping in to cover for a defender pushing on, or whatever, as it's the role he's been playing since he was at the Dons. If we need to move to a three, then he should use the old tradition that I like to refer to as: substitutions.

Tierney in midfield is a very wild shout. I don't think he'd be better than McLean in there. Just as McLean wouldn't be brilliant at left back. The rest looks good though, especially that young lad up front.

I'd go with Johnston too, but Clarke won't. It's a real shame Ramsey stopped playing football a few years back, as he'd have had so many caps by now. We've never really played with width under Clarke, with Doak really the only winger featuring. Christie has never been a winger as such, and even less so these days (although I expect Clarke will play him like one in the return leg). We were able to rely on the form of McTominay and McGinn for a good while in the previous qualifying, and there's no reason that we can't play through teams with those guys in the team, as well as getting something from set pieces won by McGinn expertly falling over. The good thing is that there is a lot of players getting good minutes for their teams at the moment. A fit Scotland team is a good side. An early goal and we'll batter them - B league pish.

Big game tonight. Be interesting to see how Clarke lines up for this one. With Tierney in, I reckon he'll revert to a back three, with Tierney inside Robertson. Expect Ralston to be ahead of Johnston too. I think he'll stick with McLean for this one, alongside Gilmour. With Christie, Doak and Morgan out, we'll have zero width, so I think he might go for two of three from Ferguson, McGinn or McTominay behind Adams. It's the away leg, so I expect he'll just try and play it very tight, with little creativity and lots of effort.

On this occasion, it's the Huns that are the ones being harshly treated. Is there even a bus from Peterhead that gets you there for 12?

Is there any team that we beat in the cup that still retains their manager? Critchley must be shiteing it.

Does a shot have to be a foot? It probably does, you're right. Even though the stats will count headers as shots, I'd never say "great shot" when it's a header.

He's much better than Ambrose. So am I. Gueye is deceptive. What I was putting down to good movement earlier in the season and on his return, may just turn out to be aimlessly running around a lot. He popped up in good positions out wide today, but then a couple of minutes later, he missed an obvious run because he had his back to the play, and then didn't track a guy two metres away from him. He's more akin to Duk than Ambrose I think. Just completely unreliable as a team player. He's decent in the air though, so does offer something from the bench perhaps.

Okay, well my argument was about bias, which you have ceded. I don't believe that sending Peter Wright and Tom English to Paris (and, yes, despite it being on my telly at the time, I still managed to get the location wrong!) would have any significant bearing whatsoever on the commentary staff, but I'll choose to believe you. The rugby is the only difference between this weekend and many others. As an aside, I'm almost certain that the BBC chose not to have a commentary game earlier in the season when the scum weren't playing, but I can't remember when and can't be arsed checking.

No you wouldn't. It's fine. If you genuinely don't think the BBC isn't biased in its coverage of our league, and you genuinely don't think they wouldn't have made it to Glasgow for a scum game today, then you're deluded. Although I'm surprised you are still here and haven't headed through to Edinburgh with the entire BBC staff to provide commentary for the rugby at 19:00, preventing anyone from providing commentary at, say, Tynecastle. There are two games most Sundays, been numerous away European fixtures, championship games every Friday, but a night time rugby fixture is the straw that has broken the unbiased back. Out of interest, which part of the usual football commentary team is segueing between football and rugby this evening? It was a couple of months back. They were winding him up by asking which game was the commentary game for the day. The point that those BBC workers (think it was Tam, but Cosgrove might still have been away) were making was that it was bloody obvious which game because the Tims were on the card. He said that if either of the scum were on at three then they'd always cover it. And they would. And do.

Not really. They allowed Ambrose to get a shot on target.

That's exactly the sort of world class moderation that the Dons talk fans have come to expect. It was an egregious error by someone who should know better.

It's what the match day experience is missing I have to say. I suspect it'll be littered with annoying distracting adverts throughout the match, like and even worse version of the flashing sideline billboard. I genuinely don't see the point in these things, they offer nothing because you can't watch replays of controversial decisions or anything like that. We already have VAR notifications in the south, and by the time they appear the decision is either already over, or everyone knows that there's a check because the ref has been standing with his finger in his lug for ten minutes. It'd be better at the front of the Y, facing away from the pitch, so they could put on films or something.

Aye, it was worth a try, he obviously had something about him a few years back and it hasn't worked out. In fairness to him, he holds his position well enough and doesn't give it away too often, but just a very safe player that we don't really need. He's no better than Drey Wright for Saints on the opposite side for example. That was a terrible game like. Clarkson stretched it a little when he came on, and Keskinen has to be scoring when Shinnie put him through. The pitch was an abomination. Shinnie did well again at left back, and it is absolutely frustrating that a 33 year old has more energy than Palaversa. That last twenty minutes he barely moved. He kept standing about two yards away from the man with the ball, dragging players towards him. He has the potential to be very good, because he is technically good, but he's going to need a very good pre-season to be up to it. Would like to see Polvara given his chance in there instead. Think 4th or 5th is going to be realistic for us this season. We're close to being good, but the depths of the squad reveal a shiter side to us.

FTFY

Gueye is fairly terrible. No game intelligence whatsoever. Like a puppy.

Keskinen not bothering with a left foot today?

I absolutely did not expect the Aberdeen game. I'm reasonably good at writing, why else do you think I wrote "no commentary game"? In what world would that have made sense otherwise? Put it this way, it wouldn't have been the game I'd have picked. There's no "MAY" about it. They would have definitely sent a commentator, and always do. If you could find a time they haven't, that might back up your position. Kenny McIntyre even said on Off The Ball the other week that they would "always cover the old firm". That the BBC are biased towards two teams isn't remotely controversial at all. The notion that it's about travel arrangements is just bizarre. The BBC is biased because to be otherwise is logistically challenging? Fucking hell. Although we both know that if the Tims were playing Hibs at Easter Road at 15:00, they'd equally manage to get Sportscene up and working in time whilst covering it, maybe by using a different commentator.

Close. Papa

I didn't suggest Aberdeen would, hence why I said "no commentary game today", which I only spotted when I went to check if Aberdeen were on. I would have expected Motherwell vs St Mirren or Hearts v County. If there had been a game at Parkhead or Ibrox, those busy, busy commentary teams would have found a way to get there, and you very much know that is the case. Again, I'm commenting on the bias. It's disgraceful. I'm not quite sure why you're defending it to be honest, it's not like it's hidden, and it's a bit disingenuous to be defending it with excuses that don't address the problem of bias, such as you are. A bit like a politician deliberately ignoring the point.

Aye, but do you have Derek Ferguson breaking up from the Partick Thistle game?

It's okay, the BBC are on it.