RicoS321

I'm not only looking at the status quo, and I am looking at the bigger picture. The bigger picture is exactly as I suggested - another tier in Scottish football. There will not be five teams playing regularly in groups, but if there were, it would taper off to being just those few teams who begin to dominate financially. The evidence for this is overwhelming, because it's exactly how the Huns and Tims gained their forty year dominance. The shitey Euro leagues just do exactly the same thing. The early recipients of the windfall use that to get the windfall again and again. It takes time to settle, of course, but within decade you have exactly the same problem. You're basically arguing that the answer to the problem of inequality is more of the same. It's not just in football, obviously, it's very basic trickle-down economics, with evidence in every single walk of life. We've had fifty years of Thatcher/Regan policy worldwide, showing us that inequality increases and that trickle-down economics is nonsense, for very obvious reasons. Of course, this is exactly what UEFA wants. They're not trying to create competition within leagues, so I'm not sure why anyone would think that'd be the goal of this expansion. It's about bringing more clubs into their dominion. Clubs that begin to rely on their funds and will agree to whatever bollocks they come up with next. The very obvious destination is European leagues, which for leagues like ours will mean B teams being shoehorned in (witness the total destruction, ongoing, of the challenge cup, for the sole benefit of the premier league - but mainly the scum). There is no other bigger picture here, what you've argued is a very narrow window that looks at the benefits for between 1-4 teams. Is it better for Aberdeen? Probably. Although I'd argue that it's only better if you're too partisan to see the view from the perspective of other clubs - which is exactly what the Huns and Tims do. I spoke to one of my Tim mates about the abomination that is the Euro leagues last night, and he said it was great because if they're third seed then they have a chance of getting through (in other words, completely ignored the point, and could only see it from how it benefited them). All European prize money should go into a single pot and distributed evenly across the league (with a significant portion going downward). That is the only way that the trite and objectively nonsense saying "a rising tide lifts all boats" could be applied. Not by the endlessly tried and failed methods of the trickle down.

I don't see how it's different. Attempting to create another unbreachable tier really, that we happen to be within. It doesn't benefit Scottish football at all, it benefits us, Hearts, Hibs and perhaps one other every so often. It's a fucking horrendous tournament, with contrived wanky leagues, that seeks to takeaway from domestic football with the eventual goal of European leagues and perhaps B teams gracing the domestic scene. We're in a situation where the talk about getting European football, is the unfair, unequal and unsporting injection of guaranteed cash that gets thrown at the team in third. Not just about us getting it, but it being essential that [one of] the other team[s] doesn't. There is zero benefit to Dundee, St Mirren, Livingston, Motherwell etc to us getting six times the prize money we receive from our league position (or cup win) just for being in a competition. Just as there isn't a benefit to us from the Huns or Tims doing so. Until unearned European prize money is shared equally between teams in our league, then it will continue to destroy the competition within the league and lead to compound inequality. By design. It's good for us, but it isn't good for Scottish football. Suggesting it is, is the exact blinkered view that the Scottish media present as to why we should support the scum in Europe. It's simply a question of degree.

I'm assuming Utd will be releasing a commemorative DVD before the home leg?

Drita one up. Come on the Kosovans.

It's not a dominating centre mid, in terms of winning tackles (although that helps a lot), it's a midfielder that will do the yards. Shinnie and Nielsen at the beginning of the season were our best two, because Shinnie was covering every blade and Nielsen was positionally excellent and strong in the tackle. Clarkson is getting better and better at putting in a shift, but he needs someone like Shinnie putting in the miles too in order to free up space for both him, and allowing Aouchiche to remain closer to the number nine. I just don't see a 19 year old having the engine (I could be wrong, but it'd be very rare at that age). I think we need to be looking at a midfielder in his mid twenties that is at peak fitness and willing to run (and be first to the ball) - like Ramadani was. An athlete, basically. I think that'd be the only way to fit Clarkson and Aouchiche in the same team (edit: in a 4-2-3-1 I mean).

Yep, Yengi is definitely here to stay, and there is every chance he improves once settled. It's good to give an honest opinion at the beginning in the hope of being wrong. It's a sort of game, for me, to see if I can recognise a player or not. I'd say I've got a decent track record, with some glaring mistakes. Probably like most scouts. Guys like Ambrose are perplexing, but rare. I can see why they took the punt on Yengi, I think a lot of his issues are down to his nerves. He looks like he's trying too hard and fucking up simple touches (such as the lovely ball dinked through to him by Clarkson which he shinned backwards). That'll be difficult to turn around. Even harder when he loses his place to the new signing.

Sokler is better than Ambrose, Yengi and Dabbagh. Boyd is probably better than Sokler (albeit not ready for the step up). Yengi was poor throughout yesterday (better than against Ipswich isn't much of a compliment). His chance was a missable one as you say, but his all round play was terrible too. His touch was awful, he constantly misread the bounce of the ball, and didn't even press particularly well.

Shinnie is also probably still our best midfielder in the setup we play, as he's the only one that'll fire into people and make space for the others to do their business. Aye, left back it is then. I'd probably still opt for a loan until Gyamfi is back, but through hope as much as anything. Jensen is honking at left back, and we appear to be suffering under the illusion that he can play there because his Wikipedia page says he can. It's inexplicable. I'd have Shinnie, Devlin, Molloy, Knoester and Duncan ahead of him in that position, and probably Polvara and Keskinen too.

This could have been written after any one of our final twenty games of last season. That's where the worry is. Equally, you could have written that we were easy to play against, predictable and playing a style that leads to too many errors, whilst exposed in numbers. It was a bottom six performance by a bottom six team. Unless we see quality signings, or a change of approach, then that's where we'll end up. I think you're right about the friendlies, that isn't the issue (although Nielsen, especially, looked like he could have done with a few).

We've got a left back though, don't we? Or his he just for two years time or something? If he's back in a month or so, should we really be signing another player? Maybe a loan until January would do no harm. What about a Max Low(n)e?

Aye, that was predictable. We were fairly shite. I'm going to say bottom six level. Milanovic was half decent, although not defensively, and whilst he beat his man several times, never really escaped him. Not sure about Aouchiche. Yengi pish. Nilsen looked like he hadn't played in six months. Jensen gave it away too often and immediately fucked up when moved to left back (because he isn't a fucking left back). Milne looked shaky. Shinnie wasn't great, but after he sold himself for the first, Knoester should have been first to that ball, even before he slipped. We just weren't very sharp all game. Not sure where we are yet, would like to see more of the new lads before passing judgement. It doesn't look promising though. I said we'd need a number 8 to do the yards, and I still think we do. A striker obviously a must.

Forgot about Nilsen. Makes sense alongside Clarkson. Hope the Aouchiche lad does a power of work to help out (not questioning his work rate like, seemed reasonable, just got caught on the ball a bit). Think I'd have gone back three. Surprised to see Milne keep his place, but pleasantly so. Edit: just spotted Sokler on the bench, and nae Ambrose.

Aye, with the conditions, and lack of striker, I wonder if he might go back three with Shinnie in midfield. I'd go something along these lines, perhaps with a lamppost ahead of Yengi instead of Keskinen, as he isn't that great up front. Meant to be a 3-5-2, but the thing didn't work

I thought he was a stand out every time I saw Cove. Although I'd agree that he isn't quite ready, but one I thought could be given game time to develop this season. He looks most likely to be the one to make it out of him, Marshall, Stewart, Bavidge and previously Emslie in my view. It's getting that transition between loan and first team where we really struggle. We should be able to carry a right back to some degree during games, and we should be forcing ourselves to do so in order to blood the young players.

Quite bloody right. I just made the essential journey of going for my morning coffee and there's just a bit of a breeze. Shorts, t-shirt and sandals weather. Perfect for fitba.

Aye, that's what we'll need come December - more fitba.

Just get it played. It should be illegal to call off games in the summer months. I'm going to write to my MP.

We also get a dispensation, as Ambrose hasn't been trained by any football association.

You're too lazy to include the second "o" in too.

Squad numbers out. Interestingly, no number three in there. Also, Lobban in the squad. He looks like a great player, but not sure how he gets a look in with Devlin and Jensen there. Perhaps just to make up the Scottish quota.

Interesting. Like Dorrington, it strikes me that we'd be predominantly better signing him for fear of missing out, as he is apparently a good player. At the expense of squad imbalance and resulting in some players getting less minutes than we'd want. Either that, or it suggests we're going to be regularly changing our system to a three in midfield. Unless Clarkson or someone else is leaving. Anyway, looking like no number nine for tomorrow, which is a touch disappointing.

Aye, I spotted that today, it's bloody frustrating. I would generally prefer to give the BBC my business (and do), but the website is a little bit shite at times. Only Scottish results on the Scottish page seems reasonable to ask for.

Killie two up on Livi, putting them top of the league. They're going to be difficult to catch now. As an aside, @Panda, what's the deal with the BBC website not managing to get players' first names in the lineups? Is it just what's provided to them by a third party? Can you nae add them manually to the database?

Fuck sake, we're down to third in the table already as things stand. When the fuck are we signing a striker? Absolute disgrace.

My daughter gets a few years out of hers as she likes wearing them. She usually buys the goalie tops, and nobody seems to care whether they're current or not. She got the purple one the other day, which looks ace, and the long sleeves means she'll wear it for longer.