Gekko

Sounds like the UK government 😅

I agree with pretty much most that has been said.
Steward proved his worth again.
I'd have preferred Tumilty and Foulds as full backs.
McAlear could maybe do with some time on the bench and start Sven.
Referees in the Championship let a lot more go than in the Premiership.
Mallan's return will make a huge difference.
A manager said a while back that strikers who score are worth their weight in gold, that's why they cost so much. The evidence was there for both teams today.
Harry Kane springs to mind. Yes, a different level, but I'm sure you get my point.
Unbeaten and drawn twice. We can't really complain can we?
Things to work on, but a positive start.

I agree with pretty much most that has been said.
Steward proved his worth again.
I'd have preferred Tumilty and Foulds as full backs.
McAlear could maybe do with some time on the bench and start Sven.
Referees in the Championship let a lot more go than in the Premiership.
Mallan's return will make a huge difference.
A manager said a while back that strikers who score are worth their weight in gold, that's why they cost so much. The evidence was there for both teams today.
Harry Kane springs to mind. Yes, a different level, but I'm sure you get my point.
Unbeaten and drawn twice. We can't really complain can we?
Things to work on, but a positive start.

It's a nicer tie than the one on sale on the website.
I hope you get one.

It appears Saints Direct and the club are out of stock of the official club tie. 
I don't suppose anyone has one they'd be willing to part with for face value? My soon to be 88 year old father has an event to attend and the club tie would be the most appropriate attire... 
 
 

On the subject of a possible approach for Valakari from whoever, a couple of things.
Firstly. I think he's proved enough that he should be the person to take us forward. Therefore, I believe that Adam Webb should be offering him a contract extension.
This would prove he was committed to the long term plan, and some players may be inclined to do the same. McPake and Diabate spring to mind.
Secondly, I'm obviously not a football manager, but I have been involved in performance related businesses before.
Simo has the chance to build his own team here, from his own blueprint. He's already a year in to that. That surely must excite him, which may prevent him from going on to the first big job that arrives.
In the case of Aberdeen, it's not a job that's available, but if it were, and you were a manager who likes Scottish football as much as Simo does, of course it would be attractive. Arguably, the biggest team outside the big two.
But would he get the freedom that he gets here? Would he get the relationship with the fans that he's built up here?
Aberdeen in particular are notorious for turning on their players and managers if they don't get the results they believe they're entitled to.
People say it's all about the money, but I can only talk from personal experience.
I once, if you like, downgraded, for less money than I was getting. But I believed in the project and it excited me. I worked hard, it was long hours, and ultimately was successful, which I'm still proud of to this day. I also got a higher paid position elsewhere because of taking up that challenge.
The reason I'm sharing that is because this is the kind of mindset I would imagine Simo has. It's not often as a manager you have the opportunity that he has to mould a club to your liking. It could also work in his favour in the long run when he eventually decides it's time to move on.
Whether or not he thinks that way, I suppose we'll find out.

I'm not convinced that's the case.
Again, I can only go by my own experience which I mentioned in my previous post.
Sometimes it's how a challenge makes you feel, rather than simply being in a bigger place with a bigger salary.
You can be in a workplace, with more money and still be less happy, unlike the good times you had in your so called "lesser" appointment.
There's no reason to believe that Aberdeen, or anybody else for that matter, are after Simo.
But if we keep doing well, inevitably, somebody's going to be interested.

On the subject of a possible approach for Valakari from whoever, a couple of things.
Firstly. I think he's proved enough that he should be the person to take us forward. Therefore, I believe that Adam Webb should be offering him a contract extension.
This would prove he was committed to the long term plan, and some players may be inclined to do the same. McPake and Diabate spring to mind.
Secondly, I'm obviously not a football manager, but I have been involved in performance related businesses before.
Simo has the chance to build his own team here, from his own blueprint. He's already a year in to that. That surely must excite him, which may prevent him from going on to the first big job that arrives.
In the case of Aberdeen, it's not a job that's available, but if it were, and you were a manager who likes Scottish football as much as Simo does, of course it would be attractive. Arguably, the biggest team outside the big two.
But would he get the freedom that he gets here? Would he get the relationship with the fans that he's built up here?
Aberdeen in particular are notorious for turning on their players and managers if they don't get the results they believe they're entitled to.
People say it's all about the money, but I can only talk from personal experience.
I once, if you like, downgraded, for less money than I was getting. But I believed in the project and it excited me. I worked hard, it was long hours, and ultimately was successful, which I'm still proud of to this day. I also got a higher paid position elsewhere because of taking up that challenge.
The reason I'm sharing that is because this is the kind of mindset I would imagine Simo has. It's not often as a manager you have the opportunity that he has to mould a club to your liking. It could also work in his favour in the long run when he eventually decides it's time to move on.
Whether or not he thinks that way, I suppose we'll find out.

On the subject of a possible approach for Valakari from whoever, a couple of things.
Firstly. I think he's proved enough that he should be the person to take us forward. Therefore, I believe that Adam Webb should be offering him a contract extension.
This would prove he was committed to the long term plan, and some players may be inclined to do the same. McPake and Diabate spring to mind.
Secondly, I'm obviously not a football manager, but I have been involved in performance related businesses before.
Simo has the chance to build his own team here, from his own blueprint. He's already a year in to that. That surely must excite him, which may prevent him from going on to the first big job that arrives.
In the case of Aberdeen, it's not a job that's available, but if it were, and you were a manager who likes Scottish football as much as Simo does, of course it would be attractive. Arguably, the biggest team outside the big two.
But would he get the freedom that he gets here? Would he get the relationship with the fans that he's built up here?
Aberdeen in particular are notorious for turning on their players and managers if they don't get the results they believe they're entitled to.
People say it's all about the money, but I can only talk from personal experience.
I once, if you like, downgraded, for less money than I was getting. But I believed in the project and it excited me. I worked hard, it was long hours, and ultimately was successful, which I'm still proud of to this day. I also got a higher paid position elsewhere because of taking up that challenge.
The reason I'm sharing that is because this is the kind of mindset I would imagine Simo has. It's not often as a manager you have the opportunity that he has to mould a club to your liking. It could also work in his favour in the long run when he eventually decides it's time to move on.
Whether or not he thinks that way, I suppose we'll find out.

I agree with what you say, although I didn't mean going full on for 90 minutes.
In my post I referenced Celtic, who in many games, including against us, would blow us away in the first half.
They'd be many goals up by half time, then the opposition would know they had no chance of recovery, so it becomes for them a damage limitation exercise.
They then turn the second half into a bit of a training exercise and don't push as hard, but by this time, the points are in the bag.
This was my point, to use a boxing analogy, once we have them on the ropes, keep at them until they're out of the game. So by half time, we can take the foot off the gas, and indulge in some game management.
I fully realise that we could have been at least four up after twenty minutes, and also that we don't have the quality up front that a team like Celtic have, but I still feel we eased off early, when we should have kept going and put the game out of their reach.
I also agree, and said in my post, that there will plenty more ugly games, and hopefully wins, as the season goes on.

We seem to have a habit of starting off strongly, then after around 20 minutes in, letting the opposition back in the game.
Using one of Simo's favourite words "relentless", if we'd kept being that for longer, the game could've done by half time.
I'm not sure if it was us easing off, or Airdrie stepping up that created the change.
The subs were an odd choice. Taking off so many key players at once inevitably disrupted the team.
Then we were back to players being out of their natural positions. Tumilty struggled at right wing, but I don't blame him, that's not his position. Sprangler the same.
We don't have a Sidibeh replacement when he runs himself into the ground. Lloyd maybe when gets back, but that might be some time as he needs to recover, then train, then get match fit. That could be a while.
I wouldn't be surprised if another attacker arrives before the end of the month. James Wilson being the obvious one as part of the deal with Hearts.
There was also a nervousness about the team as the game went on. It was at those times we could have kept possession and got our confidence back while taking the momentum away from the opposition. But again, maybe you have to credit Airdrie for keeping the tempo up in those moments.
If Airdrie are the supposed worst team in the league, then we have to be on it every single game, for the whole game.
We are now the team that everybody is raising their game against. I don't like using them as an example, but if you think of what Celtic are like, especially a few years back, they would go at you from the start and keep going until the very last minute.
I felt we relaxed a bit after going two up so early. Celtic would have been 5-0 at half time. We need to adopt the same attitude and be, here's that word again, relentless.
Last night was hopefully a learning experience for both the players and management team. The game highlighted some potential flaws that need to be worked on.
Having said all that, I'm delighted we won and managed to win ugly as Simo said afterwards. If we're going to to be successful this year, this won't be the only match we'll have to do that.

We seem to have a habit of starting off strongly, then after around 20 minutes in, letting the opposition back in the game.
Using one of Simo's favourite words "relentless", if we'd kept being that for longer, the game could've done by half time.
I'm not sure if it was us easing off, or Airdrie stepping up that created the change.
The subs were an odd choice. Taking off so many key players at once inevitably disrupted the team.
Then we were back to players being out of their natural positions. Tumilty struggled at right wing, but I don't blame him, that's not his position. Sprangler the same.
We don't have a Sidibeh replacement when he runs himself into the ground. Lloyd maybe when gets back, but that might be some time as he needs to recover, then train, then get match fit. That could be a while.
I wouldn't be surprised if another attacker arrives before the end of the month. James Wilson being the obvious one as part of the deal with Hearts.
There was also a nervousness about the team as the game went on. It was at those times we could have kept possession and got our confidence back while taking the momentum away from the opposition. But again, maybe you have to credit Airdrie for keeping the tempo up in those moments.
If Airdrie are the supposed worst team in the league, then we have to be on it every single game, for the whole game.
We are now the team that everybody is raising their game against. I don't like using them as an example, but if you think of what Celtic are like, especially a few years back, they would go at you from the start and keep going until the very last minute.
I felt we relaxed a bit after going two up so early. Celtic would have been 5-0 at half time. We need to adopt the same attitude and be, here's that word again, relentless.
Last night was hopefully a learning experience for both the players and management team. The game highlighted some potential flaws that need to be worked on.
Having said all that, I'm delighted we won and managed to win ugly as Simo said afterwards. If we're going to to be successful this year, this won't be the only match we'll have to do that.

The 4th official at Televised is to liaise with Tv production and make sure they kick off at right time etc Don’t game to start when pundits are still talking! Comes down to money. Tv Company will pay for the 4th official.

There is no 4th official in non televised Championship games. There never has been.

No 4th official but they do for televised games for some reason.

Yeah, it's simple enough.
More behind the scenes footage, team talks, training and the like. All the things that we don't normally get access to.
It doesn't cost any more money. In fact it'd be less because they'd use footage they'd already recorded instead of having to go out and create new content.
It wasn't awful, but it could have been much better.

Yeah, it's simple enough.
More behind the scenes footage, team talks, training and the like. All the things that we don't normally get access to.
It doesn't cost any more money. In fact it'd be less because they'd use footage they'd already recorded instead of having to go out and create new content.
It wasn't awful, but it could have been much better.

My favourite bit was Simo losing it with Barry Douglas.
For me, there wasn't enough of that. I'd like to have experienced more behind the scenes stuff.

Yeah, it's simple enough.
More behind the scenes footage, team talks, training and the like. All the things that we don't normally get access to.
It doesn't cost any more money. In fact it'd be less because they'd use footage they'd already recorded instead of having to go out and create new content.
It wasn't awful, but it could have been much better.

Yeah, it's simple enough.
More behind the scenes footage, team talks, training and the like. All the things that we don't normally get access to.
It doesn't cost any more money. In fact it'd be less because they'd use footage they'd already recorded instead of having to go out and create new content.
It wasn't awful, but it could have been much better.

Even though I was raging at the decision at the time, it's kind of good that the last minute free kick happened for the sake of Steward.
A few people weren't sure about him, but maybe now they will be.
It should give his confidence a boost as well.

My favourite bit was Simo losing it with Barry Douglas.
For me, there wasn't enough of that. I'd like to have experienced more behind the scenes stuff.

My favourite bit was Simo losing it with Barry Douglas.
For me, there wasn't enough of that. I'd like to have experienced more behind the scenes stuff.

Great win!
I thought Forrester, Fotheringham and Wanner did well, even though they're obviously still finding their feet. Forrester in particular I thought had a good game.
This match for me, emphasised the importance of a decent sized squad. We're quite a few players down, yet could still strengthen from the bench.
If only Sven had managed that header, what a goal that would have been.
Raith were decent, but we coped with them well.
Two nil against one of our main rivals at their patch, got to be happy with that.

I remember going to Starks Park with my dad and his uncle who lived in Kirkcaldy, Raith v Celtic. The trains that went by then were steam, both my parents were Fifers dad from Cupar mum from St Andrews