Dooj

As for Scotland, my logic is pretty simple. I want a "team" of players all working for each other to get the results that we were getting at the start of the season, with the good football that gave us serious optimism for the year ahead - not a team of 10 plus the rogue individual in Scotland I personally feel that Scotland is the best, if not one of the best, individual players who I have seen in a Saints shirt. However, unlike Baltacha, Kernaghan, O'Neil, Kane, O'Boyle and Jenkinson (to name a few!) I do not buy into the belief that he is a "team" player. His failure to involve his teammates is there for all to see and this is why I would prefer Milne and Dobs up front with Jacko and Doreen to come off the bench and run the hell out of defences.

Again, it is an opinion and while it doesn't follow the logic of the majority, it is one that I think serves us better. It is no coincidence our best football was played before Scotland joined the club!

I think that whether you see Scotland as a 'team player' or not depends very much on the job that OC has given him to do. I think that being a team player means that you have to do the job that you are given and that might mean being selfish when you have the ball and not being expected to defend. So, it could look on the pitch that Scotland is taking life easy but this could be because his manager told him to. If we don't know what job he has been given, I don't see how we can determine whether he is contributing to the team or not.

Personally, if I was OC, I wouldn't be worried about Scotland's performances - he has the ability to turn games with a flash of brilliance but I think it is too much to expect him to do this in every game. I don't agree that he is a luxury in the team at all. The last thing that I would want to see is a team of 'hard workers' huffing and puffing around the pitch, putting maximum effort in but showing no ability or creativity. Every team needs those who are creative and those who are hard workers - getting the balance is the key to any manager's job. If you took Scotland out of the team I think the side would be unbalanced and lacking in creativity.

None of our business?? Surely it is some of our business seeing as the majority of us on here pay them, correct me if i'm wrong.

But you could use that argument regarding *anyone's* salary. I buy lots of stuff in Tesco's and presumably the money I pay contributes to staff wages - it doesn't mean that I have the right to know what individuals earn. Of course, football clubs epitomise businesses that rely on customer loyalty so they don't often refer to their customers as customers - instead, they call them fans. However, we are just customers under another name - we pay to watch a game of football in the same way as we pay to go to a concert or we pay someone to wash our windows. Just because we choose to go back to watch the football time after time doesn't change the basics of the relationship. It seems to me that lots of fans think they are entitled to shareholders' rights just because they support the team/club.

Ronaldo takes a closer look at Rooney's dirty tackle.

I think that this is a very tricky situation and, for me personally, one reason why I wouldn't want to be a moderator. I agree that the comments about Poles were clearly derogatory and based on racial stereotypes. If it was up to me, I would have them removed too, and the person responsible for them warned as to future conduct on the boards. However, there are lots of comments on the FitbaChat section that are also in my view quite offensive - I am thinking here about the comments about the English. Personally, I think that some posters cross the line but it would appear that I am in the minority here because nobody else has mentioned it. Basically, what is racist and offensive to some may be harmless banter to others.

So, I think that we should all support the moderators in their decisions to either accept or remove posts and we should all accept that sometimes they may get it wrong or make a decision different from one that we might have made in their position. If they do get it 'wrong', we shouldn't be too quick to complain about Big Brother or over-moderation (or indeed lack of moderation). It's not always as clear-cut as we think it is and I do think that there are plenty of fine lines to tread so we should not be too quick to criticise.

Anyone help?

A Festive Song, four words... AEEHHIIPRSSSTW

A Festive Food or Drink, one word... AACHILOPST

A Festive something else, one word... AAELMTT

First one is "I saw three ships"

Second one is chipolatas

Back to topic. I'd say following Saints (especially recently) isn't boring as such.

Over the 20 years I have been watching Saints we have:

- been the worst side in Scotland

- taken over by a local businessman

- 2 promotions in the late 80's

- 4th place at Christmas in our first season up

- 2 relegations

- another first division championship

- 2 cup finals

- European football

- numerous managerial changes since Totten went!

- some international class players

- some not-so-international class players

- visits to nearly every Scottish league ground

- having a World Cup star at our club

Not dull at all!!!

There was also one season when we were briefly top of the SPL - okay, so it was only two games in, but I still took a picture of the table on Teletext to prove it!

It seems to me that those on both sides of the argument are rather overstating their case. Obviously, we would rather be in St Midden's position - they have the best chance to win the league. However, this doesn't mean that we have no chance. Having said that, I don't believe that any team is 'due' a dip in form or a few injuries - it may or may not happen. If it does, then we should be ready to take advantage. Either way the league it not over by a long way. It doesn't seem that remote a possibility that we could catch St Midden up - it'll be tough, but if it happened, it wouldn't be seen as the greatest comeback ever or anything. So, let's just keep encouraging the team and believe that while we aren't in pole position we are still in contention. I am quite enjoying being a Saints fan at the moment - I don't see the point of conceding the title at a stage when there is still so much to fight for.

Isnt this a little quiet compaired to Blueheaven, where have all the punters gone?

I only found Saintschat because I looked at the Temple and found the link - there may be ex-BH readers who aren't even aware of this forum yet. I guess it depends on how much you look at other sites that will link to here.

What really annoys me about the whole George Best thing is the way the TV has been covering it - it's almost as if the TV stations are desperate to be the first to tell the world that he has died so they are going overboard with the coverage. I am fed up waking up in the morning to headlines of 'George isnt dead yet'. Well there are lots of other people who are very ill and who might die soon but we don't need to be reminded of this every two minutes. After all George Best is a retired footballer - it's not as if he is a world leader whose illness or demise will radically affect our lives (though it will be sad to see him go).