Norris Cole

:nn: :sd: :kt: :jr: I prefer Naismith up front.

I don't know which game(s) he's banned for but I can't see him being a massive loss in either, whoever we have to draft in. Mendes seems to be in the team these days solely in the hope he'll produce something out of nothing , and he's not even done that for a while. Last Wednesday was supposed to be his big stage where he would shine but he was the worst player on the park and outshone by Stevie Naismith.

Mendes has done piss-all for as far back as I can remember. I'd rather have an enthusiastic youth player than Mendes at the moment.

Great post Craig. Our management team seem happy to wait until a 'backs to the wall' scenario presents itself before getting the team fired up, Tynecastle being a good example. Assuming we start getting referees who weren't season ticket holders at Parkhead in a previous life, we really ought to be burying shite like Kilmarnock and Motherwell by half-time with some of the players we've got. Guys like Boyd should be told that while they can have an off day, if they don't put in a shift they won't get a sniff of first-team action for at least a fortnight.

We'll need to up our game significantly, but I'm with you.

http://www.goal.com/en/news/9/england/2009/09/20/1512741/manchester-citys-craig-bellamy-in-post-match-altercation

Yeah, totally agree. It's Easter onwards when things get a bit hairy. I once overturned an 11-point deficit to win the SPL on Champ As for your last point - they play to the whistle, we don't.

2-1 bheasts

We were that dire that I'd have to give it to a Kilmarnock player. Steve Conroy.

While Mendes' sending off was out-and-out cheating by the former Parkhead season-ticket holder, his performance rapidly descended into farcical depths of incompetency yesterday. 11 yellows and 2 reds in a game that was niggly at worst, arguably his worst moment came when he booked a Kilmarnock player for leaving his team-mate to take a throw-in. Idiots like this have ruined our game for years.

I don't think there's any doubt about that.

We haven't had a genuine quality referee in this country since Dallas. And his reward was being hounded out of the game. Come to think of it, the same happened with Mike McCurry. For a cyber beverage of your choice, what was the common denominator in both men's demise....

I certainly don't have a problem with Kilmarnock settling for the point. What was disgraceful was the fact we did the same, 10 men or not. And if Walter isn't going to play Fleck in his natural position i.e. striker then he'd be as well keeping him in the reserves. He's a wasted jersey anywhere in midfield and his confidence looks to be shot as a result. That said, the fans who were getting on his back were a disgrace - instead of venting their spleen at an 18-year-old boy they should instead ask the current management team why a player with so much potential has gone backwards under their stewardship. Then again, and this isn't a dig at the boy, perhaps he isn't the "Scottish Rooney" after all. And before people say "but he's only young", Fleck is now 18 - Rooney was actually doing it at 17.

Always good to see Bears achieve success, whether or not they were shite while with us.

One thing I will say about Burley - he has shown tremendous skill at cultivating scapegoats for his own shortcomings. He should become a Labour politician.

This is a deficiency that almost cost us the title last season and evidently hasn't been addressed this season. That's twice in four days now. 45 minute performances don't win trophies.

Call me cynical, but it's not the first time an opposition player has seen red late on in a game which has seen "controversial" decisions given against Rangers. Make of that what you will. "How can I be a cheat, I sent off one of them as well"

Well that tells you everything doesn't it.

Alternatively the club could actually speak out for once.

Two bookings for two tackles. Cheating feni@n bastard.

The Celtic-supporting referee is certainly trying his hardest today isn't he?

Or they went home

"The prolific centre-forward is at a crossroads in his career and may have to leave Ibrox to prove his worth" Don't the bheasts hope so.

Magic, cheers Chico

That was part of his downfall. In the papers he was saying he found the banner at the ground, but on the huddleboard he was giving it the "It was my banner and I stand by it". That was merely one of a number of contradictions which ultimately led to him getting nailed in court. I blame the schools