BrahimHemdani

[edit] L to R (real names withheld): BH, rbr (acting the clown), BD, "friend of CS", Son of Pete, GS, boabie, plgsarmy , Pete, CS.

[edit] L to R (real names withheld): rbr, BD, "friend of CS", Son of Pete, GS, boabie, plgsarmy , Pete, CS, "Wife of CS".

Thanks to all those who made the effort to come along. It was good to meet boabie and Pete & Son for the first time and renew acquaintances with the others.

Free kick goes wide

Rangers supporting UNICEF

Cathro managed the 10 men exceptionally well IMO and Cowie was everywhere controlling the midfield in the second half. No one could have denied Hearts a point for a gutsy performance. The fact that we have no midfield to speak of is self evident.

A lightweight you are not, that's for sure.

Thanks you're too kind.

Strange as it was reported that Toral was injured and gone home. Still glad to have him in the DMF role. A surprise but welcome recall for Hodson. Front three as I predicted.

As you know Lee struggled without Jackson who was a victim of friendly fire and Jeb Stuart was absent at the critical time having misunderstood his orders.

The Ken Burns series is outstanding.

Zelalem is or was on £18,000 a week at Arsenal.

Cheers. I'm going back to sleep for a couple of hours.

Are you somewhere in Mexico or just in some self induced tequila land? And before you ask, yes I've had 2 hours sleep thanks, but I know I'm late for training.

Very kind. Much obliged.

On the 31st of May 1862, General Robert Edward Lee accepted command of the Army of Northern Virginia from Confederate President Jefferson Davis, effectively becoming the Commanding General of all the Confederate Armies in the American Civil War. "Lee Takes Command", Mort Kunstler (Please excuse the shadows, best I could do.) Just over a year earlier, at the outset of the War, Lee had been offered command of the 75,000 strong Federal Army being raised by Lincoln to suppress the insurrection in the slave States; but after a short equivocation he declined, saying to a Presidential Adviser, “Mr. Blair, I look upon secession as anarchy. If I owned the four millions of slaves in the South I would sacrifice them all to the Union; but how can I draw my sword upon Virginia, my native state?” With the benefit of hindsight, it is interesting but idle to speculate what might have happened if Lee, a veteran of the Mexican-American War and the former Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point, rather than the hapless bunch of Generals who so frustrated Lincoln, had been in command of the Federal Army in the first year of the Civil War. In my opinion, the conflict would have been over a great deal sooner and a great many less lives would have been lost. Lee won a series of remarkable victories in 1862/63 at Second Bull Run, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville; before seemingly losing the plot and a third of his army with it, in the terrible slaughter that was the 3-day Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863. After some inconclusive battles in 1864, Lee finally surrendered to Ulysses S Grant at Appomattox Court House on the 9th of April 1865. But that was not the end of the American Civil War as many think; it was only the beginning of the end. There were to be four more battles in the Carolinas and Alabama in April and May 1865 at Morrisville Station, West Point, Columbus and Anderson. Finally, wait for it here’s the link you’ve all been waiting for; 152 years ago today, on the 13th of May 1865, at Palmito Station, Texas, the Confederates actually won the last battle of the Civil War. Private John J. Williams of the 34th Indiana Infantry Regiment is thought to have been the last of the more than 600,000 soldiers killed in the Civil War. I could try to draw comparisons with the recent history of our Club but it is too late at night or early in the morning to say other than the obvious that we too are under new command. After some early successes, we too had our “Gettysburg” at home against Celtic, a “disaster” to quote General Caixinha and who can argue with that. We fared little better for most of last week’s match in sunny Maryhill until wounded pride and a wounded defender led to a double change of tactics of which Lee would have been proud, and produced a late victory of which he would have been prouder still. So far this season, Hearts are beating us two games to one and 6 goals to 3, including the 4-1 humiliation in Crooks’ one and only appearance at Tynecastle in February. Such was our collapse that General Lee would surely have had some of the troops taken out and shot for desertion. It is worth looking back on our team just 3 months ago: Foderingham; Tavernier, Kiernan, Hill, Wallace; Hyndman, Toral, Halliday; Mackay, Miller and Waghorn. Foderingham remains in goal, though many would like to see the qualities that brought Alnwick to the Club. Tavernier somehow manages to keep Hodson on the bench and undoubtedly has raised his attacking game in recent weeks, though he continues to be a liability in defence. Wallace is "hors de combat". I have never rated Kiernan above English League 2 and hope that MW still believes enough of his own hype to take him to Nottingham. By all accounts Hill will be released at the end of his contract but may well be pressed into service alongside Bates today. I would have no qualms about that, he is the consummate professional, even if the years are catching up with his legs. The entire midfield is gone: Hyndman and Toral limping home to the South (get it?) whilst Halliday is out of favour and not before time in the eyes of many. Mackay shows what he can do 10 minutes at a time and Waghorn fails to show anything for as long as he is on the pitch. Rarely can a player have regressed so much in one season. And then there is Kenny Miller, the scourge of our beloved TB. Where would we be this season without his 13 goals and 7 assists in 44 starts including 90 minutes in every one of our last 5 games. Pedro doesn’t have many choices especially if some are called in for 6.00am training again today, so I think we will line up something like this: Foderingham Tavernier, Bates, Hill, Beerman; Windass, Holt, Barjonnas; Miller, Garner, Mackay. Can our depleted troops even the score with Hearts or will we surrender and be left to drown our sorrows at the Fifth Official Gersnet Dinner?

TBH I had a bit if an emergency this evening and was about to go to bed then remembered I'd offered and forgotten to do this. I'll see what I can do now. Normally I'd have a couple of cognacs to help me along but current diet, tomorrow's lunch/dinner and the early kick off prevent that so I'm not promising anything startling.

Anytime from 2.30pm onwards.

There is a minimum drink spend of £25 per head so you can leave your balance with me

I knew you said JG earlier anyway, but yes too subtle for me.

I have it that plg, Fiona and boabie are going direct; others are meeting at the JG (inc BD?). No word from GS. If those going direct get there before us, ask for the Manager, Jack. There should be a bottle of red opened on the table and the non wine drinkers just order your beer or soft drink for "first drink free".

Do they have solicitors in the Gorbals, I mean, lawyers, not the other kind. I'm sure we can have an informed debate on that and other more relevant topics such as the team.

Alves would come into both categories, I think.

With floodlights at 6.00am....

Does he know who Hardie is?