Germinal

Glad to hear Pena make some kind of impression, I don't blame him for taking time to settle at all. Even by the low standards of West of Scotland weather this summer has been appalling, he must wonder what he's let himself in for. As for what he'll make of November through February, Heaven knows.

Very enjoyable, the 70 minutes I saw were high paced, full of energy, a positive attitude...everything you'd want and things that have been missing since our team broke up in administration. It was never going to be easy to get that mentality ingrained again, and it isn't solidly ingrained yet, but that was more positive than anything I saw under MW. Being a Bear I can however find fault in something, and I'd have to say that, honest pro that he is, Lee Hodson is not of the calibre we need, defensively or going forward. When he was turned, too easily for my liking, toward the end of last night's game , the big lanky Dunfermline player left him for pace as well. It showed up more because every other outfield player seemed turbo charged last night. I don't mean to criticise because I think he plays as well as he can. but I also think we need a better option to cover Wallace at left back.

Bit early for that sort of thing, old boy.

Kind of 50-50 on that one, older adults isn't too bad but I think I would simply recontruct the sentence by data, so that '80 per cent of older Americans have been subjected to ageist stereotypes' becomes '80 per cent of Americans over the age of xx have been subject to ageist stereotypes'. Especially if you're trying to communicate a message via statistics, you don't want to give people's processing capacity an easy way out by letting them focus on what they see as too PC/not PC enough language & ignoring the message. Getting a bit dull now but again it shows how there's many reasons way beyond simply 'pandering to minorities' or whatever that sees the usage of words changes.

Just as a wee aside and not meant to be directed at anyone, words like elderly or mental aren't just decided upon as being 'offensive' for no reason. The reason certain words become passe is that they fall into common derogatory usage, which in turn can lead to issues in dealing with whatever field is being referred to in the insult. In the example of 'mental' its use as a playground insult is not considered helpful when trying to deal with Scotland's enormous and seriously under funded mental health issues - if people grow up hearing 'mental' used in the context we're all used to here, it makes their likelihood of engaging with mental health services so much less, with worse outcomes for all. No one thinks stigma or insults will suddenly disappear from society at any level but you can't just sit there and do nothing. Well you can, but if the same people who bleat about PC gone mad or the perma-offended are sometimes the same ones who complain they can't get a doctor's appointment or whatever. It's very frustrating. I can't say as I have come across elderly in this context but every day is a school day, I guess.

Really, gentlemen, it's quite straightfoward. If Rangers fans are grumpy after a mediocre season, berate them for having a sense of entitlement. If Rangers fans display some levity after a mediocre season, berate them for accepting second (or third, in this case) best. There is a constant in this paradigm, I feel confident we can all spot it.

https://sports.vice.com/en_uk/article/THE-BIZARRE-APPOINTMENT-OF-MALKY-MACKAY-LEAVES-SCOTTISH-FANS-WITH-DIFFICULT-DECISIONS Not sure about the boycott but this is a good read on the subject.

I was talking to a Community Coach this afternoon, an SFA employee, who made the point that his job relies on parents sending their kids to his classes. He wasn't bothered about Mackay one way or the other, as it happens. The question for Stewart Regan is, though: do you think this appointment makes it more or less likely that kids will go to football coaching classes? Sure, for some, it will make no difference. But for some it will (it certainly would for me if my kids were at that age although I am in none of the groups Mackay had a go at), and if I were in my friend the coach's shoes, and found myself bagged in the near future due to lack of kids to coach (doubtless termed 're-organisation'), I'd be striding confidently to the nearest solicitors in anticipation of a fat cheque courtesy of the SFA. As well as that, it puts off investors. As Bluenoses we're all too well aware (or should be) that certain elelments of our public image stop us getting the massive sponsorship deals which our fanbase merits. Do the SFA think wading about in these murky waters is liable to incite a stampede of businesses, all eager to financially reward Scottish football for its enlightened rehabilitation policy? One thing is certain, there won't be a penny of government money heading to Hampden any time soon, which may be a good thing in terms of a certain Glasgow club which views public money as an extension of their overdraft, but not for the real game.

"Like our players were in the Cup Final, we're gobsmacked."

I do expect most Bears would put Rangers first, yes. I don't think that's expecting too much & I'm dismayed it could be considered living in a fantasy world. As to your personal jibes, they bring nothing to the debate or the forum but as you say, it's a free country and no-one makes me log in here after all.

Hard to believe anyone could have missed the opposition to the OBA from fans others than Bears. The excuse for not self policing is astounding. Does protecting Rangers not count as a good enough reason? Anyway, I've said my piece and accept I'm in the minority. Enjoy your Sunday.

BT Sport, the media, Scotland....everybody's fault but ours. If it was a media or political conspiracy, why would you do exactly what it wants? Bollocks to it. Been over this ground for years and.altho we are miles forward from 20 years ago we're reluctant to finally nail the issue. Maybe it's fear of alienating elements of the fanbase, who knows. But it's so disappointing.

Thursday - rare PR victory. Friday - bad PR. Much as I'd like to point at the suspect timing, it happens too often to be agents provocateur. I used to think every club had its share of do dimwits as fans but we really take the biscuit. Unless the club really tackles the issue hard, I gues we'll be stuck in this cycle of self harming forever.

pps And in terms of the police, this is a real shocker. I remember having a go at a prominent Rangers fan when he did something which I thought could endanger the safety of fans at the game, so it's only fair to have a go at the police here. It's essential to have a contract between large groups of people and police, if one side thinks the other is at it then it is again a recipe for disaster. What a really shoddy way to behave all round. You end up wondering if people are deliberately trying to cause bother regardless of the trouble it may cause. Whether in politics or sport or social media, we seem to be living in brainless times.

ps if McLaughlin's nonsense is enough to get the BBC a red card, this is certainly enough to have the club very frosty indeed in terms of relations with the Record.

The posts focusing on the journalist's attractiveness or otherwise have given them the chance to do so. We're often not good at thinking straight on forums. But this whole story sounded guff from the off, and the explanation of how it came to be written is just jaw dropping.

Don't think he's ready for it yet. But then we are rubbish (Scotland).

I didn't see anyone but I did leave very early. But disappointing that many who would have given weren't able to. I only know the chap from the Church who organises the south side foodbank slightly but I'll get in touch and pass on the 'feedback' because it's a great opportunity to raise money (occurred to me yesterday fetching up to Ibrox with a can of soup in my juke might not go down well with plod).

With a manager 14 months and 2 weeks into the job of rebuilding a clapped out shambles, I'll settle for a team playing actual football, assembled for buttons while the club is hamstrung by lunatic deals, which can get wins while apparently not playing that well. I daresay Warburton might have by now assembled an unbeatable team of seasoned pros and outstanding youths, which dazzle us consistently while thrashing teams 5 and 6-0 on a weekly basis, expertly outwitting chief execs from all points of the compass in negotiations, selling the Tartan Cobbler League as a slightly damp version of La Liga to wide eyed players and repairing the damage of decades in the youth set up overnight, but he knows that we would only get greedy. He treats us mean, does Mark.

Home long since Coop. There were a few lads off the boat with singles but I had the boy with me and I'm not standing about in that rain on the off chance!

First time in many years I've fetched up at the TO around 11 o'clock and not got a ticket. Hope it's not too good a game.<scowls>

Christ, that's the sort of headline I'd expect from The Record. Poor show!

Well clearly I'm out of step with the majority but I find moaning about ill treatment feeble.

If Garner comes here and scores a barrowload, as I think he probably will from what I've seen of him, there is a chance a Championship side in the bottom half of the table come January might lob £3 million northwards. But the criticism seems fair, this appears to be a signing made where the criteria of sell on has taken a back seat to simply getting the goals our play deserves. Doubtless we have been in for, and been knocked back by, players of a similar ability but with sell on value; if the choice is between no new strikers and a striker with limited future value, buy the striker (as long as we can afford it, of course). In all honesty, I can't see much wrong with that.

Some supermarkets are now donating waste food, but still too much is binned imo. I was surprised that our local foodbank doesn't take fruit and veg though, storage issues I guess. We're quite backward when it comes to food here, just in general.