JFK-1

He should be kept around the club as long as possible in any capacity. Someone who can be pointed at as the perfect example of how a footballer should live and train.

Really? Well if there is better than him out there for a lot less i'm baffled as to why they paid that money.

Kent cost a reported £7.5 million. That's what his kind of quality costs and currently we're not going to be spending anything like that.

Saw an interview with Guardiola some months ago in which it was suggested to him Liverpool were carrying a lot of luck regarding their habit of late winners. Guardiola dismissed that. He stated that if it happened once or maybe twice or so then it might be luck. But he went on to say they were pulling it off so often that this wasn't luck. It was simply a quality team capable of pulling a result out of the bag more often than not. It's now a one horse race down there. The same thing they scoffed at the SPFL for.

Now that they have beaten Wolves it has to be at the stage where Liverpool must be considered unstoppable as far as the title destination is concerned. They're 16 points clear of City with still one more game in hand. I think they have dropped barely a handful of points in the last 60 or 70 games or so. Doubt they will drop 16 points over their remaining 15 games. In fact they're looking likely to increase their lead to 19 points.

That's your attempt at a position?

There's little to prove. I believe in the welfare of football clubs and I was capable of going over my thoughts in some detail. I'm guessing you have never written a position paper of any kind. You're on the level of the creationists in this instance. They believe God dunnit so that makes it real. Little to prove.

And I can write a single sentence saying you're plain wrong since you think that's enough to prove it.

How many times have you watched your goal back? About a million. And i'm sure he has been watching it over. I didn't score it and I have lost count of how many times i have watched it. And here it is again. Video primed to start at the goal.

What are you even talking about? I dion't know where you're getting this idea from. Where did anybody say that wouldn't be the case. Go find it then get back to me when you don't.

The Stranraer tweet no doubt had an element of jest to it but that doesn't equate to them wishing they had drawn the tie at Stair park. Nor does it mean they and the bulk of their support were not happier with a tie at Ibrox, despite you attempting to suggest otherwise. Are you also suggesting their managers comments on it were in jest?. Since that wouldn't have been the case if the tie had been at Stair park you're seriously telling me they would have preferred it to be? Would rather be romantically beaten for a relative pittance? And yes the original point was because we have drawn Accies away. That doesn't mean emphasising that point by drawing comparisons to other small teams detracts from the point in any way. It demonstrates a commonality of thought among small teams. Making the cup top heavy? What are you even talking about when it comes to the preferences of these teams? Are you telling me they give the proverbial flying about anything else in comparison to a cash influx that can support them for years in some cases? I'm to seriously believe they care more about some highly improbable chance to win a cup than they do about the absolute certainty of a big pay day if they can play Rangers at Ibrox? Well frankly I don't believe it and i'm stunned if you seriously do believe it. My idea doesn't reduce any of their chances of winning a cup which are so remote hey're close to zero chance no matter where they are played and doesn't even deny them a home tie if that were truly what they wanted. It simply gives the first team drawn the option of asking the second team if they would be agreeable to playing the tie at that seconds teams ground. And if you think that "would render the cup even more top heavy" then you're agreeing with me that they would take that option in a heartbeat. And that's all I suggest. Give them the option. Accies have two chances to win this cup, slim and no chance. And that's even if they pulled off an unlikely shock and beat Rangers. Their greatest interest is the financial benefit of the cup not an unrealistic fantasy of winning it. If they had drawn Rangers at Ibrox a big pay day was a 100% certainty win or lose. That's absolute fact. Not subjective romantic supposition. I have known for decades that these smaller teams watching the draw were wishing for a tie at Ibrox and presumed everybody knew that. I'm stunned anybody at all is now disputing that.

He does have a thing about making sure everybody gets a hand shake.

Yes really. Nowhere did I suggest that any rules currently allow these management and fan preferences. My remark about where we stand was referring to disagreeing about management and fan preferences. And disagreeing on that is where we stood in the post I was replying to despite the fact i'm introducing objective points to support my subjective view. While what you're bringing is entirely subjective. That's where we stand. My purpose in discussing it isn't because I think me discussing it will change anything, it's discussion. If the entire point of discussing any topic at all here was aimed solely at changing anything then vastly more than this is pointless discussing. Yet people keep on discussing topics that wont change anything because that in fact is largely what discussion forums are about. Discussing alternate views while making points for or against or sometimes proving or disproving a view. What in the world have I said here that could possibly be labelled prevarication? A definition of prevarication. What am I lying about? I'm saying I believe management and fans of small clubs would prefer to play cup games against Rangers at Ibrox for the big pay day. That's not a lie. I do believe that. I'm not lying about it i'm not being vague with any truth nor trying to avoid any truth. I think if anyone is you are by avoiding the truth that what I suggested would be popular with both management and fans of small clubs who may only get that chance once in a generation. A suggestion hardly worth mentioning? Well there's another disagreement. I would disagree that a preference of club management and fans which isn't currently applied is well worthy of mentioning and would also disagree that because you're not in favour of it then merits the tag not worth mentioning. And whether it ever happens or not is an unknown but even if it didn't that still doesn't mean it wasn't worth ever contemplating at all. Rules in football change from season to season so predicting what may change and what may not makes no sense for a game that's in state of constant rule changes. And especially so since the change I mentioned is trivial in comparison to rule changes going on all the time which affect the game dramatically. As for "it would be wrong" how is that even rationally justified? What would applying it actually do? Well if i'm right it would assist the finances of small cash strapped clubs and would actually be beneficial to Rangers finances too and would be giving them their preference. Who is being wronged in giving them that option? If what makes it wrong is nothing but the romance of the cup cliche again then my view is that's airy fairy bullshit that's not worth mentioning because it's a concept that means nothing to these small clubs in comparison to a cash infusion. Get in touch with Stranraer and educate them on this romance of the cup thing being the most important aspect. They appear to be entirely ignorant of that.

Looking forward to it.

Indeed what do you know? You're bringing nothing but a cliche to support your view. In the case of this particular 'diddy club' I happen to know a lot of their fans personally having grown up with them and lived most of my life with them so I can claim to know something more than most regarding their views. I emailed one earlier today who would be described as one of their 'hard core' to ask him his view which could be condensed down to hell yeah. Hamilton may be in the top flight but they're by no means a top flight club. They punch above their weight to be where they are but that wont last indefinitely. They have an average attendance around 2,400 which is bloated by OF games. There were 1,040 in attendance at their last SC tie with Edinburgh City and 1,536 at their last home league game v St Johnstone. Not their management from board level down or their fans have any expectation whatsoever of winning this cup so the very best thing they can get from it is a tie at Ibrox. They would prefer that even if losing to actually winning the tie in Hamilton then potentially going out in the next round in front of a couple of thousand versus Motherwell. I have had conversations and drinks with a number of their managers over my life. The likes of Eric Smith, Bertie Auld, and John Lambie. I can assure you they too would have gone along with my suggestion in a flash. I have never spoken to any chairmen but expect their views would be equally or even more in favour. So given the recent quotes from Stranraer management I think we can presume there would appear to be a pattern of concensus emerging there. This is a tweet from Stranraer after the game where they aren't waxing lyrical about any romance of the cup bullshit. They unequivocally state the most important aspect of the tie. This isn't the era of romance in football, that went down the pan decades ago when attendances declined from historic highs and averages plus all gate revenue including league gates was indeed shared. Want to go back to that kind of romance? I don't want that but you can be sure Hamilton would. In this era many are struggling just to survive and that should be the main focus not airy fairy ideas of romance. The struggle was perfectly illustrated a few seasons or so ago when Partick were complaining that some teams which could be relegation rivals of theirs were getting an extra home match with Rangers in comparison to them. Take note of that. They were complaining about missing out on a single game at home to Rangers and it wasn't about home advantage. It was only gate money in a stadium that only holds 10,000. So what could it mean to them to get an away game in which the gate was shared and there were potentially 4 times as many people as their stadium can hold in attendance? As for mention of the rules the rules are being changed in football all the time and this wouldn't even be a binding rule. It would be an option if both parties were in agreement which would make both parties happy and that's somehow bad?. But if you think I really need to interview all chairmen and all fans of 'diddy' clubs throughout Scotland to get an accurate view then that's fine. I disagree. And till you go interview them all to discover an unexpected view contrary to mine that's where we stand.

Playing all their league games at Ibrox is a ridiculous suggestion which is exactly why not I nor even club chairmen or fans would suggest it. Revenue from league games isn't even shared while one off Scottish cup revenue is. In fact that would likely only be suggested by someone who has nothing better to negate the actual suggestion than a cliche. Even the fans of these smaller clubs would give all that tired romance nonsense a back seat if their small club could get the chance of gathering 4 years of finance from a single game as Stranraer did. Should only the cliches of fans of the bigger clubs who these ties aren't a potentially once in a generation lifeline be taken into account? Another quote from the Stranraer manager Frank McKeown. That's about as romantic as it gets for them. Their only realistic dream romance.

In a word, no. I made a suggestion for a cup situation in financially strapped Scottish football. Let me break it down. In an instance like the upcoming Hamilton v Rangers tie I would suggest that if the team drawn first, Hamilton, expressed a preference to play the tie at Ibrox and Rangers were in agreement then simply make all parties happy by allowing it. Are you suggesting that the Stranraer chairman would possibly have been so overcome with the romantic notion of beating Rangers in the cup that he would have preferred the tie had been drawn at 4,178 capacity Stair Park (1,830 seated)? Or was he not so romantically inclined and a lot happier it was taking place at Ibrox where a reported 38,560 attended? Chairmen aside this is a headline I saw expressing the thoughts of the Stranraer manager. My guess is he and the entire board were over the moon it was away at Ibrox and would further guess Hamilton would have felt exactly the same way. But maybe they and I for that matter are rarities not affected by any romance of the cup cliches. Who knows.

It's up to you wheher you want to believe that Accies don't give the proverbial flying about any "romance of the Cup". But I know for a fact financial feasibility is their major concern. And frankly I would hazard a guess this romance of the cup pish means absolutely nothing to club chairmen all over Scotland.

With a game in hand so potentially 33 points. While 16 points ahead of second placed Man City with a game in hand. Yesterday you could get 50/1 City. It's now 80/1 Chelesea 1,000/1 Leicester 2,000/1 Liverpool 1/41

I was at that game, Adrian Sprott who was a full time cop and part time footballer did the damage. Threw everything but the kitchen sink at them but it turned out to be just one of those freak occurrences. My suggestion isn't about disrespecting Accies. It's about what their preference would be given the option. Another memory of that day was that Chris Woods broke a shutout record during the match then conceded a goal to a part timer. It was actually the fault of Dave McPherson who was out the door soon after. The glare Souness gave him sticks in my mind too.

I'm from Hamilton, I know the club very well indeed and have been to more Accies games than any other team but Rangers. They have never won a major trophy in their history and they know they're not going to win this one. It's all about getting as much money as possible for them. If they had the option to switch this tie to Ibrox they would do so in a heartbeat.

Would have been a lot better at home and i'm confident even Accies would have preferred it to be at Ibrox. They have no thoughts of winning the cup it's merely a source of income for them. And since the Scottish game is so cash strapped in instances like this it would make sense for the SFA to break with tradition and allow the teams drawn together to decide which of their grounds it's played at no matter who is drawn out first.

Currently live.

The Hearts fans celebrated dodging us like they had won it.

Away to Accies. Expect that to be dire.