JFK-1

Finishing 4th secures Euro participation this year and as it stands all we need is a single point to secure a minimum 4th and even if we didn't get a single point from the remaining matches hearts would have to win all 4 of theirs while we lost all 4 of ours. I don't think either of these things will happen.

One of the men accused of child sex abuse in football in a BBC documentary has been tracked down to the US. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-39774853

We're probably going to need at least a couple of years of stability to get on an even keel and this season there was nothing like stability from start to finish. Simply building to be better than the rest at this point will be a huge step forward. We lost the bulk of their lead over us to the others not to them. It's within our grasp to change that.

A shade better I think which makes it that bit easier to pull ahead of the rest but the problem beyond that is they're considerably better than the rest which is why they're undefeated all season.

Thing is do we have a better 11? Probably not and I still think we're playing better than last week but so are they and they have a better 11. That's the crux of it.

They are at least applying some pressure this time. If not for the Beerman display of inexperience it wouldn't be looking too bad at all.

Though I would normally empathise with people complaining of not enough time off I can't in this instance. Last I heard a typical 'working day' for professional footballers is in to 'work' between 8am and 9am and back out between noon and 1pm. The vast majority of the working population would consider that a permanent holiday and even more so since the actual daily 'work' comprises of activities the rest of us typically pay for and look forward to. If we want top quality gym equipment we need to pay for a gym and if we want a kick about with our mates again it will likely cost for facilities. Throw in the fact they can retire early to mid 30's and it simply reinforces the fact that if there is real complaining about 9 days off in the Summer these guys have lost touch with reality.

Laughable. When have they EVER been any second force in Scotland? Not in my lifetime yet they think a return to the SPL after three years in the championship is a game changer? I'm looking forward to seeing it blow up in their faces and the screams of anguish as they find their real place in the scheme of things which will be scrapping to be top 5 at best and being sporadically relegated which has always happened to them. Spending 3 years in the championship hasn't changed that and I hope Lennon is the focus of their screams when reality bites.

I think it's draconian given that there is no suggestion of match fixing but at the same time how difficult is it to get a wife or girlfriends name on an account to have a bet? In a way he deserves the punishment for the sheer stupidity rather than the act. Ironically I think I remember it being the case that some mhank working in a bookies was supposed to have originally reported him in Scotland. That's even dumber than Barton. They were making a tidy profit out of him.

I think Hawking is one of relatively few long term survivors.

Go away, i'm not in the mood to to defend posters becoming mindlessly confrontational with other posters none of whom incidentally have defended the performance today. And when you find more than one person requesting you go away you need to start listening.

None of us are happy about the game today but only you are becoming confrontational with people expressing their own views. We're all fans here. I would suggest just keeping it to yourself if you can't take part without veering into confrontational attitudes which change nothing.

It simply is what it is. Put us up against lesser teams in the league and we will look superior. Put them up against Barca and they will look inferior. At this stage they have better quality than us and absolutely no one is disputing that. Hopefully it's going to improve but in the meantime the manager can only work with what he has. They're not so hot the competition in Scotland just isn't up to scratch. Yet still in the final quarter hour or so we were taking it to them and could even have got back into it with some better finishing. Just a few players can make a massive difference for us.

So Garner and Halliday off Dodoo and McKay on?

It pretty much goes without saying that it's not looking good. We need to make it to halftime without conceding any more for a managerial discussion on how this can be turned around. It's not uncommon this season for us to come out a different animal in the second half.

Going to be seriously disappointed if we don't give these sheep a real fleecing at Ibrox. They're a text book example of Souness hammer throwers.

Laughing my socks off. A trundler.

The sheep are utter crap. It's indicative of how poor the league is that they are where they are. And also indicative of how relatively little the unmentionables have to boast about.

I agree and i'm still looking for 2nd but I prefer the pressure to be off given the inconsistency with top 6 teams this season.

It's currently in our interest for the sheep to win. If they win then 4th place guarantees a Europa league spot and we only need another 3 points to be guaranteed a minimum 4th place.

Take it as a sign they're worried despite our patchy season and their relatively good one.

Well if 'warning' refs is now acceptable we need to 'fire' a warning regarding the ever tumbling Dembele.

Ross County striker Alex Schalk has accepted a two-game suspension for diving from the Scottish Football Association's compliance officer. The 24-year-old was charged with committing "an act of simulation" to earn his side a penalty in Sunday's 2-2 draw with Celtic. The fixed suspension was two games and Ross County have chosen not to challenge the decision. Schalk will miss the Premiership games against Inverness CT and Motherwell. In August, Hearts' Jamie Walker was also charged with breaching disciplinary rule 201 for diving in a game against Celtic and his appeal against the two-game suspension was dismissed. Schalk's indiscretion came in the 88th minute at Dingwall, with Celtic leading 2-1, and Liam Boyce scored from the spot to earn County a draw. The visitors' captain, Scott Brown, was later dismissed for a foul on Boyce, which Celtic have appealed against. The hearing for that will be held on Thursday 27 April, allowing Brown to take part in Sunday's Old Firm Scottish Cup semi-final. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39646717

It was obvious retaliation after having taken a little nick just prior to the incident and even the TV commentators on the highlights I watched who had the ability to replay it which they did all instantly agreed it was a red card. Aside from the retaliatory factor it appeared to be mere millimeters away from being a shattering ankle break. Of course potential life changing injuries are nothing in comparison to a dive for a penalty. Except when it's Dembele et al doing the diving.

He's known for pulling not proven verdicts in what initially appeared to be cut and dried guilty of murder cases. I would guess that marks him out as an expert at muddying the waters.