Gribz

Big game tonight / tomorrow (depending your time zone). I usually don't care too much about this fixture as I always prefer seeing Man Utd v the London clubs as bigger games but this one had appetite. I like Klopp but don't like Liverpool. But they are playing well. Jose knows how to go there and not lose, but his selections have been debateable recently. Im going for a 1-1 draw.

Shop owners stand to make a fortune on the day of the game with sales. I like the fact the NY game has been brought back but agreed it should be on the 1st or the 2nd.

1 game at a time. Its a pity the league will be interrupted as we are finding form. Hopefully MW has learned from the last OF game about team selection but he has a dilemma because Kranjcar was out of place in that game due to the pace of it but at the moment he is playing well when he gets the ball - he wont get the same time in an OF game so should he play? We need to start putting away the run of mill teams like St Johnstone and Kilmarnock, two wins there surely. Away to Ross County - A repeat of Friday night just past. Glasgow Derby at Firhill - should win. Dundee at home - win. So we should be aiming for 5 wins there. Hearts away - All Rangers sides should be capable of winning there but lets be see how our form is. For me I just want to start seeing us winning a bit easier again, the last Ross County game sticks in the head where we played well but couldn't win, same as the opening day match against Hamilton, its these matches that need to be turned into wins and we take it from there. Steady progress.

I didn't realise the MLS used to do shootouts instead of Penalties. A player runs from outside the area and must shoot outside the box but the keeper is allowed out. It actually may make it more interesting than Penalties. Pretty sure the top players would chip the keeper everytime but if the keeper stays on his line and the taker has to shoot from the edge of the box he has a better chance.

Solo's

Havent seen much of him TBH but when McKay is off form it would be good to see him given a run. I know he is more so a right sided player but Ive always liked wingers who can play both sides, its maybe something he could do. At least we have decent depth at the moment.

Good day out? Where did you sit? Easy enough to get tickets or was that through your work, if I recall you had a link with tickets for Arsenal. Its Arsenal to a T Craig. At 2-0 I was sitting watching thinking if this was Man Utd or Spurs it would be game over but time and time again Arsenal while cruising could concede and end up losing or drawing. Right enough Swansea got on the end of a mistake and it was edgy. But the difference this season is they won the game. That's 6 on the trot and they are almost at full strength squad wise, and with Middlesboro and Sunderland in their next 2 they could be flying in a few weeks.

Everton are a really well set up team all over and are capable of holding their own against all teams, they just need to be consistent. I am not convinced with man Citys defence. I had a bet on a draw, unfortunately I also had West Ham v Palace to draw also.

Yip After the first 4 or 5 games you could see an absolute brand new proper side who could be top 4. They looked as good as anyone. I fancy them to get a draw today though. Would like to see it. Tottenham is the one that sneaks under the radar. Big game for them. They have beaten Man City comfortably but its these matches away to West brom that can define a season. Awkward opposition, if they win there then they are right in there.

Champions Leicester getting a reality check. They have came back down to earth. They were on a ride last season and that's it. I thought they might raise their game to get a draw at Chelsea plus with Chelsea not firing on all cylinders. But this could be 3 or 4 nil. Big Game for Arsenal later, they have been beaten by Swansea a couple of times at home in the last few season. Everton could get a point at Man City to make things interesting.

No way. We missed a trick not getting rid sooner.

They are huge in SE Asia, Chelsea tops everywhere but that glory hunting IMO. They were no way this big 15 years ago and beyond. Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal are in a league of their own with support here. Chelsea were a top cup team and a top 6 contender prior to RA buying them, nothing more.

Well done Kenny. Ive always been a fan of his more so his second spell and didn't think he should have been let go then. He is a top professional and very respectable. There will probably be some who cant rise above the fact he played at Celtic. Is he legend status? It will cause a debate, probably not quite due to the level of legends he would be compared with - that's not his fault, he just does his best - but he has certainly contributed masses to the club.

The other side of the coin is its 3 clean sheets in 4 games. The defence was far our most concerning area a few weeks ago but signs of improvement.

A Few clean sheets and a couple of wins on the bounce. Its all about getting a few more on the trot now to gain consistency. Miller proving he is still an asset. Kranjcar looked like he was towing Geoff Capes in his first few games but seems to be improving game by game, that's what was expected of Barton, it just shows you what getting your head down and working does.

Thats probably a load of peoples preference but even after a public survey they didn't opt for change. The changes they do make are terrible like the group stages in the league cup and panning the competition over a long period. The Tennents Sixes could be brought back during a long winter break yet they would still probably split it after the first round. There was not much money around in the 80s but teams still played the same amount of games with strong teams in such competitions in the Tennents sixes.

The best thing about Chelsea in the last 10 years has been their Adidas kits, they have been by far the best in the league.

Im guessing you don't change a winning team and the same side that beat Partick will start, but the XI know that the subs bench will be packed with players ready to take any opportunity.

It wont be long before money takes over and a European Super League replaces the CL and MLS teams will be invited. The summer ICC games are growing and money always talks so changes in Football will come with globalisation. With that in mind and the state of Scottish Football an Atlantic league would be appealing if it was set up right. Id also try to pull in the Portuguese clubs Porto, Benfica and S Lisbon although these 3 are bordering being in with the big boys especially now that Portugal won the Euros. If the SPL and SFA aren't going to make changes to the game for better and at least try summer football and a 16 or 18 team top division then these type of leagues has to be looked at. I know I would rather be travelling to Amsterdam or Copenhagen than the grounds in Scotland.

Lambert did well with Norwich. He has since had two poor clubs. Villa have been on a decline for years and no manager could have steered them up the league. Blackburns owners are just a nightmare.

This is the dilemma managers have when they play their second choice keeper in cups then all of a sudden it gets to the business end and a big tie comes up, who do they go with? Its a bit of a demotivator for the keeper who has played through the rounds then dropped due to the opponent - as if to say not good enough.

I think Lambert would be a good option actually. Aside from him there is McLeish and Malky McKay. Like you say SAF is a non-starter. Would Walter Smith return? Certainly another good option.

I think its safe to say Strachan is probably being selfish. If England away wasn't the next game he would probably have walked away but the lure of that game is probably keeping him there. He said we are only 1 point from the play off spot but that gap will grow as the games don't get easier.

I wasn't meaning our formation, I was meaning formations in general. And I was suggesting we change ours.

3-0 is a cuffing. 1 point from Lithuania and Slovenia. Total sackable results. Strachan is making Levein seem appealing and Levein makes me puke. Malta are the only team Scotland will beat again in this group. England at Wembley next, they are in their worst situation also but they should still win that easily.