buster.

Can´t really comment on Walker as I only very occasionally have to listen to him.

He is right, nothing to see.

Question for @26th of foot if I may... In recent weeks, I´ve picked up on what I think is a slight change in PQ output when it comes to us. It´s not a fair balance, but an attempt to take the sneering/hate out of the voice when expressing their bias. I´d cite Big Dick as the main exponent of this modified approach. Is there anything in this or is it my imagination ?

Agreed Whilst I thought bouncing back against YB was more to do with mentality, I thought yesterday at Motherwell was more a physical test. It certainly bodes well for the future that we passed them both.

We have a decent record against Portuguese teams in contrast to a pretty awful record against their Iberian neighbours, the Spanish. So I´ll take Braga please... As most are saying, it´s great to be in the draw and I think we´ll be competitive against anyone.

Was very encouraging to see our energy levels and hunger to win the game that was greater than that of Motherwell. An excellent 3 points from a potential banana skin. I said prior to KO that Katic was a bigger goal threat than our midfield and wide players. On Friday, we´ll be without Morelos and we´ll have to find goals from somewhere. It´s asking a lot for Defoe to come in from the cold and do the business at Easter Road but hopefully he can contribute. Very frustrating to see Morelos lay it on a plate for the referee. If he hadn´t already had a yellow card then it´s just one of those things, you pick up a yellow and move on but to do it when you have already been booked is to self-harm.

I´ve a horrible suspicion that this might be the game that our heavy schedule catches up with us. I think we passed the mentality test in our reaction in the European game but today might be more about legs and some who might be carrying knocks and niggles. If we are to be successful today, we could really do with our wide players such as Ryan Kent stepping up and taking some of the load off Alfredo Morelos. Same goes for Arfield, Aribo and Ojo.....but it´s probably more likely Katic might grab a goal. As far as the League goes, the next two weeks are pivotal.

Everything considered, qualifying for European football on the other side of the New Year is quite some achievement. A tangible improvement and another incremental step upwards. Including a very welcome several million onto our revenue number for 19/20 (slight downside are late YB goals which have cost us about a million sterling). Two seasons of European football 30 games (minimum) Only 3 defeats Ibrox ...I think the term is fortress Back in the season we won the ECWC, we played a total of 9 games in so doing. To win the EL, it´ll be 23 games. ------------------------------- No hangover from the Cup Final last night but we´ll have to be wary of one now going into what appears to be a very difficult game on Sunday.

SG needs to come out at todays presser and make a point of strongly supporting the team and Morelos in particular when it comes to mentality. The team turned up at Hampden and dominated the game. Alfredo kept getting into goal scoring positions and despite missing, didn´t hide. Time to lift the mood, Sunday has gone and we have to minimise scar tissue. The players need some positive public vibes prior to the game tomorrow. Hope the team news is positive for at least one of Jack or Davis because if both are out it´ll be a significant blow.

Excellent video of Duncan Ferguson and his Everton side from Saturday. It conveys some of the old fashioned values and passion.

I think it´s unrealistic to expect a smooth and seamless upward trajectory, both this month and in general. The important and reasonable expectation/hope IMO, would be general significant progress season on season. That would encompass the remit of stopping 10IAR, whether it be this season or next. The important thing to consider when thinking about that remit, is that there isn´t an alternative (successful) option that is feasible. We are on a path and I think it´s the right one #patience

I think it´s evident that we are still some way short of where we need to be but as I said, it´s about incremental steps and that has to be the way given the finances (see respective wagebills). SG&Co have done very well to keep progressing to where we are today. The board have done very well to support the football operation to the extent they have, both in raw dosh and in putting in place an infrastructure that we´ll hopefully see the benefit of further down the line. The first team squad have done very well this season to produce a consistency of result that means we are there to challenge for the spoils. Not forgetting the support who have been fantastic, filling Ibrox game after game. We are still some way short but It´s going in the right direction , it´s going to need more patience because upseting the applecart isn´t an option.....The defeat on Sunday was hard to take but it´s gone. The YB game provides an opportunity to bounce right back and achieve a tangible measure of progress as well as several million sterling.

Forget yesterday for a moment, positives are more evident in our situation as a whole. We are taking incremental steps towards where we want to be and importantly have the right people in charge of the first team. Generally, mentality was good yesterday, it was more an issue of definition and quality. The main stumbling block remains finance.

Wholesale changes with the quality required aren´t really an option so it´s down to this group for the rest of the season. We have an excellent management team who have been upping the levels since they came in. We are on the cusp of European football in the Springtime, have just played in our first domestic cup final for 3 and a half years and perhaps more importantly have now achieved a consistency of result in the League that has us challenging. It might not feel like it now but the rest of this month is more important than yesterday. A victory against YB would secure something in the region of 4M smackers, which might give us some leeway to tinker in January. League games at Motherwell, Hibs and Celtic are a significant challenge for a squad that is starting to suffer a few injuries but I don´t think it´d be the end of our season if we drop a couple of points.

Morelos was on a mission and did very well to manufacture and/or get on the end of so many chances. He´s probably the only striker who has had so many chances in a 90 minutes against Celtic this season. The obvious and big negative was that he didn´t take any. Alfredo is getting the stick but for me it´s Ryan Kent who didn´t do enough wrt adding a touch of quality. Basically we huffed and we puffed but lacked the definition/quality to blow their house down. Got a feeling that Aribo is going to need this season to learn and it won´t be until 20/21 when we see him at his best.

Was a real kick in the nuts that you could see coming. We weren´t scoring had the game gone on until midnight. The main positive to extract from the disappointment was that the management team set-up the team well and installed the right attitude into the players, who in turn delivered the performance (even if lacking in definition/quality). It´s gone now and any talk of mentality really applies to the future, ie. the rest of the games in a hectic December. We need to get back to scoring goals and winning matches, although if offered on Thursday, I´d take a draw now.

Agreed but I´m greedy and would like a Richard Gough as well

Most important things for me are 1. We set-up in a way that gives us a chance, ie. not the conservative option that will hand them the trophy. Barasic/Kent on the left (and Tav on right) must create and give Morelos the service he can work off. 2. That the players don´t leave anything out there and that their attitude matches a ´go at them´approach. Get intae them lads and make the right kind of history

Wrt to SG&Co, patience is indeed a worthwhile virtue but it´s something that fans seldom employ. SG has steadily improved things and the fans love him but it´s reaching the point where he needs to deliver. Tomorrow is the perfect opportunity.

Barker would be a curveball but has he got the cojones for this level of game ? The same question can be asked of SG´s more customary pick, Ojo. Ideally, I would prefer the more gallus Jordan Jones but it has to be doubtful that he is match-fit to start. Hence the option of Arfield comes back into focus. However, I´d agree we need to get at them if we want to have a chance of lifting the Cup. In September, we started with next to no width on the park (only Tav). On the bench was Barasic, Ojo, Jones as well as Morelos. Our midfield had Jack, Kamara and Davis...with Aribo, Arfield and a Defoe with no service. In short we made it very easy for them and they were happy to give us possession, knowing we wouldn´t do anything with it other than offer up mistakes in our own half. So, what do we do differently ? I previously mentioned 3-5-2 but we know that is almost certainly a curveball too far at this stage so it comes down to two real options that I can see. 1. As you seem to suggest with more width as per our European approach. 2. More variation with a more direct route to Morelos (with support) regularly employed to try and push their high line back a bit. It´s a shame that Edmundsen hadn´t got more football in his legs given his passing ability (I wonder if he´s an outside bet of an option should Davis miss out). The main issue for me is not to get caught in continually trying to pass our way through their press because it´d be a matter of time before we got caught.

Agreed DB, we can´t afford passengers, Ojo is likely to be one and Aribo hasn´t yet shown enough to merit a start in such a game. If Davis were to be injured it´d be a real blow. I wonder if a 3-5-2 is worth considering. I really think we need to do something a little different because if we roll up with the usual game plan, I wouldn´t rate our chances very highly.

Whoever wins the midfield battle will likely lift the cup and it was probably the same prior to the 1970 League Cup Final. Tempo and the high press It´s a given that Celtic will set-up very similar to the September game, will look to suffocate our midfield and stop decent service reaching Alfredo. At the sametime, they´ll be looking to force our midfielders and defenders into mistakes that present them with openings on our goal. For me, the questions are what does SG&Co do to get round it or how could he adapt to it during the game. - We could simply go toe to toe and slug it out in a condensed midfield, probably resulting in a fair few goals. - In the past we´ve tried a fairly conservative approach and it doesn´t work. - We could look to vary our game with a more direct approach...possibly ending up with Defoe and Morelos on the park (or Katic and Morelos) Ideas welcome.... We need SG&Co to get it right both before and during the game so as to give the players on the pitch a chance of lifting the trophy.

The flip side to the consistency of Barasic is that up until Wednesday, Flanagan hadn´t played a real competitive match for months and it showed. Against Celtic in early September. Flanagan at left-back meant that our attacking balance suffered and we couldn´t exploit the space that Celtic deliberately left down our left. To be fair to JF, it has to be said that he defended well that day and Forrest didn´t get a look in. Ryan Kent joined just after the Celtic match and he certainly provides a threat on the left but he needs a supporting full-back on his outside. One who can cross a ball with his left foot (beats me why a professional can´t add this to his game). I´d guess that Barasic will take the pain-killing injection if that means he can start.

Last night´s game brings several issues into sharp focus as we head towards the Final on Sunday. - Form Since coming back from the last International break we´ve been poor during long spells of the games at Hamilton, Rotterdam and Aberdeen. We didn´t need to be firing in the only home game, against a rudderless Hearts. - Defence Too many mistakes which include midfielders giving the ball away too easily, eg. whilst 2 up, Jack got away with two in quick succession but it was a sign of what was to come. - Too many players regularly not contributing enough but reluctance to use squad (including substitutions). - Plan B Where was it last night ? (Katic in the 93rd minute doesn´t count when your corners are subsequently floated high and easy for keeper). Tactically, SG&Co showed instant gumption when Morelos was sent off 11 minutes into their first league game with Rangers but last night seemed at a loss with what they were watching. Tactics Sunday It´s down to SG&Co to come up with something a little different or Celtic will simply press high, suffocate our midfield and force mistakes in front of our penalty box. We won´t be able to ease our way into it, it´ll need to be into their faces from the get-go. They will see it the same way and I reckon the first few minutes will be a real battle. The next issue would be keeping it going for 90 minutes, at least the defensive concentration. Flanagan shouldn´t start (re. offensive balance)..it was painful to watch in first OF game this season. Big test for the management to firstly come up with something that works, then be able to adapt to events during the game.

The teams that stand in our way in the play-offs. Winning the semi-final at Hampden is within our capabilities (on a good day). Thereafter, what is crucial and a lottery is the draw to see who gets Home advantage for the Final. Path C: Scotland:....... Norway, Serbia, Bulgaria/Israel/Romania* *In the current scenario, a draw would decide which of Bulgaria, Israel or Romania would fill the empty slot in Path C, and which two would go into Path A. -----------------