buster.

Different managers, mostly different players.... The two that stick out are the Motherwell game and yesterday. Tav, Jack and Candeias are the only three to have played in both games. We need some stability at the helm and do without the annual purge of players.......and for the management team to develop the sqaud/team into something that operates at a better and more consistent level. Then we'll win more games at Hampden.

Just to add that Windass was very much part of the instant solution to previously being without Morelos/CF against Aberdeen (red card). I don't think Arfield could have been fully 100% yesterday and it cut more options and/or probably delayed his eventual sub appearence.

Yes, it's unfair to pin it on Sadiq. Players like Tav let us down yesterday. Normally the guy you can depend on for a spark of quality middle to front, yesterday he couldn't get anything right. More than enough credit in the bank for an off-day, it was just such an important match to have it.

For some games 3-5-2 is a good option. - The CB's need to be heavily drilled so as to be more comfortable than was apparent at Motherwell. - We get the best out of Barisic - We get two forwards on the pitch - We'd need to bring in another forward or two

When Morelos plays well, helps create space for others to move into, we can be dynamic. In short if Alfredo plays yesterday and plays well we win. It was asking a lot of Sadiq to make a difference yesterday and keeping him on for the full 90 minutes was IMO, a folly. We didn't have much time between the European match and yesterday so perhaps the CF for CF change was the easiest to make but it was never ideal. However, it was so difficult to pinpoint the change that was going to be made because it was so difficult to see an obvious one that you could have confidence in. Morelos got away with his petulance in the Ufa game, this time it has had a tangible cost. SG said that with hindsight, he shouldn't have played the Columbian against Ayr Utd. and that is the nearest you'll publicly feel his frustration towards Alfredo. SG talked about the lack of quality in the final third at the very start of the season in the first qualifiers, it's still our main issue and will remain being so until we properly address it. The kind of quality we need doesn't tend to come cheap and I don't think it viable to sort it overnight. I think we'll remain an improving work-in-progress throughout this season and would be looking for significant improvement come 2 or 3 months into 2019/20. SG&Co are looking to improve our football operation as a whole and neither can this be done overnight. We need some patience or we'll be our own worst enemies caught in a perpetual storm.

That's why we'll never get anyhere. We have to let this management team have time and sort things out over a full season and two more transfer windows ... Then make judgements next season.

This season was always likely to be 'work-in-progress' with teething problems for the management team. We started better than anyone thought probable and expectations quickly rose but we've hit a couple of bumps and some may think it's never going to happen. However, I think this management team will be the real deal but we'll need to give them this season to learn, get two more transfer windows in and continue progress throughout the football operation.

Tav is so often the player to provide a bit of creativity but today he wasn't quite at it. Not like him to put a free-kick over the bar by several yards and overhit crosses. It's not that all the players are suddenly poor, they badly missed an on-form Morelos.

As Frankie touched on earlier, SG can be too slow to make changes.

Excellent player that he can be, Morelos and his uncalled for yellow in the quarter-final has been costly IMO.

Robbery,.... but at the sametime their one decent delivery for their goal was better than anything we came up with.

Sadiq won't last 90 minutes. Is there a 4th sub if extra time comes into play ?

Playing ok, final ball is poor

Candeias is on fire !!!

Surprise for most people, probably including McInnes. Can't really say much about it, we'll have to wait and see how he goes. One sure thing is he'll get a couple of dull ones early doors.

PQ content (total coverage in minutes) divided by 2018/19 co-eff. points........would be a thin spread for the Dandy Dons and Yahoos. On the other hand......... Cup qW qD qL #W #D #L Bonus Points Average 6 Scotland 4 teams 11 10 3 2 2 2 0 22.0 5.500 9 Glasgow Rangers EL 4 4 0 1 2 0 0 10.0 not out 28 Celtic EL 4 3 1 1 0 2 0 7.5 not out 80 Hibernian EL 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 4.0 186 Aberdeen EL 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0.5

Practise makes perfect (or at least better). We've had very little time to drill the players wrt a new way to play so I think it'll be a way that keeps as many players as possible in their customary place. Hence Candeias and Kent where they usually are and a practised understanding on both flanks between them and the respective full-backs. Middleton hasn't played enough to hve a customary position, so he's the guy who get's a slightly different role that may suit his relatively less tactically disciplined side. Arfield will have to put the kilometres in middle to front and can be adaptable dependent on how game is going.

Old School Wes Tav........Goldson........Worrall.......Flanagan Candeias....Jack.....Ejaria......Kent Arfield......Middleton Some solidity with wide options who are disciplined and can defend (main sheep danger is wide IMO). Arfield can drop deeper if necessary to help out the middle two (will need to be fully fit because he'll need to put a real shift in) Middleton doesn't appear to be as tactically disciplined/drilled as some others but I'd give him a roving role and tell him to go out, enjoy, make a name for yourself and cause them problems.

Wes or Shagger ? Despite McGregor having an excellent season, it was Wes IMO, who made the best save of the season from a Rangers keeper against Kilmarnock in this competition. On the presumption that Wes has continued to train well, I think it'll come down to how the arrangement of Wes getting LC games was 'signed off'/agreed. I'll leave it to SG and would be happy enough with either. Centre-Forward ? On the presumption that Sadiq will start on the bench, that leaves us without a CF which may mean that instead of trying to shoehorn someone into being a CF for the day, I think we'll play a system that doesn't include a CF. - False 9 - Two guys up running channels, creating space, etc - 4-3-3 ?????????????? If we employ a speedy threesome, the sheep will probably sit deeper and it could develop into a nervous stalemate. A first goal before the 20th minute would suit us just fine. Looking forward to the game.

Don't forget the children.............

Agree with John. It should be about online sales, that's very much where retail is going.

I recall a quote from Rodgers from a couple of years ago............... "I'll be judged on Europe" Well Brenda, in a word......shite !

Last group stage we played in we were being cuffed 1-4 at home by an unknown Roumanian team so a draw isn't the worst result and we still have to see how the game in Russia goes before we can make a considered judgement on the differences between the sides. 11 games undefeated in Europe is frankly amazing given what went before with better players. WDDWWDWDDWD Prior to that (From 2008/09), it was.....DLDLLDLLDWDLLDDDDLLDDLWL Onwards we go.......

How many times have we heard this kind of thing and come gametime, the opposition have got their act together ?

It seems that way and this I think is personal for Ashley, who was always likely to look to maximise pain and it's duration.