Pool Q

The description above of Hearts as honking yesterday is spot on. As we were on Tuesday too. And last Saturday as well in truth, we got lucky there as St Johnstone were considerably more honking. Killie should fancy their chances next weekend. With everyone available our squad is average, Levein will put together a team that can stop most teams up here playing, and we'll get top six I think. But just a few injuries and suspensions has us playing schoolboys and (at best) journeymen, several out of position. Grzelak in midfield on Tuesday for example, although he was utter shite at LB yesterday too. Far too much is being asked of Cochrane who only turned 16 a few weeks ago.

Assuming that means that McInnes is to be the new Rangers manager I've heard that is looking likely. My source is one of those guys that likes you to think he is in the know, but very often isn't in reality, although he seemed confident about this one.

Be an interesting few days, especially with the game at Murrayfield coming up. I wonder if Billy Davies will be in the media giving details of how Billy Davies would sort things out at Ibrox.

Ian Cathro is available.

I was unaware that tangent meant trying to shoehorn an irrelevant shite joke into a thread, but everyday a school day. 2-0 Hibs tomorrow night btw.

And to be fair, now that you are out of the League Cup, you can concentrate on getting a top six place back.

A game between teams managed by Levein and Wright, what did we expect I suppose?

As bad a game as I've seen in a while yesterday, first half was terrible. We were considerably less bad than St Johnstone, who offered nothing, absolutely zilch, in the entire game. But football like that is a hard watch. Cochrane came on at half-time and deservedly got MOTM, he looks a prospect and was easily the best player on the park. Another young guy, Henderson, also offered a bit more when he came on. Into fifth in the league, which I'm afraid says a lot about the quality of the league.

Historically Guardia Civil were always posted well away from their home areas for this very reason. They also normally lived in barracks where they were stationed in part at least so they didn’t get friendly with locals or too attached to the community.

Power devolved is power retained.

I actually know the woman concerned, been at quite a few quizzes with her.

Specialist subject on Mastermind a few episodes back.

I hope this isn't too damaging for Accies, that's a lot of money. Thankfully the sum involved at Hearts looks to be much less, possibly £85k.

Trucks serve a purpose other than killing people, although they can of course be used for killing people (as can iron bars, rope, screwdrivers etc.) Assault rifles have one purpose, which is killing people in large numbers. To me, there is a very big difference

I'm pretty sure that'll be what happened.

Aye, you're right, winning ugly is unfair. I was just trying to get a sense of perspective on the thing. It was a vital result against a decent team, and yet some want to pay it down. We remain a pretty average team with limited resources, but last night is a game we would normally have contrived to lose. I'll happily celebrate the fact that, for once, we got the win.

Winning ugly and scraping a result in the games that matter is how teams that have limited resources qualify for tournaments. Ireland have been doing it for years. I'd love us to be playing other teams off the park with exquisite, silky football someday, but in the meantime results like last night are a step in the right direction. Must win games are about the result and the win means that those travelling to Slovenia do so to support a team that can still qualify.

There are some things I would miss if the TAMB wasn't here. And some that I wouldn't.

Anyone who watches US TV knows that many Americans think the Brits are weird. Be that as it may it doesn't change anything though, their attitude to guns and gun ownership is ####ed up. Many modern day states were born out of some sort of violent revolt in the past. Few use the events of over 200 years ago as an excuse to perpetuate a dysfunctional relationship with firearms.

I really don't remember the victimisation of Jude that Scotty has described before now. Honestly. If it was half as bad as described I can't really see why she'd want to come anywhere near this place.

I thought something along those lines... ...but then again, that's a fair point. Ball and not the man and all that.

As an aside, it's great how so many of us become experts on all sorts of subjects at a drop of a hat. What is/isn't an automatic weapon, the gun laws of Nevada, and so on. Anyway, the reaction of many (obviously not all by any means) Americans in still resolutely defending the right to own guns, and the denial that widespread ownership of them is a contributory factor in the level of gun related killings in the US, is simply beyond me.

A guy on Channel Four news said pretty much exactly that last night - 'events like this are the price we pay for our freedom.' Didn't catch who he was, some sort of pro gun guy and also TV host I think. Not the brightest, he also said that there was no connection between the ready availability of weapons such as the one used and the deaths. Bombs (like the ones used in Boston) kill people too, what about them? Well yes they do, that's why the acts of making one or having one is illegal. As should be having one of these guns. Incidentally, I've said before that too many people accept the lie that the NRA is about protecting the right to bear arms. It is an industrial lobby group, concerned about the right of American people to buy guns. From them.

At a function I was at recently Budge was asked what the capacity of the new ground would be. She mumbled something about not being able to remember exactly, it would be a bit over 20,000, she would have to check the precise number. To which my response was 'Aye, right!', it's clearly somewhere between 20,000 and 20,420. Such things matter to some. It does sound as though the hospitality facilities will be a massive improvement (not difficult), and it will have some atmosphere too when full I suspect. Being shiny when it is finished is a nice to have, but not that important in the grand scheme of things.

The footage of it is horrendous. Selling hand guns to the public is one thing. It's dumb, but it might have some sort of warped logic in the context of self-defense in a gun obsessed culture with their history. I guess. But having the kind of weapon that seems to have been used here easily and widely available is just crazy.