DA-go Par Adonis

Their keeper will chuck one in if we can get enough pressure on him. From our perspective, there is a chance that Benjamin isn't the answer at right back...

I think he'll go with Otoo, MFW and MWH as a back 3. Edwards and O'Halloran as wing-backs and Hamilton are the holding midfielder. I am getting less enthused with every word I type.

Scottish Cup Winner, goalscorer in a Scottish Cup Final, winning goal against Everton in the Cup-Winners Cup, 6 goals in the last game of a season, which kept us up (relegating Falkirk) and managed us to promotion, edging out Falkirk on the last day. Fair to say that Legend is more than appropriate. Rest in Peace.

I've just realised that the Pars and the only other team I really support (Hull FC in the Super League) are both on TV tonight, away from home and strongly fancied to get a doing. It wouldn't be a good evening to turn teetotal.

If I was Fisher's agent, I'd be pointing out the difference between the defensive performance at Tannadice and the following two weeks at EEP.

There was one in the building, but he dislocated his wrist signing the contract.

It seemingly never ends. I reckon if we had landed Ashcroft, Otoo would be on the treatment table by now. The timing is interesting. If Miles Welch-Hayes has been brought in to replace Comrie, they must have moved pretty quickly to get him - if he wasn't being lined up previously.

The boy has played 150 games in the English lower leagues (few of us have any idea what position he played in all of those), Martindale said when he signed he could play in a variety of positions, he seemingly played CB for Livi in pre-season - and we play a back 3. We're also going through a season where everyone is getting injured. It seems a logical signing based on that. He might be dire. He might break a bone tomorrow and never kick a ball for us. As it stands today, it seems to make sense.

Given his recent demise, it's not the comparison I'd make. I get the gist, however.

I agreed that Potter at Raith was a positive factor for them. Nobody is arguing that the Rovers are not doing an excellent job in recruiting players. I've never seen this new guy play. However, my understanding is that he is right-footed and can play as a centre back, right back or right wing back. My guess would therefore be that we'll have him on the right hand side of the back 3, with Comrie as wing-back or vice-versa - depending on what looks best in training. I think it is fair to suggest this is plan B i.e. he would not have been signed if we landed Ashcroft. I think Fagan-Walcott will see plenty of game time over the next few weeks, Benjamin not so much.

Maybe he does, but I was replying to DeclanG.

Does it not reek more putting plan B into place - given that plan A had to be abandoned yesterday as he signed for Raith?

The strategy is to run light, so that there is a pathway for youth players to come through. I'd argue that we were light at the start of the season, but not that light by the time the window closed if you look at the first team squad. Regardless, that plan is very much the philosophy of DAFC Fussball GmBH. Cook has obviously been brought in to run the club, so one would imagine that the strategy isn't so objectionable that he cannot work with it - but it isn't his brainchild.

Somehow we managed it with Meggle sitting behind his laptop in Hamburg and Cook sitting in his office shuffling paper and playing solitaire.

I would argue that injuries have been more of a disaster than the signings. Since Cook has been in charge, we've secured a lot of decent players - some on loan, some permanent, some on loan and then signed permanently. We've also successfully re-signed a lot of our own players who were out of contract. We've clearly missed out on some guys, most notably in this window, but that would seem to be a product of us being in freefall results-wise, which is largely due to a crippling injury list. There will also be budgets/wage structure that he's got to work within, but the owners are going to have the ultimate say on those numbers.

We've got a CEO who is hands on and is here. Your point seemed to be that Rovers had someone in regular touch with Ashcroft, making him feel wanted at the club, whereas we didn't. That wasn't the case.

Potter is a good guy, so that is probably a factor. He left us for a bigger opportunity at Sunderland though, so it is not as if the club dropped the ball on that one. Raith being one point off top spot and us being in freefall in 9th is likely the biggest issue, however. It isn't really a big decision for Rudden and Ashcroft if both clubs are in for them. If Byrne is the other one you're referring to, I believe that was slightly different.

Do you think that there was no-one at our club regularly in touch with Ashcroft, trying to get the deal across the line?

We will definitely be back in 4th place in six weeks' time.

I can write for both the Digs' and the Kelty Par's of the this world... Berkey on .net is beyond my powers, however.

On 30th December, we were winning 2-1 at HT at Ayr. At the same time, Airdrie were not ahead in their game. The live league table had us in 4th place - and 6 points clear of 5th place. So, I guess the answer for the optimists amongst us, is that a lot can change very quickly in football. There is no guarantee that everything will look as gloomy when season tickets go on sale. We could end the season with Bene, Fisher and Otoo at the back. KRH and Edwards bombing down the wings, Hamilton, Todd and Summers running over teams in the middle of the park and Kane working well with Jakubiak up front. Alternatively, everyone might be injured, Comrie, Young and Fenton are the last ones standing, they can't cope with Kane Hester, which results in Little picking the ball out the net half a dozen times as Montrose horse us out of the play-offs...

I wasn't at Queen's Park, kept up to date with the score and then put it out of my mind - so can't really comment. However, did he not change the personnel and put Hamilton back there? I've no issue with the back 3 per se - but I do have a problem when the 3 of them are introducing themselves to each other at kick off.

It could be bad luck, though. Occasionally, you will get a season where this happens, albeit this is as extreme as I can remember. Last season, was the reverse, where we were, on the face of it, extremely lucky with the lack of injuries. I'd be interested in hearing his rationale for the back 3 he put out against Morton. Looked pretty risky prior to kick-off and utterly suicidal by full-time.

A couple of interesting new signings, a couple returning from injury, an unexpected point and clean sheet last week, a seemingly reassuring patron's meeting and we're playing a side we've beaten fairly comfortably twice already this season. Based on 40 years of watching the Pars, I can't see what could go wrong...

Or the same level as Maidstone - if you fancy a positive spin.