OzPar

Respectable enough first half performance. Some good pressing and passing sequences. Hope we don't come to rue that penalty miss. Ambrose is a little bit too casual at the back and I worry that he may cost us a goal. Hopefully we'll see Thomas at some stage and another attacker for the last 15/20 minutes. We could win this, but it is way too close to call at this stage.

Bobby Kamwa and Dan Pybus notable absences today. Presumably they are injured or ill as there is nothing to suggest that form is an issue with them.

I am a bit nervous about this one. I would be satisfied with a draw today.

2-0 at half time and it could be 5. We are totally dominating proceedings. Our defence has been flawless, we are winning everything in midfield and McCann is everywhere proving a handful for the Queens defenders. More of the same in the second half and we will all be happy.

Yogi seems to place great store in a player’s attitude and I think there is a lot of merit in that. It had been evident for some time that there were a handful of players who were not putting in adequate shifts for the Pars. One or two presumably didn’t take to the Yogi style, while others may already have given up before he arrived, scunnered by Peter Grant. Yogi is clearing those out. Logic dictates that a player like Wighton would always be chosen ahead of McCann, but he wasn't... why do you think that was? Same would surely apply to Toderov too... why? With more players out than in, our squad might appear a little bit threadbare at the moment, but a couple more new faces will probably be enough. Let’s hope that Yogi has picked well this window. So much depends on our survival in this division. The board appear to have given him fair freedom to shuffle his pack, so fair dos to them. I don't know about you, but I am quite excited about seeing how the refreshed squad melds during the remainder of this season. it has been quite a nightmare so far, so hopefully fewer sleepless nights await us. At least we should be better equipped for the relegation fight if our players are all singing from the same songbook. COYP!

Yes, I have been troubled by point 1 since the private buy-in. There has been a fundamental shift in the manner that the club is run and administered. It can no longer lay claim to being a fan-run club and Lifeline does not sit comfortably in the new scenario. I am not a lawyer, but I suspect that the scheme as it is presently constituted might be in need of a review, given the club is in private hands and fans have a very small proportion of ownership. It seems to me that a conversion of Lifeline to a club membership scheme might be the best way around this. When does the new CEO come in? His first task should be to undertake a full review of where the club is, where it wants to go, and how the heck we get there. Right now, our situation is bleak. I struggle to find much to be cheerful about where the Pars are concerned.

We need to win this one. In many respects, this is way more than a six-pointer. If we don't win, it is surely inevitable that we will begin to hear supporters baying for Yogi's blood. We all know that it is way too early for this to happen, but who out there thinks that it won't? Sadly this is a feature of the game these days. Once it starts, if we happen to be sitting bottom of the league, then the manager has a hell of a job on his hands to reverse that public sentiment. We end up in a negative vortex with relegation a near certainty and an even more giant mountain to climb next season. That said, I'll go for a scrappy 1-0 win for the Pars. Don't let us down at Cappielow, lads!

Well, I don't know about you guys, but I am satisfied with a draw there. We started the game well, pressing high, passing into spaces. It soon became apparent that we had abandoned the long, exhausting pass out from the back approach (thank goodness). The early exchanges were tough, with Dow, Benedictus and Dick all going in far too heavily. However, I thought that the ref handled things okay. Having just 500 in the stadium on derby day worked to our advantage. We seemed to do well in the first half exploiting their left flank, but the best early chance fell to Tom Lang, who somehow managed to slip in behind our defence to head wide. It was a very near miss. Incredibly, we did precisely the same a minute later at the other end. The rest of the half was notable for the Pars' solid play. Without the ponderous Dorrans on the field, we seemed to be far more aggressive, winning most of the main challenges in central midfield though constantly failing to capitalise. Edwards provided some penetrating play on the left while Lawless had a fine debut, revealing a solid and tidy, useful player. Some of his interceptions in midfield were excellent. He was my MOM. Todd and Allen tried hard, and I won't over-criticise their efforts, though their execution was worrying at times. The same concern applies to Breen. We need some more mature heads on the pitch. McCann worked hard, but he is not an effective striker on his own. Instead, we need to find a forward who can effectively link with McCann if he is to remain our threat upfront. If true that Wighton is Perth-bound, then we need to address that slot quite urgently, possibly lose Todorov along the way too, as Yogi seems to have no desire to play him. All in all, I am more than happy that we have survived a New Year battle at Starks Park and come away with a point. Finally, it looks like we have something to build on. It is 4.30 am here, and yes, that surely confirms me as a daft Pars supporter. But what the heck? We scored a precious point. Life is good. COYP!

I was told several weeks ago by someone who does know that Vitas wants away... I will give no further info.

Perhaps, the message from disgruntled fans has gotten through...

Geez, 1950Par, that's wonderful... "He imagines his Mam's laugh like waves caressing the shore an feels sad..." That line punched me hard in the gut. Very evocative. Thank you for sharing that. Quality! I wish a Happy New Year to you all, it's blistering warm Down Under. Just remember, things will get better... Oz

That's a shame, rosythpar. It is disappointing to hear this. My correspondence with the club has been pretty good over the years, even recently. In days gone by, even the notoriously grumpy Paul D'Mello was civil enough to write me a letter rejecting an idea that I had to improve ticket distribution. I have a file for DAFC in my home filing cabinet, and I have a couple of letters going back to the 1980s from Karen Grega. Pride of place goes to a handwritten note on Pars letterhead from Jim Leishman after I wrote him expressing my joy at getting promoted.

If you are a Pars fan, you are bound to be a frustrated and disappointed individual right now. This has been as bad a season as I can remember, even compared to the Tam Forsyth days, which were an ultra-special lowlight. I don't know what to make of Yogi right now. He's been dealt a lousy hand and is entitled to see the season out without premature calls for his head. We are days away from the transfer window and my goodness, Yogi and the DAFC board had better show some firm intent! Both parties are going to be under the microscope as far as fans are concerned. Things are so bad that I look at our current squad and honestly, I can't see 11 players that I would want to retain in a Championship team. The squad we had in AJ's last season was a horrible one, but this one??? It sure takes the biscuit. What a total disaster Peter Grant was. We don't want Yogi repeating his Rovers mistake and going full-on public with his criticism of the players, but I would hope that he is collectively and individually giving these guys a serious talking to. I despair at his "friend of everyone" approach. He has got to distance himself from the players. Let somebody else tell the jokes in the dressing room. A manager is not paid to be popular. I might be reading this completely wrong, but I worry that he's trying too hard to be liked, and this could be rubbing off on the players' level of commitment. The trouble with taking that lightweight approach is that when the team lets you down, and you have to be firm, you have few options left but resort to the Genghis Khan approach. Unless you are extremely careful, doing that will lose you the dressing room forever. And we know Yogi has previous for that. What on earth is going on with Gasputis? He should be a first pick on the current team sheet. Something is not right there. I think he will be gone next week, which would be terribly sad. The other worry I have is that with reputedly "difficult" players like Dorrans and Thomas in the squad, and rumours that Yogi is looking to sign new players with less than rosy behaviour records, we could be storing up troubles for a meltdown in the dressing room later on in the season when the fight against relegation gets into full swing. Oh boy! Sorry to be such an old curmudgeon, but what little Christmas cheer I had just went out the window at quarter to five... Here's to a Happier New Year, everyone!

John Hughes needs to stop being everybody's friend. This is gruesome. He should be lining up the P45 envelopes on his desk this evening. This team needs to be emptied. I am reluctant to blame Yogi at this stage, but I think his reliance and trust on youth right now is a big mistake. Another home game where we concede three goals and barely lay a hand on their goalie's jumper. Yet again, we were completely outplayed by Campbell's part-timers! Holding on to possession is fine, but this slow, deliberate side passing is horrendous to watch when there is no attacking intent. We are second to every ball. Constantly overhitting or miss hitting our passes. How many of Allan's corners failed to get past the first man? Wighton was playing way too deep, always with his back to goal, slow to react, never making a forward run into space... what has happened to him? Contrast that with Nouble, who was everywhere! The complaints could go on and on. I struggle to recognise this Pars side. Even once-good long-serving players look like utter strangers now. Frankly, I am beginning to think we were better off with Stevie Crawford! Relegation looks like a serious prospect right now. Damn the day Peter Grant was allowed through the front door of EEP - his appalling legacy is stinking our place out.

A Merry Christmas to you all from Down Under... let's raise a glass to a better year.

Yes, I agree with you, Superally. It can be beyond frustrating watching a blank unresponsive screen as the clock ticks over to kick-off time. The earlier you get yourself organised with PPV, the better. I have just paid for mine. As for the game, we are long overdue a bit of luck against the Campbell brothers. Time to wipe the smile off their glaikit self-satisfied faces... 3-0 Pars!

Crikey! Dick's a year older than me. And I have been retired twa years. He doesn't need another gig after Arbroath...

I am delighted to see that Keyzer Soze and Rengade Master are performing random stress tests on this forum to ensure that its soundness and integrity are properly maintained. We can't have this forum slipping from its impeccable behaviour standards... Very well done, lads!

I was just thinking the same. Have a safe journey home everybody.

The game stopped for 10 minutes. Doesn't look good.

It has been a good even game so far. Agree with everyone about the penalty. Looked real dodgy. For a while after their goal, I was getting that "here we go again" feeling as Killie were first to everything and looked threatening down both flanks, especially with the ageing Chris Burke. But all credit to the Pars, they stepped up the tempo, and their passing game became much more pronounced. We got the reward with a well-taken goal from Wighton after some fine work from Dow on the left. As the half went on, we looked much more composed. It's my birthday today, and I hope the Pars will make it a cheerful one...

How interesting, rosythpar. That kind of fits, when you think about it.

It is odd how two people can see a player and see two entirely different qualities. Wide midfielder? Winger? A matter of semantics. I agree that he has been generally awful since his injury, arguably because he has been forced to play in a position where he has been unable to get the ball down to the byline and attack to get in that killer cross. I was brought up watching guys like Jimmy Johnstone, Alex Edwards, and Willie Henderson, so I know what a really good winger is. I saw Dow hugging the wing quite well for a couple of seasons, swapping passes with Comrie very effectively, and... yes... taking on players and rounding them to get to the byline. He may not have the dinky footwork, but he's a decent enough "winger" in my book. In contrast, I see both Thomas and Kennedy (to a lesser extent) as more adaptable players, not just out-and-out wingers/wide midfielders but players who are comfortable playing more central inside roles if required, which I think Dow is not. But, this game is all about opinions. That's mine.

I have watched live more competitive sport than I care to remember. Football and the two forms of rugby obviously. Born in Scotland, live in sports-mad Australia, where 30,000 will turn up to watch a tiddlywinks tournament. Here's what I can remember... F1 Motor Racing (Melbourne) Australian Open Tennis (Melbourne) American Baseball (Seattle Mariners v San Diego Royals) Basketball (Australian league) Classic Car Racing (Silverstone) Horse Racing (Melbourne Cup) Cricket (many, many, many...) UK Car Rally (New Galloway forest) Woodchopping Tournaments (Tasmania and Queensland) Rodeo (Queensland) Truck Racing (Peterborough) Caber Tossing (Morar and Glenfinnan Highland Games) And as a competitor... Yacht racing (Since the 1980s, I have competed all over the UK, Northern Europe and Australia) Orienteering (Scottish Nationals, Aberfoyle, many moons ago) Curling (Perth and Melbourne, until my knees gave up) Frog Racing (Magnetic Island, Queensland... cane toads are by far the most proficient racers)

He has an interesting CV. I wonder if it was Rennie who ran Yogi close in interviews for the Pars manager's post? Just a thought.