Jocky Balboa

I dare say it isn't just the league position, the drawn-out managerial farce, nor even the kick-off time, that's done this. I think the fact we've laid down to Rasellick so many times in recent years, especially after talking a good game in the press in the build-up, has been a contributing factor. That said, if we did upset the long odds, how many would come crawling out of the woodwork for a ticket?

It's sad how his career has gone since leaving us, but how many times have we seen this scenario; promising youngster makes a big move too soon, long before they're the finished article, then struggles to make it in the game... The next part, whether he salvages his career or fades into obscurity, remains to be seen. He's still a young lad, so hopefully he'll turn it around.

Clearly an accidental mistype, as is common when we use mobile devices. Your persistence in playing the keyboard commando is impressive though, I'll give you that. One can only wonder what you're compensating for... 🤔🙄

For a pea brain with the attention span of a gnat, I'm it surprised that triggered you. Your post is duly noted.

I'm sorry, you have read far too much into that. Firstly, I'm not referring to people "promoted over me", rather the older generation who are already above me. I am happy with my lot overall. I'm simply saying the changes to education and the engineering profession (among others) after 1999 made it harder for our young people to succeed. As a father of young kids that concerns me greatly. It's not sour grapes to point out the bounties enjoyed by the post-war generation and baby boomers were unprecedented - and may never be seen again. A wider issue is that, since the late-90's, too much prestige has been placed on higher education, to the detriment of skilled trades and vocational work, whether it's good old fashioned British snobbery, or other factors.

Same here. If I had my time again though, not sure I'd go the same route. I was among the first generation to pay tuition fees, but it was the abolition of grants (and replacing them with loans) that really screwed the working class over and created a debt mountain that doesn't always justify the investment. Also interesting how the goalposts moved twice in 1999; first with tuition fees and again with the UK SPEC criteria for Chartership, going from a BEng (Hons) to Masters level (MEng or MSc) requirement. Many of us millennials have been Chartered a long time, but are behind bosses who not only benefitted massively from free education, with a grant they could practically live on for 3/4 years, but who only needed a Bachelor's degree (and jumped through fewer hoops) to get Chartered.

Kenny Minker is irrelevant these days, but yes he parrots the parochial lines about the 'natural order' of things. Exactly, a ludicrous suggestion. While I acknowledge Stewart's "Aberdeen is a great club" compliments, like Kenny Minker and co. he perpetuates the parochial mentality of Scottish football, which sees the same old dinosaurs in charge, with the same outdated methods and thinking, which only entrenches the uncompetitive backwards that is our game.

Nothing unusual about Masonic refereeing, as we all know. Especially when it's at Ibrox AND the hegemony of the Weegie duopoly is threatened. That shows you just how good our 70's and 80's teams were, to overcome that.

They would indeed.

Smith and Scott were a formidable team and if only Hateley hadn't got away with his Hunnery... Many also overlook Miller's first 2 seasons in charge; we pushed a cheating Hun team (who were unbeaten in Europe that year and 90mins away from the CL final) all the way in all 3 competitions, then got another runner-up finish and were a whisker away from knocking Torino (one of the top 3 teams in Italy FFS) out of Europe. If the European format was like today's, we'd have been Champions League regulars and looking at a very different post-millennium history. Conversely, McInnes did a great job for 5 years, but had no Sevco, then a weakened form, with neither Edinburgh team at the races and both enduring relegations. Once the playing field caught up, we stagnated and eventually went backwards.

If I'd been asked a year ago, I'd have said Fury is too big and powerful, especially as Usyk (unlike Holyfield for instance) still looks like a Cruiserweight rather than a genuine Heavyweight. Since then, my doubts have crept in and I've a feeling an upset is on the cards. We'll see.

Exactly what I said before; it gets on my fucking nerves listening to those Uncle Paddy types, slagging off Scottish football to gain favour with their former colonisers. They're as bad as the Plastic Paddies who sing their "Chucky songs" while living and working in England and taking the Queen's coin for a living.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ssi9du5lUpA&pp=ygUTdmFuIGhhbGVuIHRvcCBqaW1teQ%3D%3D

Off to Bulgaria in the summer for a week. Haven't been in a decade and a half, so looking forward to seeing how it's come on. Beautiful country.

The Titanic Museum is well worth a visit, or if you like the great outdoors, the Giant's Causeway and Dunluce Castle (GoT territory).