Saturday, January 31, 2009

ST. MIRREN DREW AT HOME TODAY BUT NOT AT LOVE STREET !

Bands played; the crowd cheered; the new stadium looked splendid, and the game was dire. Still you can’t have everything, and nothing could spoil the day for St. Mirren. I stood at my upstairs window looking on to Greenhill Road about a hundred yards from the stadium and observed the unusual sight of lots of people walking up the road which is usually pedestrian free, my two faithful dogs Mollie and Bessie voted it a hit as they barked themselves hoarse at the unusual supply of people for them to threaten. They had a great time dashing from one window to the next in a fierce display of territorial aggression, this display turns to boisterous cuddling, face licking and ferocious tail wagging when anyone comes in the house, still they look the part, Saturday afternoons are going to be quite noisy from now on.


The pre. match celebrations culminated in an impressive black and white ticker tape welcome as the teams came out and the desire of the home team and their fans was palpable; too palpable perhaps as nerves took over the St. Mirren players, they seemed overcome by the occasion as Kilmarnock settled in quicker and made the better chances. This was familiar stuff from Killie as they showed themselves to be tougher and more physical than their opponents, adding to the home team’s woes was the lack of atmosphere as the fans found their new surroundings a bit strange.

The crowd suddenly woke up due to a refereeing blunder as Kilmarnock midfielder ‘Taouil’ was wrongly booked for simulation, refs. Of course don’t have TV replays this led to Saints chanting “cheat, cheat etc.” which was unfortunate because the player in question was one of the few on show who was showing any composure with his quick control and passing ability. This was followed by a Killie goal by the impressive Kyle; things were going wrong for Saints as their fans began to show their frustration by getting on the player’s backs.

The Saints fans were further enraged by another incident and on this occasion they were right; the Killie keeper came for a long ball which Dargo got to first and the keeper took him out inside the box, a clear penalty; a foul in this circumstance is a penalty but not necessarily a red card if the player is going away from goal; the ref. got that part right; what he got wrong big time was the actual foul, it was a reckless dangerous lunge which Dargo did well to survive without seeing flashing blue lights, this was a red card anywhere on the pitch and it should have been here, a howler by the ref. Hamilton made an absolute hash of the kick; the keeper could have saved it by throwing his cap on the ball as it trundled toward him, I am amazed always to see professional players take penalties on the ground I reckon that about 90 % of penalty saves are shots on the ground, still what do I know.

Saints scored in the 82nd. minute and finished with their tails up, you could argue that it was a fair result, while Killie looked the slightly better team and Saints looked nervous, Killie got out of jail with the keeper incident. Setanta played their traditional part on these big occasions by losing the picture in the 92nd. minute.

The undoubted highlight of the day was chairman Stuart Gilmour introducing First Minister Alex (the spiv) Salmond who strutted on to the pitch with various SNP sycophants hoping to touch the hem of his garment; only to be greeted by a chorus of loud boos and jeers, discerning football fans in Paisley for sure; they then sang a lurid chorus about the First Ministers personal habits; absolutely priceless. St. Mirren and their rather impatient fans withdrew happy at a point but, the overwhelming feeling was one of relief at avoiding defeat on day one at St. Mirren Park Greenhill Road Paisley, they will play better in future and the fans will settle and provide a better atmosphere, one last point, if you can’t control the ball and pass it on this pitch you are in the wrong job, here’s to the future.

17 comments:

The Brokendown Barman said...

nice wee stadium, the methodrome.
i hear its the only park in scotland with a pharmacy and the facilty for signing on!!!

Cllr Terry Kelly said...

(the broken down barman) 17:51

Don’t you just sound like the well rounded right wing bigot?
I must bow to your superior knowledge of drugs and signing on.

Anonymous said...

As a fan I had very mixed feelings about the move. All the rational, practical arguements were against me but emotinally it's Love Street all the way for me.

The past is the past and while I'd have wished for a better start in our new home I can't deny liking the new stadium. Like any major change it takes getting used to but I'm hopeful for the future.

Incidentially if you're thinking of selling your house can I get first refusal?

As for the broken down barman's comment -I'd suggest that if he feels that strongly about Feegie's problems he volunteers with one of the numerous locally run voluntary groups in the area seeking to make the area a better place.

Anonymous said...

So two wee freebies courtesy of St. Mirren Footbal Club? You will correct me if I am wrong I am sure!
How the fat of the land get fatter indeed!
P.S. Your comments re. east end of Glasgow junior football teams does need a wee bit of updating!

The Brokendown Barman said...

ha ha. right wing bigot??? na am not a labour man

Cllr Terry Kelly said...

(Rab) 16:51
You are the first person I’ve told it to who didn’t find the football club gag funny, that’s kind of weird.

As for freebies are concerned; you seem to be trying to make some point, do you want to try again?

Cllr Terry Kelly said...

(Anonymous) 31/01/09

I think that St. Mirren will settle in and they will thrive, new stadium, far better transport links, debt free, it’s always sad when you leave a much loved home particularly after such a long time but, it was the right decision.

“The broken barman” is a lost cause; a figure of fun, pathetic really.

Cllr Terry Kelly said...

(the broken down barman) 18:34
“ha ha. right wing bigot??? na am not a labour man”

When I read gratuitous insults directed at a working class community which is making great efforts to improve it’s lot; I naturally assume I’m dealing with a knuckle dragging right wing bigot who get’s his political opinions from the pages of the “SUN” what did I miss?

The Brokendown Barman said...

i know what you mean. when i read all the childish and pathetic comments aimed at rival councillors etc i thought i must be dealing with someone with such little political opinion that he had to resort to mud throwing and bitching fust to get himself noticed.
what are you trying to say about the sun?? where do you get your political knowledge from? citizen smith??

Cllr Terry Kelly said...

(the broken down barman) 01/02/09

Your reactionary remarks about Ferguslie would have fitted into a SUN editorial, I’m trying to say that you and the SUN deserve each other.

The Brokendown Barman said...

are you trying to say the sun only appeals to knuckle dragging bigots? that the sun is pathetic and a thing to poke fun at?

Cllr Terry Kelly said...

(the broken down barman) 19:29

“are you trying to say the sun only appeals to knuckle dragging bigots?

No; there are lots of people who read it because it’s cheap, shows lots of naked females, does lots of sports, has massive TV coverage, and simple crosswords as well as the knuckle dragging bigots like you.

“that the sun is pathetic and a thing to poke fun at?”

That’s a tricky one but I’ve given it great thought and have to say you are damned right it is.

The Brokendown Barman said...

i would just like to ask you why you keep calling me a bigot? do you actually know what the word means or do you just use it against anyone who has an opinion you dont like?

Cllr Terry Kelly said...

(the broken down barman) 03/02/09

“methodrome, Pharmacy, signing on facility.” can’t you work it out.

I deal with people whose opinions I don’t like all the time without calling them bigots.

The Brokendown Barman said...

Bigot
Big"ot\, n. [F. bigot a bigot or hypocrite, a name once given to the Normans in France. Of unknown origin; possibly akin to Sp. bigote a whisker; hombre de bigote a man of spirit and vigor; cf. It. s-bigottire to terrify, to appall. Wedgwood and others maintain that bigot is from the same source as Beguine, Beghard.]

1. A hypocrite; esp., a superstitious hypocrite. [Obs.]

2. A person who regards his own faith and views in matters of religion as unquestionably right, and any belief or opinion opposed to or differing from them as unreasonable or wicked. In an extended sense, a person who is intolerant of opinions which conflict with his own, as in politics or morals; one obstinately and blindly devoted to his own church, party, belief, or opinion.

To doubt, where bigots had been content to wonder and believe. --Macaulay.

Bigot
Big"ot\, a. Bigoted. [Obs.]

In a country more bigot than ours. --Dryden.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.

so how am i a bigot???

Anonymous said...

Ah, the ability to look up a dictionary. What intellect.

Cllr Terry Kelly said...

(Jim Lewis) 16:23
Not for the first time Jim you have me baffled. I very rarely use a dictionary but I do use the spell checker a lot.