| The last time this column was updated, Wham were top of the charts so I apologise... Regardless, it was an eventful season with our manager going ten rounds with a supporter, complete unpredictability on the park, and plenty of buffoonery off it. But enough about the player's fathers. Kenny Brannigan put us on the backpage for all the wrong reasons in an example of typical tabloid sensationalism. Funny how a win against Inverness deserves a foot-note but something less creditable is scrawled all over the back of the disgusting rag (well we were in it once ) that is The Sun. For the record, I bought two copies. It overshadowed a good start to the season with goals flying in all over the place and Frankie Carroll proving to the rest of the league what Queen's Park fans knew already. Once KB left, we soon achieved our finest result of the season: a 3-2 win over Gretna. Although Billy Stark had been appointed, it was Scott Murdoch and Bobby Dickson who guided the team to a brilliant victory over the eventual champions. Gretna then proceeded to buy everyone in sight, including another five kitmen. Shame about the manager! This summer saw the departure of one of the most entertaining characters at the club, Ally Graham. The big man was not the most popular at Hampden, particularly with the comfy-seat crew giving him barrages of abuse after every mis-placed header. The away support, however, was always fully supportive of the big man and it was no surprise then that he turned out his best performances for Queen's away from Hampden. Who could forget his brilliant free-kick against St Mirren, his last minute header against Forfar, his winner at Inverness or his hat-trick at Methil? The only people who will forget will be those who weren't there and who will wrongly remember Big Ally as a useless waste of space. Indeed, it was true that he was beginning to live up to his middle name (Slowey) but he was an important member of the squad in the two seasons that he played and is the type of player that Billy Stark will need to replace next season. Unfortunately we weren't able to put forward a proper challenge to Gretna or Peterhead for promotion which wasn't entirely surprising considering Peterhead should have up gone up seasons ago and Gretna had a tonne of money behind them. It didn't stop of us from doing well against both sides but the main problem was putting away the 'weaker' teams in the league, this being most evident in our showings against Elgin and occasionally (!!) East Stirling. The young squad that we have seems to thrive on having a challenge before them and next season should be difficult enough with up to seven teams going for a promotion spot. Elsewhere, it seems that standards have really slipped in Scottish football. Graham 'Hullo Hullo' Roberts was appointed as C**** manager, Thistle are shipping goals to Buckie, Brechin and Leverndale, and the once mighty (or something that rhymes with mighty ) Dirty Rovers have had to resort to signing Martin Bonnar. Apparently, our Coatbridge friends are going to apply to Goals so they can play in a five-a-side league. The squad is so thin on the ground that yours truly applied for a trial via email although it would seem that it hasn't reached them yet. Waiting to be reignited next season is our great rivalry with Berwick, who were relegated from the Second Division last term. The Northumbrians have boasted that they are indeed bigger than they are and have taken all of their fans to the Pie & Bovril forums so they can spout their rubbish on a 'large' scale. The sacking of Paul Smith (booo) has brought the managerial clout of John Coughlin, famous for being simply rubbish at St. Mirren. More source of ridicule comes from the story that Jordan Tait, a signing from Arbroath, walked out a matter of weeks after he signed with the club for refusing to train with youth players. We can only hope that there are more joke-figures at Berwick waiting to take the huff. New President Garry Templeman spoke to the fans for the first time at the recent AGM, and his best suggestion was that current fans should bring along friends to perhaps try and convert them to the ways of the Spiders. Of course, if they already possess qualities such as the following - an irrational dislike for Clyde, Albion Rovers, Berwick, all referees and Jim Traynor, a love of the Specials and a high tolerance of buffoonery, especially that carried out on motorised transport - then they have a clear head-start. In all seriousness though, it is now a good time to capitalise on the floundering of the Old Firm (read: signing players from Brighton and generally being all talk and no trousers) to try and introduce new people to our great club. |
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| Brannigan vs Tyson - coming to a Glasgow bar near you |
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| Listen out for the new Specials single: 'We Hate F***** Berwick' |
| Oh Hampden In The Sun |