Well just when you think your side turns a corner, they go and turn in another poor performance that is on par with Portsmouth at home and Chesterfield away in the Carling Cup. For a time in the Newcastle game we had played so well and looked so full of confidence and then we played Watford in the cup. Lacklustre, poor, defeatist are just some of the words I can think of and on top of all that, a howler from Roy Carroll. With Liverpool at home in the league tomorrow a hard game has gotten even harder. Neill now out for 3 weeks, rather then the 6 that Five Live reported over the weekend and with most of our first line defence out either through injury and apparent disagreements with Curbishley (ie Robert Green) we looked screwed. Then again it’s a big match so the players will for sure be up for that. Shame they have not been up for Reading at home and other such games.

Anyway, onto club and country. Alex McLeish has been named as the new Scotland manager and that has got me thinking about the way Walter Smith left his job with the national side. Smith left Scotland to go back to the side he had managed in the 90’s and to me that is a betrayal of his nation but it’s a tough one. From a career point of view, the offer comes once in a while but the man the chance to lead your nation is a strong pull. However what would happen to Steve McClaren if the Man Utd job were to become available? I think he would take it as that opportunity does not come along every day but if McClaren were a liked manager then people would be up in arms about losing a talented manager. People would be more annoyed by the snub to the country and the fact it has happened. Just depends on the person really.

And to end to continue the break up of Hearts, their two best players are up for sale and wanted out of the door before the end of the transfer window. If I were a Hearts fan I would be putting the finishing touches to my protest plans.