Deep Blue Something

Stand in for Alan Carr as Fatty Man.

It will all come to a head at the AGM. Digging his cabbage patch in the Algarve after then.

Glen Hoddle? God only knows. And he's not telling. David Icke, even, if he didn't change the colours to purple.

Each side is playing a game of poker. McCoist wants his money, all of it, before he will leave and he will sit it out either in the dug out or his garden and collect his weekly cut of the 750K per annum. The Board want him to take a reduced payment to leave and sign a Confidentiality Agreement. Ally will not accept the money nor sign the CA as he will probably be looking at a book deal to spill the beans. End of Round 1 - IMPASSE I expect Round 2 after Saturday's result but before the AGM without much change. Round 3 will be after the AGM and it is then I expect an agreement (even amicable???) and Ally's departure thereafter. A very Ally Christmas to us all.

Money does not equate with performance and that goes as much for the players as it does for the manager. Whatever the outcome, the blame lies fully at the feet of Champagne Charlie for offering such inflated contracts. SPIV.

Can I just add here that I totally hate the Alloa strip. It is bogging.

A lot of wishful thinking is going on with our supporters. Me included. If MA can make a profit by have two of his considerable fingers in both pies then he will, but if he is forced to pull one finger out of a pie then it is not going to be the magpie.

Not going to happen. Apparently, Ings ain't what he used to be.

Money's too tight to mention. Money, money, money, money. We're talkin' about money, money. We're talkin' about money, money. We're talkin' about money, money, We're talkin' about money, money, MONEY! We just have to accept that we are fooked unless Daddy Warbucks opens up his considerable war chest.

Up until yesterday I separated McCoist the man, the legend from McCoist the not very good football manager. But now I see no difference. If he really cared about the club he'd just leave..

Players going out on loans are no use to us. We want them out permanently and transfer money in. And I wouldn't give anything to that manager.

I am totally gobsmacked by the news. I will let it sink in before I comment. It would appear that every other football supporter in Scotland, apart from us, is elated at the news that McCoist is staying. Why should that be? I'm away to kick the cat.

Certainly couldn't get much older than Alex Smith. Soon be getting his card from the Queen.

Not quite but I know someone who is.

This is my thunking. An agreement will be reached. But Ally's legal/financial advisor(s) will be looking for a payoff. £400k is the figure being banded around and I would expect a number somewhere close to that.

\No he didn't. UBIG owned the majority of Hearts shares and UBIG was the main sponsor of FBK, they did not own FBK. Vlad's son was the Chairman of the Hearts' Board which Vlad was not a member of. Methinks years of working under the soviets had made Vlad wary of dealing directly. Vlad was only a minor share holder in UBIG as the ownership of UBIG was spread among relatives and other companies he had controlling interest in. However, everyone know who pulled the strings. This was the reason it took so long for Ann Budge to get hold of the shares in Hearts from the Lithuanian administrations. I suspect that if/when MA comes in he will use umbrella companies and yes men to hide his involvement. If his name does not appear on any documents how can the SFA object.

Totally Irrelevant. We are not talking about European nights but playing against the dregs of the SPFL/SFL. McCoist should never have needed a squad the size it is or players on the money they are on to beat the likes of Queens Park, Elgin City, East Stirlingshire, etc. As it is we should have been romping this league and probably would have under another manager..

I expect we will learn more after the Board's meeting with McCoist tomorrow. Would Durrant/McDowell take the team until a new manager is appointed and them punted..

And a wanky spelling of Livingston, too. However, with the clueless McGlynn gone we need to beware of the worm that turned.

Doesn't Billy Davies always refer to Billy Davies in the Third Person?

Rumour (as that is all we have) is that McCoist handed in his notice to Somers, but it could have been his secretary if he still has one. Something as important as this should maybe have gone recorded delivery. However it went I am sure the content was discuss with his legal advisor (if not written by) before sending. Another rumour is that the Board will meet in London tomorrow and then meet McCoist on Wednesday. This has the feel of Butcher's sacking at Hibs where the Board met on the Monday and Butcher was sent to tender his garden on the Wednesday. My waters are telling me that Ally will be gone from Ibrox by Wednesday night.

Wallace, Souness. Smith, Advocaat. McLeish. All did pretty well.

The old adage goes that defenders make better managers than strikers. I'd take Jig over Miller but prefer neither.

Aye the Wormtongues are coming out of the woodwork, slowly. Who will be next to turn on their friend in tomorrow's red tops? Who are these nameless ex-players that speak off-the-record?

The fact is that nobody knows the background but like many I can speculate. Ally, the amiable chap, got along with both Whyte and Green on the basis that they left the players and the playing budget alone, which they did in the main. Ashley comes along, puts his men in the big house and then they start making cuts to the admin staff, then the academy Staff and then I suspect Ally was told (pure supposition on my part) that his playing staff would be cut in January. So Ally gets miffed at Ashley/Lembas and hands in his notice activating the compensation clause. Due to confidentiality agreements he is tied to what he can and cannot say. I suspect that if MA has any intentions for the club, then he will foot the cost of an amicable settlement as McCoist's position at the club is now untenable. We will find out this week.