SPL Fanzone

KILMARNOCK

We were talking to Craig Bryson at the website player of the year award after the game last week and he was telling us that the players have been giving big Conor Sammon stick about going off at the summer break and his twin brother coming back instead. Truth, as they say, is sometimes stranger than fiction…but we have been assured that "The Fish" is indeed the same player that struggled last term.

Even stranger is that the notoriously fickle (as we have been labelled by the press) Killie support have voted a striker without a league goal this season as their man of the match in all but one of the games we've played so far. Maybe they will start to call us "easily pleased" Killie fans from here on in – but somehow I doubt that – it does not conform to the stereotype we seem to be bracketed in.

Barry Richmond

www.killiefc.com

ST JOHNSTONE

We finally did it! Three points on the board, doubling our tally for the season and hopefully giving us a confidence boost going forward. Shame our next game is against Rangers, fresh off the back of their – albeit not entirely convincing – win in the Old Firm match.

I was stunned at Accies' tactics though. At home against the team with the worst defensive record in the league, they played effectively a 9-0-1 formation. They were so negative it was unreal – Gartland and Anderson were being invited to dribble from their own penalty box into the Hamilton half without a challenge.

We need to gather some momentum in the upcoming games against Killie and Falkirk – while Hamilton were pretty poor, we can't rely on them losing every week to ensure we stay up.

Jamie Beatson

www.weareperth.co.uk

HEARTS

Much has been made of our poor away record following Saturday's defeat, but it should be borne in mind that goals with virtually the last kick of the ball denied us a share of the points at Celtic Park and a victory at St Johnstone. But Saturday's performance cannot be put down to bad luck. Yes, Suso should have scored and at 2-0 the game would have been over, but the display in the second half was a disgrace. St Mirren were always going to win at home eventually, but for a Hearts team to go down without any real fight was a slap in the face to the fans that travelled.

Congratulations to Lee Wallace for his call-up to the Scotland squad even if it has come through the withdrawal of others. It is fully deserved and hopefully he can put in a performance as there is an opportunity for him to become Scotland's first-choice left-back.

Broxburn Jambo

HIBERNIAN

With second place looming if we took a point or more last week, a point is exactly what we got in an entertaining game against Dundee United. Slowly but surely there are more and more good signs showing from this Hibs team as another fine attacking display saw us take a deserved half-time lead through a fine Zemmama goal. Had Hibs taken the chances which fell their way, most notably a Riordan effort from under the bar, then Webster's deflected shot may have been nothing more than a consolation.

Eddie Henderson

www.hibs.net

ST MIRREN

At long, long last, the wait is over. There's no way it should have taken us eight months for our first league win at Greenhill Road, but there's no point worrying about that now as the jinx has finally been broken. Craig Dargo's winner against Hearts was fit to win any game, let alone provide a win of such note, and we can only hope he manages to keep himself fit. Perhaps in six months' time we'll look at Suso's awful first-half miss as a turning point in our season. Instead of just hammering the loose ball towards goal, he decided to try to skin our defence in a Jose Quitongo-esque fashion, with the end result being just as effective. It's a shame we can't build on our momentum due to the international break, but as we waited so long for this win I'm sure we can wait a few weeks for another one.

Stuart Gillespie

www.saintmirren-mad.co.uk

ABERDEEN

A point at Rugby Park is never disastrous, we can't expect youngsters to perform at their peak every week, and the spirit shown to come back so late on is a good sign for the coming season.

However, the old squad-depth problem reared its head again this weekend. While the game was by no means as one-sided as a couple of bizarre match reports made out, the Dons were maybe fortunate to take a point from a game that on another day we could've lost. The defence was laughably makeshift and occasionally shambolic, and all because we had a measly two players in the treatment room. The board must appreciate this cannot go on if their ambition, demonstrated in sacking a solid manager in order to push on to the next level, is to be realised – and that means opening the purse a touch in January.

Craig Stewart

www.aberdeen-mad.co.uk

HAMILTON ACCIES

Billy Reid said after Saturday's defeat by St Johnstone that he wouldn't use the absence of Mark McLaughlin and Simon Mensing as an explanation for the team's poor display.

He wouldn't, but I will. Without McLaughlin we looked unsure of ourselves at the back and without Mensing we had no attacking threat from midfield. Hopefully these two will be back for the trip to Tannadice in a couple of weeks and we should also have a fit Guillaume Beuzelin by that time too.

Accies were poor at the weekend but the club's management have not invested all their time and money to see us surrender meekly. I am sure that things will come right over the course of the season and it's vital that the supporters stick behind the team when the going gets tough.

Gilbert Mowat

CELTIC

The acid test was spectacularly failed this week. Three goals conceded within the first 15 minutes of the two games is not tightening up defensively.

Big Tony has taken a bit of flak for changing his defensive personnel. However, it is evident none of them can be relied on to do the simple thing and all of them make costly errors. I can understand his tinkering to find the right combination. We are simply not good enough defensively.

Tony's problems were compounded by Glenn Loovens' lack of understanding about the appeals process for his one-match ban as Glenn decided early on to give this game a miss.

The admission of an error by the referee in not awarding a clear penalty when the score was 1-0 was received with a round of one-handed applause in my house. It highlights, once again, the appalling standard of refereeing in this country.

Dave Devine

RANGERS

A referee influencing a game with an error is a theme this season, but for the first time in four games Rangers got the benefit. Curious that Wilson's late penalty-box shove on Novo was ignored too. But let's not detract from a scrappy but effective showing from the champions.

Great big-game performances from Weir, Miller and Davis plus signs of McGregor's confidence and form returning offer cause for optimism. We are only a point off the pace and considering we've only played in fits and starts, that's a handy place to be. Walter Smith knows Rangers are giving the ball away cheaply and easily, something that isn't typical and has to be sorted. Better sides than Celtic's paper tigers would have capitalised on superior possession. Good job their defence went AWOL twice.

Stephen Smith

www.theRST.co.uk

FALKIRK

We never really got going at Motherwell on Saturday – lots of endeavour but no end result – but into the second half and the introduction of Vitor Lima and Mark Stewart, Falkirk looked a different side. Chances came and chances went – it was all so close to getting at least the point we deserved but we just could not score. We have now gone five games without a goal, but I would be more worried if the side had not created a bucketload of chances. With the exception of the terrible game against Kilmarnock, the Bairns should have won with goals to spare – and it is because we are still creating the chances that I still believe that the dam will burst and goals and victories will follow. Our next game at home to St Mirren now becomes vital, but I am confident the side will rise to the task and grab the points.

Brian Guthrie

www.bairnstrust.com

DUNDEE UNITED

For the second week running a sharp intake of breath was required at full-time. Easter Road is the ground in Edinburgh I least expect to take points from so it was particularly good to leave with a share of the spoils on Saturday, especially given we were under the cosh for large chunks of the first half and only gave rationed glimpses of our best selves in a gutsier second-half display.

The point, however, comes at a price with an injury to defensive talisman Paul Dixon that will see him out for up to six weeks and the harsh red card for Prince Buaben who, prior to his dismissal, showed real glimpses of what a footballing talent he's capable of being. For once, Arabs will welcome the international break as it gives United a chance to draw breath, regroup and recuperate ahead of Hamilton's visit on the 17th.

Hamish Mackintosh

www.dundeeunited-mad.co.uk

MOTHERWELL

The win over Falkirk was not pretty but everyone knows the reality of life in the SPL means results are more important than performances. By the time the next game rolls around, the fact we played badly will have been all but forgotten. Instead the black and white record of a positive result and a healthy league table should have us in high spirits before travelling to Celtic Park.

There is no match this week because of internationals and while we have a few players involved, thankfully none of them are making the pointless trip to Japan. The SFA has behaved like a spoiled child over this one – fed up at criticism over not playing enough friendly games, they have effectively responded by exclaiming, "We'll see how you all like friendly games on the other side of the world!"

Derek Wilson