The Scotsman's weekly Fanzone feature, where supporters of all 12 SPL football clubs give their views on the state of their clubs.
ABERDEENIf, and I must stress IF, Aberdeen get to the Scottish Cup final this season, we will have faced no club higher than around bottom of the SPL en route. Nobody could complain that we haven't had a fortuitous cup draw.
Yet there are no jumps for joy at avoiding the big teams any more, after defeats to Queen's Park and Queen of the South, struggles against lower-league teams and horsings from similar-sized rivals in past cup runs under Jimmy Calderwood's charge. It's all very confusing, though, as this time last season we beat Celtic at Parkhead in our glorious run to humiliation.
Absolutely nothing is being taken for granted in Aberdeen's city and shire. We believe we can beat anyone and lose to anyone – you don't get much fairer than that.
Craig Stewart
www.aberdeen-mad.co.uk
CELTICNo wonder I drink! Once again the only thing consistent about our season is our inconsistency. There was absolutely nothing positive to take from Saturday's performance. St Mirren won on sheer grit and determination; we lost because we couldn't be bothered.
It is a tough couple of weeks coming up; which we go into with our forward line missing (literally). I'm surprised Gordon has not used more of the reserves. After all, he threw in Sheridan during our early-season injury crisis to good effect. If nothing else, they will add enthusiasm and work-rate which was lacking on Saturday.
Next up is the cup final against the forces of darkness. Not been a happy hunting ground recently against Rangers and the outcome is dependent on which Celtic turn up. Let's hope we use Saturday's disappointment to good effect.
Dave Devine
DUNDEE UNITEDIt has to be said that there's nothing like a United-free Saturday to hammer it home that you are no longer in the Scottish Cup! While the remaining teams play it out, you are left watching from the sidelines pondering what might have been. That said, it wasn't a bad week all in all. United's trip to Falkirk proved to be a good night for the Shed.
As grateful as all Arabs are for the gesture, I still don't fully understand what Tam Scobbie was thinking of as he punched the ball away, but the resultant penalty was dispatched with aplomb by a resurgent Craig Conway.
Here's hoping we take the same fighting spirit to Fir Park on Saturday. And hopefully Falkirk beat the drop as John Hughes' team are a good footballing side.
Hamish Mackintosh
www.dundeeunited-mad.co.uk
FALKIRKA return to Hampden for a second national cup semi-final in the same season – for the first time in the club's history – is just the lift Bairns fans needed in a week that saw us hit rock bottom of the SPL. Backed to the hilt by our boisterous travelling support, Falkirk were well worth their 1-0 victory in the first of a series of head-to-heads with Terry Butcher's rejuvenated Inverness side. The two league games to come will have a major bearing on both clubs' survival hopes, but for now we can relish the cup victory and dream of making the final.
Yogi now has an interesting decision to make – does he stick with Carl Finnigan, Steve Lovell and Mark Stewart or change back to the regular forward duo. Me? I would stick because I think Finnigan and Stewart inject some real pace.
Brian Guthrie
www.bairnstrust.com
HAMILTON ACCIESWhat a pity. Accies have exceeded expectations this season and have adapted reasonably well to Premier League life. So on Sunday they got the chance to show the nation's television viewers what they're made of and it all fell flat. Already missing several key men with injury, Billy Reid had to cope with losing another three players by half-time. Richard Offiong then limped off just after the start of the second half and we were down to ten men and chasing shadows.
Still, Accies have done well to reach the quarter-final stage of both national cup competitions, but to get away draws at Rangers in both was unbelievable bad luck. Nice for the club's finances, of course, but not games that gave us much chance of getting to a very rare semi-final. Statistically, incidentally, the odds of getting the same draw were 169-1.
Gilbert Mowat
HEARTSIf Stephen Hughes truly believes we were "lucky" to win against a "brilliant" Motherwell side, I can only assume that things look very different when you are on the pitch. His assessment just sounded like sour grapes, echoing the rather pathetic post-match appraisal from McGhee. Of course, the Motherwell manager was merely following in the footsteps of other managers who have been unable to gracefully accept defeat at our hands.
The lack of respect is embarrassing. A lot of our performances have been pretty uninspired this season, but none of the teams trying to challenge us for third place have been up to much either. Of course, one of the most deluded and ungracious opponents is Mixu, and I can only hope that we will be hearing his usual bleatings come this time next week.
Sandy Leonard
HIBERNIAN"Can we play you every week" should have been the shout from the fans after last week's victory at Hamilton saw Hibs secure a third successive win over the SPL new boys. However, such is the depressing nature of our play at the moment, even the supporters failed to rise to the occasion in the terracing-humour stakes.
It was great to get three points, not only to bring a little joy to the freezing travelling fans, but also to the players and management who have not had to look too far to find criticism this season. But the huge test comes in three days' time when Hearts roll up to Easter Road. If ever Hibs had a chance to shut up their many critics, then this is it. With them being on a decent run of single-goal wins, Mixu should have Hibs fired up and ready to run that lot ragged from the word go.
Eddie Henderson
www.hibs.net
INVERNESS CTWe have experienced the highs and lows of the penalty spot in our last two games, from the euphoria of Ibrox to the low of being dumped out of the Scottish Cup. The snatching of three points against Rangers was as much a surprise to us as it was the rest of the SPL. Having been penned in for almost all of the game, we rode our luck and took our chance at the best possible time – right at the end of the game.
So, we went into the Scottish Cup quarter-final with this fantastic result behind us only to suffer in the way that Rangers did by going down at home to a penalty against Falkirk. Chances came and went and it was clear it wasn't going to be our day. How strange football is when we can beat the league leaders away and lose to the bottom club at home.
Dave 'Gringo' Wilson
www.caleythistleonline.com
KILMARNOCKWith no football on the go this week for us it was a chance to relax and reflect on what the season has brought us so far. On the signing front, it looks like we are offering a contract to Kiwi Steven Old, who we've had on trial for a few weeks. The big centre-half is just what JJ is looking for, but we will have to wait and see what happens with the work-permit situation.
Our game at Inverness on Saturday is the proverbial six pointer and another defeat would spell disaster for us. We cannot continue losing games to the teams below us as our current form is among the worst in the league. Anyone who thinks we should not be considered relegation candidates wants their head looked at. With the squad we have, we should stay up, but now is the time for them to prove their worth.
Barry Richmond
www.killiefc.com
MOTHERWELLNo game at the weekend meant players and fans alike could pause for breath and look forward to the weeks ahead.
Once again we are approaching the crucial SPL split and
it has to be said that the system is strange, the fixtures are uneven and the rest of Europe, as much as they care about us, probably thinks we're weird. Then again, any kind of excitement is better than none. Without the split there would be nothing to play for in mid-table but as it stands every club will be playing competitive matches for weeks to come.
For Motherwell, making the top six would be a good achievement after our disappointing run before Christmas. We might not be challenging for Europe now, but should we squeeze into the top half, then the fight will be on.
Derek Wilson
www.firparkcorner.comRANGERSA week of football with almost everything, including something no Rangers fan wanted: a toothless and avoidable home defeat to the league's bottom side. Whether this will ultimately cost us the title will be seen in May, but it does give free oxygen to a stuttering and erratic Celtic who are eminently beatable.
Sunday's easy victory against a depleted Hamilton Accies side provides a perfect lead-in to this Sunday's League Cup final. Stevie Whittaker showed he doesn't score ordinary goals amid rare flashes of the talent which brought him to Ibrox. Our Northern Irish 20-somethings both showed they can add value and find the net, Aaron Niguez staked his claim and, if our defence plays to form, there is room for both optimism and improvement.
Stephen Smith
www.rangerssupporterstrust.co.uk
ST MIRRENWhat a difference a week makes. Who'd have thought, just seven days after being hammered by Celtic, we'd be turfing them out of the Scottish Cup? For the first time in a generation we've beaten Celtic – and we've made it through to the semi-finals. It's almost too much to take in. It was a fine performance as we simply outplayed them – it was nothing to do with our apparently bumpy pitch as Pat Nevin seems to think.
Everyone knew we'd probably end up being paired with Rangers in the semis – and it suits me just fine. On Saturday we were underdogs, no-hopers just there to make up the numbers. It'll be the same when we head to Hampden – and that's when we are at our best. Had we got Falkirk we'd probably have lost as most folk would have fancied us to win, but facing Rangers is different.
Stuart Gillespie
www.stmirren-mad.co.uk