VIEW FROM THE GALLOWGATE

SATURDAY, where to start? At 3-1 down I was sitting in the Gallowgate with a face like Victor Meldrew holding an invalid jackpot lottery ticket, and trying to grasp at comforting straws.

At full-time I tried to make a few verbal notes in my phone for an immediate reaction. Unfortunately, despite the numerous language options available, gibberish wasn’t one of them.

I was reminded of the Boxing Day game against Forest: 1-0 up with a penalty then conceding three through a somewhat less than ironclad defence. While we can’t overlook the deficiencies we had – misplaced places, poor shooting, trying television one-twos that are normally reserved for coasting at 5-1 up – one thing we have to acknowledge is that this group has fighting spirit.

It came to the point with players dropping like flies that I forgot who we had out there. I was expecting Howe to have to find one of the least injured withdraw-ees and send them back out.

The internet isn’t big enough to analyse the 15 different permutations we used, but the introduction of Barnes and Hall brought an energy and invention we’d been lacking. Add that to the almost visible testosterone reverberating around the stadium, and another 4-3er was added to the club history.

There were talking points about the officials as well as the players, and I bet there’s some of you reading this thinking “Aye, I bet you love VAR now”.

No, I don’t and never will. I want better trained officials, unlike the linesman (they aren’t referee’s assistants, it’s just a fancy modern job title like a lorry driver being a logistics operator) who missed a throw-in being a foot out of play for example. In the cold light of day our penalties were ‘generous’, and of the 20 minutes’ total injury time, nearly half of that was VAR checking ‘clear and obvious’.

Naturally, the only people oblivious to the checks (apart from the four folk who can get a mobile signal at the ground, to watch the live coverage) were the only people who pay to attend. An absolute shambles.

Tonight is Everton for the few remaining fit players... I wonder if I’ve still got my boots?