numpty

Hamell nearly scores again!

2 - 0 MURPHY!

GOAL - Hammelll !

Another good chance for Foran, over the bar... maybe thought he was still playing GAA...

'Flow also tweeted this morning that he'd "been in work since 6.30am trying to fix an IT issue"... my immediate thought was "maybe we won't be seeing the launch of Motherwell TV today after all, then..." http://twitter.com/#!/Alan_Burrows

I kind of like it, but will be interesting to see just how "silver" it really is... whoever lit the photo has made sure there isn't a hint of shininess to be seen, so they do just look a bit like they've been chucked in the black wash without a Colour Catcher As for the collar... not a big fan either, but looking around the other kits and manufacturers, 70's retro unfortunately just appears to be the fashion this year.

To be honest, the commentaries on other clubs' TV channels is usually pretty cringeworthy, and I'd rather we didn't encourage that sort of thing on ours

Because as professionals, it's their job. What other profession lets you retire from just the bits of your job that you don't fancy doing any more? If your boss asks you to do something, you either do it, or you come to some sort of compromise. Now to be fair, I'm sure in a lot of cases, the player and the manager actually have had that "compromise" chat, and agreed that the player might as well retire because he's not likely to be picked much any more anyway. So I suppose my beef is that I'd rather they just came out and said that when that's what's happened, rather than painting it as if it was all the player's idea and how gutted the manager is that he's retiring.

Fair play to him and all that, but personally I still don't really like it when players "decide" to retire from international football. As long as you're good enough or fit enough, you should be picked and expected to play to the best of your ability. When the manager considers that you're no longer good enough or fit enough, you don't get picked any more, and so ends your international career. If you don't like that arrangement, then don't become a professional footballer... plenty other folk would like to have your job instead

Do we have a lot of options? Is our squad any bigger? Either way, unlikely to affect the outcome of the first game of the season for either team, you'd hope.

Would hardly call it a fiasco. You've got to speculate to accumulate, and sometimes young guys just don't live up to their early promise. C'est la vie.

Craggs scores a pen after 3 minutes! "1-0 Well. Crags takes it and coolly strokes the ball into the bottom right hand corner with the keeper going the right way."

Wasn't it Billy Davies who released him?

Bolton, QPR and Rangers all showing an interest in Murphy, supposedly. Nice of old Craig to offer an opinion, too. http://www.clicklancashire.com/sport/bolton-wanderers-fc/129933-bolton-wanderers-rival-rangers-fc-and-qpr-for-motherwell-ace-murphy.html

2-0, Murph again.

FWIW, McCall says this morning that he's only "hoping to bring in one more player". http://sport.stv.tv/football/scottish-premier/motherwell/261384-work-to-do-for-well-after-morton-win/

It's nice enough, but I still just don't find the 125th anniversary of anything to be interesting enough to invest. I'll be more interested in what we do for 2013 -- the 100th anniversary of our first claret and amber strip

More likely because he's been away on holiday and didn't get back until Wednesday, according to his Twitter feed anyway.

When has it ever not looked good at this time of the year? It's six months from now we need to be worrying

Still just a loaner like he was earlier in the thread, so still doesn't really count

Slightly tangential, but just found an interesting wee article from the Times in 2008 that mentions Gordon Mair's time in the successful Notts County team of the early 80's (and what he's doing now, or was in 2008). Certainly a few decent players in that team: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/article3216359.ece

He was only on loan though, so doesn't really count.

I wouldn't say all of those were right duffers -- a couple perhaps fell more into the "enigma" category. John Reilly seemed to find Billy's Boots every now and again and scored a couple of belting goals in his time, and my recollection of Gordon Mair is that he wasn't a bad winger until he had his confidence shattered by a crunching tackle on the main stand touchline one sunny day (can't remember who against, though). I never think of Derek Murray or John Gardiner as being especially bad compared to some later candidates either, but maybe I've just blanked them out

http://sport.scotsman.com/football/Tom-English-Jennings-still-waiting.6792828.jp

Two years too late... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/6217531/Chas-and-Dave-split-as-Dave-retires.html