capt_oats

I noticed Alan Burrows replying to someone on Twitter earlier about that. Suggestion was that he still has another week or so of his deal to go.

Cheers! I wondered if it was something like that.

Related to that. The peak average was the 98/99 season, the game at Fir Park vs United reports a crowd of 11k+ which seems disproportionately high compared to other attendances vs United around then. I was definitely at the game but can't remember why the crowd was so big. Did 11k turn up just to see McClair? http://youtu.be/iehaumPuHK0

The Malpas season had average attendance pretty the same as McCall's first full season when we finished 3rd (using that comparison as both seasons had the former Rangers in the top league). Which would suggest that relative "success" isn't the issue as such. http://sport.stv.tv/football/clubs/celtic/302136-how-has-your-clubs-average-attendance-changed-in-past-20-years/ Speaking as someone who's gone from being a regular from late 80s through the 90s but became a 'lapsed' fan for a fair bit of the mid-00s but have started going to games pretty regularly again from Baraclough's appointment to present the biggest thing for me was habit. Around the *peak* SPL era when teams were bringing over fairly average imports I felt less and less connection with the Scottish game. I didn't really feel I indentified with the team in the same way as going to watch McKinnon, McCart, Martin, Cooper, Arnott, Coyne et al and same went for the players in teams coming to Fir Park. I just began to drift and got out of the habit of going to games. A manager like McCall talking us down against the newco Rangers in the league cup did nothing to entice me back. I started going back to games not because of results or match day experience or factors like that but simply because I quite fancied going to watch a game of football of a Saturday afternoon again along with sites like this and P&B helping me identify with the game in general again and the MFCPodcast efforts doing similar. The fact that you're seeing clubs bringing through their own players has made games more interesting to someone like me as well. Sorry for the long ramble but as I say given I'm actually someone who had drifted from the support on match days I thought I'd chip in.

Presumably the Spurs player was Eric Dier. Which is actually a reasonable comparison as he's been notable as a defender who's been converted into a DM by Pochettino (and was in the same England u19 squad as Ripley) and has gone on to pick up senior caps. There's been nothing confirmed by the club. All that's been said is that we were speaking to United about extending, he's said he'd like to stay until the end of the season. However when Ripley extended the club posted up formal interviews and ran a news story about it. There's been nothing like that re: Grimshaw. That said there's been nothing posted officially to say he's actually gone back, nor has there been re: Taylor either. The only word on the latter was an interview from McGhee saying that he'd been speaking to Reading and he expected him to go back as he couldn't get into the team. Given Grimshaw's out of contract at the end of the season and McGhee seems keen on him I wonder if we might be looking into a pre-contract? That might explain the delay, especially given the apparent ease with which Ripley's deal went through (which was presumably straightforward as he'd contracted to Boro for the next 3 years).

Out of curiosity which game did he play in midfield a few weeks back? Did he play in there when he was subbed on for Ainsworth at Parkhead? I wasn't there so was only going by the radio commentary. Like Busta the only indication about the 'Laing as midfielder' chat seemed to come about around that 1st Celtic game. Though I didn't know about his comments at the Well Society evening, that sounds roughly the same as what he said post-Celtic. Beyond that any other time Laing's played lately for the 20s (that I've seen) he's been centre half.

A Thistle supporting pal of mine was just saying that Airdrie did their lad Liam Lindsay the power of good in his loan last season. He's now a fixture in Thistle's first team. Hopefully the competitive games can help Mackin and Ferguson push on.

For what it's worth in the Real Madrid game the Real Sociedad player (Yuri #19) was already on a yellow card when the penalty incident occurred. He was booked in the 32nd minute and the penalty was 40th minute.

Guessing this is the incident Happy Dosser is talking about? Their 3 - 1 win vs Real Sociedad? If so then, no booking. There is a yellow card flashed but it's not to the player involved in the handball it's another player for dissent as far as I can see. https://youtu.be/XmnQ5TypMWU?t=47m10s

It could just be patter from McGhee but the quote in the news story on the club website suggests there is at the very least an opportunity there. I suppose a lot of it may be down to how things go with his injuries as he picked up another couple at Ayr. "However, he is very much in our minds and we'll closely monitor his weekly progress at Somerset Park. He's one of a number of younger players we intend to loan out to get them more ready for future campaigns with Motherwell." http://www.motherwellfc.co.uk/2016/01/05/moore-extends-ayr-utd-stay/

Fair play. There are a couple of articles kicking around the web from his time at Sunderland and he seemed to be genuinely highly thought of and its mentioned more than once that he was able to play that role. I can absolutely see why McGhee would fancy him in there as he's got height and strength while that goal vs Hearts u20s where he places it into the top bin from 20 odd yards is anything but hoofball. Just found it a bit odd that since the idea was mooted (if it was being considered as a genuine option) he doesn't seem to have had a run out in that position in the dev league games.

Not disputing what McGhee said in that interview but since the game against Celtic has Laing actually played in midfield in either team? Any time I've seen him in the 20s he's been playing centre half. I'd have thought if McGhee was planning on using him as a midfielder then he'd be giving him at least some game time in the new role.

Aye, he is. From the Celtic game (and he was on the bench on Saturday):

Since 2006 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Souttar http://dufc.co/the-teams/first-team/6087/ @Yassin - apparently so http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/441338/Dundee-United-s-John-Souttar-rejected-move-to-Sunderland

Souttar, from what I've read, seems to have been working his ticket at United. It's difficult to tell given United fans seem to have a tendency to be blaming everyone and anything for their current state (McNamara, Thompson etc) but he seems to have been getting the brunt of it; boo'd when he's on the ball, boo'd when he's coming on to the park etc etc. Essentially he seems to have veered into total CBA territory in terms of his performances on the park, suggestions that he's put on a ton of weight, photos of him on social media cutting about kebab shops etc. If they're not offering him a contract though what's the deal with his development fee given he's been there for years? FWIW: the suggestion on United forums is that the contract he originally knocked back from them at the start of the season would have made him joint highest earner at Tannadice.

I actually have a degree of sympathy for Robinson. The key point when you say that he scored goals regularly is that presumably at the likes of Derby he was actually playing regularly as well. His last appearance for us was a 5 min cameo at the end of the game vs Hearts at the end of November, so just over a month ago, while his last start was at the end of October. Since the Hearts game he hasn't been in the match day squad or (as far as I'm aware) even been involved with the u20s. Added to the fact that overall his time here so far has been a total non-event, I think he's managed 2 starts and a handful of sub appearances from a possible 15 league games, then I think it's fairly harsh to judge him one way or another. Totally fair comment to say he's not shown much but I do think that a bit of context is warranted. He arrived at the club 5 league games in with no pre-season at a point at which we had a return of 2 league goals from the 4 strikers on the books. Either way with such limited amounts of time on the park then for a striker it's going to be difficult to show any sort of form, especially coming off the bench for 5-10 mins every couple of games (if that). That said, overall other than his pace he's shown very little and not really contributed much. Clarkson's been in pretty much the same boat but has offered a bit more when he's been called upon. That's before you even take Moult and McDonald's form into account. Edit: By no means is the above an argument to suggest that Robinson's been a worthwhile signing or that he should be playing more, I think the way his move has panned out says more about Baraclough than anything else, but yeah I do have a wee bit of sympathy with him.

I doubt there's any great conspiracy re: Ainsworth's omission and it's more a fairly simple case that the system we're playing (and have picked up some decent results with) has meant we've sacrificed a winger (Ainsworth) to allow us to play 3 central midfielders. At the moment Johnson's been relatively consistent and the balance of the team seems to be a bit better with the winger being out on the left rather than the right. If sitting one of our better players on the bench and using him from there rather than him starting means we're winning games and picking up points then it's difficult to argue. There's clearly scope for Ainsworth to step in for Johnson in this shape however I don't think the latter has done much wrong of late to warrant being benched. It'd also mean we'd be switching our attacks down the right rather than the left, though that's the side we had Johnson playing vs St Johnstone. McGhee said himself in one of his press conferences when he arrived back that his preference would be to play a consistent XI and it looks like, for the moment, he has that. Of the 10 games McGhee's been in charge so far Ainsworth's started 4 and come off the bench in 5 with the game vs Accies at the weekend being the only game he's not had any involvement in seeing as he wasn't in the match day squad. So far under McGhee we've started with: 433/451 - vs Celtic (h) (L) 442 - vs Kilmarnock (a) (W), ICT (h) (L) 431(w)2 - vs Aberdeen (a) (X)*, Ross County (a) (L)**, Hearts (h) (X), Dundee (h) (W), Celtic (a) (W)***, St Johnstone (h) (W), Accies (h) (X) Notes: * Ainsworth on for Lasley 2nd half (53') ** Johnson playing left back with both Hammell and Lasley missing through injury *** Ainsworth on for Grimshaw 2nd half (45')

Ah you're right. I'd misread when I was looking at the rules it's a minimum of 5 and maximum of 7. So aye, fill your boots on the bench. Edit; 14. Number of Players and Substitutes Except for the circumstances described within Rule 22(a), a team shall consist of eleven players and is permitted to list a minimum of 5 substitutes up to a maximum of 7, of whom not more than 3 may take part in the match. The team list must include 2 recognised goalkeepers, one of whom must be named as a substitute. The players in a team may be changed from match to match, but a club may not play, or list as a named substitute, any player who, in the same season, has already played, or been a named substitute, for another club in the Competition. (Rule 34.1 (b) refers).

You only get 5 subs on the bench in the Scottish Cup.

I'd be surprised if we made changes to the spine of the side. Something along the lines of; Ripley Watt - Hall - McManus - Hammell Cadden - Lasley - Pearson Thomas Moult - McDonald Subs: Fletcher, Samson, Laing, Ainsworth, McFadden

Seems that's Taylor away back to Reading. No real surprise there. http://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/2016/1/3/10703818/reading-fc-motherwell-fc-dundee-united-bristol-city-loan-transfers

There was no "foul" it was right in line with me at the front of the main stand. Yeah he slides in but as you say he's neither unnecessarily forceful nor does he catch the man. In fact it's almost exactly the same challenge he put in in the lead up to Celtic's goal at Parkhead. The difference there was the Celtic player simply played on and didn't take a heavy touch and knock the ball out of play. The Accies player knocks the ball out for a goal kick, stops, turns and moans at the ref who gives the foul. Edit to add: a Dundee defender commits to a similar challenge on Grimshaw in the first half of that game and again the ref plays on without any suggestion of it possibly being a free kick.

McDonald

Disappointing as I agree he's got a lot to offer though McGhee's struggled to fit him in but equally it's good news for Dom Thomas if true.

An Ayr supporting pal of mine was saying he's been doing well and he'd have thought they'd be keen to extend. I think McCall said as much a while back, I could be wrong though. 5 in 10 last I checked but picked up another injury and was out for a few weeks. Returned to the team the past couple of games.