Goggles & Flippers

You know what, reading through the last few pages, some of the stuff on here isn't too distant and echo's the woeful displays on the pitch. Calling for Higginbottom to be retained last season instead of Faddy for example, tell me 1 fan who was unhappy, nay ecstatic we'd retained him. Of course hindsight is a great thing. Another example is Dan being the key to our season, how many championed him on here, thinking his presence between the sticks was the key to our 6 game run last December and now he's too small and weak. I've seen Steelboy request McCall resign and it got 4 likes ...... gents have a long hard look at yourselves. As has been pointed out, cups mean prizes in terms of silverwear and cash while league position counts for something, our form here in the majority of his time in charge is well below average. Would I like him to give the opposition less credit pre-match? Yes. Do I want him to stop writing us off in advance with visits to Parkhead? Yes. Do I want him chased out my club to be replaced with a Yogi Hughes type journeyman? No.

He's an explosive player and his tank isn't that big. If he tracked back and lasted 90 minutes he would be playing at a level above us. In this instance it was no doubt to shore up for the last portion of the game. While Kerr offers not a fraction of what Ainsworth going forward, he offers 100% more than what he does in protecting the back line. It is surprising its not really clicked for him. No doubt due to the World Cup, a number of teams would be starting back a tad later. Pre season generally involves a few weeks of limited ball work with an emphasis on fitness. I suspect the lack of friendlies is due to not enough teams being advanced enough to step up to games. As for tonight, all that team should go and have a long look at themselves. McCall needs to put his hands up and tell where it went wrong but to be fair he always has. Just getting a bit boring hearing it now, its getting too repetitive. Check us out, all gallus talking about how we're going to get to Poland for the next tie. I don't think we're on the way back to mid/low table mediocrity (mainly because a lot of teams around us are in much worse positions) however if Stuart wants money to strengthen the team then he needs to put things in place to put ties like this to bed to ensure extra income.

I think back to the statement on the fishal site back in May, it seemed pretty final which I found surprising. One thing is clear, I don't think he'd behave like Higginbottom if he scored against us ......

Weren't Bredablik accommodated in the POD?

That figure was given to me by someone senior associated with the club from the mouth of our former CEO. Sorry Steelboy, epic fail!

From what I understand the cost of hosting a standard game at FP including stewarding, cops, etc. is from £25k to £35k. If we made £50k last week then we'd be doing well (I still can't fathom why the cops insist on having mounted police for Euro games against 22 good natured and friendly fans). Regardless it looks like the club made the right business decision on the pricing. I can only imagine maybe 300 extra would have came along if tickets were £15.

Anyone know what UEFA pay out for a win and a draw in these preliminary stages? I worked out we must have been close to £100k in gate revenue from last week. Just wondering what else that second half performance cost us in addition to having no fingernails left.

Anyone know if a certain sports bar in Motherwell is showing it?

Maybe his agent alerting the competition via a friendly journo that he could be available. Quite a few teams would fancy him and a couple have bigger coffers than us.

Decorator must raging that he can't have a drink the night before otherwise he'll miss out on the 2pm sale and the run is over. It's a bit of a poor show from the home team no opting to switch to a bigger stadium as we are bringing so many, expensive trip to spend it sitting in a bar buying expensive beer. Sorry to say it but I hope they do a one ticket per person thing, not overly fair if you're at the tail of the queue and someone arriving on Thursday gets a brief.

You google that or was it burned into an adolescent memory?

I'll explain in depth for you as you appear to have also negged my comment. In answer what's he done wrong? I implied he wasn't Randolph (of course it would require a) sense of humour and b) intelligence to draw the conclusion) a player well regarded by everyone on here and in some people's eyes the benchmark for our keepers. Which isn't fair on Dan.

Why can't many on here understand if our players were the complete polished article they wouldn't be playing for us? If Ainsworth and Vigurs tracked back and didn't run out of juice after half an hour .... If Twardzik had all the attributes in Welldaft's list .... If Sutton had pace and could play as a lone striker .... They'd all be both outside our price range and be playing at a higher level. We were spoiled in previous seasons, best to understand that and see every above par performance as a bonus rather than expected.

No issue, probably someone who was born in the 90's so won't appreciate it. Nice of them to grow a pair and voice why the neg voted however. As for the Human League cover, I missed it, must have had my head in my hands when it was being blurted out. However appreciated the lyrics.

Yeah but last season we couldn't overcome 9 men vs Aberdeen and again playing 10 postmen, joiners, and bank clerks. To be fair, a lot worse teams than us would have closed out that tie last night. They were there for the taking and we eased off, it tied in when Ainsworth seemed disinterested. Portugal looks like a jolly opposed to how it was advertised.

We ended up that game yesterday a shadow of the team that started it Well Up For It. Expect the Icelanders to sit in, we have to go for it and we've shown we have no ideas when the opposition park the bus. We do have enough to come through this tie but it needs a bit of a kick up the arse to get it. This week should involve beasting the steps at the Strathy and focussing on not passing the ball to the opposition in the middle of the park.

He's neither black or Irish

Posting in here as most of the vocal song starters no doubt were involved in the Corteo. Rather than rehashing the Nicky Law song with Joshy, can I make a suggestion for an alternative and put the Nicky Law song to bed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otQSbK3xdBY

Right, first 20 minutes, looked up for it and blew them away. Then a button was flicked and we started onto easy street. My top criticism here is Ainsworth. Every time he got the ball in the first 20 he looked electric and is he could/would do something. After that, he made no runs, had no zip and killed any breaks. Unfortunate as he was our main outlet for attacking. They sliced us open in the first half and Dan luckily saved it despite diving the wrong way and those around me started clapping. I had to count to ten at this stage. Their penalty was stone wall and deserved but only because we let them come back into the game. That gave them fire and they used it as much as we petered out. Unfortunately Sutton needs a foil or a rapidly supporting midfield, he got that in dribs and drabs tonight. As discussed already in the thread, too much trying to walk the ball into the back of the net. Too many instances of stupidly giving the ball away in midfield with half arsed/inaccurate passing no doubt resulting in why Hammell is getting so much heat, to be fair to him, 2 seconds before he was bounding up the wing to then find one of his teammates has given the ball away and he has to hightail it back. Next may get me some heat, despite the two goals (which I felt were fortuitous opposed to insightful) I found Law a little out his depth. Of course he was playing English non-league only a few months ago and by no means our worst player. Erwin had some nice touches for a big lad, but lost headers repeatedly by a guy 6 inches shorter and 50lbs lighter. So Portugal was a week focused on fitness was it? Well it wasn't on show for me tonight, a few key players blowing. What's concerning for me, next week we have to break down a team who are going to put a wall up and if both our performances in the cups last season is anything to go by we have no ideas in these situations.

I know that Faddy wages were covered by a director (but wasn't a degree of club funds used). Combine that with Hutch and Arnier's (as they haven't been replaced) and surely you'd be able to afford a Higdon. Too much the same player though for me, we need a nippy poacher to feed off Sutton ball winning flicks.

You'll also be getting more in your hippy than the fiver a week off your parents you got back then, dry your eyes It's what happens when you grow up.

Win 2-1, with them 1-0 up at half time. Squeeky bum time in Iceland next week. You heard it here first.

Is Lawson fit yet? (NB Steelboy no need to post "hope not" I know your feelings in advance)

There a lot of this insider nonsense spouted by folk on here who a) really should know better and b) takes away from their sensible posts on other threads. If someone is spotted in Upper Crust walking out behind Flow then suddenly they are in his pocket, patsy, "stooge" etc. It's just tiresome and stifles the 50-50's from stepping up to get involved in future. I have no doubt there are a lot of good people who could bring a lot to the club in a voluntary basis have been dissuaded due to a number on here (who never would step forward) who look to swipe their legs from under them. Personally I think there are a great deal of Motherwell fans who not only care about the club have enough integrity to bring it to task on a few issues regardless of any existing relationships. However, in the same way if you use the services of someone you don't know such as a mechanic or joiner, its a very different relationship to that of a friend or family member mainly through familiarity. You'd be a bit more professional and distant opposed to jokey and willing to put up with delays/overruns, etc. Working closely with people at the club as a function of your role is obviously going to change how you interact but also you will be exposed to the inner runnings and therefore know why it does a lot of the things it does that are pilloried on here by the glass half empty/retard brigade.

Agreed, all this ..... "I know something you lot don't know, I'm going to allude to something, but leave it suitably cryptic so it doesn't reveal the player or source" nonsense is woeful. Unless its surrounding a viable target then think twice about posting from now on please.