MJC

On paper yes and with or without KvV we should have too much for the rest of the sides. But we must be properly prepared and professional when the games come around.

A winnable group in a competition we should be looking to go as far as possible in. Best way to start a season and none of this Europa league pish.

As did I at the time, I was pleased to see him back and glad we gave him the chance, kind of heart ruling head. But unfortunately it quickly became clear that he just wasn’t anywhere near fit enough to make an impact and we rightly cut short his loan.

There’s nothing wrong with having a reputation of being a club that looks after it’s players, but at the same time we are a professional football club, not a charity, so when we have players on the books we need to be getting something in return for us taking care of them. And yes it has worked well for us in the past but over the past decade it has gotten to a ridiculous level of simply signing ex players in the hope that they can somehow recapture their form with us years before and also no doubt with an aim to getting the fans on side. Of the list I mentioned above, the obvious success stories were Scott McDonald, who was still a quality player at our level when he came back, and Stephen Pearson especially during the playoff season. Faddy was excellent in his initial return in 2013 but offered next to nothing afterwards and was clearly done. John Sutton being the other plus point. The rest of them with perhaps the exception of Grimshaw, did nothing for us in their return and three of them (McCormack, Moult & Aarons) barely kicked a ball and were never fit and wouldn’t even have been considered had they not been with us previously. I’ve no issue with us bringing back an ex player if he genuinely still has something to offer us, but I’d like to see us show a bit more vision in our transfer dealings. Instead of bringing back a clearly crocked and finished Louis Moult why not try and find another player who would potentially offer us the same as Moult did when he was younger and fitter? Easier said than done, I am fully aware of that, but surely more productive than our re-signing of Moult last year?

Right so, we DID sign some ex players last season then? Loans count as signings surely? It was actually three if you include Rolando Aarons second ill fated stint with us. If you go back to 2013, in that time we have re-signed (off the top of my head) James McFadden three times, Stephen Pearson twice, Scott McDonald, David Clarkson, Henrik Ojamaa, John Sutton, Ross McCormack, Louis Moult, Rolando Aarons, Liam Grimshaw and Jake Hastie. We also brought back Mark McGhee for a second stint as manager. I don’t know how that compares against other clubs re-signing ex players or employees but that’s quite a list imo.

You don’t say? As I think I mentioned earlier in the thread the people who are going to buy the kits will buy them regardless of what they look like. I just don’t get why we can’t just stick to our classic and traditional kit, obviously with some tweaks here and there with every new kit. You don’t see Real Madrid or Leeds Utd, both clubs with a predominantly white kit, always trying to be out the box and different. They have their identify and they stick to it. I wish we would take a leaf out of their book.

Maybe it is, but it surely can’t be denied that we have re-signed a fair amount of ex players over the last 10/15/20 years, with the last decade and a bit being particularly notorious for it?

I wouldn’t be completely against Steven Hammell coming back in some sort of role in the future, but as a club we really, REALLY need to move away from this culture of re-signing or re-hiring ex players or staff members. It just screams out a lack of vision and forward looking and instead just makes us look like mugs for sentiment. We’ve seen it in the past with Faddy in the several times he re-signed for us. It gets suggested on here and Twitter etc and it ends up happening. You get the impression that we could end up seeing Louis Moult re-join again this summer inspite of his injury issues and failed loan earlier last season. It must be the easiest job advert for scouts. ”The successful candidate will ideally have a sound knowledge of football and scouting operations as well as previous experience of sourcing and identifying potential signing targets, but this is not required as full training will be given. An ability to read social media platforms and identify which popular former player or employee would be most desirable to the support is essential.“

We won’t be moving from Fir Park any time soon unless something drastic happens like a serious fire or an earthquake which swallows the entire ground up. In fairness given our record and luck with things going wrong with the stadium over the years then you wouldn’t rule either out. I love Fir Park to bits and would hate to see us leave it for some soulless Lego style new stadium like Livingston or New St.Mirren Park but it’s been more than showing it’s age for the last 10-15 years now and you wonder how much longer it will/can go on for without serious money being spent on it. Serious money that we don’t have at that.

I think I'm right in saying that it's now over ten years since we last kept the same home kit for two seasons, the 2011 - 2013 kit we had when Michael Higdon was here? I would be more than happy for us to go back to keeping the kit for 2 years as opposed to just 1 but I suspect that the money the club and the manufacturer makes from changing it every year would make that unlikely.

Not really, I’ve liked most of the kits Macron have produced for us. I just know that we have this obsession with trying to do something ‘different’ instead of just sticking to our classic and traditional kit.

Nothing would surprise me tbh. I’m half expecting an all claret top with an Amber drawing of Faddy in in the middle and “A great wee club” written on the inside of the collar. No doubt such a kit would be met with comments on here and other social media platforms of “mmmm, that’s braw, a thing of beauty” etc.

And Partick Thistle stay down after a penalty loss. I wasn’t particularly bothered either way but after listening to BBC Radio Scotland’s commentary which was basically willing Thistle to win then I’m pretty chuffed to see one of their ‘darling’ clubs fall flat.

It might not have any bearing this year, but last years was unveiled on the 14th June, so perhaps next week? Edit: Checking back further, in 2021 it was the 9th June and in 2020 it was 11th June that we introduced the up coming seasons kits. Going by that then we can expect it soon. Just hope it’s a proper, no nonsense Motherwell kit this time.

I like Cornelius and would love to see him properly make his mark for us, but as said he is on the lightweight side which hampers him. A lot will depend on our transfer business this summer and if or where he fits into Kettlewell’s plans after that.

That Rangers team was absolutely bang average, or rank rotten by their standards. But I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that had Stuart McCall been in charge of us instead of them for those games then we would not have beaten them.

Yes of course they could do that without the armband, but that would make the man who actually has the armband captain in name only? Like I said earlier, maybe it is just the way I see it but the goalkeeper being captain just doesn't seem right. The captain should be a focal point of the team, heavily involved in the play and where necessary talk to teammates and officials. Can a goalkeeper really do this if something occurs up the other end of the park? Obviously I take your point about other players also being vocal and leading on the pitch and it's always good when you have more than one leader in the team, but I just think there should be that man who is the focal point and he should, imo, be an outfield player.

Exactly, there was none of the subservient fear of them that'd we'd seen all to often in previous games against them, especially under the man in their dugout for those games. For once we went out and showed them no respect instead of 'playing the name' of Rangers and we got the job done.

Not a specific former player but it is eight years to the day since the playoff 2nd leg, part two of the most important result for the club in the last decade and more. The players on that day really stepped up to the plate after failing to do so all season. Ainsworth, Pearson, Johnston, McManus and of course Lee Erwin are the names you instantly think of when remembering those games.

Maybe it's just me, but I'm not a fan of a goalkeeper being the captain. Plus I don't really see Liam Kelly as a leader on the pitch like Butcher or Casey would be. That's not a slight on Kelly as I still see him as a key part of the team, just not a leader/captain. If KvV is going then it would be better for us if he goes sooner rather than later and before pre-season or the season itself starts. We lost Cedric Kipre on the eve of the season in 2018 which was a massive blow for the team as it will be if/when Kevin van Veen goes. At least if he moves on in the close season we will have the chance to prepare for life without him and get a replacement lined up.

Kelly is one we should definitely be keeping. A solid and reliable goalkeeper who has bailed us out on numerous occasions. I would though be taking the captaincy off him and giving it to Butcher or Casey if we manage to keep one or both of them.

I remember that, as well as “I want MY players to aim higher than Motherwell”. I’ve no problem with players or managers having self confidence, even when it borders on arrogance. The great players and managers in the game have tended to have a degree of arrogance about them. The difference with McGhee was that his self confidence/arrogance was all about him on a personal level, not the club and that’s what I couldn’t stand about him. There was always this “I’m better than Motherwell” attitude about him and he made very little attempt to disguise that.

100% this. It was easily the worst of our many ‘jobs for the boys/old pals’ moves in the last decade. Mark McGhee first time around was the best managerial appointment that John Boyle made in his time. The way he turned that team around in summer ‘07 to deliver some sublime football, a third placed finish, European football and all while dealing with the tragic death of Phil O’Donnell was an incredible feat. The problem thereafter was that from 2008 onwards McGhee had clearly decided that he was too good for us and spent the majority of the next season virtually making no secret about that. He was obviously going to leave that summer and when the Celtic and Aberdeen jobs became available on the same day he hung about here for as long as he could in the hope he would get the Celtic one, before eventually accepting Aberdeen. Meanwhile we were sitting with a squad of out of contract players and a manager with no intention of staying. That left a bad taste in the mouth as he basically treated the club with contempt. To bring him back after all that in 2015 was a ridiculous move and his behaviour and attitude was no better. The quote that always stands out is “this is why, and please don’t misinterpret me here, I am managing Motherwell today and not Liverpool”. It takes a really special type of arrogant walloper to disrespect the club you are employed by during a press conference like that but that cap certainly fits McGhee.

I think the comments about Sondre and his megaphone swaying opinion in these polls are fairly accurate to be honest. Though he did contribute more than Bevis or Lamie in the first half of the season. Kevin van Veen certainly has enjoyed a ‘purple patch’ since Kettlewell took over in mid February but he has clearly been out and out our best player all season long. Without the goals he got from August to February we would probably have been facing the playoffs this week at best. I know he cut a frustrated, even huffy figure at times during that spell but given that he was getting next to no support from his teammates and the system we were playing just didn’t suit him then I can understand that. He definitely did improve significantly when SK took over, as did Blair Spittal who has looked a different player to what he was under Hammell. When you then factor in his almost ridiculously good scoring run in the last round of matches then it is no wonder that he is our player of the year.

Well, that was hugely satisfying in the end. If KvV does move on this summer then best of luck to him. He’s been superb for us this season and it’s been a pleasure having him here. Likewise Max Johnston, a top young talent who will do well in the game. And finally it’s brilliant to see Dundee United relegated and for us to beat them in the process. Delightful stuff. #Down, Down! Dundee United are Down, Down! Dundee United are Down, Down!# Get it right up them and their media chums.