MJC_MKI

1st: Celtic (Have signed some good quality players, noteably Kayal, Juarez and the Swedish defender and with the strength in depth they have I think will be too strong for Rangers and the SPL. They might not walk it, as their goalkeeper and defence is a bit suspect but if I was a betting man my money would be on them for the title) 2nd: Rangers (Were somewhat lucky to win it last season and given that they've lost Boyd & Thomson and have a smaller squad than we do I can't see them winning the league this year. They have however made some shrewd captures in Weiss, Beattie and Jelavic but their midfield is threadbare so that could come back to haunt them. They will still comfortably finish second though and all these predictions of them finishing third or fourth are just plain fantasy I'm afraid. 3rd: Aberdeen (They have a good manager in Mark McGhee, whatever you say about him and he's made some good signings over the summer and the early signs are that he's starting to get it right up there. Best of the rest for me. 4th: Hearts (Like Aberdeen, will be a much tougher proposition than last season. Kevin Kyle will be a trememdous signing for them 5th: Dundee Utd (Weill have a good season again but won't reach the heights of last season) 6th: Inverness (Will be this season's surprise package as Terry Butcher's team 'punch above their weight' again. 7th: Hibernian (Will look decent for a comfortable top six finish for long spells in the season but in true Hibs fashion will hit a major slump mid season and will end up in the bottom half. The fact that their manager is a complete banger won't help them either. 8th: Kilmarnock (Will do better than last season) And now we get to the serious stuff... 9th: Motherwell/St.Johnstone/Hamilton/St.Mirren 10th: Motherwell/St.Johnstone/Hamilton/St.Mirren 11th: Motherwell/St.Johnstone/Hamilton/St.Mirren 12th: Motherwell/St.Johnstone/Hamilton/St.Mirren In our case, I think our squad is a bit on the small side and I'm afraid I can see us struggling this season, especially if we get in the Group Stages of the Europa League. I think we can forget about a top six finish this season and our main concern will be with matters near the bottom half of the table. I have major concerns over our defence and strikeforce from what I have seen so far but as always I stand to be corrected. As for the other three, Accies have had a disastrous start to the campaign and even at this stage look like relegation candidates. I don't think St.Johnstone have much about them either and St.Mirren have signed half the Cowdenbeath team so expect them to be there or thereabouts as far as the drop goes. So who will take the fall come the end of the season? I couldn't possibly say, but I think we might have an involvement in that particular battle...

Question, would you take relegation in exchange for us qualifying for the Europa League Group Stage? You say the SPL is our 'bread and butter, but it is every year' but as you also rightly point out, our squad isn't strong enough to cope on both fronts. Given we've already lost our first game, have Celtic coming to Fir Park next week, a defeat today would more than likely see us heading into September on zero points. It would still be early days of course, but in this league, anyone can beat anyone and it's going to be all about who can grind out results and put runs together that determines how teams do. A losing streak for us might just prove to be very difficult to get out of, especially if we're playing in Europe every second Thursday for the first two months of the season. As the season goes on, injuries build up, the number of games starts to take their toll on our small squad and before we know it, we've become cut adrift at or very near the bottom of the league and struggling to make up the ground and our 'bread and butter that is the SPL' might just be under threat. I think some of our fans need to keep their feet on the ground and remember who we are. Our priority is the SPL and anything that happens in Europe - where we would be there merely to make up the numbers - is a bonus and I for one will gladly take avoiding relegation over a 'European tour' any day of the week. Thursday's game is important to the club, but so is today's against Kilmarnock and if we were to lose today, I'll be worried.

Trying to predict Motherwell results is an extremely tall order at the best of times and I don't see tonight being any different. As someone earlier in the thread says, nothing would really surprise you, whatever the outcome. However, tonight I think it will be an awful spectacle dominated by defensive, containing play from us, thus the nerves in the stands will reach unbearable levels at times as we no doubt suffer a few scares. But in the end I think we will come through with a 1-0 win and if we do that, nothing else will matter.

Now that's what we're looking for. Amber top with band/hoop and claret shorts. Cracking effort.

"I think the best way to deal with sports writers would be to give them contracts that finish when the season finishes; although quite frankly, I would rather give contracts for most of them to Paul Ferris." No, the best way to 'deal' with sports writers is to stop buying and reading the rags that they write in. If most people did that then it would hurt them and their employers in the pockets. However there's no chance of that ever happening, because there's too many numpties like the author of that piece who just can't stop reading the tabloids in order to find something to either be offended by or to use as an excuse to pedal their paranoid ramblings. It must be great being a football hack, all you need to do is pull some wild stories out of nothing - ie. do their job -, then watch as the Celtic fans get up in arms about it on the internet with their blustering rants or 'calls to arms' whilst you're getting paid for it.

You reckon?

There's no doubt that they've deserved what they've managed to achieve this season. To finish third and win the Cup is a magnificent feat. and no on can take that away from them. However, that's their business, not our's and I'm not buying into this 'Dundee Motherwel United' and 'let's buy all the Dundee Utd fans we meet a pint' either. They didn't win the cup for us, they did it for themselves, whilst we've merited our place in next season's Europa League for the way we've played this season, especially for the two long unbeaten runs that we put together, at the start of the campaign and then again in mid season, and all in the face of several changes to players and management. Like some others, I don't like Dundee Utd and their arrogant supporters who believe, like Aberdeen & Hearts, that they have a God given right to be better than the 'likes of Motherwell'. Neither can I stand some of their 'club icons' like Jim McLean, Maurice Malpas, Paul Sturrock, Paul Hegarty or Jim McInally. They were a great side once upon a time, but like Aberdeen, that time has long since gone, yet their fans still refuse to see this. But as I said, take nothing away from the season they've had, I'd just rather put our qualifying for Europe down to us rather than anyone else.

I'm delighted that we are in Europe, but fuck Dundee United. I've no time for that club or their fans and they're getting no thanks from me. We are in Europe, deservedly because of what WE have done this season. Against all the odds, we've managed to finish not just in the top six, but fifth and probably deserved to have finished fourth as I think we've been better than Hibs over the piece. The run that we put together from late January until late March was absolutely superb, as it was unbeleiveable, especially given the way things were going toward the end of 2009, so that's why we are deservedly in Europe just now, not because Dundee Utd beat Ross County in the Scottish Cup Final. I know you can argue, and rightly so that had they not done that then we wouldn't have qualified, but WE did all the hard work throughout the season so a big, big well done to everyone at Motherwell FC for what has to be considered as an excellent season.

"A nonsenseical penalty" according to Sky Sports News. Well that makes up for the nonsensical offside decision at Fir Park in February then.

FUCK Dundee United. They are still bitter about '91 and their fans are wankers. Get it right up them. Then you take into account folk like Jum McLean and Boris Backpass...Both sour pussed bangers. I hope they beat Ross County next week, but I'll not be cheering on United, I'll just be hoping that Ross County lose.

Obviously it's disappointing to miss out on fourth, but frankly, I think it's been a fantastic season and it's great to see us go there and get a draw, especially scoring two goals in the last minute to get it aswell. Who'd of thought that eh? And given the way we were robbed of victory against Rangers in February, it's somewhat sweet that we've gone there today, scored a penalty to equalise and dampen their title celebrations. Well done Motherwell for a very enjoyable season, to finish fifth after losing our manager and so many key players last summer and then with all the turbulence at the end of Gannon's time, it's a terrific feat. I've always believed that the best way to support Motherwell is to quietly hope for the unexpected, well I think these last two games have proved that and then some.

2-1 to the 'Well.

There isn't a contest for me, 22/05/05 wins hands down. Had we won last night I might have said different but the reality is that we drew a game that we really had to win. Of course the manner in which we drew was nothing short of phenominal, but in the cold light of day it's somewhat galling that we scored six goals at home and didn't win, defended like schoolboys and missed yet another penalty.

That was a 'I was there' moment tonight. We'll be talking about this in years to come. The club should release a DVD of it.

Fuk who knows, probably a defeat. Come the morning I'll probably look on this game as a missed opportunity but right now I'm fucking delighted by that comeback. Bring on they sister shagging h*n bastards on Sunday!

But I fucking LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That tonight summed up absolutely everything that supporting this club is all about. The anger, the torture and the frustration to the sheer delight when they pull something special out the hat like that. The World Cup will be absolutely fucking nothing on that!

I've a feeling of dread that I often get with Motherwell, especially in 'big' games like this but I'm just hopeful that we can get the win we need to secure fourth place. So come on 'Well, just do these auld reekie bastards.

+1 No matter how poor a side Celtic are by their standards, they are still a far, far better side than we are and the players you have mentioned here would walk into not only our side, but just about every other SPL side and improve them greatly. They've got Robbie Keane ffs, a player who Liverpool payed £17M for not two years ago and who is the captain of Rep of Ireland! Then you've got Boruc, Poland's first choice International goalkeeper, £4m Scott Brown, Irish internationalist McGeady and several others who are probably worth as much, if not more than our squad put together. Celtic have had a poor season, but today they 'clicked' and when they do that, they will take care of most sides in the SPL handsomely like they did with us.

Game over.

According to Hugh Keevins on Clyde, Ruddy is back in the side. Good news, but won't make a difference to the end result today as Celtic will beat us.

Hearts will beat us 3-0 today.

If Rangers win the title, then no matter when it happens they will be presented with the trophy on 9th May against us because that is their next home game. However, it's still technically possible that we could yet be going there to really fuck them up as if they were to lose their next three games, against Hibs, Dundee Utd and Celtic away from home then they will be needing at least a point against us that day in order to win the league. I know that's an almigty long shot but who'd have thought we'd deny Celtic the title in 2005 when they were five points clear with four games to go? Stranger things?

There is not even the most remotest of possibilities that Jim O'Brien would sign for Rangers. Complete non story yet again from that pitiful tabloid.

We've only been at home on Day 1 twice in the last six years, one against Celtic in 2005 and Rangers in 2006.

Our sub keeper today was 'Hyslop'? Don't know anything about him.