TheLip69

Like Special AKA, I too came in just after the Ancell babes and at the start of the Howitt era. My dad though raved about the babes, Charlie Aitken and Pat Quinn in particular. I think the team I first watched was along these lines McCloy Whiteford, Wark Forsyth, Martis, McCallum Bobby Campbell, Tom Donnelly, Dixie Deans, Jackie McInally, Jimmy Wilson

The Top 10 worked in it's first 10 years quite spectacularly with Aberdeen and Dundee United both winning titles and Hearts losing out only on goal difference and with both Dundee United and Aberdeen getting to European Finals everything in the garden looked rosy. The football in the top flight was good because relegation wasn't the disaster it is now. There wasn't a TV deal as such and most clubs still relied on the paying punter. If clubs like Hearts, Hibs and Dundee went down it was a chance to rebuild and take their large support to the likes of Stirling, Montrose, and Arbroath. This also helped out those clubs so there was a drip of extra cash going into the lower leagues. Then SKY came along and bought the rights to the Premier League, it was a cracking deal and originally I believe some of the money did find it's way to the lower leagues, however with Rangers paying silly money to recruit English internationals in their ill fated attempt to win the European Cup and celtic struggling along on five bob a week the OF soon lobbied for more dough. Then came Bosman, and with that the Top 10 decided to cut itself off from the rest of Scottish Football and keep all the cash. Now it's more about not losing the TV money than it is about winning matches. That's whwere we are, that's why it worked in the past and it doesn't work now. There is no room to breathe, no room to build, and develop a team. We dont have a pyramid structure in Scotland, we have a revolvong door with the same half dozen rteams popping in and out and bringing nothing but boredom. We will never get a team coming into the top division with the attitude of Blackpool arriving in the Premiership, because our league is too tight.

Cheers Mark, all the best at Sheffield Wednesday.

Ill health I believe, that's why Derek Weir has stepped in.

Christ we must be desperate big John Goldthorpe must be about 63, still I'd rather have him than some others.

Condolences to the family.

I thought Murphy and Sutton were excellent today, but I have to give it to Jennings he was terrific.

It was also in response to Celtic's annexation of the league title, it was felt the league had become too predictable. The top 10 was based on a format that the Bundesliga had originated, but never actually adopted. They had more sense.

Of course it will go through, those 4 clubs will be sweetened up before the vote and the OF will get what they want, they always do. It's amazing isn't it we've got two Englishmen in the highest posts in Scottish Football. One Doncaster came from Norwich City and the other, Stewart Regan, came from Yorkshire Cricket Club. Between them they know less than fuck all about Scottish Football, and we wonder why the games in the mess it is?

There is one phrase in Derek Weir's statement that I have a problem with, and it's this... "Some of those changes are good for Motherwell FC, others not so good." It's good to see that Mr Weir has Motherwell's interests at heart, but this is not about Motherwell Football Club. It's about Scottish Football as a whole. If we've got 12 clubs in there all trying to get what's best for each of them then we are never going to get anything done.

I'm not dismissing it, I'm pointing out that it's a bribe plain and simple. They know we've been moaning about it so they're throwing it hoping we'll look the other way and allow them to sneak in a Top 10.

..and the most interesting thing is, he's mentioned a cut in entrance money as well. Bribery and corruption the good old standby's when all else fails.

You mean charge us less for the same old shite just to shut us up? I'm really surprised that you've brought the bribery ploy into play so early, isn't that meant to be a last resort?

I dont see it as a positive that he isn't John Hughes, Gus McPherson, or Chris Sutton, mainly because I would have lumped him in with them. Jimmy Calderwood I would have taken in a heartbeat. I dont think it's a surprise how he puts himself across in interviews, the amount of media work he's done I'd be surprised if he didn't come across well. I want to see him make a difference, for the better, to the players on the pitch and there is absolutely nothing in his track record that even hints at him being capable of making that difference.

Is he a competent successful manager? That's the one and only box that should be ticked the rest are negligible. We seem to have pinned all our hopes on his knowledge of the lower leagues in England and ability to bring in loanees and frees from that area. Surely that is exactly the environment he was working in with Bradford, wouldn't it have made more sense to analyse the job he did at Bradford with that same knowledge and ability we've brought to Fir Park. I cant see a positive in the appointment of Stuart McCall and believe me I really desperately want to find one.

Pish says it all for me. Regardless, like any Motherwell fan I'll get right behind him and the team.

I dont think anyone has said they want the guy out, but a lot of us are distinctly unimpressed by the appointment. He's got the job now and there's no doubt we will get behind him. I mean I wasn't impressed by the Christmas pressie from the wife but I still love her.

I agree the negativity is disappointing but, and lets be perfectly honest here, hardly surprising. The thing is though we all will get behind him and wish him luck, it's just, well, he's crap.

Torn between Randolph and Fitzpatrick, but going to side with Fitzy.

A bit unfair there mate, we are all entitled to an opinion. I dont doubt we'll all get behind him because we support the team regardless of who's at the helm, but the fact remains that this is a totally underwhelming appointment.

There isn't a definite correlation between impressing in interviews and actually being able to do the job either. I'd rather we went with the track record and the CV rather than plumping for the sweetest talker. McCall's record doesn't show any hint of an ability to galvanise or get the wins in. Brown's record in club management is actually pretty woeful, the only bright spot being his time with us and I would suggest that was more down to the fact that he already had the players in place when he got here. His ability to build a team from scratch has to be in question as the only time he made an attempt, Preston, he failed miserably. Smith had a horrible time at Everton purely because of a lack of resources and having his best players sold out from under him. Burley's first time in management in England saw him take Ipswich up as champions and finish a highly creditable fifth and qualifying for the UEFA Cup. Strachan's acheivement in getting Southampton to the FA Cup final and Europpean football is no mean feat either. As for Levein and Jeffries both went to England, to difficult jobs, Bradford were in freefall and Leicester had just been relegated, before they were ready. Levein seems to make a habit of that he's nowhere near ready for the Scotland job. My heart hopes he can do it, my head doubts he can.

This is the scraping of the barrell, it's an absolutely pish appointment, the man's managerial record is beyond woeful.

Aye but at least the shop was open. I mean, get your priorities right.

Condolences, really sorry to hear that. RIP

I am not arguing that might be the case however with Jennings already having held his hands up and apologised to the ref and Motherwell stating they wont be appealing the card, they dont actually have any reason to investigate the referee. People keep asking why they are not looking at the referee, I'm just telling you why, the evidence against Jennings may be flimsy and circumstantial, but it just doesn't exist against the referee. He may have seen the Jennings incident as an ideal opportunity, I'll give you that, but, as I keep saying, Jennings and the club are not contesting the sending off therefore it's valid. If jennings had said all I did was touch him on the shoulder and asked why we didn't get a penalty, if Motherwell had contested the redcard and called it a disgrace then I dont doubt that the fingers WOULD be pointed at the ref. As it stands there is no case for the referee to answer over the sending off that is why there is no investigation. In truth there isnt even any speculation about the ref except for on this board.