Andy_P

The very year that I decide not to purchase a 'Well strip is the one where we manage to keep a shirt and (sponsor?) combination for more than one season for about the first time in a decade But my poor decision making aside, in all seriousness that's a welcome development in light of lots of extra monies being found by 'Well fans to put into the Well Society. Good to hear.

Couple of further dull observations about our line up yesterday. Just two Scots in the starting XI - Carswell and Lasley. Have we ever had just as few Scots as that before? And no Scots at all in the with the defence. With the enduring presence of Stevie Hammell at left-back (save for his wee holiday in south-east England ofcourse) over the last dozen years, that can't have happened too much either really. If ever?

I think whether this proves to be a vital point, or two points dropped is only going to become apparent in the fullness of time. Could have been better. Could have been worse. But the cold hard fact that we'd have been staring a defeat in the face had it not been for an equaliser in the last 10 minutes means at the moment, for me at least, it's been a pretty successful afternoon's work. I thought we were a bit unlucky to go in behind at the break. It was far from a vintage performance certainly but nobody had really stood out between either of the two teams. We'd had the bulk of the play whilst they were being kept well in check until O'Connor's wonderful free-kick. Pleasing to see the response in the second half. After they hit the bar we dominated and the draw was the least we deserved out of it. Lovely finish from Nicky Law. Looked from my view that Johnny Page had taken one for the team with the sending off although it was difficult to see what he had been booked for in the first half. It appeared that Stack hadn't fully taken control of the ball and he was entitled to make a challenge but how aggressively he's gone and whether it merited a booking, I couldn't say. Whether by accident or design Hump has come into his own a lot more in recent weeks. Started fairly well today but quickly looked to be marked out of things. I've seen him vanish in circumstances like in the past but it was to his credit he ended up primary threat throughout much of the second half. Perhaps that spell where he spent a month or so coming off the bench is proving to be our benefit. He did pretty well as an impact sub then and we seem to be benefiting from him being that bit more fresh now as well. So, as we were with St Johnstone but another point better off against Dundee Utd, with one game more chalked off the list. Just need to keep our nerve, keep totting up the points and hopefully we'll get there.

Your thoughts and votes please folks....

I've always thought Griffiths looks like Homer Simpson in those occasional episodes of The Simpsons you see him with half a heid of hair. The one where Marge is telling him she's pregnant and he tears his hair out springs to mind As for the game. Positives are that Higdon has 4 against them already this season, Murphy has a good record against Hibs going back a few seasons and they really struggled to deal with Ojamaa at Fir Park. Negatives the absence of Hammy and Steve Jennings combined with the fact when their forward line clicks we can sometimes struggle to deal with their pace and power. I well remember Esster Road being something of a graveyard for 'Well so never go there expecting a result. But today is clearly a massive opportunity for us, particularly after yesterday's results and I do think it will be quite deflating if we can't grasp that opportunity.

Married during the football season. Smacks of poor planning that!!!

Not that much related to the actual game on Sunday but an interesting statement from Rod Petrie about Hibs current situation...

Which were? From about the point where we put down the cards for the display I've pretty much erased the rest of the weekend from memory.

No bother guys. Happy to work around whatever suits best for the folk drawn out the hat.

As I mentioned in the Rangers thread somehow, despite that defeat, I feel more positive than I did after Kilmarnock. It's such a big weekend ahead but I hope we would view the fact we're playing after St Johnstone and Dundee Utd as a positive in that we will know exactly what's required of us come Sunday. Not that they don't already know that a win would be so precious but the fact we'll know how the land lies should be an advantage. Perhaps some of my optimisim is that I'm hoping Dundee Utd might have peaked just a little too soon. It's a remarkable run they've been on but its one that surely can't continue indefinetely. Whilst its not uncommon for one of the Old Firm to go on a 15-20-25 unbeaten game run, once a "diddy" team starts getting towards double figures, the expectancy of the support rises, the exposure becomes greater and something usually gives sooner or later because players in teams like that generally aren't that experienced in handlingsuch situations. But If they can sustain and then do overtake us, then gutting as it would be, it would be difficult to say it wouldn't be undeserved. Saturday brings it own little psychological battle for them having lost two already to Aberdeen this season. Similarly whilst we're on the subject by hook or by crook we go to Easter Road with a 100% record against them in the league this season. St Johnstone are a more much difficult one to call. They benefit from, in an SPL context, a very dangerous forward line which is always going to be a threat. Those removed I look around the rest of their team and one or two apart they definitely seem to a team performing way above the levels you might expect when you look at them individually. I think they'll benefit from the fact that they wont have the same expectancy level as Dundee Utd fans, who along the lines of Aberdeen retain very high opinions of themselves and they don't have the pressure of us in attempting to get over that line having been in 3rd place almost from day one. With only 1 defeat in 6 against Saints and Utd I'm confident that if it does come down to it, we've got enough about us to see us through any winner takes all against either of the two of them. But I still have a sneaky that this weekend is going to be a really positive one for us.

That's really really impressive. Sends out such a strong positive message about the future of MFC right through Scottish football. Excellent stuff!

Announcement is due sometime today apparently johnstone according to some tweets that were posted by MFC last night.

Aye? Didn't know that. Good stuff. At least increases the options a little and makes it a little more difficult for Hibs to know who to expect to replace Hammy.

Jordan Halsman is on loan at Albion Rovers. I would suspect it would be Johnny Page filling in at left-back.

If Johnny Page does play left-back I hope he's just as successful as he was at Brechin that night at League Cup - two goals was it he put away that night?

Not strictly relating to Old Firm fans in the Main Stand but perhaps there is more to consider when it comes to these games to try to encourage a better turnout - thereby lessening the amount of the ground we need to fret about handing over to them. Does it put people off that the prices go up for Old Firm games? Do people just leave it knowing they have to come up and by a ticket when they are used to rolling up at five to three for a PATG fixture? Do people leave it for fear of what they might be walking into as soon as they step outside FP? Not withstanding the dire results on the park these are a couple of reasons we've seen put forward why our turnouts have been poor on occasion. Taking the prices and the fact you have to buy a ticket first. SPL regulations mean we can't offer reduced prices on comparable stands on a standard ticket for the game. But do we have scope to be a bit more innovative whereby we can offer non ST holders a package something similar to how the OF sell Europa/CL packages? - Whereby you opt in at the start of the season to have tickets sent to you for any all-ticket game at Fir Park, you are duly debited for that ticket, but for your committment you get your OF tickets at the regular (non-OF rate). The club would have to weigh up whether the loss of £2 or £3 per advertised ticket price might be worth the hit if it encourages more sales at £18 or whatever the price is than normal. This would also save punters a trip to Fir Park to buy tickets for these games and the fact there might well be difference in price paid between home and away fans in the Min Stand would be more likely to slip under the radar of the OF sympathising media. I gather that these days the Cooper suite is made available for 'Well fans at every home fixture, OF games included both before and after games. If the post-match return to the car or bus is a worry, lets make the fact this facility is available post-match much more well known to fans so they can retreat there if they so wish until the crowds clear. Do some specials on the pricing, food on the menu, rerun of the game etc. to try attract people in there if they feel intimidated leaving directly after the game and at the same time hopefully generate some revenue. There might not be a lot we can do about the results but I think there is a bit scope still for making coming to OF games a bit more attractive for Well fans who might generally stay away.

You miss understand me Roly. I don't mean the Old Firm game being included within the 1st set of post-split fixtues, I mean its the very first post-split game the SPL will look to schedule - its placement at a point where it'll potentially cause the least amount of hassle - and every other fixture then has to be built around that.

Noted Dave. I wasn't aware there were any guarantees afforded to those who were top six finishers the previous season. The only guarantee I've never known there was, was that the first fixture to be scheduled was the last Old Firm game and everything else built around that.

I don't think that's correct. Wasn't that part the cause of the club's grievance two seasons ago when we had to go to both Parkhead and Ibrox in the run in? And also partly why people remember the club have been unhappy with post-split fixtures. That season we had just two home fixtures after the split both of which if I remember rightly were scheduled at daft times with potential for hitting gate receipts further, the Utd being something like 4pm on a Sunday afternoon and the Hibs games scheduled to be on a Thursday night on election night - although I'm that subsequently got moved on police advice.

Odd. Despite the circumstances in which we lost today somehow I think I felt more disheartened after last Saturday. That was very harsh on us today. There was only ever one team that looked like they were going to get a winner in the second half and it certainly wasn't Rangers. Yet out of the blue they force a save from Randolph and seconds later a fucking shitter of a scrambled bobbling winner gives them the points. I've been told there was a push on Clancy in the build up but currently got no great inclination to seek it out to check. I thought we did okay though. Took the game to them when possible. Scored a great goal, forced two wonderful saves from McGregor and another half decent one after a lovely passage of play through the middle of the park. All that was missing was a positive result at the end of it. We had some fortune with the Clancy booking and Randolph with Aluko certainly. Clancy has grown on me a lot since his very early outings in claret and amber but I actually think he's pretty similar to Craggs in that he's an accident waiting to happen. A different type of accident certainly but his hot-headedness has to be curbed. These instances of sleekit kicks, heads into chest and wild lunges are going to catch up with him sooner or later. The Aluko incident I was stunned when it became apparent he hadn't pointed to the spot and wasn't going for a red for Randolph. To be fair to Brines though he did his utmost to compensate with his leniency towards McCulloch, Goian and a series of utterly bizarre calls to allow play to continue when he had clear view of a foul, only to penalise a Motherwell player immediately after - the Lasley booking a case in point. The Dundee Utd scoreline was disappointing if not unexpected, particularly with the Pars teasing us by taking them to half-time so rather nauseatingly we have to look to Celtic to do us a turn tomorrow to offer some respite to the hammering away at an increasingly fragile lead. You can call it blind optimism but I have a funny feeling that next weekend is going to be key weekend in how things will pan out and it'll be a positive shift back towards us. I certainly hope so anyway!!

Your thoughts and votes please folks....

Well that's our forms in and the first payment towards our £1000 commitment for the Claret Well Society membership!! The good lady went up with me and we were lucky to be able to spend a fair bit of time at Fir Park chatting to Alison Wallace about the society's formation and how things have progressed towards the aim of hitting the initial £250k target. When speaking to Alison she said the club are still in the process of totting up contributions to see what the current total is. Pleasingly for MFC in addition to another very well supported event on Tuesday night they've had a steady flow of people joining which is adding to the tally all the time. If and when the target the Society kicks into life all the benefits that come with our package commence. To that end Alison kindly arranged for Keith Lasley to pluck the names from the claret and amber tammy (just like they used to do with the sweep on the old Bellshill bus when I was a laddie ) to see who gets what from all those who have thus far contributed to our own membership. So the winners are.... Entry to the Monthly Draw: Weetoonwellfan Goals of the Season DVD: Yosemite Sam 10% Discount on Season Ticket: JBA Cooper Family Match Pass x1: Optimus Prime Cooper Family Match Pass x 2: Kiai MFC TV Subscription: Mad Dog First Team Signed Ball: Steve Diggle Be in the Team Photo: Gaag Signed Bottle of Claret: Brazilian Evening with Manager & Players: WellfraeAberdeen Well done folks!! There are also other benefits that go with the package that aren't quite one offs or can be transferred between those who have chipped in such as a discount on match hospitality. Once the Society is a go-er and I get more detail about the benefits being available I'll be in touch with each of you mentioned above. Got a couple of pictures of Las doing the draw with Alison and a couple of me, small child like on Christmas Day with a couple of the players. Flow also took a couple of pictures of me and a rather uncomfortable looking good lady representing the forum so between those one of them, along with the forum name, will go up on that gallery on the 'fishel in due course Thanks once more to those who have contributed thus far and a wee reminder that we've still got a good way to go to meet our £1k commitment so all contributions are still very much required.

A result on Saturday would do so much good for both the team and the support. Ofcourse that is easier said than done! There were some mild suggestions following Kilmarnock about the character and bottle of the team but from what I read that claim just easily be levied against one or two supporters whose arse fell out their trousers at the results at the weekend. I think we're hitting one of those spells where need to try to put any reservations and doubts to one side and give the team as much positive backing as possible. Any nerves or edginess that they pick up from the crowd isn't I imagine going to do the team much good, whereas we know the positive stuff helps. Similarly we need to hold our nerve and not turn on them if things aren't going our way during games. There will be ample time for finger pointing at the end of the season if it goes tits up. For each game though between now and then we've our part to play in tandem with the team in getting us where we want to be. I think in an odd way last weekend allows us to go into this weekend under slightly less pressure. Rangers have clearly achieved the only short term aim they've had to play for in denying Celtic the chance to win the league at Ibrox and if we had won at Kilmarnock the players would have had "2nd place" "Champions League" "2nd place" "Champions League" fired at them all week. McCall regularly makes the point about the first goal being important but its even more crucial on Saturday. Get that and the motivation of Rangers comes under question whilst I'd love to think that we would only grow in confidence and belief and go on to get the result. Saturday's the day!!

A further wee update for you folks. We've now collected over half the amount required for the Claret Well Society membership package after some recent contributions over the last couple of days. From the original list of people who pledged money towards our membership fee there are around 20 or so who have still to follow up that expression of interest so hopefully we'll continue to see the contributions roll in as we hit pay day etc. Alison Wallace at MFC has made arrangements for someone from the club to the draw for the benefits when I hand in the forms on Friday. I know the benefits aren't the primary reason for most for contributing but if you want to be in with a chance of securing one of those "prizes" all those who have contributed thus far and anyone who makes a contribution between now and tomorrow night will go in the hat for that. Cheers again for your support!

Yes. From the point you sign up you have 9 months to make your payment in full. You could in theory have a lower initial contribution with the balance made up of larger amounts to be paid on a couple of dates of your choosing up to the 9 month legal limit.