Andy_P

I've been really fortunate that I've managed to do Poland, the Faroes, Germany, Finland and France but I think if we do end up making the Europa League my run will come to an end. I'm only back from Zante about 10 days before we'd be due to play so neither the finances or holidays from work are likely to be around barring possibly a road/ferry trip to NI or road/rail to Wales. Never say never mind you.....

I really enjoyed that! I was pleasantly surprised at just how comfortable a win in it was. I said before the game it would be classic Motherwell to turn up and pump them after what they'd done to use but I honestly expected a whole lot more from them. Apart from the save from Dorman early on and a wee burst of pressure after they got the goal, then it was easy peasy throughout and O'Brien should really have given the scoreline that extra wee bit of gloss with the chance at the end. Still 3-1, I'll happily take that. Some really good football in spells and nice to see Clarky get another couple and Jamie get a goal too. I try not to gloat too much when we win but I thoroughly enjoyed watching the change in demeanour of the Saints as the game - and their SPL status hopefuly, started slipping away from them. A good wee day.

Who got the nod from you this week?

The land where, day or night, you are never more than 50 yards or 50 seconds away from someone in a Sellik tap.

I just think it would be classic Motherwell to go there with nothing to play for and win comfortably having lost games to them that would have completely changed the outlook of our season. Whether that'll happen though, I'm not so sure. Saints fan in work is struggling to believe how lethargic they were against Caley and given their predicament you can't really see that happening again, chuck in the fact they are due a league win at their new ground and seem to have something of an Indian sign over us, I'd say the omens aren't great. Which conversely makes the thought of going there and putting them right in the shit a fairly appealing one for a Wednesday afternoon!!

I can remember Woods being called up as back-up for a full Scotland squad but I thought it was only on one occasion. McCart I don't remember getting a full call up but I believe did play in the SFL centenary match (or was in the squad) of either the Scotland team or the SFL select when they played at Hampden. McCart also played in a B International against Wales down there, which for some reason I seem to recollect him scoring an own goal and then a goal for Scotland. EDIT: I see Haggischomper has already posted the same about the goals at both ends in the Clarky captain thread.

I'm not in the least surprised to read folks views on McLeish the manager - clearly some repressed memories being theraputically unleashed after all these years! I am a bit surprised though at some of the views on McLeish the person. From my own dealings with them on that level I couldn't fault him. I did an interview with him for the Exiles Club and he was happy to talk at great length, posed for photos - as he did in the Euro away games too and was generally a very affable guy anytime I had any business with him. No going to defend his managerial record mind you......

I think ultimately we're going to have to agree to disagree on the merits of Clarkson on this one mate. I can't really answer your question about the club having no-one else to play in the reserves, though its perhaps academic as since he broke through he has largely been a part of the first team squad anyway. I don't believe Clarky is the second coming but that's three 'Well managers now who have seen him as a vital part of their squad. There's Burley who has rated him enough to include him in every Scotland squad for the last year, the Scotland U21 coaches who gave him caps going into double figures and the youth coaches at both club and national level prior to that. Are all these coaches wrong about him?

I accept your opinion on Clarkson but that particular line to me is just nonsense. If simply getting through the Motherwell ranks is the benchmark you appear to be setting then why when Clarkson has become a Scotland internationalist and clocked up 250 top flight games in your early twenties then why is Kevin MacDonald playing junior, Kenny Wright playing for Elgin, why is Willie Kinniburgh at Thistle, why did Dougie Ramsay end up at Stranraer, Jamie Ewings at Albion Rovers to name but a few that were in Clarkson's era in the youths and reserves. Was it a different set of Motherwell ranks these guys came through? I repeat that to suggest that Clarkson has only got to where he is today simply because he got through the Motherwell ranks is just nonsense.

I think two of them have been at worst fair signings. Sutton I think must be a really frustrating player to manage. He looks to me at times as if he's completely anonymous for 2 or 3 games at a time then you get a wee burst of goals, miss straight forward chance then out of nowhere there's a Zidane like strike like his goal at Ibrox. But I think any Motherwell player that can hit double figures has something to offer the team and he's done that, so while he's a bit of an enigma I think he's been a decent signing. O'Brien has shaped up well since he got into the team and I would like to think there's more to come. He's still relatively inexperienced in comparison to many his age - I don't even think he's played 50 plus top team career games yet, has shown a desire to better himself and reacted well to McGhee's promptings, so he's a bit of a work in progress. But again I think a decent signing from what I've seen thus far.

Your thoughts?

That's just the nurse wondering if she's given you double dose of your meds

Agreed Lobey. I think its completely right for the Cup winners to get a UEFA Cup place. There's a very strong argument for runners-up not to qualify in the event that the winners have already qualified granted but the removal of the European place would render national Cup competitions across the continent pointless.

He's had a bit of a yo-yo Scotland career with him being included in the Scotland squad that went to Japan in 2006 then disappearing off the radar. Getting a call up and being named man of the match in the B International in Airdrie against the Republic, and promptly disappearing off the radar again. Personally, with the two keepers selected both plying their trade in England, I don't know enough about their current form to compare them to Buzz and say whether he should be in or not. What I do remember is Marshall being impressive when he broke through with Celtic and it seemed for a time that it might be a straight fight between him and Gordon to be Scotland no.1. But that's a good few years ago now. I suppose he's due his turn given he's in that 3rd choice keeper role which means he could be in 50 squads but hardly have a hope of ever playing. Turner, I believe is viewed as having a good career ahead of him, but beyond a couple of outings for Everton I really couldn't say whether he's ahead of, behind or about the same in comparison with Smith.

I don't see it as fanzine v programme question as the heading says its more a case of fanzine & programme for me as 'Well fan though I'm not sure if you could say the same for all clubs. I've always loved reading fanzines, and not just Motherwell fanzines either. From general ones like The Absolute Game which was a must read to the hundreds of different club fanzines, I used to spend a fortune buying them. We are fortunate that we've still two really good fanzines on the go as loads of them have gone by the wayside over the years. I've no doubt the internet has been the final nail in the coffin for many. Takes a fine effort to pull an issue together. Takes a team of contributors, sellers, good relationship with printers not to mention requiring loads of time so to do at that at a time where fan bases are dropping for most teams on a regular basis is a big ask especially when you can log on and be involved in debate on a forum in a matter of seconds. Fanzine editors willing I think there will always be a place for them and long may OSB and GLF continue to serve us well.

I don't think splitting the gates equally would make too much difference without the Old Firm involved in the equation. I don't know how much of a factor it was, when it was the done thing but perhaps those of that era would want to offer their recollections but whilst the Old Firm were still powerhouses in Scottish football you had the likes of Kilmarnock winning the league, Clyde, St Mirren, Falkirk, Dunfermline and Hearts winning the Cup and teams like Hibs, Dundee and Kilmarnock progressing in Europe along with both Rangers and Celtic. That's why it always stuck in my throat whenever the Old Firm used to go on about a lack of competition in the league holding them back in Europe. They could have looked to reintroduce gone for a fair distribution of the tv rights or considered splitting the gates again but ofcourse it was just an attempt to blame someone else for their failings.

Padded cell in the main stand mair like

Come on Melvin, calm yersel. I know you are seeking to find the elusive spark to re-ignite your enthusiasm of all things claret and amber and fitba. But this surely aint it mate!! Smell the fear stuff or whit!

I remember Kirkie also getting one over Kidd when we played Airdrie at Broomfield in the first derby after they came up in 1992. There was much tearing out of grey hair from hacking old Jambo git after we won a late penalty thanks to a challenge on Kirk by Kidd. And even if he did get Kidd sent off. It would still be a mere fraction of the amount of times we were done over by Hearts in that period. Pretty much every game went to script for them. They weren't a bad team to be fair when they played football but the likes of Kidd, Whittaker, Berry, Black, Foster, McPherson, Sandison and Levein to name but a few would aggrivate, niggle, scratch, bite and pull to the point that we would completely forget to play football and try to go toe-to-toe with them. We never stood a chance against that shower and got suckered all the time. Also remember Robertson himself making big headlines about getting threatened at Fir Park also, then quietly retracting the statement a few days later, painting us as the bad lot. Entirely typical of Hearts in the Alex McDonald era.

I'm sure Big Stall's school of thought is that working on the basis that the co-efficient would drop, it would result in the loss of automatic group entry and potentially end up (if the co-efficient is sufficiently poor) with one place in the Champions League which starts in the First round of CL qualifiers. Another potential consequence is that if the co-efficient were to drop you would lose out on Europa league places too. Its up to each individual how important Europe is to you but I suspect if they did go there would be much more scope for investigating things like summer football, league reconstruction and the like and more chance of such things happening. Again up for debate as to whether they would be of benefit or not.

Falkirk: I'll more than likely miss. Got a head-wetting session in the evening anyway so the finances probably wouldn't allow. St Mirren: I'm toying with the idea of some further torture, if only because at that stage it'll be the 3rd Saturday in a row without getting to a game It's also a fairly straight forward train day too. It would be entirely typical of Motherwell to go there with nothing to play for and beat them having shat in the nest in 4 must wins against them in recent seasons. Accies: This will likely be a definite for me. Its probably the only one of the 5 remaining fixtures that captures any imagination given its a derby game and the satisfaction that could be gleaned if we get a result and they are still in shtook at the time. Its also the last away game of the season which I always make an effort to try to get to.

The dark clouds will pass this time as always eventually do, and when they do folk will be looking for something for a bit of interest/excitement be it new strips, new players, new contracts whatever. But nah, ultimately its whats in them that counts.

Just realised I'd forgotten to set up a poll for yesterday's game. Just when you were beginning to get it out of your system too eh.....

Dodged this thread for as long enough I suppose.....sigh...... What a total and utter disappointment. Thought we started slowly but worked our way into the game and dominated for a good 20-25 minute spell in the middle of the first half without ever really troubling Saints. Unfortunately that was as good as it really got and we could even have been behind were it not for Buzz's excellent stop from Dargo just on half-time. Second half though the longer it went on, the more it looked as if we wouldn't score and it was crying out for a change for a bit of fresh impetus but it was too little, too late. It was a questionable starting formation but I thought it had worked to an extent. Seemed to me that McGhee wanted to keep Dorman quiet which Quinn largely did while still offering something of a threat from left-mid from Hammell, but when he did change it, I felt he should have been a lot more bold. Given we routinely used to have three strikers on the park, and that we really had no option but to win this, I couldn't understand the initially conservative change of simply putting Quinn to right-midfield, Hammell to left-back and shifting O'Brien to the opposite wing. We might have conceded another gift of goal but who knows what might have happened if we'd gone hell for leather. It's frustrating that its bloody St Mirren who have shat in the nest again and I have to go into work and congratulate the two Buds again but more so that we've ballsed up what's been a right good opportunity.

Who cares what team they play for and what situation their team is in. If they can improve our squad then that's surely all that matters. Dundee Utd for example in the last season have taken on two First Division players from Dundee, one of whom has gone on to play for Scotland. Beyond that they've signed guys from Ayr and Berwick Rangers and they've been a success too. We simply can't afford to be snobby at what divisions and teams we can and can't sign players from.