Andy_P

I jest, well mostly. Come on Milo, allow yourself to be a wee bitty positive once in a while mate.

But that doesn't take account of the fact that with the additional time and security offered by the Hutchison deal that people who already have contributed might be inspired to contribute further. Or businesses or organisations might be in a better position financially to get involved now than they initially were a year or two back. Or indeed that the WS up their game and draw income from activities not directly related to contributions from members.

I don't really want to have a pop at anyone seeking to paint a positive but I'm a bit unconvinced of how much of a difference that makes to be honest. I mean was there not some tale for example where Jim Gannon, running back to Fir Park after training, was pelted with stuff from the passing team bus? It can't do any harm to set a positive impression of course but if the team think you're a prick, then it doesn't matter how fit and healthy you look, they'll still think you're a prick!

Having had a chance to digest the club statement from Friday and read the BBC report (I didn't catch the interview which may have revealed more) I remain delighted that in the short to medium things look a good deal more secure for the club, and that the goal of fan ownership remains a reality. There do remain a few questions for me though. I'm trying to get my head around how Les Hutchison's investment fits in with the process we've been involved in over the past few years. More likely I've misinterpreted things but from day one we would appear to have been attempting to build a WS kitty if you like to effectively build up enough financial muscle to be able to manage the club affairs yes? And in proving that Boyle would then transfer over the shares? Since earlier this year we've been seeking to build that kitty with a bit more urgency. The WS were looking for increased commitment from supporters and soft loans to get to that next level right? Yet the reports I'm reading appear to suggest Hutchison's loan has gone to the club and not the WS and that the WS will continue to provide ongoing support. So who pays the loan back and on what terms? Is it the club through existing operating activities whilst the WS continue to build up a kitty? Is it the WS directly through existing and future funds? Perhaps it will become clear when the 30 day period is concluded and all is tied up legally. At that stage I think we'll need some clarity at where the WS funds stand, the make up of those funds and what we are looking at going forward to judge how to press forward in getting more people on board. What I'm sure the WS don't want for instance is folk to think external investor has put his dosh in so we can forget about things for the next 5 years. As I say a great step forward but not without questions and posers ahead.

When listening to Barraclough's remarks about looking to play football and giving his players the freedom to express themselves without worrying unduly about making mistakes - as long as they were prepared to work hard - it was Vigurs who immediately sprang to mind. If Vigs could avoid the niggles he's had since he came here and up his work rate a notch I wonder if he could be an important player under the new manager.

Your thoughts and votes please...

There's huge frustration at losing the goal deep in injury time but let's be honest, if anyone was fortunate to come out of that game with a point it was us. But for a couple of decent spells in either half, in particular when we got the goals, and looking dangerous on the break a couple of times I thought it was a very disappointing display from us. The first half was just awful capped by losing the first injury time goal. The tactic of the long ball to Sutton's marker/out the park was ineffective and horrible to watch. Only Ojamaa looked anything like a threat. The introduction of Ainsworth promised more in the second half and he initially delivered before returning to his frustrating best. Could have killed it with that chance after the sweeping pacy break - no complaints at the effort, but the lazy ball across the box later on when we we had people in good positions I'd be a degree more critical about. County though were on top for fair spells even if I didn't feel hugely worried by their threat despite their dominance. It was only when Cardle came on and started giving Ferguson the runaround did I feel concerned. We rode our luck with a scramble or two in the box and with the golden chance that came off the post and just when you thought we'd got away with it they pulled it out the bag. It's a positive that they remain below us after today and in a weird sense I'm quite happy that Baraclough will have seen us today with plenty of our flaws and weaknesses exposed for all to see. A very meek start to the new beginning.

Since he was firing off tweets this morning at around half two perhaps it's safe to assume Craig Reid is one of those who will be absent. I'm feeling more optimistic than nervy this morning as I type. Missed last weekend but a repeat of the application and desire that was evident in the two Dundee Utd games would I think go some way to helping us get a result today. Motherwell by a goal.

Not strictly true....it was actually £400k he cost! although we did recoup that in full apparently. I know what you are saying about the mistakes and you are spot on that it took him a good while into his Motherwell career before he came good. But his 'Well career had more to it than just that one game. His form once he did recover from that early season injury was excellent. Whether it was just a case of taking a while to adapt to a new country or a different style of football from what he'd been used to I don't know, but when he returned to the side after the second injury he looked much more prepared and ready to tackle Scottish football and it showed.

I do care. Let's just calmly see the process reach it's conclusion rather than be spooked because of what is coming up on Saturday and the week after. It's important certainly - obviously - but now we've at last reached the advanced point of where they appear to be doing interviews and weighing up the pro's and con's of each candidate I'd far rather wait an extra week or so if it took it to get the right candidate for the longer term. There are 3 points up for grabs on Saturday. There are 66 points up for grabs following that.

That would be kind of ironic. Two or three Motherwell managers did their best to get him to Fir Park and he wasn't interested and here is looking to us to get him back in a job all these years later.

Double figures? There will be more spelling mistakes in your post than goals conceded on Saturday.

Your thoughts and votes please...

Well it ended with the outcome I suspected it might, although we gave them a closer run than I thought we would. That, and the lateness of their winner only makes it that bit more painful. First half was great. Brilliant game of fitba to watch and even better that we had the lead with a belter and were fully deserving of it. Intensity, creativity, ability. It was all there. You were never fully comfortable however with the way United can destroy teams on the break but on the whole, it was great. The second half I felt we never ever got going. How much of that was down to Paul Lawson going off? Well, we can only speculate but safe to say his first 45 were right up there with the best he's turned in, since joining us. United stepped up a couple of gears whilst we gradually ran out of steam and had to thank Twardzik for a Randolph-esque like display of goalkeeping for staving off the what eventually felt like the inevitable for as long as he did. The 3rd substitution rankles. Why? Why when you've just conceded, and at that stage of the game, would you not change your intended sub? At that stage even if ZFA was injured there was still no need for it. We had Ramsden and Reid on the park who've played there already. Baffling. That we had that chance with Sutton right at the death was just the final wee boot in the baws. I'm left with a mixture of contrasting feelings at the end of it. Delighted with the first half performance, some wonderful goalkeeping yet ultimately gutted to be out particularly having held the lead at the break even if over the piece I couldn't say Utd's win was undeserved.

No and no.

I find I'm agreeing with plenty who have posted already in that I'm most certainly not a fan of the Scottish Cup being played this early and I have my fair share of reservations about our chances too. The SFA/SPFL would I suspect claim that with the top flight split continuing and each division in Scotland now having play-offs an early exit in the Scottish Cup is not the season killer that it may have been in the past. In the past there would have been swathes of clubs with "meaningless" games following a 3rd round exit. In fairness with the play-offs that's much less so. They might also argue the point that playing games in late November/early December will negate some of the problems postponements that come futher into winter. Ofcourse the vagaries of Scottish weather mean there can be call offs any time but you would generally expect less call-offs in November than you might in January. But it just doesn't feel right and for me takes away from the traditions and allure of the competition for me, in much the same way that drawing ties hidden away at 2pm on a Monday afternoon does too. The round where the "big" teams come in should be in January, so you've something different to look forward to after the turn of the year in the second half of the season. Potentially being out of both cups before you've even got the Christmas decorations up is just shite! As for tomorrow I must confess I'm not as enthusiastic as I might be. Still pretty scunnerred at getting hit with another top flight team. I'd far rather flirt with disaster and get the chance to play an Inverurie, Albion Rovers or Queen's Park that you only chance upon once in a blue moon that a home-tie against another top flight side. It also wouldn't surprise if their travelling support matched or even bettered our own. £15 is a great if you are an away fan and would normally pay £22 or whatever coming here (season ticket deal for their last visit duly acknowledged but £15 when you normally use your season ticket and got the first cup tie is well, a little be meh - and that's not to say I don't disagree with their reasoning for it. I don't see McNamara, who got a really easy ride from the media about changing half a team and still thinking they could beat us, will make the same mistaken again so I think the task is going to be all the harder for us. I also see some similarities to tomorrow and a Cup tie against Dundee Utd around 10-15 years ago at Fir Park where we were having similar discussions about the future direction of the club with Boyle at the time reigning in the spending, budgets on the verge of being cut accounts looking particularly great. That was an equally important day in terms of the clubs finances. I hope the result is better this time around!

We all want, indeed need, the managerial situaton addressed as soon as possible but I don't think the club's line of thinking was unreasonable in hanging fire until the end of November before re-assessing the situation. If it were the case that the deadline set to the Well Society another couple of months down the line, or at the end of the season then yes I would have fully expected the club to have made an appointment to reflect that even if it were an appointment to see us through to the end of the season. But for all of three or four weeks? I don't think it's unreasonable to pause and see how the land lies in terms of the ownership issues before deciding what avenue to go down next.

I remember a Motherwell defence that had Kevin Christie, Greig Denham and the comedic delight that was Gunni Johnsson all performing their magic at the same time so I'd have to say no to that one!

Not that it matters a great deal, but forgot about this last night.....

Because you were coming across last night as a ranting incoherent nugget that couldn't string two sentences together? At a guess. And I'm actually with you on Twardzik,

I really enjoyed that last night. Definitely one of the best home games for a good while. I had visions of a repeat of the kind of directionless games we had under Gordon Young the last time we'd a caretaker manager in place but really this was as good a response to recent events as I could possibly have hoped for. There was heart, fight and barrel loads of endeavour and spirit from the first minute to last. It was brilliant to see, but there was much more to it than that I felt. When I heard the radio after the game I was surprised at how much they seemed to be going on and on about Utd's display where as our win seemed to be put down solely to grit. I thought of that move for example between Ojamaa and Ainsworth that saw us play one touch football three quarters of the way up the park in the first half with only Vigurs fluffing it at the end, Ainsworth hitting the post, the disallowed goal, Ojamaa's two run and shots. Vigurs feints and flicks and so on. We contributed far more to that game than simply fighting hard. Yeah United looked to have us worried a certain times, particularly in the first half when they went at us with pace and were slinging in deep crosses in the second half but we defended well and our keeper made the saves when needed. Rather than focusing on United's hard luck story they might have been better served highlighting the fact that McNamara thought he could get away with changing half a team and still beat us. What's done is done with Stuart McCall and this season prior to yesterday evening. The team have very publicly set the bar for the type of performance, no scrub performance, the type of desire, determination and levels of character that will be expected in future games. They can't possibly retreat into their shell after last night. For now though, I'm just savouring the win.

Your thoughts and votes please folks...

Apparently he ruled himself out within hours of McCall departing. Didn't feel he could do the job with the budget he had when McCall got it, that being the case certainly wouldn't be able to do it now.

Was it not Phil Brown that applied for the Thistle job?

A draw entirely in keeping with the dispiriting tone of the weekend. A top flight team at home is dull enough when you have gems like Spartans, Hurlford and Elgin teasing you with their presence. To be the very top flight team though whom you play in your previous home game just adds to the sense of tedium for me.