Andy_P

I think it's fair to say the points you both make are not lost on those at MFC certainly and most likely across other clubs. I got the impression of a clear frustration of how things currently are when it comes the financial rewards and marketing of the game. Remember too that the SPFL aren't just catering for the top flight any more, they've all the senior Scottish clubs to distribute monies too now. There seemed to be a feeling that the current make up of the SPFL was more administratively based than it needed to be and the club were looking for more emphasis to be placed on selling and marketing the game either those currently in positions of power, or through the introduction of those with expertise in that field. They did acknowledge though that the reconstruction process was fairly major and such they are perhaps due a period of time to allow restructuring to take place but I certainly did take from some of the statements made that there was any huge degree of faith there.

Okay... There was one specific piece of info. that was requested not to be made public so I'm presuming the rest is fair game. If that's not the case then I'll remove as quickly as it as requested of me. The meeting was chaired by Jim McMahon (I think) in Derek Weir's absence and he immediately gave thanks to Stuart McCall and Leeann Dempster for works undertaken over a number of years. The formal business was placed at the end of the meeting allowing Stuart McCall to give a brief summary of events and then take questions some of which included.... We're in a decent position now with 14 games left. He couldn't be happier with the points tally accumulated so far. Ideally wants his teams to win, entertain and play well. Would prefer a 5-4 win rather than a 1-0 win. Says we have strong characters in the dressing room which enabled the turnaround from the Albion Rovers and Celtic games. He isn't looking for plaudits the way Aberdeen and Utd have them lavished upon them and says the time for that anyway is the end of the season. He is constantly reminded of the Cup defeats and the consequences of them. He made an interesting point about quietly hoping teams who already have a financial advantage over us don't get further financial rewards from making finals and winning cups. I'm wording this one carefully as I don't know at what stage they are at but on contracts "the next few weeks" was mentioned about tieing players down. Says the likes of McManus agent has been on the phone. He anticipates dealing in 1 or 2 contracts as teams are unable to commit, outwith exceptions circumstances, to 3 year deals any more. Says we can hold our own amongst most in the league in attracting players. Circumstances like Clancy and Gunning will arise but quoted McManus where we came to us despite Hibs offering more. The club have a reputation amongst players for being a good place to play both in Scotland and through the English guys who have been with us. We also benefit from the exposure we have in Scotland in terms of live games across the UK. Europe he didn't seem convinced was that much more of an additional draw but depended upon where the player was coming from. Expects Hutchy to go. They haven't given up but realistically they expect him to go. Says in general though players are having their eyes opened e.g. Hateley having to go to Poland and Ojamaa perhaps not enjoying his time as much as he did at Motherwell. The treatment room is extremely busy with some players requiring ops in the summer. These will delayed until then if possible. The squad will also be tested with suspensions with some senior players on the threshold of a suspension and some just below that. That will mean McCall is likely to turn to youngsters like Jack Leitch and Dom Thomas. On the youngsters he believes guys like those have missed out on months of playing time with the youth set up currently with nothing between U17 and U20 level and this has potentially delayed their readiness for first team duty. The current set up is up for review and reserves may be re-introduced although McCall is not quite sure this will remedy the gap between the 17's and 20's. On youngsters says he can't think of many who have left who have gone on to surprise him. Says the likes of Forbes and Lawless went because they wouldn't get a game in our team. Seemed impressed by Lawless and said if we were running with a lower budget and had lesser expectations then might have got game time then. Says they hope to get good players in around 14/15 age and build from there. Gave an example of Rangers pinching 3 of our best U11 players as evidence of competition in the area. Also noted that we apparently owe Celtic a fee if Dom Thomas plays 5 first team games. A good discussion took place about the transfer fees or lack of from our squad and potential sales in the future. McCall tended to think there won't be much in the way of transfer monies received, Dempster was much less commital on that one! The dilema was discussed that they face each season about potentially selling a player for a "knock-down" fee or keeping them, and gambling on the rewards of a potential place or two higher, or in his first season, getting to a Cup Final. Says Scotland is seen as a soft market place and later Dempster and McMahon went on to state how there is a frustation at the lack of monies accrued centrally from the SPFL such as not having a sponsor and not a true valuation being received in deals. They hope this will change. On Scotland he wouldn't imagine Faddy or McManus will get recalls but you never know. They had hoped Hammell would get capped at Wembley but it never quite happened given the way the game went. An example of the cash flow issues were that the bonuses due to players and management were deffered until a point where the club could afford to pay them. The club made sure they would honour them despite changes in income and prize money. That was about it before I had to scoot. Hope that gives a flavour of what said from the parts I head, mostly from Stuart McCall admittedly.

I was there for part of it and jotted down stuff that I'll try post up at lunchtime if I get the chance. I was there for all of McCall's Q&A which was interesting and a very good listen but I had to bolt not long after the accounts began to be discussed so may well have missed some important stuff there. Certainly whilst it was stated that 6th place with a run in a cup and incoming transfer fees is budgeted for it appeared to me that even achieving that won't give any sort of guarantee of a break even point being met. More later...

Your thoughts and votes please.....

Seems reasonable enough.... until the first mere hint of a mistake from him. Then...

Nonsense, as the considerate host that you are, you are merely going the extra mile to cater for the many football daft guests amongst your wedding party!! Your missus in fact should be delighted to be hitching up with such a considerate type!

I don't see what you don't get guys? The comparison is simply that both players stated in public they believe they could be doing better. Vigurs: Nielsen: Vigurs has delivered on that recently. My hope, seeing as he's likely to be our number one for the remainder of the season, is that Nielsen can do the same.

I haven't seen a re-run on Alba but whilst coming away from the ground obviously hugely disappointed to have conceded at the death, was quietly satisfied at how we did. A glance at the team lines pre-match, in particular the strength of the respective benches, showed differences in depth and options between the sides, but despite the respective up and downsizing of each side, we still we remain of the ability to go toe-to-toe with Aberdeen. I would concede they shaded it over the piece in terms of possession and chances but in contrast to the beginning of the season we do look like we have goals in us and that's a great weapon to have in your armoury, particularly when you might be up against it or on the back foot. We were culpable in part for both goals conceded but little surprise that Steven McLean played a part also. It was keeping with being oblivious to the numerous times there were arms all over Sutton and the elbow on Carswell that he would miss the goings on in the box in the decisive last moments. But the key thing was to make sure we didn't lose and the gap wasn't extended over us and we've achieved that. I don't know what the club's plans are for the next couple of weeks, whether there's an intention to take them elsewhere for training - having read that they've almost continually been training on an artificial surface recently - but it'll hopefully allow Vigurs, Ramsden and Kerr to be available, or getting towards being available by the time our next fixture rolls around.

The merits of messrs Hollis, Nielsen and Twardzik have been well discussed but interesting you bring the name Gordon Marshall into the debate. He's someone that's come to mind once or twice over the season given McCall's remarks in the summer, which I assume were (at least in part) in jest about him knowing nothing about goalkeepers and leaving that side of things entirely to Marshall. There was a quote I remember attributed to Marshall earlier in the season that he and McCall both believed it was Hollis position to lose and if you take into account Nielsen's interview in the programme yesterday about building up fitness and confidence after his long-term injury, perhaps they hoped not to use him as much as they have whilst they worked on developing him. Nielsen obviously believes - a bit like Vigurs conceded also - that there are better performances in him than what he's shown so far. I do wonder at how he came into Marshall's thinking in the summer given he didn't have a huge amount of senior appearances behind him and was off the back of a long time out. How much the fact that he spent time with two English top flight sides played I don't know. Whatever the case, he is what we've got now, Hollis is still out and going by the report in the Dundee based paper during the week and suggestions from McCall there's not likely to be any incoming competition coming his way soon. I don't particularly enjoy Gunnar's style of goalkeeping but we're going to have to go with it until Hollis returns to fitness or McCall has a chance to review the situation for next season. In the meantime, again like Vigurs, you hope that something seemingly from nowhere clicks and we get that increased level of performance.

Assuming it is Macron, would there be anything that would prevent MFC electing to go with an earlier design if they wished? I was flicking through the channels when I got up this morning and noticed Crusaders were wearing this... It would an interesting move if they used that for the home kit, but replace the black and red on there with claret and amber and you'd have a pretty clean and classy looking Motherwell away kit.

Your thoughts and votes please...

That's outrageous. That's the kind of photo you should be sending to anyone and everyone. Twitter, Facebook, the papers the lot.

A fair bit depends upon the context and timing of the fixture but largely this, a game against a side we don't cross swords often if at all will get the butterflies in the tummy going in a way that a run of the mill league fixture rarely does.

Your thoughts and votes please....

Who cares. Old news. Stop posting random shite trying to make yourself look half decent because another poster happens to be taking a panning from some folk.

I recollect Mark Caughey doing exactly that, though I'm not so sure it was against Accies. I think the Accies link comes from the swap deal that saw Jamie Fairlie go there and Caughey come to us. He had scored a few with Accies, was an NI internationalist I believe at a time when NI had qualified for successive World Cups so weren't too shabby. But I think he was back in NI by the start of the following season and ultimately ended up in the police.

No? I thought he was excellent those first six months under McGhee. A good cog in what was a wonderful attacking unit. He made 34 appearances that season according to Soccerbase so aye, I'd say he was a regular. I don't remember him maintaining the form beyond that purple patch granted but those months alone for me would exclude him by some way from any worst eleven.

McGarry had a superb six months under McGhee. There were several who really benefited from his training methods McGarry more than most.

I think when you are comparing attendances from one season to the next you have to delve a little below the headline figure. There are a few variables that will skew things from one season to the next. For example last year we had 3 home games against Celtic, you are unlikely to get that this season. Another one that springs to mind is that we had two midweek visits from Dundee Utd whilst this year we got them on a Saturday when they were on a good run. Not just as simple as counting the number of bodies through the door from one year to the next.

He was!!!! Sort of...... List of Emmerdale Characters I think our man was actually called Franck Bernhard but good enough for me. Ten years I've waited for that link!!!

Acknowledging the several shortcomings in his game I really can't see how McCall would regret signing Vigurs, particularly on recent form where he has almost produced an assist per game. I would go so far as to say McCall would be absolutely delighted not to get any offers for him in the summer far less welcome them. It was said time and time again throughout the early part of the season that it would take a period for a newly constructed team to best utilise each other's strengths and abilities. Vigurs is the very epitome of that where Sutton and Anier know that if they make the correct run at the correct time that Vigurs has the ability to put the ball perfectly on their head or toe. I can only see better things ahead as those partnerships and understandings are developed and built upon further.

Keegan was only over in Scotland primarily for business reasons. He was coming to end of his career and in two minds as to whether to chuck it but at the back of his mind thought as an experienced but ageing pro he might pick up a gig in the bottom division or two to extend his career and buy his business a bit of time to kick-off. Couldn't believe his luck some daft SPL side came calling....

Something's just come back to me about yesterday. I'm kinda hanging myself out to dry here a wee bit if If I've got this wrong but...... ..were my ears deceiving me or did we really have a 5 minute strong Henri Anier song going based around Gina G's Ooh Ahh Just a Little Bit towards the end of the game?

The immediate thing I think when reading that is the floor is yours, do tell us how it's how done...... I like your enthusiasm and drive to see things improve no doubt but there are clubs in administration currently, clubs who have been in administration, clubs on the brink of administration if that money is there somewhere, those punters are there, plenty teams would love to know how to be able to tap into both.

Apologies for going off topic a bit here but whilst I noticed they had gone to Turkey for a few days the fact our tin pot league had actually created the scenario that allowed them to do so, had completely passed me by. This irritates me hugely. Particularly when it's come to light that less than a week after Neil Lennon was complaining about his team being flat, tired and things catching up on them they were playing a fucking friendly. It's a total fucking nonsense. Bad enough it was allowed to happen at the beginning of the season without pandering to the fuckers and the other cheek of the same arse when they eventually get promoted. If you want to piss off to Dublin, Istanbul, or Boston to raise your club's profile or rest up or more accurately earn a wad that's no bother. But your opponents should be well compensated with the three points and a 3-0 win while you do so. Scottish fuckin' fitba. I don't know....