Andy_P

I'm sure I read a tweet that they were sold out on the night and Curtis Sport only had a couple of dozen left also. I'll try to look back for the tweet. EDIT....

Echoes of Fraser Wishart - I'm leaving to join a bigger club - oh fuck nobody bigger is interested in me, I'll just sign for St Mirren then to save face - written all over it. If it proves to be the case.

I don't know if we can be so sure that Rosenborg and Kuban are of a similar pedigree as you suggest but if not diluting Saints achievement I think you do have to qualify it if you are using them a comparison against Motherwell. Their win over Rosenborg is very much along the lines of our win against Aaelesund where went into that tie against a similar calibre of opposition and significantly we went into it with an equally settled team as St Johnstone have done this season.Take the second leg at Fir Park for example. Only Darren Randolph from that starting eleven was new to the team. You can't understate the importance of that continuity when the team you are facing is of a broadly similar standard to yourself. Saints earned their luck when they inherited Rosenborg's seed status and have been fortunate in managing to get one of the weaker sides left in the competition. But having done that I would have expected them to do broadly what they did last night. But let's not confuse our inability to beat sides, with the notable exception of Odense who were the golden opportunity, in recent seasons who have been better than us with any lack of desire to aim to make the group stages. The managers have wanted it. They players have wanted it. Dempster and the board quite obviously want everything that comes with it. I think its harsh to say we've rolled over and accepted our fate. We've been beaten by better teams after tweaking our strategy. We went for it against Pana. A slightly more cautious strategy was adopted for Levante on the back of that and that was further modified for last night. It was individual errors that put paid to the strategy last night not a rolling over and acceptance that we would lose just because we were playing a better team.

A pretty dispiriting evening in the end with more than a few echoes to recent European losses. It was evident that we had set up to try to keep a clean sheet first and foremost and if we nicked something all the better. There were lots of times when it seemed a player who might ordinarily have attempted a creative pass squared it, or checked from making an attacking run. Part by accident, part by design we got to half-time all square. I thought they looked decent enough with their number 99 Drogba wannabee in particular impressing but we had generally restricted them to long range efforts. The second half however was a huge let down. You worried that the tie might already be over as soon as they got the first but we did stick at it, and again in keeping with past European games, shot ourselves in the foot by getting caught on the break just when we appeared to be getting a bit of momentum going. Even at that stage Sutton hit the post, had he netted it might well have proved to be academic in the end anyway, but the result would seem to make progression nigh on impossible now. There were some positives ofcourse. The atmosphere in the first half was great. I think it was 26 minutes in before the first brief gap in the singing. Great effort! On the park I liked the look of McManus. Vigurs continues to impress and I thought Lawson looked comfortable on the ball. Not good enough for this level perhaps I would hope that with that team we should certainly be looking at a top half finish in the league again this season.

Sponsors I think gave the nod to Hutchy, your thoughts and votes?

As a relative local in Bargeddieshire, where MFC TV comes into its own for me is for coverage of things like the recent pre-season campaign. Not so many moons ago our trip to Cowdenbeath for example would have attacted something like this in the tabloids at the end of a three page spread of Gers in Germany or some such... To be able to see goals and highlights from a game like that these days is excellent. Even for the likes of the Newcastle and Forest games, where you might have been able to catch the goals on SSN, getting extended highlights is great. I do think it would be nice to see the retunr of the quirky wee features they had at the start - like the "Ask Higgy" feature or the "Bucket Challenge" where you go a wee behind the scenes insight but appreciate that the more areas the social media side covers the less time they have to devote to each area of it.

The flag did look cracking and If not identical it was something very similar to this sticker.... As I say, I don't disagree at all, but I do have a slight concern that a UEFA delegate, briefed on whatever action they took agaisnt the club last season, takes a hyper-critical stance and lands the club in it again. My fear then is that the club issue further knock-backs to displays etc. and we go backwards. I suppose its the aged old debate though that unless you do stand up for yourself at some stage you are always going to be trodden on. Fine line to walk at times though.

Really? You might have thought the media would have mentioned it once or twice or the Celtic fans would have crawed about it for a bit....

Noticed someone posting a picture of a flag on Twitter last night, something about UEFA care about cash. Not that I disagree in anyway but thinking of how Celtic have been fined for anti-UEFA flag before, although admittedly there was big bad sweary words on that, would displaying such a banner not run the risk of the club being hit in the same way? Would be sort of ironic if a flag protesting about UEFA caring only about cash, well.... earned UEFA a bit more cash! Just a thought.

Two nil-nil draws, two Hollis clean-sheets and Hollis to net the deciding penalty in Russia to seal an 11-10 penalties win.... Easy!!!!!!! And back in the real world, given that we hadn't heard of them until about a fortnight ago, probably only a very of us have ever set eyes on them I find it difficult to make any type of prediction. We know they are from country that has plenty of cash available to spend on their teams we but don't actually know how good they are as a team. They might well prove themselves be comfortably superior to us and win at a canter. I just hope we do not fall into the trap of being beaten before a ball's even kicked simply because they happen to play in a bigger league and one that more finance available in it. But if I do get my nil-nil from the first leg I wont be too disappointed at all.

Since its come up in the conversation. Bit about St Johnstone's trip to Belarus from the BBC website....

Now that's just cruel. These Russian boys have been showcasing their beaches, barbecues and bars for travelling Dossers and you respond by sending them a link to go to Coatbridge. Harsh. Very harsh!

It's each to their own isn't it? For me though the aim still has merit for two main reasons. When it boils down to it there is no one else really interested in taking ownership of the club? How long was Boyle looking to offload it before he decided to go down the fan ownership route? We had the butcher guy Adams who passed away who was credited with an interest and the guy Coakley whose aims, whatever they might have been, seemed to cause Boyle to step back from a deal. But who else really in all the time since we came out of administration? And perhaps more pressingly as we work towards full ownership we are providing the club with a financial safety net along the way that wouldn't ordinarily be there through regular banking methods. There is obviously a desire to keep the plan bubbling away but I think it's going to be a long long road until we get there. That said I'm happy enough that in principle the second part there is working nicely if the ultimate aim of ownership may be crawling along. I personally think the average supporter is a resource that can only be tapped for so much for so long so the guy trying to entice businesses to get involved has perhaps a critical role in how quickly the sums required are reached. But yeah for me its still worthwhile to get involved if you can.

I saw a tweet from one of the Motherwell media people about filming a game at Irvine Meadow. Just assumed it was a friendly, didn't realise there was an actual tournament on the go. Apparently our U20's face Partick Thistle's in the Final of the said tournament at 3pm today. Might be of interest to some of the Ayrshire based Dossers who have posted in the thread of the same name.

How are things tallying up Mr Brazilian? Do we need much more for a second player or is the Box to Box thing in the programme a potential option if we are too far away for a second player?

Welcome to the boards! I don't think there are that many supporters buses these days, full stop. In my time following MFC we've had the East of Scotland group, the Highland one that to my shame I can neither spell or be sure how to pronounce but I can't remember any Ayrshire based groups on the go. As for your top, probably your best bet would be to email or tweet some of the folk from the club shop. I might be wrong but I seem to remember that any orders went out by courier, so it could be tracked and delivered faster, hence the postage might have seemed a little excessive but as I say a tweet or email to Alan Provan, or to some of the people there will tell you all you need to know.

Really? I personally think there's a whole lot more bedding in to be done before I would have any confidence in saying that. On the evidence of the Newcastle and Nottingham games I'd say our defensive solidity was fragile at best for several fairly lengthy spells in each. New first choice goalkeeper, central-defensive partnership and Ramsden at right-back means a back-line that's very much in its infancy and one I don't think we'll see the best of for a wee bit yet.

Let's keep in mind though the only reason the Champions League and Europa League are in their current forms is because UEFA are absolutely shit scared of the biggest clubs leaving them to form to a European Super League. And whilst that threat remains, however slight, there's not the remotest possibility of UEFA doing anything that may increase that desire.

That's the luck of the draw. It's no different to being "fortunate" or "unfortunate" enough to get Hamilton Accies or Wick Academy in the Scottish Cup. Take it for what it is and enjoy the opportunity to cross swords with an opponent we'll almost certainly never meet again and a country we might never play in for years. And for the folk fortunate enough to be able to go to these places savour experiences that'll live with them for all their lives.

Hiding on Twitter? Not speaking to his Da for failing to get him that move to Ibrox he promised? Crying after any conversation he has with Nicky Law? Dunno.

Sounds like it was top notch at Morecambe. A little more sedate at Central Park, so much so you could hear both Faddy and Lasley giving a little back chat to the Cowden fan who liked the sound of his own voice a little too much. Mind you, he got his comeuppance in the second half when his timing was as poor as it could possibly get. He yelled another pop at Lasley about the penalty he won in the first half about a mili-second before Las popped one in from the edge of the box, cue the 50 or 60 Dossers around that part of the terracing giving him some serious mocking. Amusing. As for the game itself we controlled it and were generally on top of things for the best part although the scoreline could be considered quite flattering in the end. Three really good goals, the a nice run and lovely finish from Thomas. McHugh's free-kick was as sweet as it was unexpected and Lasley took his goal very well also. Enjoyed the opportunity to see some of the guys from JJ's squad who I don't get to see too often. Thought Euan Murray in particular strolled through the game at centre-half but several of them looked perfectly at ease against First Division opposition. Shame Faddy didn't get more of the game, but the precautionary action taken, going by one of Flow's tweets this evening suggests it has prevented a possible injury.

Jack Smith son of the fuck pig Airdrie bastard Andy Smith? Won't hold that against him though. EDIT. Answered on the ins and outs thread.

The club will be wanting arrangements confirmed as soon as they can as well. The earlier they are, the longer the selling period there will be for the tickets. Just need to let them to get it sorted with the Russians (and any TV station that wants to hand us a shed load of cash) and they'll announce it as soon as.

It was actually the season of the Pony black and white kit, the one with the double white hoop, that came to mind with the kit ruling. The MyPa-47 season so that would have been pre-Nevin.

Did there not used to be a UEFA rule about one of your kits having to be a different colour from the home kit in case of a clash? Seem to remember something along those lines when we qualified in the mid nineties. Could be why we've gone for a total lack of claret and amber if that remains the case.