weeyin

This - plus the paying fan is paying to see the best team we have.

Would be grear if that happened - it would pay off the last of Boyle and Hutchison loans and put money in the bank. Then again, Darren Randolph was up there in clean sheets and interanational appearances and nobody ended up bidding.

We played good football to win the Cup in '91 (and in 1952 I'm told), so I'm still not sure your point stands. We've won nothing with this style, and didn't make the top 6. When we were finishing 2nd and 3rd in the league we played better football than this too. So I'll be delighted as anyone if we do Celtic over next month, but that just means we are 1 out of 3 in winning Cups "ugly". It definitely has it's place, and served us well for parts of this season, but it rarely sustains any level of success.

Phillibin didn't sky his penalty. It came back off the inside of Hampden's old square woodwork.

A quick look at Wikipedia says he's playing in Belgium, a couple of leagues lower than Esteban Casagolda (seriously).

So we'd want a free agent that wasn't cup tied that was physically fit, match fit, good enough to start but not good enough to be currently employed that could fit into our system within a couple of weeks? I'd rather play a Frear/Rose front pairing than risk that.

I agree Semple's probably too young - the other options might be too young as well, but worth giving them a shot over the next few weeks to see what they've got. Utlimately, I think we'd end up going with a first team regular as a replacement, but not a bad idea to have a recognised (if young) striker as a back up.

You're welcome.

Phil O'Donnell played in the Cup Final when he was 19. I'd have no qualms about bringing in one of the 18 year olds as cover. Semple seems to be the hottest prospect, but Agyeman or Falconer might be better options. I seem to recall Frear has also played as a striker in the past, and while we'd need to change our shape a bit, we could go 3-5-1-1 with Frear sitting in behind. Or maybe Newell can play with a protective mask. Or one of our midfielders could move up top. In the old days, your centre half used to be able to put a shift in a centre forward too, but I'm not sure that applies these days! The worst thing we could do is bring in a free agent. That is a terrible message to give to the players that have got us to the final, and the players pushing for a first team spot. Regardless of what we think, I imagine our management team is already working on the option for the worst case.

1.75 million is our current record. I'd be surprised (but delighted) if he breaks that.

The 36-38 online at the Well shop is a Macron medium (and in stock, it says)

Robinson said he'd been brilliant in training all week. I think, however, he's more productive when Tanner is on the pitch as he depends on creativity rather than chasing down the channels.

What size are you looking for - I see a few options still left online for long sleeve (43-44" chest) and short sleeve (36-38" + 44" upwards). If you're in the 38 - 42" range, I imagine it will be a big ask. At this stage in the season, the manufacturers are cranking out World Cup kits or next season's styles.

I'd prefer it if we got a couple of million for Carson and Hartlepool's cut kept them afloat.

Glory hunters!

Wee bit on Hutchy from the Rancid today: Shaun Hutchinson details how Motherwell's 'grounded' approach set him up for Premiership push with Millwall Shaun Hutchinson watched with awe as his old club Motherwell defied the odds to seal four trips to Hampden this season. But the defender hopes to pull off an even greater achievement by helping Millwall clinch a place at Wembley. Hutchinson was part of the last Steelmen side to play in the Scottish Cup Final seven years ago when they lost 3-0 to Celtic. The Fir Park side, who lost this season’s Betfred Cup Final to the Hoops after beating Rangers in the last four, crushed Aberdeen yesterday in the Scottish Cup semis to line up another showpiece. Hutchinson is full of admiration for the way Well have punched above their weight – just like they did during his five-year spell when the Steelmen regularly qualified for Europe. And the 27-year-old compares Motherwell’s success to current club Millwall who have enjoyed a stunning run in the English Championship that has put them in the hunt for a play-off spot. Hutchinson, who moved to the Den from fellow London outfit Fulham, is loving life at the Lions and admits his grounding at Well helped him develop into a top talent. He seems similarities in both clubs with their working-class roots – Millwall were founded by Scottish dockers while Motherwell’s was once at the centre of Scottish steel making. Hutchinson said: “It’s early doors and we still have to make the play-offs – but if Millwall get promotion it would be the highlight of my career. “Ever since I was a little boy I’ve wanted to play in England’s top flight because it’s one of the best leagues in the world. “It’s surreal when you look at the table and see we’re fighting for the play-offs rather than trying to stay up. Harris has done a great job and has been brilliant with me. “Millwall are similar to what it was like at Motherwell. It’s a small, tight-knit family club who are probably overachieveing. “At Well we were finishing near the top most seasons and reached the Scottish Cup Final in 2011 despite not having a massive wage bill. “I’m still in touch with some of the older boys like Keith Lasley and Steven Hammell who have moved into coaching at the club. “But I always look out for Well and it’s great to see them reach Hampden four times. “Playing in the Cup semi and final were my highlights at Fir Park. “My time at Motherwell was a great grounding. You get younger guys at big clubs who maybe get smoke blown up them up a little bit – but at Fir Park you were taught to keep your feet on the ground. “I learned the basics and I’m grateful for that. I learned how to be a man and I was playing for my lifestyle rather than to wear nice shoes or have fancy tattoos or hairstyles. “You are playing because you enjoy playing and want to win for the fans. It’s stood me in good stead.”

And let Campbell sort out Brown in the middle of the park.

If we spend 1 hr paying someone to question or complain about something the polis are not going to change, then that is 1hr of salary wasted. If we are serious about challenging the power the OF wields, the time to speak up would have been when we voted in favour of the current league format, voted in favour of the current TV revenue sharing, voted in favour of the league prize money allocation, voted in favour of the current league voting structure etc. Maybe it's just me, but I'm not going to let which end of Hampden I might sit in spoil my day. It might have been different when it was terracing and only one end was covered, but these days one wee plastic seat without enough leg room is much like another.

16,000 would be an excellent turnout. Although it might have to be 15,999 because I don't think I'll be able to make it for this one.

25,000? I doubt it. If we manage 10 or 12,000 I think that would be a great effort. Happy to be proved wrong, though.

It's up to the polis who gets allocated what stand. No point in wasting time our money challenging anything.

I remember in his first stint at Fir Park, Grimshaw needed a consistent series of starts before he got up to speed. By the time he left us, though, he looked like a player. If he can stay fit, he could definitely do a job for us.

Didn't someone say it was a done deal for no more 'Well games before he retires?

Also, let's not forget we ditched a lot of the top wage earners this season and brought in some cheaper replacements. Skippy, Lasley, Hammell, McManus, McFadden, Pearson, Ainsworth etc.

Definitely a great start to the fan ownership model. And a huge debt owed to Les for his work in restructuring the club's organization, introducing some accountability and, of course, being generous with his "double your money" offer last year and this. If he hadn't stepped in we could have been in a completely different position. I hope we balance our spending and saving wisely as we obviously won't be reaching 2 Cup Finals every season.