Dodge

Boys In Maroon - Boy wi his heid in the clouds mair like!

Its difficult to make a "concrete" plan for this site due to the size of it. There are areas within the site which are marked for a specific usage. These will be subject to minimal change. As for the final plans of what will be built in these areas then these will naturally be subject to change. Since Ravenscraig will mainly become developer led (after the initial burst of public sector investment) then all plans will be flexible to meet the costs and needs of the developer. This does present an opportunity which the club can take advantage of as while there's no dedicated football stadium at present, I don't see any reason why the masterplan can't be changed to include one or why the plans for a community stadium can't be altered to suit the clubs needs. Like most I'm disappointed its taken 16+ years before something is finally starting to happen to the site but I don't think its through any real failure from NLC. NLC have been behind the project all the way (much to the detriment of the local town centres in the area!). The contimination was a huge issue and the only real blame on any delay should be aimed towards Land Security over their legal bids over concern that Hamilton/East Kilbride shopping centres will suffer because of Ravenscraig.

If its about Dalziel Drive then surely Fir Park School would have to be involved as its in between Fir Park and the College. If the above is the case in that a developer wants Fir Park then we'll get more cash by sitting tight until the developer really needs the land at Fir Park to get planning permission for the college site. I doubt the Dalziel Drive entrance is the major constraint of any development. It would be fairly easy to sort out by installing a roundabout. Exiting onto Windmillhill Street (especially trying to exit right towards Wishy) is really the major constraint to any development.

I can't see why selling it as part of another piece of land would maximise the value of Fir Park. It would maybe make it easier to sell to a developer but if we wait until all the other ground around Fir Park has been sold and has consented planning permission for residential then we'll reap the maximum value for the site. In saying that this is all dependant on the housing market picking up.

Given we've just purchased covers for the pitch in the last year - I doubt Inverurie will be able to get the pitch covered at all.

The reason I left is that our Trust isn't shaped by its members at all - It was shaped by the board members who I felt failed to canvas member opinion or let its members know what they were doing. The MST have always had a couple of well-meaning individuals but at the end of the day what have they achieved since they came into being. What does the MST really do with the membership money? What real benefits does it really give supporters? Given the discussion on another thread about the Supporters Association, I always felt I got more as a supporter by being a member of the Supporters Association than I did by being a member of the MST. If truth be told if it weren't for WTFC, I doubt I'd ever have become a member of the MST at all.

If Rangers are wanting 3 keepers then why would they want to sell one of them?

I think you're probably right about being obliged to advertise it but I can't help but feel that this month they coulda put it under the football news instead of it getting pride of place in the latest news either that or it could've been moved behind another story so its not the first thing you see when the page loads up fully.

While I don't think there is any truth in the rumour, I think that if we were to appoint an inexperienced manager then I wouldn't actually mind us appointing Coisty. He's got decent experience as an assistant manager and I think he will make a good manager one day. Any team which appoints All will instantly become the scottish media's cuddly team and Ally must have some decent contacts and would be able to pick up some decent players. Thinking about it - we could do a lot worse were we to part company with McGhee (which I doubt at this moment in time).

It was the Sunday Supplement show he was on.

Whilst our fitness was outstanding compared to the other clubs last year, I've yet to be convinced its been the same this year. Last year the team were constantly moving into space for one another but all to often this season we aren't moving into any space and are often static after playing the ball.

Whilst the Kaiser still holds the club in high regard, I don't think he'll ever come back to us. There was reasons for him leaving Fir Park and nothings really changed in the last year.

I wasny pickin on your post Al - a number of folk have said if it was a case of who's fit then they'd have him. I just think that a couple of folk have in their heads that Craggs will be back because he's said he'll be back by then. Whilst its encouraging that he can't wait to be back, I think its would be a mistake and could be a little risky - Thats all!

I think it would be a sign of deperation to put Craggs straight into the starting line up. Given he's hasn't even featured in the reserves, we'd be risking further injury by throwing him straight in. Given he only started running 2 weeks ago and is just returning back to training with the team last week then I think he was very optimistic when he said he'd be back for the ICT game.

By not moving into space, they ain't giving the players around them any other option but to play it long. Our midfield are also as guilty as our defence of playing long passes as well.

At least when he isn't scoring he is working hard for the team. Sutton is doing very little for the team or himself just now. On Saturday there was at least 2 occassions when had Sutton bust a gut to get in at the front post he would've recieved the ball with only the keeper to beat. All strikers have good and bad patches but I expect them to put in a shift regardless of whether they are playing good or bad and Porter can't be faulted for that in the last few games. The problem is that the midfield ain't creating enough chances for the strikers. Most of Porters chances recently he's had to create for himself. Last year we were creating enough chances and could afford a couple of misses, now the chances are in short supply because of the midfield and its putting extra pressure on the strikers to make the most of what they are getting and unfortunately that ain't happening. I think Porter will benefit from Clarky coming back into the team as it will maybe save him having to drop back to pick the ball up and bring others into the game. Porter is a finisher not a link-up man.

Bobby Williamson might steady the ship results wise but I don't think we'd play any attractive football under him and his after match interviews are horrendous to listen as he makes every excuse and lays the blame elsewhere on everyone but the team and himself. As for Luc Nijholt only being a phonecall away, I hope its engaged or we've lost his number as I can't see what he's achieved as a manager which would make him the answer to our problems. If playing in the '91 Cup Final qualifies as being as the answer how come no ones suggesting Stevie Kirk or Colin O'Neill for the job. Why not sugegst Craig Paterson as I regularly agree with him when he does his radio commentary? At least it would be better than someone in the obsecurity of lower league Dutch football. Luc Nijholt was a great player for us in the day and was one of my heroes but I think some folk are putting nostalgia in front of proper managerial experience. I think we should stick with McGhee as the candidates out there aren't exactly appealing and McGhee has done enough in my book to stick by him. Ask teams like Aberdeen and Dundee Utd what they achieved during times where they constantly changed manager. Given McGhee bump in wages, I doubt we could afford to lay him off anyway.

Whilst I agreed with most of what Tweed says, I think the line I've quoted is slightly misleading as it could be read that our midfield seems to be fine. Whilst indeed I thought we were slightly the better of two teams, my biggest criticism is that the midfield ain't working hard enough. They aren't giving the defence enough protection and they ain't creating the same amount of chances as they were last season and they aren't helping the team out enough by scoring goals. Whilst Keith Lasley has prob been our best midfielder this season, I can't help but think that his own career hasn't progressed any further due to his lack of ability to score goals. McGarry should be contributing more goals as he's played striker for a few teams yet I struggle to recall the last time he really had any chance of note. Jamie Murphy and Darren Smith get few chances but I'm happy to forgive this if they put a few more telling crosses which really but the keeper and defence under pressure as Porter and Sutton will take the majority of chances created in close vicinity to the goal but instead they are having to create their own chances around the box by themselves. I do believe we've enough quality to get out of this mess and push a bit higher up the table. The thing which makes the defeats all the more hurtful is the fact that we would jump a couple of positions had we got a win in any of the last few games. We need to work harder and be more hungry than we are at present. The creative football of last season will get us out this mess and our "fighting" football seems to be play it long and this just isn't working nor is it good enough.

I would give the absolutely woeful award to John Sutton. Whilst Porter had a couple of chances in front of goal, I can't remember any positive contribution of note from Sutton. I voted Porter although I thought that Quinn put in a very good shift in midfield whilst still tracking back to help out our midfield. Saunders had another encouraging performance although I can't help but think that his performances are standing out because the others are playing so poorly beside him.

We've had a couple of matches against lower league opposition without segregation. The league cup tie which we lost to Forfar a couple of years ago wasn't segregated if I remember.

Yip

I know that the ticket situation was never gonna please everyone but I think its a positive thing that the supporters association are being rewarded with a portion of the tickets. Perhaps it will boost the supporters association numbers in future. Having been a member of both the Supporters Association and the Trust - I always felt that at least my money was well used and that I got more out of it by paying my membership fee for the supporters association. I think its a good reward for those with long standing membership of the supporters association. Whilst I understand the frustration of season ticket holders as they feel they are getting less value for their season ticket book, it starting to generate a wee bit of snobbery where they are questioning the rights and creditibility of other fans. I know I ain't gonna be popular amongst season ticket fans and I know we have a core of our support who ain't regular attenders but by no means will I be questioning who got a ticket for this game. Whilst its a tie which creates a bit of excitement and romance of the Cup, unfortunately their are gonna be a lot of dissapointed Well fans who ain't gonna be able to go.

I think the offer of a meeting outside any homes games is the best thing to do. Doing it during a game leads to frustrations in missing parts of the game. Most of the senior/head stewards are fellow Well fans and I can assure the Well Boys that they are approachable and will do what they can to help wherever they can although you have to appreciate that they don't make the rules and are often only working to instructions given by the match commander. It would be a great opportunity and one not to turn down if the match commander can attend.

I think you should spend more time tanking than pulling folk up for typo's!

This thread has thrown up a couple of issues with stewarding which quite rightly need to be addressed. There are some points which the club will have some control over (such as the way fans are spoken to and the like) and some in which they don't such as the sit down which the boys will have to comply with but perhaps if they realise they are being treated fairly then they will be more accomodating when asked to help the stewards do their job. I say this as a both a steward and an admirer of what the boys are doing/trying to do.