Ya Bezzer!

We barely scrapped past two Northern Irish teams last time and I'd expect Sligo to be better than them. If you look at Sligo's Euro results they have been pretty competitive against some decent opposition (Rosenborg, Nantes, Spartak Trnava. Herenveen, Club Brugge etc.) Last pumping was back in 1996 against Lillestrom. If you are expecting us to breeze past Sligo, think again.

Maybe not 'sorry to see go' but when you are bringing in similar level players or, often, poorer players I think you are better sticking with a stable squad. Obviously you have to freshen things up too and try and improve weaker areas of the squad but if we had basically the same core over the next three years I think we'd improve. Player turnover might have increased in modern times but I still think ours has been extremely excessive. How many guys have we brought in in January that have literally never played for us? Or barely played? That alone would give you a nice list.

I think a lot of people reckon that Derek McInnes track record in the Premiership will see Kilmarnock good but re-signing Alan Power, bringing in Donnelly and already having Polworth there suggests other wise. They also have a brutal opening fixture list, easily the hardest of any of the teams. For me could be contenders to go straight back down.

I'll always remember that game because it's the only time I've watched a Motherwell match from the Cooper Stand. Think the only other time I've been in there was a Scotland U21 match against Austria.

When people ask this question I usually say this even though at the end of the day there was no great stakes and it was 3 points and nothing more. There was so much incident in this match the highlights barely cover it. Look out for Motherwell 'favourite' John Clark giving Dougie a hard boot after the 2nd penalty award! And Andy Roddie missing his big chance to score a goal for us.

This. It's really amazing that a lot of people have written off Efford after him, as you say, coming in mid-season, playing a whole 16 matches for the club (not all starts), scoring 3 goals and getting an assist. Scottish football is a whole different beast from US or European football and Efford has struggled with the physical side of the game but you have to give guys a chance to settle in and adapt. It might turn out he's not good enough but our single biggest problem as a football club over the, say, last 5 seasons, has been the absolutely monumental turn over of players. We need a settled side and we need to promote 'Maguire' level players and give them game time. Guys like Quinn, Murphy, Clarkson etc weren't great when they first came into the team and we need to get back to developing players over 2 or 3 seasons instead of concentrating on mercurial talent that gets sold on after 6 months to a year. Of course if another Turnbull comes along, great, but we need a longer term strategy for player development, either bringing players in or through our youth squad.

Hopefully they don't drop any plates on the dinner guests and get a job at the Moorings.

Hibs mainly played 3 at the back last season with McGinn as the right sided defender. Maybe the new manager has a different defensive set up in mind? They also brought in Lewis Miller the young Australian player who is a right back as well as Allan Deferriere who is also a right back and also have Chris Cadden who can play there. Most managers want to bring in their own players. They have also brought in five midfielders/forwards with Doidge apparently on the way out.

He played 34 matches for Hibs last season. And bare in mind Hibs had 3 different managers last season who would all would have had different ideas. He also scored 3 league goals which would have made him our joint second highest scorer!

Assuming we don't use 10 or 13 That leaves 20, 21, 23 & 24. That'll be our August 'window slamming shut' signings!

I was very pro O'Donnell when he signed but I'm afraid for whatever reason it's just not worked out and I don't think anyone can say he was unfortunate to lose his spot in the XI. My priority signings this close season were two new full backs. That's one of them. Now getting a right back off the wage bill that was dropped on numerous occasions last season, contributed various absolute howlers and is probably one of the highest paid players at the club seems like a decent enough idea.... We've brought in a more creative midfielder, a right back.....maybe if O'Donnell leaves it frees up money for a left back and a striker.

This. Should be better defensively than O'Donnell. Maybe O'Donnell will move further up the pitch now. Or leave.

They can buy better players than most but have chosen Curtis Main , Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Funso Ojo, Matty Kennedy, Matty Longstaff, Marley Watkins etc. I mean some of those players are better than others but none of them are a different class from provincial club level players. You can say the same for Hibs. Aberdeen have been dire under their last three managers, will probably lose their two best players (already lost one) and have a manager who has been causing a lot of backscene turmoil and has never finish Top 6 in his career. Meanwhile Hibs are a giant question mark with a manager untested in Scotland, still no proven Martin Boyle replacement, a giant squad of aging players (Marshall, Hanlon, McGregor, Stevenson, McGinn etc) and mediocrity, Josh Doig looking like going down south and probably Ryan Porteous being suspended for half the season. Aberdeen and Hibs should be finishing Top 6 but too often they don't and I don't see anything to suggest that either of them are guaranteed Top 6 football next year. I mean they might finish Top 6 but you can pretty much say that about any team. Would anyone be super surprised if Derek McInnes outperforms Jim Goodwin next season? I don't even think McInnes that good a manager but I wouldn't.

Or that an agent touted him round various Scottish clubs and one bit.

What kid doesn't grow up wanting to step out against Bala Town on a Thursday night 2nd Qualifying Round for the Europa Conference? I'm actually glad we dodged this guy. Might be proved wrong but this has 'Standard Robinson Signing' all over it.

Depends on the additions. There is so little between pretty much all the teams outwith the OF I reckon you could take, say last seasons Dundee or St Johnstone, add 2 or 3 better quality players down the spine of the side and provided they don't get injured you probably finish in a Euro place.

Unless something radically changes in the Scottish game we shouldn't be looking at teams like Hearts, Dundee Utd, Aberdeen and Hibs as 'tough fixtures', especially at our place. Just off the top of my head I'm sure we've won the last 4 matches against Hearts at Fir Park. You are just as likely to get points off these teams as non city clubs. OK, maybe not Dundee Utd . Rangers and Celtic obviously a different kettle of fish but at worst it gets 3 of those fixtures out the way.

That's a very kind opening fixture list that gives us a good chance of putting some points on the board early doors. And if you can do that it sets you up nice for the rest of the season. Of course you don't just get given the points but we've done just about as well as you could hope there.

We had a good team at that time but that Mypa 47 side had some tasty players including Sami Hyypia and Joonas Kolkka. Most of the rest of them were Finnish internationals.

I like it. I think we should usually play in our 'traditional' strip with the claret hoop most of the time but having a wee change once in a while is fine by me, especially since we usually have new kits every season these days. Kinda keeps things fresh.

I didn't actually have a season ticket last season (although the only game I missed was the opening home match against Hibs) but I'm back in the season ticket club for 22-23. Looking forward to the soap opera again (will it be East Enders or Dallas?) although it has to be said this close season, right across Scottish football, has been very boring so far. I think there has been about 2 kit launches and 7 signings! I guess it's still only June. Feels longer when you are watching Scotland in the Nations League. Ooft. The annoying thing is I'm going to be up in the Highlands with no phone or internet when the Euro draw gets made.

Poor old Barraclough getting booed. Not that surprising though!

Hanley and Cooper get rinsed every week at club level. Gilmour can't even get a game at Norwich, Patterson the same at the worst Everton team in a long time. McTominay has been described as 'the worst ever Manchester United midfielder'. Andy Robertson continues to talk big and then fall completely flat in an international shirt. McGinn at least has a few goals but for every good game he has there are two or three absolutely rotten ones. Callum McGregor is one of the most overrated player in Scottish football history, a good player at Scottish Premiership level but pretty much found out every time he plays up a level. Che Adams is never an international striker. Armstrong is hopeless in a Scotland shirt. And that's the core of our team. Tierney has usually done well for us but most of the 'big' names flatter to deceive.

U21 selections have been utterly bizarre for a while. Turnbull barely played for a start. The focus seems to be on English based youth team players with no or little first team experience.

West Ham paid 4 million for him and he's play 5 matches. Different world!