Ya Bezzer!

I think my favourite was the 2-1 win at Fir Park in Tommy McLean's last season. People were talking as if Rangers just had to turn up to win even though we were having a great season and had already beaten them. That win blew the league title open again, with us actually having an outside chance of winning it! Heady days. The Ibrox win that same season was a cracker. To be fair we took a pounding for most of the match and then got two quick goals to win. Hugged a few strangers that night! Didn't Richard Gough score a very late own goal to give us a win around the same period?

Ticket match, Old Firm, even more expensive than usual. There's three reasons. I think there might be a case for treating OF matches as normal games, if there was 3,000 - 4,000 empty seats there today - why not?

I do know that we beat Rangers more during the 1990's more than any other team (including Celtic) and that ourselves and Dundee United had the best record against the Old Firm during that decade. Not so sure about this decade but maybe I'll look into it.

It was a tight match and you can't complain about a point too much but I felt we just shaded it in terms of real chances. Really good overall team performance although it has to be said we did sit deep at times but again, if you come away with a clean sheet against one of the old firm you should be fairly happy. Ruddy :7: Was doing really well but then took a bit of a mad turn but generally did very well. Yassin (as I'm calling him) :7: Good debut, fast, good defensively, looks a player. Saunders :8: I slated this guy in the first game of the season but he's found his position. Excellent performance. Reynolds :7: Keep Boyd out of the match. Hammell :7: Must have done a few kilometres today! O'Brien :8: Unlucky with the penalty, looked a great save rather than a miss to me, otherwise he was our most dangerous player, the transformation in O'Brien from this time last season has been amazing. Hateley :7: Really commanding in the first half, not so noticeable in the 2nd but another good display. Forbes :6: Seemed a little over awed today but still played the best pass of the match. Coke :7: Murphy :5: Didn't give enough today and it was no surprise when he was hooked at half time. Sutton :6: Worked really hard up front on his own but didn't have enough support. Jennings :7: Finally coming on to a game as his fitness improves. Looked good today. Lasley :6: Good to see Las back out on the field. Jutkiewicz :6: Won the penalty (looked soft to me!) but not on for long.

I should start using a calculator instead of adding up in my head! The official site isn't quite up to date (doesn't include the last game at Aberdeen) but I now have (having used a calculator) 303+5 (2) and the official site has 301+6 (2), plus the Aberdeen game would be 302+6 (2) so we still disagree about whether one of the performances in season 2005/06 was a start or a sub appearance... I'm not bored enough to look into it right now! The point is he's played more than 300 games now.

Maybe some of the other desperately sad stattos might want to put me right but I make it that if Stevie Hammell plays against Rangers it will be his 299th appearance for Motherwell, just one away from the very rare three hundred club. That's if he's not drummed out to Dundee!

Another test for Gannon. First time we'll have played a team of this quality at Fir Park under Gannon, so its another 'into the unknown'. I'm wondering if Gannon's open attacking style might back fire though. Will he tweak things especially for this match and go against his principles?

Nah chance at the best of times of filling it - which is why it was given over in the first place. Never mind that for some reason Motherwell are charging more to get into a game less 'Well fans want to come along to for various reasons (sectarian element, dodgy refs a certainty, probably get gubbed, polis and scumbags everywhere etc etc).

I don't think anyone I played with made it to professional football. A few boys got S Forms for St.Mirren and Dundee Utd, but never made it to the first team. I always thought it was a shame that we had some great players that never even made it that far, when they stopped playing U16's they went and became plumbers and stuff like that. When we played other boys teams we didn't know the first thing about them, nevermind who was in their team! Which the exception of hated local rivals - Jerviston (spit!).

Not sure you could call him a fan but Morrissey was once at Fir Park. The Celtic match when Rab McKinnon scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot. Maybe with his Irish roots he was cheering more for Celtic....

Exactly. People in football know. But it won't stop the anti McGhee brigade from having another pop at him.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. The last five or six years have been the most consistently successful in the clubs history for 60 years. Boyle made mistakes when he first came into the job but he deserves a heck of a lot of credit also. The chairman's job is to make sure the club is well run and turns a profit and he's done that better than almost any other chairman in the league. Out of the last four managers he's appointed, he's got two spot on, made a mistake with Malpas, and looks to have done well bringing in Gannon, so that's a 75% strike rate on managers. Go have a look around and see how many other chairman in Scotland can say that. We've also made Europe, got to semi finals and finals, been Top 6 or Top 6 contenders etc. All under Boyles stewardship. I'd be very happy to see Boyle continue indefinitely but too many people around here have short memories or have rose tinted glasses about the past. John Boyle has taken this club to a different level, but as is the Motherwell way, he gets no thanks for it, or is openly abused.

On the face of it he has some pedigree and looks a good signing. The proof is in the pudding of course.

I have to go to a do on Saturday that is costing me a fortune so I doubt I'll make it. I might not even make it to the Rangers game, I'm so skint.

It's still too early to say. We saw last years squad play for a season or more through good times and bad. This current squad hasn't had either the length of time to be fairly examined, nor any real pressure put upon it. The real test will be in December/January when the season is really beginning to take shape.

Never heard of him. Might be wrong but I don't remember the name coming up last season and he certainly hasn't played this season. If he has signed its obviously for the youth team because he as far as I know he hasn't been near a first team set up.

Press release doesn't say much but hopefully everything works out fine in the end.

Dundee are a big club and should be in the SPL. They have been getting 5,500 in the first division this season. Unfortunately they have an unlikely element among their support but we probably need teams like Dundee in the SPL.

Unfortunately I think our support has a problem that goes back a long way. I'm not one of these people that thinks football stadiums should be sterilised of all emotion, because one of the great things about football is that it is so emotional BUT when things cross over into a sort of focused, irrational hatred then that's not acceptable and is just as bad Old Firm sectarianism, regardless if its against groups or individuals. I wasn't at the game yesterday so I can't comment on what was sung or not sung at that match but some of the comments that are posted in this forum certainly fall into the category of 'focused, irrational hatred' and do not reflect well upon the individuals that make them. You only need to look at the way our support often treats its own players and staff to see that there is an undeniable problem; a problem that has turned quite poisonous at times - remember the Davies era, or the abuse some individual players have suffered, week in, week out, regardless of performance or result that represents nothing more than bullying? Only last week, during a match we won comfortably 3-1, there was a near fight in the East stand, when a 'supporter' rained constant and vile abuse on the team, was told to shut up, with violence only obstructed by several rows of seats. Everyone gets carried away sometimes, especially when you are younger, but for anyone to justify or even fail to condemn these chants is unacceptable. Like McGhee said "you do a job and that's the thanks you get". Is that the kind of support we are? Ungrateful and malevolent bullies?

Undefeated after three matches, two away from home. Can't complain much about that. Now lets get something off Rangers.

Can't listen to 'Well games on the radio. I'll just be playing Champie and looking in here this afternoon.

Every kid is different but my general overview would be this. Kids these days can't sit still and observe anything. They are used to Playstations and computers and interacting with their entertainment and being actively involved somehow. In my experience 'traditional' entertainments, things like cinema, TV, pantomimes or going to watch a football game, most kids just aren't interested these days. I think its going to be a real problem in terms of encouraging a new generation of fans.

I hope we fuck Aberdeen good and proper tomorrow but come on, McGhee is saying essentially nice things about us and folks are getting up in arms. Some people on here are starting to make the Celtic Conspiracy Brigade look like down to earth and rationale people. Get over it.

People that talk about diddy cups, diddy leagues and diddy teams are generally diddies.

You wouldn't kick doors down to sign Jutkiewicz on his stats. He's not scored for Everton, or on his last two loan deals to Plymouth and Huddersfield. On the face of it he didn't even have a particularly good record at Swindon (5 goals in 38 appearances). I guess we'll see what he's really like in the coming weeks.