CoF

That's as good a reason as any to not like it.

McCall has said he wants to sign but they can't agree terms. That's a two way street. Who's to say the club aren't 'fucking' him about, as you like to put it? I understand the worry about uncertainty but the tone of your post is piss poor considering what McCall has done for the club and how he has conducted himself since he arrived.

Cup is better than any European qualification. Progressing to Europa League group stages is however roughly on par with winning a cup for me.

I seem to be one of the few that think the proposed setup is worth a punt so I'll renew.

A baffling interpretation. Are you 12?

I am speculating here as no-one knows the facts of these changes but I don't know if it's so much about bottle, I imagine it's more to do with legality. Say Motherwell budget for finishing 6th this season. At the start of the season we renew contracts and negotiate deals based on that income, from playing staff to the window cleaner. We would accept if it half way through the season the income that we were aiming for was divvied up between other teams? Celtic only concerned with Celtic's budget, regardless of how it impacts on other clubs. I imagine they could have launched a successful legal challenge had the money they budgeted for been removed. As I said, I'm speculating but I don't think there is an alternative for the 11 clubs here. Nothing to do with bottle.

You are right. They must have known fans were talking about the big payday of second place for most of the season so I honestly don't know why it's never been mentioned. I think timing might have been the issue. Even as late as November there were quite a few clubs only a point or two off Celtic. While the vast majority knew deep down that they would eventually run away with the league, for a club or the SPL to come out with an official statement indicating that they too felt that would have been PR disaster. It's a tough one.

See the more I think about it the more I think you are right. It's not a stretch of the imagination to think the 11 clubs who would have been fighting for second got together not long into the season and decided it was more sensible to spread the wealth of second spot through the entire league to soften the blow of not having Rangers here, rather than one team get a big payday while the rest struggle. Celtic would have said they don't give a fuck what happens to second place and abstained from the vote. We might ask why they didn't pursue a complete redistribution? I can only imagine that Celtic, having set their budget this year, would have mounted a legal challenge which they would probably have won. So, what on the surface might seem like a baffling decision is actually a sensible financial move by the 11 clubs.

There is a difference between taking some small pleasure in their defeat (particularly when 2nd place is still in our hands) and questioning an aspect of the league setup which serves only to compound the very thing that is wrong with Scottish football.

Ah, I read that in the context of this seasons changes. My bad.

" Lawwell, approaching his 10th anniversary at Celtic, has revealed the top two teams in the SPL will be giving up well in excess of a million pounds to create a more even distribution of wealth." Completely and utterly false? 1st place sees a drop because the prize pot has shrunk, not because it is being evenly distributed. I don't get worked up about much, especially some of the shite and half truths that gets banded about on fitba forums (not just the one). I also refuse to use emoticons but this whole scenario can only be summed up one way ....

Most wins in a row in the SPL is 5 - season 2007 -08 and 2004 -05. As for unbeaten, not sure. I recall a 9 game unbeaten run at some point. Canny mind when.

I think Higdon is overlooked in the media and not rated as highly by folk as players like Griffiths and Russell because he doesn't create his own chances as often as them and doesn't have the same fitba flashes that entertain the crowds. What he does have instead is intelligent movement which puts him in the right place at the right time (vs Celtic) or to smash in a half chance in the box (his second against ICT the other week). For guys like Humphrey, Law and Ojamma it must be an absolute joy to know there's a guy like that in front of you ready to pounce on the chances you create.

What's the pitch like up there just now?

Comes across as a really nice guy in interviews. I can't remember him being so poor when he first joined us?

If a measure of a players ability is down to goals and nothing else then I'm assuming you have completely u-turned on your opinion of Higdon then?

If we finish 2nd without a leader on the park then I'm perfectly fine with that.

Will Faddy start? If so, its a real shame for whoever gets dropped for him. Got a feeling it might be Ojamaa.

We've been pretty solid at home and haven't lost at Fir Park in the league since Dundee United last visited on the 7th of November (DDWWDWW). We've also scored 15 goals in 5 home games which is a massive turnaround from the 2 goals in 7 games just prior to this good run. Absolutely no reason we shouldn't be full of confidence going into this one, particularly as United need the 3 points far more than us if they want to finish in the top 3 or 4. That means they won't be sitting back which should suit us just fine. Still, tight game. 1-0 Higdon.

Sorry, it's not meant to be two seperate questions. I just haven't worded my post very well. It's mainly to do with the fact that a few wins against the old firm can buy managers much much more time than consistently good (albiet less exciting) results against teams around us. Case in point: yesterdays game. I think what I'm really asking is: Would Mccall be held in higher regard by some if were sitting in 3rd having defeated Celtic but failed to beat ICT?

It can't be overstated how massive yesterday's win was for us, not only in the chase for 2nd place but in the chase for the huge jump in prize money which I imagine could give us complete financial stability for next season. However, I wonder how many would trade yesterdays 3 points for a win against Celtic at Parkhead the other week? The reason I ask about the Celtic points is because I sometimes think that a win against Rangers or Celtic is the only thing, in a minority of peoples eyes, which would truly convince them of Mccall's ability even if it came at the cost of league places. Mccall is consistent (as can be expected in such a tight league) against teams around us and I personally wouldn't trade that for anything. Would 3rd place and a couple of wins over Celtic be viewed as a more successful season to some people than 2nd place and wins over ICT? I genuinely think the massive 'instant high' of beating the old firm is something some people would prefer. Thoughts?

Aye. If you catch the MFCTV highlights you could see the team laughing at how much of a duff shot it was. It's quite positive actually, shows a real spirit in the team.

Best I've seen Carswell play. He now seems a real solid option in the middle of the park rather than a bit part player. Another few solid performances like that and we could look at a good defensive mid partnership with Las and pushing Law out wide again, which would be a massive boost.

Fitba fans + mathematical logic ≠ reality

Yep, I'd offer McCall a new deal even if we did finish bottom 6 this year. I think he achieved more than enough in his first year and a half at the club to allow for a slightly disappointing season.