Welldaft Mk1

Well actually we did away in Llanelli But you are right that is the exception rather than the rule. Never saw much of the away game but we seemed to have nearly 60% possession away from home. That said they are an entirely different proposition from Llanelli and could have scored a couple more. So I don't doubt we are probably the better team and had we got the away goal I would be 99% confident. As it is I say the tie is 50-50. Simply because as all and sundry have stated we are still vulnerable at the back and Fraser looks far from the real deal. I think we need to score 3 to go through. Will that happen - god only knows

This is a good thread and debate on the quality of players being brought in. I share some of the concerns as these players are pretty much unheard of and coming from lower league sides are obviously a gamble. But there are a few things I am fairly certain on: Gannon appears too streetwise and astute to misjudge the level and quality of the league of the team he has just become manager of. The wage bill under McGhoo had crept up to around 75% of turnover and Boyle knows that is unsustainable - so is trying to bring it back under control. Therefore Gannon is signing players he obviously rates and are affordable within the budget he has been given. All these players seem to come with the tag - 'promising but unfinished article' - yet we know Gannon is confident he can take raw players and improve them. Finally - I am sure some will not work out and some will be excellent players for us and maybe even bring in some money in transfer fees in time. That is the nature of football transfers.

All gone a bit quiet on the signings front. I was wondering that this Euro run is a distraction Gannon could largely do without. I say run - 3 games Well I guess that is a Euro run for us. It is the fact that it is one Thursday after another with little chance to refresh inbetween. Of course I want us to get through on Thursday and play Steaua, but if the upshot is he can concentrate on the team and the SPL start then I could live with that. I think the consensus on the players required is almost unanimous. Goalie Right back Attacking/creative/goalscoring midfielder a la Dorman 2 Strikers To me that is a minimum 5 players with the possibility of a commanding centre back also in the mix - although Hutchison and Page may be given their chance to deputise. Anything less and we will have a very shallow squad.

You got me stumped Only another 3 days to sell 2500+. To put it into context 1500 is a lot less than travelled down to Wales I know it is the holidays and all that, but this is a far more important game than the one v Llanelli and we had just over 4000 for that game. Anything less on Thursday will be a tad embarassing and a bit of a let down for the players. This will be a tough tie - but we can do it with the right support

Best team in the world - simple as - oh and the best colours. Red, Green, Blue........all boring. Plenty of Well fans head through from the East and we even have an East of Scotland Motherwell supporters club that has been going for the past 14 years. Why there is even a small village outside Edinburgh called Winchburgh that has as many as 4 Well fans including I believe 2 new season ticket holders that used to go and watch Livingston. You know it makes sense

If it is Sigma Olomouc then it is not an easy tie. They are czech team and I have seen them play against Sparta Prague a wee while back and they were fairly solid. Plus they comfortably beat Killie a few years back. That is of course assuming I am talking about the same team.

I was hoping for Vienna or Brondby but hey ho - still need to beat the Albanians - who will be delighted at this draw as it is just a short hop for them............

if we could avoid Dinamo Minsk - the rest I will take - assuming we get through!!!

In some ways that is a decent draw - as we can concentrate just on getting through the tie. Whereas were we to have drawn Roma, Hamburg, PSV or say Fulham. Many fans myself included would be salivating at the prospect and no doubt that would work against us. So a slightly less glamorous tie and we are through against Flumartari - Simples!

Klimpl may have been a liability in terms of yellow cards but he was our last line of defence on many occasions and was on hand and on the line to make some decent clearances. That said from what I have read Jennings can hopefully fill that role. So what we need is now a creative midfielder along the lines of Stephen Hughes or even better a goalscoring midfielder.

If anything the result SHOULD get a few more bums on seats. A heavy defeat or victory would have meant the tie effectively over - but it is very much in the melting pot. I know it is not at our 'home' ground but I would be dissappointed if we did not at least match the crowd that turned up for the Llanelli game. If an Albanian team get 4000+ and we do not - then maybe they deserve to go through In all seriousness get buying those tickets - a home european tie does not come along too often. I have faith there will be a decent enough crowd

Valid point Yir E. But the flip side as you say is that if we get an exciting tie hopefully a few more will come out to support us next week against Flumatari. I am very worried about the lack of an away goal. We could be 1-0 or 2-0 up and coasting and they get a goal and we need yet another. Trying not to be pessimistic but ultimatley this could be our undoing. Another way to look at it is we are at home and the tie is very much alive. One thing is for sure we need to score first and preferably in the first 30 mins and then press for a second. Unfortunately although the lads did reasonably well last night - the reality is that we are still playing with half a recognised first team from last season. It is probably asking too much. I hope not. Mon the WELL!

You have got to hand it to the BBC. It keeps changing every few minutes. What is the contract worth and for how long - it is SIMPLES!! I was getting upset at £65m over 5 years, but the last I saw on Ceefax was £65m for 60 games per season till end of 2011-2012 season. Then an option for a further two. SO What is it to be?? Is it £65m for 3 years with a further 2 year extension which on the face of it is not too bad. Or is it the derisory £65m over 5 years. It is not rocket science BBC

There is that and also carrying a few extra pounds in that heat is a struggle

Thanks Shrew Fan -welcome aboard the rollercoaster. Maybe that is the strategy - sign many players from lower leagues in England and increase our fanbase At this rate we will have a 1st team squad of 55. Just think we could play our strongest 11 against the old firm and then rest them and play the weakest against Hamilton and St Mirren In all honesty it is highly unlikely that all the players JG signs will make the grade. If that is the case he truly is the messiah. I would be happy with 3 or 4 out of 6 or 7. That would be decent work in my book.

The reality is that losing live TV revenue would affect Motherwell greatly. Last year it was as much as 35-40% of our turnover. It is all very well saying we can give it a miss and we do not need it - but the reality is it would not be long before fans were moaning about the quality on the pitch or lack of and started to stay away. No live TV = larger crowds??? No live TV revenue = No Porter, McCormack, Klimpl etc = less quality = lower crowds. In many ways it is a catch 22. What i know is that Sky and ESPN are trying to abuse their monopoly by offering us peanuts. I read somewhere that the Championship get £88m a year from SKY?? They want us to accept £65m over 5 years . It is a disgrace and as much as I hate the Old Firm I don't blame them for exploring alternatives. I would be boycotting SKY in Scotland - tell them to piss off. The problem is that at least a couple of clubs will go to the wall if this money is not forthcoming otherwise if it were me I would tell them where to go.

I wonder how many along with the Decorator are making the trip. I suspect that before the announcement last week we mights have taken a couple of hundred at best, but would be surprised if any more than 50-100 make the trip. Either way I hope they have a great (& safe) time and have something to shout about. I am quite sure this would have been a cracking trip. Here's hoping we get at least one more away day in the next round.

Skysports.com understands Shrewsbury Town winger Chris Humphrey is poised to sign for Motherwell. Humphrey is out of contract at Shrewsbury and has rejected the offer of a new two-year deal with the League Two club. He was recently the subject of an offer from Blackpool and has previously been linked with a move to Aston Villa. However, the 21-year-old has opted for a transfer to the SPL, with a three-year contract at Jim Gannon's Motherwell side set to be sealed in the next 24 hours. The highly-rated winger made 88 appearances for the Shrews and played a prominent role in last season's ultimately unsuccessful push for promotion.

Sky & ESPN are taking the p#ss with a derisory offer as there is no competition for these rights. They are perfectly happy to match the costs for the EPL rights but are treating the SPL with contempt. If any deal the Old firm puts on the table guarantees Motherwell FC more money over the next two years then good luck to them. The EPL gets 100's of millions of £'s per annum from Sky yet they are only prepared to offer £13m per annum for the rights to show SPL football. As much as I hate to admit it - Celtic and Rangers have a large following in many places such as US, OZ, Ireland etc. Worth a lot more than what is on the table. I hate to say it - but on this occasion I agree with them.

I don't suppose anyone has a spare copy of the match on DVD??? Did not have Sky and cannot download Would meet any costs for DVD and post etc etc. PM me if you can help out. Cheers

My main concern is the financial impact on the club. I am curious as to how any deal with kit suppliers comes about and how we are rewarded financially. I would be surprised if we are given any money up front or have to pay money up front. Unless we have to commit a sum of money to get the kits produced I would have thought that we would share the revenue based on shirt sales. If so hopefully our exposure is fairly low. The ongoing problem is who will buy the stock in the club shop if it appears we may get another strip design/manufacturer. I have only bought the Black polo top so far and it is crackin design and material. Very happy with it and soon to be a collectors item???

Kinda strange that we will know who we may get in the next round half way through this round I know very little about Flumantari and the standard of play. I have seen odds that suggest we should win through, but it will be tough going IMHO - especially in the first leg. Certainly if we were to lose the first leg we would NEED an away goal. In all honesty as an unseeded team from here on in there is b#gger all chance we will get to the group stages IMHO. We will be up against teams from the Premiership, Serie A and the Bundesleague or however it is spelt. I would settle for a win over Flumatari and a draw against Fulham

Fortunately I never saw the incident or it would have turned a fantastic trip into a less enjoyable one. To me the comment above sums up my feelings. As I was not there to bear witness to the incident it is difficult to tell what happened. But say for the sake of argument an 80 year old threw a punch at me or provoked me - I would either laugh, tell him to piss off or moved away. I would never have assaulted him even if he supposedly threw a punch. It is just not on. Glad to see the club are banning the pair and anyone on here sticking up for the guilty party need their heads examined!!!!!!!!!!

Not long nooooooooo I have been working diligently all morning, but enough my thoughts are starting to turn towards the travel, the game, the team etc. Flying tomorrow am with BMI Baby to Cardiff. Let us hope some silly b*tch does not leave a suitcase unattended in the toilets at Edi airport tomorrow like Monday! Starting to get a little excited, which at my age is rather worrying I guess. But an away European game is an away European game. I have only been on 2 before and I am not young anymore. Well compared to some I am - eh Barry?? I expect the team to be similar to last week on account of the fact we have no-one else! I also suspect Lasley may be dropped after being hooked at half time and Slane may start. We need to be more adventurous up front and NOT have Sutton playing as a lone striker. Could we be the 1st Scottish club to get through a European tie after losing at home in the first leg. YES - My prediction is 3-1 Well. I would say 3-0, but what with the long throw in merchant - a free header in the box is almost inevitable again tick tock tick tock.....

there are some folk on here who having won the Euromillions on friday night, got jiggy with Miss Scotland on the Saturday night - would wake up on the Sunday and find something to still moan about. Their is an army of Victor Meldrews on this site. The official site is one of the best in the league and a million times better than what we had a couple of years ago. Give us peace