MelvinBragg

Willingness to come and work on a tiny budget? Local? Know what you're going to get? Someone who knows what he'll be facing given his work as a pundit and SFA delegate. As for any manager worth his salt keeping us up, is that to suggest that McCall isn't such a manager? As things stand, he doesn't look capable. Hope that in the next two or three weeks that it changes for him and he turns it around...

Only three or four years older than Van Gaal, or if you're looking for a Scottish example, Jim Jefferies. Younger than Alex Ferguson, Trappatoni and Capello. Perceived as "old-fashioned" maybe but then so was Craig Brown when he came in (incidentally Brown was two years older than McLean is now when he became manager of Motherwell). No wish to see McCall lose his job but if he does, for me there's only one candidate for the job...

Having read his autobiography, McLean still seems to feel he has something to offer. Personally he'd be my choice right now. With Leitch alongside him. I know Leitch has his detractors but given people praise how fit we were when he was number two under McGhee, he might fit the bill right now. Right now, we need a manager who will make us hard to beat because it's all a bit too easy for our opponents at the moment...

Lasley, I'll give you. McManus and Hammell are only 32, a two year deal is not unreasonable if they look after themselves. With any player over 30, poor form can be assumed to mean that the player is past it when it might simply be a poor run of form. Which McManus is clearly in. Hammell hasn't played enough games this season due to injury to get any consistency. Again, at his age, the concern then becomes if recurrent injuries are going to be a problem. Hammell has played enough games over the years to not jump to that conclusion yet. Obviously if these problems continue, then it's a worry...

While he may not be our worst defender, the fact is we offered Reid, a player who can mainly play as a right back or centre half, a deal when we had two players (Ramsden and Kerr) under contract that also fit that description. Even if you think Reid is a better option than Ramsden, Kerr or both of them, surely with finances being tight, you would try and get one of them off the wage bill before bringing another player in for that position. Particularly when you've left yourself short of striking options... You can call it hindsight if you want but many in the summer were complaining about an unbalanced squad. Nothing against Reid as a player but was his position really a priority this summer? By my calculations, we have eight defenders in the squad, one winger (that McCall will play) and three strikers. Still going to tell me that Reid (and indeed O'Brien) was the best use of limited resources...?

Kerr, Vigurs and Carswell. With the right set up, could do a job...

Can't disagree with that...

I suspect it'd be a moot point as we'd be in administration...

The manager needs to take a long hard look at himself if he thinks that Clarkson is "not the kind of striker we need". McFadden is a different case. There is a perception that he was an expensive luxury given his injury record last season (given his goals and assists when fit, the questions over his form may have been harsh). However, given we found money for new deals for Reid and McManus and to bring in O'Brien, a lot of defenders not to mention Law and Twardzik, you have to wonder if we could have offered a deal to McFadden. Especially given the ineffective performance of Law as a creative player. Also worth noting that McFadden and Vigurs linked up well. Law and Ojaama or McFadden and Clarkson. Hmmmm... Anyway, mistakes appear to have been made. Can't help that. Question is how we reverse the slide. Sadly with the squad we have, can't see us digging ourselves out of this hole...

Are you suggesting that as a club we don't do enough to ensure our players are in peak condition? That a player over 30 is fitter having trained himself over the summer than he was after training with us last season? Surely not...

I expect us to be managerless by Monday afternoon at latest. The thing is, any new manager still has the same problems. A bombscare centre half among the highest paid at the club, a striker brought in on loan whose goals to games ratio is deplorable, the lesser Law brother, a midget goalkeeper and confidence which appears non existent. Good luck to whoever gets it... EDIT Obviously Ojaama chose to score that as I typed. His scoring record is still terrible...

Not the kind of striker we were looking for. One that scores goals...

Martin Woods or Josh Law? Paul Quinn or Craig Reid? David Clarkson or Henrik Ojaama? Jamie McDonald or Dan Twardzik? I like McCall but can't escape the feeling that we've not made the most of the transfer window this summer...

In general, I agree with you but as I pointed out earlier with wide midfielders not providing much actual width, the onus is then on the full backs to do so. That being the case, Vigurs and Law then have a responsibility to drop back in and cover should we lose possession with full backs up the park...

What did he say?

The number of goals is one thing. But if Thistle had scored three like Ainsworth's today, I'd hold my hands up and say "fair enough". The quality of goals conceded is a far greater concern...

Personally, I'd rather have Nielsen in goals but Twardzik isn't anywhere near being our main problem just now. Doubt he even makes the top five of our problems right now...

First away game I've been to in a while. Don't know if it's possible to condense thoughts on it into a single post. Team lineup wasn't a million miles away from what most people on here would have picked. Not a massive fan of 442 myself. Personally think that any team playing only two centre midfielders is asking to be overrun. But we weren't being dominated and hit the bar before they scored. The first goal drained what confidence there was out of the team. What sticks in the throat about it (in common with the other Thistle goals) was that they had it handed to them on a plate. Vigurs has no pace. Vigurs knows this, McCall knows this, our opponents know this. To play him in wide midfield, one of two things has to happen. Your full back on that side has to cut out any attacking runs or Vigurs has to compensate for his lack of pace by taking a deeper position when covering. Problem is that if your full back doesn't make forward runs, Vigurs' tendency to cut inside (more so when he's on the right) means you have no width. Second goal, the only Thistle player in the box is unmarked by any of the five Motherwell players in there. Third goal, Carswell and Angol somehow lose out to one Thistle player. Individual errors are killing us. You cannot gift three goals and expect a result. More concerning is the lack of belief in the team. This is a team that went to Celtic Park and got a point. The heads went down faster than the Titanic today. Like I said, individual errors are killing us and the thing is, when that happens, individuals get singled out by the fans. It may not help but it's understandable. Noticed a couple of players, making a point of giving Vigurs encouragement as he went off. At least, it seems to show he's aware he made an error in the first half and was clearly down about it. More suggesting of team spirit than anything else we did on the park. We're in a mess just now. Is McCall the man to get us out of it? I hope so because I can't think of anyone else available who would take the job that I'd have more faith in...

Kerr or McManus? On this season's form you'd have to say Kerr. Basically Kerr should play tomorrow but we all know he won't. Or if he does, it'll be at right midfield...

Cannot win a penalty shoot out with a tiny keeper. At least Nielsen has previous for saving penalties...

Time to get Nielsen on?

Hit the crossbar and post. You'll all know what's coming...

The cases of Moore and Erwin tend to suggest that the best way to convince McCall that you're worth a shot is to go on loan and do well. Not sending him on loan doesn't mean he'll get time on the pitch with us...

No one out on loan? With the way McCall was talking, felt sure Cummins, Thomas and maybe a couple of others would be out on loan today...

Twardzik Reid O'Brien McManus Angol Ainsworth Lasley Lawson Law Ojaama Sutton Erwin, Leitch and Ramsden among the subs, no Vigurs or Thomas..