MelvinBragg

Specsavers is in Brandon Parade,just along from McDonalds...

Just a thought but should Hutchinson leave this month, I see that Tim Clancy has apparently been told he can leave Hibs if he can find himself a club. If we're allowing Cummins to go out on loan, Hutchinson's departure would leave us pretty short at the back. Clancy an option? McCall certainly knows what he can do and if there was no fee involved and he was willing to fit into our wage structure... Just a thought...

I'm pretty much of the opinion that others have expressed that I'm not too bothered about media praise or lack of BUT Where this does kick us in the Albert Halls is trying to sell players. How much of the fee for Goodwillie was inflated by media hype? The old argument about Jamie Murphy or him has been done to death and obviously contract status and club's ability/willingness to turn down an offer plays a part, but the disparity in fees was shocking. Certainly Sheffield Utd got a better deal than Blackburn.. It just seems that players at other clubs get hyped more than ours. Can anyone explain how we received not one bid for the best goalkeeper in the league last January when an inferior keeper is being linked with massive clubs? How we change that? Don't know but maybe if we stopped slating our own players and maybe phoned the phone-ins (I'd draw the line at Radio Clyde) to praise our team, then it might help a bit...

Report card: Must try harder...

That was really enjoyable today. As others have said, we could have scored even more. No real failures in the side. Do I think we'll finish second? No, but Stuart McCall has proved me wrong before. He and the players deserve enormous credit. Having lost six "first picks" in the summer, it was always going to take time for the team to click. Now it's showing signs of happening, we should finish top six, I'd say probably fourth or fifth... Obviously Ainsworth has made a big difference recently but watching the game today, it struck me how much we owe to John Sutton. Not everyone's cup of tea but while things weren't clicking earlier in the season, his habit of sticking away a chance kept us picking up points. Is it a coincidence that Higdon is the player that I've heard the least number of fans say we're missing? Obviously Hateley probably comes into that category, but I think it shows the kind of season both Ramsden and Sutton are having. I just don't think big John Handsome gets the credit he deserves from some of our support...

Not a bad shout for player of the year. Even when things aren't going well in terms of results, he rarely lets himself down. A really dependable player, fast becoming one of my favourites...

Anything that involves Stevie Hammell played at centre back should be frowned upon. Other point of interest. Pretty clear McCall has been unimpressed with Nielsen...

Aye, me too. Especially as I have a bet on Sutton and 2-0..

Let both go. Give Moore and an U20 winger a run of games. It might cost us some points this season (it might not, mind you) but it'll act as good preparation for next season. With relegation off the table, we'll never get a more risk-free chance to blood a few youngsters and see what they're made of. Guys like Leitch, McCafferty, Cummins and Murray as well as others have to get game time if we are to find out if they're good enough...

I'd argue that Ramsden is a much better full back than Hateley. Chris Humphrey constantly tracking back made Hateley look better than he was. Who has Ramsden had in front of him this season with the same willingness to help out...?

I heard a rumour that Ainsworth's application in training leaves a lot to be desired. Source is a former club employee who still has contacts within the club...

Knowing you, if you've had more than three pints then probably not...

If we somehow manage to finish top six having lost the SPL player of the year, our best goalkeeper in at least 20 years, our entire right side, our most creative midfielder and our second striker, then McCall should be carried shoulder high around Motherwell. Top six would be that big an achievement, in my opinion...

Aye, my point is made...

Still not sure what I was thinking taking us to finish the game with a clean sheet..

None taken, but I'm sure we'd all have settled for 2-0 beforehand..;-)

Ok, that about time up now, ref?

Sutton 1-0. Good news for those of us with a £1 on 2-0 with Sutton first scorer...

No harm to either player but why are Ainsworth and Anier playing? Twardzik, I have less of an issue with. As Tweed said earlier, goalkeeper is a tricky position to blood a youngster. But I'd imagine both of the outfield loanees would be on their way in January. I'd rather see us play Moore and a U20s winger play. Can't contribute any less than the other two have in recent games...

What's the team?

If the Dundee reserve keeper plays, surely it only shows that McCall wants a result and wants the best possible player in each position and feels he's better than Stewart? Whether I'd do the same is another question. I've already stated in other threads that I'd write off this season and play youngsters. But it's easier for me to say results don't matter than it is for McCall. My job isn't to get wins for Motherwell...

It'll be interesting if the keeper from Dundee plays a blinder tomorrow. No doubt we'll here complaints about why we didn't pick him up for free in the summer rather than Nielsen as I'm pretty sure he'd have been a cheaper option...

I can see why you'd make that point but I'd argue that his track record at replacing players has, until this summer been pretty good. He had barely got his feet under the desk when Blackman and Reynolds left. Brought in a couple of experienced guys to tide us over til the summer. Then Sutton left. That meant twice in six months he had to replace our top scorer. He did that. Brought in Clancy to cover for the fact that Reynolds was no longer there and Craigan was nearing the end of his career. Did he do a job? The fact he got a move to a bigger club suggests so. At the same time he brought in Law. A good signing. Hitting a sticky patch in the winter, he brought in Ojaama to give us a boost. That summer loses Craigan, Clancy and Jennings. Brings in Ramsden (like Clancy, unfancied on his arrival) to cover the defence and eventually finds a way to juggle midfield to play without Jennings. Then in January, loses Murphy. Brings in two players (one a loan, one a free transfer) that will make up for the loss of a goalscoring left winger. Point I'm trying to make is that you can argue McCall isn't a man to rebuild a squad but he's been pretty much doing that every window since his arrival. And some of the "quality" that he's struggled to replace are actually signings he has made himself. Was this summer his finest hour transfer wise? Probably not. But looking at his transfer record overall, I reckon he could make a case that it's the first window he's failed in. Do you decide someone's not good enough if they've had five good games and one bad one? I'm only too aware that McCall has flaws as a manager. But to suggest that he's not the man for the job due to a few dodgy months as we try to bed in half a new team seems harsh...

Just a thought. In the last 18 months we've lost Randolph Hateley Craigan Clancy Humphrey Jennings Law Murphy Higdon Ojaama Add a left back and you have a decent SPL side. I reckon only Hearts have lost the same number of first team players and they're in administration. We've received two transfer fees for those ten players. Bad planning by the club some will say, but how do you sell players when there are no offers on the table? And how do you stop players running down their contracts when they refuse to sign a new one? It's the peril of signing guys who then outperform expectations. Who really thought when we signed Higdon that we'd struggle to keep him beyond his two years? Who thought two years ago that Humphrey would develop into a player that had several offers on the table? Victims of our own success...

His signings in the summer lacked pace and creativity? He went for Vigurs who had a good few assists last season and re-signed McFadden who, on the evidence of Feb-May, was going to bring a lot of guile to the table. I don't recall many complaints when we signed these guys in the summer, unusual for this forum. Have these signings worked out? No. My main criticism of McCall this season would be that he seemed to sign Vigurs on the basis of his stats from last season without figuring out where he'd fit within our team. McFadden, well, that particular mystery has been well discussed on here. On the basis of last season's form no one quibbled with his signing.. Lack of pace in the team? Sure, will give you that. He signed Ainsworth (too late, I grant you) to try and remedy this. Anier is also no slouch. Ainsworth, for me, has looked good in short periods of games but can't seem to sustain it. Anier has contributed a few goals but I'm not convinced by him. Would I keep him? No. But nor do I think he's been a truly terrible signing. Looking at his other summer signings, it's a mixed bag. McManus and Sutton have done enough to justify their signing. Nielsen is no better than Hollis but I think he's a decent keeper providing competition (despite a few howlers, which he seems to be ironing out the more he plays). Kerr has all the tools, inconsistent as hell though. Some weeks looks a real prospect, other weeks looks like a guy who's wandered out of the stands. Given his attributes though, I can understand why McCall gambled on him. He won't be on a massive wage. Lawson is the puzzling one. Decent player (County fans seem to think the loss of him is a major reason they're struggling) but not what we needed. Was his pre-contract arranged when it looked like Carswell might not stay? Not a great transfer window for McCall but he's done not too badly in previous ones so I'd give him a chance to repeat the trick. I know we have no money. Did we not sign Ojaama when we had "no money"? McCall has pulled a few rabbits out of hats before (who thought that Clancy or Ramsden would work out as well?) so you never know...