MelvinBragg

You know what you get with a bigger budget? Players that make better decisions in pressure situations...

On the bright side, sounds like Anier and Nielsen are having good games. I'd be tempted to hook Anier now in case we need him for Sunday and give Erwin or Moore a chance to show what they can do..

To be honest, I reckon if McCall manages to acquire the winger he's looking for I suspect we'll see McFadden playing behind the main striker. But I do agree Higginbotham would have been a good signing. Reading his interview on the Thistle website though he mentions "playing regularly" several times. Maybe figured he wasn't guaranteed that with us. If we were even interested...

A lopsided 541 with three central midfielders? or 451 with Kerr at right midfield? Good thing is that if I can't work it out beforehand, the Kuban coach has no chance..

If we had fast, cheap, reliable trains then travel for away fans wouldn't be an issue. But that's a whole other debate. Maybe it's not German football we should be copying but their transport infrastructure...

I wasn't having a go at you, Matt, as you pointed out you at least give some reasons for your thinking (whether I agree with them or not). But there are a lot of people who simply state they prefer 3pm "because there's no need to change it", they won't even discuss the subject... Obviously, never going to get a kick-off time that suits every fan. And that's going to get worse as people's working weeks become less traditionally "Mon-Fri 9-5". I think it's a discussion worth having even if afterwards, the answer is still Saturday 3pm..

Again, a debate people don't really want to have. "People are on holiday, have other stuff to do". Never gets beyond that. Doesn't strike them that if you have kids and match prices are reasonable then a lot of people would rather take their kids to a game than spend the same amount of money going to the cinema to see Disney's latest offering. Improve the matchday experience (make it an experience, facepainting, music, various food stalls - all more viable in warmer weather), see how many families you can encourage to keep coming back. Kids spend more at the football than adults (I have found to my cost). But you still get the adults admission price if they're bringing them along... But then this requires imagination, which is in short supply in the corridors of power of Scottish football..

When has it really been looked at? You really need to ask the people who used to go to the games as well as those of us who still do. Pretty sure there's never been a serious look at it without the "traditionalists" shouting it down. The dirty little secret of these "traditionalists"? Most of them would still be there if games kicked off at 5pm. Question is would more people manage to games if it was then? Frankly (and I know I'm only speaking for me), 5pm on a Saturday would be a lot better than 3pm. But I still go. Are there people who share my opinion but that don't go to games? There's a debate to be had but it never happens because it gets bogged down by traditionalists wanting more games at 3pm and moaning about the time of TV games. Why not look if there's a time that'd get more fans into non televised games and we won't have to suckle as hard at SKY's teat...

Whether you agree with last post by's assertion that lunchtime Saturday would be the best standard kick-off time or not, he does raise a valid point. Kick-off has been Saturday 3pm for as long as any of us can remember. But the decision was made when work patterns and lifestyles were different. If we want to look at pricing, quality of football, matchday experience and other factors to explain falling attendances, then why not the time the games are played. I'm not suggesting that crowds would increase if all games were played at 5pm or lunchtime, but it shouldn't be blasphemy to ask the question "is 3pm on a Saturday the best time?". And I mean really ask the question why we play then, why it's the most convenient. Because if the best answer you can come up with is "we've always played then, it's tradition", is that really thinking about it..?

I don't necessarily disagree but I reckon it might explain why we're apparently not interested in him. I actually think he could play anywhere in the three of a 4231 so would be useful (playing centrally, I reckon he'd get closer to Sutton than Vigurs, would play him there and Vigurs left). But McCall knows him and may think otherwise... Other aspect is that he might not want to come back here. Came for first team football and didn't get that much of it. You can argue that wouldn't happen this time but it may be in the back of his mind...

I liked Higginbotham a lot but he didn't have the pace we're looking to replace. Good player, though. I'd imagine he'd do well at Thistle...

Thing is, you know he's not being serious. He just has his "I'll back any Scottish team to do well" PR hat on..

What amuses me is a couple of people saying what's the point in finishing second if you're not going to have a go in Europe. I'd have thought from the players' and manager's point of view, it'd be to say you were the second best team in the country. And from the fans' point of view, it'd be seeing your team win the majority of their games and have pride in supporting the second best team in the country. Are people saying that if there was no such thing as European football then they wouldn't see the point in finishing second? If they are, they're fucking idiots, in my opinion. For me, the joy of last season was not "great, we're in Europe again" but "we've been a great team this season". Europe is a distraction, to be looked upon as glamorous pre-season games for us. This season, we didn't get the glamour but them's the breaks. I refuse to listen to people moaning about not having a go when it's the same people that said we didn't stand a chance after the draw was made.. For what it's worth, I reckon if we had St Johnstone's draw, we'd have done as well as they're doing. Is that bad luck or just an example of how finishing third gives you a better chance than finishing second given the seeds in the earlier rounds can be slightly weaker? Now there's a question to be asked and not of Stuart McCall...

Anyone who didn't rate Humphrey should ask themselves the question why we're currently looking for a winger with pace. Humphrey was a major weapon for us last season. Even without a final ball (which he was improving), he could get us from our own 18 yard box to the opponents' in the blink of an eye. Thinking of the last home game against Ross County and the goal he scored there. And in the game he scored against Celtic, against any other player Izaguirre's switching off wouldn't have cost Celtic a goal. Humphrey's workrate and pace got him into that position...

While not suggesting we did him a favour, he was handsomely paid for the good service he gave us. He wasn't doing us a favour. Like others have said, the grass isn't always greener on the other side. What annoys (or amuses, not sure) me is the fact that Hateley thought that as a decent SPL player, he had outgrown us. Didn't occur to him that he'd found his level. Ambition is good, but not without realism...

Can't make this game but I have a bad feeling about it. I know Aberdeen have on a few occasions turned up at Fir Park with a team that has looked good on paper and we've showed them up but I just suspect that this time they may have too much for us. A few factors make me think this. They're bedding in fewer new players than we are, they're not playing in Russia on Thursday night and for the first time in a good few seasons, they have more matchwinners in their side than we have... Go on, Motherwell, prove me wrong...

We do if we're relying on our full backs to provide our width...

If the rumours are true regarding him being one of the highest earners at the club (and that's a big if, I know) then no way was a higher salary deserved when we're cutting costs. A solid, dependable right back, he may have been, he doesn't (and didn't) merit being one of the highest earners at the club...

But then again he has to say that for a good few reasons...

Like Higdon, if Sutton is to play up front himself and then bring others into play, the ball needs to be played to his chest and not his head. Although as he demonstrated tonight, put crosses into the box and he'll get his head on it...

No one stood out, no one was horrendous. Went for Lawson, simply like the way he went about his business. He and Carswell, looking forward, would be a good combination as Lasley may play less this season (I wouldn't play Lasley on Sunday)...

They were a better team than us but not that much better (not as good as Panathinaikos or Levante), the real frustration is the goals we lost. One pretty much straight from our goal kick and one from our own corner (Hammell's mistake was as bad as it sounded). With the team that finished last season, we'd have probably lost the same goals but might have threatened more. We will miss Humphrey badly this season and need to get someone closer to Sutton (I seem to remember saying the same about Higdon before Ojamaa's arrival). We'll be alright this season but lack of pace that we've had in previous seasons might mean we'll finish fifth or sixth rather than second or third..

For me the 4231 lacks width. I know that McFadden and Vigurs would have scope to pull wide but I'd prefer them to have defined wider roles not only in an attacking sense but also to avoid the full backs being left exposed...

I'm in the odd position of not having seen any of the preseason games so don't really know how we're looking. So when I say that I'd prefer us to set up 4231, I say that not knowing exactly how iffy our defence has looked. Not knowing how good or bad Kuban are in comparison to us, I have no idea how the game will go. All I ask is that we do ourselves justice. Not so much in European games, when we've simply been beaten by better teams, but in domestic cup games, we've not performed as we can and gone out to inferior teams (both cups last season leap to mind). That's my concern, that we freeze. Most of the squad have played in a good few big games in their career now, so there's no excuse...

Aye, must confess that I'm not totally sold on the idea of a back three...