MelvinBragg

According to BBC Sportsday, Saunders will miss three months after a knee operation. Massive blow for him and the team...

Sorry, no. He's not a risk worth taking. Got several Hibs managers the sack and although it might be a coincidence, St Johnstone's season tanked last season after they signed him. Capitalise on his stupidity? Stupidity would be signing him...

Anyone suggesting we take Riordan needs to take a look at the clubs that are interested in him. With his natural ability, there's no way that Ross County (with the greatest respect to them) should have a chance of getting Derek Riordan. The problems he brings clearly outwiegh the benefits, seems to be the thinking of most managers. And given his clear talent, how big must these problems be? If Stuart McCall can get him to screw the nut?? Many managers, some a lot more experienced than Stuart McCall, have thought that they could do this. It has to be a straight no from me. If it was a choice between signing no one before the window closes and signing Riordan, I'd go for no one. At least Bob McHugh is a team player who doesn't appear to be a disruptive influence. I'd rather play Erwin and McHugh up front than have the poison that is Derek Riordan take a wage from our club... But, Mark Kerr. Yes. Experienced and the type of player we need right now/ Had a few rough seasons but I think we have right players for him to be a success. His lack of pace wouldn't be an issue (was it for Jennings?) and I think Carswell in particular could learn from him...

If Riordan signs for us, I'll be handing my season ticket back...

Ojaama has been playing as poorly, if not worse, than those "importers" you refer to..

That's the part I don't understand. For me Motherwell qualifying for Europe is an achievement. And, of course, when we're there I want us to do well but I'm realistic enough to know that it's thje longest of long shots. Looking at our European games as a whole, how many times have we been put out by teams that weren't considerably better than us? I can think of twice. Katowice and Odense. For me, for the most part we've beaten the teams we could realistically expect to beat. The two I mentioned, Katowice and Odense. Katowice was a long time ago and it wasn't until I saw the highlights of the home leg on Youtube recently that I remembered how much we'd pummeled them at Fir Park only to be unable to put the ball in the net. Odense was a chance, possibly the chance. Were they better than us? Aye, but not by much. We had a team that for the most part had played together for a while and a manager who experience of international competition. That season, for me, in the previous round we achieved better than could have been hoped by soundly beating a team of a similar stature to us in Aalesunds. That was the season we could have done it. Progress would be nice, yes. But I reckon in about 20 years time we could be looking back on these as the golden years of watching Motherwell, irrespective of progress or not to the group stages in Europe...

You'd be as well looking at Second Division teams' performances in Scottish Cup quarter finals as a comparison. Because when we play in Europe, that's what we are. A relatively small team that's somehow found themselves in with the big boys. Our goalscoring record in Europe isn't the best? This is Motherwell we're talking about. What, seriously, are your expectations..?

Prepare to be disappointed. The fact that the previous bid was £250k and this bid is rumoured to be £300k suggests to me that these clubs know that this is around the figure we're looking for. Personally, I reckon around £400k mark is a fair price...

Maybe the reason we weren't shooting from the edge of the box was their two midfielders sitting in front of their back four whenever we had the ball. While I agree we overplayed it on occasions, Levante did a good job of limiting our shooting opportunities...

I actually think most SPL sides would struggle against them because unlike any SPL side (including Celtic) they actually know how to keep possession of a football. We didn't play as well as we could've tonight but I suspect even at our best, the most we'd get is a draw. For a 'poor' side, they defended well and took their chances when presented to them. To pretend they were there for the taking is optimistic bordering on ludicrous...

That sums up my feelings on it. I'd love to go back to "offside or onside, nae grey areas" with all the problems that brings. At least then, you knew where you stood and it was less down to interpretation...

Blaming the foreigner tonight is tricky with only three Scots in the team.. I don't blame Ojaama for tonight. Just don't like the guy particularly...

The only problem I have with him walking down the tunnel is the fact he stopped in the dressing room. He should have kept walking... Can't take to the guy at all...

I thought that Higdon did all that could be asked of him tonight and when we started playing it to his chest and feet rather than his head, he linked play well. All four of the midfield had poor games. Likewise Ojaama. Defence had a good first half, mistake at the goal aside. Randolph was also decent. For me, the pick was Cummins. One of the few players who didn't seem intimidated. Poor at the first goal but otherwise a very good performance. His performances make me worry less about selling Hutchinson...

European teams will continue to beat Scottish teams as long as they can produce defenders who are big, strong but also mobile and midfielders who can control a ball. It's all about what you're comparing it to. In Scotland, Hutchinson looks pretty quick for a big guy because you're seeing him on the same pitch as Tokely or Kenneth. Law's technique looks good when he's playing against Harkins or Goodwin. Levante may struggle against relegation but they're not playing against Kilmarnock, St Mirren or Inverness. If the best Scottish players would struggle against the best Spanish players, why would we expect a middling Scottish side to beat a middling Spanish side. As to why that's the case, that's a larger debate altogether..

What do you base the fact we'll struggle in the top half of the SPL on? If it's tonight, then it seems a knee jerk reaction. We didn't play as well as we can, granted. But to suggest that Dundee United or Hearts would have beaten Levante as some have suggested seems ridiculous to me, baseless. As you'd expect with a Spanish side, they kept the ball pretty well. Probably helped by having an extra man in midfield but also by better technique. We had an off night but I suspect even at our best, we'd have struggled. As would any SPL side, I suspect including Celtic.

Cummins for Ramsden and Hammell back in are the only changes from Saturday...

What does this say about the management's opinion of Devlin?

Dunno, Scott Burns has a track record of getting Motherwell stories before anyone else...

Let's hope so. Wouldn't be ideal to sell someone the day before a game..

Had heard that as well. Apparently Dundee Utd in as well. They want to cash in on Mackay-Steven and see McFadden as someone to replace him without the fans getting up in arms..

Am I the only one who thinks that if we're going to bring in someone before the close of the transfer window that we're better to wait til after Thursday rather than try and integrate a new signing into the side just before a big game? Obviously the exception would be McFadden as he has been training with the players already but my understanding is that there won't be a deal there...

Aye, like I say, glad we won but when I saw the lineup on Saturday, I felt sorry for McHugh. Similar to last season, after scoring against Aberdeen. What chance does he have to get a run of form going?

Bit early to have started drinking for Thursday, is it not..?

As much as this is getting off topic, and as much as I'm glad we won on Saturday, I am a bit disappointed that McHugh didn't start in place of Ojaama given he scored the previous week. I know scoring goals isn't the only way strikers can contribute but our young players have to see that if they perform, they'll be rewarded with a place in the team. This doesn't mean ZFA should start ahead of Hammell but is Ojaama that much more experienced than McHugh?