MelvinBragg

No conflict in those opinions at all. I reckon we will struggle to replace Clarkson's goals and all round play. So I think we will be fighting relegation. Nowhere did I say that we would definitely go down. In fact, to quote... I said in that post that it looked bleak to me at the moment. Anyone who thinks it doesn't look bleak, has had too many happy pills this morning. But I did say that I'd been wrong before. Let's hope I am again...

Could argue that if he didn't give a toss about the club he'd be refusing to go, waiting the year out and leaving for nothing next summer. Just another way to look at it...

I know what you're saying, but if these guys were likely to leave for nothing in a year's time and by selling them just now we can 4 or 5 decent players for at least this season and next, it looks like some forward planning from JB...

Can only echo those sentiments. I think we'll find it difficult to replace these two guys with anything like the same quality of player, but worse than that we're going to lose two guys who would have run through brick walls (and in Clarkson's case, often did) for the club...

Aye, on another thread someone asked how much our crowds would drop if were to be relegated. I reckon they'd be about the same. No team really brings a massive away support outwith the Old Firm and most people that go to Fir Park now are those who'll go irrespective of what division we're in. Who knows, the crowds might go up if we're in a race for title. We've been run reasonably frugally since coming out of administration. Relegation shouldn't be the terrifying prospect some seem to think it is...

If we're going to sell Clarkson in the next couple of days, I'd be on the blower to Livingston saying "I know you accepted a bid from Dundee for Griffiths, but we'll offer you a wee bit extra..." and re-route Griffiths to Fir Park for talks when he comes back from holiday rather than Dens...

No, your crime is bitching about it like a wee schoolwean. Grow up. As I've said before, everyone knew the capacity of the grounds we were maybe going to because the list of teams has been around on this forum for what seems like weeks now. If you book flights and accomodation for a trip knowing the ground only holds 1000, and then complain because you've paid out and you're not guaranteed a ticket, then you sir, are an idiot... PS Ever occur to you that wanting to play it at their own ground might not be defeatist. Maybe they think they'll have a chance in the second leg, and then why would they want to turn it into an away game with their support outnumbered. Son, if brains were dyanmite, you wouldn't have enough to blow your nose...

Calm down, so we're in for a relegation battle. Been there before and we will be again. I would imagine that some of any fees brought in will go towards strengthening the squad. Wait and see what the season brings. I expect us to struggle, maybe even get relegated but I'm not going to get myself worked up about it. I've been wrong before and I'll be wrong again...

Kind of sums up my feelings on the matter. I don't have a bad word to say about the guy and he would go with my very wishes. I'd still be pretty gutted he'd be going. Interesting thing is that the Express article states that the money would go to the new manager to re-shape the squad. Time will tell on that one. Thing is, I'm sure the candidates would have expressed a desire for money to spend. Don't know, though, if they'd want their top striker sold in order to have said money to spend...

Ach, don't worry. With the players that are leaving, the wage bill will be down to next to nothing anyway. On a serious note, should no television deal materialise then there really will be no real major loss of income from relegation. Since administration we've run a fairly tight ship so we should be one of the clubs mkost equipped to cope should the worst happen. The thing is, my friend, better start trying to get your head round the idea. Cos if these rumours are true, it's a distinct possibility. John Boyle has a very big month ahead of him...

I notice you didn't say that they'd be sane for applying for it though...

If we are to sell Clarkson for £800,000 and Quinn for a similar amount, given the squad we have at the moment, the manager should be insisting that the cash be spent on bolstering the squad. What's that? We don't actually have a manager to make any such demand?? That's why the club are selling them now?? As I said in another thread earlier in the summer, part of me wishes we were in Division 1 anyway. Good away days; Ayr, Raith, Dunfermline, Inverness, Ross County, Queen of the South...

I've heard that the new manager will be unveiled on Monday and it'll be Michael 'King of Pop' Jackson. Let's face it, he's the only guy mad enough to take on the gig if we sell Clarkson and Quinn...

While not wishing to be all doom and gloom, I think some people on here are taking being positive to a ridiculous level. "Easily replace these players" someone said. Ah, that's Mark McGhee found it so easy to bring players to the club that were better than what we had . In the last year we've lost McCormack and Porter (you could argue Sutton will replace Porter to an extent), do you really want to sell another guy who'll get you at least 10 goals a season? In a year's time, Murphy may be fitter for purpose, others may have come to the fore, so letting Clarkson go for nothing might not hurt quite as much. Maybe the squad will be in a better nick... Oh, and Paul Quinn is the physically strongest, most ruthless (in a good way) and the greatest will to win of all our defenders. Flog the ginger liability and keep Quinn, give him the armband and a new contract. OK, I know the last part won't happen but I can dream...

I honestly believe that were we to sell both these players, you're looking at the calculation being how much we received in transfer fees for them against how much relegation will cost us. Are they irreplaceable? No, but with a squad as thin as ours, to sell two guys who would bust a gut for your club as well as being two of your best players would be nothing short of folly. Of our marketable assets, Reynolds is the one I think we would find it easiest to replace. Sadly, I also think he's the least marketable at the moment. If we sell Clarkson and Quinn for £500,000 combined, we might as well change the sign above the door to Oxfam and register as a charity...

I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record here, but I would hope for the sake of preparing for the new season, it was done quicker than that...

Prepare to moan then. I reckon this Friday will mark the 2 weeks. And I don't see anyone being in place by then...

The Punch and Judy, the Welsh papers, now the Stockport Express. I'm telling you, big man, ye've got too much time on your hands . On a serious note, I'm wondering how accurate their list would be. I don't imagine they'd be too well versed in Scottish football and therefore might have plucked the last three names that they had heard of mentioned in the press and added them with Gannon. Gannon sounds like he's be a good appointment from listening to people who watched his Stockport side. Of the names listed, I reckon it'd be between McAllister, Nijholt and Gannon for me. Sanchez has all the attributes to make him sound like a good appointment, but there's just something about him that doesn't appeal and I can't put my finger on it. But as football fans we're allowed to be irrational...

Aside from the fact that you've just done his team talk for their manager, now you're suggesting it'll be "less pretty" if they don't let everybody in. Suggesting what? Violence? Aye, they're really going to want to move to the bigger stadium to let more Motherwell supporters down now, aren't they...?

Are we Cardiff's feeder club now? Seriously, if they're apparently interested in Clarkson as well, they better have a massive cheque in their pocket, well into 7 figures. If we lose these two guys, the heart would ripped right out of the team and for me, relegation would be inevitable... As for Klimpl, I say again, feel free. I don't see him being a priority for Aberdeen. Apparently they're looking to tie up Kerr and McDonald on longer contracts and if they're in for Hughes, I think they'll be fairly well covered in centre midfield...

From the BBC gossip page... JB trying to repeat the trick from last time of having a number two in place for a manager to work with? My guess, more likely it's lazy journalism...

Aye, if there's not much TV money, it goes to Nijholt, the one guy with experience of working with mainly young players...

I tend to agree with you here, Dave. With the list of teams we were drawn against being narrowed to four, it was very easy to do research into size of ground/probability of getting a ticket before the draw was made and therefore not have to rush into booking travel. I know it's very easy for me to say this as someone who had no intention of travelling, no matter where the game was. Having said that, I think the Welsh are being a bit daft if they normally move their bigger games to another stadium. Or maybe they've had a look at our squad and figured that the tie might not be over after the game in Airdrie and don't fancy turning their home leg into a game where their support is outnumbered or 7 to 1...

Interesting article in that JB is playing his cards very close to his chest. How many is "many candidates" to be interviewed? I'm glad we're casting the net fairly wide but would have hoped that the field would have been narrowed by now. I suspect that some of the new names mentioned have just been thrown into the mix simply to freshen up the story every day. And I reckon Ricky Sbragia will be more interested in sitting with his feet up for six months than any SPL job. My money would be on the fact that we're looking at Sanchez, McAllister or Nijholt (Nijholt if money situation is particularly bad). Anyone suspect that the perception of Llanelli as an easy tie has relaxed JB about the recruitement process and the time it's taking?

Those with Setanta might want to hold off on cancelling it for another month given that they did have the rights to the Europa league games apparently. If they can scrape together enough cash to keep those rights for the moment then, they might get Motherwell fans' money for at least July...