MelvinBragg

If Hall and Robbie Leitch are both moving on and we're getting compensation for both, then hopefully it reduces the need for us to take derisory offers for any of our first team players. As disappointing as it is to lose good young players from our U20 side, if we can bring in transfer revenue without weakening the first team then this can only be a good thing for the club. Whether it aids the likes of Hall and Leitch in their development. That's their concern...

I take your point, but do we need another centre half unless we are getting rid of Laing or Kennedy?

What's irritating is the fact that while we will get compensation, if he's that promising we could have been looking at a decent fee in a couple of seasons time...

Brighton are a club that had Gordon Greer as their first standby centre back for the playoffs. Not a fantastic centre half. If Hall applies himself, he has all the tools to develop into a better player than Greer...

No thanks...

Did we not sign an 18yo left back already this summer? The assumption was that he was for the U20s but given our aim is to have players ready for the first team earlier, could it be that he could be fast tracked into the first team if he looks ready...

Ross MacLean is going to stay apparently...

All going straight into the first team. Right back, centre half, central midfielder and..?

I seem to remember one of the papers running the story. Never got any traction as Johnson signed his new contract shortly afterwards...

I don't know about the senior players but if the figure that I've heard that we've offered Ben Hall is anywhere near accurate, he will most likely not be a Motherwell player next season. And frankly, if the numbers I've heard are correct, I don't blame him...

If he'd been playing all season, I'd add Cadden to those two. Maybe in January or next summer...

Thing is with anyone who plays for Motherwell for any length of time, they'll have a flaw in their game. Moult? Lack of pace. Hammell? Lack of height. Ainsworth, it's lack of consistency. It's always a compromise. We're never going to get matchwinners (for Ainsworth can be that) who do it every week. If they do, they don't play for us that long. For as long as I can remember, a Motherwell team has consisted of some players of limited ability who give 100% and are consistent and gifted individuals who are frustratingly inconsistent. This is not a new thing. Question is, do the goals and assists Ainsworth provides make him worth it.?

People are saying what else do you expect from the SPFL but as Andy and others have pointed out, other sports have done it and let's not forget the Premier League in England had mooted the idea of a "39th game" to be played in some foreign land. So not an idea that's come out of nowhere. As Steelboy points out, if it's a Dundee home game, they might make a fair bit of money from it, if rules regarding gate receipts are followed...

Don't worry, I'm sure it'll be debated to death on here until he finds a new club...

Apparently in one of the papers today that we want to take a 21 year old winger, Michael Duffy on a season long loan from Celtic. Without knowing anything about him, how does this fit in with our supposed business plan and philosophy? Surely bringing in a young player on loan from another side just stunts the development of the likes of Thomas and MacLean?

My guess (if it's games started), Wes Fletcher or Jack Leitch probably average the highest...

I was under the impression that Robbie Leitch wasn't even going to be offered a contract. Other thing that strikes me is the fact we are once again offering McFadden a contract. I love the guy but even on an extremely low wage, is this the best use of a shrinking budget? I know he's been helping out with some coaching but how many coaches do we need?

I had been told that all three members of the Leitch family were leaving the club...

It's well known on here that I don't think that McHugh got an entirely fair crack of the whip. When did he ever get a run of goalless starts that Erwin, Ojaama (2nd time round) and others got? He scored a number of crucial goals off the bench and never gave less than 100%. Would I rather have had him ahead of Moult or McDonald? No. Could he have contributed less than Robinson, Clarkson and Fletcher combined? That's another question...

Indeed. From what I can gather, he's not being entirely unreasonable, simply looking to be on a similar wage to the likes of Laing and Kennedy...

McLean has, I gather, been offered a contract and will probably sign. Hall probably won't for the current offer...

I had heard that not many of the U20s had been offered contracts. Obviously some of them will be under contract but still sounds like a few will be released, including some surprising names...

At 18, assuming he'll be joining the U20 squad initially..

I agree with you. For me, Cadden was the pick of the bunch in that he made the fewest errors and showed a bit of drive to try and win the game...

Given his figures in terms of goals and assists (particularly given the amount of game time he's had), don't think he has anything to prove...