fat_tony

Haha, as much as that would be an extremely slow partnership, if we could provide decent service to them then that could be fantastic. Could you imagine big Higgy pinging in Sutton's knock-downs? OOOSH! EDIT: Payment sent

Pop me down for £20 too, please. I'll send payment next Wednesday.

I'm perfectly happy for McCall to keep doing as he has been, and finding relative unknowns from down south, giving them a shop window and a shot at a bigger move. We surely must have a decent reputation by now, given what we've done over the years for the likes of Ruddy, Randolph, Jutkiewicz, Coke, Jennings, Ojamaa, Humphrey, Law and so on. Delighted that Hammy's signed for another two years and as others have said, it's great to see us getting our business done early so we can hopefully have a relatively settled team for our European matches.

Sutton Vigurs - Law - Ainsworth Lawson - Lasley Hammell - McManus - Kerr - Ramsden Neilsen Obviously we've got options to switch a few of those players around, and hopefully bring in a new goalie (assuming Hollis is away), but that could be extremely fun to watch. Although it would require a move away from 4-4-2, and need someone to play close to Sutton. Still, interesting to have another creative midfielder on board. "Josh is alright but, Nicky's a wank" - can hear the song already.

But that's part of it - the levels of expectation generated by the money involved creates this notion that the EPL is the best league in the world because it's got so much money, and the game in Scotland is terrible because it's worth such a minor amount in comparison. Obviously there's a gap in quality, of course there is, but in entertainment level, if our league had the same level of presentation as theirs, it would be a much more attractive prospect. But the powers in charge would rather talk it down publicly and bemoan the lack of competition. Well, just take a look at this season. Most positions in the league weren't decided until the last two matches. I'd take that level of competition any year. And if it came down to Stoke v West Brom or Hibs v St Mirren, I know what I'd rather watch.

Should Jamie MacDonald be on the radar following his release from Hearts, I'd be more than happy with him at Fir Park. He's shown some genuine quality over the last couple of season, and while of course he's not the same level as Randolph, he's a more than capable SPL goalie. I'd expect there to be a fair deal of competition for his signature though.

And there I thought I was the only one that was interested in Lawson staying! From what I've heard/read, Lawson's another one that's been struggling with injury since signing and as such hasn't been able to show what he's capable of. Given a chance to get to full fitness and get a few games, he could be a player we want to keep with an eye to replacing Lasley in the longer term. Remember that as well as Carswell and Leitch have done this season, they're both still young players (20 and 18 respectively), and can't be expected to shoulder the burden of running the middle of the park without an experienced player to assist them. I don't expect to see Hollis next season. Not that he's done a massive amount wrong in my book, but his injury record is just not good enough for our first choice goalkeeper. We can't afford to have someone in such an important position that's out so often. I reckon Nielsen has actually looked better of late, and while I'm still a bit dubious of him, he does seem to be a massive confidence player, and has shown signs of ability. We need a goalkeeper to replace Hollis, and could do with a wide player regardless of whether Ainsworth signs as we've been short of pace. I'm not sure what other positions we could really justify as MUST have. But, Stuart McCall has shown time and time again that he knows how to make astute signings, so I'll trust whatever he decides to do.

No, you're right. It was mentioned by various people in the build-up. One thing you can say about us this season, there have always been goals!

Well said, DonInPeace, absolutely delighted to have had the thrill of a final day decider for both second and eleventh. Far from the predictions of doom, this season has been one of the most exciting in memory. Where Motherwell don't have the fanbase, regardless of our performances, Aberdeen have the potential to improve from here and build on their success this season. It's been a cracking year, and both clubs can be proud of their achievements.

Hutchy. One hundred times Hutchy! Some incredible defending today. If it is his final match, I can't think of a more fitting tribute. Well done the big lad.

But then we've usually had nothing to play for come the last game of the season., having sewn up 2nd/3rd the previous two seasons, and a cup final to prepare for the year before.

The problem as I see it isn't that we don't have the players to provide defensive midfield cover (Carswell, Lawson and Reid are all capable of doing the job), rather that McCall prefers to play 4-4-2 with a midfield that presses as a unit, which leaves our defence exposed. Sticking Xabi Alonso in there wouldn't help defensively if he's sitting outside the opposition's 18-yard box. Those last two games in particular are against teams who like to play with one out-and-out front man and pack the middle of the park, so there's always likely to be a mis-match in there if we don't play someone as a dedicated defensive midfielder.

I'm curious - what is it that you thought Hollis did wrong?

Lasley will absolutely be offered a new deal. Despite his advancing years, he still seems to be one of the fittest players in the squad, and I think the guys like Lasley and Hammell, who know what the club's all about, are worth more than their playing qualities. People talk of the atmosphere at Motherwell, and the long-standing servants are a huge part of that. I think that we're extremely well covered in central midfield, with Lasley (assuming he renews), Carswell, Vigurs, Leitch, Lawson and potentially Reid all capable of doing a job in the middle in various configurations. I include Lawson in that list, as he's not had a fair crack at the whip this season due to his injury, and given the same support Vigurs has had I believe Lawson has the capability to perform as well. We definitely need more options for the wider areas though. I expect Hammell, Lasley, McManus and McFadden (and possibly Ainsworth) to still be here come next season, and I reckon that for once, we're going to come through the summer without having a massive rebuild on our hands.

Sorry, I wouldn't know how hard the players train because I'm not down there every day watching them. So are you suggesting that if he trains harder, he'll be able to run like Usain Bolt? Some players just don't have pace, and no amount of training is going to make them run faster. I've found this season to be plenty entertaining. It's not been the same type of entertainment as last season, it's not been pretty football, but it's been heart-in-your-mouth exciting knowing that we could ship 2-3 goals at any moment. In some ways it makes each win that little bit sweeter knowing that we've not been at our best.

You must have been watching a different player to me since the turn of the year. Vigurs has been one of our best players in 2014 and for a "luxury" player, he doesn't half cover the ground. I appreciate that he looks lazy in the way he plays, and he's slower than half a dog, but if you watch what he's doing, he actually works his socks off when we're not in possession.

This makes me think it'll be 4-0 Motherwell!

I think in objective terms, this season must be considered a success. After massive squad turnover, we've basically maintained our league form from last season, in a more competitive league. Beating last season's total would be a phenomenal achievement, especially when you consider that this has been our most injury-riddled season in several years. Honestly, given the fact that we've been in the top 3 for so long, I'd be slightly disappointed if we don't finish second, more so if we were to drop down to fourth. All this without ever really hitting the heights that our players should be capable of. I think some people would be truly happier if we were struggling in the bottom six but made a cup semi-final each year. Not me though. I'd be happier seeing the club finish as high as possible in the league, and enjoying the bonus and excitement of European football while we have it.

No, you're totally right on that front, and it's something that McCall needs to look at in the summer. We have a decent defence on paper, but we've been struggling to keep things tight all season. With Hutch likely leaving in the summer, it gives an opportunity to re-evaluate and try and build a more solid defensive unit for next season. But McCall has said multiple times that he'd rather we focus on scoring goals and winning that way, rather than keeping clean sheets, so I wouldn't expect us to turn into masters of the 0-0 draw.

Of course we're capable of doing it. We've beaten ICT twice recently, and beat St Johnstone 4-0 the last time we played them at Fir Park. If Motherwell put in the performance then we're capable of beating either side. We haven't conceded more than two in a match to either Killie or ICT as well I think?

It's also football. The best teams in the world put in horror shows from time to time. There's no way to guarantee a good result and performance, so someone's always going to be coming away from the match feeling let down and angry. Part of the excitement of supporting your team is going to matches not knowing what you're going to get.

Absolutely. It's a sore one to take today, but doesn't change much in terms of what we need to do with the remaining matches. Thanks to Aberdeen's stuttering form, we can still catch them if we win our next two, and they drop points to either Celtic or Dundee United. Even if Aberdeen win one and draw one, then as long as we win both our next two at home, we can still take second by winning at Pittodrie. Hopefully Aberdeen will drop more than two points in their next two though. I'd be very happy if both Celtic and Utd beat them. The important thing is to get a response to this result in our next two, and give ourselves the opportunity to do it on the last day. It''s certainly going to be an exciting two weeks, and as much as I'd rather we had it sewn up before the split, this is going to be one hell of a finale to the season across the whole league.

I guess Kerr gives a bit more defensive cover down the right, perhaps to offset the potential threat of Robertson? Like you say, plenty of options to change things from the bench.

Despite being slightly shorter though, Hammell usually judges the aerial ball exceptionally well. The number of times he wins the ball in the air against a taller opponent is very impressive.

I don't think there's any doubt that Celtic had the majority of the possession in the second half, but they had to clear off their own line twice, and required a cracking stop from Forster to keep Anier off the scoresheet. But expecting humility from Neil Lennon is like expecting Osama Bin Laden to sing the Star-Spangled Banner. Cracking match though, and some immense performances front back to front. Nielsen made a fantastic save from the penalty, and put in a decent performance throughout. The back three all made some crucial stops, and big Hutchy must have banged his head as he was storming through the middle of the park. Hammell especially seemed to be just about everywhere in the first half. Reid and Kerr were both solid, and stuck to their jobs well, while young Jack Leitch was simply brilliant. Delighted at the result, and glad that we didn't lose another match from a winning position. That point today is a bonus in the fight for third, hopefully we can build on that and catch Aberdeen when they slip up again, which they will. A massive well done to everyone in claret and amber today. That performance fully merited the result, and the players and manager should all be proud of themselves tonight.