Finlay

Anyone going?

I'm also guessing '89 is your dob and you haven't seen it happening in your lifetime.

Not one that can win the SPL you can't. Not in today's football.

Game not kicking off at 1915 their time? Pretty sure the club charteris due in Glasgow not long after midnight.

I'm certain he isn't having doubts but he would have been a cert to play on Thursday night if he was with still us. Not even quoted enough to travel to the US for his own teams pre season friendlies. Whilst his own team is preparing for the new season he is sitting on his arse watching his old team play in Europe. Something sadly wrong with that.

Ahh, Newcastle. Thanks.

I'd say in Scottish Football those things have guaranteed the league title every year in the last 20 odd. Even with Rangers gubbed financially they still blow 10 of their competitors away in this respect.

?

Seriously? You can see a scenario in the next few years where we are SPL Champions or playing in a Champions League Qualifier? If there was a four horse race going for the title we wouldn't be in that either. Even when we finished 3rd we were out of the title picture come New Years. You REALLY see us being in a realistic position of winning the SPL come March or April in any season in the next few years. I don't. If anybody will be it will be Hibs and Dun Utd.....and I am 99% convined we won't see that in a good while either. Rangers might be in a sorry state and out of the title picture altogether in a couple of years but Celtic aren't. I fully expect Celtic to have the SPL Title in the bag by March this time round. As long as they continue to splash the cash like they have this summer (and we can critique the quality of their signings but we would have the majority of them at Fir Park in a shot) and pay the wages they do, then the best a club like ours can hope for is 3rd (I have no issues with that and it doesn't affect my supporting the team as every year I think we have a chance at one of the Cups. That is enough for me). That isn't so much as being realistic but obvious. The 'big two' are just way too big for us (and everybody else for that matter)......and I don't see Celtic being as daft to get themselves in the state Rangers have.

As much as I like and rate Reynolds I would be surprised to see him in the Premiership.

Worse ways to prepare for our match than that. Looking forward to what should be a good game.

The only way we are going to get that kind of money from the SPL is winning the SPL or finishing in a CL slot (although I think that is now the same thing) and that just won't ever happen.

Anyway, just thinking about it last Thursday was only the 2nd time we have kept a clean sheet at home in European competition. That is a pretty good positive going in to this game. I think Breidablik will need to be a bit more open and attacking which should allow us more space up front and a chance to nick a goal or two. If we score one they need to get three. That would be a big ask. If we score within the first 15 minutes we could end up getting a few on the board. If they score within the first 15 minutes we could be in for a pretty tense game. If we are winning at half time I'd bring Hutchinson on for Reynolds. As for the team I'd go for; -------------------Randolph-------------------- Saunders-----Craigan-------Reynolds------Hammell ------------------Jennings------------------------ Hateley-------------Lasley------------------Forbes ----------Murphy--------------Sutton------------- If that isn't working I'd sacrifice one in the midfield (Forbes) for Smith and go 4-3-3 (Hateley, Craigan, Saunders, Reynolds at the back, Lasley, Jennings, Hammell in the middle Murphy, Sutton, and Smith (for height and build) up front. Humphrey on the bench for the last 20-25 mins. If we are winning at half time or if we went 2-0 up I'd bring Hutchinson on for Reynolds straight away. Breidablik 1 Motherwell 2 for me.

So what do you think our yearly overall wage bill is (not just playing staff, including management, coaches, groundstaff, office staff, etc.) and then what about bills for the running/up keep of our club? We probably have less than (or close too) 3,000 season ticket holders and last year had one of the lowest home attendances in the league (admittedly also due to very poor number of away fans attending FP). We have a poor TV deal with ESPN/SKY after Setanta folded. You now think we are going to pump the "£400,000" straight onto the park in players/players wages/appearance fees/win bonuses and so on?

Your estimation of 220 could be about right. I was under the impression we had only been allocated 300 tickets. Actually have a look at the picture of the Stand. Is that a KIDS CHUTE on the right hand side. I can see jappery!

I'm not being gloomy or doo..........you get my point. I just don't expect us to win trophies or feature in Europe every year. If that is your true expectation then you are in for just as many disappointments. I'm delighted we are there this year again and enjoying it as much as possible. I hope we do it again next year, and the year after, and so on.

How much do you think we will earn from Europe this year? What do you think we can get for that? I'm interested in your answers here. We have been in Europe before and it sadly hasn't had a major impact on bigger clubs, tv rights, and sponsorship. What will change this time? Selling your good players is a way to survive for us. You don't get any more practical than that.

Don't Killie have a higher league placing than us if you take in an overall SPL league table? That aside I'm not sure how your above point relates to you whether you genuinely our days of commanding transfer fees are over and me saying if that if that is the case we are in serious, serious, bother.

You are either underestimating the money needed to run a pro football club or the teams abilities. Both I suspect. There will (sadly) soon come a time when we won't qualify for Europe. After this year we might not do it for a long while. Out of the last 3 times we have qualified for Europe we have achieved this on our own footballing merits only once. We can't be that lucky/fortunate for long. Just being realistic and so will the club. Europe is not a source of income we can rely on or should budget for. We have no chance of winning a game in the playoffs (imo) or reaching the group stages so you can forget about that money right now. Although I am pretty sure you have miscalculated the financial rewards for winning a group game. As for finishing in top 6 etc..............I'd imagine a lot of that money has went on our new pitches. A fact that worries a lot of people and has been spoken about by the club is that the longer we stay at Fir Park the more money we will spend year on year making it fit for purpose. That is why the club wants away from FP and to a new ground. Transfer fees is where Motherwell's future lies.

If that is the case Motherwell F.C. is doomed. Where else are we going to get the money needed to survive? The recent signing up of our younger talent on long term deals has been done to prevent another Paul Slane situation in the future and secure decent transfer fees that will guarantee the future of our club.

Apparently ill and didnae play

Your right on that one. He is entitled to do that. However if he doesn't get a game at ANY level (I'd imagine Hollis would be playing in bounce games etc. to keep him match sharp incase Randolph gets injured) over the next 10 months I thnk he might find it even harder to get a club next year. I can see him getting put out on loan to a First or even Second Division club to try and get a wee bit of the wages back that we are paying him for doing nowt.

1-0 final result?

Entitled? You'll need to explain that one to me. Why does he have any more 'right' to being the back up keeper than Hollis does? Warm the bench for two years? Bloody hope not as he only has a year left.