Finlay

First I have heard of this? On the official site I trust?

Title amended and 2nd round thread resurrected. Third Round draw is Monday 29th August 2011 at 1130am. Seeded teams are: Motherwell, Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Dundee United, Kilmarnock, Aberdeen (jammy, jammy, gits), and, St Johnstone. Unseeded teams are: Hibs, St Mirren, Falkirk, Ayr United, Airdrie United, Ross County, East Fife, and, QOS. Hibs or St Mirren home or away would be a bit of a disaster and also very boring. Given a pick I'd go with; Home - East Fife Away - East Fife, Airdrie, or QOS in that order. Wouldn't be totally against trips to Dingwall or Ayr mind you. Just avoid the SPL teams and we have a cracking chance to get to the Quarter Finals. Ties are played on 23rd and 24th September.

I'll be honest and say that if we bring in Daley I would still like to see another out and out striker brought in on loan. Even with Daley amongst our ranks I still think we would be short up front. If Murphy goes I'd expect/hope to see two loan deals plus Daley. Whether we will get that I'm not sure. Killie are still looking at player's amazingly enough and Hibs look like signing Griffiths till January. Hopefully we won't get left short as it's a fair bit till January.

This game is a big un imo. After the Pars it is a two week break then we are at Parkhead. Certainly not a game I fancy regardless of recent Celtic results. A defeat on Saturday would be a bit of a setback, albeit a very early one rather than a serious blow. A draw wouldn't be the worst result but these are the games we really need to try and win. I'd love to see this ending in a win for us but if I'm honest I can see it finishing 1-1 (Murphy).

Not completed yet but Shiels quoted on the BBC website like it is a done deal. Few Killie mates say he isn't up to much but I don't think he has been brought to the Club for any other reason than cover any suspensions/injuries in defence. I'll wait to see what he is like in our colours before judging him but it could turn out to be a very shrewd piece of business.

Clancy rumour in the Daily Record.

Forbes was good, and so were some of the youngsters. I'll go with Hateley as I thought he showed good confidence and seemed to get an extra burst after being handed the armband. Cracking goal as well.

Monday now. That'll be Aberdeen seeded as well then thanks to ICT's exit.

Aberdeen and Hibs according to Radio Scotland last night.

That East Fife vs Dunfermline score should be a wee reminder not to count our chickens. Good scalp! Whilst a good drubbing would be ideal a wins a win and if its a 1-0 success then fair enough. Away to Dunfermline on Saturday as well. No doubt their players will have the rocket up their arses first thing tomorrow morning.

Anyone heard of Murphy carrying a knock from Sunday?

I can't say I have heard him use the term 'we' when talking about Rangers on the TV or radio. Not that I am saying this hasn't happened. When things are going well, as they are, only one or two voices will rasie this point from time to time. If we find ourselves in a less than desirable position in the league and oot the Cups OR he leaves us in a similar way to a couple of other managers (although not to Aberdeen I hope) then I will expect him to get slaughtered for the above. Is that right or wrong? Who knows. Just seems to be the way it goes sometimes.

Another argument altogether but as I said on another thread there is no way that photograph should be on their website. Bit of a disgrace that SNS have done that in my opinion.

Big man will come good. A goal on Wednesday night will do him the world of good (fingers crossed).

Not at all. You think St Johnstone beat Celtic with all eleven in green and white playing at full pelt? Aye, right. You beat them when YOU are playing at your best and they aren't.

Law.

You can argue the points for or against this lad's arrest until you are blue (no pun intended) in the face......but I can't say I agree with this picture getting put up on the SNS website. Bit of a poor show imo.

.....and that is pretty much correct. If we had been offered this position when the fixtures were released in June we would, to a man, have snapped it up in a second. Another heavy(ish) defeat to the blue half today right enough and that is becoming waaaaaaaay to familiar. I came out of the ground with a bit of a sense of relief that it was only 3-0 and to be honest THAT is totally unacceptable. Even if we were getting regularly beaten 1-0 and 2-0 there comes a point when you expect to win one back. 35 games over a nine year period in all domestic competitions is a rank rotten run. If, the biggest word in the Oxford English dictionary, JOB had converted that penalty nearly two years ago then these conversations wouldn't even be happening. It will take quite a bit of time until we get as good a chance as a shot from the penalty spot, with five minutes to go, against 10 men, to win a game against Rangers. Sadly, we look to take a right battering in the goal difference column every time we come up against them. When you see what St Johnstone did today it makes our record against Rangers even more annoying. I heard shouts from the Cooper (and I'm in the POD) for McCall to make channges. Fair point. To me McCall won't make a change to the starting 11 unless it is forced upon him i.e. injury, suspension, or sending off, during the match. Even exhaustion doesn't warrant a substituion and that worries me quite a bit and sadly speaks volumes about how he views the fringe players. I'm DELIGHTED with where we are at the moment. However, I think we carried more than our fair share of luck against ICT, Hearts, and, St Mirren and been a bit fortunate. Not a popular opinion I'd imagine but there you go. What worries me is our strength in depth. We have lost a LOT of players and signed in the least amount of ANY team in the SPL. Quality over quantity and all that......I'm all for it. However, if we do end of losing Murphy I think we need to bring in a minimum three players before 1st September as the way I see it at times we only have a playable squad of 12 (starting eleven plus Forbes). That can't and won't be sustained over the long haul.

I think McCall will go with the same 11 as today. I do expect to win this. A loss would be a disaster. 1-0 to the 'Well after 90 minutes and I will be happy enough. In saying that I think we will win 3-0 (Murphy, Higdon, and, Law).

From the BBC website; Motherwell aim to end Rangers hoodoo It's getting close to nine years since Motherwell last managed a league victory over Rangers - a trend that the Fir Park club will be desperate to change this Sunday when the sides meet for the first time this season. The Steelmen have enjoyed an excellent start to their Scottish Premier League campaign. They currently sit top of the table and have yet to concede a goal. The man of the match in their last victory over the Ibrox club, Francois Dubourdeau, believes that this form shows that Stuart McCall's men have what it takes to finally break the hoodoo. "This current side have improved from when I was there, so they are fully capable of taking all three points from this match," the French goalkeeper said. "Back then we knew Rangers were a better team than us, so we expected a really tough game. We knew we had to play to our best and we went out to try to at least get a point." It was a James McFadden winner that gave the Motherwell fans a gift to remember on Boxing Day of 2002, but it was the heroics of Dubourdeau that ensured the victory, making him a favourite of the Motherwell support. "It was my best performance for Motherwell for sure," he confirmed. "I played to the best of my ability and managed to get the man of the match award, but if you look at the game, everyone played out of their skin that day. [Martyn] Corrigan, McFadden and [Derek] Adams all stand out in my mind. "It takes more than the keeper having a good game to pull off a result like that." There is always going to be a huge financial gap between Celtic, Rangers and the rest of the teams. So I think that any team that can pull off a result against them deserves all the praise in the world. Although this was, indeed, Dubourdeau's best performance in a Motherwell jersey, he was quick to admit that it was also one of the most nerve-racking matches he has ever played in. "I remember my delight after Faddy had given us the lead that day - that's when I knew he would go on to have a terrific career," he said. "We took the lead with about 20 minutes to go and, although I was ecstatic, I quickly realised how much pressure we would be under and I feared an onslaught for the rest of the match." Motherwell's Jamie Murphy has been on form so far this season, scoring two goals in the first four matches. This has generated attention from Barclays Premier League and Championship sides, who are keeping tabs on the former Scotland Under-21 star. However, Dubourdeau remains adamant that it will be his old team-mates who will hold the key to taking down Rangers. "I think the experienced players will have to control the game. Stevie Hammell was always a terrific player, as was Keith Lasley," he said. While Motherwell are making the headlines for all the right reasons this season, Ally McCoist's Rangers side will travel to Fir Park under pressure after losing to Maribor on Thursday in the Europa League, a defeat that follows the club's exit from the lucrative Champions League. Dubourdeau, though, is quick to point out how much of a budget difference there still is between the Old Firm and the rest of the Scottish clubs. "I've been reading that Rangers have found themselves in a bit of financial trouble. But they still have a much more money to spend when it comes to players," he said. "There is always going to be a huge financial gap between Celtic, Rangers and the rest of the teams. So I think that any team that can pull off a result against them deserves all the praise in the world. "When I was at the club, we were lucky enough beat Celtic and Rangers in the same season. Terry Butcher, Well manager at the time, was always really fired up for those games. "Terry would never back down from a challenge and I'm sure that Stuart McCall is the same." Despite now living and coaching in the United States, Dubourdeau still looks out for his old team's results and has some advice for them as they attempt to end the winless streak against the Ibrox side. "Sometimes you can win a game mentally," he added. "Celtic and Rangers are good, but they are certainly not unbeatable. "My advice would be to get out there, get into their faces and get the job done by going for it. Be bold, be confident and, if you get a chance, take it."

We will beat them when we least expect it. Think of our last victory against them. Sadly, we might end up on a run of bad results at one point, come up against them, and hand over a doin'. Or just beat them on Sunday

Might not get an answer here but does know how Higdon has faired against the OF whilst playing with St Mirren or Falkirk?

Usually a big deal made in the press about the OF's 'European hangover' upon their return to SPL action. Least that is some cause for hope. Too many times I have heard of OF players finding it hard to 'raise their game' against SPL opposition after a jaunt in Europe. Fingers crossed.

That goal conceeded against Rangers was a sickener as well.

Would love to see us winning this but Rangers seem to carry most of the the good luck when play us. I can see them sneaking this 2-1 or 1-0 with the winning goal being very fortunate.