bobbybingo

Only issue I'd have with Fletcher signing is he's a 36 year old who I assume hasn't done a pre-season. How long will he take to get up to speed?

2nd place. Pathetic etc.

Who extended his contract?

Footballers are always picking up injuries, it doesn't mean they are crocks. He doesn't seem to have a history of long term injuries, as far as I can see. Fair point, his lack of starts last season won't have helped, but that's obviously one of the reasons we got him. There aren't many teams we can go to and sign one of their first choice players these days.

Ok. What happened that resulted in him being out today?

He may have only started 7 games, but he played in 23. Think it's fair to assume he wasn't injured while playing.

For Kettlewell?

3-1. Efford, Spittal & Slattery.

Given our ever decreasing choice of strikers, there's no way he could be allowed to leave now, however he performs.

And that'll be his problem. As we've seen, his form's as changeable as fans' opinions.

As long as it's no white gloves, where's the fire?

He might have his work cut out winning them over.

I wouldn't put him in the same category as Obika or Souare. No manager can legislate for reckless tackles.

Cheers. Haven't heard his interview yet & assumed it was referring to deals that had gone through in the last day or two.

Facebook post - "One out....one in"

Who's the 'one out'?

He must've missed the first week back due to injury. Which explains why we've signed him.

Is that Dunne's report to Robinson?

Paid for a month's subscription. When I phoned to cancel it, the chancer told me the St Mirren game was being shown live on telly. I pointed out no 3pm kick offs are shown live and he said, my mistake, we've moved it to 6pm and we'll be telling the clubs nearer the time.

Yeah, that's a realistic take on it and I wouldn't disagree with most of what you say - but I'll keep that wee bit of belief that someday, somehow, we'll win something. I wonder, when people say our cup form since '91 has been crap, when was it that much better or different? My first game, I saw one of the best Motherwell sides I've watched losing a semi final replay to Airdrie. I learned the way things usually end very early, and given our history, I know how lucky I am to have been there when we won a cup.

Just 29 years since we did the same to Celtic. We knocked Rangers out in the semis of this cup 6 years ago. It'll end the same way for Killie or St Mirren, if not both of them. Then their fans can bemoan the missed opportunity and their team's lack of winning mentality.

As I said, most seasons might have provided poor cup runs, but 4 finals in 20 years is good going for Motherwell at any time. League wise, our recent record is right up there too, and far better than what a 'wee club' mentality would expect. Our record against the Old Firm, especially Rangers, is undoubtedly shittier than it used to be, even allowing for their ever increasing dominance, but losing to them in cup finals is same as it ever was for us, even during the most successful period in the club's history.

If folk want a winning mentality in cups, then it is all about trophies. Finals might be good days out, but personally, losing them without laying a glove on your opponent pisses me off more than going out in an early round. If you're not the winners you're just another one of the losers, harsh as that may be at times. If you want to talk about records in cup games, 4 finals in 20 years must rate as one of the most successful periods in our history. If you want to talk about younger fans not witnessing us winning a trophy, fair enough, but they have regularly seen high league finishes and European football, which I didn't for a long, long time. The other teams you mentioned have been relegated on numerous occasions since 1991, so maybe we should be grateful, who knows.

So, other than Hunter, Stevenson & McLean, our managers have all been losers. And our lack of trophies over the years is not an external impression, it's a fact.

Yeah, leaving aside the 3 finals we've reached in that time - why would you count them - our recent record's poor. As is our historical record of winning trophies. You've spoken about the club having a losing mentality when it comes to the cups. We know it's not the same players or managers every time we go out, so seriously, who is it you're blaming?