The African

Oh dearie me! I am hungry now. Been away for five years and would kill for a white pudding supper!

Daft laddie, but who wasn’t when they were his age?

To get back to the David Turnbull situation, I cannot help but ask myself the simple question” would he have been selected for this squad if he were playing for Kilmarnock?”.

Whilst agreeing with many about regionalisation and the best format being the old Skol Cup idea of straight knock out with a result on the night ( and every team taking part) this is what it is. As such, it is pretty much part of our pre season and, although it does mean that we could slip up and miss out on the cash from the knock out stages, it offers competitive matches to get us ready for league action. Our draw is quite interesting. Not the easiest and lots of ex ‘well players at Dumbarton to add to the spice of a cup tie.

How about the Andy Lynch double in a Motherwell v Celtic midweek fixture at Fir Park, must have been the late 1970s. I think Colin McAdam got the opening goal in a three nil win. I seem to remember that Lynch’s second was an absolute cracker. Also recall that Roy Baines, Celtic goalie that night, quipped that he was happy to hear the final whistle as he thoughtAndy was going for his hat-trick.

Sad news. I remember being very pleased when he signed for us as I adalways thought he was decent for Celtic. Unfortunately, bythat stage of his playing career, his best days were behind him and he didn’t really do much for us. Still, RIP and my thoughts are with his family and friends.

It is a shame that people cannot be relied upon to behave themselves, but this change in policy is a necessary result of the times that we live in. It has obviously got to the stage where the aggravation caused by visiting fans in the main stand is just not worth the extra income that they generate. It is also worthwhile for our club to work to try and make the match day experience for our own fans as safe and enjoyable as possible. What beggars belief is the attitude of the fans of certain clubs who cannot comprehend that, when they turn up and behave like the bunch of c*nts that they probably are, that people decide that they want nothing whatsoever to do with then. Losing the £25 that each pays for admission, two or three times a season seems a small price to pay.

It is how they assert their inherent superiority.

A couple of things worth remembering. Turnbull is still very young and inexperienced. A further season with us should allow him to develop and improve both technically and physically in an environment that we know he currently thrives in. If he continues to improve at the current rate, not an unreasonable assumption, he will quickly become known to the real big players. These are the clubs that have the cash not to worry about waiting a season to pick up players for a free or development fee. We could easily double our money and get another year out of the most talented youngster to come through in ages. Yes, there are risks involved, but do we really want to cash in now for a couple of mill and then have the club pleading poverty again at the end of next season? If we sell our prime assets for a relative pittance, then, it irks me to say it, we get what we deserve.

Good luck to him. Maurice Ross seemed to think that he was good enough to make the first team.

Yes, I am an admirer, but we have not done badly out of the loan deal and if he sees his future elsewhere then good luck to him. We have had a very decent season and a half from him which is more than we have managed from a fair few permanent deals.

Aldred has only ever been on loan, so no point being too possessive when he goes.

I would imagine that television might have had something to do with scheduling. If not, why the early kick off? 3pm Saturday afternoon, football time!

Just listened to that and (my first MFC Podcast) have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it, so thanks and congratulations to all involved for an excellent product. As for Maurice Ross and what he had to say, I have to say that he comes across as a very impressive individual. If he walks the walk as well as he talks the talk, and I have no reason to think that he doesn’t, then we are seriously lucky to have him with the club. I think he gets what our club is about and seems to think that we are heading in the right direction. I wish him the best of luck with his endeavours.

The people with the type of money required to get him are not going to hang around for a year to get him on the cheap. He will be making a genuine step up and not joining Celtic or Rangers.

Personally hope that we realise as much as possible from the sale of Turnbull. As such, we have to expect that his stock is set to rise and that now is not the time to cash in. All things being equal, another season with us will increase his value and get him the move he deserves.

I know I am biased, but this is a thoroughly deserved award to a very impressive young man. I really hope he can go on to have a stellar career and we can be proud of the significant part our club played in his development.

Departures, injuries, loss of form all conspired against us this season. The upside is that some of the new players brought in did well, Gorrin, Gillespie and we brought through a couple of our own in Turnbull and Hastie. Unfortunately, it seems that keeping hold of such successes is sometimes beyond a club of our means. I would suggest that we were spoiled by last season's cup tie heroics and would say that this season was almost par or the course.

Tait, Dunne and Grimshaw are part of next season's equation. They may not be the complete players that we crave but they have shown in the past that they are more than capable of playing at our level. The key is playing them in the right position with the right players and in the best system to bring out the best in them. Do that, and we hopefully get the best out of these players on a consistent basis. There is a substantial rebuilding job ahead, so no point making it more difficult by just discounting some of the assets already in the squad.

The only valid argument I can come up with is that Robinson did not want experiment too much when seventh place was still up for grabs. As it is, I agree with you that he should have been given a couple of starts since the split.

Robinson has, in my opinion, earned the right to have a go at another rebuild next season. He has shown the ability to bring in journeymen and build a team capable of survival in our league. He has learnt how to bring in young players and generally get the best out of them. I think that he genuinely buys into what our club is about and realises that each season is going to be a struggle, but, if he gets things right in recruitment and development then we shall see improvement. Realistically, I struggle to see a better option elsewhere. The question that he will have to ask himself is whether he is up for the fight, because the manager's position at a club like ours is one of constant struggle against the financial odds. The day when the answer to that question is no is when he should leave.

Adam Livingstone has a great chance because, with the make up of the squad as it stands for next season, it is between him and Jake Carroll for the left back spot and this season has convinced the management that it is worthwhile giving youth a chance. It is now up to him to go and take the opportunity. Good luck to the lad.

Close to a must win game for us. A draw doesn’t completely scupper our chances, but it takes it out of our hands. We should play it like the cup tie that it is and go for it. In Turnbull we have a genuine match winner and if the rest of the team are up for it, we can get the required result. Two one to the good guys!

Losing both Aldred and McHugh would highlight the elephant in the room - what, currently, does Peter Hartley offer the first team squad?

Obviously still in the running for this award next season. Not something you can expect from Jake Hastie. Seriously though, Kent being nominated for the senior award must have made him favourite for the young player award. One cannot help but wonder what young David’s chances would have been, had he put in performances like he has for us while playing for either of the ugly sisters? Perhaps I am being paranoid, but it seems to me that you need to be substantially better to scoop one of these awards while playing for a provincial club.