The African

No. I seriously hope that there is still business o be done, both in and out.

Been McDonald is a funny one. We have proven to be such a good fit for him, and vice versa, and yet he seems to have been almost constantly on the look out to move for something "bigger". While I admire ambition you have to wonder if the desired move exists? At his age, he will do well to get a two year deal anywhere , and are sides likely to want to change their set up to get the best out of a player in his mid thirties? I have thoroughly enjoyed what he has done for us, but any thoughts of him coming back would seem like a backward step.

I had high hopes that he would make the breakthrough with us, but that bus has obviously now left. There are fair few I would rather have seen going out the door ahead of him.

A quick look through our squad and you'd hope that the management realise that the job is only half done. Goalkeeper is sorted, we have plenty of midfielders, though the jury is still out on whether they will be able to do the job for us. The defence is looking sparse with only four players, two of whom are in the twilight of their careers and one of whom is reportedly attracting interest from elsewhere. In all honesty, given that we are a selling club, if we can get anything over £300,000 plus a sell on clause for Hennigan, it will be a great bit of business. It does mean that adequate cover does need to be brought in across the back four which probably means another three or four new faces. The situation up front is less obvious as there are currently players in the squad but the best of them, Moult, will surely be away when we get a decent offer for him, and two of the other options are generally believed to be not of the standard required. Before we can really see about improving the attacking side of the squad, we really need to see how we can get rid of the dead wood that is Blyth and Bowman ( Craig Clay too, if it comes to it). How e go about this, I am not sure. I can fully understand that finding other clubs to take them off our hands will not be easy, so maybe a spell out on loan, to at least cover some of their wages, or even paying them off to clear the decks. It would have a cost involved, but I feel that their presence at the club currently muddies the waters with regard to squad depth. If we are to run with a squad of 19 or 20 players,there is no room for passengers.

Hopefully there is no truth in the McManus rumour. He can be a bit infuriating but he is our most accomplished defender when he is in the mood and on his game.

I would have thought that it might be worthwhile registering Lesley, just in case of an injury crisis. Having said that, I have no idea of the financial implications of such a move.

Bobby Watson was my first Motherwell hero. There have been others in the ensuing forty odd years, but not many to match him. Perhaps Joe Wark and Willie Pettigrew, but that would be about it. I realise that this has a lot to do with being at an impressionable age and the circumstances of the time, but I can't help but wonder who the young 'well fans of today will look to for their inspiration. We have been lucky in recent years to have players like Lasley and Hammell who have been magnificent servants to the club,but it strikes me that their like will become rarer as the game becomes more and more about money and the merry go round of players coming and going increases. I guess I have been lucky, that my father was a Motherwell fan all his life and took me to games as a youngster, and that I have seen the players that I have seen.a d as we get older, I wonder if it is the case that every supporter sees things change and hankers for the good old day? As my Dad used to say" Watson is a good player, but you should have seen Charlie Aitken." Reminiscing time over. Thanks Dad.

Could have been a lot worse.

The short answer is "an improvement". Given that it is no longer possible for clubs like ours to improve at a regular organic rate as we did under the guidance of Tommy McLean, I'll be greedy and upgrade that to"a marked improvement". Better performances will lead to, hopefully, better results and a higher league position. Changes in the playing staff were undoubtedly necessary and they seem to be taking place. If these new guys are an improvement then we should be okay. A bit of excitement with some kind of cup run would be a bonus.

The half and half shirt design works for Feyenoord and Blackburn Rovers. Not convinced it was great with claret and amber, though the shorts were the final abomination that pushed that particular kit over the edge.

Best of luck to Faddy. He will always be a legend at Fir Park and just sorry that this hasn't worked out better for him or the club.

I always thought it was Dan Tanna, but I do get the reference and it made me chuckle.I did like his car.

We need to look after ourselves tomorrow, and no one else. We are playing for points and league position, leading to extra cash, when we could really use it. Put out our strongest side and go for a win. Hopefully there might even be a psychological edge from finishing above Dundee and, maybe, Killie, for next season.

He will have the first week off if he does stay - suspended. If he wants to stay, I'd keep him as he offers a fair amount at our level. Having said that, he is another year older and will run out of gas sooner or later. The player of the last couple of seasons will be hard to replace on our budget. Whether Skippy would be that player next season is a moot point.

Think he is unlikely to end up at Hibs. Will be interesting to see how he goes in the A-league if he does end up back in Australia.

Can he take Clay with him?

Ainsworth is an odd one. If he stays, he needs to do a lot more and get paid less. Cannot see it happening. Anyway, a great result and I have the rest of a Taranaki autumn day to bask in the glory/ relief of our survival for another season in the top flight.

If we don't appeal, when is the suspension due to kick in?

We are currently in a much better position after Saturday's result. That can change.This is not a "must win" game now, but it definitely falls into the "must not lose" category, and for a side who can be classified as mentally weak, that is not the best place to be. The best way to approach this game has to be to ignore the Accies game and try and take care of our own business.

This. We are in a better position than we were before today's result., but we are not out of the woods yet. It isn't as if we have suddenly become a decent side with one win. I certainly do not relish the prospect of us going to Inverness next Saturday with the prospect of the play offs looming.

Whoever is picked, they all have to play as if this is a cup final. This is as close to a "must win" as it will get so let's hope we get a performance from the team. It would be nothing if not overdue.

Indeed. Let's get a grip and get stuck in. We are not down yet and, surprisingly, staying up is still in our hands. Let's show some belief and commitment and get stuck into them!

Not convinced at all by Robinson. Even if we manage to stay up, I'd be inclined to think that he is not the man for the rebuilding job that is required. Not all his fault. You can only play with the hand you are dealt, and he picked up aces over eights, but he has had a chance and results are unconvincing. I also think that the business plan of bringing up English non-league players and hoping to unearth a diamond in the rough is extremely flawed. We need to get more out of the talent on our doorstep.

One thing to remember. If we go down, you can half the amount of money we will be offered for the likes of McHugh, Moult and Cadden.

Pretty depressing stuff to wake up to. The most disappointing thing seems to be the lack of fight being shown. It seems a shame that the final memories of a great run in the top division will be this shambles.