The African

Very happy to see David Clarkson back at Fir Park. There might be little room for sentimentality in the modern game, but I think , as a club, it shows us in a good light that we are happy to take former players back, and that they are keen to come back here. Also, get Clarkie fit and healthy and he will do a decent job for us. Good luck to the lad.

Just out of interest, what size of squad do we need to be competitive and hopefully avoid a season like the last one. I know that this discounts factors such as injuries and the quality of said squad, but could we normally get along with a squad of twenty two or twenty three, including three goalies? I also appreciate that there can be some possible input from the under 20s, but what size of first team squad should a club of our stature be looking to operate with?

Agreed. It will be a good test for the new squad which we will hopefully have in place by then. If last season taught us anything, we need to be fitter, more organised and up for the fight from day one. Some decent performances and a few points from these games and we are up and running. Start as we did last season and we are playing "catch up" from almost day one.

Indeed, and we will save a few grand on his wages for a couple of weeks.

Very good. Made me chuckle.

We will be doing very well to get a player in with as many goals in them as John Sutton. Good luck to the big man, except when he plays against us. As for future signings, I was not particularly impressed with the job lot that we brought in during the January window, but will cut them some slack in that it was probably a bit of a rushed job. Now we have some serious rebuilding to do and there can be no mistakes or excuses. It would be good to get our business done earlier rather than later, but, as I recall, we seemed to get a lot of stuff sorted early last summer and we all know how that panned out.

Form is temporary, class is permanent. I'd take a punt on Faddy. We have wasted more money on much worse in the past.

If he goes, he goes. Don't sell him cheap to an SPL rival though. A championship side in England will hopefully come up with an acceptable offer. Half a million would probably do. Sorry to see him go, but that is the way things are going in football at the moment and for the foreseeable future.

Another vote for the sash, especially if it looks as good as UBH's mock up. Fantastic work and thanks also for the informative stuff on the club colours. Good to know.

Indeed, and aesthetically it has probably helped make the various kits look better, the lighter amber on both the sash kit and the nearly all amber admiral kit being cases in point. It is not a major issue, but some consistency might be nice. We are in the fortunate situation of having colours which no other team share (well Bradford and maybe a couple more obscure ones) so no harm in being proud of them and looking after them.

I think it is down to the colour that the manufacturer is able, or willing, to supply. The Adidas kit from the early eighties was more yellow than amber. If you have a look on YouTube at the sash kit we wore when beating Celtic in the mid seventies at Celtic Park, the amber again looks pretty light, and the claret looks quite a deep shade. Looks good to me though, and Willie Pettigrew and Bobby Graham are awesome, so even if you are not interested in the colours feel free to have a look. If I knew how, I would post a link. My late Dad, a 'well fan since the 1940s, always reckoned it should be a darker shade. It is not a major issue with me, but there would be no harm in them getting it right, if there is a right, and then keeping it right.

The point about parents is pretty valid. Times are difficult enough without the lure of a new kit every season and prices are not cheap, for what is essentially a t shirt. I also wonder if a club of our size really does make a lot of money from this sort of merchandising. A new kit every second or third season should be enough, if the deals with sponsors and kit manufacturers can be agreed in those terms. Possibly change the away kit and home kit in alternate seasons? Also, have a look at our traditional style of design and stick with it. Get the colours right and the size of the band right and our iconic shirt doesn't need too much done to it, year in, year out.

As someone who fondly remembers the team from the mid seventies, I think a sash style strip would be great. Got to get the colours right though, as it could look drab if the amber is too dark. I would also enjoy a changed strip with a white shirt featuring claret and amber bands. Hopefully the need for a sponsors logo will not spoil the aesthetic of it all.

Ferguson was on probation for a third assault conviction, and had been lucky to escape a custodial sentence for that. The head butt on McStay was, therefore, a breach of that probation so he was going to jail as soon as he nutted him on camera. Really quite hard to have any sympathy for him.

Noted, cheers.

An issue for the Police, PF and the Courts, should it get that far. I honestly believe that important things like the criminal legal system should not be compromised for the reason that they are "too difficult". If the facts relating to some of our players involvement in a public brawl require to be tested in a court then so be it. For what it is worth, I doubt there will be any action taken in this case.

I can understand people being annoyed by this incident. It was an act which could have had very severe consequences for all concerned. The fact is though, it didn't and all those involved are happy to agree it was an accident. Calling for the guy to be banned is simply compounding the stupidity of the original incident. I have no idea who the bloke is, but am willing to bet that he is suitably embarrassed by it all. As the late great Ally MacLeod, once of this parish, is alleged to have said of the 1978 World Cup campaign, "Regrets? No regrets. I just wish it had never happened."

Happy to accept that the Lee McCulloch incident was accidental and has been dealt with. Just a salient reminder that an action that started out as a "bit of fun and banter" can come back and bite you.

I think it is just another example of how deluded they really are. My feelings for them are certainly not "hate". If there was something remotely likeable about them then perhaps I would pity them, but, as it is, I simply despise them.

Not a problem. In fact, it is a great read and I really enjoyed it.

Well that was a bit of a roller coaster ride, both the season in general and the play off games. Now that the dust has settled and my sleep patterns are returning to normal having gotten up at 2am on Monday morning, local time, to follow the second leg, I thought I might be bold enough to give a few very personal opinions on recent events. Firstly, it is great we are still in the top division. Thirty one seasons there, for a club of our stature, is some achievement. Going down would have been interesting but the novelty would have soon worn off and the financial implications would have been far from positive. Really good performances over both legs, but by God they were a piss poor outfit. The only reason I had the fear was forty years plus of being a Motherwell fan. Credit to our support, especially those at Ibrox last Thursday evening. We, unlike a few clubs, never claim to be the "best supporters in the world", how do you quantify such a glib statement? We are who we are, we follow our team, and hopefully behave in a reasonable manner. The noise and utter joyfullness of the 950 made me proud to be a Motherwell fan. The game on Sunday was equally pleasing though I think we got a couple of things wrong on the day. The guy who managed to strike Lee McCulloch on the face with the flag is a prime example. Not wishing to pick on the individual, but it was a pretty silly thing to do and could have seriously cost both him and the club. I understand that emotions were high, but please just try and think of the possible consequences. The same goes for the traditional pitch invasion at the end of the match. Again, emotions over pouring, but why give an opportunity to our opponents and an unfriendly media to have a go at us? A few words for the gallant losers. The performance on the park tells us that they are not the side they claim to be. They are a new team and they are shite. I am actually quite disappointed we did not score a couple more just to rub that point in, and, though we played okay, let's not let that cover up the fact that we had a fairly dire season. The fans haven't changed though. Unsurprising as it is the same bunch of people. It was actually good to be reminded just what a thoroughly awful lot they are. The irony of their club statement offering to help in any investigation into our support's behaviour just beggars belief. Take a look in the mirror! The utter ghastliness of their support does lead to a reasonable excuse for the few things that did not go as well as it might, especially on Sunday. Losing to, and being relegated by them would have been awful. Much worse than by Hibs or QoS. That prospect was responsible for the atmosphere on Sunday and, as such, I think the odd indiscretion was understandable. Anyway, hope folk don't think I am being too critical. It was bad enough following it from the other side of the world so it must have been pretty tough for those of you at the match. Onwards and upwards, let's hope for better next season. Good luck to the manager and the team and all who follow Motherwell F C. One last thing, Twist and Shout is awesome!

Just listened to both podcasts. I seriously do not miss the sports media in Scotland one little bit. As an aside, the patter that the sporting authorities should be allowed to deal with matters like the Mohsni incident is pure guff. What will they do about this? The square root of fuck all. It was a vicious and thuggish assault and they are quite right to consider it as a criminal act and proceed accordingly. The fact that it occurred on a sports field is irrelevant. Thought that Mr Burrows came over very well, and, if anything, was too reasonable and understanding when dealing with some of the drivel from Chic Young. Still, he was probably right as you should never get into an argument with a moron as they drag you down to their level, then win because of their greater experience there.

We are in a much better position than most of us thought we would be, and yet most of us still have the fear. I suppose it is the Motherwell way. On the up side, they really are not a great side. They proved that over the season and confirmed it on Thursday night. Our home form over the past couple of months has been strong and we have a genuine goal threat. They look shakey at the back and are missing their player of the year in defence. While the loss of a late goal at Ibrox has,to an extent, given them a lifeline, there is little point in fretting too much over it. A three goal lead would have forced them to really go for it from the first minute, but two goals is still a decent start. We should be able to pick them off when they have to chase the game. The downside is that we must avoid being too negative from the outset. Does the very real need to avoid losing an early goal mean that our mindset is a defensive one? That would be a major mistake in my book, both because it would be hard to turn around should they get back into the tie and because we have been defensively poor for the entire season. If everyone is fit, play the same team that started on Thursday. The atmosphere should be in our favour and, as previously stated, they are not that good and nothing to be scared of in footballing terms. A professional performance is required and we should be okay.

Sincere thanks for those kind words from a Motherwell fan in New Zealand. I was lucky enough to attend both Odense matches and the game in Denmark is still one of my highlights as a Motherwell fan, despite the result. I had previously visited Fyn twice before and knew I would have a good time.

Derek Fuckin' Johnstone? Christ I hate that cunt.Think I will just stick to the shite BBC coverage online.