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Mfc Podcast ‘Off-Air 3’ – 25 Greatest Mfc Post-War Players


AndyRoss
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For the final edition of the MFC Podcast’s ‘Off-Air’ series, the Podcast will be teaming with The Well Society and the Motherwell support to compile the ‘Greatest 25 Motherwell Post-War players.

Set for release in November 2017 (exact date TBC in the next few weeks), this publication promises to be the perfect Christmas gift for all ‘Well fans and will follow on from the hugely popular first two editions of ‘Off-Air’.

The first two editions of the book raised over £2000 for ‘Imogen’s Dream’ charity while proceeds from the final edition will be donated to the ‘Well Society’ as the ‘Double Your Money’ initiative pledge by Les Hutchison draws to a close at the conclusion of 2017.

This edition will feature interviews and profiles of those voted by the ‘Well support as the club’s ‘25 Greatest Post-War Players’.

Voting for the ‘Greatest 25 Post-War Motherwell Players’ is now open and you can submit your vote by emailing your top 10 to Vote@MFC1886.com.

The player listed number one on your list will receive 10 points, second will get nine points, right down to your number 10 on your list receiving one point – voting closes at 6pm on Friday, September 1st.

We will also be accepting postal votes, which can be submitted to MFC Podcast, 6 Ross Gardens, Motherwell, ML1 3BE or by submitting your vote in person to a Well Society representative at any of the stations within Fir Park on a match-day.

You can Pre-Order ‘Off-Air 3’ NOW – with the first 150 orders receiving the opportunity to have their name printed on the back-cover of the publication.

The only way to guarantee a copy is via pre-order – there will be only a small number of copies available following the pre-order process.

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Picking your top 10 post war Motherwell players is gonna be a tall order and could take some time! So many variables! Do you just go with the ones you've seen? Do you throw in a few you havent as they are generally recognised as greats? Does it matter if they won or achieved anything?

Really looking forward to seeing the results. Now where is that History of the Steelmen I had......

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Nice one, great idea.

 

I think I'll restrict my votes to those players I've actually seen play, so from about 1996 onwards.

 

Andy - would you prefer people not to post their lists on the forum so as to not give an indication of how the voting is going?

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I'd be interested in the opinions of some of our older fans, or those who have a better grasp of our history, as I'm sure most of the best players I have seen in person (from 1990 onwards) couldn't lace the boots of some of the guys I haven't.

 

I'm going to research this one, maybe even read a couple of books. Or I'll just put in 10 of the cup winning side.

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Dezz, preferably don't put lists up but feel free to debate away obviously - interesting variation of votes already, really keen to get votes from the older members of our support and hopefully will be able to get some forms to supporters clubs as well. Any suggestions on how to increase the vote much appreciated.

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Its a really difficult one.

 

You want the greatest players to be the greatest, but most of us arent old enough to have seen the team that won the Scottish Cup and League Cup in the 50s or the Ancell Babes. But by all accounts players like Andy Paton, Charlie Aitken, Wilson Humphries, Willie Redpath, Pat Quinn and Iain St John were great players.

 

My first Motherwell included Joe Wark, Bobby Watson, Bobby Graham and Wullie P, who were all fantastic, but they never won anything.

 

Johnny Gahagan was a childhood hero of mine through the harder times of the early to mid 80s.

 

The 91 team had Cooper, Phil, Stevie Kirk, Dougie Arnott and dare I say Tom Boyd. All worthy candidates.

 

Tommy Coyne has to rate a mention. His partnership with Doogie was amazing and those 2 seasons challenging for the league were right up there with the best of times. Paul Lambert also rates a mention, but was he with us long enough to be considered "great"? Big Brian Martin was also a standout in that team.

 

More recently, Faddy, Hammell, Lasley helped us through administration with Hammell making the most post war appearances. Keith racking up over 400 appearances and captaining us in the Champions League. But were they good enough players to be considered great?

 

Higdon beating Wullie P's scoring record to become player of the year?

 

Much to ponder over. I will probably change my mind several times before I submit my 10!

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It's a great point. One I raised with the lads anaw. If we are looking at someone who saw the teams of the 50's we are probably talking someone of 70 years plus.

I think it'd be worth while asking yer elders for their all time faves and firing them at us too. Telling us who it's on behalf of.

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It's a great point. One I raised with the lads anaw. If we are looking at someone who saw the teams of the 50's we are probably talking someone of 70 years plus.

 

I think it'd be worth while asking yer elders for their all time faves and firing them at us too. Telling us who it's on behalf of.

Peter's no THAT auld!

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As i've mentioned before I can go back to early 1950's, most of my top ten when given a lot of thought will probably be from the earlier period. I can think of only a few exceptions in the later period that match the Paton, Redpath, Aitken and the Ancell babes all round skill level. But then the younger element would accuse this old codger of saying everything was better in my day. :haha:

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Brilliant response to voting and orders in the last 24 hours, over 70 players have received votes - certainly not going to be a clear winner going on the first day of voting.

 

We'll have printed voting forms at both the Ross County and Hearts games, forms in the Cooper Suite and 'hopefully' in the local pubs in the next week.

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Willie Hunter, the Lanarkshire Nijinsky. And I don't mean the horse, obvs.

 

Lest we forget.

 

This ain't easy..........

I digress but this reminds of a story of all those years ago. I had just been demobbed from the Army before starting work. An Uncle at the time had a decorating business and a contract for Fir Park. I went along, this uncle did not appreciate Hunter and said so in front of Ancell. He replied that the problem Hunter had was like a good snooker player, he was three moves ahead of every body else in the team. This reply had a few expletives added in and boy could Ancell swear. At the time I had not even heard that amount of swear words in one sentence in the Army.

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I would agree with Mr A. He was elegant and intelligent. I met him by chance recently with his wife in Glasgow and he told me that the players worked out the tactics for games. The manager picked the team but the players organised things on the park.

 

If you hadn't seen him play, he would just be a name, like Andy Paton to me but I respect the opinion of older fans who saw him dribbling his way out of his own penalty box against Rangers and completely riling them.

 

Captain Courageous?

 

Certainly.

 

And don't get me started on Baldy Shaw.......

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handing out paper forms at the games is a great way to get the older folk involved, as there are players who have played hundreds of games for us, and probably of a quality we couldn't even dream of having at the club these days, who could fall behind guys who had the bulk of their career away from us. Will be cool to see how it turns out either way.

 

There used to be a good website done by a well fan that had a great player database, but I don't know what came of it. We also had a long drawn out hall of fame thing on here, but I think that was pre-regeneration.

 

I think i could have an easier time listing the ten worst players.

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After much pondering submitted my top 10 which is amazingly very skewed in favour of defensive positions rather than attacking ones for some reason I can't quite explain.

 

Hardest decision was leaving out Higdon.

 

Went on players I have seen in the flesh (circa 1988 onwards) so a lot of proper legends (an most likely contenders) such as Wark and St. John were excluded.

 

 

 

EDIT: On a side note, if there is ever an Off the Air 4, then maybe a vote on favourite overseas players of all time as that would through out a few belters.

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This is hard. Trying to pick players I've seen playing live and brought most satisfaction to me over the past 30 years (Marc Fitzpatrick's goal at easter Road) and got an a4 bit of paper full of scribbles. Trying to pick players in a formation too, to give everyone a fair crack. Midfield punch up between Dolan, Leitch, lasley and simo Valakari going on in my head. Paul Lambert probably walks into my top 10 along with Tommy coyne. The performance in Dortmund was phenomenal. Gonna be a long night.

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