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Certainly not the time to be getting worried, as the real business hasn't even started, but comparing where we are today to last season, this time last year we'd signed Fadinger, McGhee, Watt, Sule, Just, Longelo, and Said. I felt like we had done a decent chunk of our business earlier last summer, and it appears to have been the case. We had lost Shane Blaney, Steve Seddon, Dan Casey, Dom Thompson, Davor Zdravkovski, Harry Paton and Moses Ebiye by this point, mind you, while this season we've lost Halliday, Nicholson, Slattery, Liam Gordon, Ward, and Oxborough. So, weighing up the incomings and outgoings against this time last season is interesting. Again, absolutely not a time for losing the plot, but I don't think anyone can deny that we need to start getting some business done. Europe is right around the corner, and that's a big deal.

I really hope I’m wrong too. Hooking him for no reason after 30 mins in a friendly though may be a sign the manager saw enough too.

Reserve judgement, my apprentice a few years back told me he played for EK juniors, he minced around and looked awkward when he walked. Work arranged a friendly against Celtic BC, my apprentice was head and shoulders the best player on the park. Hopefully you're wrong and appearances are deceptive, but glass coffins etc

Agree,seems a really likeable guy and comes across well,rooting for the guy to do well.

As previously stated hard to take anything from this 22 v 22 game tonight with the Europa game 6 days away……..hopefully the new manager knows what he is doing……nice to see the youngsters getting a chance Sorry to hear the main stand seats don’t appear to be up to scratch…..the old ones were a bit tight…..that’s why I prefer the DC

Alfred comes across as very enthusiastic and I am really hoping he does well. Tough gig following JBA but we all need to give him time

The gaffer said

Thor not getting a run out was baffling. Tells me the Manager has decided RCC is our new central striker. Good luck with that as no way is that his position. Was Thor the only unused substitute? If fit, he is clearly not rated by AJ. Otherwise why ignore him? The youngsters all did their best bearing in mind they only got promoted from the development squad last week. Some showed up well but no way are they first team ready. Needs must I guess but for various reasons we are in a mess heading into the season. Re Seating in POD. An absolute disgrace. Whoever decided they were fir for purpose clearly sits in the nice comfy padded seats at the rear of the Stand. A total waste of money and actually seem to have resulted in less room. Poor quality and flimsy. Not one person I spoke to had a good word to say about them. And someone is going to get hurt trying to let folk squeeze past. Whoever is responsible should hang their head in shame.

Tom Sparrow was captain? Assumed it would have been Fadi, but good for him. I like him when he's playing in his proper position.

I have to agree. Given the importance of the game in just 6 days time, I expected our first 11, barring injuries, to be on the pitch tonight. Maybe that was the best 11 that we could muster in the first half. If it is, we're likely in trouble for the HB match. The youths did well though.

Rumour tonight that Watt away to Portugal tomorrow for his medical for Turkish lot.

I’m normally a half glass full type when it comes to Motherwell but I really didn’t know what to make of that tonight. I do think it’s quite concerning playing that side with such an important game next week and having so many kids get quite a bit of game time. I compared it to the game v Hertha last year where I saw a style emerge and players always available looking for the ball to this tonight where at times we were trying to stumble through the opposition. I thought the players we know did fine, Eli, Said, Lucas and Oscar I thought did ok and RCC looked ok too. The new keeper looks ok-ish but quite small. Moorman I thought looked a wee bit like Liam Gordon but less aggressive. a couple of the youngsters I thought looked handy when they came on…. Not all of them. The boy Hunter scored a really well taken goal. negatives. Willy Vogts. I am never a guy to judge too quickly but apologies to everyone as I’m going to do it. That was probably the worst debut I’ve ever seen and he was hooked after 30mins. He looked like a competition winner, he doesn’t even walk like he plays sport. I can only hope he was ill and he recovers but to play this guy and not use big Thor I found utterly baffling. also Alfred screams nonsense during the game, he’s extremely loud and quite confusing. I did feel at a point in the 2nd half to shout and tell him to shut the fk up. and don’t get me started on the POD seats…. My back is breaking, there’s no space and the guy in front of me cut all his leg on the sharp corner of the plastic seat… blood pissin out the back of his leg. Unacceptable. I’ll go to bed and just hope next week we have some players back and fit. But to be honest, I’m not too hopeful unfortunately.

Decent apart from an absolute hospital ball he tried to play into Preistman

How was Moormann?

FWIW, I was talking to someone seemingly well-connected to the club at the game and it seems neither Paul M or SOD's injuries are as bad as previously thought and Longelo's is relatively minor. He was lounging athletically 🤣 in the POD beside Maswhanise, whose fee is still being haggled over, apparently. I thought Paulsen's distribution was fine, e.g. the build up to our penalty, and he came a long way out for a cross in the first half. He got burgled for their first goal admittedly but that's a lesson for him. Screamingly obvious that at the moment is that we don't have a natural goalscorer and it's rather worrying that our Norse Hammer isn't even getting a game. Totally agree with the comments on the dreadful seats in the POD: cheap rubbish. Unlike the old ones, they don't swivel so there is not enough room to let people pass easily and when you twist to one side and hold onto the back to help someone go past, it bends alarmingly. They won't last long when the season gets going.

A couple of chats over the week regarding Welshy. MFC were never in the picture, Aberdeen, Hibs and 1 other were, wanted to escape the west of Scotland gold fish bowl JBA wanted him in France, Toulouse signing policy preventing it.

My ST is in the bucket seats in the O’Donnell stand. I gather I have the option to buy a ticket for my ST seat just now and be randomly allocated a seat by the club closer to the game. Or hold off until Monday afternoon, when any remaining seats in the middle of the O’Donnell should be made available for purchase. I’m hoping to avoid the farce of the Sligo game where I was sold my ST season seat and upon arriving found the section cordoned off, leaving myself and others scrambling for a seat. The start of a very dismal night.

Our jersey reversed has been used quite a lot in the past and i have nothing against it but I often thought it didn't help much with some colour clashes and that our white "floodlight strip" was a safer bet. Is the petrol blue 1913 jersey we wore against Celtic our third this season then?

From what i saw tonight it look like the majority of the seats have been replaced (incidentily by cheap uncomfy plastic crap , not as good as the old ones) The only section i could see from my seat with the orihinal seats was above me to the left of the good padded seats in the members area.

I heard the away top is opposite to the home top which could mean this

Totslly agree with you on that one uncomfy cheap shoddy crap, basic plastic sests screwed to an unfinished plank. I know there was limited time to replace them but for me they have made a complete mess of them. Every other stand now has better seats than the pod, i know the options are limited with it but for me they have opted for the cheap crappy option and it shows, we should be getting a reduction in our ST prices for having to sit in them.

Great seeing youngsters but injury list horrendous and worrying ahead of euro tie. Forgot about Longelo, injured?

Enjoyed that. Genk are indeed a decent passing side and changed everyone but the goalie - who had a couple of great saves - and still looked reasonable. Not sure if Priestman is being set up to be the new Watt as Faddy seemed to take the ball more. There were flashes of good play all over the place pre and post the young boys coming on. biggest complaint. The new seats in PoD are brutal. So uncomfortable and the wood they’ve been attached to is not properly finished. I had shorts on and have cut and big scrape on calf when standing to let someone by. 😠

We looked okay we struggled defensively as you would expect with a young CM playing there, we need players in before Thursday but wither they'll be fit enough to play who knows. Our team v HB now looks pretty likely to be: Paulsen (He looked decent) Sparrow Girdwood-Reich (Hopefully) Moormann Wilson Preistman Fadinger Ross? Just Said RCC Vogt needs time to get up to speed. Thor didn't even get on so I'd be surprised to see him start. Whyte is evidently not a CB so wouldn't read much into his mistake. Of the young lads Thompson looked pretty decent, Booth was tidy and took his goal well and I think Hunter touched the ball once but his finish was great. Have we got any idea when/if we're likely to see Longelo, Stama, McGhee, SOD, JK, Maswanhise? McGinn and Hendry out for months so we know we're not seeing them Watt's move appears close so he will be off soon We've got what 21/22 senior players and only around 13/14 are fit and available for selection

A decent test with two youngsters on the scoresheet. It's early days but it looks to me like the game plan is to move the ball quickly up the pitch rather than the patient approach we watched last season. Time will tell.