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Well the bells and fireworks have sound off here at the far side of the world I will take the opportunity to wish you all a happy and safe 2022.

I make an exception for Turnbull without wishing his team great success at Celtic I bear him no I'll will whatsoever. He went out his way by signing a contract when he knew he could have left for nothing. He made sure the club got a hefty wedge and for that he should never be castigated by any Motherwell fan. He did right by us without doubt.

It's all quite simple really, Watt has turned down a new contract he no longer wants to be at Fir park so for me he should never play for us again, give him 4 months or so of warming the bench, no game time and then wish him well in the summer when he goes to Tannadice.

https://footystats.org/scotland/premiership/xg 9th best Xg in the league and the worst Xa in the league. But 4th and aiming for third........ Does this mean that the constant use of these stats shows how flawed they are?

I read that and couldn't quite fathom it out. If his move is about happiness, how can that equate to a move to a club he's never been at ?? Unless he gained some particular love for Dundee City Centre when he was at StJ, but in a footballing sense, he can have no idea whether he'll be happy at Utd.

Two reasons, David. Firstly he has been badge kissing and playing up to the fans for some time now. You'll remember that he jumped up onto the East Stand barrier wall for example. He also said that he liked it at Motherwell. Now I'm not against anyone celebrating when he scores a goal for us, but these actions were more theatrical than most. The first time that news broke publicly about him turning down our offers and stating his intention to move on was 10 December. Talks had apparently broken down. Now these talks don't just start and conclude in a day or so they can take weeks or even months. So while he was playing to the fans its likely that he had decided to move on at the end of the season. In short he built up unrealistic expectations. He would have been better advised to tone down the rapport with the punters. In fairness, he's not the first nor will he be the last to do this. Secondly, the leak about moving to Dundee United. This occurred on Christmas Eve, just before we were due to play our final game before the break. Very odd. Now he could have been negotiating a move with United since 1 November and thats perfectly fine. Someone leaked news of the PCA to the press. Now that could only have been himself, his agent (surely acting on his permission), Dundee United or "a source close to". This has been fairly widely publicised in the press most notably by the Courier. There was no need whatsoever for this, unless it was designed to instigate a move next month. Many clubs and players sign players on PCAs, including us, but very few publicise them so well in advance unless they're trying to pressurise the selling club into an early move. Not professional or courteous in my view. Had the leak come from the player or his agent, without the approval of United it would have been very risky indeed. How would he know that United had the cash to sign him next month? He's bound to have known the fallout it would cause at Fir Park and if he didn't his agent certainly would know. It might have caused a rift with United. No, the most likely explanation is that it came from United who used the press to their advantage. Now its no secret they want to strengthen their striking department next month. Once the story had been leaked to a compliant journo before the window opened United, Watt and his agent could afford to lie low and keep quiet - job done. The leak had achieved its purpose, by pressurising our club. I'm sure there's much more to this than I know and I may have made false assumptions but thats my take on it.

They are predicting we should score 1.06 goals per game, after 20 matches that should be 21, we have scored 25. They are predicting 1.86 goals against, after 20 games that should be 37 goals, we have conceded 27. That suggests to me that the statisticians they have employed aren't very good. Or to put it another way, there are lies, damned lies and statistics, this site seems like proof of that.

I think I am the only one who thinks good on you Tony you deserve more cash. You scored some crucial goals and had some brilliant performances for us when we were almost dead and buried and the rest of the team appeared to have downed tools. I have nothing but good wishes for him and if this turns out to be his last big wage before he retires then he deserves it. The club has survived another year in the big league and pushed on this year. So best of luck (except when you play against us) in the future. The club will move on and we will no doubt find someone else who will be our short term hero until they move on and ad nauseam

What exactly is annoying you about how it was done? The media getting hold of it? As far as I can tell nothing else has been denied or confirmed by the club or player, so I'm not sure what you expect from him? Any club who does that to not only their top scorer, but the league's top scorer, is mental. Apart from the fact we'd be intentionally depriving ourselves of a very good player who we will be paying very good money by our own standards, what kind of message does that send to the rest of the squad? From what I gather, Watt is well liked and respected in the dressing room. Unless the player gives the manager a reason to take such harsh action it shouldn't be considered. He's a Motherwell player, being paid by us until he signs for another club. So what's the moral of the story there? Don't show any ambition? Stay where you are and where there's less expected of you? Although, I don't think Dundee United will expect anything more of him than we have. There's not that huge a gulf between the clubs and their targets each season. If Tony Watt is good enough to lead the scoring charts for Motherwell, he's good enough to do the same for Dundee United.

Well done by every one of you

Krankies rules on the fitba pitch now? Lol