sinjy

The posters on here love the doom and gloom. Look at the posts and views for the Inverness game. Over 12,000 views and 172 posts. A fine performance and win against Ross County gets 8,500 views and 127 posts. Says it all for me.

Tait, Heneghan, Lucas, Ainsworth, Moult and McDonald were the pick of the bunch for me. But there were no failures today. However MOM should go to the best player and the one who had the most influence on the out come. Nearly all of our good play involved Scott McDonald in some way. He scored one goal sent Moult through for the second and gave a dream pass to Lionel for the fourth. Special mention to young McMillan who also played well.

I think Ya Bezzer has got it spot on. The first goal was so important. I actually thought Ross Co were looking the better team at the start of the match. We got a cheap goal when the smallest man on the park headed in a free kick. We stepped up a notch after that and they went down a level and from then on we never looked like losing. Contrast to Wednesday while we were bad I didn't think Caley were any better than us until they took the lead but after they scored they just got better and we got even worse. Posters on here go ape shit when we lose and on cloud nine when we win. Results in football matches are determined by very fine margins and that's why I don't get too down when we lose and too high when we win. McDonald and Moult scored lots of goals together last season and renewing their partnership was long overdue. Lucas if he can stay fit could be a real find. Cadden is getting better and better and I just love Big Ben at the back. A satisfying day but what team will turn up at Dens next week and will the little things that make the difference be in our favour.

I ve got a bit depressed reading some of the negative comments in this thread. I actually thought we were unlucky tonight. The first half was pretty even. I felt we competed well with a team that looked bigger stronger and faster than us. In a SPL game the first goal is vital. We looked the more likely to score. Their keeper had an outstanding save from Clay and then on the stroke of half time a nothing shot takes a wicked deflection and we go in 1-0 down. It could and perhaps should have been the other way round. We started the second half brightly and with a bit of luck in front of goal might have equalised. They were looking quite dangerous on the break. I have no idea what Samson was trying to do in the scramble just before their second goal. It was a worldy that could on another day have cleared the stand but it landed in the goal. Yes there has to be questions about the tactics. I hardly remember Moult who is a goalscorer being in their box. He wont score isolated on the wing. Bowman is a trier but looks limited and I would like to see us have Moult and McDonald as a pair up front. McGhee clearly does not trust Ainsworth or he would have brought him on for Cadden. If he had been in the mood his strong running would have been the ideal replacement for Cadden. I thought Clay and Heneghan were our best players. We badly need a midfielder who can run beyond the front players and someone who can pick a pass that opens a defence. Pity there is a break now. However some of the players need to up their fitness levels and hopefully this will be worked on over the next two weeks or will it with McGhee away.

I always thought this would happen. We were punished because as organisers of the Play Off game the SFA deemed that our arrangements were poor and so allowed the fans onto the park thus we got into bother. Imagine the conversation at the SFA after the Cup Final. That was terrible. We must punish these clubs. Lets have an inquiry. The organisation of the game was poor. Too few stewards not enough police. Who was responsible for organising the match? Oh shit it was us. Ah well lets just forget it. We can hardly fine and warn ourselves like we did to Motherwell.

A year later Hendry was playing for Stirling Albion and a year after that Pollok Juniors. McLeish wasted so much money. He paid over the odds for Eddie May and Shaun McSkimming and bought duds like Roddie and Hendry yet he never got any criticism in the media. To this day I loath the man. He is up there with Roger Hynd, Bobby Watson and Harry Kampman as the worst manager we have ever had. He Spent a couple of million and took a team that had finished third and second to the relegation play off. A complete tosser.

I'm pretty sure that Shuggy Sproat wore a blue jersey when we played Celtic and a green one when we played Rangers.

I have looked again to see if I can clear up some of the points made by others. After the cup win Nijholt is listed as LB from the start of the season (24 games)until January 1992 when McKinnon was signed. Nijholt then seemed to switch to RB with Griffin dropping out. Angus is listed as LB only in the last game of that season. He did however fill in at LB for 4 games in the run up to the cup final the season before when Boyd was injured. McSkimming started 1996/97 as LB. But as someone else mentioned Ian Ross took over in the second half of the season. Steve McMillan was also in the team at that time and with squad numbers actual line ups are harder to work out. By 1997/8 McMillan is listed as the regular LB.

I remember a few years ago reading somewhere about our club having a tradition of terrific left backs. With Stevie Hammell nearing the end of his career and the no football weekend I spent some time looking into this. As you can see from the table below it looks like we have had only 7 regulars in the last 70 years. However there have been others who have filled gaps in the timeline. Baldy Shaw 1946 to 1958 256 League games Bobby McCallum 1958 to 1968 157 Joe Wark 1968 to 1984 464 Tom Boyd 1983 to 1991 252 Rab McKinnon 1991 to 1996 152 Steve McMillan 1993 to 2001 152 Steve Hammell 1999 to 2006 215 2007 to 2016 253 Significant other left backs Pat Holton 1956 to 1959 played 69 games between Shaw and McCallum then sold to Chelsea Matt Thomson 1961 to 1969 played 172 games and filled in at left back between McCallum and Wark although Matt played in lots of different positions during his career. During Joe Wark's time with Joe either injured or playing at right back. Chic McLelland 1979 to 81 played 51 games Ian MacLeod 1978 to 1986 played 243 games although he played lots of different positions with only a few at left back. Derek Murray 1984 to 1988 played 95 games Jim Paterson 2004 to 2008 played 108 games and exactly half of them at left back in seasons 2006/7 and 2007/8 when Hammell was at Southend. The games and seasons played are thanks to a terrific web site http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com which lists only league games played. ( I believe Neil died recently and the web site may no longer be being updated but it is still a fantastic site)

I remember George coming back to Fir Park to play for Queen of the South and he got a great welcome when he took his place in front of the old enclosure. He was a real cult hero very fast but the crowd and probably himself did not know what he was going to do next.

It always amazes me how a player out injured becomes the messiah and the answer to all our problems. Moult may well score some goals but just wait for the moans on here when he doesn't score in his first two games. We do miss him however. McDonald is not a lone striker but he links the play well but needs another player beside him. Johnston has been rotten since the speculation around him and hopefully when the window closes he will get his focus back. I like the three summer recruits Tait, Heneghan especially and Clay although I hope his second half fade outs are due to lack of fitness and that can be sorted with time. By all accounts Chalmers played well at Ibrox and I thought he did well yesterday. So all you who are quick to condemn a player give them time. What I am trying to say is that people on here are either all sugar or all shite. We will never have world beaters but give players time and support them always.

I cant understand the vitriol on here against Hateley. I thought he was a very reliable right back. Full back is probably the easiest position to play in the whole team but he was good there if a little lacking when he played in midfield. I have never spoken to one MFC player in the last twenty years so I know nothing about player personalities but if people are condemning him because he or his dad was an arsehole then that is up to them but I will always judge a player by what they do on the park and Hateley's level of consistency and fitness levels were top notch. He honoured his contract and moved on. Get over it.

Id like to see the Laing wage used to get a box to box midfielder in for six months on loan from England. We can then see if he is any good and if not Pearson coming back will fill the hole. McHugh Clay and Lasley are too similar. Neither of them seem capable of running past the front players to give us scoring chances or making the killer pass to open a defence.

Got to agree with real dosser. Cadden did nothing apart from his tap in. He was caught in possession countless times and was the obvious player to be substituted. For me Clay was better than Lasley and when McHugh is fit it might be time to rest Keith. For me our problems are in midfield where the balance is not right. Too many defensive players and nobody willing to make runs beyond the front players to create chances. Heneghan continues to impress and after his nightmare at Celtic Tait did well. Somebody near me remarked that Chalmers looked nervous and lacked confidence. I thought he did alright but when he made a mistake early in the game there were clear murmurings from the East Stand. It seemed as if some people were just waiting on their chance to get on his back. Ask yourself if being negative towards a player helps his performance before shouting abuse. Give the guy a chance. I thought Marvin tried too hard at times. I hope the transfer speculation is not getting to him. As for Skippy he is not a lone striker but once again he missed the first part of pre season and just like last season looks off the pace in the first few weeks. The report on the radio in the car on the way home said the first goal went through Samson's legs and as for the second! Lets see what Brill can do at Ibrox next week.

This is more likely to work against us than for us. Kidderminster will be looking for something if Marvin gets sold and Wrexham too if Moult is sold sometime in the future.

I expect we will sign someone from The Championship/ League 1 in England on a six month loan with an option to extend. These leagues start next week and squads will be being finalised and those who are surplus/ needing games will become on the market. I also think that Pearson will be back in January. If the loan player works out then we will be in a strong position then to offer him an extension if finances allow and with Pearson back our midfield will be OK.

I expect Marvin to go at the end of the window if he goes at all this time. With all respect to Annan and East Stirling putting in match winning performances against them is all well and good but scouts will want to see how he does against better opposition. Good performances in our first league games against Killie St Johnstone and Rangers will be a better indication if he has kicked on this season and worth the money posters on here expect.

I thought I read somewhere about a manager moaning because teams could not play trialists in the league cup. If that's right how are we able to play Lucas?

Anyone else remember the chant that went around Fir Park? McInally-Hoy, McInally-Hoy McInally,McInally Hoy Hoy Hoy? One of my favourite players from the late sixties. Very sad.

McHugh seems to tick all the boxes. He is young, and can play a few positions. He played CB in the League Cup Final for Bradford a few years ago. He also turned out at left back for them. Derek Adams converted him into a defensive midfielder. With a small squad a versatile player will be important to us. However of course whether it is a good signing or not will depend on the most important factor, his ability.

Good news. I hope he is at Dalziel Park this morning knocking his pan in so that he is fitter at the start of this season than he was last year when it took him two months to get up to speed.

One of the justifications for the increase in season ticket prices was that there would be one more category A game now that Rangers were back in the league. This means the club were expecting a third Old Firm game. They will have included this when planning the budget for the season. At the very least there has been a cock up by the board or more likely a lack of communication from the spfl.

Surely the point is that teams that get four home games against the arse cheeks earn around £120,000 more for their extra two games against them while Motherwell, Partick and Hamilton play an extra home game against the likes of St Johnstone, Ross Co or Dundee. Budgets are very tight at every club. I have no idea what wages a good SPL player gets but if it is £60,000 then the difference in the fixtures could mean that the clubs who are getting two more home games could be getting in two more quality players. These clubs are our immediate rivals. I am pretty sure that all clubs would have budgeted for three games against Rangers or Celtic. Some clubs have got an unexpected increase in their income while others have seen a reduction. That cannot be right. I loathe the Old Firm as much as anybody but the money we get from their supporters should be distributed as fairly as possible among the rest of the clubs. The SPL have cocked up again. There may be a slight plus in that we have more home games against teams around our level and so have a better chance of beating them. Others have pointed out other cock ups like Thistle and us playing Aberdeen and Ross Co at New Year while each could have been playing each other. Just one example that illustrates that no thought is put into creating the fixtures. The whole episode does little to restore confidence in the SPL.

Things will surely start happening this week as players return from their family holidays. I hope McDonald makes a quick decision. Last year he delayed until well into pre season training before signing. His form at the start of the season was poor for the first few weeks because he had missed the pre season. When are the players due to start pre season? Hopefully we will find out who the four new players are soon.