Kmcalpin

Not my fault guv, I don't subscribe to TV sports packages Wouldn't give them a penny. Absurd KO time.

Probably quite a few, in broad terms. Brian McLair for example went south too early to aston Villa and ended up back with us. Alan Martin thought he was a much better keeper than he actually was and after hawking himself around English clubs he ended up at Ayr and now QoS. More recently, Fraser Kerr, came back to us from a stint at Birmingham City. Another example is Robbie Leitch - where is he now? Going back to the original question of whether its better to jump ship early for big money or to wait, a year or two, to mature, posters on this board have already answered that. Some good posts, but it depends entirely on the individual. For some, leaving early is good for others its a bad move. It depends on a young lad's maturity, character and personal circumstances. Leaving home at 16, 17, 18 or even 19 is a big move for anyone and some can't wait whilst others are very loathe to leave home and familiar surroundings. For some money is god, for others there's more important things in life. I've known several excellent and very well thought of colleagues in my career, who could easily have risen up the career ladder but had no interest in doing so because they didn't want extra responsibility, pressure or to move away. At the other extreme I've come across others, with lesser talent, who didn't care who they trampled over to gain a few extra pounds. In short each to their own. For some young lads its better to stay a year or two; for others its better to leave early for more money down south. I'll end with advice I was given and many of you may have been given also "Be nice to folk on the way up as you might meet them again on the way back down."

Yes, those were the days. Great to see the likes of Gordon Banks, Martin Peters (both World Cup winners), Alan Mullery, Martin Chivers, Jimmy Neighbour, Harry Burrows and other giants of that era play at Fir Park

I'm sure we have offered him a first team wage; but it also depends on how realistic his demands are. No doubt negotiation tactics are clouding the discussions for ordinary fans like us. Are you saying that if the club says it can't afford to meet his wage demands, whatever they are, then questions need to be asked?

Adam Livingston was loaned out last season to East Fife and their supporters that I know rated him. Hopefully he'll get his chance soon, as we're no longer in a relegation scrap.

Conflicting rumours on Pie and Bovril this morning. Mitch claims that he'll sign a Pre Contract Agreement with us this week; a St Johnstone fan says he'll sign for them; and a third poster says there's several offers on his table. Without being party to inside knowledge its impossible to say which one is right. Add to that, Stephen Robinson quoted as saying PCAs aren't worth the paper they're written on, and everything is as clear as mud.

No surprise there then. Hastie's agent will be well aware of our wage structure and what we, as a club, can afford. He / she is at it and knows full well that we cannot meet their demands. Maybe a negotiating tactic maybe not. Although very promising, Hastie has yet to be tested against top six opposition and they should not be allowed to ignore that.

Like a few others I was beginning to lose faith in Robbo going into the winter shutdown. We failed to kick on after last season and the summer recruitment drive was less than successful. I didn't like the longball style of footie we played but was lesss concerned than many others about that. What concerned me most was our poor results. However Robbo has turned it around suddenly and dramatically. We're now winning gmaes albeit against bottom 6 opposition but we're also playing attractive footie with home grown talent featuring prominently. So, I take my C&A hat off to him. What he has done, unlike many others before him, such as Maurice Malpas, is acknowledge he had made mistakes and change things. Thats why I've really warmed to him in the last month or so. No manager is going to get things 100% right be it tactics or signings. He's really turned things around and deserves credit for that. I'm happy to say that my opinion of him was wrong.

Is anyone surprised? No doubt the youngster's agent has been trying to stoke up a bidding war using a friendly journalist to publicise it. We'll wait and see.

I think the Motherwell Times suggested that we received a modest/nominal fee, which would seem reasonable in the circumstances.

You have to ask what the future holds for Peter Hartley. He's 31 and not getting any younger.

Yes, during his time at Fir Park he always gave the impression of being a bit lazy. If he lost the ball he had a tendency to just shrug his shoulders.

Thats my view too.

No reason to be pessimistic tonight given our recent form but our team is fairly young and prone to inconsistency. It'll be a hard game. Wouldn't surprise me if Ariyib4gi is dropped to the bench tonight as he isn't fully fit and may struggle to play 2 games a week right now. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

I think his contract was due to end in June of this year but very recently the club awarded him an extra 12 months to get himslef fit.