David

And I'm not saying that our league should be better than MLS. I wouldn't expect it to be, we're a small country and financially our game is miles behind. Me saying that moving to MLS from Motherwell is a step up isn't intended as a put-down to us or our league, it's just a fact I think. More money, bigger crowds, better facilities, playing against some top names.

Look, I'm invested in Scottish football, same as everyone else here, but I'm under no illusions that for a viewer who has no vested interest in any of the teams it would be akin to me watching an English League One or League Two game. I wouldn't open my curtains if there was an EFL League Two game taking place in my garden, which is how I'm sure most non-Scottish team supporting fans feel.

At this exact moment in time, yes, but I'd say that Cedric and Moult would be in with a shout of making either team, and aside from the Randolph years under McCall I'd say that Carson would be in with a shout also. This has been a down year for sure, but just as easily as we found Moult and Cedric not that long ago, we could easily do the same this summer and kick on again.

Hard to argue with that to be honest, but I'm hoping we can take a point today. St Johnstone haven't lost at home since they were hammered by Celtic in October, have they? Dropped points against Killie and Hearts though, so a draw could be achievable.

Like the majority of footballers they moved there for the money and the quality of life that North America offers. Why do you think the higher paid players at Rangers and Celtic come here? For the quality of our league? Yes, in your opinion. I wonder how many people outside of Scotland are entertained by the quality of product we see on a weekly basis? You need to realise, I'm not saying that the standard in MLS is great, I'm simply saying that it's less garbage than the standard in Scotland. Of course, you're invested in the Scottish game so you don't see it as a neutral, which is how you see MLS. Ask any neutral if they think the standard of a regular SPFL game is higher than mediocre at best. My point isn't that MLS is fantastic, my point was that Andy Rose is moving to a team where he'll play in front of much larger crowds, make more money, train in better facilities, come up against some higher quality of players than he ever will with us, and most likely enjoy a higher quality of life. It's a no-brainer of a move for someone who isn't attached to either Motherwell or Scotland really.

Players heading for retirement? Such as 29 year old Giovani Dos Santos, Sebastian Giovinco who's been at Toronto since he was 28, Diego Valeri, Sebastian Blanco, Carlos Vela, Andre Horta etc? All names that could walk into any side bar Celtic perhaps in the SPFL. You do still get the odd "big name" past his best heading to the league, but the overall level is higher than the stuff we see in the SPFL I think. Maybe not 5 years ago, but definitely now. Not that such an assessment should be seen as a slight on our league, as the US is a massive place with more money, so it makes sense that they have a product on the up.

I'm guessing you've maybe not watched MLS in a good few years? The standard today is certainly higher than that of the SPFL I'd say, and the quality of players there is also higher for the most part. Vancouver Whitecaps may not be the greatest side in the league, but the league overall is higher quality than the SPFL I'd think. Rose will also be playing in front of over 20,000 fans at home games on average, and the average wage pisses all over most of what Scottish football can offer. It's a move up, both footballing-wise and definitely a move up lifestyle-wise, despite what we may think here in Scotland.

Ironically, he's moving to play at a higher level in January.

We should, but that doesn't fit the agenda of those who are having a moan.

Does it still make footballing sense if you sign a new deal to get regular playing time, a new manager comes in who doesn't rate you and you end up not playing? Or you end up injured and released down the line having missed out on the chance to earn some good money? It depends on who the individual is, that's true, and on their mentality. If I was a player in Turnbull's position and was facing a choice between a new deal at Fir Park, where I could get more game time under Robinson, but run the risk of not fulfilling my potential, getting injured, a new manager coming in who doesn't fancy me and it all going tits up with me eventually leaving on a free in a few years, or the guarantee of triple my wages for two years or so and the chance to return to Scottish football afterwards and still make that money I was offered at Motherwell I'd be offski. Again, I'm talking as someone a bit older, someone who would be thinking about the financial future of my wife and kids over the notion of playing games and winning trophies. All of that would come second to me securing my families future, and I'd go where the money is. Lee Erwin left us for a three year deal at Leeds on decent coin, and even though he didn't make a dent there he more than likely earned more than he would have with us as a regular. He then went to Killie, where he probably earned at least what we offered him, before he moved to Iran where he was offered "substantially more" than he was on at Killie. I doubt he'll have much trouble finding another club if he's not happy in Iran. He's only 24 years old and has made far more than he likely would have if he'd stayed with us.

Obviously there's "normal" work, but we're talking about when their earning potential as an actual player ends. Rarely will a player finish playing and go on to earn more money as a coach or manager than they do playing. Again, what I'm talking about is at that level of earning power. The whole point I was making was that if a player, of any age, is offered the chance to sign for a club and triple his weekly wage there's a good chance he takes it, especially as it means they're in a better position financially to move into something else when their playing career ends.

Again, an agent who is simply in it to make himself as much money as possible, and who doesn't care about his clients won't be in the game for long. There are agents who are in it to make both themselves and their clients as much money as possible though, and those agents are a perfect fit for a player who doesn't care where he is as long as he's racking up coin. 23 in the footballing world is realistically around 12 years from retirement, so in real-world terms a footballer at 23 should have the equivalent ambition of someone in a regular job when they're 53 years old. At that age you're already thinking about a life after work, and you need money for that. Exactly. It comes down to how much the player is willing to gamble really. For example, Turnbull could sign a new deal, make okay money for a few years and perform really well before winning a big move down south with triple his wages on offer or even more. But, he could just as easily sign that new deal, not hit the heights he hopes (or get injured) and end up seeing out his deal before moving to part-time football further down the leagues. Or, he could get that big offer while his stock is high, make the move and guarantee the cash for a few years. Then he either makes it into the team down south, earns a bigger and better deal and progresses from there, or he doesn't make the cut, and eventually returns back to the SPFL to probably get the deal from somewhere that Motherwell were offering in the first place, except he has those triple wage packets from the past few years in his pocket as well. Personally, even as a Motherwell fan I'd take the deal from down south if it was a substantial pay raise. I have no doubt that, fan or not, if I didn't do well at the club they'd have no qualms about letting me go, so why should I treat it as anything other than a professional relationship? When I'm 40 and retired with cash in the bank I'll come back and support the club as a fan.

I know there's this tendency for fans to view agents as cynical, selfish types who are just out for themselves, but that's not really true. any agent operating like that wouldn't be able to win clients. An agent's job is to make sure that his client earns as much money as possible in what is really a short career. Most players are done by age 35 or so, and having enough coin in the bank to live off and maybe invest and start a business or whatever outside football is the aim. In any line of work, if you're doing well and winning some plaudits, you'd be daft not to capitalise on that, especially when the plaudits can just as easily go away as quickly as they arrived. If a company offers you double or even treble your salary you most likely take it, and any agent worth his salt will advise his client that this is a business, and you do what's right for yourself and your family financially.

Aye, it's a hard balance for sure, because until they've played in the first team we don't know how good they are, unless it's an obvious stand-out talent. Hopefully he stays and signs a new deal, but I wouldn't blame him if he does go. He'll know that if he doesn't continue progressing as he is after signing a new deal with us he could just as easily slip into mediocrity, so the temptation of a deal with good money down south will be hard to knock back if it arises.

It depends what kind of money he's offered, doesn't it? If Swansea offer treble what we can offer he'd have to seriously consider it. Anyone who says they wouldn't is either mental or lying.