Goggles & Flippers

The Stone Island Brigade have oddly turned very "Queer Eye" on us

You're welcome ....

I heard it was a Spanish guy who we hoped to get last summer and we've redoubled our efforts this summer to secure

And I'm sure you're personally on 250+ on FIFA

Joint top European goal scorer is he not?

Dilemma for Robinson is do you retain McHugh as club captain as open spaces in our midfield are diminishing fast. Don't think anyone would disagree that he got more game time last season than his form demanded.

Motherwell > Sheffield Wednesday > Aberdeen (146 appearances) Motherwell > Ross County > Dumbarton > New Saints > Livingston (newly promoted, 0 appearances) Yeah they're in the same league, however you could have brought up the semantics of that in your "mainstay" post, but you elected not to. However, your premise is watertight. I'll shut up now.

Nah you're right then .... same level .......

Best no run with any patter, Andy P will shut it down

Yeah mainstay of the Aberdeen defence for the past few years vs. new purchase by newly promoted team .......same level

Good post Andy and a lot to consider. As I said I just feel like it's turning into F1, just a procession and in a competitive industry you have to have some form of hope. I've started threads on here with enthusiasm and rightly directed appreciation of both playing and backroom staff at the club last season. I've just lost that, maybe it's the mid season blues and 10 days to consider a final we didn't really fight like I hoped. I don't think we can win the league but I also don't think anyone can outside the OF can either at present, you'd hope someone else could at least challenge. 25ish years and counting. Totally over it. We've kinda hijacked this Scotland thread but I don't get the Celtic fans, its must be like buying pay-per-view boxing, staying up all night for it, and it lasts 30 seconds, but all these morons celebrate like it's something meaningful. Crags summed it up well here talking about Scott Brown winning POTY:

More would be gained from asking the Currants and Gypsies to leave the league so we can rock up in early August with some hope we have a chance of competing for the league title a possibility opposed to it being crazy talk. Unfortunately the gulf just widens, something that UEFA has failed to address with the Champions League. As great as this season has been for us, I still find myself apathetic about 2018-19. Take heed from Formula 1, when it becomes a precession then it loses any attraction. It's evident by how many of the world's best supporters show up for a game midweek in February against Accies. It's an expensive season ticket when all you buy it for is 2 OF matches and first dibs on Euro tickets.

Two questions: Paint you with what exactly? You naughty boy I can stump up 2 empty ginger bottles, is that enough? Otherwise its a crowdfunder.

There was a medical the day after the final planned (don't know if that happened) and Robinson shared on the podcast that he didn't notice the banners and bunting when being driven through Motherwell by Las because he was on his phone trying to secure players. Flow pretty much said the same. I can only think the strips were delayed for new sponsor logo's (apparently still in negotiation) and maybe roll out the new players off the back of that. Otherwise you have to find someone photogenic who's in the area to go for a shoot.

I blame Lallana's Nivea cream, slippy

To put the Sun in context, their lead story on their Motherwell page was Jason Krones, ex Rangers starlet has been snapped up on a free transfer. Further reading confirms he was released 12 months ago and started training with us in January and he was one of the players offered an extension by Craggs, along with another half dozen. So Sun journalism is old firm reference in (ex player, supported them as a kid, once wore anything green or blue), crow bar into anything non old firm at the expense of other and higher newsworthy stories. Hang your heads in shame you shower of hacks.

Saying that Andy Devlin is at the Sun, you'd think he'd say something at the editorial meeting.

Just to put context into the Nadir/fitness chat. Lionel Ainsworth drifted from engaged to passive in games. That inevitably drove many on here mad with seethe. I think it would be much of the same if he did secure a contract. I suspect his agent knows he won't get anything like he's on at Celtic so potentially see out his contract with more loans. I've seen nothing to suggest he's be willing to take a pay cut to get regular football. If Robinson goes out and secures another unheard of guy like Moult or Main this summer who turns out to be a revelation then all will be forgiven.

In the second post in the thead when I sourced everything, I think the 1.36m for league place included the Celtic UEFA money. I think the 750,000 cited and attributed to Marvin is double what we were in line to receive.

100% Yassin, as a servant to the club and because he speaks so passionately about the club it's for that reason I wouldn't begrudge him a move similar to Reynolds or Murphy. Staying here will stifle unless Robinson changes his ethos and tactics entirely and that may be too big an ask for one summer.

Stephen Robinson is said to be a bit miffed you're potentially limiting him to the standby generator building between the Hunter and Cooper, he has high hopes

Wanted to resurrect this thread now 2017/18 is put to bed and get many of us to look back what we hoped, expected or wished for. I think a few will have a red neck but most will be pleasantly surprised. All the stuff in red, when you look back at the record year for our bank balance over our trophy cabinet and overall progress, recruitment and where we find ourselves could be considered churlish. Its definitely been exceeded expectations beyond my belief. Mid table and a quarter and a semi-final in the cups were smashed out the park on Saturday.

As I've said before if we can replace anyone we have with better then nobody should be considered safe. To progress as a club we have to have that mindset. Carson can leave with my blessing if we get a nice wee bit of wedge and replace him with better. Main as much as I love all aspects of his game, if we can get a striker who brings more, can add more and scores more then ..... thanks Curtis big fella, all the best. That said, I'd like to see some astute business to match our previous dealings. We will have bump in funds last season and expect us to go from the second lowest player budget to at least 10th with Livvy and St Mirren coming up. Let us not ignore agents will be wise to it and try to exploit our success this season. I sincerely hope the Gannon chief scout shite patter is dead and buried after what Robinson pulled off last summer and 6 months ago, you'd say certainly +65% success rate. What I think will happen, Carson has attracted attention and no doubt column inches due to Celtic's stop-gap interest and record 20 clean sheet season (the latter not getting much coverage outside Motherwell except for those who's job it is to collate stats). I see him going and to be fair, he's earned it. I do think he will look upon the move here as a sound one in his career. I think Kipre will stay until at least January and build on his growing CV. He will be a shoe in next summer if not. I suspect one of Campbell or Cadden will get an offer. I think Campbell will see merit in staying as our style suits him perfectly, while Cadden may wish to move as his development plateaued this season (Scotland call up aside) and he may feel a new club and tactics may all it to get back onto course. I have heard many good reports on what Turnbull could bring, how many of us knew anything of Campbell a year ago? I wonder what scoring a teaker would do for Bowman's confidence rather than a shin roller or deflected in off his hip. I do think as others have pointed out that Main who is undoubtedly our primary striker could maybe benefit from a foil rather than a mirror of what he brings. Still think despite the amount of personnel we have, our midfield is our Achilles heel. Therefore I'd be expecting the head of recruitment, statisticians and moneyball aficionados within the club to be focusing on 2 goalkeepers, a left sided defender/wingback, a striker, advanced midfielder to compliment Main (however a fit Tanner may be that solution) and a playmaker. The playmaker being the holy grail of football as they are the most sought after and hardest to recruit. If they pull any more gems out the bag for positions we consider already covered in Louis Moult/Marvin mould then will be delighted in 2020 when the cheque arrives.

A friend got his son a picture with a certain former player .... he will always have a special part of my manlove I thought only Tommy Coyne could own fully

Celtic will get another Ronnie Deila. Prior to the summer of 2016 Radio Scotland rightly pointed out 10 non OF teams won either cup in the previous 10 years. What we see now is a legacy of the Champions League cash disparity and glory hunters leaving Lanarkshire, Edinburgh , Ayrshire, Perth, Stirling, Dundee, Inverness and Aberdeen to bus it to Govan or Parkhead every second week. The one's in Lanarkshire no doubt calling up NLC screaming "Ma cooncil tax money is bein used for claret and amber buntin, disgustin!"