Fairhill

Game was live on Canadian television.Very encouraging compared to the Aberdeen game that was also on. Let's hope we can get a few more like this and stay up.

I saw him play a few times in the late 50s at Fir Park, and I can tell you he had no fear. But I can also tell you that it was a thrill to watch him, even when playing against us. In those days the best games were Motherwell v Hearts, and the crowds were always 2-3k higher than normal. But I can also say he wouldn't last five minutes in todays game, and it would not be 2 yellows but a straight red because he took no prisoners. That was the way the game was played back then before the wimps took over. Andy Paton never took prisoners either. Todays players are perhaps fitter than they were back then, but there were some great players back then that todays bunch of mamby pambys couldn't touch, and Dave Mackay was one of them.

We will need to get a few more points because if either St. MIrren or RC get a few we are done on goal difference. We've got the worst GD in the entire Scottish system and -61 to Celtic: that's just catastrophic. We haven't been able to score goals and we've not been able to stop them either, so the situation is desperate. Stop splitting hairs about whether we're the worst team or not, the point is that id either of the other two catch up on points we are done because of the GD. And either Hearts or Rangers will eat us alive. It's now up to the manager to get a team together that deserves to be in the Premiership.

It was made clear at the outset that Burrows was not getting the Dempsey position as she had overall responsibility. There is also no question that the ownership situation complicated matters, and more complication was added when the manager resigned. Ultimately through all of that the Board is responsible for the overall management and direction of the corporate club. So, if we are to assign blame, most of it surely has to lie there. However, I think most of us have felt the team was punching above its true level for the past few years, probably starting with Craig Brown, and we have made it into Europe one way or the other since then. McCall did a reasonable job with the same crew until this season, and you have to ask what happened. Seems to me the tank has finally started to empty and the energy just isn't there. Players are older, players have left, few exciting players have come in, and here we are getting the right results for the quality on the books. The entire responsibility is due to the model we have had of being a selling club, without due consideration to building a stable to keep that concept going, and that is down to the board, that in itself has not been clear on what its role is. Let's hope the ownership gets sorted out soon and Hutchison instills a real sense of managing all aspects of the business where roles and responsibilities are defined, and results are measured. I don't know what the schedule is for the due diligence that's going on, but I hope the plan moves forward quickly once it is completed. I feel for Flow, and I'm not sure many people would want to be in his shoes with all the abuse he's been getting.

I agree there have been examples of outsiders who have been disastrous, Rangers being a prime example, but if the club and the society weren't fully aware of that danger I'd be very surprised. I'm also not sure who approached who to start the talks, but I don't think LH is in this for any reason other than helping the team survive. I'm not aware that sports ownership is very high on his bucket list. My point is simply that Motherwell needs to be brought into financial stability, and the previous ownership failed to do that, other than during administration. The losses over the last couple of years have been in spite of the team playing beyond its skill level, so it is easy to wonder if a new approach might be needed going forward. There is now an opportunity to see a different approach. Given that the intent is still fan ownership, it might be best to let the new owner select new board members. I think the society should sit on the board, provided their nominees are qualified to practice football management more than just the lads in the stand. We've all been loyal supporters, some of us for a long time, but a professional team is fundamentally a business in which decisions have consequences, and ultimately it's the quality of those decisions that will determine whether or not the team survives. In the short time I think the new group, having put up the money, should have the freedom, as well as our respect and thanks, to mould MFC as they see fit. If they are wise they will seek opinions from others as I'm sure they already have. It will be interesting to see how the board unfolds. More importantly it will be interesting to see whether enough people start to show up for games to make this new investment worthwhile.

Are you for real??? It strikes me the more strings from someone who knows how to succeed, and who is prepared to step up, the better. Not to belittle the work done by the society, but it seems obvious the current business model is not working. I'd rather have an appointed board of people who have proven skills than an elected board of people who have gotten us into this situation in the first place. You can bet the new money will come with measurable conditions that are intended to see the club survive and prosper, and I hope one of those conditions relates to the number of supporters who attend home games once the performance on the field gets straightened out. I don't know much about our benefactor, but he does seem to know how to measure success, and that also implies he knows how to deal with failure as well. Regardless, the one thing that should be understood is that expectations will be different than they have been in the past.

Well done lads, enjoyed that!!

Live tv coverage in Canada today. So far only 0-1 but think it will get worse the way the lads are passing the ball to Celtic so far.

Either Flamenco or Santos!

I remember watching Sammy and Billy in the late 50s. Bobby Ancel created one of the best football teams in our history, half of whom were internationals. They were a pure football team, and some of the best games were against Hearts. But they also had a great record in friendly games against some of the world's best. I remember Ian St John scoring six in a 9-3 win against a great Brazilian team. The commentator said it was the best thing since sliced bread. Weir , McSeveny, Holton, Aitken, Martis, McCann, Reid, Hunter, St John, Quinn, Weir.

Really are worrying times, but the club is facing stark reality. No matter how well they have played in recent years the crowds have gone down, and now the team is struggling, so chances are that attendance will go down even more. Not having Rangers, Hearts, and Hibs is part of that, and I can't see us staying up if we have to play off against any of them, so next season could be even harsher. It's funny how just about every other team has strengthened from last year and we haven't, so is it any wonder we are where we are. Fact is we have been punching above our weight for a couple of seasons, and now we have been found out. We just don't have the depth. When Accies and ICT are top of the league at this stage and we are 2nd bottom, the chickens have come home to roost. The club is being badly mismanaged at all levels at the moment and I don't see that changing any time soon. Who in their right mind would want to buy the team? If the "supporters" don't show up when the team is doing well surely an investor would question what it would take to change that. The SPFL will be about Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, Hearts, and perhaps Hibs in two or three years, and then perhaps the revenues will increase somewhat, but if we are not in that league the game will be over. If you can get to a game in Glasgow or Edinburgh that has some atmosphere, why would new supporters come to Fir Park. My earliest memory of Motherwell is the cup in the early 50s, but those days are long gone, and the future is at best bleak. Unless some person is out there with no money concerns I'm afraid we really are in worrying times.

I'm thinking the manager has lost the plot. There is no comparison to last year, and I can't see it improving with the squad we have. Seems like we've fallen well below the rest of the league with summer signings.

I did indeed mean Jerry Jones, and I still think you should give him a call as you know some of these guys need the odd write off from time to time. Wasn't it a bunch of Texans that were buying into Dundee? Can you just see a Well friendly at the Cotton Bowl!!

I think you are right about the best alternative might be financial involvement from abroad. You might have a chat with Jessy Jones in Dallas since you're in his neck of the woods. See what you can do. Alternatively, you might try to have him send some of the Cowboy's cheerleaders on a three month foreign assignment to Fir Park. I'm sure that will take care of the dwindling attendance.

I'm afraid we've hit the wall!! No money, few good players, and apparently no plan. Perhaps McCall has done as much as he can, but I'm afraid it's much deeper than that, and I fear for the future. No SPL sponsor, and no Rangers, Hearts, or Hibs. Thankfully we're above St. M and Ross C, but that I'm afraid just masks the reality of the situation. Community ownership is not working and there are no white knights out there prepared to invest in teams like us. Oh dear, the sky is falling!!! What we need is for it all to come together and give somebody a good skelping. Right?

Thanks for all the comments. They all make sense, but they don't speak much to just how long we can survive with numbers like 5k. It says a lot about the manager that he's been able to keep the team as high when he can barely put a full team together on some weeks and still get results. About the game being on tv ( I actually watched it in Canada), how much money does that bring in? and how many supporters would that have covered?

Friend asked me why there were so few people at the Celtic game yesterday, and my answer was that the Motherwell area is not rolling in money. But I've been away for a few years and hadn't paid much attention. So let me ask it another way. With the team having done well for the last three or four years, and right in the thick of second/third place this year, why are there so few games that attract more than 5k? I understand the ICTs ad Ross Counties attendance, but for an SP team in the central belt playing an OF, how can the crowd be so low? It seems to me the squad is playing above anything that can be expected given the money coming in, but realistically how long can we expect this level of team to survive in the top league with the kind of money 4k can generate? Just askin'.

That was comprehensive. Two problems: Ruddy was just not in the game, but he sure has been a star throughout the season, and the lads just aren't physically strong enough. They were continuously shunted aside all game. Saunders was pretty good, but even he isn't strong enough. Apart from that the team has given us a great year. Thanks for that.

The lads did very well...except for that Rangers goal. That was an absolute disgrace, should have been a straight punt pure and simple. But we'll take the point. Remember it was 6-1 last time. Grampa Broon rules!

Think where we'd be if Gannon had kept the experienced guys on the park and not on the bench. Too many points lost in the first half as the other teams figured out the teens by the end of October. Grampa Broon for PM.

I've been a supporter for 60 years, and have always been nervous when we draw a lower league team. Was really concerned about yesterday after the magic on Saturday. I could see TB up there in Inverness rubbing his hands knowing we'd be ripe for the taking. To recocer I always bring out the dvd of the last big win, but the thing is getting pretty thin from being played almost 1000 times

There's a lot to be said in favour of better communications with the paying customer, but without strict perimeters the club's management could be consumed with answering all the questions we'd all personally have that it could easily detract fro their primary task of running the club successfully. In simple economic terms, with limited resources, the club needs to to focus on a few major priorities. Running a few focus groups, and selecting specific types of people could be more efficient than running an Q&A board on any topic an individual supported might have a thought about. When you read a wide range of comments on the various forums you can just imagine how much help many posters would be to serious matters when they can't even be civil to each other on minor issues. Boyle has put his money into the club and has appointed a management structure to get results, and the last thing I think he'd want is a free for all telling him how to run the show. Bit like the inmates running the clink. I'm really impressed with Leeann from what I've seen of her, and I applaud her intention to be closer to the supporters for many reasons, but I don't think she should abdicate her responsibilities to us. Heck, her inbox would be full after every game ans she'd have to wade through a lot of bad language from all the dossers who get online once they'e back from the pub. Of course it would likely be delegated to you know who, but what might make sense is a site that maybe took on two or three questions a week rather then create expectations among us that swamp and sink the boat.

Too bad, just hope the lads aren't gutted. At least they won't be getting an unwarranted bollocking at ht. Needs somebody to take hold of it. They deserve something for dominating first half like that

I remember Craig Brown when he was captain of Hamilton Academy, and since then he has been one thing, solid. Whether this is short or long term, nobody will give us more than he will. Stroke of genius this imho.