Good post but we also need to be winning games and going a bit deeper into European competitions as do all the Scottish clubs to improve our coefficient etc, so that we don't need to start at Q2 in July against the Diddy teams.
Making the group stages would be massive for Motherwell but the way UEFA are operating its getting harder each year for smaller clubs to get there. Pandering to the big clubs greed for more money needs to stop, take The blue uglies as an example lose in champions league Q3 or get through and lose in the playoff round and you drop into the Europa league group stages its feckin nonsense, if your out you should be out of all tournaments.
Likewise for me, if I remember correctly Dortmund went all the way to the semi final that year and we had the best result of all the teams that played in the wesfalen stadium that year in the UEFA cup. IF rab Shannon ever plays again he still has a uefa ban to serve for getting sent off at Fir park
The sligo rovers official site is saying strictly no Motherwell fans allowed entry to any part of the ground other than the area they have sent MFC tickets for
https://www.sligorovers.com/motherwell-home-ticket-details/
if we pump them on Thursday, they might not sell out and let more away fans in but it's a big if, I've decided not to travel as no chance of getting 3 tickets. I would hate to be sitting drinking on our own in some empty sligo boozer watching it on TV as everybody else is at the game.
For me it will be one of 4 teams, Astana. Istanbul, Sparta Prague and Shkendija we will be playing as they should all get through Q2 and on paper the 1st 3 of them are much better than us, the Macedonian team are probably our best chance of progress from that 4.
There may be an upset in Q2 and the non seeded team gets through so we may get some luck there, whoever we get though it going to be a tough ask. Of course all assuming we get past Sligo.
A shite draw for me, guaranteed it will be the furthest away, most difficult to get to team we are drawn against ,I reckon we will be going back to Israel but as you say Kazakhstan would not surprise me,.
A similar level to Watt, ffs an alleged striker who has scored a total of 61 goals at club and international level in his 13 year career so far spread over 13 different clubs, only once reaching double figures in his 3 month purple patch with us then whored himself out to Dundee untd, scored 1 goal and disappeared into oblivion....aye OK then.
Just out of interest Watts stats show a goal every 4.9 games, Effords is currently 3.4 games from less than half of Watts appearances.
To be fair I think given he market we are in these days, nobody we sign gets people excited, that comes after we know how they turn out ie, Moult, Higdon, kipre, etc.