dennyc

Nah, Bob Malcolm

There was also a through pass that split the centre backs and just eluded two players bursting in behind. Given time those attackers will know what he is capable of and react a split second earlier and so make the most of his vision.

Hilarious last night at end of game. Guy in front of me on stairs was carrying his seat and handed it into the Director's box on way out. From what I saw it was held in place by one giant screw which had come loose. Maybe we should all try that. Never got a chance to ask him what the reaction was.

And this shows me you haven't got a clue what I'm saying. I thought I was very clear but my bad if not. Where did I say we should have a squad of 13? Where did I say anyone not up to Turnbull etc standard should be shipped out? Where did I say anyone not first team ready should be moved on? Where did I say players should not be given time to reach a standard? What I did say, and I'll repeat it in the hope you get it, is that we should always be looking to upgrade where possible, from within or by recruitment. And that applies across the board, the entire squad which at last count was way more than 13. As for Wilson, I haven't counted the number of games he has had. But if your figure of 100 is correct then the progress he has made in that time is disappointing. In truth he was a better player when he first broke through. In my opinion he has regressed but you are entitled to disagree as you clearly do.

My view is we should upgrade all areas when the chance presents itself, first choice or bench. If that means the likes of Wilson lose out then so be it. But only if we can do better. Maybe Wilson will prove to be a late developer but given the chances he has had here and elsewhere I have my doubts. How long do we wait before trying someone new? Preferably from within as you say but if no-one presents themselves then look elsewhere. Someone who is less of a quality drop from the regular first choice. Someone who will push the player ahead of him to maintain his performance level. Someone who convinces us he can eventually perform at a high level. Ross is at the stage Wilson was around a year or two ago. Failing to convince that he will prove good enough to ever command a first team place. Possibly has earned a wee bit longer but needs to prove he can contribute more when given the chance. We have stuck with players in similar situations in the past (possibly for financial reasons) and inevitably it does not work out. It's a tough and ruthless approach but we cannot retain players just because they are good guys who came through the Academy and give their all....... if their ability does not support our progression. As a comparison, Whyte has shown much more in his loan spell at Stenny and his limited first team minutes with us than either of the two under discussion. It seems likely he will grab his opportunity when it comes. Miller, Turnbull and Johnston from within as earlier examples. Priestman more recently from without. So no Whyte upgrade and it meets the preference for giving youth a chance. I suppose it boils down to the quality of player I believe we should commit to long term and how long we should give a player to prove he has that quality. As for Maswanhise and McGinn I take your point regarding their early careers.. But from a Motherwell point of view they delivered and contributed almost immediately. So it's not a like for like comparison. I should add 'when given the chance', because Maswanhise was hardly flavour off the month under Kettlewell. And It's not an age thing. If a player is not good enough we should move on....21 or 31 it makes no difference.

I agree to a degree but to my way of thinking you look at each position, starter and back up, and look to upgrade where possible. From youth teams (ours and elsewhere) if possible for those back ups.. That way you achieve a constant uplift in quality on the pitch and on the bench.. And more likliehood that those bench players will elevate to first team regulars. Regards Wilson, he has been with us for a good number of years and after a very promising start has shown little to no progress. Despite loan placements to address whatever deficiencies our coaches identified. So how long do we wait before looking to upgrade? Ditto Luca Ross I guess. And if we hold on too long, are we effectively missing out on others that might improve us? Not saying it's easy or that some decisions are painful to make but eventually it will be to the benefit of all concerned to part ways. Cue Wilson scoring the winner on Thursday.

I hear what you say about not wishing to absolve the Club, but mentioning UEFA in mitigation kind of does that. That's the first excuse Brian came up with. UEFA may have been the driver, but it was not UEFA who chose a dangerous and ill thought out solution. Plenty of other teams will have had to modify seating to meet higher standards.....some we will both have visited.....but they did so without the shambles we are now faced with. Someone at the Club got this badly wrong and the Board need to accept that fact and rectify matters before it becomes an even bigger issue. ie. Someone gets injured. Not saying anyone should be sacked. Just that a solution needs to be found. The top tier of the away Stand could possibly be used to temporarily accommodate displaced home fans as improvements are made on a staged basis. Say, 250 or 500 at a time. Maybe not ideal having to move but I think folk would understand. Plenty of home games where a tier of that Stand lies empty. Looking at our fixtures, if and when we get past HJK, Oct 10 v Celtic is the first time the full Stand is certain to be full of away fans. Is that a window that could be utilised ? Even if Freiburg could fill the stand that would only delay matters a week.

On this occasion the Club are ignoring fan feedback and hiding behind Uefa considerations. And the Society are also noticeably silent. In short, MFC made an arse of this and nobody is willing to admit it. The odd person may have received a reply to letters of complaint, but many people putting a reasonable case have not. No way can these seats be considered safe but it appears that only when someone is badly hurt will anybody in authority take notice. Not a good look. Given how well things have gone on the pitch it speaks volumes that seating is the hottest topic in town. I guess many who sit elsewhere will think folk are exaggerating how poor the situation is. But I assure them it is as bad as reported. I really do question whether any of the decision makers have even tested the seats. In fact, on Thursday I offer any one of the Board members...Cub or Society.... (that includes you Brian and Kirk) who sit on those nice comfy seats directly behind me to swap seats for the match. I won't hold my breath though.

I thought the game were set to postpone was the one in the middle of the Freiburg games? Only to apply if we made it to the final play off round.

Cheers. Still recovering from Easter Road so forgot that.

KO on BBC listed as 5PM?

Tactically it looks like AJ plans to start two on the left side who can support each other in pushing forward, with Longelo and Williams the pairing that best fits that set up. Despite the promise of his early career, Wilson has not progressed either offensively or defensively. He should be moved on. That's the same Wilson who struggled to get a game in the Championship last season and who clearly still cannot last a full 90 minutes. If the sale of our major assets continues (contrary to what we were promised) and Longelo does ship out, then we would be relying on Wilson to slot in unless we bring in a direct Longelo replacement. Hardly ideal as we need to finalise our first choice starting eleven sooner rather than later.

Good point. Certainly looks like we are in sell now where we can mode despite earlier Board assurances to the contrary. And given our left back stock it would not surprise me in the slightest if Longelo goes in this window.

Anderlecht signing Antman from Rangers for £4.5m might mean they drop their interest in Maswanhise. He might end up being the one to stay a bit longer. His Agent will be gutted.

Setting aside how uncomfortable and cramped the seats are, the health and safety implications are a major issue.. Seriously, until you have actually been in the seat and attempted to let someone limbo past as the rear of the seat collapses under you, it is difficult to appreciate how much of a mistake they have made....no matter how many good intentions came into play. Heaven forbid, but the thought of needing a quick Stand evacuation is frightening. And that is a factor the issuing of a Safety Licence must take intro account. I've been to most grounds in Scotland and I'm struggling to come with one that is worse than what we have been landed with. Next time you are back home I'll happily let you try it out.