dennyc

My understanding is that, to qualify for compensation, a contract has got to have been offered by the 'losing' club. Otherwise that Club is seen to be just releasing a player at contract end. Like happens to so many younger players. Otherwise every player that is let go under a certain age would entitle clubs to compensation. Basically to qualify for compensation you have to demonstrate that you wanted to keep a player. For that reason a contract offer has to be made before a player's existing contract expires. If you like you can check it all out by doing a search along the lines of ' Training and Solidarity Compensation payments in football'. Two different schemes. Details age requirements, cross border requirements and contract basis amongst lots of other detail . Pages of it though so a glass of wine (white) might help! Happy reading.

For Motherwell to have received compensation .....£350k.....from Sturm Graz, Johnston had to have rejected an offer from Motherwell before his contract expired. Otherwise no compensation due. Thems the rules. So he had a choice and opted to turn down our offer. The only real question is whether Motherwell could have persuaded him to extend earlier, perhaps when he returned from Cove? But lets be honest. He did ok on loan at QOS and Cove but it was only when he featured regularly in our first team that his performances took off. By then any team in Europe with a decent scouting system would be keeping an eye on him given his media coverage in Scotland as a possible young player of the year.. And no doubt quietly sounding out his Agent/Dad. IMHO, the Club could have done little more and I believe he had already made his mind up to go overseas well before his contract expired. If I recall correctly nobody was surprised that he moved to Austria. Rumours were rife well before he left. As WeeYin says, how on earth do you make a any player sign a new contract if they don't want to? And if you convince them to sign by offering daft money/length of contract then you could be stuck with someone who fails to make the grade or regresses. We have been caught out that way before and possibly even now. It's certainly an issue that Clubs with a limited budget have to manage. Also, in comparison to Johnston, Miller spent much more of his early years at Motherwell. Johnstone (I think) only joined us at age 12 and had no previous links to us. So perhaps LM felt a greater loyalty to us, received different advice from his father and so found it easier to extend.

The Forest/Napoli/Bologna transfer part seems genuine and now widely reported that Forest have upped their bid to Bologna for Ndoye. A replacement for Elanga who left for Newcastle.. Miller might be a fabricated add-on but the more the Forest thing pans out the more it lends authenticity to the story. We will find out soon I guess.

So be it. The rumour has spread to Italy though as I read it on an Italian rumours page. Time will tell.

Might not work out of course but the rumour in Italy is that the fee is £5m and that Lewis Ferguson highly recommended LM to Bologna. Talks are ongoing re the transfer of a winger called Ndoye from Bologna to Nottingham Forest for around £35m. The player involved wants to go to England and has agreed terms, but Napoli are also after him although offering less than Forest. Talk is that Bologna are using the two clubs interest to push up the price. Should be resolved soon, maybe even by tomorrow. Great move for LM and Motherwell if it comes off.

Seeded you don't get Celtic Rangers Aberdeen or Hearts/Hibs last 16 most seasons. Play down the value of seeding if you like but it does give you a better route to the QF. The last 16 draw is a totally different animal if you are seeded. And, looking to your example, St Mirren away is better than Celtic etc away. Getting through the group is the main thing so job done. But given the advantages the top league team is given throughout the group stage, being unseeded in the next round is an opportunity missed.

Congrats on the results. All that hard work paid off. 👏

Funny how not being seeded is disregarded when we are unlikely to be seeded. I get the point that any team can get a tough draw, seeded or unseeded. And with so few teams involved that possibility exists. But avoiding the the likes of Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, Hibs in the last 16 cannot be underplayed. Give me Ross County away or Falkirk or Ayr at Fir park any time over those options. Less chance of us blowing it against those teams than against any of the teams joining at the knock out stage. But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Tonight could go either way.

Even if we get 3 points I don't think that guarantees us being seeded. Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, Hibs, Dundee Utd plus 3 best group winners are seeded. There are still more than three teams that could end up with 12 points if my arithmetic is correct.....Alloa/Airdrie, Ayr, Thistle, Hearts, Killie and St Johnstone. Also Falkirk can get to 11 points and are well ahead of us on goal difference. So when we win we will just have to wait and see how it all works out. Unseeded and at home to Alloa would work.

I agree. And the more frustrated Stam got the deeper he got. No surprise given the lack of quality coming from out wide or through the middle. Often in space and looking for the ball, but ignored. Wilson is just terrified to make a mistake so plays backwards more often than not. I lost count of the number of times he had acres of space in front of him but chickened out. Confidence seems totally shot. Although willing, Sparrow just cannot be relied upon. Defensively both are weak so not sure why they start. The only cutback that created a worthwhile chance first half was sclaffed wide by Maswanhise. Pity it did not fall to Stam as that might have got him up and running. I'm guessing Maswanhise will delight and frustrate us in equal portions throughout the season. My first game this season and I was looking forward to the bright new world I've been reading about. But, even allowing for the weather and the pitch, I was underwhelmed. Facing a team two divisions below us, who were goalless and thumped in their previous game, and who had only brought in 40% of their matchday squad the day before, I expected more. Not miracles but more. Sure we had lots of the ball but what's the point if you go nowhere with it? Eventually resorting to long distance shots that are easily blocked or saved. And I get that it's early days and Askou is still experimenting with players coming to terms with what he expects of them. I thought many looked hesitant and more often than not took the easy option. With the result that we spent most of the game overplaying in midfield. And we got off the hook when their player made a complete hash of their chance to equalise late on from a throw in that seemed to bamboozle our defence. Positives? It's a better watch than SK delivered. We won and kept a clean sheet with what looked like a second choice back four. Balmer and SOD did ok although under little pressure. Stenny's big striker did make it uncomfortable at times but with little threat. SOD scoring...just. Connolly also coped well with everything he was asked to deal with. Of the new recruits, I thought Fadinger looked busy and keen to get involved, trying to move us forward. We missed him when he went off. The fans backed the team to the end and SOD appeared to have an abuse free match. On to Morton who will provide a much sterner test. Improvement needed if we are to progress from the group. Looking forward to see how we perform against a team that might actually set out to win a match. Imrie will certainly have them fired up for a game they have to win. Cannot see them playing for penalties as far to much of a lottery. Hopefully we get a decent turnout who get right behind the team.

Thanks. Looking at the web site quoting Larbert, 4 hours parking at Asda on Saturday (2pm to 6pm) costs £2

Thanks for this. Appreciated.

Gordon was poor in his latter games for St J and after a brief encouraging start with us he then reverted to little better than the rest. Positional and ball retention, trying to play out hardly inspiring. There has to be a player in there given his earlier St J performances and I think he found playing in a back three especially difficult. I have hopes that in a back four, concentrating on defensive duties, we will see the player we hoped we had signed. But he needs a partnership and I do not think Balmer is that player. So yes we need a CB that the Manager knows and trusts.

Oh for the days when the official MFC site kept fans properly informed. The lack of info regarding the development teams is really poor. I used to go to a fair few midweek youth games when Turnbull, Hastie, Scott and some other potential future stars were playing. For some reason they played a number of games at Kelty. And very entertaining they were. Craigen in charge for many of them. Almost every game Alan Burrows was there updating fans live...internet permitting....via the Club site. But then he was a fan. No reason that could not be done nowadays but there appears to be a lack of willing within the current set up. Too busy trying to win awards with their video output perhaps. Few fans have any clue as to the players in our youth set up. A start I suppose that they listed those recently awarded contracts> But will we ever hear if they actually play any games.

I agree every signing is a gamble. So all any Club can do is minimise the chances of failure. But I think in this case it was as close as you are going to get to guaranteeing success. I think there is no similarity in any way to the Hendry signing or the risk attached. With Biereth we signed a player who not only scored goals but was physically suited to the Scottish game.....as demonstrated in his first appearance (I think) when as a sub he bullied us into a home win over Hibs. I think that lack of physicality and determination is what Hendry was lacking, We did not discover those negatives until the deal was done. .So score one for lessening the risk factor re Biereth. He was suited to our game and had the correct mentality.. Arsenal were adamant Biereth was not for sale as he was viewed as one for their future. Just not right then. Spurs wanted shot of Hendry. Another plus point on the Biereth risk assessment. For once the hype of 'Even short term, we are fortunate to get a player of this calibre' was pretty accurate. Clearly when he did well for us and in Austria, the offer of a few million up front was something Arsenal saw as too good to miss given he still had no route into their first team. A big mistake by them as it turned out. No injury record of note or a rehabilitation/career rebuild in mind. Not a player looking to top up his pension. Like so many we have taken a much greater risk with. Now referred to as 'The Kettlewell Signing Policy'. Biereth was a Loan deal (sadly). Risk minimised. We had an out if it was a disaster. Unlike Henry who we signed on a permanent deal.......for £200k? So, in respect of signing a youngster whether permanently or on Loan, I think the Biereth deal was as guaranteed as any Club could hope for. We were fortunate to get him but it was not luck that it worked out as well as it did. Just all too brief a stay sadly.

Talking of history, did you look at his goals per match record in the U18 Premier League? 23 in 33 games......and 15 assists... in case you missed it. He was loaned out because he was far too good for that age level and his route into the first team was blocked by players who cost millions. If that is taking a risk then can we please find more risks of that kind.

I guess Miller chooses which he prefers. The deal being we allow to let him to go if we receive the release figure which we signed up to. So we would have little choice but to accept his decision. I am certain other players at other clubs have faced that very situation. No obligation on him to take the higher offer. Effectively in that situation the player has the power. What’s the option? We refuse to sell to the lower bidder, he digs in and stays until contract end? Joins the Club he wanted to anyway. Goes for a development fee? Thankfully not with us, but others have gone down that route. Sitting tight I mean. Say Celtic offer 5.5 but Napoli offer 4.5 with longer term and better wages. I assume, as fans, we would be supportive if he chose Italy. As long as we get the release figure which was agreed. But being a good guy he would take the Celtic deal to get us more cash? Or perhaps not. But as I said, all speculation. Miller and his Dad will decide and we’ll go along with whatever they choose. Hopefully he has a long list to choose from. Then we put the cheque in the Bank. At the end of the day that is what really matters to MFC. Much as we all want what is best for Lennon Miller money talks. Certainly when it runs into millions.

Apparently Celtic are about to get £16m for Kuhn having already raked in £4m following Frimpong's move to Liverpool. And some lesser amounts from other departures. So no surprise they are back in for Miller with an increased offer compared to January. But they will still want him on the cheap with a crap sell on clause. That's the transfer model they insist upon and usually get away with in Scotland. John McGinn being the exception and well played Hibs on that one. Following his Scotland appearances, the talk was that Miller and his advisers preferred a move overseas. Hopefully that is still the intention. SPECULATION ALERT! 🙁 What I find a bit concerning is the comment that Celtic are aware of the price Motherwell have set. Hopefully purely media talk as they do Celtic's bidding. But it makes me wonder if the Board agreed a release clause of £4.5m when Miller extended his contract? An amount that seemed a good figure back then. IF they did, then then we would have little option if Celtic offered the agreed amount AND Miller wanted to join them. Perhaps in the absence of an overseas/English team meeting or exceeding the release figure. At the end of the day Miller and his family will decide where he ends up. Motherwell will be delighted take the money from whoever offers it. That's the reality of the situation . Best we can hope for is that Celtic start a bidding war, with Miller opting to join whoever offers the most. I also hope he makes a choice that works out best for him long term. And I doubt that would be Celtic. He seems more ambitious than that.

I'm really not interested in how Twente played, good or bad, this season or last. And I could not care less about Falkirk or Edinburgh City. All of whom were, like us, playing their first game of the season. So all the same qualifications apply. What I am interested in is Motherwell and I expected more from them yesterday, even with all those valid comments about first game, new Manager, opposition, new tactics etc etc. And that's fair comment. Or am I and others not allowed to say we were disappointed in what we saw? Not overly concerned, but disappointed. Rightly or wrongly I expected more. The performance of our experienced defenders was poor and they looked far from comfortable at being asked to play out from the back, with Ward also struggling supporting as sweeper. Midfield and up front we looked ponderous, with little link up play. Lack of pace all over the pitch. Little threat up front. I challenge anyone who watched the game to say my assessment was wrong. . The youngsters that came on performed well, which also highlighted how off it the first choices were. But for me those youngsters were the only positive yesterday. Again that fact raises questions. And the budget available to the opposition is irrelevant. At times last season those same players performed well against opposition with far greater resources than us. Even when playing against superior opposition, I came away from some games feeling we had did ourselves justice., despite losing. Not yesterday. Will we improve? Most definitely. Am I saying we will struggle this season? No . Did I expect more from our established players? Yes. Will the new Manager be more aware now of the challenges he faces? Undoubtedly. The criticism posters are getting for raising valid points is nonsense.

You did say you had not seen any of the game. Given the playing out from the back pantomime I think the comments were pretty mooted and I wonder what you would have thought watching it. . And most folk did qualify it being first game etc etc. I guess folk just expected a bit more encouragement having been starved of proper football for a wee while..

I think the main thing we learned from tonight was the style our new Manager wants to play. The heat probably made that a hard ask. Hopefully he learned what we all already knew. This set of players do not have the ability to play out from the back and pace is an issue, both defensively and offensively. It was interesting watching Ward being asked to play outside his penalty area though. That did not work either and he looked a bag of nerves to me. Although that may have been down to the quality of back passes he got, mainly from Gordon. Is that really the guy that led St J to two trophies? For me the only positive was the performance of the youngsters. But let's not ask too much of them too soon. Early days but uninspiring. Possibly unfair but I did expect better. Hopefully by the time we finish the League Cup group games we have a lot more to get excited about.

In truth, although I much prefer grass, I am not 100% against artificial if it is good quality and maintained properly. In Falkirk’s defence they have just about the best non grass surface I have seen and it plays true. The real crime has been the authorities ignoring sub standard surfaces which are a danger to players and also ruin games. Killie, Livi and Accies as prime examples. If Livi have been told to upgrade then it’s not before time. Hopefully the criteria change will be enforced. Time will tell. Anyway, back to former employees, I still hope SK crashes and burns no matter what surface his new charges end up playing on. His bring in as many new players, including crocks, policy appears to be in full flow. I give him until Christmas.

We’re pleased to confirm that we’ll have a new artificial playing surface installed here at the Home of the Set Fare Arena ahead of the 2025/26 season. The club has been working hard behind the scenes over the last few weeks and months to put the planning in place and source the funds to make this possible. The new surface itself is the latest generation of MX Elite – a high-tech woven system offering the very best performance characteristics for professional football, the same currently used by a number of other sides at all levels of the SPFL. We’re hopeful that this will be completed and ready ahead of the Premier Sports Cup group stage matches starting in mid-July but should that change, we’ll update you all accordingly with any change of venue for those opening home ties. Our thanks to Sportex and for their assistance in getting to this stage and we look forward to starting the new season with a new surface in place. Seems a lot of expense to ditch it after one season. This cost will be part of the masterplan to cancel the requirement. And remember that Killie were meant to go grass this season, but opted out. And since season end there have already been meetings with the powers that be involving several 'plastic' clubs. Will the PL stand firm? Don't hold your breath.

Just checked. They will have a new ARTIFICIAL surface in place for season 25/26. So a switch to grass the following season seems even more unlikely given that news.

Oh I hope so. But then tarmac would be an upgrade. Maybe they are looking for a surface that suits their new silky football approach. Apparently we are about to be treated to a new LIvi.