Gadgey

No, but its fair to say that Bury is an obvious low point in the boys career. Burys defence are an absolute car crash this season. Fresh start for the lad and I hope he excels.

Some good signings so far. Keep the updates coming Seasonal

Talking about McGhee, he was spotted sitting next to another former manager Alex McLeish at Charltons Tuesday night checkatrade cup tie at the valley. Its being reported that McLeish is heading up a consortium to take over ownership of Charlton with his mate former Rangers director Donald Muir as a key player. Understandably, Charlton fans are shitting themselves that McGhees connection may lead to his appointment as manager. Bizarrely, theyre up for McLeish taking charge....oh how little do they know. Also Charlton related, Connor Ripley was Burys best player today as they fell to their 8th straight defeat against the Addicks. As good as he is, theres nothing he can do for a team that has now gone 754 minutes without a goal.

I do find this forum entertaining. Are some people now saying Kipre is pish and that hes just another disasterous SR signings?

Agreed. Reading this thread, youd think we were only a day or so away from the window closing. As frustrating as it may be, there is plenty time and plenty yet to happen.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.stokesentinel.co.uk/sport/football/gavin-gunning-joins-forest-green-1012518.amp And in contrast, the basket case Gavin Gunning has another former club to add to his list. Gavin Gunning is set to face Port Vale on Saturday after signing for their League Two rivals Forest Green Rovers on a free transfer. Vale boss Neil Aspin is disappointed to lose Gunning, who was a regular in his Vale side before the defenders half-season contract ran out at the end of December. He was offered a deal by Vale but has instead accepted the terms offered by their League Two rivals.

I remember sitting with my dad in the Cooper for our one and only time and seeing a very young Stevie Hamill for the very first time. It was the auld yins last visit to Fir Park. Reminiscing about Cooper, he turned to me and said that blonde boy is quality. Imagine having him in the same team as Coop, he made a donkey like Boyd look like a player, imagine what he couldve done wi some real talent

A cracking debate. I cant help but sympathise with Ya Bezzers frustrations but I cant help but think that those frustrations are caused by external forces that clubs like Motherwell and countless others like them cannot change. The football industry (for want of a better dehumanising word) has changed. The Bosman ruling changed the whole landscape for clubs like us and of course we all know that that ruling was to give greater rights to the employee and not the employer. The result? Players earn proportionally more over their playing career than their predecessors and the ability of a club or manager to realise their ambitions of build a squad over several seasons has been almost entirely eradicated. The last time we did that was with wee Tommy. I remember us setting club records for the longest period without a goal, our first time to top the premier league and us getting relegated. Had it not been for external factors, the McLean era would have been set within an entirely different and less optimistic setting. Theres been a lot mentioned about different eras and its fair to say that the 90s were catastrophic for Scottish football. We saw an influx of European (often Dutch) journeymen whos wages forced managers to play them over youth on account of the inflated wages they were on. Those same inflated wages starved youth development at many key clubs. Dunfermline and Dundee were great examples of how this can go wrong. I for one feel far more comfortable with the present model as it generates income. For many years, our youth system didnt. Our current model is not dissimilar to many clubs around us or indeed to clubs ranging from the English Championship to the 5th tier of the English pyramid. Im a season ticket holder at league 1 side that is one of those fallen from the limelight. Regardless of league placement, this summer will be a great rebuild as it will be for the majority of the teams in that division. I do have faith also that our long term vision is to develop more home grown talent. As Andy P indicates, the proof will be in the pudding but Im happy that this is the vision. To prioritise playing youth in the first team now would be folly. The post admin team was mentioned. Yes, we managed to sell some players for some large sums.....but that team still got relegated!!!! Had it not been for external factors, the Buther era would have been set within an entirely different and less optimistic setting. The only other team I can recall that went all out for youth was hearts and what happened to that team? We certainly wont have the money to buy our way back like they did.

I also pay no heed to anything that comes out of Keith Jackson. Indeed, Ive often wondered how he has managed to get to where he has and sustain a living. Hes a lucky boy hes from central Scotland because hed be reporting for a local rag if he were from south of the border. How his opinions are entertained is a sad indictment of the quality of his audience and Scottish medias aparant willingness to indulge the ill educated and narrowly sighted amongst us. That was a fabulous press conference from Robinson. The way he defended Bowman by using factual logic will serve to galvanise his team only further but will do nothing to win any war with those of the Keith Jackson mindset. Unfortunately, the smear campaign has begun and the Scottish sports journalistic community are nothing more than a bunch of bullying wee boys tattle tailing who have been allowed to have considerably more power than they have earned.

Does anyone know when the announcement will be made regarding when the final will be? Will it definitely be the Sunday? I want to get travel plans sorted pronto

As physical as they were, there was a fair amount of talent in that Hearts team of the 80s. All the while we get dismissed as being nothing more than a bunch of hammer throwers by those who dont watch us much, wee Robbo will continue to perpetuate that myth with chat like that whilst quietly getting that team clicking and diligently going about its business.

Would winning the final heal that wound? How sweet would it be to end the unbeaten run whilst we're at it? Maybe I'm getting a wee bit carried away but a cup win that beats the top 3 which includes both sets of cavemen would be amongst our greatest ever achievements.

I didn't know him, but I'll have one for Iain RIP

Truly fuckin magical!!!!

They're the result of our problems in Scottish society

Well, cannae really disagree wi that!!

I hate the old firm and pretty much everything they represent, but when their success outside of our shores benefits us and Scottish football, why not encourage them?

I see Oldham have just appointed a successor to Robbo's successor. I know many believe his time there to be a car crash but all things in context. John Sheriden took over immediately from Robinson in January, but won only 10 of his 33 games in charge. A statement on the Oldham website said the board had "not seen the progression we hoped with what was felt to be the nucleus of a good squad". Was that the nucleus that Robbo put together? Robbo had to work under financial pressures at Oldham as he started pre-season with only seven contracted players due to the club being under a transfer embargo since November prior to his appointment. Robinson won seven, drew 11 and lost 15 of his 33 games in charge of Oldham. Comparing apples for apples, against an experienced manager like Sheriden (three terms in the Oldham hot seat), I think he was on a hiding to nothing and in context, didn't do that bad at all. What a difference when in a steadier place and with a board who believe in him.

That's a reasonable assessment. Given that the current team is better than say the past 2/3 seasons during one of which, we achieved top six, how much of an indication is that of an improvement in quality of the SPL overall?

Agreed..... Fully paid up member of the happy clappy club

Not upset with that in the slightest and no desire to cause upset to others. We all look at fixtures ahead of course we do. Some see hope some see despair. Personally, I like to choose hope. I have no reasoning for this other than I'm a glass is half full sort of guy. I have no football qualifications so don't sweat the small stuff. The club pay people with the appropriate skills to do that. I do however find it tiresome reading the same warnings week in week out. This is the second week in a row we have been reminded of our apparent failure to beat those above us. In truth, I'm well happy with being in that split between the two halves of the league. It's an obvious sign of progress. I do think though, that based upon the obvious spirit around the team at this moment, we fans have reason to be optimistic about the upcoming fixtures. I for one am confident that this current Motherwell team will not confine beating the big teams this season to just cup games. We may not finish in the top 6, we may not maintain this momentum but we will acquire some great memories from this season. And when those memorable moments come, it's really tiresome when the usual glass is half empty folk piss on those chips with their precautionary messages using stats that can be manipulated. Carpe diem !!!!

Talk about stating the obvious and hammering the shit out of it !!! Are you a health and safety inspector for your day job??? Here's a novel idea. Why don't we just enjoy this fabulous spell of supporting our team for what it is and let the management team who actually know about football do the worrying about the next round of games.

I am absolutely gutted that I won't be able to get to the game as I'm out the country. Had it been the Saturday, I could've flown up and back to London to fly out Sunday. WHEN we get to the final, it'll be a very different story. I've already booked the 27th November as annual leave to allow for the celebratory pimms.