Shallow Dave

I guess you may have missed Motherwell's fifth and Murphy's third last week? Only joking and definately off to bed now.... SD

I'm one of the few who has seen all four Europa League games in person. Fraser has looked uncomfortable in every game. I admit that a number of players looked uncomfortable in the first leg against Llanelli. Rather than bringing on the likes of Lasley and McHugh last week, I would have liked to have seen the Pole come on for the last 30 minutes or so. I'm not the kind of person who will describe any professional as 'pish'. (Well maybe, Derek Townsley, come to think of it). Everyone is entitled to their opinion, of course. However, I would be very very nervous if Fraser ends up as the prominent 'keeper this season unless he improves dramatically. He might be a good shot-stopper. What I'm hearing about Ruddy is that he commands his six yard box particularly well. Time for bed, I think..... SD

I agree. Watching from an unfamilair South Stand, I felt that had Nancy needed to step up a gear, it would have been easy for them to do so. Unlike Dortmund, where I felt we competed up until the sending off, Nancy, as I recollect, really was men against boys for the whole match. I do, however, believe we can progress in this tie and this is probably the best time to play Steaua. Someone before mentioned the heat and I also believe decent pitches could help us. Much that I've been impressed with Gannon's start (excepting his first game), I am not 100% confident that the 17 to 21 year olds can perform similarly in the winter mud. SD

I can add 'WELL WORTH THE WAIT- The Story of Motherwell's Epic Cup Triumph again by John Swinburne ISBN 1 85158 447 1 £6.99 at the time; guess the year......only joking. SD

I was at the Tirana versus Stabaek game the night before Vlore and it was 300 Leke which I calculated to be £1.96 at the time. I've just checked on www.xe.com and it looks like the rate has shifted a bit as it is almost exactly £2.00. SD

Who's the player? My guess is Ange Oueifio? SD

More memories from Sounds of the Suburbs: When Peel sampled his deep-fried Mars Bar he was asked how he liked it on camera. His answer: "not unpleasant". How diplomatic was that? Being a Liverpool fan, Peel also visited the village of Glenbuck, the birthplace of Bill Shankly, except that all he found was a few remains of where the village once stood plus a Shankly memorial plaque. Some Peel randomness from the past: Within a few months I saw the great man in person. The first time was the night that Man United won the Champions League in 1999 when Peel was compering a delgados gig at the Art School and the second was the following year when he did the same at Chemikal Undergound's 5th Birthday Party at the Garage. On both times, he came across as normal- an ordinary guy who just happened to be particularly passionate about a couple of things- music and football. John Peel- legend.

All, May I add my thanks to the Flamurtari fans; both those who travelled to Airdrie and all those who we met in Vlore. I also took in the SK Tirana vs Stabaek match the night before the first leg and wearing a white Motherwell away top, the guy next to me wished my team luck for the Thursday and he was also very knowledgable about our club. Yes, this is what football should be about. Not winding fans from other teams up; though the behaviour of the OF and the Scottish media does tempt me at times..... Decorator was spot on: the 10 in Vlore had a blast. I truly hope the 50 or so Flamurtari fans still enjoyed themselves despite the scoreline at Airdrie. Big Tache's comments also sensible and relevant. I also wish Flamurtari all the best. SD

All, Let me add my views as part of the 'Albo 10': First, thanks to the other 9 travellers and all the Vlore locals for making it such an eventful event. It's astonishing to find yourself in a situation where the players outnumber the fans. Next, I think everyone above has managed to put the correct perspective on the situation. However, I would to add my opinion. I was disapointed with the timing of the advice for fans not to travel. On the day of the draw, I consulted the Foreign & Commonwealth Travel website, which I normally do in advance of travelling abroad. The message was that whilst road infrastructure was in places poor, Tirana and the Adriatic coast were safe. Consequently, I booked flights using airmiles and had we not progressed, I would have still travelled and supported the Welsh. After all, it wasn't such a long time ago that Albania was the least accessible European country. Maybe tempting fate, however a club statement shortly after the draw, or indeed a joint one issued with Llanelli, would have been more appropriate. 20-20 hindsight, perhaps? In any case, those of us who did travel were rewarded with the type of hospitality last witnessed in the UK several generations ago. Finally, I stayed behind in Albania until the Sunday and I managed to catch Jim being interviewed post-match on TV. Whilst he stopped short of criticising the club, he did state that he would have preferred more fans to have travelled. Anyway, that's off my chest now and my first post completed.