Andy_P

Also recollect that one fatcalf though for slightly different reasons. Would have been about 11 I think and had gone with my old man and grampa. The worse the scoreline got the more I whinged to get away and the more annoyed my grampa got. He was very much of the mindset that you support your team whatever the circumstances and that leaving early was seriously frowned upon. If you happen to be getting pumped 6-1 then tough you just have to be man enough to lump it and see if through to the end. Eventually he gave in to my greetin' before full-time but he didn't let met forget it for ages afterwards and the values he held soon become ingrained. I couldn't claim that I've never left before full-time but you could probably count the times on one hand in the 25 years following that night at Easter Road.

Bet they probably sit in the Norrie McCathie stand too.....

santheman's third video from Saturday... ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30r6H6WFMKE

Thoughts and votes on another fine 'Well win please....

Heard of Clancy obviously, couldn't put a face to the name, tell you what position he played or whether he's any good or not. So will wait and see with an open mind what he can contribute.

See I was actually going to post that but then something came into my head that it might have been after a similar pumping to Inverness he came away with that. So many to choose from that year sadly.......

Am I right in thinking this is our first return here since that horrible, horrible Monday night under Malpas? Your thoughts on a tricky but winnable trip to the kingdom of Fife?

Exactly what you would hope for in a game like this. A comfortable win, clean sheet, some confidence gleaned for some and a nice introduction to first team life for a few youngsters. Clyde looked up for it early on and whilst they were comfortable enough for him they were forcing the odd save here and there from Hollis. In contrast we looked a little disjointed with some disjointed passes and some wayward shooting. As soon as got the goal though you felt it was game over. Great to see Higdon get off the mark and just as pleasing that we managed to score from a corner, given how many we've had this season. Nicky Law's goal was a cracking individual effort and really put it to bed. Like Higdon fingers crossed that's just the start for him too. The second half was complete domination and given their keeper had two or three good saves and we came close on a couple of other occasions it could really have been six or seven easily enough. Two further fine finishes from Hateley and Lawless to round it off nice and neat at four. A good night's work by all concerned!

Thoughts and votes please folks....

Think it was Andrew Weston of Wishae Press fame who tweeted last night that Murphy was a doubt because of a knock. Took it from that he wouldn't likely feature. Worrying if there's more to any possible absence than just a knock.

A couple of seasons earlier he was top scorer (or one of the top scorers) in Scotland as part of a partnership with Gordon Durie at Hibs. Fair to say one went up the way the other down. Cowan as I remember came midway through 87'88 season or thereabouts and got a smattering of goals that did indeed help keep us up. There was one game in particular where we played Dunfermline, who were off the back of a 6-0 win the previous week and were really putting us under pressure near the foot of the table. They raced into a 2-0 lead at Fir Park before Cowan scored twice I think in the second half as we rallied to win 3-2. The following weekend we beat one of the other strugglers Morton, 1-0 and that was us pretty much home and dry after that. Think there was even some kind of Stevie Cowan Appreciation Society formed in his honour after it! But that was really as good as it got for him. McLean brought in Dave McCabe to replace him, although hat didn't work out and by the end of the following season Stevie Bryce and Dougie Arnott were emerging ahead of him too, Next season again he spent some time on loan at Albion Rovers and then moved permanently to Portadown across the Irish Sea where he did well as I recall. He returned sometime later trying to punt insurance to 'Well fans through a sponsorship deal with Edenvale something or other as well.

I'm not quite sure whether I think this is a good thing or not, particularly when one of McCall's selling points were apparently his knowledge of the English market. Does it suggest that the fact that former players are happy to work under him for a second or in Nick Law's case, a third time that he must have a demeanour and style about him that players appreciate? Or looking at it less positively, does it hint that there's a lack of a network of contacts and that he is going for a safer option of players he has managed before? When we signed Nicky Law for example I think I would rather have heard that he was a definite target that McCall had identified and secured rather than stemming from a chance meeting on holiday. Ofcourse in the end its academic whoever they are, wherever they've come from and how they've got here means little. The key factor is can they actually do a job for us.

St Johnstone last season before the Grampa express went north?

Dazzer I actually think you are doing the guy more harm than good on here. Rather than turning people around to sharing your opinion of Humphrey you are just turning people off him. If the guy is going to win people over its going to be through what he does on the park, not by you leaping to his defence any time someone fails to show the same unstinting belief you have in him.

Going some way off topic here but when they do sing that I'm sometimes taken back to my school days where I'd go with my Airdrie supporting mate to see them when MFC weren't playing. Complete bams the Airdrie lot may well have been but they had some amusing ditties in their songbook at the time among them 'God Save McQueen' in tribute to everyone's future favourite stuttering wooden SSN panelist.

The Bully fan in here fears that we will destroy them with pace down their wings. Though I didn't get names he mentioned there's a 37 year old down one side and someone playing out of their preferred position on the other. Going back to our team selection I suppose its worth remembering that although a few of our younger players are light in appearances for us some of them have a few appearances behind them at Clyde's current level. Page had six months at Stirling Albion in Division Two for example, Lawless the full season in Division Three, Halsman a few months in both Divisions Two and Three and Gary Smith a spell with Dumbarton in Division Two also. So whilst there's always an element of the unknown when introducing youngsters into the team so the players listed won't be unfamiliar with what they are likely to face if selected.

But how we do know that was part of his team-talk or if it was the level of importance it was given? Unless anyone has been privy to that team-talk I think we can only speculate. If we are going on what he's said pre-match let's remember the remark wasn't made in isolation he also talked of us playing at our best and getting some luck too. Again I can only speculate but I'd reckon that given how we were set up to try to take the game to Rangers, albeit it ended up leaving us exposed at times, that he would have been emphasising the potential of our own players abilities to capitalise on the circumstances surrounding Rangers currently. Terry Butcher gets a mention in the thread but don't forget he regularly stood accused of the same things McCall has been today in talking up Rangers before we played them. Don't get me wrong I personally think McCall got it wrong tactically against Rangers but I don't think he was telling any lies in his three pronged view of what is needed to beat Rangers. I just that we need to remember that it was a three pronged view and be open to the suggestion that the key element of his tactical planning wasn't just hoping for an off day or for good luck as appears to being pounced upon by some.

We're going to lose a couple of bodies as I think we go down to five subbies in the League Cup but in reality it'll be the same group of players we choose from for normal league games we'll be looking to, so not a huge amount of rotation available to us. That said there are one or two changes I'd make and some I'd not. I'd keep Higdon in on Wednesday in the hope that he can break his duck and get a little confidence booster but might play McHugh alongside him and have Murph on the bench to start. Humphrey I'd replace with Lawless but again have him on the bench if the need arose. Beyond that there are a couple of other options. Personally I don't know if I'd be as bold as putting in both Carswell and Forbes for both Lasley and Jennings but I think perhaps one might get a chance. And in defence I suppose there might be scope for Johnny Page coming in at centre-half and giving Craggs or Hutch a breather. Whatever team is picked I would expect us to win, but we line up and how easy or difficult it will be remains to be seen. Incidently on the seating front the Bully fan at work told me on Friday he believes that despite previous suggestions, it isn't quite 100% that we'll be in the stand opposite the Main Stand, that it might yet only be the Main Stand that is open. He says the stand behind the goals doesn't have a safety certificate and the West Stand requires some work done on seating before it can be used. Anything else he passes on I'll post.

Another let-down sadly. Perhaps 3-0 isn't a true reflection of the game but it ended up being very comfortable for Rangers. I thought we were pretty decent in the first half and were unlucky to go in behind far less than by two goals. Our old achilles heel came back to haunt us with their opener but there was no disputing the quality of monkey-boy's finish for the second. In between that ofcourse came Murphy's disallowed goal which came after a good sustained spell of Motherwell pressure. Couldn't see anything at the time through the ruck of players other than the ball going in the net. Immediately after in the confusion there were conflicting reports flying around that it had been handball but was by a Rangers player and handball but wasn't actually a handball. Having had a look at it on TV now it does seem to have struck Murphy's arms but it seems very harsh. He seems not even to have been aware that it hit his arm far less having made any attempt to control it with his arm. It's all the more frustrating given we didn't the earlier appeal for something very similar, though granted Thomson's positioning was the best for that one. The second half was unfortunately pretty flat. The Brazilian sent me a HT text saying unless we got an early goal they would just sit back and pick us off and so it eventually proved, even if it took until five minutes to go for them to do it. As ever with any defeat things that might get be passed over when you win, get greater scrutiny so I expect to read questions asked about the decision to retain Humphrey over Forbes and once more the lack of movement on the bench when it was clear some players were done. I'm pleased we have, what should be a winnable game during the week, before we go into what will be a very testing match next weekend in Dunfermline.

Moving swiftly on, the Bully await in the League Cup. Would you go wholesale changes and give the guys who have been stuck on the bench a run? Stick with the recognised eleven to hopefully see them back to winning ways before Dunfermline? Or have a mixture of both? Over to you.....

Your thoughts and votes please....

Wee bit of a cheeky reply perhaps when I'm sure Busta's only looking at it from the view that you wanted to get to the game and as several folk have suggested you appear to be entitled in getting to the game. If you had put the part in bold in your original post folk would have understood, sympathised and likely left it at that. Instead you gave the impression that you felt you were miffed at missing out and people have only been taking your side and pointing out that its no fault of yours and you should still be able to go. Anyway to get back on topic - mon the 'Well!!!!

Still to come when Faddy re-signs for Motherwell, scores a hat-trick in a comfortable win over Rangers and MJC's brain explodes.....

Half-times at Fir Park for me are all about texting a wee half-time update to my old man and any mates who haven't made it along. If there's time and the signal allows after that I'll maybe have a coupon check on the phone too. But aye, the CC Challenge wasn't bad against Hearts and I found myself glancing up from the phone and watching. I think as long we don't return to the days of having some 'Well stalwart reduced to pulling a 50/50 ticket winner out a poly bag or having Old Firm shirts as raffle prizes then whether they continue with the CC challenge, have mini-games, crossbar challenge, 10 second challenge or whatever I'm not too fussed.

It was quite amusing watching their smattering of stewards attempt to enforce the "sit in seat number on your ticket policy". (without wanting to open up that particular old chestnut of a debate). Particularly the wifey at the exit/entrance closest to the turnstiles who was going about it with great vigour to the point that she had marched all the way along the front of the stand completely oblivious to the fact the three folk she believed she was escorting had long since chucked following her and elected to find seats more to their liking themselves.