Andy_P

Doh, typo on my part. Was ofcourse 18th May. No forgetting that date!!

Not an 19th May 1991 style anniversary date in terms of winning something but for me one worth reminiscing about nonetheless, so a little self-indulging looking back through misty eyes to follow.... Motherwell 1 Rangers 0 - and MFC go top of the Premier League for the first time that I can recollect in my lifetime. How novel and exciting to be back home after the game and see Sandy Gall on News at Ten read out the scores and show the table with 'Well at the top. Super Tuesday some called it in the aftermath with folk even having t-shirts done of the match report and table in the following day's Sun. It was a significant result as it confirmed for sure that we were really on the right track. Wee Tam had been building towards what would eventually be the Cup win and Europe and this was a sign that we weren't a million miles away. In truth the momentum had been building from about a year earlier when after going to something like November before getting our first win of the season (can you imagine if this place were around then? ) we had a storming end to the season with wins over both the Old Firm, pumping St Mirren 4-0 and ending well clear of Accies who went down. To the media though and their level of interest we had done no more than avoid relegation so this was all put down to the arrival of Davie Cooper inspiring us to unseen heights. There was more than a hint of truth in that to be fair. He had the belief and confidence, and no small measure of skill and ability, to take us to another level and drag the likes of Tom Boyd and Dougie Arnott kicking and screaming with him as they benefited from his presence in the team. Good times!!

Thoughts and votes please folks...

I think Brown has already revealed his outlook in the post-match comments yesterday about us possibly being more suited to playing away from home and in a strange way that sometimes manifests itself in how we play at home too. It may be he thinks its a gamble worth taking that we are more likely to score if the opposition have committed men forward than trying to break down packed defences a la Aberdeen last week. Could be he's trying to take one step back to take two steps forward with how he approaches home games, or at least in segments of home games. I read it, rightly or wrongly, that he's fairly confident about us defensively and isn't overly fussed about inviting pressure on the defence in the knowledge that we do on occasion have the potential to break at speed. I send the old man text updates and even going back to the European games, never mind the SPL games, I remember texting him at both the Breidablik and Aalesund games that we seemed to be set up to inviting pressure on us and playing on the break. I think it certainly has a place in our armoury, but its a risky strategy and there's a time and a place for it.

Perhaps a bit tired and overused now but I'll always associate the FHW stuff with some good, fun and memorable times. welltrustfc.net was at the peak of its powers as a community, the club had risen from the administration troubles and we had the League Cup Semi Final coming up against the Jambos and Haggis seemed to encapsulate the mood of many with his amusing FHW tag-line at the time. The sight of dozens of folk wandering about around Easter Road that night with FHW facepainted on their mugs with the Jambos not having a scooby what it was all about made it all the more novel at the time. As I say perhaps much overdone now, some years later, but it'll always remind me of that fine night and a happy era supporting the Dossers.

I wonder if perhaps its because there's a friendship between him and Broon. I seem to remember him being very complimentary when we beat them at Tynecastle towards the end of last season as well and Brown has regularly used the JJ the Jambo line in pre and post game interviews. Whatever Jefferies could have little complaints today, our second half display in particular was outstanding. The result was brilliant in itself but it was heartening after recent debates about the style of play we've used, to see them produce some stuff that was really easy on the eye. The goals were wonderfully crafted with the Hump heavily inolved in both (I notice Tartan Copper hasn't posted yet - has he exploded with excitement after the Hump's display ) but throughout the team there were lots of positive displays. Though he didn't get on the scoresheet there was lots of trickery and devilment from Murphy too, Sutty was back to his best and some right solid defending at the back. Now to build on it and keep going in a similar vein!!

Thoughts and votes please....

If you are there early enough further along the street where the away buses park is possibly an option if you are familiar with that. There are a couple of streets off that, where I've seen people park. One I think goes up into a railway yard. Not sure about one that but my old man parked in the wee industrial estate opposite it in the Scottish Cup game.

Topic title amended, kill two birds with one stone and all that. Slightly pessimistic about this one, I must confess. Would be delighted to return to the shire undefeated, though I hope that won't be the summit of our ambitions tomorrow. On the positive, I can't remember who was in charge when we were up there last Christmas but even though we lost we certainly gave them a game and were comfortable victors in the last two matches. Has Brown got the measure of them? Not quite sure how the team will look though would reckon for the most part it'll be along familiar lines. Would expect Jennings and Murphy to return and Hammell also if it. There's a couple of positions though that remain up for debate for me with a couple of possibilities I'm thinking right-back, central and left midfield and up front. Would be happy enough with a point.

I'm not convinced that Gow ever was played as a lone frontman last night. As I saw it both he and Blackman were played as a front two, albeit a front two that never quite clicked as a partnership on the night. I think thisGRAEME summed up Gow's display perfectly. When the ball was routinely played in the air to him he didn't look impressive at all but the one shot I remember him having he had forced a decent save from Nelson and he looked much more at ease with the ball at his feet. Still early days yet but first impressions are that we either play him wide left and look for him to be more of a creator if we're going to play him as a striker then hit and hope punts up the park have to be kept to a minimum. We got our goals at important times and stood tall when the need arose in and around our box when it counted. A goal for them could have made it very awkward indeed mind you. You always want to win and do it with some style but set against some of the League Cup results we've had in the last 20 years, last night's result is more than acceptable. And aye, the soup was the business!!

Thoughts and votes please...

Don't want to get to into a debate about who we want in the next round when this tie's still to be won but Inverness? No thanks! Part of the attraction of Brechin (albeit tempered slightly since we played them pre-season) is that it isn't a team you face every year. Given that we had ICT in both competitions last year and will have a minimum of three games against in the league this year I'll happily pass on them, ta.

Looking forward to this one too. Enjoyed the trip to Brechin in pre-season and something similar scorewise would do nicely. Brechin shouldn't be underestimated ofcourse but it should provide Brown with the opportunity to give Gow a full game and the likes of Forbes and perhaps Page some further game time, whilst still ensuring safe passage in the Quarters. I think Brown has shown (Paisley and Killie spring to mind) in the past that he's willing to gamble on selection with a view to keeping players fresh when there's an arguably bigger game on the horizon and with Tynecastle coming up on Saturday I get a feeling this could another. Motherwell by a couple be that 2-0 or 3-1. Is just got the five subbies for this tourney, or have they upped it to seven?

I think its a wee bit rich slating someone else about being a broken record TC when you yourself seem to struggle to make a post without feeling the need to emphasise Humphrey's positives. I don't see much slagging of the youngsters to be fair and across various threads I've seen question marks raised about the performances of at least half a dozen of the team, no Humphrey isn't being singled out. Plentyof opinions contrary to yours certainly but they seem reasoned enough to me. Perhaps its you who needs to consider that others don't quite rate Humph as highly as you do. My own view is that I hope when Gow is fully fit in a way it'll take a bit of pressure off him in that at times it seems to be the primary tactic to get the ball to him and hope that he can put in a telling cross. It's all the more noticeable and frustrating on days like yesterday its clearly not his day. If Gow can add some more creativity to the team then hopefully take some of the burden off him.

Thoughts and votes please....

Does make you wonder when you consider that there were 'Well sides of some repute in the sixties and in spells in the 70's and think of the fantastic tales of both Dundee sides getting to European Cup Semi Finals, Dunfermline getting to the Semi's of the Cup Winners Cup and Killie giving German sides four goals of a start and still pumping them. And yet we never got a sniff of the fun? We were fortunate we got the Euro gig last season through the Fair Play route but we didn't set the rules for that and remember too that there have been plenty teams who got to play in the UEFA Cup or Cup Winners Cup before we only got there because they happened to be fortunate enough to play one of the Old Firm in the Cup Final. So in short we got in by the rules that others set so I don't feel guilty about that one in the slightest. But that apart we've been in the top flight now for about a quarter of a century and have had several great sides during that time so no surprise that we've made it a few times now during that period. In a selfish way I'm a wee glad we made it when we did as it has allowed me to savour supporting MFC in Europe and hopefully it'll continue to be a regular feature going forward.

Thoughts and votes please folks....

Bully fan in the work mentioned this to me today as well. He reckoned it was Monday night and when they've had bounce games in the past they've usually been at Broadwood where they've apparently been fairly comfortable with folk watching. Said if he finds out more over the weekend he's going to let me know.

You could argue in a sense that particularly opportunity came and went with Berti Vogts. Given that with each passing tournament that we fail to qualify for, the lower down the rankings we'll fall, the harder the draws will likely be making it even more difficult qualify. We really, really need to qualify pretty soon for something before we get to that tipping point where it becomes nigh on impossible and you are relying on some freakish golden generation coming through all the at the same time. You might argue we are already there!!

Whose fans have had a fair bit to say about it, well about Gow anyway.... >> Clicky

I suspect most teams of our standing will have similar grievances about the lack of call-ups over the years. Whether those grievances are justified or not are up for debate. I think back to that period in the early-mid nineties when we had a good two to two-and-a-half years of sustained really good football and the closest we got to Motherwell players establishing themselves in national were Martin, McKinnon and Lambert. But between them they gained little more than a handful of caps whilst at Fir Park and some of them were in friendlies. It makes you wonder if they couldn't break through then when our reputation as a team was probably at its peak for however many number of years then will things ever change? I think down the years though for me what is equally if not more annoying than perceived Scotland class players at Motherwell being overlooked, or taking an age to finally get a call-up is when the one month wonder at the Old Firm gets a call up. Guys like Mark Burchill for example who have a couple of good months in Celtic shirt and are fast-tracked into the team. Like Stephen Crainey who ironically having rebuilt his career somewhat and now finds himself in the English Premier League hasn't warranted a mention yet a good couple of months breaking into the Celtic side was enough to get him caps. More recently its not so long John Fleck was being touted for the national team and bypassing the Scotland U21's altogether after hardly reaching double figures in appearances with Rangers. At the moment I think Reynolds might feel deserving of a shout. Sweden or the Czech Republic friendlies were his time though, with all the call-offs and the luxury to experiment rather than must win qualifiers.

Exchange deal for the 3 youngsters going to Cliftonhill?

Stop digging Daza.

And on both of those counts, thank fuck St Mirren are out!!

Sorry to hear that. Had dealings with him when the Exiles Club was on the go and he was always helpful where possible. Believe he also gave a few our members tours of Fir Park at various stages also which was well received and appreciated. RIP Russell