Desp

:lol: and there was me thinking I had a quiet weekend...

Firstly, anyone who ends a post with the words, "Rant over", I struggle to take seriously. Moving on, it is a complete and utter nonsense to suggest a particular referee is biased against Motherwell, or goes out and deliberately gives decisions against Motherwell, just because he can. You may feel he is a poor referee, and you're entitled to do so, but he's not out to get us. You've picked out four examples of bad refereeing over, what, a three year period? We can feel aggrieved over each decision, and he may well have got them all wrong, but deliberately biased against us? Do me a favour. You state "I know I will be shot down in flames for this" - rightly so.

Indeed. McMillan has done nothing to warrant being dropped, and Hammell has certainly done nothing to grant an immediate return to the first team. Very harsh on McMillan.

I wonder what the release clause is? I assume the agent wouldn't have agreed to an extended deal otherwise.

Joeboy likes this.

I think that's more about society in general, Sinjy, than on here in particular. For example, I find you're more likely to speak up/complain/write a review etc about a poor meal you've had, rather than a good or decent one. I think that's just the way people are in this part of the world. Onthefringes pretty much covers it in his post. The rise and rise of social media is the real cause for the online forums fading away. It's far easier for a fan to communicate after a game through Facebook or Twitter to 200 people (most of which, that person will know). With Twitter, especially, it has opened up so much that, if you're that way inclined, you can communicate directly with the players in question. I don't know what all of the players are like in that respect, but Louis Moult certainly runs with it and takes time out to get back to fans who reach out on Twitter. To many, that's a far better way of communicating about a game than having a discussion with some prick from the East Stand* that you've never met. * aimed at nobody in particular, there's one or two in that part of the stadium...

Unless that part in bold comes directly from Mark McGhee then it's simply your take on it. I certainly don't believe it to be blatant in any way, shape or form. As for the "we need a manager who has a bit more of a connection", do me a favour. Baraclough was on the pitch doing speeches and dishing out hugs to the fans. If that's the connection people want, I'm more than happy with the current guy in charge. Until the day comes when former club captain and club legend Stephen Craigan takes on the manager's job, before leading us to Scottish Cup glory, I can't think of any other manager better and more suited to the role as Motherwell manager.

Michael Higdon has announced his retirement from football. I think it was very much a case of signing for the right club at the right time, but he was a fantastic striker for Motherwell. He was lucky to play in a superb Motherwell side, but he still worked his arse off to overcome a sticky start and score a barrel load over two seasons. For him to look back and be able to say he was the best player in Scotland over a season, I'm sure he'll be very proud of that. My favourite Motherwell striker in the last 20 years, without a doubt.

Yea Brazilian, the club has a part to play in making sure they do all they can to keep the fans they have and where possible, attract new ones. I don't think it's a great secret the club have been poor at that in recent times. However, the point still stands that the decision to walk in or walk away from the football club, is made by the fan/consumer (call them what you like).

If posting bollocks like that makes you feel better about bailing out on going to Motherwell games, then fair play to you. There's no plan on or off the park? Well that's bullshit. There's every chance you don't agree or like the plans in place, but to suggest there isn't, is wrong. The plan off the park has been spoken of at length over the last 48 hours. On the park, it's clearly trying to profit from lower league English players along with promoting our youth players. What is, if anything is at all, going to ruin us is people throwing the toys out the pram and not turning up. That affects the club more than any "happy clappy" fan bumping their gums. All this "we'll never get those decent punters back". That's down to the punter himself. Nobody made that choice but the person in question.

Thank you, and goodnight.

If true, then you're 100% correct. It's not acceptable. However, where are these rumours coming from? I wouldn't think it would be too hard to verify whether he's at training everyday or not. Considering the number of "in the know, wink wink" brigade on here, I doubt it would be difficult for them to speak to someone at the club to confirm or deny this. If we fail to get positive results in the next two games, then McGhee should be nowhere near the Scotland set up or Wembley. His main focus should be on Motherwell F.C and he'll be the one carrying the responsibility of sorting it out. I'll be mightily pissed off if he does swan off on his other job, not because of what he done seven years ago, not because of what he says in press conferences, not because of his "ego", but because of his poor performance here and now.

This chat, by the way, says so much more about the fans in question, than it does about the manager of the football club.

It's probably a fair target to set. The top five in the Premiership this year were a given. The other seven, who I believe have very little between them, will fight it out for the last top six place, but at the same time, they'll also be fighting it out to avoid finishing 11th or 12th. I don't see a team who'll get detached at the bottom this season. That means I'm either correct in saying the seven teams are much of a muchness, or the stand out shit team is Motherwell, and I don't want to accept it...

As someone who has backed Mark McGhee throughout his time at Motherwell, I have to admit now that I'm worried. I can understand, to an extent, that a manager might not be fully aware of what his best XI is 10 games into the season. What I struggle to understand, and accept, is a manager seemingly not having a scooby how he wants his team to play, or what tactics he wants to use, 10 games into the season.. The transfer policy he's overseen also leaves him very open to criticism... Resigning Samson? Mistake. Why sign two average goalkeepers? Spend the budget on one very good one, with a kid backup. At the back, Tait & Heneghan look decent enough (but certainly not the greatest). McHugh is a very unfortunate case. Clay? Released from Grimsby, and I can see why. Lucas & Belic? Answers on a postcard please. If Bowman & Blyth were targets one and two for a new striker, I dread to think what the rest of the list looked like. McGhee has gone through bad spells at Fir Park before, but in three seasons at Motherwell, he's finished 3rd, 7th and 5th. That's good going. I've believed McGhee is the best man for the job, however, if Mark McGhee no longer believes that or is losing the desire to be Motherwell manager, then it's best if he moves on. Whatever it may be, it will have to come from the man himself, because he's certainly not getting punted by the men in charge at the football club. Our next three games are Ross County (h), Dundee (a) and Partick Thistle (h). Huge.

4-1 Motherwell. Our season starts here.

ONeils40Yarder absolutely nailed it in his post this morning, and it's almost as if he took the words out of my mouth. Superb summary. I've been very much behind McGhee, and I've defended him where I believe he should be defended, but after last night, it's very much 'you can't defend the indefensible'. Again, the line-up looked ok, but why have McLean and Cadden both out towards the right, with nobody on the left? Where is the pace in the team? Where are the technically good players? Where's the creativity? Pumping the ball up to Moult and Bowman was horrendously painful to watch. Bringing on a half fit James McFadden for 20 minutes every game is becoming more and more embarrassing by the week. I may be clutching at straws, but I remember a similar outcry after we lost to Kilmarnock in early February, before getting a rocket up our arse and going on a good winning run. I'm hopeful of a similar outcome now (although, that might put me alongside Yassin in the 'mental' category). Finally, the chat of "ahm no going back until X is away or Y is not playing" is fucking brutal. If you're packing in going to watch your team, be man enough to admit the real reason, rather than hiding behind that bollocks.

That's a great point. How many times do we hear the lazy excuse of "aye, but the quality of offer is poor." Compared to what? Certainly not the Scottish football on offer over the previous 25 years that I've been going. The rise and rise of the game down south, with four or five games on per weekend on the telly, has now given the 'easy out' to a number of potential Scottish football fans. Because of what they see on the TV, there's now no chance of tempting them to Fir Park for Motherwell v Kilmarnock/Ross County/Dundee because "it's no worth it" and "that's shite"

Price is certainly an issue and it's a subject that's been done to death. Unfortunately, it's not reducing any time soon. I started going as a kid in 1991 and I would think the home crowd has dropped slightly, but not too much. I don't have any figures to hand, just from what I've seen around about me over the years. Where crowds have dropped off a cliff, and where it hits the averages, is the away attendances. Now of course, you could take that right back to the pricing issue. I remember in the 90s that Hearts, Hibs, Aberdeen would all bring great crowds on a regular basis (3000-4000 on a good day). Even when you see old YouTube clips of us playing the likes of Kilmarnock, Partick, Falkirk, they'd bring 1500 or so. We probably get half of those attendances (if we're lucky) when those clubs visit. Nowadays, we'll have 3 out of 19 (over 15%) of our home games against Inverness & Ross County. No disrespect to those clubs, but that'll have a big effect on the overall average too. The prospect of having 8,000 or so home fans turning up every second weekend to Fir Park would be fantastic, but it's never going to happen. Simply because I don't believe they exist. As well as always striving to get more through the home gate, we should be doing something to appeal to the away crowd. What is it just now, £23? In a stand which is, at best, a 20 minute walk from the nearest pub and even further from the nearest train station. It certainly wouldn't be high up on my list of away days to stick in the planner if I was an away fan.

What kind of clubs do you think would take up Motherwell's offer, should they take on board your idea of loaning out the majority of the U20 squad? If it's to be to another country, to aid their development, who exactly would want an 18/19 year old, on loan from Motherwell, with very little, if any, first team experience at SPFL Premiership level?

Several? Capt_Oats named two young Scots who went to another country on a loan deal. Both Celtic players. One was in Norway for three months, before spending a season in the second tier in Scotland. Has had barely a sniff of first team football at his parent club since. Callum McGregor's loan could be considered a success, given his first team appearances in the last two years. Eoghan O'Connell is, unsurprsingly, Irish and you can count his first team appearances using your fingers. I have absolutely no idea what your "point" is regarding being mollycoddled by Mummy, considering nobody referred to that. One poster said "At least loaning a player in this country he can for the most part get up the road after training and commute from home."

Please let Tommy Coyne be there Please let Tommy Coyne be there Please let Tommy Coyne be there Please let Tommy Coyne be there Please let Tommy Coyne be there Please let Tommy Coyne be there Please let Tommy Coyne be there Please let Tommy Coyne be there Please let Tommy Coyne be there Please let Tommy Coyne be there...

There's nothing in that I can argue with Steelboy, they are all valid points, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. When Marvin Johnson was sold, can you remember the clamour on here, and other social media platform, to "get one or two in"? Those were Belic and Bowman, with Lucas following. Would we honestly be any worse off if none of them had come in? Probably not. I get that. MFC however, will have to take gambles a lot of the time. So there's always the chance a gamble will fail. Very interesting point you make about the likes of Fitzpatrick, Fagan, Forbes etc. Not one of them went on to anything better? Who's fault is that? The player for not being good enough? The club for putting them in too soon when they weren't ready. Perhaps there was no blame whatsoever, maybe the club just got more out of their ability than most thought possible. Again, it's a bit of a gamble. If we had the likes of Campbell, Thomas, Turnbull and Mackin in the team the last few games, and suffered 4-0 and 6-1 defeats (like Kilmarnock have just done) what would this place be like? Attendances is another conversation all together, but they'll continue to decrease gradually no matter what happens on the park, IMO. We are a selling club, as it every other club in the country. Whether we can do it with our own players, or having to bring them in from elsewhere, that's always going to be the "business plan".

Lee Lucas has played what, 90 minutes of first team football? The guys in the youth team in that position (Campbell, Turnbell) have played 0 minutes. So to suggest one is better than the other, at first team level, is pure guesswork on your part. FWIW, I struggle to see the point in the Lucas signing, as he doesn't appear to be a replacement for McHugh (if that's the reason he's signed). Clay, I think is coming on to a game. I take your point on fitness, but he's played 7 or 8 games this season. If he's still blowing out his arse after an hour six weeks down the line, then you'll have a valid point. No arguments from me on the McFadden front. I think it's farcical when we're bringing him on for 10-15 minute appearances when there's others in the squad who, IMO, deserve it or need it more. He's got a job as an assistant manager so he should focus on that. The Faddy love-in after a meaningless goal on Friday was bizarre. I don't believe for a minute there is some "Mark McGhee conspiracy" to refuse to play younger players. He's shown last season with Hall and Cadden that they will get a chance. I have no doubt he will do once again, once he and the management staff believe they are ready. I'm happy to trust their judgement on that, rather than a few punters on a messageboard. When they do get their chance, it's up to them to prove they're good enough, and mature enough, to take it. (See Hall and Cadden for examples, not Thomas or Watt).