weeyin

Until the new deal with Sky or ESPN is confirmed in July. If it's not confirmed then almost every other club will be in the same boat, so it will still be a level playing field as we compete for new players. (I know - that was a hell of a mixed metaphor with boats on playing fields )

Exactly. It's always to an agent's advantage to keep his players unsettled.

Whether it's Boothroyd or not, it's good to see JB managed to pull another quality name out the hat that nobody in the press had mentioned.

You need to keep up, mate. Top notch new boss to be appointed early next week.

My Watford supporting mate thinks Boothroyd is a great manager. As for Nijholt, do we even know if he was interviewed? Plenty of newspapers linking him to the job, of course, but that doesn't mean anything. Of the 4 mentioned, I'd take Boothroyd or Gannon. If the report is accurate, it's a pretty decent shortlist.

That's easy. The players' agents advise them against any long term commitment.

That's my fear. I can hear some knives being sharpened already.

I just hope the fans give the new manager time.

Our last manager found Porter. I'd give the new man a chance to see who he digs up. Meantime, put your feet up and relax; you're worrying far too much about hypotheticals.

Or you may just be taking a contrary opinion for the sake of an argument, as I'm sure you are capable of seeing the difference in quality between a top 5 EPL club and a Chamionship side.

I'm sure Cardiff, for example, pay similar and have a much better chance of getting into the EPL. All I'm saying is don't jump at the first concrete offer as I'm sure more will be on the way. While money is important, Clarky is still a youngster and should be thinking about his footballing future. With that in mind, joining a team that is in the ascendancy makes the most sense. I just don't see Bristol as that team.

With a new manager coming in, now is probably a good time to sell a few players. That way, he will be able to shape a squad in his own style. I won't be close to panicking until we need to win our last game of the season to survive. Until then, I'm quite happy to give the new gaffer time to build a new Motherwell team. In fact, I'm actually looking forward to see how the whole situation develops.

That's fine - just make a clean break to a club that is likely to be on the up.

You must be new here

He'll still score a barrow load in the Championship, however, as the defences in that league are mince.

If you are running a book on that, I'll take a piece of the action on us not being relegated.

You can be a football manager or be sane; I doubt you can be both.

If he signs for Bristol, then he is being badly advised. They are going nowhere. If it's true that Cardiff are still in the mix, then that would be a much better option.

We could have no players signed and I guarantee we'd still get 20 decent managers applying for the position.

You shouldn't be afraid - the Welsh rugby crowd I have mixed with are a great mob to have a beer with. Rugby in Wales, however, is a working man's game traditionally played by 8ft coal miners with no teeth. Not some poncey game for public school boys. If you are stupid enough to start a fight, however, there will be only one winner.

Sell Quinn. Keep Saunders. Profit.

Is the tie going to be shown on MFC TV? I bought a new HD monitor this time last year just in case this ever got off the ground (widescreen, in case Malcolm got a game).

Thanks to the transfer window, players tend to hold out until it's nearly closed before they make a final decison; just in case they miss out on a good offer. So, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but even when we do get a new manager on board, don't expect to see a load of new faces being signed up a few days later. It will take time.

I'm just looking at the European games as a more interesting set of pre-season friendlies.

Ach, it's just a game. Enjoy the build up, have a beer, and join in the fun. It doesn't matter if we're kicking around the First Division or chasing down 3rd place in the SPL, it's always a laugh.