EastStandWellFan

I remember you suggesting Keegan after Malpas got the bullet - at the time I agreed with you (even though I wasn't sure you were being serious!). Keegan would be a good motivator and he would no doubt attract players because of who he is -his sides never win anything but they were always great to watch. I would love it if we get him. Love it Stuart.

“It’s not really a set-back per se; it just means we’re now back on schedule as opposed to being a few days ahead. We’ll extenuate the positives though.." Official Site Wouldn't it be better to accentuate the positives Stuart.

No it hasn't - the BBC has reported that the SPL has paid the money to the clubs from their own funds. Incidentally, ITV will not get involved with the SPL. There is a possibility that stv may be interested as they attempt to get more Scottish content onto the channel, but I don't believe that they would be able to come up with the sort of money the SPL will be looking for. They might be interested in more of a package of selected live games. Sky or ESPN (buying up Setanta) are the most likely options. Stuart.

May 27 2008 McGhee turned down Hearts on 26 May as Al B says. So he did have plenty of time to get us prepared for the new season, but my view is that the improved contract terms which both he and Leitch secured were more of an obstacle to preparation as whatever funds were available for new players were diverted to the management team Stuart.

What do Torvill and Dean skate on ? Oh yes.........Ice Rink. Stuart.

Game of the season: The away leg in Nancy - I know we let ourselves down on the field but for 90 minutes we graced an away ground in the UEFA Cup and we ended it with the belief we would turn it around at Fir Park. Goal of the season: John Sutton at Ibrox or Paul Quinn against Celtic (simply because it got it right up the great unwashed). Player of the season: David Clarkson. Curiously I thought Keith Lasley started the season really well but he drifted out of the team which disappointed me. Best moment: Being in Nancy - the shining beacon in a disappointing season. Worst Moment: Being joint bottom of the SPL at Christmas - not long after we had been 3rd at the end of the first round of matches. Suprise of the year: Not all surprises are good, right ? So I'm going to say some of McGhee's team selections were the surprise for me - particularly the home cup tie against St Mirren. Worst player of the year: Don't really think we had anyone who could be described as "worst" - there were a number of disappointments such as Stephen Hughes and Jamie Murphy, and a few "invisibles" like Darren Smith. Bob Malcolm virtually disappeared after featuring early on but I'd rate him as the worst mistake rather than worst player. Young player of the year: I'll go with Jim O'Brien. Overall: 5/10. By MFC standards this would have been a decent season, but after the success of last year we totally failed to build on the momentum and we seemed to suffer from a number of self-inflicted wounds (bizarre team selections being the biggest) and failed to take advantage of the opportunities which came our way. Stuart.

18 years on - wow. It does feel like yesterday. Easily the best day of my MFC supporting life - edging out the trip to Nancy. Oddly I actually enjoyed the day of the 2005 CIS Cup Final (until 3.05pm) as there was less stress going into it - approaching the 1991 Final I was terrified we would lose, and after the heroics of getting there (especially the replay against Celtic) I would have been inconsolable had we lost. Have always said that one game captured everything being a Motherwell fan is all about - the lowest of lows (when Jackson equalised in injury time) and the highest of highs (going ahead, going 3-1 up, and then Kirky scoring the winner in extra time). Awesome day. Stuart.

...in much the same way that a Top 6 finish was in our hands.......... As much as I hope we get this place, this stinks of double-standards and hypocrisy. A place in Europe because you didn't get too many yellow/red cards - most of which are at the whim of a referee. Say we missed out - you could point to any number of bookings which you felt were unfair - or harsh red cards. I would never bite the hand that feeds but I would much rather we were sitting here discussing another potential European trip as a result of finishing 3rd/4th in the SPL. And I know Man Utd won the Champions League in 1999 despite not having won the Premiership the year before but I just feel that getting into Europe for reasons that have nothing to do with results is a bit hollow. That said though - rules are rules if we get the place then I hope we make a better fist of it than last year. Stuart.

Cheers Flow Fingers crossed this process is less of a stresser than the Nancy debacle!! Stuart.

Is there any indication when season tickets will go on sale ? The closing date for the discount is May 31st - the last game of the season is May 23rd. I don't recall season tickets ever having gone on sale while the current season is still being played so that would only allow a week to take advantage of the discount, and without wishing to appear cynical we all know how well the club cope with ticketing under pressure. Stuart.

You're absolutely spot on Busta. As Well Fans we all are entitled to be gutted that we missed out on the top 6, sickened by the performance on Saturday and have the right to question some of McGhee's quite baffling team selections and formations in crucial games but as always seems to be the case the over-reaction is ridiculous. I remember posting on here about the expectations of a number of fans after we had beaten Celtic on the final day in 2005. The following season (Terry's last) and the season after that (I have erased the name of the manager from my memory) were disappointing but to look at how some people reacted you would have thought that we had won the SPL in 2005, when in all honesty that match only meant 3 points to us. I'm bitterly disappointed in how this season has gone - we all set out with great hopes and expectations, from finishing third and playing some sizzling football last season we all harboured ambitions of closing the gap on the OF and looked forward to our European adventure this year. Sadly, not only has this season fallen way short of those expectations it has fallen way short of last year. The best thing is that having been bottom of the table at Christmas we turned things around to the extent that the top 6 was achievable at all - relegation looked more likely at the turn of the year. The one thing I will take from this season was the totally brilliant trip to Nancy - if I never see Motherwell play in Europe again I will forever treasure the memories of those two days. It managed to make up for the shambolic ticketing process before we got there - which in itself took some doing - but so much of that trip is still as vivid today as it was back in September. We are, after all, the Motherwell FC. And I wouldn't want us to be anything else. Stuart.

I'm not Grumpy - if anything I'm sickened by a display on Saturday, which sadly was precisely what I expected - and I get no pleasure in saying that. And did I say anything about "engraved name plates" ? You cannot disagree with what I said - the stickers were amateurish, and in my opinion un-necessary. Season ticket holders are all in the ground in possession of a ticket which states their seat number. Also in the ground are stewards whose job it is to...........oh forget that. Shot my own argument to hell didn't I Stuart.

Despite the fun we all had with them (!), the stickers were totally amateurish. What I did find interesting was that it looked as if the Cooper Stand is less than 50% season ticket occupied. Stuart.

Could be - I remember it was midweek and was live on BBC (so must have been a cup game) as I watched the incident back on the tape when I got in from the ground. Stuart.

Must be getting two games mixed up then. Match I'm thinking about was definitely McCurry in charge. You get to my age and all matches seem the same ! Stuart.

Right off the top of my head, CIS Q/F vs Rangers at FP a couple of years ago - we're 2-1 down and pushing to take the game to extra time. Stonewall penalty for us - McCurry actually starts to award the penalty and then waves play on. No controversy ?? Stuart.

Sort of missing my point. I didn't say anything about wishing we were already out if it. I was making the point that any points Hibs are picking up at the moment are not good for us. Makes our job harder. Had they lost last night then a draw might have been enough for us against St Mirren - because they drew we HAVE to win. There is no margin for error. Stuart.

Am I the only one who thinks that was a bad result for us last night ? It puts Hibs a point ahead of us with a superior goal difference, so we have to beat St Mirren on Saturday and hope that Hibs do not beat Rangers. If we lose or draw then the game's a bogey. As Well_Jaggy points out we have a dreadful record against St Mirren - even worse in big matches we have to win against them - two Scottish Cup games in recent seasons plus the "relegation decider" two seasons ago. That point Hibs picked up last night was not good for us at all - especially as we cannot have faith in producing a win when we need it - not exactly been able to when it came to the crunch earlier in the season. We'll look back on this season and realise our poor start coupled with too much focus on Nancy and then a complete collapse after that has meant that the almost miraculous recovery after Christmas was not enough - though had we beaten Kilmarnock and Aberdeen these past few weeks we would have nothing to worry about. I hope to god I'm wrong - but St Mirren at home live on TV in a match we have to win - not been a successful combination for us. Stuart.

Looking at the official site, the front page has the usual feature ahead of a home game about the lastest edition of "Steelmen". Interesting that the accompanying photo shows a Well fan reading the Phil tribute programme which was produced by Hearts for the cup game in January 2008 at Tynecastle !! Looks like the pic was taken there too ! Deliberate mistake ? I claim my £5. Stuart.

Without question the greatest player I have had the pleasure to watch grace MFC. The man oozed quality and class at all times and his 100% commitment to us was brilliant. Without him and his influence we would not have won the Scottish Cup in 1991. I have many fond memories of Coop - a game against Celtic where he took Mike Galloway to the cleaners stands out along with the legendary (if urban legendary !!!) comment to John Philliben after a couple of wayward passes....."For $%^$ sake Softy, we're in yellow!". May he rest in peace. Stuart.

Agree with you up to a point - Porter wanted back to England (although he wasn't shouting it from the rooftops - he conducted himself with dignity) and we stood to get nothing for him if he went in the summer. Having said that he IS a huge loss to our team and Sheridan is not the answer..yet. Sutton should have started last night - just as he should have started the first game after scoring two goals at Inverurie. Is there something about Sutton's non-inclusion we don't know about ?? Stuart.

Were my eyes playing up or did some of the players have Phil's signature embroidered into the back of their jerseys, above their names ? Looked like Hughes, Clarkson and Craigan definitely did - not so Klimpl or Sheridan. Apologies if I missed it on another thread. Stuart.

Have to say the blame for this is squarely on McGhee's shoulders for his baffling team selection in the first game at Fir Park. Gutted. Stuart.

We will have a player sent off. Dougie McDonald is referee - he has sent off 12 Motherwell players in 35 matches he has refereed. Be afraid, be very afraid. Stuart.

It won't have escaped your notice that the roadsworks at the bottom of Shields Road are causing chaos but it's worth pointing out the effect this is going to have on car parking tomorrow. Those of us who park in Grange Road (beside the church or DSS building) or in Jack Street are in for a shock - it looks as if Grange Road is currently being used by residents on the "other side" of the road closure to allow them easy access to Motherwell and avoid the need to go up towards Wishaw. This means Grange Road will not have many, if any, spaces. Also, I don't think you can get into Jack Street from Shields Road - although I could be wrong as I have not gone down that way since the works started on Monday. Just thought it worth mentioning so you can plan accordingly if this affects you. Stuart.