texanwellfan

Fairly simple...........We are called supporters so lets SUPPORT. it's pretty easy to support when things are going well but guess what........ when things are not going well then that support is needed even more!! As some people have mentioned everyone has the right to voice their opinion but do they really think that hurling abuse ( wrranted or not ) at players is going to help???? So I think we are not so much stiffling free spech as much as we are making suggestions on how to better support the team when they need that extra bit of support. I can bet you all of the players know when they have been crap. All they can do is keep working at it day by day until their performance improves. So let's give them some encouragment through the tough times instead of behavingt like spoiled brats cause we are not winning games. What does it say about our performance as supporters??? C'mon the well.............. we will stil finish 3rd!!!

we will finish 3rd.

This is a good chance to extend the gap between us and the 5 teams right below us. I don't see any of those 5 teams picking up 3 points this coming week so if we can get a victory that gives us a wee bit more breathing space. Inverness have been a wee bit short on luck this season and I think if we can get a couple of goals in the first half their heads will go down.

THIRD is where we will be.

Looks Like mr McCall is talking a wee bit more positive about this one, which is nice to see.

what's the odds of Rangers loosing 3 in a row?? when was the last time that Rangers lost 3 league games in a row??

hope the sheep ( Can I type that or will i get lifted? ) can do us a wee turn on 28th and take 2 or 3 points off of Hearts, With St mirren V Dundee Utd, St Johnstone v Killie and Celtic V Rangers it could be a great end to the year...................... as long as we get 3 points from Dunfermline!! Although we got beat today, the St Mirren result makes a point last week seem not too shabby !

Yes indeed, I believe you have missed something. It would appear that you have completely missed that they are a bunch of f****n idiots dealing with this. However i think you really did know this but just forgot.

They can use some of the money they wil get for Humphrey, after all they sold St John and built the main stand. So they can sell Humphrey to pay for taking seats out and putting in crash barriers..........OK maybe not. It's a fair point you bring up .......... do they up the price of the standing area because that's the folks who want to stand or do they stick a pound on all prices so that it gets paid quicker and everyone foots the bill? I think Fatcalf's idea is ok that you just have designated areas where you can get up out of your seat and stand if you want and the only reason you need designated areas is so that punters who want to sit don't get pissed off when others are standing. However I am sure the authorities are not going to like that and will insist on safe standing areas. or alternatively they could agree with it but with the caviot that certain games will be deemed to be seating only. Lets face it, with the crowds we get for most of our games, there is no real danger. Although having suggested that i am sure they would make the old firm games seating only and then go ahead and not enforce it just like what happens now anyway. This is way more complicated than it needs to be but I think the simplest solution is the designated areas where you can stand if you want. Then no need for modifications to grounds or tinkering with prices.

I would leave it seated on 3 sides and just make the east stand all standing. Have no clue what the pricing structure is at the moment but I would keep it the same as it is and people pick the stand or sit option at whatever prices they are. I don't think anyone was pushing this to get lower entrance fees so why mess with the prices. And no whining about other sections and what they have or what they cost. The options are there so take your pick.

Just watched the hioghlights.........Thanks Yabba able to view then nae bother now........... Don't know what to make of Jenning for the incedent with goodwin. First of all the tackle on Jennings was wreckless and the ref should have called it. Lucky for Jennings he got out of the way. But then it was very stupid of him to just totally hack the St Mirren player down. Then all credit to him for not crumpling up and play acting by rolling in agony when Goodwin punched him in the stomache. Have to say though that it would have been very hard for the on field officials to see that and hence no red card is understandable. However, I beleive there should be some action taken based on the video evidence. We got out of jail free with the offside call when the ref was giving a penalty. I am not sure what the linesman saw but have to agree with lennon when he says it's not even close. just based on the highlights looks we had some better chances than they did but they certainly had their fair share of efforts on goal. All in all not a bad weekend, another game out of the way and only 1 out of 5 teams below us made ground on us and we play them next week. Just hope we can keep picking up the points and cross off those 5 challengers sooner rather than later.

This is soooooooooooooo scary how well we have done and what a great position we are in. if the team can hold it together through the end of December we will be in a position no one could have predicted at the start of the season. However I think that I would pick hearts as being the most likely challenger for 3rd place but with all their troubles they hae gone by the wayside by the end of December, especially if they don't beat us. if we can win tomorrow it should be a great day since, this weekend, there are 2 games that will benefit us regardless of how they end St Johnstone V Celtic Kilmarnock V Dundee Utd. Then next week if we can get a result at Tynecastle another couple of benefical fixtures St Mirren V Rangers Celtic v Kilmarnock Then Dec 28th we play Dunfermline with 3 more beneficial fixtures. Celtic v rangers St Johnstone V Kilmarnock ST Mirren V Dundee Utd. dec 28th

We know that in all probability our good away run must come to an end at some point. BUT the good news is, that same probability would suggest that our poor home form must come to en end at some point. Let's hope there is a good long overlap !!

Excellent reply Al !

or all over the top more like it!

I believe we need to target 2nd place finish. As mentioned, very unlikely, but if we don't then we may become complacement and hit a real downward spiral.

i am not sure how the entrance fee, as a percentage of weekly wgaes, has changed over the years but it seems hell of a price to go watch a football game now. Especially with the state of the economy. But on the business side I am not sure who is allowing the clubs to get into so much debt. How can a team like Hearts get into 15 million pounds of debt? How did they ever realistically expect to make enough to cover that??? and he wants to sell them for 30 million??? Rangers are apparently having financial issues too but you could perhaps envisage them having some sort of chance of making some decent money. Thankfully I think Motherwell have learned their lesson and it would benefit other teams to learn from our mistakes and not have to experience the same traumatic events.

The league is pretty much over before it starts it's just a matter of when it is officially confirmed. I totally agree with your send last paragraph but we know that will never happen. Anythign to try and level the playing field should hopefully help towards more parity and a more competitive league.

I am pretty sure no one , including me, is for introducing the "glam" from america into Scottish football and i am not sure what crazy initiatives are applied in the states. Their game is pretty much the same way as ours. 1 for a tie and 3 for a win althought they do have a play off sytem which I think is intended to make more of the games meaningful. I'll take the blame for the flawed points system. I modified a 10 point system that is flawless ( 'cause I like goals and hate 0-0 ties ) The 10 point system is a great idea used in the youth game in many countries. It stil preserves the order of magnitude of rewards for win tie and loss but rewards the same outcome with varying points depending on how many goals are scored. So if a team gets beat 4-3 at least they can take something from the game. win = 6 points ranges 8 to 10 points depending on score tie = 3 points ranges 4 to 7 points depending on score loss = 0 points ranges 0 to 3 points depending on score goal = 1 point for each goal scored up to 3 shut out = 1 point if you shut out the other team. You are right that we cannot change the audience but it would help if we could help attract some of them back. If not for financial reasons at least for improving the atmosphere and maybe enabling a reduction in the cost of admission. There are many people that like to watch football but for a variety of reasons don't go anymore. You mentioned some of those such as go back to standing areas, getting a grip on the stewards etc. Aside form the off field issues needing addressed i do believe we need to find ways to encourage attacking football and make the games more enjoyable to watch. There has been plenty of debate on here regarding winning Vs style of play. Most, if not all would prefer both. WI know we need to win in order to stay in the league or get into europe but it can be painful to say the least, watching some of those dire games where we do actually get 3 points. I am sure there are many games that were more enjoyable (as a spectacle ) when we did not win. eg 6-6 Vs hibs. So you score 6 goals, contribute to a great game but get the same 1 point as a team who "parked the bus" and subjected the crowd to a dire 0-0 tie and no enjoyment whatsoever. Your observations about the german game are very interesting so perhaps the SFA or SPL or whoever could learn someting from the Germans. They have the same pissy weather as we do in Scotland so it would appear that someting can be done without the need for summer football. Anyway, C'mon the Well!!!

I think we are due to put in a blinder at fir park soemtime soon so why not this weekend? The win against St Johnstone and the manner in which it was achieved will have instilled some more confidence..............Motherwell by at least 3.

............Do you really believe this: "if games are entertaining then fans will come back." ?................. Yes, i think there is a better chance of them coming back that way than if it is not entertaining. Entertaining, meaning more goals not all the hoopla that surrounds the american sports. I am certainly not for making everyone sing the national anthem at each game and definately not for the whole " a word from our sponsors" approach. Not sure if you sang or put your hand on your heart but I know I have never done that over here altohugh I have no problem with the Americans doing that. I put forward some suggestions ( as stated initially, radical ) that are actually changes. Would they be for the better? I think so. Would they ever get close to being implemented. No. Football is not just a sport anymore it is a business. A declining business. In order to halt the decline I think it's worth looking at other businesses, sports and countries and to learn form their experiences and not be afraid to implement changes to make the business successful. From what I can tell there have been no major changes to halt the decline other than some tinkering with number of teams in the division. However I will say that it does seem like motherwell are trying to do some things differently in order to make Motherwell FC be a successful business but Scottish football has to do that as a whole entity. ..............Oh, and I didn't travel back for the Cup Final and I didn't even see the match on TV as none of the channels were showing it in Shanghai; not even where the Sellic Fan Club drink. What exactly is your point regarding Cup Finals....... No point regarding finals. Merely a comment agreeing with earlier post that I have been in america too long but regardless of how long I have been away I am proud to be a motherwell supporter and proud to tell people how much my club means to me so much so that I have travelled back from here twice just to see a football game. Literally that is what I done this year. Left here on a Thursday and was back in Texas Sunday night.

thanks for the info Numpty. If they can keep this up I am sure they can set some new records for Motherwell. Sounds like us wining 5 in a row away from home is a first? Our away record is just stunning. Seems like we are playing as a team and considering the amount of moaning I have read on here still a lot of room for improvement..............now that's scary when we are sitting 3rd in the table with some breathing room. Can't fault Mr McCall's early season statement about the main focus being on our results against teams outside of the old firm....................But damn! wouldn't that be icing on the cake to beat one or both of the ugly sisters!!!!

12 ahead with a game in hand but I get your point. In fact I just said a similar thing to the wife........... 12 points ahead of Dundee utd and a game in hand, when did that ever happen before?

So how was the team performance? great result and nice to see murphy get a couple. Who knew a "downward spiral" could be so enjoyable!

i've never looked at the league table so much in my puff. Makes great viewing. Be interesting to see what people can find to whine about this week.