Malky79

Not very good would be my guess.

In Cummins defence he was hampered by injuries last season. Already it seems he has had a knock that fortunately he seems to have recovered from given he played on saturday but he is for me one of those players on the cusp. Saw enough solid performances not to want to write him off, but saw a few torrid ones that absolutely raises questions. If he is fit again I'd be happy to see him given a chance if needed but for his own sake he is at an age he needs to be playing games so if McCall doesn't fancy him probably needs to look to move on if he can.

Bit of an aside but my recollection of those games was that we kept possession really quite well but lacked the cutting edge to score and generally suffered on the counter.

I'll wait and see what the team is come next week and I'll be quite relaxed about it in the meantime. If we bring in some loans or any other signings I'll be quite pleased but if we start with what we have so be it. If a couple of players are out I'll be interested to see which young players get a chance and you never know they might well do a turn. If not I'm sure our first choice players will be back soon enough. Of course we could do with a bit more depth, it would be nice if we had raked in some extra cash from Europe but we didn't so get over it and move on. That is life, once something is done it's done and bemoaning the difficulties we face isn't going to change a thing. If you reckon you know what we can do to improve matters then do something, if not chill out and hope things don't turn out like your worst predictions, which they usually don't.

Some of the biggest greeting faced pessimists live here. So a few players have some knocks and miss a friendly and it is meltdown time. Ffs get a new hobby you clearly canny handle supporting a fitba team!

I have to hold my hands up and admit I've only seen highlights thus far. Just because you have 4 competant individual defenders doesn't always equate to a solid back line but they should with a few games together get better, add in some protection from players in front and eh a reasonably safe pair of hands behind them and they should be able to do the job. I'd suggest the latter two criteria might be the bigger issue.

I'd be happy to give the Reid, Ramsden, McManus, Hammell back four time to gel. I thought Ramsden was looking really good at full back last season but with money being tight he seems a decent enough ball playing defender to complement McManus who for me needs to really start showing a bit more. Experienced player but not yet to long in the tooth he has all the attributes and should be organising that back 4. Hammell has plenty experience and Reid has done little wrong since coming in. Leaving Kerr, Cummins and Angol all with a bit of first team experience as cover. All of them would give me a little bit of the fear if we had to rely on them for to long but despite some poor performances they all have some decent ones under their belts as well. Believe Cummins picked up an injury so a bit of a risk if we don't bring anyone in unless some of the U20's are showing real promise. Far more important is that we bring in another creative and/or pacy forward. I like Sutton and given chances he'll get goals but we seem to reliant on Law who is still very much unproven and Ainsworth who struggles to complete 90 minutes to create for us. Vigurs has shown some better stuff in the second half of last season but he as much as anyone would benefit from someone else more mobile moving defenders about ahead of him. We certainly not short in midfield, Vigurs, Lasley, Carswell, Lawson(still alive?), Law and Leitch and possibly Thomas whose legend grows despite lack of any serious action yet but certainly hope to see Leitch build on some promising showings last season and Thomas get a chance.

Just bought this for kindle, get started on it tonight.

In short aye. What people want to see is a team that wins games, closely followed by being a team that is decent to watch. On the whole we've succeeded in both those areas for several seasons. Who cares if we bring though youngsters and sell one or two for a couple of million if we're mostly mediocre and the money gained doesn't enable us to take some massive leap forward. We've hardly had a bad team since Malpas left, provided we do enough to stay fiancially viable I'm pretty happy with this. Of course would love to see us bring through more young players and flog them for a fortune to ensure a stronger future and I'm sure if we had any real superstars in the making we'd pull out all the stops to get them to sign long term but we got Hutchison and Randolph on three year deals and couldn't attract much in way of bids for them. Decent length contracts on quality younger players doesn't automatically mean we can start counting the money.

4th place and a Cup Final. After Stjarnan and Rovers last season expectation is so low in the cups just now I reckon we'll out of nowhere get a decent run at last. We will of course lose the Cup Final as we'll collectively shite ourselves in the final.

It is frustrating seeing proessional players sclaff shots badly. We all reckon we could do better. How often do we see pros unable to do simple things with their weaker foot, non forward type players(even some forwards) unable to seemingly hit a clean strike at goal more consistently. I often stare in wonder at these things and I guess it is down to the pressure of doing it when it counts. Quite sure they must be capable of all these things but doing it when it matters seems to be what sets apart the best from the rest. I'll be delighted as anyone if Carswell starts adding a few goals to his game, they all must do a bit of shooting practice surely. Certainly could be the difference between winning and losing games for us and selling on for a decent fee a player for a change.

If that is the case I'd say we are still in the dark ages. Not every training session needs to be physically exhausting, and I think like everyone else players are entitled to a couple of days off during the week. But there should be double sessions, including more strength and conditioning work than what they currently do. Suitably tailored and reduced when we're playing 2 games in a week so players aren't gubbed from training come game time. But by an large on a Monday, Tuesday and Thursday I'd expect a couple of hours training in the morning. A decent break where they are expected to rest and refuel before an afternoon session. They certainly even at our level get paid well enough for such inconvenience.

Would anyone slate Mascherano or Makalele for not scoring? Ok so Carswell isn't of that calibre but he is basically in there doing that type of job. I happy to see him get more game time to develop. Very rarely has he played where remotely felt he was in anyway letting the side down. Criticism of Lasley from some is excessive also, sure he does deserve some stick for these two games. He might have been a bit unlucky to give away three penalties but he could and should have done better not to get in the situation where the ref had a decision to make. That being said Keef is a Motherwell legend. Far from the most gifted to wear the jersey but up there in terms of spirit and determination. When Malpas brought him back he almost single handedly turned that team around to get some results. He is in fact a better footballer than some give him credit for, sure he makes the odd blooper and rash challenge. Probably a few more of the latter been creeping into his game as he has gotten older but he has a little bit of everything to his game, he scored a few nice goals, he created a few and generally is composed in the middle of the park. He is for me a Motherwell level Raul, pretty much good at every aspect of the game if not a master or stand out at any. Miles better than contempories like Ian Black we have been lucky to have him and sure a two year deal is questionable at his age I hope he finishes his playing days with us before the legs give way to much and he moves on to involved in coaching or even managing us one day. Although I'll pity the poor guy if he ever does manage us as he'll get about 100 times the stick he gets now unless we qualify for the Champions League going by the amount of folk that want McCall to go.

Just caught up with about 27 minutes or so of highlights between both legs. So not quite the full picture but as good as I'll get. One word sums it up, frustration. Quite simply if we'd been a wee bit sharper we could have annihilated that mob. Fair play to them they had some good moments. At least one of the three pens they were lucky to get. Angle on the first one isn't great but both the other two look quite soft, maybe giveable but to get all three seems very fortunate. Some quite criminal defending from ourselves in there however and given the experience in the team that really shouldn't be the case. Still of the opinion we have shot ourselves in the foot and didn't get enough preperation in, both the phyiscal and match sharpness vaiety and after a strong start with getting people resigned early in the close season we have been caught with our pants down not replacing either McFadden or Anier. Overall the highlights do leave some room for cautious optimism as I quite sure we will get better but we are at least one body short in the final third. Although not willing to read to much into the positive aspects of our play given the modest opposition. However quite sure Sutton can still put away chances, Ainsworth still looking the part and the rest can make greater or lesser contributions. Poor start to the season but if we can not shit the nest in the cups this season and be there or thereabouts in the top of the league can quickly forget about this shambles.

Also whatever you say McCall is responsible for it certainly isn't or shouldn't be the infracstructure of the club from top to bottom. Like to think a really good manager would have interest and input in our youth development but given how managers come and go their influence on that side of things should really be relatively small. Far as I am concerned McCall is judged on first team results. By and large he is a tremendous manager in that respect, just that the kicks in the nadgers in his time have also been some of the worst.

They should sack their prize bonus negociator then, it a shit bonus in my view, it preseason training however you dress it up.

Also before I forget I know I not the first to say it but what the fuck was the Portugal jolly all about? Weather and facilities in Scotland aren't that bad that we shouldn't be wasting money on trips like that. If a winter break is introduced or we switch to summer football and we need some Jan/Feb training time I think you could make a case for it but not as things stand. I'm sure the cost of the trip wasn't mega extortionate but still money spent that could have been better used elsewhere.

Don't often agree here but 1 year deals would have been justifiable, maybe a 2 year for Hammell but for me he looks to have slowed down more than Lasley has. I haven't seen either in the flesh this season yet though. A two year deal for Lasley maybe makes sense if we looking at him moving into coaching side of things but we should be looking at younger players progression as well as being loyal to tried and trusted servants as no one lasts forever.

I certainly think we could have been back preparing a week earlier at least and we certainly didn't get much in the way of build up games. Fitness will improve as the meat and bones of the season approaches but my limited understanding of what happens in Scottish football leads me to believe we don't take strength and conditioning seriously enough. How many of our guys that come through the youths look like skinny dreeps, don't get me wrong I believe technique should be focused on first but check out the physique of players like Bale and Ronaldo you need to be a proper athlete as well to thrive, especially as not every player will have Messi like technique. Totally agree, Fraser Kerr if he has any future with us is a defender and if he isn't rated as such he should be moved on rather than trying to fit a square peg in a round hole because it a cheaper option or whatever the reasoning is. Also think than in less Ainsworth was carrying a knock or was feeling a strain he should have been left on the park. Tell him to stop tracking back but hang about the halfway line looking to use whatever energy he has left to make something happen. We have few enough players that can do that right now that subbing him for Kerr as good as kills our ability to create anything meaningful. Also think if you have any faith in guys like Erwin then this Euro tie was as good a place as any to be letting them dip their toes into serious action. Could start to believe that but I put last night down to an undercooked squad missing a signing or two to get it past a spirited opponent who despite being part timers could play a bit and probably did raise their game.

Did he represent value for money for what he was getting paid, possibly not if it was bursting the general wage scale. Did he contribute, absolutely just not as much as we hoped based on the latter half of the previous season.

If it was with Partick it would be tragic. Seriously I know he isn't the player he was but if he is on an average wage sign him back up he still contributed last season and was generally better in the latter half. Make it bonus heavy if he angling for more but he should consider hanging up his boots if going to slum it over there.

Surprised it is so generous. Still relative buttons until you hit group stage mind which is a bit of a far off dream.

Are those figures not cumulative totals rather than what you get for each round? If we get to say play off round our prize money will be 150k rather than say 540k if your team progressed all the way from the first round to the play off round for example?

Yeah can only concur, a season long loan for Ojamma would be pretty pleasing. Energetic, pace and ability. Can be frustrating also but capable of creating and scoring goals for us, good foil for Sutton and exactly the type of player we need.

Dunno about ten a penny, at least not available to loan out left right and centre. We been more than a bit lucky there. Is there a greater depth of talent, undoubtedly so.