Ya Bezzer!

For me we don't really have another option at right midfield at the moment, but it's not just necessity, McFadden, if I remember correctly, had one of his best games last season playing in that position. I think he can play as well there as anywhere else. Also I'd say it can be wiser to having McFadden coming in from wider or deeper positions. If you make him the central figurehead you make him more of a target to be nullified. It gives him a wee bit more space to get on the ball.

I see what you are saying but I'm against regionalisation. I think qualifying for Europe would quickly lose its appeal if you were playing Icelandic and Norwegian teams ever year. To me part of the 'romance' of it is you can be drawn anywhere against anyone and if that was stopped I think interest would quickly ebb away.

I posted my strongest XI on Pie and Bovril a few days ago. As the squad stands at the moment, ZFA should be a starter in the left midfield role, IMO. ............Nielsen............... ..Hutchinson......McManus......... Ramsden................Hammell.... .......Lawson.....Lasley.......... McFadden...............Francis-Angol .................Vigurs............ .............Sutton................

Before you can score a goal you need to create a chance. That's more my concern at the moment. Look back at our goals last season and Ojamaa's contribution to them was enormous, he was almost always involved and often the architect. I think we are lacking the pace and creativity that he gave us last season and we need to replace that some how. If we can do that we can score goals, maybe not as many as last season, but if we do create chances then I can see two or three players potentially getting into double figures. I think the record will show that if say, Sutton and McFadden get into double figures next season, when we'll finish Top Six without too many problems. Looking through the squads I don't see many with more than one regular goalscorer that you'd reckon would be in the double figures.

We could be in trouble then, check out Dundee Utd's new signing (99) in the squad list. My link

Just in case anyone is wondering our pitch is a bit better than it appears on Google Maps, ie, actually has grass.

I think I'm right in saying seeding was introduced after Real Madrid drew Bayern Munich in the first round of the European Cup in the late eighties, that was at least the catalyst for it. The big teams weren't going to stand for 'the luck of the draw' after that.

I don't believe this actually happened because if it had we'd probably have said "YES PLEASE!"

Their match before the European tie is at Zenit so maybe they will fly in from Leningrad instead of going back to Krasnodar. When you play in the Russian league traveling long distances is pretty normal, Vladivostock were in the Premier League a couple of years ago which is 4,000 miles from Moscow!

Tremendous! Umbro are probably the best strip designs out there, IMO.

These high temperatures turn people a bit dolally. I'd be looking for a Top Six finish but this is more or less a new team and we don't know how it is going to perform. If we can keep Hutchinson the back four looks strong but remember McManus has a pretty horrific injury record and there is a question mark over the goalkeeping position as many don't rate Hollis and Nielsen is unknown to us. I'm concerned about the lack of pace in the team which was basically the key to our excellent football last season and we don't have a Ojamaa style player in the squad this time which is a huge loss unless we can find another. I hope we can win a cup every year but don't expect to and as for finishing 2nd or even 1st I think we should see more of this team in action before we get our hopes up. Top 6 seems realistic but until we see how this new team gels it's hard to make predictions.

As I said in the shout box this team has a pretty impressive home record. 1 defeat in 22. Although they tend to draw quite a few matches so perhaps we can sneak a narrow win and then get a draw over there, you never know it might happen! Seems to be their first ever European tie as far as I can make out.

I won't be traveling so that's not a concern for me. Sevilla would probably pump us and I don't fancy our chances against the Ukrainians and Russians. Think we would have at least a chance against the rest.

Have to disagree with you on this. To me, we were playing 5-3-2 with Kerr on the right wing back position, ZFA on the left wing back position and Hammell, Hutchinson and Ramsden the three across the back. Hammell played left back in the first half but I'd say he moved inside when ZFA came on.

Difficult to judge a player on one showing, especially when we are up against a side thats frankly much better than we are. He didn't really impress me but at the same time he didn't look out of place. The one thing you can say about him is that he got on the end of things. He had three good chances to score and perhaps if he'd been a bit sharper he would have got one or two. His final effort didn't look far from hitting the back of the net

Sammy Amoebi had the skinniest legs seen at Fir Park since Owen Coyle. And a pineapple on his head.

Not sure you can take much out a game where Lasley played left wing and Stevie Hammell was centre half! We were pretty poor in the first half but improved in the second half. Our two best players came on at half time, Ramsden and ZFA both did very well. The Estonian trialist did OK, perhaps he should have scored as he had three decent chances but he was unlucky with one of them.

A lot will depend on injuries and suspensions. We've been fairly lucky over the last few seasons. I think we should be aiming for a Top Six place if McFadden puts pen to paper but I still have one or two doubts about the strength and depth of the squad. The idea that we are now an unassailable second force in Scottish football is one that I think people ought to dampen down for the time being. Fair enough if we go into November in a good position and some good performances behind us but to expect it before the season even begins is an expectation too high.

I'm preparing my totally sad season 2013-14 SPL statto spreadsheet and I noticed Stevie Hammell is on 399 league appearances. I know the original poster mentioned the 400 games but I assume that was all competitions.

A good signing but I don't think I can enjoy it until the transfer window closes and Hutchy is still here. The prospect of having a McManus/Hutchinson centre back pairing is just too enticing.

Noticed we had have three 'spare' squad numbers. 2 - Craig Reid? 6 - Stephen McManus? 7 - James McFadden?

Don't want to be pedantic but it's Nielsen not Neilson. If you spell it Neilson you scare the shit out of people by making them think we've signed Robbie Neilson.

I'm skeptical about the prospect of McManus being in a Motherwell shirt next season but he is CLEARLY a massive step up to any one else we have at the club for a central defensive position, with the exception of Hutchinson and even then has a wealth of experience than Hutchinson doesn't and probably will never have. However our top picks last season were Hutchinson/Ramsden with Cummins as deputy and since all three players are still at the club I don't see us paying much attention to this position when there are other areas we are much more deficient, especially as McManus would be a high earner. Just my opinion.

I don't particularly have anything against Dougie Imrie but I'd be concerned if we were bringing in a player that was basically a squad player for St. Mirren last season and didn't exactly set the heather on fire at Hamilton before that. You might just about make a case for him being a bench player but as a first teamer you'd like to think we could get someone better.

I think this is a pretty harsh assessment but I agree he'll probably have to move away from Fir Park to get his career rolling, unless a new coach with a new system comes in.