Ya Bezzer!

Stevie Saunders deserves a break, if you'll excuse the phrase, so the best of luck to him. The Higdon transfer is a curious one but I hope he does well.

Anyone spotted a team they think we might actually sneak past? I'm thinking Zurich, Omonia, AaB or Debrecen and we wouldn't even go into those games as favourites. Otherwise it looks like it's going to be very tough, especially with a new team.

Saunders was a level up from Page. At least a level.

Don't know if there was a fall out but McCall never seemed to rate him. Remember that Saunders was very much on the side lines before his injury. As for judging Saunders worth, or any players worth, that should be done on first team performances rather than run outs in the U20's. I don't want to sound like a broken record but that's why I think we are releasing far too many promising but unused players from our youth ranks. Often it's players that are superb at youth level that do nothing when promoted and vice versa, players who look average or ordinary that come alive at the top level. You have to give them a chance at the top level before you can really tell if they are going to make it. I just don't believe you can judge a players first team potential from that level of competition.

Will Kerr be our first choice right back? If so I'm slightly concerned about that. He needs to improve on last seasons performances, that's for sure. As far as I'm concerned we are still looking for 4 first team players to be competitive next season and one of those positions is right back.

That's because to argue with someone you have to contradict what they have said, which you've been unable to do.

So he was a goalscorer and creative player with bags of pace and a defence splitting pass? That we went backwards without him last season, playing poorer football in his absence? We were a far better team with Law-Lasley than we were with Jennings-Lasley. It's not even an argument.

What exactly do you disagree with?

Jennings was a good player but I think some of our supporter mistook their affection for him for ability on Jennings part. We were much better without him last season than we were the previous season with him. He works hard, tackles, puts in a power of work but really he has nothing else in his locker. No flair, no goals, no pace, no pass, he's what Cantona once called a 'water carrier'. Teams need a player like that sometimes to hinge the better players around but as you've pointed out we don't need another defensive central midfielder.

I'd suggest this is the case. Was there not some trouble regarding bonuses with them not being budgeted for, in terms of winning as many matches and finishes so high in the league?

With all due respect (you know what comes next when someone says that!) I think this is a lot of rubbish. As far as I was concerned it was never a case of 'what might have been' as 'what would be' because Lawless was clearly the best player to come through our youth set up since Paul Slane. It was hardly a surprise then that he had a hugely successful season at Partick Thistle. Daley and Higginbotham had something like 30 appearances between them last season, a mix of starts and substitute appearances and at the end of it we have nothing to show for it except wages paid out with no real return. If those appearances had been given to Lawless we would have a really hot young talent with a bit of SPL experience behind him in the squad now, instead we are scrambling around looking to bring in players when we already had a guy there and let him go for nothing. So I disagree, I hardly think playing in one of the best Motherwell teams in recent times would have 'stunted' the development of Lawless. I think our youth development is an area of major concern and isn't being utilised properly, especially at a time when money is tight. People are going on about Erwin and Moore but I'm afraid their fate is likely to be fairly predictable unless there is a major turnaround in our philosophy regarding young players and especially young local players.

To be honest, I'd rather keep Hutchy. Without a quality centre back in the squad next season we could be leaking goals all over the place. Darren Randolph papered over the cracks in that regard and he isn't here any more. In my opinion we cannot afford to lose Hutchinson this pre-season.

You neglected to mention we played the worst 90 minutes of football I've ever seen from a Motherwell side in the first European match. I don't think we want to see anything like that again. But yeah, it's still early.

No problem with John Sutton returning if Higdon goes. Sutton was a very good and consistent player for us. Is it going to be now that a striker is 'crap' if he scores 10 - 15 goals a season? Folk need to get it into their head that Higdon's tally last season was a once in a life time feat.

Jamie Macdonald is a good young goalkeeper. In fact he's probably one of the few players they might get some cash for.

Ramsden deal was already announced. Not heard anything about Hutchy.

That's the way I see it. I don't think there will be any radical altering of our system. Vigurs will play left, Lawson and Lasley in the centre and a yet to be announced on the right.

Think Vigurs is potentially a great signing. If he can play for us the way he performed for Ross County last season we have an excellent player on our hands. The hunt will be on for a Humphreys replacement now, although Faddy can play wide right but even if Faddy signs up again I think we need another out and out wide player.

I think it's more a sign that we can't afford to pay wages to attract good English players up here. I reckon you are also likely to get better quality Scottish players for the same money if they are looking to come back to Scotland to be around friends/family after a spell in England, they will be willing to play for less money to get home. The opposite effect will be in trying to bring in English players away from their local area, you'll probably have to pay them a bit more to tempt them away.

At the end of the day you would imagine McCall will have full say over who comes in and what proportion of his budget that player takes up and if he's on holiday he might have been uncontactable for a few days or might not be up to date with the negotiations. Hopefully we can bring Vigurs in, sounds promising.

Don't think it's a goer. I think they are looking to move him out with a fee. Not sure about this Elliott Ward rumour. That's not so much a drop in wages as falling off the north face of the Eiger.

I would be over the moon if we could sign Iain Vigurs.

This thread is a bit like when I go through the Herald property section imagining I have £1,000,000 pounds to buy a fancy house when actually I've got £186 which isn't enough to pay the rent.

25% of the time he looks good, 50% he looks like a youngster that isn't ready to be a first choice player and the final 25% of the time he doesn't look like a footballer at all.

Wee update. G O A L K E E P E R S 12. Lee HOLLIS - Contracted to 2014 43. Ross STEWART - Contract details not known D E F E N D E R S 3. Stevie HAMMELL - Contracted to 2014 5. Shaun HUTCHINSON - Contracted to 2014 6. Tom HATELEY - Offered new contract 15. Simon RAMSDEN - Contracted to 2015 19. Fraser KERR - Offered new contract 26. Zane FRANCIS-ANGOL - Contracted to 2015 30. Adam CUMMINS - Contracted to 2015 M I D F I E L D E R S 14. Keith LASLEY - Contracted to 2014 18. Stuart CARSWELL - Contracted to 2015 20. James McFADDEN - Offered new contract -. Paul LAWSON - Contracted to 2015 F O R W A R D S 9. Michael HIGDON - Offered new contract 16. Bob McHUGH - Contracted to 2015 T R A N S F E R R E D / R E L E A S E D -. Henrik OJAMAA - To Legia Warszawa 01/07/2013 -. Nicky LAW - To Rangers 01/07/2013 -. Chris HUMPHREY - To Preston North End 01/07/2013 -. Darren RANDOLPH - To Birmingham City 01/07/2013 -. Jamie MURPHY - To Sheffield United 03/01/2013 -. Johnny PAGE - To Hamilton Academicals 02/01/2013 -. Steven SAUNDERS - Free agent -. Omar DALEY - Free agent -. Steve HETHERINGTON - Free agent