Ya Bezzer!

Wasn't watching it but had the radio on. Didn't sound to good. However Queen's Park already had a game this was our first so you are going to expect them to be further ahead than us in terms of sharpness and fitness. Also a midfield of Cornelius, Maguire and Crawford probably won't be playing too many league matches so I wouldn't worry too much on tonight's performance. We need players in, we all know that, especially a creative midfielder, but if it takes another 4 or 5 weeks to bring in the right player, I'll put up with ill deserved 1-0 wins.

You got any more? Would be nice to get a second goal before HT.

Carson had a great first season but honestly I think his form shaded off after that even before his diagnosis. Not saying he was a bad keeper but I don't think he matched his first season levels subsequently. With Kelly in now I think we've improved that position. Have to assume Siegrist won't be at Dundee Utd much longer.

I think the strips this season are OK, nothing more, but I'm a bit surprised how negative the reaction seems to have been. Especially when you consider some of the horrific efforts some other clubs have had to put up with. I mean check out Dundee Utd's! Puts ours into some kind of perspective....

I'm not a fan of black strips in general but it's not THAT bad.

I think we have 16 outfield players and that's including Cornelius, Johnston and a couple of long term crocks. So I hope so!

Great news on Kelly. Who's proved himself at this level.....

Our level is Scottish Premiership. Remind me what Scottish Premiership teams these guys have played? Maybe some teams in our league are comparably with League 1 and League 2 but not all which is why our league is unique in and of itself. Oh, and we've signed players from League 1 and 2 before that have failed. It remains to be seen if any of these players adapt to 'our level'. Personally I'll judge these guys on what they do in a Motherwell shirt, rather than making claims about players I've never seen kick a ball. If you want to put your cards on the table now instead of say, December, cos we signed someone that played half a season for Bolton 5 years ago, that's fine by me.

None of these guys have played at our level so a lot remains to be seen if they can cut it. At least van Veen has a track record of scoring goals. Our midfield rebuild is going to be the most important part of the close season along side perhaps getting a new goalkeeper since that number 1 shirt is currently vacant on the squad list.

*Bart Verheul

Fixed that for you.

Turnbull was ignored at Motherwell. He could have played in our team at least 6 months earlier if not a year earlier but we were too busy playing hoofball. He was then ignored by Scotland U-21s when Campbell and Maguire were 1st picks as well as lesser players from other clubs. He then moved to Celtic and was given a cold shoulder by Lennon for half a season until, much like at Motherwell, the manager had no choice to throw him in as a desperate measure. Then after being Celtic's best player outshining guys like McGregor and Christie, he only gets picked for Scotland after injuries and squad extensions and even then doesn't get a single minute of football at the Finals. This is how we treat probably the most technically gifted footballer that the Scottish Premiership will produce from this generation of young footballers. The mentality of Scottish football FUCKING STINKS. The distrust of youth and talent (double so when combined) is why we are where we are.

I never said they were finished. But I think their days of being automatic picks ahead of guys like Turnbull and Gilmour should be. Clarke has continually played players out of form or players who's international form has been nowhere near their club form or potential. That needs to end.

Patterson should get the nod going forward (if you excuse the pun). There is a level of performance you need to attain to be an international player and O'Donnell after nearly 20 caps hasn't got there. He's not the only one or even the worst offender. Unlike some of our more illustrious names he's played much closer to his potential but I'm afraid that still isn't good enough for international football. Guys like Nisbet, Turnbull, Gilmour are the future. Guys like Dykes, Armstrong, McGregor, Christie, McBurnie and O'Donnell have had had their chance and need to take a step backwards.

He scored 11 league goals in two seasons. Dress it up however you like but that's not good enough. And it wasn't even simply goal scoring. Tony Watt doesn't score many but you don't see people complaining about it because he puts in a shift. Long didn't. Fact of the matter is he hasn't been released by Motherwell because he's a great player. He couldn't cut it here and the club made the correct decision to let him go. We'll miss Kelly, Gallagher, Campbell, Cole, we won't miss Long in the slightest. Harsh maybe but true. Perhaps he'll go off and bang loads in against Fleetwood Town and Rochdale but at our level he wasn't good enough.

If you are looking for 5-8 goals a season and a lot of petted lip he'll be a great signing. I don't watch 3rd tier English football so I don't know the standard but he simply wasn't good enough for us.

After about four seasons of reserve football.....

Are we using last year's away kit this up coming season or will there be a new away kit as well?

Last year a friend of mine, the same age as me, late forties, died in a car crash. It knocked me for six. It's a whole different thing from elderly relatives dying, even very close relatives, or people passing away from cancer. The whole here today, gone tomorrow aspect of it is very hard to deal with. You literally can't comprehend it. And I hope it wasn't the case with Graham but the fact that it was also a violent death just adds a whole different level to it too. They say the world is a vale of tears and they aren't wrong. Condolences on your loss.

I never met him but I had some contact with him over ideas for the match programme a while back. Very sad news. Of course it pales into insignificance with regards his family and friends but he will be missed around here too.

The performance was shite. Some people seem to think pinning that on O'Donnell is the right thing to do. Well, Stevie O'Donnell is a Motherwell player, he has an excuse for being shite. What excuse did McTominay, McGinn, Armstrong, Hanley etc have? We keep hearing Scotland have a great midfield but we don't. We have a midfielders playing at bigger clubs. But when Scotland play the midfield is invariable the worst part of the team. Armstrong, good club player. But he has about 4 good performances for Scotland out of 26. And don't get me started on how Christie and McGregor are starting over Turnbull. McGinn and McTominay were fucking useless. I kept hearing O'Donnell didn't offer anything attacking on the right. Well the Czechs 2nd goal came about because O'Donnell was in a great attacking position and Hendry didn't use him. Had a shot from 35 yards out in a nowhere position and we all know how that turned out. Let's be honest though, O'Donnell looked uncomfortable. But he wasn't hiding like plenty other players out there. One of the reasons he looked uncomfortable was the Czechs were pressing high and the midfield millionaire contingent in our team thought 'you know what, I don't wanna get pressed in a dangerous position, I'll not even look for the ball or make myself available, the guys at the back can look uncomfortable as long as it's not me'. Cue a match of long balls cos our cowardly midfielders won't make themselves available for an out ball. I am fucking bealin' about yesterday. I could keep going till Friday but I'm spare you all! O'Donnell was poor but the team as a whole was shite and bigger better players than O'Donnell fucking hid. I'd rather a guy give it his best, even if it's not the standard required than fucking hide in our first finals match in 23 years. The way the 'big name' players in our squad get shielded from criticism makes me sick.

Lamie has more or less been a starter every week since Alexander came in (only missed a few at the very beginning and then played 14 league matches on the trot to the end of the season) so it wouldn't be a shock if he's a starter next term. Donnelly was also more or less a starter every week before his injury, although it was with a different manager, but I think he'll be in too.

Greg Stewart had one good (half) season at Kilmarnock and hasn't done much more recently. Struggled badly at Aberdeen and hasn't really played at Rangers. It's kind of a risky one. He might do a job for us but I don't think you can say that it's nailed on.

If you have an old spine you don't need any more please contact...... Graham Alexander Fir Park Stadium Fir Park Street Motherwell ML1 0NO!

Eddie Forrest bitched long and hard. Maybe he had a point but considering he was absolutely woeful and should have been dumped anyway on a footballing basis, maybe not.