Lobey_Dosser

So McHugh definitely out and Hammell struggling to make it. Hard to be overly optimistic.

That's a comment I picked up on. Found it particularly interesting as McGhee previously stressed the club had done their due diligence into the characters of the players when Blyth, Tait and Heneghan were unveiled.

Very good deal for Killie if reports of £250k are accurate.

Heneghan is the only one I'm confident about just now but I do like the look of McHugh, we just need him on the pitch more often. Tait has looked chronically slow since his debut but that doesn't mean he can't be a good right back. He'll maybe need a few months to adjust to the pace of our game. For Motherwell to offer him a 3 year deal, we must rate him pretty highly. Reading the Grimsby forums, the general consensus is that Clay is a good pro but him getting a 2 year deal in the premiership is indicative to them of how far Scottish football has fallen. Worth bearing in mind that Grimsby didn't offer him a contract after playing 70+ games, I hope he isn't deemed as Pearson's replacement. Blyth we'll need to wait and see. Few intriguing comments to date from McGhee.

Never have rated Samson and never will. Yes he made a number of saves tonight but he constantly parries the ball into a dangerous area. As for the game, absolute null vote I'm afraid.

You might be right. Otherwise I'm struggling to understand the addition of Clay and the possible further addition of Lucas. Fear we are really weak in a couple of positions, ultimately lacking pace and power at fullback and in midfield.

Lasted until 4-0 before heading for the exit. An all too familiar story at Parkhead, I foolishly thought we'd maybe approach a cup game in a more positive manner. More often than not McGhee is caught out when he overthinks his tactics. Tonight we try and combat our deficiencies in the fullback area by playing 3 slow fullbacks, resulting in a back 3 against 1 striker. Credit to Celtic, they were excellent but we never got near them. The way to compete with Celtic is to have a go at their defence but to do that you need to be comfortable on the ball. Unfortunately when you go with the tactic to sit deep and sacrifice possession, you are never going to get into a rhythm. Tonight is not the best night to judge our transfer activity over the summer but there are a few question marks hovering, none more so than the resigning of Hammell. Should McGhee really have offered him a 2 year contract if he needs reinforcements alongside him when we play Celtic? We'll get get caught out time and time again for pace with Tait and Hammell as our fullbacks. And as for Craig Clay, think I've seen him 4 times now, he's more anonymous than Jake Taylor.

Good luck to him. Sometimes the underwhelming signings are the ones that go on to prosper.

4/5 lower league teams through tonight. Wee bit of an added incentive for tomorrow hopefully.

This was my reading of the game.

Of the 7 subs at Killie, 5 played in the youth cup final. This was partly due to Kennedy and Laing missing, presumably through injury.

Despite not being fully up to speed, I thought Skippy was instrumental in our victory. You'd get much less out of Johnson, Ainsworth and arguably Cadden without his ability to hold up the ball and link up the play. In my opinion, he's our best all round centre forward since TC.

If McHugh manages to recover, it will be interesting to see how McGhee shapes up. Does he bring Lasley in for Clay as a straight swap or does he look to tighten up with Lasley coming in for Ainsworth and Cadden moving forward? It would be harsh on Ainworth after Saturday but if we do manage to keep it tight he's a good sub to have. I've reluctantly bought a ticket for this. Wonder if we'll take a few more than usual to Parkhead.

Our under 20s play Airdrie week commencing 15th Aug in the old B&Q cup. The return of McBride, Fitzpatrick and potentially Leitch. Starting to fancy our chances.

The front 4 all played well in spells but Heneghan caught the eye throughout. This boy loves winning headers and looks to have bundles of potential.

GMS move to County was being reported as close to a done deal yesterday. Will be good to see him playing regularly in the premier league again. You'll probably get 5/6 Celtic players loaned/released to other Scottish clubs this month. As for the Ainsworth chat, you'll struggle to find a Motherwell player in recent years with a better catalogue of quality goals.

Delighted with the win and two well executed goals. The overall standard of the game was very poor but I thought we were on the brink of cruising to a handsome victory until McHugh got injured. We lost all momentum at that moment with the inept Chalmers coming on. In the end we had to hang on and ride our luck to an extent. I continue to be impressed by the Heneghan and McManus partnership, just a shame Samson gives me the absolute fear. Upfront, Marvin, Ainsworth, Skippy and Cadden will be a handful for any team in the league but they need supported by a better midfield. Still early days but 3 games in and Clay's contribution has been minimal. A tough week ahead with Celtic and St Johnstone. Significant step-up in performance will be required to get a result in either.

On the topic of unexpected windfalls, how much are we due if Celtic beat this Israeli mob? Think it used to be in region of £100k.

Had no idea we were entitled to compensation for the Ross McCormack transfer. Welcome news if that's the case.

Yeah really good press conference from McGhee.

Good draw. Didn't think I would but really taken to this competition.

Always wary of playing a team that appears to be in disarray. Challenge for McGhee to get the midfield right in the absence of Lasley. And fingers crossed McDonald is fit enough to play.

If Skippy had left, I imagine we could have signed El Bakhtaoui and had money left over. While he would have been an exciting signing, I'm glad we went with the tried and trusted option.

Enjoyable enough game tonight with the team carrying on the same style of play from last season. Once again, Allan Campbell was a standout performer for me. Haven't heard of the boy Fry before but he impressed in flashes. Meanwhile, Jason Cummings' brother looked not too bad for Edinburgh. I quite like the idea of the competition and more games like tonight will be a valuable learning experience for the under 20s. Regarding Clyde, I don't know the script tonight but Barry Ferguson has been filling his squad with 16/17 year olds.

Hopefully Marvin can have a storming August before moving on. With games at Parkhead and Ibrox, he has the perfect platform to showcase his ability. Whatever the fee, I just hope the majority doesn't go to Les and we are left with enough to provide a decent buffer going forward.