star sail

That is great news. To be Champions in any country is a fantastic achievement and it puts Motherwell's result against them in a very positive light. Champions league qualification for them next season. Superb

This is why we dream. I agree with you and particularly after the Nancy game, I was really rejected about how far off the pace we were, however the last Euro adventure gave me hope. I think we were only one or maybe two quality players away from a victory against the Danes. Where these players come from I don't know but give me those games any day over an Old Firm visit. I honestly don't think they bring anything positive when they come to town. They don't even bring good football.

That is my point, qualify for the Europa league and you need a 10,000 + stadium. That my friend is the bigger and better dream. Was Nancy not 11,000. In actual fact the Old firm don't even bring enough for 10,000 anymore. As a Well fan I would want a 10,000 seater stadium so that we could have the potential of holding big Euro nights in the future. Having 10,000 Old Firm fans in your ground is more of a nightmare than a dream.

Love it how these Old Firm punters think it's all about them all of the time. Odense was close on 10,000 and had we reached the group stages 10,000+ would have been pretty much assured. Much as it will be a shock to you, Motherwell do not simply exist to host the Old Firm four times a season, we have bigger and better dreams.

My biggest concern is that the performances are far from inspiring at the moment and I would argue that we have not seen a commanding 45 mins from Well yet this season (possibly Hibs 1st half apart but then 1-1 at Half time is not commanding). Comes down to the old debate about results against performance but personally my interest levels have increased in recent years when under McGhee and for a time Gannon we were making the effort to play the game on the deck. Not throwing in the towel just yet but if this is the level of entertainment for the rest of the season my attendance ratio for the season will drop dramatically. Yes I know that makes me a bad fan and all that horseshit but for me the game is about entertainment as much as it is about loyalty and so far this season the entertainment and spark has been lacking.

Wonder if this means we will see him get a game against the Jambo's at the weekend.

No mention of Fitzy. Time must be running out for him now given that he has till Christmas to prove himself. Would be a real shame if we do not seem him in a Well first team again before then. Somebody mentioned playing players out of position to avoid playing fringe players, was it not Brown who having lost a couple of defenders played a midfield player in defence and left Brian Martin on the bench, a player who was well overdue a Scotland call up and was playing out of his skin at the time. May have been Roxburgh at that time. My memory is sketchy.

+1 Let's distract the paying public with a pile of pish about level playing fields so that they wont notice that the game in Scotland is fading to oblivion. The irony in this story is incredible. A level playing field is exactly what the SFA should be looking at but in the metaphorical sense not the literal sense. Coming just a week after another dismal display by the Scotland National Team this kind of thing shows that we are well and truely f$*?ed.

We're doomed!!!!

I still think the squad lacks in quality and depth. Cheers Your friend the pant wetter.

Did he not get a consolation goal at Ibrox the game before the fateful Utd game. Relying on memory so could be totally wrong.

Then a run of 16 goals in the last 5. The Craigan thing is never going to be resolved, some think he is great, some think he is pish. Gannon thought he was pish, Brown thinks he is great.

Same here mate. Seems like too many people just can't let go of the long ball into the stand approach. Each to their own I suppose.

Thanks.

That is fine. We will just keep on down the old dead end road then. The status quo is working so well after all.

Hallelujah to that!! The Jim Gannon debate has been done to death but he got me interested in the Scottish game again. He is the only person in the Scottish game who has offered anything different for the last umpty tumpt years. It did not work maybe partly because of the man himself but he had a hell of a lot to fight against. Craig Brown is fine for us. He will steer us in the calm mediocre waters but he will offer nothing that has not been seen before in the game in this country. Where would Steven Saunders be at this moment as a player if Gannon had stayed? What about Forbes, Hateley, all three played their best football under Gannon. Unfortunately at the moment these players are going backwards. Jim Gannon was an experiment that did not work. I genuinely believe he could have been the saviour of Scottish Football had he had the temprement and diplomacy to put his thoughts into action. It was a sad day when Stephen Craigan won out over the big guy. That is just my opinion.

Last Sunday was shite too, we just happened to be less shite than Killie, the Sunday before that we lost having been in control of the first half at home against a crap Hibs team. Are you fairly relaxed with that?

Many people talking about Thursday eve as being a reason why we did not perform today. Can someone who knows a bit about sports science, athlete recovery etc explain why professional football players cannot perform in two competitive games per week? Also when is the tipping point between not being match fit/sharp and being burnt out? Seems like only a few weeks ago the players were not match sharp and had not had games under their belt, now they need a rest because they have played too many games? It's a bit confusing.

It is part of the game. It won Celtic the match today. If we are going to get upset by this we are going to continue to be very frustrated as supporters. Looking at it from a Motherwell perspective he should never have been in that position in the first place and for Saunders to lean on him like that was niave. Teams like Motherwell have to be very smart not to make it easy for the ref to make these decisions. The bigger concern for us is that we are losing these soft goals. Sort out our own problems and then let those things outwith our control take care of themselves.

Depressing familiarity about the weekends football. Celtic beat us at walking pace after being humiliated during the week in Europe, Rangers scrape a result at Ibrox in the usual workmanlike way and the rest of the results are as unpredictable as ever with teams trading points with each other. Result Old Firm 1-2 in the league and this well fan struggling to keep his enthusiam up for the forthcoming SPL season. How I wish we were still in Europe.

This time last year I was thinking the same thing about Jim Gannon. I was not at all inspired when the two were appointed and was expecting a team of 35 year + has been journey men making up our team now. Have been very pleasantly surprised but being ultra critical I don't think they have made the impact McGhee made on his arrival at the club. I think the real test will be how strong the club is in a years time.

Spot on. He launched himself at that cross in the secon half and missed the ball by a fraction. If Carroll had connected it would have taken Saunders head off. Brave and totally committed. Can't ask any more than that.

I don't think that is appropriate at this time of year. It would cause confusion to a person stumbling down Fir Park St after a couple of years self imposed isolation in a nucleur bunker. All they would have as a guide to the real nature of the month would be the still leafy foalage on trees that dance in the warm breeze. Football fans have a responsibility not to mislead.

Massive, massive game for the club. This one game could elevate MFC above the Killies, St Mirrens, Accies etc for a good few seasons to come. The money would bring better players to the club, better players should bring a higher SPL finish, higher SPL finish brings more money (poss Europe again) and suddenly the club is in that winning upward spiral. I know that it is not garaunteed (look at Aberdeen) but it gives the club a real chance to build. The Nancy game was always going to be really tough and for all we held out hope it was always going to be a big ask. This is a more achievable target, not because the opposition is inferior to Nancy but simply because the scoreline is different. Odense are bound to have some doubts coming in to this game. They are away from home in a tight, compact stadium. Well on their game can outplay Rangers and Celtic (last years 1-1 v Rangers being an example). This team are no better than the Old Firm and they have the further disadvantage of being in a completely alien stadium. Truth is if this team turn up and put in a performance they will go through but there is much to suggest that it will be very difficult for them to do that. We have to savour this moment as it is a key moment in the clubs history. If we lose then we have had the experience to enjoy but if we win we are in dreamland.

If we lose today there will no doubt be questions over the decision to rest players but with Thu eve being so important for the club it is worth the risk.