Kmcalpin

You're entitled to your view but I just don't get it Juan. Generations of Well fans no longer with us would have cut off their right arm for a chance to compete in Europe. I suppose though, familiarity does breed contempt. Even followers of the big boys get bored - there's only so much excitement that can be gotten from winning the SPL, EPL or the Champions League frequently. Much of the decline in EPL attendances is due not just to money but to boredom - the novelty is wearing a bit thin. I can sympathise a bit though I suppose. I was never a great fan of the EPL but for some time now I've groaned when Man Utd V Chelsea or Arsenal blights our screens. Same old same old.

I'm with you on this Steelboy. An expansion to 14 teams with 2 up and 2 down is acceptable in theory book but thats where it ends. I don't like play offs though. Would they introduce play offs for the SPL Championship? I'm not in favour of a split at all. You're right, effectively a team's season could grind to a premature halt after only 26 games - that can't be right surely. In February, you could easily with a mid table cluster of say 4/5 teams only a point or two apart when the cut off came into force and then Euro hopes are dashed prematurely. Credit to the club for issuing a statement on the McLeish report and I agree about season breaks and summer football and certainly KO times. Like Brazilian I think its a bit vague though for us to comment in detail, but I suspect coded language is being used.

Seconded. Its not just our defence though - our central midfield sits far too deep at times and retreats into the penalty box. Even the full backs withdraw inside. I noticed against St Mirren that at one point we had all 11 players well inside our own box. i like to see us putting in tackles well outside of our own box.

That has happened in the second half of almost all our games this season. In the second 45 the midfield simply go missing - Aberdeen, Brechin, St Johnstone, St Mirren.......and now Rangers.

Come on folks, there's plenty of folks willing and able to express opinions on our club through these Boards. This is a chance to put something back in for the benefit of the club and supporters. Lets be having you!

Most likely its on instructions from Rangers or the Police.

I personally wouldn't object if our concession threshold was raised to 65. Pension schemes are increasingly adopting 65 as the default retirement, folk are living longer and you can't draw the state pension until 65 shortly to be 66 for men. The trick is to phase it in, giving everyone plenty of warning. Existing beneficiaries shouldn't have the concession taken from them. I think the problem before was that the club introduced it at short notice, with little warning.

Thanks Flow. The issue of concessionary ages still seems to vary from club to club with Rangers opting for 65 years of age. We still use 60 years.

Absolutely no intention of insulting genuine fans Matt, and apologise if anyone thought that. I quite accept that there are a few fans who simply could not travel a few hundred metres further away. As I said, I can't see any way of avoiding that unless the club was to put on transport for such fans - that may be a goer and worth investigating. What I can't accept is current fans, who could perfectly easily travel, being unwilling to move an additional 1km or 1.5km because its a bit further away from Jack Daniels or their front door. When, not if, we move to Ravenscraig, it would involve a move of perhaps 1km or 1.25 kms, possibly outwith the Motherwell boundary (I don't have a clue as to the precise location incidentally). On the other hand if we could secure a brownfield site somewhere in North Motherwell say 3kms away, would that be ok because it was within the town boundary? By doing that the club would still stay within the historic boundary but be over double the distance away from FP, thereby inconveniencing even more fans, who could not travel. I don't have a problem with the club moving 1 or 2 kms but I would serious misgivings about us moving to a location like Newhouse. We mustn't forget either that FP is not our first ground. Some folk would have been put out and disadvantaged when we moved there in the early 20th century. I don't doubt that if the club remains at FP long term it will lead to our demise. We can't have that. Comparisons with Hamilton is invalid as that was an entirely different situation, geographically and chronologically.

Thanks Jim. A good result.

Although I left Motherwell many years ago, its my home town and always will be. I think redevelopment of the Craig will be a great boost for the area but thats another argument for another place. Redevelopment of Fir Park simply isn't an option for a variety of reasons. Moving to a new stadium, most likely at Ravenscraig is the answer. That said, it has to be the right design. I've always viewed Motherwell as being one element of a larger urban area encompassing Overtown, Wishaw, Coltness, Cambusnethan, Netherton, Newmains, Holytown, Carfin, Newarthill and so on. Ravenscraig is simply an extension of that. All towns have to grow and develop over time if they don't they wither away and die. You can't fossilize towns. My own family came from Bellshill Road originally, but over the years they spread out to other parts of Motherwell, Netherton, Wishaw, Coltness, Carluke and Lanark and further afield and continued to support MFC. I just wonder what proportion of our support actually come from Motherwell these days. I quite accept that a move a mile or so away will inconvenience some, and for a few (a very few) that will mean that they could no longer go to Fir Park because of age /disability or whatever. For that I'll be genuinely sorry. By the same token though for some fans it might be nearer their home and for many others it will be the same distance. A new stadium would also attract new fans living close by. I also accept that for some Jack Daniels will forever be linked to MFC but years ago the same could be said for the Flemington Bar, which is now long gone. New pubs will appear and attract our support thats simply life. Like all things you either change and adapt or die. The critical thing for me is that any change benefits the Motherwell AREA, and our club.

I really don't get this argument at all. Many of our fans already travel miles to home games and an extra one or so for some (less travelling for others like me) is neither here nor there. If some can't be bothered to travel an extra mile or so to support their team in superior facilities then it really doesn't say much for them as supporters.

Agreed. I'm all for a 16 team league but no splits please. Such a split would cause even more problems and resentment than the current one. I would guess should it be accepted, and thats a big if, at the end of the year then it would not be introduced until a season in advance of any change ie you can't change rules in the middle of a competition. The OF will vote according to how many games and non European/big English teams they'd have to play; big sides like Hearts, Hibs and Aberdeen wouldn't like it and bottom feeders might not like it - depending on play off/relegation issues. Bigger SFL clubs would love it. Thats an oversimplification I know but it gives arough idea of how votes would pan out.

The club owns the ground. In theory, the ground could be used for any purpose subject to planning consent. In reality it would have to be rezoned for housing or employment purposes, probably the former, as land values would be considerably higher. Although retailing is where the real money is, consent may be harder to secure. The Local Plan will contain policies on this.

As some others are saying its not right to simply link this news to moving stadium. There will be more to it than the club's initial statement. Certainly Derek Weir is very highly thought of in business circles.

The pitch was in excellent condition. What the club can't control is the amount of rain that falls on the pitch. Irrespective of the quality of the pitch, if prolonged heavy rain falls then the surface will be slippy - fact. Its hardly rocket science.

Some good points but I'm not so sure about the game plan. On several occasions in the second half, when under pressure, we broke and the striker(s) were looking for support to mount an attack but the midfield steadfastly refused to come out of their shell. The front men looked a tad hacked off with them.

We should feel pretty optimistic this morning as we beat ST Mirren, and are in 3rd spot, but performance wasn't overly impressive - it followed the pattern of previous games. We start off well, score early but then sit back or are penned back for the rest of the game of the game. For spells in the second half, we not only had 11 men in our own box but 11 men defending deeply in our own box - no one even on the edge of the box. Despite those armadillo style tactics, St Mirren still managed to score. The midfield again let us down. Although Chris Humphrey did well in the first half and scored a great goal, he disappeared in the second. Keith Lasley and Steve Jennings had passable first halves but then disappeared completely in the second. The defence has had worse games days but struggled to cope with St Mirren's aerial ability. We were unlucky that Steven Saunders had to go off as he gave us some height at the back and it was worrying when John Sutton went off too for the same reason. Our strikers were all over the place, with Nick Blackman playing at left back for spells in the second half. If he wasn't there, he was on the wing supporting Jamie Murphy in the middle. I think Alan Gow made a valuable contribution when he came on and surely now is worth a starting slot, but on the wing please. Darren Randolph too impresses and its reassuring to have a reliable stopper.

Seconded. Pros and cons aside don't do it.

If St Mirren choose to "park their bus" on Fir Park we'll struggle. Our home record to date this season isn't good and we toil to break down packed defences. If however they opt to have a real go at us then we should win.

I'd take him in a minute. He's not a a great football player but he's a very big guy who can motor from box to box knocking bodies out of the way like a rampaging buffalo. Thats good enough for the SPL but not whats required in the Championship where he's encountered even bigger buffaloes with a bit of skill as well.

I too thought that we sat back in the second half against Aberdeen a week or two ago.

Last time I was there was the Cup game a couple of years ago and the same thing almost happened to me. Surprised that the H & S authorities haven't taken a keener interest in this issue. Still I'm sure a 2-0 win will help you get over it!

Great result today - its always extra special to beat Hearts. I haven't heard Jovial Jim's comments yet, but no doubt we were lucky/it was down to poor refeering/Hearts were robbed Bring on St Mirren.

I don't know Jim. Ok he's injured just now but he wasn't making the first team before even as a sub. He's not exactly a raw youngster. We can only hope he comes onto a game once he's fit again. Maybe Jamie Pollock is due his chance. I've only seen hom once and that was last season against Celtic. Only thing that concerns me is that he's on the small side and would take a battering and buffeting from SPL midfielders. Still if he's good enough give him his opportunity.