David

What exactly is annoying you about how it was done? The media getting hold of it? As far as I can tell nothing else has been denied or confirmed by the club or player, so I'm not sure what you expect from him? Any club who does that to not only their top scorer, but the league's top scorer, is mental. Apart from the fact we'd be intentionally depriving ourselves of a very good player who we will be paying very good money by our own standards, what kind of message does that send to the rest of the squad? From what I gather, Watt is well liked and respected in the dressing room. Unless the player gives the manager a reason to take such harsh action it shouldn't be considered. He's a Motherwell player, being paid by us until he signs for another club. So what's the moral of the story there? Don't show any ambition? Stay where you are and where there's less expected of you? Although, I don't think Dundee United will expect anything more of him than we have. There's not that huge a gulf between the clubs and their targets each season. If Tony Watt is good enough to lead the scoring charts for Motherwell, he's good enough to do the same for Dundee United.

I'm not sure a statement is the way to go. As of now there's nothing been announced, has there? So no need to be doing or saying anything. All he has to do is keep training, make himself available if the manager needs him. If he signs a pre-contract then fine, but unless United pay the required fee he won't be leaving in January, so he's our player and as long as his mentality is right and he's training well there's no need not to play him. He was supposedly being looked at by Blackburn Rovers, Bristol City, Birmingham City and Preston North End. But while they could more than likely blow United out the water with any offer, it has to be considered if he and his family want to up sticks and move to somewhere like Lancashire, Bristol, Birmingham or Preston. Dundee United are an hour and a half up the road from Fir Park, so maybe he was looking to stay in Scotland.

I think he does genuinely have a lot of affection for the club, but he has even more affection for a bump in salary, which is understandable. As I've said to a few of my mates when discussing this, as much as I like Watt, we've lost far better in the past, and we will lose far better in the future. Onwards and upwards.

Why do you believe that a player who is seemingly happy here would go out of his way with his seemingly supervillain-esque agent to work against the club? You really think both Watt and his agent were sat there cackling as they read the headlines in the media? I know it's not a popular theory, but maybe, just maybe, he loves being at the club and he has a lot of affection for the people at the club but simply has to move to earn more money? It doesn't have to be either "Watt loves the club and will refuse any and all offers of more money because he wants to be here" or "he was only kidding on he loved the club, he really hates the club and wants to work with his agent to screw us over." In fact, I'm willing to bet that there's not a single person either in the offices or in the dressing room who doesn't understand why he wants to leave. We made him our best offer, but he's received a better one from a club an hour a half up the road. He's in the form of his life. He'd be mental not to capitalise on it while he can. It's a short career, and you need to bank as much as you can, especially when you're not earning huge money to begin with.

But if that's the case, then wouldn't that mean we're basically letting our top goalscorer go early, allowing him to bolster the squad of a direct competitor for absolutely nothing? If Watt is adamant that he didn't want to go, in theory, then surely it makes better sense to hold him to his contract and either play him if the manager thinks his head and heart is in it, or bench him? I would think the only way a deal happens in January is if the club benefits from it in some way. Most likely in a small transfer fee that we can then use to help sign someone else to replace Watt?

Quick question, but why do you always need to take a confrontational tone whenever you post? Are you like that in real life? Or just a bit of an arse on this forum? I was simply asking, since you seem to know, if the paying up of said contract would still occur even if Watt wanted to leave and was in favour of the move? I can understand offering to pay someone's contract up if you wanted to get them off the wage bill and perhaps move them on when they're not quite into the idea, as a little sweetener? A way to convince them it's a move worth making? I just thought that since any move to shift Watt in January would more than likely be something that the player himself would be happy with that the idea of paying off his remaining contract with us wouldn't be a factor. He would be making, in theory, the move that he's agreed to already, except sooner, thus providing him with the higher wages he's agreed to a few months ahead of schedule, no? I'm genuinely curious.

So if Tony Watt signs a pre-contract with Dundee United, and then expresses an interest in moving next month rather than the summer as it will allow him to begin earning those higher wages United are offering him five months sooner, we will pay up the remainder of his contract to him as well? He's onto a winner there then! I always assumed that the paying up in full of a players contract was done by the selling club if they wanted to move a player on who perhaps wasn't so keen on leaving and needed a little sweetener to change his mind.

I'm not quite sure why people seem to think Watt doesn't want to be here? He's looking like he'll sign a deal with United for next season, but that doesn't mean he suddenly can't be bothered and doesn't want to be here now? I'm fairly certain that he's thoroughly enjoyed his time here, and if we could match what United offered I think he'd have happily stayed. But we couldn't or didn't choose to, so he's right to take the deal that works best for his family's future. Until he leaves though, I'm sure we'll get 100% out of him. Be it end the of the season or next month with a transfer fee.

The idea of not playing our top scorer is madness. If he's still committed to the cause then I'd play him, and I'm sure Alexander will know what to do. Happy to trust his judgement on it.

Unless his ambition, like most footballers, is to earn as much money in a relatively short career as possible.

What makes you think that? Are you assuming that by leaving Fir Park he'll immediately abandon the incredible work ethic that has made all the difference to his game? The guy has always been talented. We could see that during his early days at Celtic. His problem was his attitude and lack of effort in the other areas of his game. He's seemingly matured, and now knows what is required to succeed. I don't see him forgetting all that the minute he carries his boots out of Fir Park for the last time.

The ham-fisted way that the government have approached this most recent round of restrictions is the problem for me. I'm not denying there's a virus out there and that elderly and vulnerable people need protecting (although the vaccine supposedly deals with that) but the way they've went about this is a prime example of the complete lack of common sense and intelligence we've seen throughout the past few years. 500 people in grounds. Why? There must have been some sort of scientific process to come up with that number, right? I'm no scientist, but surely the way to approach this would have been to take into account that we're talking about an outdoor event. I would think they'd have looked at increased social distancing, masks being worn while moving around the stadium, and been able to put some of those all-knowing individuals that we're not allowed to question to work in coming up with a crowd percentage that would apply to each stadium? Since it seems like the in-thing to just grab numbers out of thin air on a whim, what about having each stadium at 50% capacity? So, for example, Celtic park would allow more fans than Fir Park, and Fir Park would allow more than somewhere like Gayfield. And this nonsense about the problem not being people actually in the stadiums, but travelling to the stadiums? It's fucking obvious that it was a group of men who thought that one up, as me no longer being at the football and not riding the train to Airbles doesn't mean I now sit in the house and can be considered one less super-spreader on the street. No, as soon as the football was cancelled the wife immediately said "Great! We can now go and check out the sales, and maybe grab some lunch and drinks!" All journeys that will have my arse sat on the same train carriage I'd have been on going to the football! The only difference is that instead of being sat shivering in the pissing rain outdoors, I'll be wandering the indoor confines of every fucking shop known to man.

If the NHS had been properly funded, by politicians both past and present, we maybe wouldn't be in this position, but that's a topic for another time.

Meanwhile Cowan will be chuckling like fuck at the fact it's become "a thing"

With no income maybe football clubs should park paying taxes for a while as well? The same goes for businesses being crippled by this.

I'd be very surprised if there was. Usually a great deal of self-belief is part of what gets a footballer to the level they're at. If Tony Watt were to be offered a great deal by Everton, for example (and we know he won't but let's say for the sake of discussion they come in for him) he'll most likely think he's good enough if given the opportunity at that level. If anything most footballers are somewhat delusional when it comes to how good they really are.

Exactly. Footballers, especially like Watt who have seen the highs and the lows the game has to offer, will be all too aware that while he may be a star for us this season, he could very easily see a drop in form next season. His next contract, considering the form he's in just now, could very well be the most important in his career. While some fans may see a move to a Barnsley, Luton, or Millwall as one that isn't offering much from a footballing point of view it will see him earn a good deal more than we can offer, and spread over a 3 or 4 year contract that's a decent bit of coin. Of course, there's no player in the professional game who doesn't think they can make the cut at a higher level than they're currently at. If they thought that way they likely wouldn't have made it this far to begin with.

Well, not quite the 5-0 pumping that some had it marked down as. We played well I think and deserved something from the game. Bring on St Johnstone.

If I was Tony Watt I'd be looking to wait until the summer before making any decisions. See who comes in for him, look at the money, the circumstances, the league, the location and so on, then make a choice. As long as we're not left hanging on for a ridiculous amount of time waiting on his decision I'm fine with him weighing up his options.

Was hoping we'd get to half time on level terms, but it's not to be. How we come out in the next 15 minutes will determine how this goes, but I fear we'll do not too badly before losing another goal midway through the second half and possibly another late on.

It's not about being scared, and more about the sheer gulf in finances, which leads to a severe gulf in quality. The increase you mention over the past twenty years coincides with both old firm sides, but mainly Celtic in recent years increasing the chasm between themselves and the other clubs financially. I'm sure there was a report or two in the media that highlighted that the gap between Celtic and most other premier league clubs is larger than the gap between Celtic and PSG. That should give us a little perspective. Funnily enough, when Celtic themselves have to play against a side such as PSG where the financial and quality gap is reversed they've been beaten by scores of 4-0, 7-1, and 5-0 in recent games.

No, I don't think so. Anything from this game is a bonus.

Make your choice...

That idea may be applicable if we win the world cup. As it is? I don't think so.

If it's sarcasm, you'll know.