MelvinBragg

Fairly or unfairly, the manager is going to get the credit/blame for signings from Scandinavian football. So Daws is not likely to get credit for Said or Just. Fadinger, Wimmer will probably get credit for. But identifying and convincing the likes of Sparrow, Longelo and Priestman is to be commended. I'll admit that given the Danzaki experience and Stamatelopolous not setting the scoring charts on fire, I was sceptical of signing Priestman but he's been excellent (and Koutroumbis has been mostly solid). Number of players we were signing from the A League was making me think Daws had a house in Australia. But Priestman looks a find.. Generally positive just now about Daws and our recruitment. In his defence, previous failures we don't know if these players were our first choice targets (bear in mind how many keepers we had to sign last season?). So if we're signing maybe the third or fourth name striker on our wishlist, maybe the success rate will take a hit. Maybe having a manager with a strong personality and clear plan has convinced more of our first choice targets this season...?

The things you stumble across when the Well aren't playing. Graham Alexander's Bradford losing to Luton Town who have Devante Cole up front...

As others have said, I'd have liked a left back but given our performance against Celtic with Koutroumbis at left back, maybe we're saving a wage. It's often been a case of scrambling around in January looking for players to dig us out of a hole so this kind of relaxed window with a 'if nothing happens we'll be fine" probably feels odd as a Motherwell fan...

I think he meant 'done' rather than 'fine'...

Aye, if we were looking for midfield cover, I'd happily have had him back...

Ideally you want as many of your good players available so yes Watt being back would be great. But if not, I'm becoming increasingly confident that Priestman will be fine...

Quite cold today. Someone should have nipped and got him a bovril in the second half...

Fadinger or Priestman, take your pick. Although Just and Said are worth the entrance fee every week...

To be fair, I'm not sure what percentage of that is "if the opposition don't have the ball, they can't score". Not that I'm complaining about that approach...

Ideally I'd like a replacement for Gordon (who I reckon might leave in the summer) in now so that he can get settled in so that in the summer he's used to how we play and ready for (hopefully) European games. My thinking is if we're shopping in the Scandinavian market, their close season might make a permanent move easier...

The sarcastic response to the questions about Watt and Hendry made me wince a bit. I know it's a stupid question given he answered the same question last week but journalists need to do their job. Too much of it and there will be journalists who will be itching to put thr boot in should we hit a slump...

Must confess I don't normally watch any of the pre match press conferences but for some reason watched today's. The manager seemed very definite on the fact that no one was being sold this window...

£2m plus Welsh, assuming they also make it worth Welsh's while to take a pay cut...?

If a club in the Championship down south wish to sign Watt, the price is £2m. If another Scottish club wishes to sign him, the price is £5m...

With Welsh (and I assume Balmer) away, we need at least one centre back. We have McGinn, Gordon and O'Donnell. Not much cover given their injury records recently. Is McGhee going to be used there...?

He seems to be doing very well at Stenhousemuir. Maybe see him in claret and amber next season...?

Indeed. Almost like they had a plan...

Played 80 minutes in an away win at Torino. Did Lewis Ferguson not spend a lot of time on the bench in his first six months at Bologna? Perhaps Miller won't have to go on loan to Rangers to make the World Cup..🙄

I'd hope for a second left back if possible. Koutroumbis did well there yesterday but having someone naturally left footed there automatically widens the pitch...

Don't know if anyone saw the West Ham vs Brentford match tonight but if we were going to have a sky blue away kit, the Brentford third looks more like what you'd want...

People need to calm down. As poor as today was, and it was very poor second half, I would say it's the first truly bad performance.. Have we dropped points in other games that we shouldn't have? Sure, but generally down to individual errors. Today entire team seemed off second half. Are there concerns? Sure. No cover for a player as key to the system as Longelo seems a huge oversight. The subs seem sometimes to not make sense. Watt was having (by some distance) his worst game for us yet Fadinger was taken off. Like I say, concerns but no need to panic. Looking at results in isolation, today was the first one that you'd say, unacceptable...

The other reason that was given when they started having all the semis at Hampden (other than getting use out of a white elephant) was that it helped the smaller clubs in that they could get used to playing there so they weren't disadvantaged getting to the final and playing Rangers and Celtic who were more used to being there. Lot of shite obviously but that was one of the excuses/reasons given...

If there was a Tynecastle size venue in the West of Scotland, that would make sense for a semi final between St Mirren and ourselves..

Don't you come round here brandishing facts. That's not what we do round here..

It does make a mockery of some Motherwell fans at the time berating the club for not having him tied down on a longer contract...