MelvinBragg

Tough one to know where I stand on this one.. Deal with the easy bit first. The lack of an OAP discount is bang out of order. But totally in line with the shabby treatment the elderly get in our society. Disgraceful. Nothing I type that follows this applies to the issue of OAP concessions... £20 as a price in itself is too expensive for football. Personally I reckon £15 is too expensive but it's the world we live in now. The club have not raised the price to a level unheard of for football games. I remember going to Livingston when they were in the SPL (not yesterday) and I'm sure the gate prices then were £20/£10. I think if the club had hiked the price to £28 or £30 for this game, it would have been a clearer issue of fleecing the fans. Thing is, we can't have it all ways. This forum has been full of posts bemoaning the lack of signings, to then criticise the club for attempting to maximise income seems to me a bit two faced. As others have pointed out, we are running a business here. To mention Dundee United is interesting. If we had kept the lower price and Dundee United made a lot more money from their play off game than we did, then we would have had people on here slating the lack of business sense at the club. To say "the other two games were £15, therefore this one should be as well" just invites a response from the club saying "£15 was a goodwill gesture, we could have charged £20 for every game". Would that consistency in pricing have made it alright? People were on here praising the club for the £15 price. Well, if we knew that £15 was a bargain (in terms of today's football pricing), we all know you don't get a bargain every time you go to the shops. I think talk of around 10000 fans if they dropped the prices to £15 is ludicrous anyway. "If the club kept it at £15 and got 10000 in we'd make...", aye, well if yer granny had baws she'd be yer grandad. There is no way we'll get 10000 for this game, irrespective of a £5 price difference. The more I think about it, I reckon the club have called it right. Would I rather it was £15? Aye, of course. Putting the sensible head on, should the club be trying to maximise their income and is £20 in today's market a reasonable price? Unfortunately, yes. Oh and to the person who stated that they wouldn't now go because they couldn't afford to spend £100 watching football over the course of 6 weeks, are you really trying to tell me that your budgetting is so precise that you couldn't afford £100 but £90 would be something you could afford? As others have said, it's £5 difference. How much do each of us spend on stuff we don't need every week? Newspapers that are out of date when you get them. A packet of chewing gum while you're in getting it and maybe, oh aye gie me a can of juice and a packet of crisps. Or "Are you having another pint afore ye head up the road?" "Ach, aye go on then". These examples may not apply to everyone, but I'm sure if we all thought long and hard we could come up with something we spend a fiver on in a week that looking at it is "waste". All I would ask is that you think about that before stating that £5 is a bit of a hike. Football is too expensive, we all know that. But sadly £20 for a game is not exorbitant in today's climate in football. Some people on here are talking as if it's the first time they've had to pay £20...

Can we now officially "HOTD for the pish" this thread...?

This. Our strongest asset in this tie is Craig Brown. If we had any of our previous 4 or 5 managers going into this tie, I'd have written us off already. Craig Brown and Archie Knox know the game inside out. And I get the impression that there's a bit of determination on Brown's part to prove this as I reckon he hasn't had he credit he deserves over the years. Dour, dull Craig Brown and his dour, dull teams are the underlying impression you get when you read the media talking of his time with Scotland. No mention of the fact that Smith and McLeish used the same tactics when with Scotland. I think (and this sounds ridiculous) Criag Brown feels he has something to prove. And I think we might be the benficiaries of that...

That kind of sums up my feelings on the matter. He has the tools, just requires a good coach to smooth off the rough edges. Like telling him to slow down (just a wee bit, he'll still be fast enough for most defenders) before putting a cross in. I think when his delivery has been poor (and it's getting better), it's because he's been going at full pelt and is having to slam the brakes on to get the cross in...

I'm guessing something like this... Manager Craig Brown has "no complaints" after Motherwell were drawn to face Danish outfit Odense in the Europa League play-offs. "It's accessible for the fans and it's not too far to travel. I would hope it's an even game," said Brown. "Some of the other teams like Manchester City were much more formidable than Odense. "I have no complaints, the draw has been reasonably kind to us. It's another Scandinavian team." Motherwell booked their place in the play-offs with wins over Aalesunds and Breidablik. "I like the prospect of the second game at home, you know what you have to do, if it goes to extra time and penalties you have the home advantage," Brown added. 'Well travel to Denmark for the first leg on 19 August with the return at Fir Park seven days later.

What he said...

Missed this as I was under a pile of bodies at the time, what was his reaction?

John who...? Let's move on, people...

I'll worry about that if (and it's a big IF) we get there. The group stages are at least a possibility. If we had drawn Man City or Villareal, that wouldn't have been the case. The money for reaching the group stages and the chance of seeing at least one "proper" European name (not Man City, someone with history) is enough for me...

Anyone know when the signing deadline is for the next European round out of interest? Obviously Odense is not the money spinner John Boyle might have been looking for but I'd imagine the money for getting through last night might help a wee bit on the signings front...

The "glamour tie" everyone was looking for wasn't available to us after the pots were drawn up, perhaps with the exception of Villareal. Man City aren't a glamour tie for me, they're a rich club but I'd have been more excited with a Liverpool, Feyenoord, Borussia Dortmund or Porto. For me a glamour tie means playing a team with a real European tradition. Bucharest and Dortmund were glamour ties. Man City would just have been a financially rewarding tie. And even then only if the first leg was at home...

Where's Stephen Hawking when you need him...?

Then we can have our glamour ties... It will be difficult, but at least we have a slight chance of going through. If we had a glamour game against Man City or Villareal, that wouldn't be the case...

No one is saying it will be easy. I just think this is our best chance, not necessarily to go through but with the second leg at home, to have another tie at Fir Park without it being like a wake. Imagine if we had to go to Villareal or Man City and come back to Fir Park having lost the first leg 5-0? What would be the crowd for that game, glamour tie or not? Not saying that won't happen with Odense but I think we have more of a chance of coming back from Denmark with the tie still alive and therefore more chance of an enjoyable atmosphere at Fir Park. That is, of course, if you enjoy tension...

Difficult but winnable. All I would ask of the team is the same I asked before they went to Norway. Come back with a chance of going through to make sure it's a good night at Fir Park...

Here we go...

Dundee Utd have got AEK Athens at home first. Ouch...

Three year contract...

No, I'm enjoying our European games. Still would rather Ross County had won the Scottish Cup though. I consider us being in Europe as a pleasant side effect of a bad result. Now away and find something else to carp on about...

Dundee United's pot has Juventus, AZ Alkmaar and Getafe in it as well as anoher known name (can't remember who) so slightly more glamourous. But I'd like a winnable tie, so Odense would suit me fine. Thought did strike me that if United draw Juventus and we get one of the less glamourous sides in our pot (basically anyone but Man City), it does in our chances of TV money as the Utd game would probably be their first pick. Then I realised that it doesn't really matter who us or United get, the BBC will go for the Celtic game...

According to Radio Scotland, there were a squad of scouts at the game all to see the Aalesunds goalkeeper. Let's just hope that one of them noticed Reynolds having a decent game and we maybe get a cheeky bid for him...

Odense or Dinamo Zagreb, please. Slight chance of going through over glamour for me...

In the Ross Forbes interview, it said tonight would be his 12th European game, actually only his 10th.. Spotted that looking over someone's shoulder tonight in the pub. Did look like a good read though...

A midfielder doesn't seem the priority unless he's a wide midfielder with a bit of creativity...

On the subject of the new EPL regulations being of help to us, I reckon they might be a hindrance. As well as the 25 man squad that EPL sides will be allowed, they will be aloowed an unlimited number of U21 players. So the chances of those U21 players going out on loan might be slightly diminished. There will be older, more established players that they'll have to sell/send out on loan but I reckon we'll be less likely to get them...