The African

Well I’ll have to say that I got more than I wished for this season. Whether this was down to a higher standard of player or down to a combination of factors (better fitness, better organisation) is a moot point, but the significant contributions of the likes of Kipre and Carson in particular cannot be ignored. When we lose these players, the pressure will be on to find replacements who can make a similar impact. For next season the priority will once again be to stay in the division.

I would suggest the “ Stevenson and Ferrier” Stand. They were some double act by all accounts. Previously, the argument against has been the money we can make by adding a sponsors name, the Motorola Stand etc. I can see the point if we are making enough money out of it, but I do like the idea of honouring the great servants of our club.

I’d agree with that. And a couple of days to draw breath. I hope that is what the club is doing.

Form is temporary, class is permanent. And that gentleman is pure class. Someone who genuinely realises that the relationship between players and supporters is a two way street. probably a little too late, but Tom Boyd, please take note.

The yellow and burgundy line told me early on that he was going to be talking out of his arse. Wasn’t too chilly here. Anything in single figures and the locals start to moan. Strangely, I still miss a proper winter.

Well said. No pun intended.

Smoke bombs and flares are banned. Anyone who takes one along and then sets it off is an eejit anddeserving ofwhat they get.

Indeed. Not a fan of twitter and social media for players , it simply causes more problems than it is worth imho, but that was a nice message from Trevor Carson. If and when he moves on to bigger and better things, it will be very well deserved. He has been nothing short of magnificent for us.

Would add that after a fall in the first half he looked to be in a serious amount of pain after landing on his injured wrist. He got up and played through it. Wasn’t a pretty performance, but his attitude was spot on.

Was able to go back to bed after the final whistle. Probably did me good to get a couple of hours sleep. Disappointed with the way it went obviously. Unfortunately we lost goals at bad times and the game was pretty much over when the second one went in. Cannot agree with anyone putting the boot into McHugh. The guy looked utterly dejected. At our level you win as a team and you lose as a team. Also felt that, while we did improve when Bigi came on, he benefitted from the state of the game at the time. Celtic had taken the foot off the gas and the midfield opened up nicely for him to show his abilities. Absolutely no guarantee that he could have done that from the outset. Cannot fault them on effort and attitude. as I sat watching, alone in the dark at 2am on a cold Kiwi morning, trying to ignore the shite commentary on BEIN sport’s covera, I was sure I heard the applause at 19 minutes for the lad who passed away a day or so before the final. I felt a shiver down my spine and stood for a moment, holding my late father’s scarf just a little tighter. At the end of the game, watching their players and support celebrate, I immediately realised that I could never support a team like that. If you are a Motherwell fan, you are in it for the long haul. No religion, no politics, no “we won and that makes me better than you because you lost”. Just a sense of the place from where we or our families came from and a love of the game and trying to play it the right way. Today my team gave their all and behaved with dignity when it wasn’t enough to win the prize. I can live with that. And so the story continues.

Good luck to Luke Watt. He was talked up as a talent, but hasn’t taken his chance to show it with us.

Not even with direct flights from Auckland to Dubai. Think it is about 23 hours in the air from New Plymouth to Glasgow. When you mentioned it, I did briefly consider it. My wife is at the gym. I could have just left her a note.

Well that is Cup Final Saturday dawned in New Zealand*. Good luck and best wishes to all in Claret and Amber. Give your all, do us proud, and ,win or lose, have a great day. * Technically the final isn’t until 2am tomorrow. I shall be sitting in front of the TV with my Dad’s scarf, wishing I was there for our victory.

Indeed. Must be completely shattering for the young lad’s family and friends. My thoughts and prayers are with them. Puts the result of a football match into perspective.

Always delighted when one of our players gets international recognition. We have had plenty in the past who have deserved it and yet somehow missed out, so it would be churlish not to be pleased for the lad. Hopefully he does well, gets a cap or two and adds a couple of hundred grand to his value.

Don’t think there was much of that. He was pretty realistic about where Airdrie are at present. Just happy that he still had his team to follow.

Second hand info. I have a former colleague who is a lifelong Airdrie fan who has kept in touch after I moved away from Scotland. They have been very positive about Ferguson, though phrases like “ not the finished article” and “still needs to work on his weaknesses “ have appeared in the last season. He does know his football though and I would generally trust his judgement. He was genuinely upset when we signed Ferguson, as he thought he was bound for bigger and better things.

Is he flying up after doing the royal wedding?

Or alternatively, win or lose, we could hope that our team display sportsmanship and class throughout the day.

Au contraire. We have earned the right to turn up. Sadly, that is no guarantee of getting a fair crack of the whip regarding the big decisions on the day. To assume so would be folly.

Let them be sickening. We have to be focused on ourselves and our own performance, and not be distracted by things out with our control.

History, if nothing else, would suggest that a dodgy penalty and a dodgy ordering off and we are not winning anything.

So, with the league season complete, how does the squad look for next season? Carson - bound to move on in the not too distant future. We need to plan for life without Trevor Griffiths - nice that he got a clean sheet on what will likely be his last appearance. He will be remembered for being better than Samson, which isn’t saying much. Time for him to move on. Ferguson - a decent young keeper who offers cover for the bench and perhaps will push for the starting spot once Trevor moves on. Tait - signed up and deservedly so. Kipre - we may get another year out of him, but surely bound for bigger and better things. As with Carson, we need to prepare for the time when he moves on. Hartley - his return from injury next season will be like a new signing. Dunne - recent performances have hopefully put the doubters to bed. Deserved the contract extension. McHugh - never going to sign for Barca, but key to our improved defensive record, along with a competent goalie. Longer term, if we aim to play a more technical style, he may be the one to miss out, but his fight and leadership may be hard to replace. Plummer - hasn’t had much of a chance, but on the rare occasion has failed to shine. Time for us to part company I think. Cadden - has he gone back a bit this season? Possibly in need of a rest and hopefully come back stronger next year. Doubt we will get many offers for him in the close season. Campbell - the find of the season. Hopefully only going to get better and make us a fair bit of cash when he moves on. Bigi - the disappointment of the season? Obviously talented but not really worked out for us or him. If he wants to go, and can find another club, I would not stand in his way. Tanner - very unlucky with a nasty injury. If we can get him fit he will prove to be a genuine asset. Frear - not without talent, but does he fit in to our system? Probably time to say no and let him move on. Rose - another who can claim to have proved the doubters wrong. Well worth the offer of a new deal if he wants it. Grimshaw - as with his first stint with the club, it has taken time for him to find his form and prove his worth, but now that he is fit, get him signed up for another year or two. Bowman - cannot fault his effort and workrate. Deserved his new deal. Main - has been great for us and it cannot have been easy to replace a legend. Hopefully he will sign an extension to his contract. Newell - unlucky with injuries and looked half decent given his limited opportunities. Possibly worth a punt for another year. Petra - sorry, had chances and not looked good enough. Time to say goodbye. Of the guys on loan Nadir - obviously talented, but would be a gamble, even if he were prepared to accept our terms, so I’d think he will be away. Aldred - alreadya great piece of business and getting him on a permanent basis would be even better news. Might not be as straightforward as we would like as you would think that other clubs with more money will have taken notice of his performances. Hendrie - not done nearly enough, so no thanks. And young guys coming through MacLean - has a year left on his contract and may benefit from a loan move and more first team experience. However, would that be us just subsidising a player who is not going to make it at our level? A tough decision to be made I think. Turnbull - early days, but looks decent. Hopefully get more chances next year. Maguire - again early days, but can only benefit from playing with more experienced players. Hopefully a few more get the chance to move on up. So not really looking to bad for next season. Would love Aldred to stay and for at least one of Rose and Grimshawto sign up for longer. The areas we need to address are more depth up front, some width,especially on the left, and a bit of X factor ability in midfield. Here’s hoping that a cup win and the lure of European football make the recruiting process a little easier.

Probably needs a run out, of sorts, on Saturday then. Does he start? Or do we give him twenty minutes at the end?

Just goes to show the difference that a decent goalkeeper can make. We will miss Carson greatly when he moves on. We can only hope for a big payday and a competent replacement.