The African

Great gesture. On a disappointing night football wise, it made me smile.

In my lifetime of watching international football, going back as far as the 1974 World Cup, our lack of goals has always been our biggest weakness. Of course there have been other problems, and sometimes we have been completely awful. Should we be completely negative right now, or can we look for positives? Over the past two decades we would have been having this conversation after we failed to even qualify.. it's not much, but it's something.

I saw the comment as being tongue in cheek and more about the world we live in rather than disparaging the player. These days, you are only as good as your last twenty minutes of play, with only two options, great or grotty. Of course, I could be wrong.

Beaten by a better side. Technically they were far superior and they had the physicality to back it up. You cannot say it was unexpected. As for O'Donnell, he was no worse than the rest of the team who, mostly, looked out of their depth.

I agree regarding Kelly. He probably deserves a chance at a higher level and would be an expensive option from our point of view/ salary level. As for Carson, it is all just hope from my point of view. Nobody wants to see any player have to give up because of injury, let alone one that has proven themselves to be as good as Trevor was. His professionalism when his proposed move to Celtic fell through also adds credit to him, when others might have thrown their toys out of the pram. Honestly, I would love to see him back if at all possible.

With resigning Fox, and rumours we are trying to get Kelly back on loan, you would have to think that Carson is not ready to return to the first team. All just speculation and the rumour about Kelly could be completely groundless, but that is what happens in the phoney war before a new season gets underway. I genuinely hope there is less to it and Trevor can make a full return to fitness and between the sticks for us. He is an excellent player and deserves a bit of good luck for a change.

Like a few others have already said, I only knew Andy through his input on this forum. As this is the internet, you would be within your rights to say that I didn't know him at all really. So why am I sitting here on the other side of the world feeling both sadness and a sense of loss? I think it must be because, in a world of instant communication and unfettered opinion, where trolls and howling loons seem to be the norm, he represented a different style, being unfashionably reasonable, knowledgeable and prepared to let others hold differing opinions, and all done in goood humour with a dry wit that never failed to raise a smile. This place will be the lesser for his passing, but this is just the internet so of no real account. Our loss is certainly nothing compared to that of his friends, family and loved ones, those who really knew him, and to those people I extend my sincere respect and condolences.

Not disagreeing on any of the points you make. I certainly think that Cole is improving and may continue to do so with, which is a positive for both parties. If he really doesn't want to be here though, then it won't work.

If Cole doesn't sign up for next season, we will need to find someone who can supply goals. When we had our poor start to the season just ended, it was the lack of goals that really hurt us. We created chances but didn't take them. Even three or four more goals at that stage of the season and we might have been looking at a top six finish. Is Lafferty the player to provide those goals? I think he is possibly more likely than some of the other options. Watt is great for us, but is not a scorer, Shields is unproven at our level, goals from midfield currently look unlikely and Moult is currently pie in the sky thinking and a gamble given his recent history of injury. The truth is that Lafferty is also a gamble. His career is one of highs and lows, and he is due another low. Perhaps he has realised that he isn't getting any younger and this might have improved his attitude, but you would imagine he would take up a fair proportion of our budget if he did sign. Right now, I would rather see us throw a bit of that cash at Cole, to see if we could get him to sign for another couple of years,with a view to moving him on next summer, to the benefit of both parties.

Showing my age, but for football an all black kit was for referees or Eastern European goalkeepers.

Pretty good effort. Macron seem to be a good fit for us ( pun intended) going by the last few designs.

Keith McRae was just before my time and I am prettty sure I never saw him play. I might have to dig out a couple of books from storage to check though. I do recall 'well fans talking about him and he was undoubtedly a bit of a legend at the club.

That would be my recollection too. Undoubtedly a brilliant keeper when at his peak, but well past his best when he played for us. I would have t say Randolph was probably the best I've seen for us in terms of consistency and ability. I would also say that he is not my favourite Motherwell goalkeeper with Dykstra, Maxwell and Rennie vying for that accolade.

Charles Dunne is a strange one. He has been missing through injury for so long that it doesn't seem to feel like losing a player. His efforts when he was fit were worthy enough, though you tended to think that the main asset he brought was his pace, and without that you would have to consider whether he was good enough for this level. I think the club has done the right thing by him and obviously got him back toa level of fitness, but what sort of deal were we going to offer him? As it is, you certainly cannot be on harsh on the guy for accepting a two year deal, even if it is with St Midden. I am happy enough to offer a qualified good luck and best wishes to the guy. He always gave his all for the cause while at Fir Park and deserves a bit of luck on the injuries and fitness front. Please just don't come back and have an absolute blinder when you play against us.

Well, as the sun sets on a season to forget for multiple reasons ( actually it's morning here and absolutely p*ss*ng down which also seems somehow apt) where do we find ourselves? The players who are already signed on for next season are an uninspiring bunch who have either underperformed over the last twelve months or are just not good enough. It is the manager's task to get a whole lot more out of them both collectively and as individuals. A fair few question marks over a few - can Carson return from injury and be as good as he was? can Grimshaw return after illness and provide the industry and utility that would enhance the squad? can Stephen Lawless find the form and inclination to remind us that his signing was a cause of some optimism? can Harry Robinson return from Aldi with everything on the list and the correct change? The players we have brought in on loan have been a mixed bag, but I honestly cannot make a case for keeping any of them. Kelly would be a great signing, but we couldn't afford him and the only other one to make an impact , Roberts, is now out with a long term injury. The players whose contracts are coming to an end are another mixed bag. Cole has done enough to warrant a new deal, though whether or not t will be with us is the real question. Long is a frustration in that there is obviously talent there, but it only appears when you have just about given up on him. Probably a luxury that a club at our level cannot really afford. I have some sympathy for the likes of Semele and Cornelius who have lack opportunities to show if they can make a mark, but if they haven't already broken through in our current squad, will they ever? Scott Fox has been unlucky with injury but you would think that Morrison is now ready to be our back up keeper. Charles Dunne has to prove that he has recovered enough to be a viable option in our squad. Foley is decent, but not a long term option. I can se most of them going. My hope is that the manager is able to take what we already have and get the best out of it. A good team is greater than the sum of it's parts, and the one thing that we can probably all agree on is that, this season, this has not been the case at Fir Park. I think we will have to bring in some new blood. As o who and what position, a lot will depend on who remains after the new deals are offered, rejected and so on. The three things I think we need to highlight with regard to strengthening the squad are leadership, quality and character. All three have been sadly lacking this season and, without them, we are in for another year of struggle at the wrong end of the table. Anyway, we made it through this year. Sincere best wishes to all true Motherwell fans. Here's to better times ahead, and not just on the football field. I believe we are lucky to support an amazing football club, forged in the steel of a white hot furnace, and trying to achieve against the odds. When I think about it, I thank my late father for instilling this passion and support in me and realise that, although it may be a struggle on the bad days, it is part of me forever now and I love it. PS A wee cup win next season would be nice.

A favoured plan, yes, but not for the likes of us.

Brian Wright was definitely at Hamilton before us. Are you perhaps mixing him up with Brian Martin?

I think I enjoyed the first game more, in the sense that proving that they were sh*t* was more satisfying than just confirming it. Following it from over here, one of the best aspects was sticking it right up the Scottish sporting press and media. They didn't give us a hope in hell, and were still talking up Rangers chances after the first leg. Apparently the fact that they weren't good enough to get promotion via winning the Championship was just forgotten and the standard line of old firm invincibility was trotted out.

Honourable mention for Liam Kelly, whose aground excellence has me a huge difference, but Tony Watt for me also. If he could somehow add a few extra goals, he would be attracting interest from much bigger clubs than us.

How about the Ferrier and Stevenson stand? Historically they seem to have always been bracketed together as players. From a more recent vintage, I would not have an issue with naming it after Joe Wark. As others have said, too many worthy contenders, not enough stands.

Young looks a decent goalkeeper, and he could be the sort of player who might be nterested in a move to a club like ours. In his mid thirties though, so not really a long term prospect or likely for us to develop and sell on. I think that Kelly is probably beyond our budget, though another loan could be an option, but I have always been an admirer of Trevor Carson and hope that he can make a successful recovery and return to our first team.

I think that the lack of any under 20 or reserve team fixtures this season has made it even harder for young players to develop and make a case for being given their chance in the first team. Normally I am an advocate for giving youth their chance, but the lack of an intermediate level for them to work on and showcase their talents is just another minor problem caused by the pandemic. Hopefully it is just an abstract issue for a limited period and we can continue to develop the core of our team for the future. As for the remaining fixtures, let's just play the best team we have, try and finish as high up the table as possible, and then consign this season to the dustbin of history where, from our perspective, it rightfully belongs.

There is a fairly fine line between "better" and "different". Facilities are safer and that has to be a good thing. Crowds have gone down though, as the price/cost of football has increased, to at least partly pay for these changes The changes in society throughout this time cannot be discounted with regard to how they changed the match day experience - from large scale unemployment to the increase in other competing leisure activities, from a greater understanding of health and safety risks to a decreased sense of local community and the corresponding link to local sporting teams. The question of whether players were better is already subjective before you take into account any changes in coaching, fitness and speed. Whilst agreeing that their have been advances in all these areas, I do tend to think that the improvement in these areas has not necessarily resulted in an improved final product. Another possible issue in any comparison can be the nature of the evidence available. In the 1970s only two games a week were televised. Motherwell might only be on television ten times a year. Now every match is just about available and we see every excruciating moment if we are braver enough, this season anyway. I am also of the opinion that this season, without crowds through Covid restrictions, deserves to be discounted. Yes, we have played pretty dreadfully, but the games without crowds are just so lacking in atmosphere and spectacle that they should be seen as a, hopefully short lived, aberration.

Well yes, if you want to pick and choose your criteria, there was certainly plenty to moan about back then and some change was necessary. Grounds are safer, marginally nicer, quieter and more expensive places to be. The pitches were obviously much worse and, I'd argue, the players were better, but less well remunerated. On a broader level, it is probably unfair to compare ifferent footballing periods without an understanding of the societal changes that have occurred, otherwise the lack of context makes any such comparison both pointless and meaningless.

I have watched that one a few times and it brings back many happy memories. As the greedmongers and money men who now think they can control the game play their high stakes game of chicken, it is nice to be reminded of simpler times and to remember the old adage, " things change, but not necessarily for the better".