Swello

hahahaha!

Feels like having this sort of pro is a really rare thing now - 500 games is your Craigan/Lasley/Hammell type (although they played that many for us rather than what looks like half the teams in the country for McGinn). I think if you're brining in multiple loanees from down South and various 1 or 2 season "permanent" signings from random places, that it's important to have a few that have been around our league for a long time... More than happy if he signs up for next season.

Agree with this - there has been some brilliant drama around the last day of the split over the years and it's never been very well covered...

They also had this bonkers set up as well https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apertura_and_Clausura_in_Argentine_football

I would argue that split matters more to mid-table teams like us - it adds a bit of something extra when you're not involved in the good stuff near the top or the bad stuff near the bottom. A top half finish has always been a marker of a good season for us - the split just formalised it a bit.

Motherwell "should" have Livi and St Johnstone at Fir Park - Away to Aberdeen and County - Hibs we would be due to be at Easter Rd, Dundee we would be due at Fir Park (which would be too many homes).

The best thing about Top 6 is definitely the getting there - St Mirren found that out big time last year when the fun stopped after they made it and we've had some similar experiences over the years (although we've had seasons going for 2nd and 3rd that were obviously a different matter). On a financial basis, I'm not really convinced that 6th vs 7th makes a huge difference as I'm sure we'll be paying out some hefty bonus money for getting there as it's the measure of a "good" season at our club. When you balance that out by getting visits from (I'm guessing) Hearts and Rangers - is there going to be a huge difference? Whatever happens on Saturday (or Wednesday night) - it kind of feels like the season has been saved already - we're going to finish in a standard Motherwell 5th-8th type of position and that wasn't looking the case in the winter and so I'm fairly relaxed about the rest of the season.* * I will not be relaxed if it's on a knife edge on Saturday.

To be honest - I wasn't really thinking about us and Europe as a serious proposition - top 6 is enough of a stretch but Dundee or Hibs would probably have a good shout at it. In fact us making the Top 6 is the ideal thing for Saints as the gap would be the biggest and not one that we would be likely to overturn as you point out.

I would imagine whether it's Dundee, Hibs or Us that makes it to the Top 6 - they/we would have an eye on 5th place and not just settling for being there. With St Mirren having Celtic away next week, it could be a fairly narrow gap come the split, especially if Hibs or Dundee win next weekend.

Imagine there is a similar incident in the OF game - the SFA wouldn't dream of giving that answer.

I think they've just said "half the Dundee team are encroaching, f**k it" Agree with this - the ball did take some dead bounces but nothing you wouldn't see on a "normal" heavy pitch...

With Bair, I'm getting a feeling that it might not be our problem next season. Surely he's getting to the point that an English team with more money will take a punt on him. He's clearly an improving player and could well get a lot better than he is now - and with his physique I think he'll get interest....

I will say - the hefty big steward that was stopping the motherwell players and management getting near the fans at that the end whilst looking fucking raging was quite funny. I can totally respect it if he's a Dee (and I probably would have done the same thing) - if he's just following orders, a bit less so....

Kind of glad I made the effort to get to that.... I'll get it out the way first - I'm a veteran of seeing my own team make an arse of it - but I'm struggling to think of a collapse like Dundee managed today. They went from looking comfortable to completely losing the plot almost instantly - it was bizarre. It looked like any ball through the middle was total danger and I can't really believe what I saw. Secondly I'll say it as we benefitted from it - another fucking shocker of a penalty caused by the killer combo of The handball rule and VAR - no-one knew what was going on - it has to change. On to the fun stuff - 3-2 from 2-0 is the most satisfying result in football for me - but to do it on a day that Hibs made an arse of it makes it all the more special. Next week could be good fun as long as Dundee don't do anything against Rangers but even forgetting that, I think we are now done with relegation and playoffs, which is the most important thing. The pitch was shocking but the wind was the biggest factor in the game - so many balls straight out of play. Anyway - best fun win of the season Ibrox aside - just hoping top 6 is still a live issue next weekend...

I basically need to leave now or I won't make it. Is there still a Greggs at Kinross services? Might help to salvage the day when it's called off.

Problem is, if someone from the SPFL is monitoring this thread, that will now be seen as a valid option.

A slide tackle through that sand dune would be an experience....

f**k sake - 2nd inspection at 1

Exactly the type of information that we need. Could you go down there with an old pair of fitba boots and see if the bit behind the waltzers "will take a stud"?

I want the Dundee folk to be out doing a mini pitch inspection in the time honoured tradition of a quick walk on the grass in the back garden/nearest park.

Near the ground(s), I've always gone into Whites, which will be mainly Dundee fans but there are usually some 'Well supporters in there too - ditto the Clep Bar. Both just old school boozers and pretty welcoming, nothing fancy. In the city centre on the way to/from the station, always the Phoenix.

The idea seems to have been communicated by the league to our new CEO - so it's not paper talk or anything like that..

It's a genuinely bizarre suggestion that wouldn't even be dreamt of if/when the Dundee-Rangers game is called off - no wonder Caldwell has said we're not doing it. It's all the more bizarre as Almondvale is set up for Premiership games (assuming a plastic pitch is the criteria here) - Starks or East End (plastic, right?) on Sunday would be far more logical than Airdrie of all places if lower division grounds are under consideration. I am/was planning to head up tomorrow - but I'd imagine a lot of folk will just give it a miss due to the uncertainty..

We spent around £2m fixing that (lots of attempts at a few hundred grand and then a final £1m+ fix including some levelling works) - which is a serious amount of money for us. A part of our pitch waterlogged very easily and was a bit of a nightmare - it now seems to be able to take anything that is chucked at it - although the bowling green of the past few years has noticeably gone downhill a bit this winter.

Derek Rae probably fired on the playoff 2nd leg in a meeting. Seeing Lee McCulloch getting a flag pole in his een piqued his interest, by the time he got to "Twisting...Shouting" he was doing his sums and when he saw *all* the fighting, he was up for buying us.