Mark McGhee - Off the Ball

Many of the calls congratulated him on his decision to stay and the follow up questions provided some fascinating insights.

The high point of the season came when we beat Aberdeen to secure the third place he was so exhausted afterwards that he claimed to be in bed at 6.30 that evening! The low points were fairly obvious, the loss of Phil and Tommy.

Mark revealed that he has changed our pre-season training plans in Austria as a result of the Uefa Cup qualification. He had intended that the week would not have any matches but he has now arranged games against the champions of Romania and a Czech team to give the squad some experience of foreign opposition.

Who was the most improved player in the SPL? Aiden McGeady. And at Motherwell? They all improved. McGarry came on well and of course Clarkson had a great season culminating with his goal for Scotland.

What about the squad for next season? Ross McCormack is the only doubt at the moment. Mark has spoken to him this week and they have arranged to spend a day in Brighton when Ross returns from his holiday. He hopes that a deal can be reached.

What about Bob Malcolm - did he know of the fans' views in light of the stamping incident with Said Chiba? "I signed him because he would stand on heads! (tongue in cheek) It is important that fans back a manager's decisions."

Praise was heaped on the attacking philosophy employed on the pitch this season and Mark was clear that the policy would continue. He said that at the start of the season he fancied that Gretna would get relegated anyway so, "What the hell, we'll attack every game".

Paul Quinn's indiscretions were discussed. "Every day is Boxing Day for Paul", quipped Tam. Mark was asked how a manager copes with that type of incident at the club. "I didn't talk to him for a month. But it's all over now and he'll be a huge asset for us next season. The important thing is - will he learn from it? He must learn to avoid these situations."

He said that he was surprised how low the average crowd was at Fir Park and suggested that fans should hijack their pals and bring them along to see Motherwell. John Boyle joined in on the phone and reinforced the message that season ticket sales would help fund Mark's budget. Both McGhee and Boyle acknowledged that football prices were too high.

When asked about the European adventure he said that he would rather delay meeting a high profile club until the group stages. Later he suggested that he would be delighted to meet Queen of the South in the first round!

Tam asked which venue would the fans enjoy most - Hamburg was the quick reply - the fans would have a ball there and I'll be the group leader.

The one topic which might cause a bit of a debate was about the repair to the pitch. Mark repeated the known detail that the problem had been caused by compaction preventing water from reaching the drains. When holes were punched through the surface (wrecking the undersoil heating) water was able to reach the drains and run away. Over the summer the entire surface is to be replaced but the heating system would be left. Pitch protection next season would come from covers. "There will be no matches off next season".

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