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Christmas is a time for giving, and this week SPL sponsor Clydesdale Bank is getting into the spirit of things with match tickets to give away for no less than 18 Clydesdale Bank Premier League matches scheduled over the festive period.

To be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets, all you need to do is log on to their football website www.cbfootball.co.uk, click the competition tab and enter for the game(s) you’d like to go to.

Closing date is Monday 19th December at 12noon. Good luck!

Terms and conditions apply

It’s time for you to cast your vote for your favourite Clydesdale Bank Premier League Goal of the Month.

Sky Sports have selected their top ten goals from November, which are shown on their website for you to view and select your favourite.

If your choice matches the goal selected by Sky Sports pundit Neil McCann you could win a PS3 bundle.

Entry is simple, visit the Sky Sports website today and click on the Goal of the Month tab or alternatively follow the link below to see the goals and have your say.  Closing date is Tuesday 20th December.

http://www.skysports.com/football/spl-goal-of-the-month/0,28881,19891,00.html

Terms and conditions apply.

Motherwell FC hosted the annual calendar signing evening in the Centenary Suite this evening.

Over 250 ‘Well fans turned up, the busiest ever, getting their heroes to sign calendars, strips, balls, pictures and even a cast.

MFC TV caught up with Stephen Craigan and Tim Clancy in the middle of their duties.

-WATCH THE FULL VIDEO EXCLUSIVELY ON MFC TV-

It is time for you to decide who you think deserves to win the Cash Converters Player of the Month for November.

Every month this season, sponsors Cash Converters will give you the opportunity to present the Motherwell Player of the Month with a trophy.

All you need to do is vote for which ‘Well player you think has been the stand-out performer for November and you could be chosen at random from all entries received, to congratulate our star man in person at Fir Park!

After Nicky Law received the Player of the Month award for August, with Keith Lasley picking up the gong for both September and October.

Who do you think deserves it this month?

To cast your vote, simply visit our Cash Converters SPL Facebook page or by CLICKING HERE.

The link will also give you the opportunity to enter the draw to take part in the next Convert for Cash challenge, and the chance to win a whole host of other prizes.

For the November Player of the Month – VOTE HERE.

With the freezing weather showing no signs of letting up, Motherwell U19s will soon to be leaving it all behind when they travel to Turkey for a two-week training camp.

It’s a part of the SFA led Leonardo Da Vinci programme, an EU funded Lifelong Learning Programme for young people aged 18 or above who want to improve both their working and language skills while experiencing life in another European country.

The programme is also an opportunity for the participant and receiving organisation to exchange knowledge and ideas and to gain understanding of others by comparing their different cultures.

And Young is hopeful it will prove terrific benefit to his players’ development both personally and professionally.

He told the Scottish Sun, “The Leonardo Da Vinci programme shows these kids there is a life outside of Scotland.

“If they were successful it would give them a chance to look at life abroad. They might wish to play abroad. This trip will allow our boys to see and understand how other people live their lives.

“These days it’s about diet and lifestyle and that’s what I stress to my players. They have to get an overall understanding of how to live their life in the right way.

“Motherwell has a fantastic reputation of developing and enhancing its youngsters. My job is to ensure that continues. I need to give the manager here a pool of players he can turn to. Trips like this are invaluable. We need to mould these youngsters and give them the best possible grounding and start in life.

“You learn more about these youngsters when you’re away on trips like this. It develops a bond between the players that I hope lasts a lifetime. Guys like Steven Saunders, Steven Lawless, Robert McHugh and Shaun Hutchinson have benefited in the past.”

2011/12 will be Well’s fourth involvement in the Leonardo Da Vinci programme. Thanks to the hard work of the SFA, clubs up and down the country are benefiting from a programme which attracts 250,000 youngsters from across the continent each year.

[pullquote]You learn more about these youngsters when you’re away on trips like this. It develops a bond between the players that I hope lasts a lifetime.[/pullquote]

Young said: “The programme entails the SFA tapping into the central European fund which has created the Leonardo Da Vinci programme.

“This is all about the development, culturally, of young people. It’s about young people in further education all across Europe.

“Something like 250,000 kids from a wide range of disciplines take part each year. It’s not just football. Tom Docherty and Patrick Hart at the SFA have done some tremendous work in ensuring the essential funding. That enables Scottish teams to make a presentation on how they should be involved and experience this wonderful opportunity.

“This year we are travelling to Turkey along with Rangers and Queen’s Park. In the past every Premier League club in Scotland has been involved. We are going at the time of the winter shutdown, so it’s another excellent opportunity for the players.”

But Young insists it’s also an excellent opportunity for Motherwell to develop their own contacts in Europe.

He said: “From our perspective we think it is extremely worthwhile. It’s a two-week programme and as well as getting five to six weeks work of conditioning work done, the players get to experience a different lifestyle and a different culture.

“There will be reciprocal meetings with the local club, Antalyspor. We have a two-week training camp which will be supplemented by three matches.

“In the past we have played Anorthosis Famagusta and Nicosia in Cyprus and watched Lokomotiv Moscow, Schalke and Porto training.

“We have also been able to attend first-team matches as well as sharing coaching methods and establishing some excellent contacts. We now have strong links with Famagusta which led to Angelis Charalambous coming over in a short-term contract. He has since been named in the full Cyprus squad for the recent match against Scotland.

“We can share coaching experiences and that is always invaluable. You take something from each session and the information and networking is essential in the bigger picture at Motherwell. We are now in a position to help Ricky Sbragia and his Scotland Youth squad who will face Denmark. Because of our contacts, we are able to provide Ricky with DVD’s of the Danes who recently played Cyprus so it has been extremely worthwhile.”

Referee for Saturday’s Clydesdale Bank Premier League clash with St Mirren at Fir Park is Calum Murray.

The experienced Murray has already taken charge of one ‘Well game this season, the 2-1 win at Pittodrie with goals from Michael Higdon and Omar Daley.

Motherwell fans will also be familiar with the 41-year old; the man in the middle four times last season, including the Scottish Cup Final last May.

Previous to the Cup Final, he handled the 1-0 defeat at McDiarmid Park in January. Saints won courtesy of a controversial penalty award when Stephen Craigan was adjudged to have clashed with Michael Duberry inside the area; Liam Craig dispatched the resulting kick from the spot.

He also officiated the 2-2 Scottish Cup Quarter Final draw at Tannadice which won wide applause for being end-to-end and exciting and Murray played his part with an excellent display, including getting a number of penalty calls spot on.

The replay was one of the best Motherwell displays of the campaign, Murphy, Humphrey and Jeffers scoring in an excellent all-round team display.

The season prior to last, he was the man in the middle for the 1-1 draw with Rangers; Tom Hateley netting a sensational equaliser for the Steelmen. That game was also marred by a controversial call when Ross Forbes’ goal was somehow disallowed for offside despite television pictures showing the midfielder to be at least two yards onside.

He also took charge of the 3-2 home defeat by Dundee Utd in April 2010 when a John Sutton double wasn’t enough to give ‘Well the points.

His overall record in charge of the Steelmen is fairly decent. Of the 17 games he has taken charge of, Motherwell have won eight, drawn three and lost six. The Fir Parkers have scored 24 whilst 22 have hit the back of the ‘Well net.

48 players have seen yellow on those fourteen matches, 25 of which were shown to a player wearing Claret and Amber. Only one player has been sent for an early bath, Bob Malcolm in the famous 1-0 win over Celtic back in early 2008.

Calum will be ably assisted on the day by Stuart Stevenson and Brian Templeton with Euan Anderson on fourth official duties.

The 2011/2012 annual calendar signing evening at Fir Park will take place this Tuesday evening between 6pm and 8pm.

The players will be available between 6pm and 8pm on the evening of Tuesday 13th December 2011 to sign the newly released calendar – available here on motherwelldirect.co.uk * – and pose for pictures etc.

To allow our disabled fans to take part, the traditional venue of the Cooper Suite has been switched in favour of the Centenary Suite.

* Calendars will also be available to buy on the night.

CLUB SHOP FESTIVE PERIOD OPENING HOURS

Up to Christmas

Monday to Friday: 9.30am-5.00pm
Saturday: 9.30am-5.00pm
Sunday: 11.00am-4.00pm

After Christmas

Boxing Day: Closed
27th Dec: 11.00am – 4.00pm
28th Dec:  9.30am – 7.45pm (match v Dunfermline)
29th Dec:  9.30am-4.00pm
30th Dec:  9.30am-4.00pm
31st Dec : 9.30am-12.00pm
1st-3rd Jan:  Closed
4th January: Normal hours resumed

Last posting dates & Order cut off points

UK

Thursday December 22nd is the last day we can post orders.
Cut off point for orders will be midnight (GMT) on Wednesday December 21st.

International (Eastern Europe, USA and Canada)

Friday December 9th is the last day we can post orders.
Cut off point for orders will be midnight (GMT) on Thursday December 8th.

International (Western Europe)

Monday December 12th is the last day we can post orders.
Cut off point for orders will be midnight (GMT) on Sunday December 11th.

All the goals from McDiarmid Park as Motherwell run out 3-0 winners courtesy of an Omar Daley opener and a double from Jamie Murphy.

-WATCH THE THREE GOALS EXCLUSIVELY ON MFC TV-