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Speculation surrounding the future of players, especially those who are the most talented or in rich veins of form, is omnipresent in football, but there is no doubt that the grow more audible as the opening of the January approaches.

Despite the numerous possible moves that will be touted in the coming weeks, it would be fair to assume that the current financial hardship felt by most of Scottish football will in effect mean that there may not be significant movement.

For those managers who are in a position to strengthen their playing squad, their desire to do so will most likely be driven by the position they currently occupy. For those challenging for titles and promotion, or those staring at a battle for survival, the signing of the right player may just make the difference as the season progresses.

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At this time of year it seems everyone is searching for a good assistant to help them.

For most, this will be in the confines of a shop as they look to pick the perfect gift and if the role of an assistant is important in this sense, is it of any less significance in the football world?

I actually began to consider this as I listened to a Motherwell director being probed on the possible identity of their next manager.

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I am sure that most people would not consider making a house a home as being something that could be relative to the world of football - and yet, in an era when more and more clubs have moved to purpose-built stadiums, is it easy to make these new grounds appealing to both players and supporters?

As much as recent headlines in Scotland were dominated by fixture cancellations and managerial changes, the news that stirred my interest - and not just because they are one of my former clubs.

I acknowledge that do not own their stadium. But, when they first moved to Broadwood in 1994, I am sure that they imagined this modern, all-seated arena with close motorway access and a large catchment area for potential new fans would help provide a platform for future success.

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The man in the red suit with the white beard currently embarking upon his busiest month of the year is a fantastic example of showing that age is no barrier to quality of work.

For footballers, the accumulation of years will eventually end their playing days but at what age should players think that their best days are behind them, and indeed in the modern football world are we too quick to write players off?

I think it is fair to say that most assume that once a player edges towards his mid thirties then he is not capable of producing the level of performances he had previously; the main reason for this being a decrease in their physical capabilities, which is deemed to be inevitable due to the natural ageing process.

In recent times, however, there have been many examples of players who have extended their careers and in some cases achieved more success as they have celebrated birthdays, which in many people's eyes should have seen them resigned to the soccer scrapheap.

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