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We could win next 2 games , lose next and folk would want AJ punted. He is hardly going to do interview and say he got line up wrong. Hopefully a wake up call for him and line up next week will be big marker.

Haven’t you heard? Olly isn’t good enough for Motherwell just now, according to Alfred.

The style seems to be trying to continue last season philosophy, possession based . But in practice we are not moving ball forward fast enough more across the way. Also in first half more than once we had 4 players out on the wing at 18 yard box and barely one in the box. How can we score like that,need more bodies in the box quicker. Preistman returning may push us forward faster.

To be fair we’re a million miles of where we started this season never mind comparing to last . that I think is the more concerning factor - the further we go with the so mentioned ‘transition period’ the worse we become . I don’t believe there’s an exe to grind about who the manager is - he was very warmly received - what many of us don’t like is the loss of identifiable game plan . we need to see significantly better performances

With respect, I think we are. Results wise you're right, although we are conceding more goals. Performance wise though, we could see progression and what JBA was trying to do. There's none of that this season. For the life of me, I can't see any emerging or established style of play. Where are we heading style wise?

Thats exactly it for me. I'm not calling for AJ to be fired but the alarm bells are now ringing out loudly. Next Saturday will be a big game for him and us. Given the significant changes in personnel, I was expecting a drop off in form as the new players settled in. I also expected to see a SLIGHT change in playing style. However, what we're now witnessing is less possession; lower work rate; less organisation; no high press; and an over reliance on long high balls. Like Prestwickwell, I just can't identify any particular style of play from AJ. Unlike JBA's early tenure, I just can't see what we're trying to do. There's no pattern to it. I was expecting to see some progression and improvement after more time on the training ground, but this simply isn't the case. If anything we're going backwards. Playing devil's advocate, maybe we were more successful at the start of the season as AJ didn't have the time or opportunity to deviate much from JBA's established style. Once he started to introduce his own methods and ideas then things began to go awry. Even the form of our best players has tailed off. At our level, we invested a fair bit cash in new players over the summer and it doesn't seem to be paying off. Some talented players, for sure, but maybe they aren't being played to their strengths? Maybe some were overrated? Not all signings succeed of course. Something somewhere just doesn't seem right although I've seen suggestions elsewhere about that. One thing is for sure, rightly or wrongly, the fans will have the final say, as they always do.

Ok vogts is very poor, but the caveat to that was he said based on training , he selected vogts...sending him out gor 2nd half is strange but cut aj some slack...we ain't a million miles off where we were last year at this time. I doubt very much we will finish 4th again though. Im sure there were conversations on here last year re Jens and how he has one match away from sack...some of those posters are after aj.. They may be right, it might not work but give him the chance

I received a jolt and not a pleasant one when I read the team sheet. Sparrow at RB again, no Knight-Lebel, Vogt starting and a defensive looking midfield, including an out of position Hodge as it turned out. In the round, we shot ourselves in the foot pre match with that line up. As for the game it quickly became apparent, for obvious reasons, that Celtic were targeting our right side. The defence was an unorganised shambles; a throwback to the Hammell/Kettlewell/Alexander eras. Pack the defence, withdraw the 2 full backs into the penalty box and hope for the best. Despite that approach, Celtic found plenty of time and space in our box. The midfield was pretty anonymous and sat far too deep as we played a passive game. No leadership or physicality. Palmer Houlden, and latterly Thor, were left isolated all too often with little support from an overly cautious timid midfield. Throughout the game, we relied far too heavily on aimless high punts up the field. Off the ball work, both in and especially out of possession, was non existent. Transitions were chaotic. I'm still not convinced by Paulsen. A very showy shotstopper, he did, in fairness, produce some fine saves today to keep the scoreline respectable. However he looked culpable for the first goal, and also spilled a fairly innocuous shot. His distribution was poor throughout and that put pressure on a suspect defence. In fairness, no one player was to blame for the defeat, but Longelo and a poor Sparrow weren't helped by lack of cover in front of them. Our subs were far too late and by that time we were 2-0 down. The one bright spark was Said, who really tried to make things happen when he came on. My MOTM. In truth, Celtic could have won by 5 or 6 goals comfortably. I wasn't looking for a win but was hoping to see some kind of improvement in performance; some progression if you will, but all we seemed to show was regression.

I don’t think I’ve once called outright for him to be sacked or jumped on the bandwagon of those demanding it. In fact, I previously posted that he’d rightly be given time. I’m now just questioning whether that patience will ultimately be to the detriment of both him and the team. All I’ve done is point to what I see as his failings and suggest that, increasingly, they look terminal.

I think the ship has already sailed on Alfred, unfortunately. Today could’ve been the day he put his hands up, took ownership, drew a line in the sand and said things have to change. But he didn’t. And that’s despite us getting progressively worse the longer he’s had on the training pitch with the players. It’s now becoming pretty clear to me, and others, that he doesn’t really seem to know what he’s doing, and even the good players in his squad are starting to look lost as a consequence.

Im usually one of the last to turn, and tonight Im officially "concerned". Being beaten 2-0 by Celtic at home in itself isnt usually something to get perplexed about. But the nature of the performance and the failure of the manager to hold up his hands, or call it out are. There are many moving parts for which he will be given time. But some signs of a structure/gameplan/identity sometime soon, wouldnt go amiss.

It’s not our job to say who should be brought in….& Motherwell recently won’t bring in any names on anybodies radar question isn’t who….question is whether the current managers capable

Question also to all the AJ haters and that he should be punted.....who do we bring in? Our next 4 games are huge and if we can get 7pts minium then its a start. I know its not great just now but knee-,jerk reaction solves nothing

I think our wires are being crossed here. Vogt was brutal today...I aint denying that and he should have been hooked half time. However....2nd goal was sparrow- SOD double act, nowt to do with Vogt. I also don't think Vogt should be anywhere near starting line-up after today

Spot on - whilst perhaps not the perfect player he offered a lot more than ive seen from others and like are have said is physical - given how weak we’ve been in midfield it was an odd decision . Particularly given priestmans known injury

Think others have said that he’s trying to play last seasons football if it’s not in his dna then he’s going to need to implement what is quickly to see if he can turn it round it’s currently passive, slow, sideways with no real purpose said this in the match thread, twice early we put it in behind & caused issues, surely u look at that & go their fragile there & lock it in we never put a dent in an abysmal Celtic defence today because there was no real ambition to go at them really don’t know what this managers style actually is

The manager.

I did not see the game today so I don't know just how bad it was but there are a few things that would make me think that there is somewhat of an overreaction here: 1. MJC and Wellfan are cheerleading the Manager out rhetoric which they have done with some glee with pretty much every single manager we have had. 2. Two of this 4 game Armageddon run has involved the Old Firm. Rangers are on a 6 game unbeaten run and Celtic were always going to react after their OF humbling. I still believe Celtic will win the league if MON has his eye back on the ball. 3. Much as we hate to admit it the Dundee defeat was against a good side that are clearly in form just now. There has to be some perspective that we have no right to beat these teams just because JBA was our manager last year. 4. The Aberdeen result was a bit of a freak result. 4 shots, 4 goals. There is no doubt however that this particular game did rock our confidence somewhat. I see MJC calling for Steve Clarke. When are we going to realise that the old Scottish ways of playing football died in the 1980's. We are miles behind the rest of Europe both at club level and internationally. The WC was a complete failure. Motherwell have at least tried to break the mould and did so spectacularly last term with JBA. I applaud what the club has tried to do this year. It may still work but if it doesn't we can at least see the rationale behind the decision making. Our situation reminds me somewhat of Ian Cathro at Hearts. That experiment did not work, not because Cathro was a poor manager, as he has since proved but because the environment was not conducive to him being successful in Scottish football. I hope at least, that AJ is at least provided the opportunity to show what he can do despite the default position of a minority of the support.

What is the football philosophy of the board? If it’s exciting, possession based football, Alfred has already demonstrated that he isn’t going to deliver that. Nor has he showing any signs of developing young players either.

Yeh. The difference was that, under JBA, you could see what the team was trying to do from the very start of his tenure. There was an identity. The same can’t be said for the start of Alfred’s tenure, and that’s my biggest concern.

Paulsen by a distance. With creditible mentions for Seb, who ploughed a lone furrow and Said who showed more in his brief cameo than most of the others combined.

Uv said he wasn’t a big reason we’d lost….absolutely disagree with that we were ripped apart time & time again down that side because he doesn’t work…..it’s also not a coincidence as soon as he went off we had our only spell in the game he’s been dreadful from day 1 simply because of his effort & application he’s a big part of the reason we lost….& the managers a big part of the reason for picking him

He certainly had a bit of physicality about him, which was sorely missing today.

Alfred absolutely isnt going to be sacked anytime soon. The board have chosen a football philosophy for the club and appointed a manager to implement it. They simply have to stand by their man and give him time. However, he does have to start demonstrating he understands the problems and that he is able to coach improvement into the team and our performances. Jens didnt start well as far as points were concerned, but he was able to point to performances and quality of play as signs that things would get better. Right now our performances are getting worse and we are not picking up any points. One of those things needs to change.

How the manager and coaching staff could let Olly Whyte go out on loan and retain Vogt is a complete mystery to me. Whoever made that call should get their arse booted and hard. Olly Whyte looked a really good prospect in the games I watched him play and we should cut short his loan spell and give him a slot in our midfield because I think he has the bite that we lack in there.