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There's no doubt that in recent months, refereeing/VAR performances have deteriorated from an already low base. We seem to be on the receiving end of continual poor decisions or 50/50s going against us week in week out just now. Yesterday was just another example. The old adage that things even themselves out over a season will certainly not apply this time round. I have no problem with VAR, although it could be improved. What I do have a problem with is how its being used to rereferee games. I often thought that fans complaining about referees were simply being biased and paranoid (I include myself in this). However, Graeme McGarry recently penned an article in the Herald questioning whether we're being refereed differently since the Callum Slattery iincident. A sound article which I believe has basis in fact. Despite our style of play, we seem to be awarded far fewer fouls than the opposition. Maybe thats why we go down so often? A physically robust Hearts side were penalised a mere 7 times yesterday. Now as I wasn't at the game, it may well be that Hearts were extremely sporting in their treatment of us. But it seems like a trend. Its certainly affecting our results and brasses me off no end but we shouldn't let it get to us Starsail. https://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/26008883.motherwell-refereed-differently-slattery-row/

With five games without a win, an unchanged XI and substitutions only being made if we go a goal down is likely to lead to a sixth. We need to shake things up a bit and be stronger for this one. Will JBA make such changes?

We should 100% stick with the footballing principles we’ve developed this season, but it’s now clear we need to introduce a bit more pragmatism to that approach in order to improve our overall performance and results against stronger opposition.

HD on Pie and Bovril commented that some of our players have tailed off a bit in recent weeks. McGinn and Welsh being mentioned. I'd also add Watt to them. For this game I'd like to see us shake things up slightly. Nicholson is surely due 45/60 minutes and why not give Jordan McGhee, a tried and trusted Premiership performer some game time. JBA certainly seems to stick to his favoured 11-14 come what may.

Good post. Its a definite weakness in the squad, which has cost us. We are soft as a team both mentally and physically. I suppose JBA could go one of two ways for next season. Stick with his principles and try to sign more/better pure footballers or become more pragmatic and sign some stronger/more aggressive individuals. Maybe the two aren't mutually exclusive. .

Would happily see him back and Maswanhise out wide........must dash......spiderpig has just read this message! 🤣🤣

Yes, although we've scored a fair few goals this season, all too often we've been powderpuff in front of goals and yet again its cost us. We also have defensive frailties that Wellfan pointed out above. If officials are going to be pernickety they could have looked more closely at Hearts' opener. It seems to me that Findlay (No 19) was holding/pulling our defender when he headed the ball back across goal. As for the penalty, I'd say it was 55/45 not a penalty. A very close call which, once again, went against us. You could argue that the lad's heading of the ball of the ball was involuntary, but I'd say that according to the laws of the game it shouldn't have ben awarded.

Collum will, of course, contort to defend the penalty decision, which only serves to perpetuate the problem and normalise poor officiating. That’s to be expected when you’ve got a renowned incompetent as the chief clown.

His reasoning is he doesn't know the rules, not alone in that.

With the standard of officiating we’ve got, and these clown officials again deemed not good enough by FIFA for the World Cup, another controversial red card feels inevitable in this game. You could put money on it.

I can't see us taking anything from this game and arguably, the Hibs V Hearts encounter will be of more significance in our tussle to retain 4th place. No red cards or bad injuries please.

When you repeatedly open replies with exclamative pish like “Aw boo-hoo, BOO-HOO,” you’ve only got yourself to blame when people accuse you of trolling them. It’s a consistent pattern with you. Your posting style is needlessly confrontational, and it ends up undermining whatever legitimate points you’re trying to make. And for clarity, the often used “Penalty to Rangers” line is a sarcastic reference to them often getting the rub of the green against the likes of us. It’s not meant literally, though I appreciate that nuance may be lost on a Rangers fan.

Blyth debates: "Shut it Pizza, ya silly big c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-clot!" Also the driver of the only Motherwell supporters' coach to enter Aberdeen from the north on one occasion 😱 (allegedly).

I fully expect Collum to say that the Hearts boy playing the ball with his head was involuntary and that its incumbent on Welsh to watch what he's doing. Collum is coming out with loads of phrases like 'Normal footballing contact' and 'defender needs to keep out of the way', but the application of this is haphazard at best. You could say that Welsh getting a 'glancing brush' (remember that one) to the boys head is normal footballing contact, given the context of the play.

What your reasoning for the penalty MJC? The actual rule says that if the player on the ground moves his head towards the ball thereby causing a dangerous situation the foul goes against him for dangerous play What are you seeing that negates that?

Agreed and that’s always likely to happen when you can’t make it count when you are on top. And on far too many occasions this season we have played some nice stuff but have undone it all by being utterly powderpuff when it really matters. I personally think it was the correct decision to award the penalty yesterday but if we take even one of the chances before that it would have been irrelevant so we have only got ourselves to blame.

A light hearted joke that was , definitely not an excuse

It’s not trolling it’s stating facts. Rangers have been awarded two less penalties than we have this season. That could obviously change between today and when we play them but maybe if we didn’t give them the opportunities to get a penalty awarded, you know like not handling in the box or wrestling the shirt off attackers at set pieces then we might be okay in that regard? We could also help ourselves by actually breaking the habit of a season and actually making chances we create count and then in the event we do concede a penalty then it won’t have much or any impact on the end result. That would be a lot more beneficial than trying to walk the ball into the net, taking one touch too many and firing wide when we should have burst the net then concede an avoidable penalty, they score, beat us and the usual dafties giving it “boo-hoo we didny win, the refs a cheat, let’s stamp oor feet 😭 😭 😭”. Or at least I would have thought so anyway. 🤷‍♂️

Like clockwork, the troll crawls out from under their bridge again.

Agreed. Other sides have certainly had to adapt to our style and Falkirk in particular have countered it really well but Hearts knew they were in a game yesterday and if we are more clinical in front of goal then nobody is talking about them sussing us out. There has not been a top 6 team this season that has dominated Motherwell. It has been decisive moments in games that have made the difference. V Hearts D,D,L The penalty decision was decisive yesterday. Celtic L,W,L. Two defeats at Celtic Park but very competitive in both and a couple of key moments again decisive Ox- Chamberlain and penalty (red card). Rangers D, L, D. The non penalty at Ibrox was again decisive. Hibs W, D, D. Hibs have improved at neutralising the threat but we remain unbeaten against them Falkirk L, D, L. This is the only team that it could potentially be argued have sussed us but it was two penalty decision (both going against Well) that decided the last of the three games. It has been very small margins between what has been a very good season and what could have been a great season.

Yeah he was a bit better this week does a lot of work and little service. Jens might still recall him

Well said jeez I miss the debates on that bus with Blyth and the others.

I agree with some of that but I do not accept that today Hearts were the better team. Up until the penalty we were in no danger Hearts were creating fuck all while we squandered several decent chances. Over a season any team that ends up above you has been a better team over the season but that doesn't always mean in the head to heads they've performed better than you. People will argue til the cows come home whether it was a penalty or not but had that not been given Hearts were not winning that game today.

Commented at the game today when was the last time we scored from a corner. Our set pieces are very poor. However that is still a hard one to take. We were never in any real danger until the penalty and oh my fuck Maswanhise !! what a fuckin shocker