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I think this has been a good debate also. I think there are people who made their minds up about Robinson within days of his appointment, perhaps even beforehand and no matter what he presides over it is never going to be enough. We will never have a perfect squad balance because it will always too little or many few of this or that position. Why are we signing English players when there are Scots around? Why are we signing overpriced Scots when there are bargains elsewhere? Why are we playing too many or not enough youths because the results aren't what I demand? The recent attempts to play down the runs to both Cup Finals because we happened to benefit from an own goal or a penalty along the way is typical of of such cringe worthy stuff for example. Jesus, this is the kind of stuff you expect opposition fans to be hitting you with not your own! In short he's never going to win with some, whatever he does will be always be wrong and comments from such posters should be viewed in that context. But the debate about style of play and the results is definitely worthy of the scrutiny it's currently getting. And the more edgy people get the more focus it's going to receive. I was delighted with last season and the outcomes. An improvement on league position and two Cup Finals is not to be sniffed at even if the performances were less than silky more often than not. Go on to any forum in the country and you'll see supporters make claims about forgiving results and performances if they see a committed team giving 100% for the cause. Well we got that, many of us quietly enjoyed the fact we were no longer viewed as pushovers, and some and we had some very good days along the way to boot. But as with any "new" style or identity that a team adopts in Scotland (I think back to Billy Davies for example and his swashbuckling four attacking front men lining up with the likes of Twaddle-Spencer-Goodman-Townsley) and they get sussed all too quickly. Robinsons' side is no different. The nature of the small league with repetitive nature of the fixtures means you can't keep a style a secret for long and variations verging on evolution in style, not to mention alternatives, are required before you become overly predictable. There is also the fact that if the bulk of the squad are hearing the same message over and over again and again it is only natural the group will switch off and the message will lose its impact over time. It's still early days in the season but I think there is a danger that it could be happening now. I had hoped that the summer would have seen a gradual shift to something more easy on the eye. It hasn't emerged as yet but I retain a hope, perhaps an increasingly foolhardy hope admittedly, that an evolution in our style of play does remain possible. We do have players that enable us to play a more possession based game. I don't want to pitch a 19 or 20 year old as the saviour of season but it's difficult to think back to David Turnbull at Firhill and against Hamilton and not think that the way his plays the game would not be of benefit to us currently. Even if Robinson continued with his (and I still say not unreasonable) desire of putting balls into the box from wide, the presence of Turnbull in distributing the ball around the pitch in his tidy and efficient manner would surely help those in the wide positions get more deliveries of a type that will cause problems rather than the increasingly visionless hit and hope balls into the box. Add in Tanner who was as good as he had been in his Motherwell career before his injury struck, Bigi on his day and Rodriguez-Gorrin when he gets up to speed and there is some hope of more creative blend. Quite what position we'll be in when Tanner returns I don't know but whether we persist with the current set up or begin to deviate from Plan A a bit more over the following games I hope things change for the better quickly, or perhaps there genuinely will be a question for those on the board to consider a lot sooner than they might have believed possible.

Another bad day at the office, and while it's certainly cause for concern it's not the end of the world as some would have us believe. I'm actually surprised half the posts on here don't contain more errors, as it must be difficult to type with your knees jerking all over the shop. First of all, we were shite. I'm not defending the team or the manager at all. This is the part where Robinson either proves his managerial acumen by changing things up and giving the opposition something different to think about, or he continues as he is and ultimately fails. Time will tell in that regard. Personally, he's got until about the end of October to get things in order. If we're still sitting in a relegation spot then serious questions will have to be asked, especially if we're still playing as we are. I also think people need to get a grip with the Bigi chat. No one claimed he was the fucking messiah, what I saw people saying was "he likes to play football on the deck, why not play him in an attempt to change things up a bit?" That doesn't mean he comes into a poor side, plays equally as poor as the rest of the team in a poor game against Accies and should be shot down as rubbish and dismissed. How many games has he played this season? Do you think he's match fit? If Robinson decides to try and implement a Plan B then there's a good chance that Bigi should be a part of that. Not the central piece, not the fucking messiah, just a part of it. He offers something different in the middle of the park, simple as that. Dundee is looking like a crucial game for us, surrounded as it is by games against Rangers, Hearts, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock. Assuming we get nothing from the other games (which, if I'm honest, is a long shot, as we always fear these games then somehow spring a win against one of these sides) then the Dundee game is critical. We need to win that one. October will be important. With home games against Livingston and St Johnstone, and away games with St Mirren and Celtic, if we come out of October in the relegation zone then it could be time to make some changes at managerial level.

I don't believe he actually gets a medal, so it's probably fine. For anyone who wanted to register a protest vote, there's the Null Vote option.

On that performance, it won't even be a close run thing when we go down. There's absolutely nothing there. No attacking threat whatsoever and we look particularly poor from defensive midfield to the back 3. The ball was mainly at eye level with my seat up the back of the POD stand. We've regressed badly from last season rather than build on it, with us looking very much like the team that couldn't buy a win post League Cup final. The Summer recruitment so far looks terrible, as I've said before; sign enough League 2/National League players and eventually you'll drop to that standard.

After only 15 months as manager, a near complete rebuild of the playing staff last summer which resulted in 2 cup finals, granted league performances have left a lot to be desired but for people to want Stephen Robinson sacked is just indicative of modern football supporters. I wasn't Tommy McLean's biggest fan but he would have been kicked out after a month if some of our current fans had seen the dross that he served up, yet he lasted 10 years. We aren't, to quote 'The African', "down amongst the dregs of the division, already fighting for survival", yes we've played poorly in 2 league and 4 Betfred games this season combined with a shocking league run since last December but fans need to just calm down and stop calling for the managers head. If you're a young Motherwell fan who has experienced top 3 league positions and European participation then this bad run might have you asking for changes but if like me you've been aboard the claret & amber roller coaster for decades this is nothing new. Check our history, this is just Motherwell, yes it hurts but it's just Motherwell and it's not going to be any different unless a billionaire wishes to throw away some of his money in our direction. We are usually the highest finishing league position team of all the clubs outwith a city based club, think about that. Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, Hearts, Hibs, even St Johnstone at a push and in days past Dundee United are all city based with the potential support that can bring, we are a small town based club with 4,000 die-hard fans. We all want to see our team win. For me winning in any style is more important than playing nice entertaining football but losing football, "hoofball" as some have called our recent style is just a long pass game which I've no problem with and yes it needs to have an end product which at this moment it's not. But we have to be realistic with our expectations of a Motherwell manager who has very limited money and as result a limited ability squad to select from. How many would swap last seasons cup runs for any recent top 6 finishes achieved by any of our previous 3-4 managers? European qualification is great but with our poor record in Europe it can cost the club much needed money, a top 6 finish is good too and brings in extra revenue but if I was offered Europe and top 6 or a repeat of the victories over 7 Premiership teams to reach 2 cup finals like we did last season I know what I'd chose. It may be small minded but the cup wins over Aberdeen, Hearts and particularly Rangers helped heal the painful memories of many sore defeats by these clubs in the years I've followed Motherwell. Every player and manager deserves criticism at some point but we must support whoever wears claret & amber or manages those that do until a clear and obvious time for change presents itself and I may be wrong but I don't think we've reached that stage yet. Apologies for the length of my ramble but just relax folks and enjoy the ride, it's just Motherwell. COYW.

That game was terrible, but will seem much worse if you block out our three goals....

Don’t think anyone should be shouting for the managers head BUT he real has to step up and prove his metal and show that he understands what’s going on To this end IMO he has until the end of October to get it sorted. Last season we had a settled back 3 with Kipri Hartley (Aldred) Dunne, all 4 very physical but with pace of Kipri and especially Dunne getting us out of trouble Yesterday we play back 3 of Aldred McHugh Hartley yip still physical but absolutely no pace and that where we were caught out for the free kick that lead to Accies goal. So we have to revert to a back 4 and decide what 2 out of Aldred McHugh Hartley play at centre half and not revert to playing McHugh in the middle of the park a decision has to be made and he has got to be brave enough to make it. In the middle a ball winner/someone to break up play so it’s either Campbell or Rose or Grimshaw…… a no brainier IMO has to be Campbell …… so why did we give Rose and Grimshaw contract extensions?? Up front it is blindingly obvious that Sammon and Main are not a partnership don’t look like they will ever be one so Johnston (whose looks eager,hungry something to prove anytime he has come on) or young Scott should come in. If he thinks they are canno last 90 mins he could give one 60 mins the bring the other on. Main is so far of the pace at the moment he just does not look fit and I’m no Sammon seem to have more about him at the moment if we stop firing long balls at him. Over to you Mr Robinson your paid to make the decisions but most people sitting in the POD yesterday could see the problems that urgently need to be addressed

A morale sapping defeat yesteday but we can take 2 positives from such a match...no one carried off and no one stretchered off. Despite having some new players, Accies played exactly how we have come to expect them to - very combative and streetwise. As the game wore on into the second half and we bored the Accies keeper through inactivity it became more and more likely that they'd snatch the winner and so it came to pass. We've seen this type of game at Fir Park countless times before. I think Robbo made some critical errors in team selection and tactics especially in midfield and up front. Cadden was wasted at right wing back; it just wasn't Rose's type of game; Johnson ought to have started and Sammon was misused as an out and out target man which he isn't. I'd like to have seen Frear start, when his pace might have been slightly more useful. Substitutions were odd although I understand why Rose and Campbell were hooked. As for the players, no one single player was to blame lets make that clear. However as Mintymac says they were all worth maybe 4 or 5 out of 10 individually. We certainly missed the pace of Dunne and Kipre at the back and the latter's physique was sorely missed. McHugh was no worse overall than Hartley and Aldred at the back but lost a helluva lot of headers in the first half. The combination there just didn't seem right. Midfield was where our real problems lay. The mix of players wasn't right. Players who can charge up and down the park like Cadden and Rose aren't much use against a deep lying defensive formation and so it proved. Campbell was not his usual combative self at all and even shirked a couple of challenges. Not surprised when he was taken off. I agree with Mintymac about Bigi - and his expression "flattered to deceive" was exactly what I thought. Tried to play on the deck and, apart from a couple of flashes maybe, didn't actually do anything. Being fair though, perhaps he is not match fit. Main and Sammon were entitled to feel hard done by as the service they were given was crap no other word for it. The strikers then? I agree that Main and Sammon don't appear to play well together. Despite his size, Sammon is not a target man and likes the ball at his feet. So why pump high balls at him all day? Even with what poor service they were given both strikers were ineffective. Like Campbell, Sammon shirked a couple of 50/50s but maybe understandable given his relationship with the referee and Ziggy Gordon. Presumably Sammon was given a new shirt at half time and Gordon will be billed for the cost of damage. We could have played till next week and not scored. Despite enjoying the lion's share of possession we failed miserably to get decent crosses into the box (credit to Accies for denying us the space and time), let alone get efforts on target. Massive improvement needed next week in what's shaping up to be a crunch game. Someone please tell Robbo its a plastic pitch at Livingston and we have to adapt our game accordingly.

I probably fall in the latter category Dave. And despite the fact we did dominate 2/3rds if the game it is a results based business. Despite dominating the game we did not look all that threatening and that is the worry for me. We had Moult this time last year to help us amass a decent amount of points. Mains form has so far gone off a cliff and that is a worry. I was surprised to see Main and Sammon start yesterday. In my opinion not only do they look similar but so are there playing styles. So far there is little evidence to suggest it is a partnership that is going to flourish. It is maybe too early to panic but even I as a more positive thinking fan am quite worried about the season ahead. Worried that we are even this early involved in a relegation battle. I hope I am proved wrong and we can get a couple of positive results in the next two to three games.

I agree with a lot of this. I reckon we could be cut adrift from the rest pretty early. In recent seasons when relegation threatened, I always felt there was a player that would get us out of it. Two seasons ago it was Moult. Season under Baraclough, you had Johnson and McDonald. Under Malpas, it was McDonald. There was always a player you could look to that was capable of dragging the team from a draw to a win. Or a leader. This season, I see nothing...

I'm sure it's no secret that I'm not Robinson's biggest fan. I think his footballing philosophy is well below the level that should be aimed at a Premiership team. I mean it's to all extents and purposes English non league anti-football. It belongs to a different age and level of football. Absolute basics like ball retention and off the ball movement seem to have been virtually abandoned. However calling for the managers head after two league matches is a bit reactionary especially when our last match last season was the Scottish Cup Final. That said I've always felt that Robinson was a bit lucky to achieve what he did last term. There was the odd excellent performance - notably the Aberdeen match in the League Cup - but they were few and far between - even during our cup runs. We will play Aberdeen 50 or 100 times before they are as bad as they were in that semi final. And wasn't our top goal scorer during the Scottish cup run Own Goal? Our run of form after the League Cup final, where let's remember Robinson dropped our best midfielder and not for the first time, was not only deplorable but absolutely soul sapping to watch. Despite attending 34 matches last season I went literally six months without seeing us win a league game. Now I missed two midweek fixtures that were both won but still I think it says something when a regular attendee has to go from November to April to see a league match won. For most of the second half of the season we were bottom two in terms of form and we became almost entirely dependent for set pieces to score goals. Our goal ratio over a sustained period is now less than a goal a game. Unfortunately Robinson has not addressed long standing problems, doesn't seem to give a damn about youth development, and has shown no inkling of changing this prehistoric tactical approach. So while I think he should be given more time this season I'm not confident at all that he'll use it to his advantage. We desperately need fresh ideas and frankly I don't think Robinson has them but that remains to be seen and I genuinely hope he surprises me. But honestly, I don't think a minor improvement in form, which may happen, is enough. When the club is asking more and more from fans in term of financial support we should at least be able to come to Fir Park and not be subjected to eye rape for months on end. If it's a choice between watching a better style of football and finishing 10th or watching the tripe we've endured most of last season and the beginning of this season and finishing 9th or 8th I know what I'd pick, that's assuming the tripe does better than 10th.... Basically Robinson has to adapt and rebrand his football.

Your comments and Andy P's on another thread are well considered. I don't like our style at the moment and Robinson has a decision to make. Up to now he obviously thinks on our budget that kick and rush is the percentage answer. He doesn't fully trust Bigi and Gorrin seems to fall into this category too at this stage. I too remember McLean having to rely on Andy Harrow/John Reilly and a young Andy Walker chasing lost causes and slim pickings. I also remember most of the Ancell Babes who were great to watch and won diddly squat. I think we got to a cup SF in 65 and that was about it. Robinson sees all the players in training and presumably knows their attitudes and abilities. We have little to spend now and the window is closing. I suspect the board will back his judgment for the first quarter before making a final decision. The question is: can the manager change and does he think the team can play in a passing style? Thistle got relegated playing that way and not scoring goals and Dundee came perilously close to that fate too. I think this has the potential to be a long, hard season but I doubt Livingston or St Mirren will be setting the heather on fire and we have DFC and Panathonaccies to consider. The Tractor Boys seem weak at the mo too. Sadly we have only 3500-4000 fans and a budget to match and it has almost always been thus, so get behind the team, Poindexters or make a conscious decision to wander round Asda with the missus on a Saturday afternoon.

If he stops saying "we go again", he'd go up massively in my estimation. Its the most annoying thing in the English language, let alone football.

It's just really boring to watch. Even if we win these games and the old "its the result that matters" gets trotted out, well...i can check the result on an app if thats the case. If you want people to actually watch something, then it has to be worth watching. I can find out the result for free at 5pm if thats all that matters. Wait whats that? You need us to actually come to the game? Well, in that case....

Will always get behind the team BUT really have to look at some of the managers decisions Pre season should be used to get players up to match speed …… we play 3 games and change whole team after 45 mins in each !!! League Cup should be used to get settled team and bit of cohesion …… we chop and change all over the place its obvious to anyone watching that Sammon and Main are too similar to each other to be a partnership that works …… we keep trying to persevere with it and thump high balls to them If your going to play a back 3 then 1 of them must have pace …… without Dunne we have no pace Chris Cadden only looks like a player when he has a right back playing behind him It took half a dozen games at the star of last season before Robinson had to play young Campbell don’t think its going to happen with young Turnbull as there’s no way Robinson going to give him a chance despite his excellent games at the end of last season

Many will feel their concerns about the summer recruitment being vindicated after that absolute horror show today. The decision to not address the glaringly obvious areas for attention in the starting 11 and spunk the budget on bench fillers of unknown or questionable quality, and that’s before you factor in the eye bleeding (not to mention completely ineffective) tactics and utterly bizarre substitutions is going to cost Robinson his job, our probably our premier league status due the new guy having zero wriggle room to change anything due the bloated squad that’s been assembled all being under contract. The men in charge of the purse strings need to be held accountable for sanctioning this approach also. I fully expect us to be pointless after 7 games and adrift.

Where do you start with that Felt sorry for the ball we seemed determined to hammer into submission 40/50 yard diagonals to strikers who haven’t a clue in the air … then bring another striker on and play him behind the 2 dumplings who’ve been there from the start Robsinson’s subs were bazar to say the least As for Chris Cadden we should take any money coming our way and run don’t know wether it’s our shape or where he’s being asked to play but can’t remember the last time he went past a man and his delivery was atrocious

So is the game patg or all ticket a stupid question now....what an arsehole you are

That's the problem that teams like us and most of the bottom 6 have every season.We've done well over the last couple of years with picking up unknown players who turned out to be good at this level but that's not going to happen every time.All it takes is one bad run of signings over one summer and any of the bottom 6 could find themselves relegated.

Passing the ball along the ground is not a skill reserved for highly paid footballers. Our U20s team has been trained to do exactly that.