MFCL84

It has all been said. A very poor performance from many of the team today. I won't single them out, but I have half a team in mind that were far below the standard required today. I agree with many posts on here that continuing to play a fairly defensive setup is not the way to go against the likes of Livingston. It was clear from very early in the match that we weren't going to score unless things were changed, and they weren't. It is bad enough losing today, but what really annoys me is our inability to make simple passes. Every second pass (44% accuracy) was misplaced today. For a professional football team, that pass completion stat is ridiculously low. No football was played, everything was lumped long and high. A dreadful performance all round on a horrible day.

I'm confident of a victory in this one. I actually think that it will be quite comfortable. I'll go for 2-0 to the Well.

No, not what I mean at all. I think we'll be OK with what we have, but will likely finish bottom six, but in no danger of relegation, if one of our current crop of strikers doesn’t come good. On the other hand, if Wilkinson or Biereth come good, we'll be top six and conceivably in the European places.

I thought that I'd let the emotion of the day subside before giving my verdict on the match. Firstly, I think that a draw would have been a fair reflection of the game. For all Celtic's possession, they created very few chances in the game. Indeed, I'd say that Motherwell created the better clear cut chances. In my opinion, with the exception of the dying minutes of the game, Motherwell defended very well. We have a solid back line that doesn't look likely to ship many goals over the season. One bad goalkeeping error and a lack of concentration in the 97th minute has undone a lot of good work. The first half performance was about containment and staying in the game. The second half was a bit more adventurous with some nice passages of play and some periods of sustained pressure by Motherwell. Unfortunately, the midfield did tire. Not surprising given the ground that they are having to cover. Someone earlier in this thread mentioned that Celtic looked fitter. I don't think that is the case. My view of that is that Celtic are sharper, quicker of thought and so get to loose balls ahead of the Motherwell players. Celtic Lso have the lions share of possession, which inevitably drains their opponents energy as they are constantly being shifted around the pitch. This takes its toll, over the 90 minutes. I felt that Slattery should have been replaced 5 or 10 minutes sooner than he was. He was running on empty and this was leaving considerable gaps in front of our backline. That is no criticism of Slattery who I thought had an excellent game. Celtic's first goal was a disaster. Lack of communication maybe, but Kelly should have got that. I'll need to see the highlights to see exactly what went on there, but live at the game it looked like one of those moments of indecision that results in a howler. At that point i thought it was all over. However, Motherwell rallied and a nice bit of interplay led to a tidy equaliser for. A goal that was well deserved at that point. It was a bit of a sickener that we then switched off in the final 90 seconds to concede so easily at the back post once again. This is an area of our defending that needs to be addressed. Conclusion, another valiant effort that shows that this team has something. The addition of a goal threat will make this team one to be reckoned with in this league. We'll be alright this season.

Have to agree. We're not shipping many goals, We're looking very good in midfield and for the first time in many seasons, the football being played is enjoyable to watch. Yes, we all understand that there are difficulties in the final third. Once that is resolved this team could be very good in this league. We are just going to have to muddle through until the front line starts to contribute goals.

Lennon Miller is certainly showing composure beyond his years. He appears to be a wonderful prospect. Let's hope that he continues to develop and that Motherwell benefit from his contribution while we have him, and benefit from a large fee when he inevitably moves on to bigger things.

Well, I think that was the best performance that I have seen from a Motherwell team in quite a while. Solid at the back and some superb interplay in the midfield areas. The only thing the team lacked today is a mobile front man that has intelligence of movement to allow the lead up play to result in a chance. Too many times the play got to the edge of the box, only for a sideways pass to be made. Too many times, the chances fell to the feet of midfield players that don’t have goal-scoring in their locker. We'll be alright. If we can get a decent goalscorer on the pitch we could be much more than alright. I think that a good season is ahead of us.

I went for Bevis, who won practically everything in the air.

I have the same feelings about the game today as most on here. The first half was devoid of quality, with no more than very brief flashes of football breaking out. Hibs offered nothing in attack and Motherwell were only a little better. Things got a bit better in the second half, but I didn't see a goal in it until Biereth was introduced. It has been said already but his pace, power and bit of quality gave Motherwell the edge to take the points. It was great to see that he really enjoyed the assist and the goal. It looks like it matters to him. I also have to say that the defence today was very comfortable. Big Bevis was superb. What has happened to Slattery? He is like a new signing. I like this new slimline and hard working version. Also mentions for Spittal, Miller and Casey who all had a very good match. Roll on next week.

Miller for me, his all round contribution today was excellent. Honourable mention to Spittal for another high energy performance. Both could be pivotal to our fortunes this season.

That was a decent, but uninspiring performance. There were some very neat passages of play from us, but the final ball or the first touch in and around the box was frequently slack, resulting in a chance lost. It is maybe no surprise to anyone that we don't have any creativity in the team and we look as though we will struggle for goals. A well struck goal from Wilkinson today and a few flashes of nice footwork but there is lots of room for improvement in his movement, speed of thought and general level of involvement and contribution to the game. Lennon Miller looks to be our next emerging talent. An assist and a goal today while looking assured throughout and displaying a wide array of passing. Let's hope that he continues to develop and that we get to see a few years of his talent before he bags a big move. There is a lot of praise for Slattery at the moment. I can see that he has improved his fitness resulting in him being more mobile. He is working harder and even pitched in with a goal today. However, I feel that his passing was very wayward today. A little tightening up on that aspect would greatly improve his overall value to the team. Spittal was all over the pitch. High energy, constantly demanding the ball and very tidy in much of his play. He looks as though he is ready for the season ahead. Paton was very mobile and I felt that both him and Spittal found pockets of space between the midfield and front lines. Paton's best game for the club to date. The back line did well enough given the level of opposition today, but there were a few scary moments when the ball was swung into the box from wide areas. There was some very uncertain defending at times, allowing the ball to drop in the 6-yard box without anyone making an attempt to clear it. Other than that, a fairly easy day at the office for them. All in all, the team have been improving while at the same time, SK has managed to rotate the squad and get minutes on the pitch for most. Qualification secured. A job well done. We really won't be able to gauge just how prepared the squad is until the league campaign starts next weekend. COYW!

Sorry to see Tierney away on loan. Hopefully, it is a really productive season for him and he can do enough to set himself up ready to make an impact at Fir Park next season. I've always thought that he had something to offer. He is different from others that we have in the squad. He works between and through the lines and is able to make things happen. If he doesn't fit SK preferred shape he would still be very useful as someone to come on and change the game dynamic. As said earlier, we do seem to be losing players that can make a difference. Hopefully, some creativity arriving later in the window.

I noticed that it looked a bit patchy. Seems to play well enough though and didn't cut up. Time will tell.

I gave my vote to Spittal, but Slattery has certainly improved his fitness levels this season and made a significant contribution tonight.

What a great point that was today. Totally unexpected. Well done to all of the players and staff. What can you say about KVV? Without him up top we would be really struggling.

Pretty sure that Iain Taylor scored one. What a geam that was.

No surprise if KVV wins it this time around. A couple of goals always grabs the attention. However, I thought that Furlong had his best game today and deserves recognition. Furlong for me.

Livi are usually a tough nut to crack. They are above us in the league, but recent form is in our favour. I expect a difficult match, but think that we will ultimately take the 3 points. 2-1 to the Well.

A nice feeling, getting 3 points at Fir Park. Kelly had very little to do, the back three were solid most of the match and the midfield did a bit more work than usual. A couple of nice goals. Very impressed by Aitchison for the short time that he was on. KvV looked interested again. A decent night's work. Well done to the players and coaching staff.

I see that Newcastle are being linked with Lennon Miller.

Well, wasn't that enjoyable. Flowing football, a load of chances created, comfortable at the back. The best performance for a while. We didn't win, but with that level of performance, wins will come. I am very happy to see some entertainment return to Fir Park. I've seen a few having a go at Efford today. I thought he had a decent game today, carrying on from midweek. I remember Chris Humphrey couldn't find a final ball when he first arrived, but he developed that aspect of his game while at Fir Park. I expect that Efford will be getting coaching on that aspect of his game. He is already vastly improved from the player that we saw last season. Indeed, many of the team that I thought were really poor technically have shown that they really do have the capability to be good players at this level. They will hopefully continue to improve over the season, and with that so should the results. I am optimistic for the season ahead. I certainly wouldn't have said that after Sligo.

Brilliant, feel good Friday. You know that he'll work his socks off to make this a success.

A lot of good performances tonight, but I've gone for Penney because he didn't put a foot wrong, contributed hugely in a forward sense a fit right into the team on his debut. Well done Matt Penney.

Before United dumped their manager I would have said a definite home win. Teams usually react to losing a manager. Let's hope that the reaction was their win at Livi tonight. It'll be tight, but home advantage may give us the 3 points.

Absolutely, I will be going for Penney as my man of the match. He didn't have a lot to do defensively, but his wingback play going forward was exceptional. Some lovely passes, great movement and very dangerous balls into the box. On this showing it looks like we have an asset. It'll be great if he can defend too.