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If we're honest, this game will depend on the same factor as every other game against this lot in recent times. How they play. We could be at our absolute best, but if Celtic are in the mood and at the races, there's not much we can really do. The gap in quality is too much, which is something the Scottish media don't really mention much. Unless it's Celtic or Rangers playing Man City, Barcelona, or PSG. Then we hear all about the gulf in quality and financial disparity. So, if we're at our best and Celtic have an off-day we could maybe grab something from them.

Well you need to let go of your sectarian bile , turn up n support the team.

I think as a club we need to stop all the negativity going into these type of games . Kilmarnock as an example are like a 1990s equivalent of ourselves . For a club of relatively similar resources , fanbase etc they go into these games against both Glasgow mobs believing they can get something I do think in recent seasons we tend to play better away from home in these games but at Fir Park there is a feeling of we are beat when the first goal goes in No better time to change it than this weekend

I think it's pretty certain that a Rangers man would understand the respective histories (and therefore, expectations) of both teams perfectly well, and, having been assistant manager to Baraclough, there's no way he wouldn't have grasped the gulf between them in every respect. Who exactly is it you're saying has informed numerous managers and hundreds of players results against the Old Firm don't really matter to Motherwell?

I don't know about that. There is definitely something not right in their dressing room and that is translating onto the pitch and into their support. Up to us to take any advantage there is. Frustrate the hell out of them, get in their faces and make it a very physical game and you never know. Not saying we'll win but at least let them know they've been in a game.

I don't think belief is the problem. In the past ten games against Celtic, we've conceded more than three goals only three times, with six of the ten games either finishing a draw, or a win for Celtic by a single goal deficit. So no, it's not about belief. We don't tend to crumble against them. We were unlucky. When a team with less quality plays against a team with more quality, what usually happens is the higher-quality side sees more of the ball. The other side spends most of its time defending and chasing the ball, which is incredibly tiring. That's why you find both Celtic and Rangers scoring a fair amount of goals late on in games. They tend to be able to strike when the opposition is mentally and physically drained from competing with a better side for almost 90 minutes. That happens to any side in that position, by the way. It's not specific to us.

There's every chance we see a combination similar to that at some point. Devine has only started two games for us so far, and only lasted the full 90 minutes against Hearts. He's seemingly being brought up to match fitness. Casey has played one game in almost two months, so he's got to get back to fitness. I'm thinking that Kettlewell will mix things up a bit when certain players get to match fitness.

It's on $ky $port$ at noon.

We have played well against them this season, at Fir Park I felt we had done more than enough to win but we had passed up a few glorious efforts before we got stung right at the death not once but twice. We defended brilliantly at Parkhead but we gave them a lifeline when it looked like they were toothless up front. It'll be interesting to see how Celtic react to Rangers going top of the table, by all accounts they haven't been playing great as of late but they have still been grinding out results. I wouldn't be surprised if it's yet another game where we are left thinking of what could have been. I'm looking forward to getting the games between the arse cheeks over with but we do have an important game against Livi sandwiched in between, that then leaves us with four fixtures before the league split. 33 points is the lowest amount that a team has managed to avoid the playoffs with, you would like to think that tally is beyond Livi but they do have a favorable run of fixtures as they play County, Well then St Johnstone. It will be interesting to see how that pans out, County also are in action next Tuesday playing their game in hand.

As a wee aside to the game, I had a wee look at a couple of other forums just to see if their fans are as bad about ours. Aberdeen's forum makes ours look like a positive love in for the managers and players 🤣 They have spent money in the last few windows, changed managers and have one point more than us. They have one of the best strikers in the league in Miovski and they have multiple posters who reckon everything is pish. There's a section of the support that want Warnock out already. Looking at the bottom end of the league objectively, three teams have changed manager recently, one has changed again and not one of them has had so much as a 'new manager bounce'. Aberdeen haven't won in five, Hibs have two points from five games, St Johnstone have a point less than us in their last five (that will become two less in their last five today), and Ross Co have a point. Now I know that this is about us and not them, but in a relegation battle, you need to take account of what your rivals are doing. Realistically, who in the bottom six are going to take anything away from Tyncastle ? We're not going down this year and we're not going to be in a play off spot either.

Well Well, well, we have a bigger doom merchant than MJC 😉