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I didn’t single out those clubs – you did. I simply responded. And, frankly, you’ve completely disregarded my points about the quality of players. How many of our players would walk straight into the Hibs or Hearts squads? And how many of theirs would make it into ours? Yes, those teams may not be performing cohesively at the moment (although Hibs are unbeaten in their last five matches and Hearts have only lost one in the same stretch, so it could be argued they’re starting to find their rhythm). Still, they’re clearly not playing to the standard expected, given the calibre of their squads. That, more than anything, likely comes down to coaching and management. Meanwhile, you could argue that we’re exceeding expectations by comparison, which is also a credit to our coaching and management. When it comes to budget, club stature, and player quality, the top six in Scotland this season should, in most cases, include Rangers, Celtic, Dundee United, Aberdeen, Hearts, and Hibs in some order. As for our current form, some might say we’re on a poor run. I wouldn’t go that far, but I can see why others might feel that way. However, as with most things, context is key. Everyone knew that facing six matches in sixteen days – essentially a game every 3.2 days – would severely test the depth of our squad. We’re simply not the sort of club with the resources to field a squad capable of handling such a gruelling schedule without consequences. On top of that, let’s not forget who we were up against during that period: Celtic away, Rangers at home three days later, Hearts away, Aberdeen at home, Kilmarnock on that dreadful plastic pitch, and Hibs away. And that doesn’t even account for the fact we lost some of our most important players during that time – our best player, our goalkeeper, our new striker, and our captain were all sidelined by injuries. When I look back on that spell, I think taking a point against Rangers, three against Aberdeen, and another point at Kilmarnock is a respectable return. Before that difficult run, we’d had two poor results against Hibs and Dundee, which weren’t good enough. But following that, we took seven points from three games – a win at St Mirren, a victory over Dundee United at home, and a point against Kilmarnock. Now that the intense stretch of fixtures is behind us, we’ve had a week to rest and reset, and we’re ready to go again on Saturday. Could those factors be at play? Possibly. But just as you might argue they could be, I can equally argue they might not. That’s precisely why I prefer to focus on certainties whenever possible. Those factors you mention might have influenced things, but the reality is we face opponents with differing styles, on various pitches, in constantly changing weather conditions. Our own players are at different stages of fitness and coping with varying degrees of fatigue, all while playing a match every 3.2 days on average. There’s no "perhaps" about what I’ve just outlined. Those are indisputable facts, and I’d rather consider them first before speculating about other factors that might have an impact. Of course, it’s fair to look for improvement. However, to demand it without considering the factors I’ve outlined above comes across as a bit unrealistic, in my view. That said, if you believe that a club with our budget – and, as a result, the squad depth and quality that come with it – should be performing at 100% while playing a match every 3.2 days over a period of more than two weeks, all while delivering entertaining football, missing some of our key players, and contending with some rather challenging conditions, then you’re entitled to that opinion. We’ll revisit those figures in a few months, once the weather has improved and the fixture schedule has eased up a bit. This time of year is typically one where many people have less disposable income, so it’s no surprise the numbers might be affected. I’ll gladly take a closer look at the attendance stats down the line. That’s perfectly fair. I don’t see it the same way, of course, and I do consider the various factors involved. However, you’re entirely entitled to disregard them if that’s how you feel. That’s all part of being a supporter. Performance always matters. I’ve never been one to think otherwise because it does. That said, I’d much rather we grind out a scrappy 1-0 win than lose a thrilling match 4-3, as I’ve mentioned before. As for the Hibs game, I saw a team that looked like it had reached the end of a gruelling run of fixtures and was running on fumes. We looked like a side without our usual goalkeeper, who had done well since coming in this season, and instead had to rely on a 23-year-old replacement. This lad had only just arrived at the club the day before and, as far as I can tell, hadn’t played a senior match all season. We looked like a side whose captain, returning from three months out, made his first start only to come off injured after 30 minutes. We looked like a team missing our best player – one of the brightest young midfield talents in the country right now. We looked like a side without our new first-choice striker, who had started to find form before his injury. We looked like a team coming to rely on three young players over the recent busy period – Wilson, Maswanhise, and Kaleta – two of whom are 20, while the other is 22. These kids spent last season playing a mix of under-21 and Scottish League One football, and are now effectively in their first full season of serious senior-level competition. In short, we looked like a team that’s been through the wringer. If you’d asked me to outline a worst-case scenario before we faced Celtic away on Boxing Day, I’d have probably said something like losing Stama and Lennon to injury, losing both our first-choice and back-up keepers for various reasons, and seeing Paul McGinn return from injury only to get sidelined again. If you’d told me we’d have to cope with all of that during a packed schedule, then go on to lose to Celtic, draw with Rangers, lose away to Hearts, beat Aberdeen at home, draw away to Kilmarnock, and lose away to Hibs, I’d have said that sounds about right. Ultimately, though, people will think what they want to think. It’s clear we’re not going to see eye-to-eye on this, so there’s no point endlessly rehashing it. What I’ve outlined here reflects how I view this recent run of games. I’ve tried to focus on the facts rather than speculate or second-guess the manager and coaching staff. They’re in their roles for a reason, while you and I are here as fans, paying to watch them do their job. Let’s see how things unfold over the coming weeks. Hopefully, we’ll see a bit of relief on the injury front and pick up some results along the way. With the squad as it stands, I’m not expecting a winning streak any time soon. It’s going to be tough, but with a bit of luck, we can nick a result in the cup and keep ourselves in the conversation for a top-six finish.

This graphic shows that we consistently concede more goals than we score in the opening 15 mins of the first half and same again in the first 30 mins of the second half. We’re also the worst team for it in the first 15 mins of the second half. A few more interesting patterns can be seen for us and others, but these are clearly the most concerning stats for me. They highlight that we do generally set up to be passive, at the start of both halves, and aren’t very good at it. This approach isn’t entertaining and, based on these stats, it means we’re likely to concede more than we score by the end of the season. https://x.com/scotlandscoeff1/status/1878778263897538800?s=46&t=wehikD-exiutCByWu64YEQ

Motherwell are 10th out of 12 in total league attendances this season. I don't have accurate up to date wage info but one of the clubs marginally below us (St Johnstone 5,602 v us 5,748) have traditionally paid higher wages than we have. I don't know how true it was but it was claimed only Livingston had a smaller budget than us last season. We are a bottom 3 club in this league and if Falkirk come up next season we'll be a bottom 2 club. If you don't believe me Falkirk got 1,500 more fans in their last home match against Queen's Park than we did against Aberdeen with a big travelling support. A lot of our fans need a long hard introductory course in reality. Our extended stay at the top level has made some of our fans think we are far bigger and better club but we've escaped relegation on technicities three times and that's not including a relegation play off. For us to be in the Top 6 is a tremendous achievement. If we finish in or around it that will be an excellent season. If you don't like the standard of modern Scottish football, I sympathise with you. But don't put that on a manager or club officials or staff. Aberdeen and Hearts played out one of the most woeful matches you will ever see at the weekend and they have facilities and a budget we could only dream of. I've seen bad, good and indifferent performances this season. Same as every other season. Like I've said over and over the standard in Scottish football is a shadow of what it was in the 80's and 90's but that shadow casts a pall over the whole league. I try and watch as many games as possible and the standard elsewhere is pretty much the same as we watch at Fir Park.

Dundee showed tonight how to play counter attack from very low levels of possession. Keeping it on the ground and playing into feet is the key. If only we had a rapid diminutive player who was great with the ball at his feet......

Very entertaining comment there pal🤣🤣

Aparently Jack Vale will be available as his suspension only applies to league games. There is a possibility that Harry Paton & Liam Gordon might be fit.

Really good share - thank you . im stunned that our first half performance overall is net positive - think this shows how decent the first 12 games of the season were . I’ve had the belief that we never shoot never mind score in the first half and only come alive in the final 15 mins- these stats disprove that . so to answer are we entertaining - yes until the end of our cup run - since then it’s been poor, not last season horrific but poor . lets hope we pick up again moving into spring

Absolutely - get out at them early . Confidence in their camp must be low and a coming out the traps and getting an early goal would be ideal. we give too many teams too much respect and sit back - now’s the time to seize the day !

What I’ve said doesn’t specifically relate to Kettlewell; it could just as easily apply to any manager we’ve had who’s found themselves in similar situations. In fact, most of our recent managers have faced the very same challenges. I believe that’s why, no matter who’s at the helm, we often see the same supporters complaining about the same issues and being critical of whoever holds the role.

I must commend you on the fine job you’re doing in your role as Kettlewell’s PR manager.

Word on the street is Stevie Kirk is back up keeper 🤪🤪

Lets hope we have no more injuries or viruses this week. I'd imagine that Watt and Maswanhise are stick on to start, barring injuries. I believe that Matty Connelly won't be available for this game as he's cup tied. His replacement on the bench will be interesting. There's no point in playing for a draw so lets give it our best shot and adopt a more aggressive assertive game.

If true, that’s no great loss. Casey tries hard and often puts his body on the line, but those attributes are replaceable at this level, and let’s not forget that he didn’t want to be here in the first place.

Unfortunately collum was the type of ref that had to be the centre of attention every game , so he probably couldn't teach any of them how to be the type of ref who goes about his business unnoticed.