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On a lighter note, I just saw a picture of our disabled section the other night and they have a banner saying “sit down and sing for Motherwell” kudos to them, outstanding banner 👍

Not one person at the time in the stadium or the viewing public saw that as a penalty. No one person had a clue why the match had stopped. There was no clear or obvious error. There’s a list of about 20 other things to argue it’s not a penalty. beaton and nepo baby Dallas deserve every single bit of criticism and both should be banned from ever officiating any more senior games. It’s not a one off for either of them, both have been totally incompetent for years. And yes….. I’m still not over it

That is one pathetic statement. Its ok for Celtic managers to speak directly with officials to criticise or openly question them live on tv, but pundits cant? Also banning pundits for saying what the majority think about standards. VAR decisions cant be subjective. Clear and Obvious!! Obviously threats to officials is so wrong. But remind me which clubs fans is most guilty of this and because of that these officials are now compelled to side with them at all costs because they dont want hassle. Several officials are known to he compromised by this yet keep getting put in charge of Celtic games. SFA is not fit for purpose.

Happy to accept you have posted this in good faith, but not sure how an article from the Express helps the discourse? They are fervent anti SNP Brexiteers with an axe to grind. They also mention in the article that similar schemes are in place in Germany and the Netherlands. So what agenda are the governments / FA in those countries following? There are many faults in our game and with our government, but suggesting that there is some conspiracy between the SFA and SNP to ensure Celtic win the league (as the article does, not you personally) is some leap.

Its the same tune as "Scotland away, away, away". Think its relatively new, but has taken on a whole life of its own now. Hearing all 3 stands singing it last night and drowning out the Celtic fans was pretty special 🧡❤️🧡

The most appalling aspect of this statement seems to be that they don’t even understand the point of VAR Mistakes will be made on the field, and subjective calls made in front of the VAR monitor, just as managers will pick the wrong team, goalkeepers concede soft goals and strikers miss from five yards out. Do they not get that’s the whole point of var is that you do get a chance to review and correct / confirm the decision? The striker and goalie in their analogy don’t. They seem to have made the argument that most of us would agree with is that current version of VAR should be scrapped and only reinstated if proper investment and training of officials takes place.

Oops! Sorry 2 large vinos down!

That is straight out of the Celtic/Peter Lawwell book of deflect and point the finger in the other direction. Funny that eh?

I'm not disappointed that nothing was released, it would only have come across as a reaction to the decision that night. What I'd rather they do is garner support from throughout the league and then have a group of clubs approach the governing body about the generally abysmal state of refereeing and get them to commit to change. A single statement will do nothing, there needs to be a coordinated campaign by the vast majority of clubs to apply sufficient pressure to force change for the better.

A problem entirely of their own making, i assume its not the Celtic fans allegedly harrassing Beaton, which is totally unacceprable under any circumstances. So why does Beaton keep getting Celtic games given the issues involving him. The statement condems everyone else but fails to mention any intention to resolve the main issue, ie incompetent match and Var officials continuously getting decisions wrong.

I am really disappointed in the Well Society didn't release anything at all about this to get the ball rolling its a bit too late now very very poor if you ask me ment to be to voice of the club but nothing not a peep.

Some people are so paranoid. It's football. Let's keep politics out of football. It sounds like you have another agenda.

Step off yer soapbox. Its obvious the SNP are in league with the Celik. Their mps get freebies to attend Celik matches and even watch the games on the government I pads at our expense then ly about it.. No smoke without fire.

BBC gossip column stating the SFA are to back the decision on wednesday night. Unbelieveable, yet still so believable at the same time. Have not heard one person that isnt of a green bias agree with it. About to make scottish football even more of a laughing stock if true and it becomes official.

How can a decision taken on a clear and obvious error be subjective?

And Tony Watt's shot goes out for a shy.

First up let's agree that it is unacceptable for Officials and their families to be targeted, Anyone threatening them should be prosecuted. Same goes for anyone inciting hate or repercussions online. I include the release of personal information. So I await with interest to see what prosecutions take place. If any. Regards the SFA Statement. It is general and non specific. John Beaton and his family were subject to threats and shocking intimidation following decisions he made in a Celtic v Rangers game. That is a matter of record and is reprehensible. (Was any Celtic fan prosecuted?). But nowhere does the Statement say he was threatened following Wednesday night. Given the nightmare he and his family went through previously I can understand the need for caution and therefore the need for immediate police involvement. A sensible move, particularly as his home address is in the public domain. But a precaution only unless there was/is a specific threat. In which case let us see those prosecutions. Let's call out this Statement for what it is. A deflection from the reality that many Officials are incompetent and unaccountable. A deflection from the possibility that an error may determine who wins the League. A deflection from the reality that there is no plan in place to improve standards despite an admission that errors occur. A deflection from the fact that numerous ex players (with no allegiance to Motherwell or Hearts) were agitated enough to highlight a decision made with no understanding of the game. A deflection in an attempt to turn those incompetent Officials into victims. No doubt many will buy that story as it is a clever narrative. Almost as effective as the concerted efforts of the Celtic media machine which we witness regularly This Statement takes the circling of the wagons to a new level. When you have no justification, go on the attack. Finally. Thanks to our fans who resisted the temptation to confront the Celtic supporters who invaded Fir Park and scared the daylights out of those Motherwell fans in the disabled section. The police and Celtic players certainly did little to help clear the pitch. No surprise there. Fortunately we did not see a rerun of Ibrox a few weeks ago. No doubt just 'exuberance' yet again. Any Statement from the SFA or Celtic? Thought not. And yes! I'm still hurting even though the Hibs result rendered the penalty meaningless in our drive for fourth place,

I wouldnt trust this mob to commit to change. As ive said previously put rangers and celtic in a 2 team league let them hammer each other and let the rest of us get on with it. How many of us would happily never play them again.

Always good to see Baraclough on the telly when it's playoff time.

There is nothing new in this sadly. I have said on here a few times before that my family were good friends with a prominent referee back in the 1980's and they had to be moved out of their house for a week after a controversial decision in a Celtic v Dundee Utd game. Needless to say it was not the Dundee Utd fans that targeted the family. That was long before the days of VAR. It was a very scary situation for them at the time. As I have also said before this particular referee was a Motherwell fan and I remember him saying that when he looked back on his career he felt that he refereed Motherwell more strictly than other teams almost like a unconscious overcompensation so that he could never be accused of favouritism.

On one level the SFA statement is quite breathtaking yet on another utterly predictable. Mr Beaton and his family in the past seem to have been targeted by Celtic fans because he gave decisions Brendan Rodgers didn't like, and nothing seems to have been said or done about it by the "authorities", which is really poor. Now there seem to be claims that Beaton has been subject to harassment and threats from others (obviously not Celtic fans) since the Motherwell game and the SFA suddenly clutch their pearls and throw a hysterical strop to throw up a smokescreen and set hares running to deflect from the obvious wrongs of Wednesday night. Any personal threats to officials, players and managers is to be utterly deplored but I find the "Nelson eye" apparently deployed previously to Celtic fans utterly hypocritical and quite sinister. I expect the churnalists and presstitutes among Scottish sport journalists to run with the SFA response to ensure they stay on message and maintain their "contacts". As an old Scotsman once said, "Oh, what a dangled web we weave/ when first we practise to deceive." The SFA seems to be intent on bringing all of Scottish football down with them into the gutter. 'Mon The Jambos!

Im trying to convince myself that it doesn’t matter tomorrow . We’ve had a great season and either 4th or 5th I’m delighted with how the overall season has been . In reality desperate for a win , Keep it tight , keep the ball and take our chances . Really want to end on a high - no less than we all deserve .

It does look like that. While you often hear new managers talking about "laying foundations" and other corporate lingo, JBA and the Board seem have to been implementing some actual strategies and ideas to do exactly that. You always want a manager to leave a club in a better state, and even if he does go in the summer, there is no doubt he has done that.

Thats my take too. We need to build on current success and take that forward to even out troughs and peaks. JBA will move on be it on Sunday or 2027. Its reassuring that the club is preparing for that event.

My mates have been into the club shop and advise that the replicas have no sponsors. Blemish free!

With Daws being promoted, and clearly far more involved behind the scenes than many of us probably realised, it seems pretty clear to me that the club is laying the groundwork for JBA’s eventual departure and replacement. What’s encouraging is the apparent focus on internal continuity and structure, and preserving our new model over the longer term.

You cant say your'e not getting involved in politics then post a link to the Express which is the most politically biased newspaper in the country !

Maybe needs a separate thread, but posted here because of the topical relevance. I feel that it is time for the Well Society and the club to call out the woeful state of officiating in the game. I don't expect that they could instigate any change by doing it alone, but should actively work with the other clubs within the league to put forward a case for change. Steelmen online no doubt has enough Well Society members to petition the society to ask that we try to get some form of cooperative movement from the clubs within the league to approach the football governing body about setting a plan for improvement. Any thoughts?

Yeah can't disagree with that (although i'm not fine with it 😂). Its just... how? I appreciate i/ we will always be biased towards our team. But that put to one side, the national reaction to it, including down in england, is not like anything we've had up here for as long as i can remember and the overwhelming majority are saying it was wildly wrong. How can anyone have the brass neck to come out now and say it was right? Especially one who is in charge of a group of referees, none of which are selected for representing at a higher level. It's going to be an awful look.

I mean, they kind of have to, and tbh I'm fine with that. Admitting an error that massively affects who wins your flagship competition would open a much bigger can of worms, both sporting and legal.

Low low bar

I heard Chris Sutton today defend the decision by saying that John Beaton made a subjective decision that it was a hand ball and that is enough. The point of VAR is that the subjectivity is removed and the referee makes an objective decision based on overwhelming evidence. It is crazy that Sutton will be getting paid a small fortune to analyse the game and he can't grasp this. John Beatons subjective decision was no penalty in real time. The objective, beyond reasonable doubt decision was then to actually give the penalty. This is even more crazy when the camera angle used as evidence looks like it has been taken from the CCTV cameras at the Civic.

As i have said to sellik workmates and mates in general. If that was awarded for the well last night you would have been feckin raging

To inject some positivity into the discussion we have sold 2k tickets for this, so the away end will be sizeable and noisy. A fitting end to an incredible season. I hope we get at least the point we deserve for all our efforts this season, but even if we dont, the squad deserve the proper send off they were denied last night, especially with a few of them definitely away in the summer, Slatts in particular. Once more, "Stand Up And Sing For Motherwell!"

Need one big push. I would drop said and put Maswanhise wide and hendry up top