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Penalty incident aside, some of our supporters really need a reality check. JBA has given us a team to be exceptionally proud of, regardless of how it ends. We outplayed a Celtic team for large parts of last night's contest - and this is a team chasing a title. Celtic's first goal was simply a moment of good fortune and an exceptional finish. The second was wonder strike. Yes, the season has not ended how we hoped and yes we may not get European football, but please look at the bigger picture. A squad that now has several very valuable assets - not all will be sold in the summer, but those who do go should fetch a more than decent fee, securing not only our short-term, but long-term future. A brand of football that many in the league envy - and so far distanced from what's been served up over the past few seasons. Crowds on the rise and a proper connection between club and its supporters. All of the above forms a very solid foundation and while JBA will be a wanted man, he will depart with us in good health both on and off the field, so much so we could entice some real managerial talent. Look at others in and around us. Hibernian may yet get fourth, but financially they are in a mess. Falkirk will be under pressure to repeat their efforts this season, and will likely have to do so losing one or two vital players from their squad. Aberdeen are in transition - a bloated squad full of under-achievers on big wages. Dundee, Dundee Utd and Kilmarnock will all undergo a turnover of players this summer, as will St Mirren should they stay up. St Johnstone have momentum and should compete, but for them consolidation will be the main aim. We have a wonderful opportunity to build on the foundations of this season. There is money in the bank, with more coming. European football would be an attractive proposition for any targets, but I don't think it's a deal breaker. JBA will have learned a lot from these last couple of months. Injuries haven't helped, and neither has a few players having a dip in form at an important stage of the season, but when you play all season at the intensity JBA wants, it's only natural some players will begin to feel the effects. A top six finish, a cup semi-final, challenging for European football - all of us would have bitten a hand off if this scenario had been offered to us before the season started. I think back to all the supporters at the start of the season who were critical of this style of play and how it would never work. Time and patience is in short supply in modern football, but for those who can't see what's being built then I feel sorry for you.

I thought Motherwell were fantastic tonight. Really, really unlucky in key moments of the game but the travesty of the penalty aside, it is equally a travesty if we as Motherwell fans cannot appreciate that performance tonight That team did not bottle it tonight. They were the better side in almost every aspect of the game and but for two moments of real quality from Maeda and Nygren they would have won the match.

Just new to site. Ancient so expect many Ancell babes references and tales of horror and heroic failures particularly against Sundau's opponents. Feel we have lost a lot of zest recently and clearly see a Slattery effect in how our games are refereed. Hoping for a return to earlier control levels at the very least

I just wish people would stop all this pish about Watt going to Rangers and Just and the manager going to Celtic. The two players are under contract, and if they go anywhere, it's because the price is right for MFC. Let's just wait and see what the outcome is. Whatever way it's got to suit Motherwell.

Spot on Stewart gets banned from Hampden for speaking his mind that upset the sensitive souls at the SFA, yet 10's of thousands of uglies fans spout their bigoted sectarian bile on a regular basis and its radio silence from the SFA., a disgrace of an organisation.

Absolutely rotten post. The guys have done their all in the last two games and played their hearts out (pardon the pun) against two teams going for the title. This isn't a Motherwell 0-4 in previous seasons in similar circumstances. Woeful post.

Keep taking yer meds

I’m a bit surprised by some of the negative posts. Yes, we have faltered a bit down the home Stretch but we have managed to create a team that plays good football, has been able to go toe to toe with any team in the league amd with a wee bit of luck could have been in an even higher position. I’m disappointed too but I think phrases like “this is not good enough” is a bit over the top. So much has been fixed from previous seasons and there is still plenty room for improvement but I’d rather have seasons like this than the ones we’ve been subjected too for the last umpteen years. no reason we can’t keep our 4th position.

STAND UP AND SING FOR MOTHERWELLLLLLLLLLLL. STAND UP AND SING FOR MOTHERWELLLLLLLLLLLL. STAND UP AND SING. STAND UP AND SING........STAND UP AND SING FOR MOTHERWELLLLLLLLLLLL

Don't panic guys. Spoke with Dougie who confirmed it was a hoax call by someone he knows who is a bit of a practical joker and SSB fell for it hook line and sinker as has the Daily Record. Wouldn't like to be in his shoes when Dougie gets a. hold of him.

Would love to finish the season with no old firm victories at Fir park this season. C’mon Motherwell let’s make this our best performance and result of the season!!!!

Voted by their peers. So it may be a confident foreign manager playing better football than everyone else, on a much smaller budget, isn’t particularly liked by certain old school managers throughout the country. Not a massive surprise.

Does it get any better sauntering into an office with a number of Rangers fans who said to me last week “not worried about Sunday…. We can blow anyone away at home the way we are playing” if only I were able to smoke cigars in the office…. The smugness is oozing from every one of my pores

I always assumed that I am one of the really old timers on this forum but when many of you are sharing memories of Ancell babes I realise that I am just a young thing. Willie Pettigrew was my first Motherwell hero and that was in the late 1970's when I would sneak in to watch the last quarter of games for free after they opened the big terracing gates. I am feeling good about tomorrow. I think the team will return to form and the bad luck with decisions has to change at some point even if it is Rangers at Ibrox. Biggest thing is to avoid getting any players sent off or making challenges in the box that give the referee a decision to make ( I know that is so much easier send than done). Take some of the chances we create and it will put Rangers under real pressure.

I was one of Ward’s biggest critics at the start of the season, but credit where it’s due. He’s not just a keeper benefitting from a good team, he’s a key part of why it’s good.

Featuring not 1, not 2, but 5 (FIVE) Motherwell players!

You seem to be evolving into MJC. Take a step back and some deep breaths it will all be ok in the end. I'm in the POD so its ok with me especially with the football iv witnessed this season.

Sparrow's best game in a Motherwell shirt. Maswanhise was miles off it.

There weren't meany streams available at the time for this game. The only one I was able to find was Celtic TV. The commentators were loving life when they were 1 - 0 up, distraught when Skippy scored the first and cut the mics when he scored the second. Glorious.

Any walloper that sits in well end supporting sellik would get exposed if they score or have chances. I just worry my mates will tell stewards I am a sellik fan just to get me evicted and give them peace and quiet ! 🤪🤪

Just has been targeted for a while now yet, despite looking like a frail teenager, he gets up and gets on with it, to his credit. The game today doesn't have a giant like "Tiny" Wharton who would have sorted out a team like Hearts who simply and cynically shared out the fouls on Elijah to stifle him yesterday. As Grumpy hints, I doubt this treatment would be tolerated if he played for either of the OF, just another hurdle a team like Motherwell have to cope with in the Scottish game. I'm going to go full Kevin Keegan now and say I would love it, really love it if we beat the Seat-Smashers on Wednesday, mainly because they seem to think both JBA and Just will inevitably end up at Celtic Park next year. Their sense of entitlement really gets on my nazzums.

Any game we dont lose, we are outstanding, especially against the potential champions tonight, we were always trying to get forward and were in their faces, and looked threatening when we did, we defended very well, Ward never had a difficult save to make even when Hearts were pressing hard we looked solid. So all in all i think an outstanding performance is a fair assessment of how the game went

In news that will surprise no-one, Kofi Balmer will be leaving to join Bristol Rovers on a permanent deal. Good luck to the lad. His impending departure also frees up a squad place.

Talking of away allocations. Given today’s ruling effectively banning Rangers fans from Celtic Park in case the Bears get their hands on tickets, can we now inform Celtic they will be getting no tickets for Fir Park unless they can guarantee none will end up with the Green Brigade. Precedent now set. And given their record of damage and pitch invasions, player confrontation who could argue. Wonder how that would play out in our wonderful, unbiased media? Guaranteed the Authorities would step in. Re Falkirk Hibs and others of late, great to see our increased support feeding into away matches. But as you say it has its drawbacks. If ST sales increase substantially I guess MFC will need to look at some system to ensure everybody who wants a ticket gets a fair crack. The implications of being a big team! 😃 A themed thread would at least register what us fans think.

There's probably a combination of reasons, but there's no doubt in my mind that a segment of the voters chose McGlynn over JBA because they wanted to nominate a Scottish manager rather than some upstart foreigner trying to modernise the Scottish game. You don't need to go too far back in the season to find all the criticism doled out at the start of our project. McInnes will win it anyway, and JBA will be on the sportswriters' nominations no doubt.

There definitely was a mental block that ran right through the club for far too long when it came to these types of games. IMO it could be traced all the way back to Butcher and then Alan Burrows banging the “punching above our weight” drum for years and numerous managers, coaches, players and supporters fully bought into that. Before the March ‘24 win at Ibrox I genuinely thought we would never beat either OF side ever again but breaking that duck gave us the shot in the arm that we had been in desperate need of for years. On a side note and I know this doesn’t matter much to many, but it does to me…I was delighted to see us beat Rangers at Ibrox for the third year running but this time wearing our proper C&A kit. The last three league wins there we’ve been in our change kits going back to Owen Coyle day in ‘97. So Sunday must have been the first league win at Ibrox wearing our first kit since 94 or 95. 🍻

Likewise… I personally can’t wait til our game with them at fir park. I fully expect to beat them. If they win the league (doubtful) fair enough but I’d love to screw it up for them and McIness in particular

Ahem? 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Only good thing about Celtic winning for me is 5th is guaranteed Europe should they win it Much better to finish 4th of course and hopefully will do

The cosy clique that is the SFA dont give a toss how bad it looks, they are all far too busy organising their expense account trips to the USA over the summer. The whole set up is a shambles full of freeloading chancers who care more about their benefits and committee positions than they do about the clubs and fans. Will it change, i doubt it, the turkeys never vote for christmas, the member clubs have the power to change it but again self interest comes first, not whats best for the game. So for me fair play to michael stewart for calling them out, more people need to do the same.

Just been an interview with ex Celtic Captain, Paul Lambert on Talksport >Shouldn't have been a pen >Crowd pressure influencing refs >Martin O'Neil pandering to fans saying it was a clear pen.

Slatts at fault. If he feckin shoots could have been different. Maswanhise not in it

In that case the season ticket holder is out of order

I read a few Sevco fans already spouting their conspiracy theories last night that Motherwell were going to lie down to Celtic because of all the "Celtic connections" in our team and because JBA wants the Celtic job. Peak OF paranoia. You'd think if they were that worried they wouldn't have rolled over in today's game.

Noticing a trend recently with opposition targeting Just for 'special' treatment. Were all three Hearts bookings for fouls on him?

Big shout out to the well fans who turned out and for creating a great atmosphere along with the packed away end,love it when fir parks like that.

Not as harsh as your opinions on Callum Ward.

I’ve stripped your post down to the point I want to reply to as I agree with most of what you’ve said but on this point I’d like to give my view of what we could do. Tony Bloom at Hearts is showing that his model can potentially give him a return via a share of the money made from transfers and as such we should look for a similar type of investor willing to make a similar deal with us with preferably non voting shares like the Hearts deal - probably at a lesser level but still I’d be looking at circa £6M minimum for a maximum 20% shares coming not only from the society but also our private shareholders so between the society and private shareholders we still have 80% holding. A £6M investment matched by say £2 or £3M by the club would give a healthy pot for buying players over the next couple of seasons. With the clubs position on and off the park this is probably the best time to make such a deal. If no such deal is achievable at the moment then I think we should continue with the “organic growth “ that we are currently trying to achieve while continuing to look for a deal.

you'd think we were due to play Celtic soon ........................................

It doesn’t have to be one or the other. As I’ve said, if you can’t grow or maintain grass, you’ve no business in the top league. That applies to us as well. We’ve had to spend heavily to fix past mistakes, and others should be expected to do the same. It’s not fair that some clubs effectively gain a bigger playing budget because maintaining a plastic pitch is significantly cheaper than grass or hybrid surfaces. And if you underinvest in your grass surface and ignore drainage issues, leaving tattie fields, there should be penalties to discourage it. This is a spectator sport. We wouldn’t accept a pockmarked cinema screen, so why accept substandard pitches? There should be a level playing field in the top flight for all. Pun intended.

He was almost quite emotional at that press conference, the guy is excellent....a lege...........whoops.....I mean decent manager 🤣🤣

All valid nominations, but I know who I want as MFC manager next season, and it’s none of the above

48 hrs later and I am still buzzing!! The joy of football!

Always been a big Slatts and will be sorry to see him go. Although we didn't get to see it often, Miller-Spittal-Slattery was a great combo. Who knew we end up with an even better one? I'm assuming he's not off to St Mirren.

I had the radio commentary on, from half time I was outside, folding towels, washed the dishes, brushed the cats, tried to solve world hunger and anything else to distract me from the obvious comeback, came back in to do a rubik's cube and heard "Ward to O'Donnell.... Longeloooooooooooo!" I thought our bubble had burst and we'd shit the bed as we seem to have done so often in the past. What a season this has been, let's hope it gets better.

Pat's a great speaker and has a lot of good stories to tell. He came over to Guernsey for our annual literary festival after his book came out (which I bought, read and enjoyed). He's really not the pantomime villain that a lot of Motherwell fans want him to be, so I highly recommend going along and listening to what he has to say about our club that he still has a great deal of affection for.

Unbelievably good day throats f*cked but what a result huge credit to the team today because we could have easily folded great result

Kipre just booked for Ipswich and it flashed up that's his 11th yellow this season. Is Craig Thompson refereeing doon there?

My point about a deteriorating product relates to poor officiating and VAR undermining the matchday experience, not the quality of football on display. I’ll still be renewing my season ticket, but with fans being asked to pay more each year, it’s reasonable to expect the club to advocate on our behalf and address the elephant in the room.

Some interesting comments from Lee Wilkie in today's Dundee Courier. "I would scrap VAR in Scottish football tomorrow. The technology affects the game far too much in a negative way and we saw the very worst of that in Dundee’s seemingly endless game at Kilmarnock. Of course, we want to help referees get really close calls correct but the technology gets involved far too much. And it affects the way players play the game, too. Again, not in a good way. I think players dive even more now than they did before. I’m not talking about blatant dives where there is no contact. I’m talking about situations where the forward feels a hand on the back and hits the deck. They do that knowing the Video Assistant Referee is watching and they might get a penalty out of very little. For me, that’s not what football should be about. It is a technical game but there should still be the physical aspect of battling for the ball with someone else. When VAR reviews a decision, they only look for contact but crucially not whether that contact is enough to constitute a foul. You will see strikers running into the box thinking more about initiating contact with a defender than actually scoring the chance. VAR in Scotland has not had many successes to shout about and Saturday at Rugby Park certainly wasn’t one of them. An eight-minute delay doesn’t help anyone. Spectators don’t want to be hanging about that long and, even though Dundee eventually got the penalty, it didn’t help them either. It doesn’t look good for our game. The SPFL and SFA are probably breathing a sigh of relief that didn’t happen in one of the title-deciding fixtures coming up."