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Nuance & perspective are wonderful things! Clearly JBA isnt a Motherwell legend (yet), but he deserves a little more credit than he is being afforded in some quarters. The number of draws we got in the first quarter of the season were a little disappointing given how well we played at times, but they were achieved by a manager and team trying to bed in new players and a totally new system. Mistakes were made and a few wins slipped out of our grasp. Disapppointing but understable. However, we did slowly improve and after the League Cup semi final exit (reaching Hampden seems to have been turned into a negative) we seemed to have unlocked the secret to a water tight defence and results improved. Our record against the top 6 is held up as a weakness this season. Yet we are undefeated against Hearts, have drawn twice against Rangers at home, lost narrowly at Ibrox after a hotly disputed penalty claim. Beaten Celtic resoundingly at Fir Park, lost twice narrowly at Parkhead in keenly contested matches, unbeaten against Hibs home & away. Only Falkirk have got the better of us. So our poor record is actually a myth if you turn it around and ask what the top 6 teams record against Motherwell is. The Aberdeen Cup game was a sore one and Jens has to hold his hands up a little for the starting selection, but the the state of the pitch, weather and 2 red cards are at least mitigating factors. We have broken all sorts of records this season with least goals conceded at home, clean sheets records, longest home run without a defeat, attendances etc etc. Of course the wheels have come off a little bit and you could argue that the pressure of being involved in a potential title race got to us, but you have to factor in the recent injuries, suspensions and some really chronic refereeing decisions. Has Jens been perfect? No. Have the team been perfect? No. But whilst our deficiencies have been shown up in recent weeks, its still the best season I can remember for quality of football and entertainment, and we are still sitting with a GD of +25 in April. Picking holes in an otherwise fantastic season is easy to do and if you ignore the circumstances, you can make a compelling case, but just as circumstances can fall for you, they can also conspire against you, despite you having control over neither.

Wow. You just love getting the boot in. I have said it before and will again, we need to stop and remember where this team was last season and judge JBA on that. Yes we have had a dip in form but to pick apart the season with that statement above is ridiculous. I have absolutely loved this season, it’s the best football I have seen at Fir Park and long may it continue.

It's just amazing how quickly some have forgotten the absolute dross we've watched under previous managers compared to this season. I'm not getting hyped I'm just happy to see the team play football the way it should be played and to great effect most weeks. Christ, we've earned it.

So much negative nonsense on here lately if we were not in games and not competeing then have a serious cry most of our defeats have been by odd goal while being in matches and fighting for everything. This we have been found out,dont know where next win is coming from ffs picture a year ago and picture now where would you rather be regarding Motherwell if you dont understand progress or cant see progress then i dont know what to say to alot of you. Honestly reading posts back you would think we were down the bottom in the mud lol.

We sold out our allocation today because we were quietly confident of a result. That's testament to how well the team has done this season. Unfortunately it didn't materialise due to multiple factors but not for lack of trying. We're brave on the ball and the quality is there for all to see. It's got it's results that sees us sitting pretty in the top six with a realistic chance of European football come the summer. Yes, we're out two cups and that's disappointing but we're still very much a work in progress. The whole fur coat no knickers narrative is simply pish.

If the ref had decided on the day that it was simulation - just like diving in the box - the result would have been a yellow. The 4-match suspension is punishment for making the ref and VAR officials look a bunch of twats, not for the offence itself.

I'll add that, the attractive football on display has increased the home attendance by over 50%. This is something that I didn't think would ever happen. This alone, must be of great benefit to the club.

If the team can have a collective off-day and still not lose, we're doing not too bad. I think everyone needs a wee break, not just the players. There seemed to be a collective anxiety around the place on Saturday, with the prospect of losing a third consecutive game at the end of a fortnight that kicked-off with such high hopes and expectations. Maybe a mental reset is needed before the run-in, just as much as a physical rest.

That's me in the home left-back shirt! It was an amazing experience, I loved every minute of it and is was a privilege to play on such a good pitch. The ball was really zipping of the surface, something that is not obvious when watching games on TV. If anyone on here plays football to a reasonable level and hasn't given this a go, please do, you won't regret it. Hopefully they'll do this again next season. Starting shirts cost £200-£300, which is a small price to pay for such an amazing opportunity. Substitutes are drawn from a raffle of Well Society members. This will stay with me forever!

I thought today was a much improved performance from the last few weeks, with most of the starting 11 raising their levels. It was telling that McInnes sounded relieved at the end of the game and gave us some plaudits, albeit that doesnt really help us any in terms of points. We can talk about the refereeing (unless the rules have changed, I dont see how Kabore isnt enndangering himself by trying to head itnon the ground) but if we put any if the 4 chances away before that, then its less of a problem for us and may not even occcur. Overall, JT much better off the right side. Just fantastic thru the middle. I liked the 4-2-4, was a twist on our usual set up and played to our strengths. Fadinger much better without the mask. We will play worse and win before the end of the season.

I don't know why everyone dislikes Wimmer so much.

I dont think thats fair. The only big game I dont think we turned up in was the League Cup semi-final, and even that game was down to "moments". Performance wise, we have been excellent against Hearts twice, Celtic three times and Rangers three times. Results wise you could make an argument for it, but given all 3 teams have significantly bigger budgets than us and are above us in the league, they might just be better/luckier than us. The fact that we have been able to go toe to toe with them is a significant improvement on mindset and performance levels from years gone past. Of course, if we want to develop and get better, Jens will have to find a way to bridge the gap and turn those performances into results.

Honestly think perspective is being lost by some. We're well on track to be 4th. We got beat today by a better team who played well and have the depth, strength, quality of players to hurt us and they did. It's not because we were poor , or have poor players or have a ref who caused it. Today we came off second best, albeit still competed well with them until the penalty. I do wonder if all the hype and suggestion of winning the league has skewed many perspectives. I don't agree that a bubble has burst - we're too many games into the season to refer to bubbles/lucky streaks. We're a damn good team and on course to be 4th.

Two things can be true at once. We haven’t been good enough against the top six this season, and the officials have cost us on multiple occasions.

In 50 plus years, most of the time it has been the best football I have seen played and the best crowds ive seen too...if you can't see that , maybe you need some other hobbies too

I cant believe we are having this debate, what type of football would you really like to see at Fir park, the eye bleeding hoof and chase under kettlewell, or the free flowing, tippy tappy passing, playing out from the back, rock solid defence (mostly) etc under JBA, i know who my vote would be for.

MJC is a troll, posting negative shite about Motherwell or rousing defences of his or her big team to extract a reaction, its a public forum so everyone is entitled to their opinions, but in my experience its best to ignore these posts as there is nothing to be gained in starting a debate, dont feed the trolls..

Garbage is what we watched last season, ok we’ve been poor the last couple of games - mainly due to not adapting to teams pushing up on us and some slack passing - but garbage? Think you need to get a bit of perspective mate.

You’ve done it again! In your previous message you claimed our manager is bang average and in this one you are doing the exact same thing in pulling out stats to suit a narrative. We are clearly not going to win every game so beyond that you look at the performances and most have been very good even when we have drawn or lost. Stop trying to make this something it’s not. We have had an excellent season, have a great team and a very good manager.

We're back to not being able to hold more than one opinion at a time here. Slattery was wrong. The Ref and Referee's assistant were both wrong to send off King. VAR was wrong to not review the red card (like they had already done for Gogic) The SFA was wrong for waiting 4 weeks and choosing to re-referee 3 different individuals' decisions. Do you think they'll go back now and give us our penalty at Ibrox or give Oxlade-Chamberlain a red? If a player dives to get a penalty, will they now be subject to a 4 week suspension? If not, why not? That has a direct impact games. What about feigning head injuries to waste time with stoppages?

Im suprised anyone outwith his favourites turn up. Clarke is everything that is wrong with the Scottish game.

Maybe now we can start looking at the fact that O'Donnell will be 34 next season, McGinn will be 36 and Welsh will be somewhere else earning much more money.

Maybe a wee read at rule book would help yourself and some others.

Good non emotional response from JBA. of course he’s right, once again we gave ourselves several opportunities to win the game but didn’t take them and that’s when the other things beyond your control can affect the result. while we have hit a bad patch, results wise, there is no league game where we have been completely outplayed. Yes, some games have been tagged by fans as poor performance but that’s only because we reached such high standards during the season. But if you look at the stats, even in the games we have lost, we come out looking very well. So let’s hope the next step in our development is converting our superior stats into goals and points So despite some recent frustration and disappointment we are still in control of attaining euro spot amd still playing some good football and will hopefully get back to winning ways soon with the return of JK and Slattery.

We have not beaten hearts this season....bit of a bogey team 🤪🤪

As we dont have a home game on Saturday, Motherwell fans can get their Saturday football fix at Rockburn Park Bellshill the home of the second biggest team and second best run team in the shire. Get along and cheer the Athletic on to victory in their quest to win the West of Scotland league division 2 title where at present they are 8 points clear at the top of the table. Bellshill Athletic v Maybole Juniors = kick off 2pm Rockburn Park Bellshill . Admission price = Adults £7 ( compare that to what price you pay for an away ticket for well matches) Concessions = £4 The chairman of the club is David Brown who is a big Motherwell fan, and a number of the playing squad are well fans also. PROS cheap admission easy parking on north road or any of the side streets off North Road Better referees( not much but they are not up their own arses like the ones in the SPFL) NO VAR ALCOHOL available in the clubhouse(pies , snacks and soft drinks also available.) good atmosphere. NO BIGOTRY CONS no seats not much cover but the sun always shines in Bellshill ( except when it rains/ snows). So there you go , get yourselves along to the Rockburn on Saturday and you could still be home in time to catch the second half of the well game on your firestick.

That's the spirit!

John Mcglynn is a good manager as is jens...some merit in what you say but i don't agree with most of what uou say....I doubt the board do either. He's managed to just about double the home support which I thought was impossible and something I haven't seen in about 50 years even with teams who have won cups. So the majority of punters must like " tippy tappy " football. We really missed Slattery which I suspected we would.

Very sorry to learn of the passing of Willie Watson at the age of 76. Condolences to his friends and family. He was a real stalwart in the best Well side that I've seen. My abiding memory of him was in that famous 1977 cup game at Fir Park when we defeated St Mirren 2-1. He moved in to tackle Bobby Torrance, who under instruction from Alex Ferguson leapt 7 feet into the air and landed in a heap rolling about in mock agony. The only problem was that Willie was wise to this tactic and stopped short without actually making the challenge. RIP Willie.

I am finding this one a little difficult to stomach I have to admit. Yes, Slattery made a fool of himself and yes it took a little bit of a shine off of what was otherwise the perfect performance. This kind of behaviour needs stamped out of football and in a world where all things are equal the punishment probably fits the crime but all things are not equal and the organisation doing the finger wagging in Slattery''s direction oversee a tiny shitty world where they are more than happy to turn a blind eye to some of the bigger vagueries of Scottish Football. We have not heard a single word of condemnation from the SFA on the scenes at Ibrox a few weeks ago. The bigotry, the sectarian singing that could be heard both on radio and TV. The pitch invasions, the aggression, the on field violence. No word, no punishment, no finger wagging. This is an organisation that oversees one of the most toxic environments in World football and is happy to continue doing so because of the money it generates. Hatred sells! It sticks in my throat when that same organisation decides to randomly take the moral high ground on one single isolated incident when similar incidents are happening every single weekend in every single game in the country. The decision making is haphazard, incoherent and hugely subjective. Ultimately we have to suck it up because Slattery was in the wrong and brought this trouble upon himself and the club but I hate being lectured to, (with the verbose language they hide behind), by an organisation that has very little interest in actually creating the level playing field that would actually make the game in Scotland one we could all buy into.

Also, great how they can make this decision but have said and done nothing about the rioting and nonsense by the Old Firm eejits after their game at Ibrox recently.

If I was a hibee I'd be hacked off with that, they have to claw back 6 points and settled for a draw , time wasting also...wtf is that about ?

We look up when the ball is in the air We look down when the ball is on the ground brilliant 😂

You need to have arrived in the UK on an inflatable boat under cover of darkness to stay there these days, its free though.

It’s the inconsistency in decisions that’s actually doing my tits in. You can say what you want about Slattery, but the St Mirren player turned and actually swung at him. We were all debating afterwards if he’d caught him, it’s a red all day no question, but I always thought the intent was enough. Same as when a player flies in two-footed (like Lee Lucas did) but still misses, players know VAR is watching now so its a waste of time feigning things. Slattery still got utterly vilified, yet Cantwell was pretending he’d been elbowed in the face a few seasons ago at Fir Park, ironically against Slattery, and that just gets brushed off as per, no meltdown. Then you’ve got that 7-minute spell against Falkirk last week. The ref was atrocious - gave them a free kick when McGinn was fouled first, let a blatant foul on Just go without even a word, and then the coup de grâce: the missed penalty and the sending off. I say 7 minutes, but the whole game followed the same pattern. Even in one of Willie Collum’s reviews, he talks about a similar incident where no penalty was given when a player’s head was clipped at knee height, and the reasoning aligns with putting himself in danger. You just know he’ll be inconsistent again the next time he’s on. After all, he was greeting about the Balmer decision last season against Killie where the player was entitled to challenge for the ball, but Kofi wasn't. It still boggles my mind that we had 100 world class appilcants and he's the one for the role. Back in the day, when wrongful red cards were quickly appealed I think 8 or so from Collum was successfully appealed over the piece, whereas others were 1. Honestly, what is the game coming to when players are getting sent off for DOGSO on the halfway line? Or even reading Kevin Clancy's description of the Celtic incident. I would love to be optimistic and say it's going to get worse before it gets better, but I'll just stick to it's going to get worse. More changes around the World Cup will happen as per, then you have Arsene Wenger's offside rule currently getting tested, then that will be implemented no doubt, but it will still contain the same old annoyances. Apologies for the moan but I can seldom muster up the strength to post on here nowadays, so thankful that we have been playing the way we have been. It would be nice to see more emphasis put on it; they did a questionnaire in the summer and released the results, and most people who voted wanted it rid of. I think they even started a petition or something on change.org, I'm positive I remember that being at 1.5k signatories.

I disagree. Blaming Slattery here gives the officials a pass. He’s already been punished, so anything that happens to him or his teammates following this should be judged on its own merits, not dragged in from previous incidents. We’ve already seen that different standard applied against Falkirk and Hearts. If officials can’t apply the laws fairly and impartially regardless of history, they shouldn’t be in the job. Suggesting a player or team can be refereed to a different standard because of the past just excuses poor officiating, normalises inconsistency and, at worst, bias. That’s on the referees, not the player.

Do the hospitality package, recommended.

These fixtures are appalling. Two home games out of five is fine in theory, but neither is at 3pm on a Saturday, and one’s midweek. As a season ticket holder with commitments beyond Saturday afternoons, it’s shite. But fairness isn’t a word the SFA or SPFL seem to understand unless it involves Celtic or Rangers.

4 games ago folk were believing we could win title. Now Askou being compared to Kettlewell!! This forum beggars belief at times. Look at the crowds this season, that tells you everything as we are being entertained and have only lost TWO home games all season. Both against Falkirk. We were always going to have injuries, players off form, Slattery being stupid getting himself a ban. It's just happened at wrong time of season. Give me JBA ahead of Kettlewell any day. Ps. Ross Co 0 Airdrie 4 at weekend, SK doing wonderful job COYW

A wee bit disrespectful imo. Falkirk won today but still behind us in league. I agree we look a bit lightweight but injuries and suspension to our best players has cost us. The slattery situation and jens saying about sfa has put a target on our back. That penalty today was a nothing thing in the box. We have been good all year and need everyone back for run in to secure Europe. All the moaning tonight so far is disappointing as we are down to bare bones and having to play accordingly

I get that you are trying to beat the drum for impartiality and fairness and I commend you for it. But we dont live in an ideal world. We all know this. So until we do, I think its fair enough to be annoyed.....

In fairness, Joe is 74 now.

Deliberately feigning injury to get a player sent off should be a red card offence. Referees might be incompetent and VAR might be a shambles but I doubt they are actively cheating like Slattery was. Trying to twist the incident so that the SFA is at fault is ridiculous. Our player cheated, got caught and is now being rightly punished. Let it be a lesson to others, Motherwell players or otherwise that that kind of blatant cheating is totally unacceptable. And BTW the sort of pathetic paranoia that 'it wouldn't happen to this team or that team ' is exactly the same justification the Old Firm use all the time. Take some ownership.

I think there is that little bit of pressure on the supporters as well as the players when we turn up to Firpark with the expectation of a win rather than simply the hope of one. I think the pressure of the potentially massive prize on offer did get to everyone and as you say there is possibly a mental tiredness as well as a physical tiredness associated with that. Now that the talk of league titles is over the pressure may ease from everyone a little bit. Having said that, I am not convinced that the league title is completely dead in the water and I don't think the players or manager will have given up all hope either. Beat Falkirk and Hearts and things could suddenly look very interesting again particularly when the OF look less than convincing. It may still work in the teams favour that we have been written out of the title race.

Im going for a strong finish to the season 7 games left, so why not 7 wins and a 75 point total, and see what that gets us. No Alcohol was consumed before posting, coyw.

I think you need to look beyond the points in the league and the cup games. Jens arrived at a club that let’s be honest was playing terrible football and had essentially become a bottom six team that might just survive if we get a decent run. Within a summer he totally transformed our style of play, exciting to watch, hard to beat and holding onto the ball for long periods of games. Comfortably into the top six and have an outstanding chance of Europe. You have to look at where we have come from to judge how good he has been.

Also back on topic, beat Hibs, consolidate 4th and chase down Hearts for third as I fully expect them to collapse.

As time goes on with him in charge of Scotland the less arsed I am about the national team. He’s not stepped foot in fir park in years and continues to pick guys like Hanley and Ralston. His comments basically saying our individuals aren’t as good as the collective team must have p1ssed off a few of our players. I hope we go out and destroy Hibs and highlight “again” Hanley as a weak link.

Longelo gave the officials a decision to make. Very soft but the sort of challenge that the old firm get awarded penalties for week in week out. The issue like the game at Fir Park is that questions need asking on why the officials failed to send Celtic players off for obvious offences. Tho it is a recurring theme for all teams against them. Then you have the officials turn a blind eye to shoves in their box or over zealous challenges. The shove was soft but a foul everytime outside box. Just was targetted yesterday and was kicked constantly with no protection from the officials. Given how tight the title chase is these officials and the decisions they make are only going to be more biased and outrageous. Hearts have no chance. As for the media and Authorities they ignore the big issues and as a result our game is still in the dark ages and struggles to modernise. All we can do is play our football and try to grow as a club.