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To be fair, you've not really backed up your point, or answered the original question. All you done is turn it on the person who asked the question. All you've said is 'it's up to the decision makers' (which is an absolute cop-out) but have pushed another user to give a suitable answer. Well, one that's suitable to you. I know this is all about opinions, and how we're all free to voice them, but you could have given your opinion on who is a suitable replacement.

I am not sure how misaligned you are with the support as a whole. If you look at the regular 'manager out' posters on this forum it amounts to a total of about 10 people. Yes that can be extrapolated into a percentage of the support but I would be surprised if it is the majority. It is a very vocal minority and as such gives a sense that they speak as a authoritative majority. I always find the desire for managers to lose their job to be a little distasteful. It is part of the modern game but it is a very destructive part of the game that will deeply affect the lives of the managers involved. AJ has been in the job for 4 (four!! ) months. The posts to get him out started about a month ago. There arguments always rely on a few regularly voiced misconceptions 1. that we have a right to beat St Johnstone/ Kilmarnock/ St Mirren/ Dundee.... etc, etc and if we don't it's a sacking offense. 2. that other teams are not suffering the same woes as us. As a example, look at the two goals St Johnstone lost last night. Defensively they were poor goals to concede. A Valakari coached team loses these goals and we want him as our next manager, an AJ coached team loses these goals and we want him sacked. 3. the supporters of the other teams in our league are watching a better standard of football than we are. Look on the forums of Aberdeen, Falkirk, St Mirren, Kilmarnock, Hibs etc at the moment and see how true that actually is. 4. that we will never win another game again under this current management structure. I have read several times over the last 24 hrs that we have no chance against Dundee United when the reality is that we beat them last time out with the same team and same manager in the dim and distant past of just 6 weeks ago. Actually Valakari himself last night said that he thought the standard of the football on display last night was more enjoyable than most because both teams were trying to play football. As a society we have the attention span of a goldfish. The need for change has become as much a part of the spectacle of the game as the football itself. As one poster on here often observes, the fans will have the last word and this is true but it does not necessarily mean that the fans are right or that the narrative that eventually forces a manager out is based on any kind of rational thought or objective analysis. These voices are powerful because it does tend to make us believe that a catastrophic problem exists when it simply does not. Your inclination to think that what you watched last night was actually ok ( if not what we would ideally like) is probably correct but it is difficult to have the courage of your convictions when you subsequently read the extent of the negativity towards the team the manager and the performance. Nobody is saying that it is perfect at the moment but I think we have to treat with some caution the naysayers preaching that the end is nigh.

I think we need to do some serious soul searching as a support as to what we want the club to represent and what we want the future to look like. As a club we were on a rinse and repeat cycle of managers who offered short term fixes and early purple patches only for the results and performances to quickly slide and for the mood to turn grey around Firpark. I have read the same posters on here very quickly call for the head of just about every manager we have had for the last 25 years. Askou offered a new vision last year and we were all dazzled by what the future could potentially be. Unfortunately though it was somewhat of a mirage because it is simply not realistic to expect that we could repeat last year's achievements with a new manager. I think time will prove Askou to be exceptional. The only chance we had for a repeat of last season was to keep him into this season and that was never really realistic. Where does that leave us? To pull a second rabbit out of the hat was always going to be very unlikely. Askou was probably the managerial find of this century in Scotland. No other club has really managed something equivalent. It is very very hard to do. Even if we did by some miracle find an equivalent he would last a year and be gone. That as a model is unsustainable. What Askou did leave was a blueprint of how the club can move forward therby gaining a sense of sustainability and stability for the future. We have brought in a young manager that buys into that vision, playing a modern brand of football, with a reputation for coaching young players, Are we really going to ditch him ( and potentially the blueprint) after 3 months and the first signs of trouble? I have heard comments about AJ being inexperienced and out of his depth. He managed Rosenberg for 3 seasons, one of which they played in the Champions League. Motherwell is not a step up from that. He has experience. He has managed at a very decent level. Just maybe the young manager has a really tough task on his hands. Just maybe he needs time to get it right. Just maybe if he does get it right we will once and for all leave behind the rinse and repeat short term fixes that has plagued us ( and every other club) on and off for the last 25 years. There is no guarantee that a replacement could do any better. Look at how Hibs are struggling (foreign manager), look at how Kilmarnock are struggling (Scottish manager). Do we really want to give up on this already?

This is a ridiculous argument. You have obviously made up your mind on the manager and will now try to wedge any reason into an argument as to why he must go O'Donnell is a very experienced former International player getting paid a very reasonable wage to be a professional football player. To bring him on for the last 10 in his natural position to provide stability, freshness, respite to tired players is perfectly reasonable and legitimate. You cannot preempt the mistake that follows. Today's teams were very even, separated by Hearts having players that are currently sharper in front of goal. Motherwell were the better team in the second half. People have already made up their minds in both directions and will find the rhetoric to fit their preferred outcome. My view is that it is far too early to sack this manager.

I’ve rarely felt this misaligned with what the vocal majority on here are saying. Taking last night in isolation, I thought we played pretty well in spells and can definitely see patterns of play from a team that are coached. I thought the two changes AJ made at half-time worked a treat for the first 20–25 minutes of the second half. We should have put the game to bed in that spell and been 3 or 4-1 up. We never really looked in much trouble until the goal at the end, which was an absolute shitshow defensively. Manny diving in, Hodge & Sparrow not tracking their men, SOD picking the wrong man out of the two he had to cover, and then not attacking the ball, and finally Paulsen not managing to push it out or over. That’s not to say there weren’t things we could have done better, but I’m struggling to see the disaster that others seem to have watched. There were plenty of positives to take from the performance, and I think there’s more evidence of progress than some are willing to acknowledge.

When I read these posts I always hear the voice of Eeyore from Disney's Winnie the Pooh'

I’d give Barry Ferguson a shout. He knows the Scottish game and would undoubtedly be an upgrade on what we currently have and his appointment would be worth it just to see the reaction of certain people in our support alone. Plus we have traditionally done well with managers from a Rangers supporting/playing background.

2-1 win. Alfred IN 😉

The consequences of relegation would likely be the loss of many more full-time jobs. As for who could replace him, I don’t know, and it’s not my job to know. I despise this question being thrown at fans whenever they want a failing manager removed. A competent Board should always be succession planning and have potential replacements identified.

There were plenty positives to take from last night ...think i will give up posting on this though. When we are going well ( last year) its " this wont last" , when its not going well its sack the boss, lose money and all that goes with it...nae long term thinking, Lanarkshire people just dont know how to be happy.

I've already said it but again, the "who do we replace him with" is just a nowhere question. In all my time on this forum I don't recall a single time any of us have correctly predicted a managerial appointment. Do you honestly think because a bunch of fans on a forum don't know who to get that there just isnt anyone out there? If you honestly think that there is not a manager out there that could do better than the current one that would take a job at a financially stable top flight Scottish club then I really don't know what else to say. Its not our job to know this, its the clubs.

I thought today was a big improvement on what we’ve seeing of late, and had we shown a bit more composure in front of goal we’d have taken the 3 points never mind 1. Completely out played Hearts for long periods, particularly in the 2nd half. Yes, I’m worried we could be sliding towards a relegation battle unless we can find someone to consistently hit the back of the net (similar to what Maswanhise did last season), but still far too early to be talking about changing the manager given the injury list we’ve had to deal with, not to mention the personnel changes over the summer. Although I do except the next 2 are huge. Confident we’ll pick up at least 4 points!

Some on here need to be careful what they wish for - looks at Hibs latest appointment. Did he feck up a few subs last night - AYE. Who hasn`t ever fecked up at work? We are in the mix at the wrong end, but I can`t see AJ getting sacked. Everyone needs to get behind the team on Saturday, because if the natives get restless, what little confidence is there, will go right out the window.

I will keep jogging for the time being, I'm still in the keep AJ camp but appreciate folk wont agree

Anybody that backs the manager can jog on

On this day in 1950, Motherwell won their first national trophy. At Hampden on 28 October they beat Hibs 3-0 in the League Cup final, with Archie Kelly, Jim Forrest and Willie Watters all scoring in the second half, against a Hibs side that went on to win the league that season. Eighteen months later the Scottish Cup followed. It's a great memory for every Motherwell fan to celebrate: 76 years ago today the club brought home its first national cup. The carousel below tells the day in five slides: the final, the three second-half goals, the Hibs side that went on to be champions, and the Scottish Cup win of 1952. The pictures are period trade cards of Andy Paton, Archie Kelly, Lawrie Reilly and Willie Ormond from 1950-51 (no photographer named). The full story is here: https://scottishfootballhistory.scot/clubs/motherwell/hampden-at-last/?utm_source=steelmenonline&utm_medium=forum&utm_campaign=on-this-day

Thats your opinion. I respectfully disagree.

Much to my surprise, I enjoyed elements of our performance today. The combination play of Longelo and Kanga, supported by Hodge looking more comfortable in the middle, was good to watch. If we had a half decent centre forward, we’d have got a least a point today.

We need to make some changes at half time . id take of Hodge and Maswanhise - neither adding value and the latter is a complete waste of a jersey push thors through middle with palmer and said either side of him

Even worse pal.....it was mrs grizzly that grassed me in 🤣🤣🤣

We can discuss tactics ,manager decisions all night long . That’s a separate issue for me . For me the reason we conceded the late goal was a lack of desire to go and head that ball out the box . End of . There were plenty people in position to deal with it and we didn’t . The back line cost us the game last night . Cross not closed down and nobody wanting to win the header . It’s terrible defending . Basic defending any day of the week at any level of football you play at . Three points thrown away . Some of the players did there jobs last night and some didn’t . Simples

if we are finally going to get this season up and running this is the game that could turn the tide. We are close enough to those above that this can close the small gap and get the confidence going again and by god we need it. Last night we went into panic mode after we went ahead. All the signs of a team under pressure.To me the manager panicked too and tried to defend the game out with boot and rush. Imagine trying to defend a game out with the defence we have, poor judgement. Had we the confidence and composure of the early part of the season St Johnstone would not have equaslised as we'd have kept the ball more and caused them more problems than they caused us. However with the managers substitutions and change of formation caused us to give St Johnstone the ball time and time again. This St Mirren game comes down to "can we handle the pressure ?" I'm not so sure we can and the fact we look like we need to score 3 goals to stand a chance of winning any game it becomes all the harder. The manager and players need to try and focus and build on the positives of the 1st half against Killie, the efforts against Hearts and the efforts for much of last night. There are signs we can get it together in most of the team, without reaching last seasons standards, with the one big exception the "Defence" or lack of . We are rank rotten at the back and teams can play pish and easily get two goals off us. Its for that reason I see a point at best and would not be at all surprised if we gift St Mirren all 3

Sad to see? He’ll be getting paid handsomely for a job he knows he’s not cut out for. No sympathy from me.

Defeat down to the manager. Signalled his intent by taking a forward off and putting another defender on with 10 minutes to go. He’s clueless and needs to be asked to go asap!

Tried to see it out and defend and fucked it up

Get Cookie on for JT.

Hopefully 3pts tonight and take the pressure off. I am still backing AJ. I know its results based but he made big commitment to move family over here and genuinely comes across a nice guy. The players need to step up. COYW

No problem. Simo Valakari’s name crops up everytime we are/or may be looking for a manager. I don’t know if he’s applied for the job previously or been interviewed but if he has then something has stopped the board from hiring him - may be as simple as being beaten by a better candidate. I did think when JBA left that we might have tried to get John McGlynn, who seems to have a very good record at improving teams. I sincerely hope we can get at least 4 points from our next 2 games and take the heat off the manager, and that he can turn things in his favour longer term.

The travelling fans, however small in number, need to be vocal in reminding him that he is a snivelling shitebag.

Update for the week to 26 October. Citations are now at 38,718, up from 36,310 last week. Most of this week went into going deeper on clubs already on the site rather than adding new ones. Twenty clubs re-checked from top to bottom Every claim on twenty club pages has been tried against the British Newspaper Archive, the Scotsman and Times archives at the National Library of Scotland, the Scottish Football Museum's archive, the club histories and annuals, and the web: Airdrieonians, Alloa Athletic, Arbroath, Ayr United, Dumbarton, Dunfermline Athletic, Edinburgh City, Falkirk, Greenock Morton, Gretna, Hibernian, Livingston, Partick Thistle, Peterhead, Queen of the South, Queen's Park, Raith Rovers, Ross County, St Mirren and Stenhousemuir. Each page has new photographs of its grounds, old and new, and of the people it names. New on the site Scots Abroad has a new piece on James "Dun" Hay, from Woodside to Celtic, Newcastle United and Scotland, with thanks to Roy Hay for his help with it. Those Who Kept the Record, the page for the writers and archivists the site leans on, now includes Hugh Keevins and Michael Grant. The kits on every club page are now drawn as proper shirts, matching each club's real strips but without the sponsors. Club records now cover 52 clubs. Rangers' record wins now show both 13-0 Scottish Cup wins of 1877, over Possilpark and over Uddingston, thanks to Stewart Mathers, who sent the sources. The grounds map has 342 grounds, with Larkhall Thistle's Gasworks Park and Royal Albert's Tileworks Park among the new ones. Things the papers turned up Cowdenbeath's old Crawford's Park was North End Park. The ground at Foulford belonged to Mrs Agnes Crawford of the Crown Hotel across the road, and the club was playing there by 1884. Morton's page now shows both founding years, 1874 as the club gives it and 1876 as the SFA annuals have it. Albion Rovers were at Meadow Park from 1883, with thanks to the club historian Brian Nugent. Saltcoats Victoria's grounds from 1880 to 1936 are now set out, checked against the papers. Kilmarnock Women's old home at Strandhead Park in Stewarton is now the site of the Rose Reilly Sports Centre, named after one of the club's own. Crests and photographs 17 more clubs have given us their crests: Aberdeen City Ladies, Blantyre Victoria, Caledonian Braves, Carron Ladies, Cumnock Juniors, East Fife, East Kilbride, East Stirlingshire, Fraserburgh, Hill of Beath Hawthorn, Johnstone Burgh, Kilsyth Rangers, Lochee United, Lossiemouth, Nairn County, Saltcoats Victoria and Stewarton Annick Ladies. Ashfield sent club photographs from 1904-05 up to this year, and Johnstone Burgh sent theirs. Thanks to both clubs, and to everyone who has written in. As ever, if you spot something wrong on your club's page, the corrections page is there and I fix things in public. https://scottishfootballhistory.scot

I dont see us losing this one

Some amount of hyperbole and confirmation bias being applied here. Too many people behaving reactively and judging results rather than performances (I get that results matter and will get managers the sack). But, yesterday was a million miles away from the Aberdeen and Celtic games, where I was genuinely worried that things were unravelling at a rate of knots that might be difficult to stop. Im not saying things are perfect. Im not saying that things cant improve more (they will need to). But I did see enough yesterday to think that there were signs of improvement. I still think we need to be braver on the ball, but yesterday really wasnt the day to be doing that given our previous frailties. If there is unrest in the dressing room, I didnt see many signs of it yesterday. The players all worked hard for each other and put a shift in, even Maswanhise, who has been absolutely toothless going forward worked back to cover Sparrow. Yesterday was absolutely down to individual mistakes. Neither Longelo nor McGhee make any attempt to stop Braga getting a free header for the first, and SOD gives the ball straight to Miller for the second. Neither of those things happen and Hearts dont score. Alfred cant do anything about those incidents. Similarly with Thors chances second half. Considering we were without Fadinger & Lowry yesterday and Koutroumbis and Priestman have disappeared again, I thought yesterdays performance (outwith the errors) was decent enough so I will give the manager some credit there. He now needs to show that level of performance can be applied consistently and the errors eliminated so that the results will follow. If he does that, he will survive this. If he cant, then he will be gone before Xmas.

The Kanga change made a lot of difference to the way we played. Hodge in the middle helped him too, looked much better. Would have preferred to see the Longelo/Kanga combo with Palmer-Houlden in the middle though. And on another note, fucking Irons repeatedly saying 'Palmer-Holding' proper grinds my fuckin' gears.

I think this is where I am too. I saw enough today to suggest that he hasn't lost the dressing room however if we haven't got at least 3 or maybe even 4 points from the next 2 games then I think it would have to be time up for Alfred. There were definite improvements today however if you cant score then you have to remain solid at the back and the comedy goals we lose each week suggest we are far from solid

It is nice to hear at least one like minded voice. Agree with what you say. I just hope the building negative momentum does not overwhelm the players and the manager. A result will make a huge difference to this squad.

He has had last year's starting 11 unavailable to him due to transfers, injury, illness. This is effectively a completely new team. 4 key players missing today in Priestman, Koutrombous, Fadinger, Lowry. That is significant. These games are being lost on fine margins and individual errors not capitulations. As I said above, you will have made up your mind and I have my views and we will find the reasoning to fit our desired outcome. My belief is that there are mitigating circumstances if you care to look. Some of the support are past that point already. I think it is early. You ( they don't).

Story of my life........OUCH!!! 🤣🤣

“Death by a thousand cuts” the longer we let him stay. This is not working and it’s not going to work. It was obvious it wasn’t going to work with Malpas, Baraclough, Hammell and latterly with Kettlewell. We’re just prolonging the agony and making it worse for ourselves the longer we persist with him. It’s over.

Irrespective of what SOD did, he wasn't the reason we were beaten. We need to look at the bigger picture.

Big Thor is Stamatalopolos with a less complex name.

Yip! I doubt even you could come up with a joke to make that sound funny!

If we can move them on then let them go, we only want players who want to be at the club and fully commit to what they are asked to do, there is no room for passengers.

Hammell was a decent guy (and probably still is to be fair). Point being decent guys even when their club legends don't survive 5 game straight defeats. Not saying impossible, more improbable that he'll be here long term. Any type of win today would be great - normally I care about the performance but in this weather that would be an act of sheer folly

Maybe because JBA was a legend! 🤣🤣, who also left us at first opportunity. Still Team AJ for me, he comes across a decent guy who you want to do well unlike Alexander and Kettlewell who imo were not folk you could warm to

Was it at Aberdeen a couple of seasons ago that both Aberdeen and Motherwell requested a cancellation on safety grounds because police advised against all travel? Permission refused by football authorities. Also Dundee where our game was only called off after pictures posted online of roads closed due to floods and fans stranded as a result. Again police advice hours before was not to travel. May have the venues mixed up but there are numerous examples of police advice being ignored. There was also a game at Ibrox only cancelled when a team (St Johnstone?)refused to travel for safety reasons. Again following earlier police warnings. Simply put, the fans and their safety are not a consideration where the Scottish football authorities are concerned.

Wimps

We’ve all had shite managers at work, so we know how this ends if the rumours are true.

I’ll not be going today if it’s on, I’d happily watch any game in the p1551n rain, snow, freezing cold but playing games in 60mph wind is a joke. Never watched a good game in those conditions. Dreadful for players/fans. Waste of time

He also has a very good first touch when big diagonals are fired at him from left back or centre half. He could work on his delivery, but personally I think he is a serviceable right midfielder at our level in certain games/circumstances. Wouldnt be a stick on starter for me and not captain material, but far from "dugmeat".

I will be surprised if the park is waterlogged...the wind however is a major concern in whether the game should be allowed to go ahead