MFCL84

I have the same feelings about the game today as most on here. The first half was devoid of quality, with no more than very brief flashes of football breaking out. Hibs offered nothing in attack and Motherwell were only a little better. Things got a bit better in the second half, but I didn't see a goal in it until Biereth was introduced. It has been said already but his pace, power and bit of quality gave Motherwell the edge to take the points. It was great to see that he really enjoyed the assist and the goal. It looks like it matters to him. I also have to say that the defence today was very comfortable. Big Bevis was superb. What has happened to Slattery? He is like a new signing. I like this new slimline and hard working version. Also mentions for Spittal, Miller and Casey who all had a very good match. Roll on next week.

Miller for me, his all round contribution today was excellent. Honourable mention to Spittal for another high energy performance. Both could be pivotal to our fortunes this season.

That was a decent, but uninspiring performance. There were some very neat passages of play from us, but the final ball or the first touch in and around the box was frequently slack, resulting in a chance lost. It is maybe no surprise to anyone that we don't have any creativity in the team and we look as though we will struggle for goals. A well struck goal from Wilkinson today and a few flashes of nice footwork but there is lots of room for improvement in his movement, speed of thought and general level of involvement and contribution to the game. Lennon Miller looks to be our next emerging talent. An assist and a goal today while looking assured throughout and displaying a wide array of passing. Let's hope that he continues to develop and that we get to see a few years of his talent before he bags a big move. There is a lot of praise for Slattery at the moment. I can see that he has improved his fitness resulting in him being more mobile. He is working harder and even pitched in with a goal today. However, I feel that his passing was very wayward today. A little tightening up on that aspect would greatly improve his overall value to the team. Spittal was all over the pitch. High energy, constantly demanding the ball and very tidy in much of his play. He looks as though he is ready for the season ahead. Paton was very mobile and I felt that both him and Spittal found pockets of space between the midfield and front lines. Paton's best game for the club to date. The back line did well enough given the level of opposition today, but there were a few scary moments when the ball was swung into the box from wide areas. There was some very uncertain defending at times, allowing the ball to drop in the 6-yard box without anyone making an attempt to clear it. Other than that, a fairly easy day at the office for them. All in all, the team have been improving while at the same time, SK has managed to rotate the squad and get minutes on the pitch for most. Qualification secured. A job well done. We really won't be able to gauge just how prepared the squad is until the league campaign starts next weekend. COYW!

Sorry to see Tierney away on loan. Hopefully, it is a really productive season for him and he can do enough to set himself up ready to make an impact at Fir Park next season. I've always thought that he had something to offer. He is different from others that we have in the squad. He works between and through the lines and is able to make things happen. If he doesn't fit SK preferred shape he would still be very useful as someone to come on and change the game dynamic. As said earlier, we do seem to be losing players that can make a difference. Hopefully, some creativity arriving later in the window.

I noticed that it looked a bit patchy. Seems to play well enough though and didn't cut up. Time will tell.

I gave my vote to Spittal, but Slattery has certainly improved his fitness levels this season and made a significant contribution tonight.

What a great point that was today. Totally unexpected. Well done to all of the players and staff. What can you say about KVV? Without him up top we would be really struggling.

Pretty sure that Iain Taylor scored one. What a geam that was.

No surprise if KVV wins it this time around. A couple of goals always grabs the attention. However, I thought that Furlong had his best game today and deserves recognition. Furlong for me.

Livi are usually a tough nut to crack. They are above us in the league, but recent form is in our favour. I expect a difficult match, but think that we will ultimately take the 3 points. 2-1 to the Well.

A nice feeling, getting 3 points at Fir Park. Kelly had very little to do, the back three were solid most of the match and the midfield did a bit more work than usual. A couple of nice goals. Very impressed by Aitchison for the short time that he was on. KvV looked interested again. A decent night's work. Well done to the players and coaching staff.

I see that Newcastle are being linked with Lennon Miller.

Well, wasn't that enjoyable. Flowing football, a load of chances created, comfortable at the back. The best performance for a while. We didn't win, but with that level of performance, wins will come. I am very happy to see some entertainment return to Fir Park. I've seen a few having a go at Efford today. I thought he had a decent game today, carrying on from midweek. I remember Chris Humphrey couldn't find a final ball when he first arrived, but he developed that aspect of his game while at Fir Park. I expect that Efford will be getting coaching on that aspect of his game. He is already vastly improved from the player that we saw last season. Indeed, many of the team that I thought were really poor technically have shown that they really do have the capability to be good players at this level. They will hopefully continue to improve over the season, and with that so should the results. I am optimistic for the season ahead. I certainly wouldn't have said that after Sligo.

Brilliant, feel good Friday. You know that he'll work his socks off to make this a success.

A lot of good performances tonight, but I've gone for Penney because he didn't put a foot wrong, contributed hugely in a forward sense a fit right into the team on his debut. Well done Matt Penney.

Before United dumped their manager I would have said a definite home win. Teams usually react to losing a manager. Let's hope that the reaction was their win at Livi tonight. It'll be tight, but home advantage may give us the 3 points.

Absolutely, I will be going for Penney as my man of the match. He didn't have a lot to do defensively, but his wingback play going forward was exceptional. Some lovely passes, great movement and very dangerous balls into the box. On this showing it looks like we have an asset. It'll be great if he can defend too.

I have to agree. I was saying as much when leaving the ground. It isn’t a criticism of how well the team played tonight. They were a joy to watch at times. The move leading to the first penalty was superb. This was definitely the best performance that I have seen from a Motherwell team in quite some time. Great entertainment and hugely enjoyable. However, there were a good few chances squandered. If we are hoping to do well in the league, we'll have to finish more of those opportunities against tougher opposition than tonight's opponents.

He did indeed play well. Anther positive from the game tonight. Some very composed play, nice touches and the confidence to take on an opponent and draw a foul. Let's hope that he continues to develop and that we see him contribute to the team for a few seasons.

Like most on here, this isn't a signing that has me jumping for joy. Part of that is likely because he has been at Fir Park before and didn't set the Heather alight. However, SH will know what he is getting and will know how he will fit into the way that he wants his team to play. So, I'll push the reset and start with a clean slate for him, wish him all the best in his return to Fir Park and hope that things work out well for him.

We have issues all over the pitch, but they can't all be addressed in one or even two transfer windows. Hammell has recognised the problem at left back and done something about it. That will hopefully shore up that side of the defence. However, the midfield have to do more to prevent the opposition getting at our back line and also be more creative for the guys up top. So, that is where I'd be looking to strengthen. If we sort out the midfield, we'll protect the defence and so ship fewer goals and also give the forwards more opportunities by winning the ball higher up the pitch. If we can also get a forward in that can support Van Veen, that'll be a bonus.

I've just had a quick look at the stats for today. Motherwell allowed Kilmarnock 21 shots today. Allowing that many efforts on goal will almost always result in a defeat. We have to prevent teams from having so many chances.

The goals were soft, but Kilmarnock had plenty of opportunities earlier and failed to take them. A team with some half decent finishers would have embarrassed Motherwell today.

Deserved victory for Kilmarnock. Apart from the first 20mins, Motherwell were awful. No surprise that we blew that one. It is the Motherwell way. A lot of work ahead.

But on this showing, better than us.