livivoice

Very much the young Lambert who often played in a much more advanced position than he would later on.

Not wishing to run too far ahead of ourselves but its interesting how many supporters [ of a certain age] are seeing a similarity in style between David and a young Paul Lambert. His poise, guile, distribution and ability to play with his head up are examples given. Some go further saying that David`s comfort in shooting from distance puts him ahead of Lambert who seldom threatened from outside the box. For my part I see the resemblance but can also see a bit of Gary Mc Allister. Whatever, its just a joy to have him on our books.

Fair chance we may also see a goalkeeper signed as I dont think Robbo will want to rely upon Ferguson as main back up. Seem to recall that Robbo was looking at a German goalie when team was in Tenerife.

Listening to the St Mirren manager today and his expectation that before Thursday he will get " a big centre forward" I get the feeling Sammon will be heading to Paisley. Add in in the big man`s absence from our bench yesterday and the signs grow stronger he is leaving. Time will tell.

As with others I am not calling for Robinson`s dismissal. His achievements last season give him leeway On Saturday though I feel he made a serious miscalculation re Ross County. Bottom line is that I feel he grossly underestimated County due to their poor form and missing players. I also think he may have had in his mind how unimpressive County had been against the colts. As a result I think he believed he could get away with giving Mc Cormack a `run out` when clearly unfit and Ayiribi who struggled with the system . Add to this he left both Campbell and Grimshaw on the bench a decision which left us numerically exposed in midfield and without the combative elements which we sorely needed. The knock on effect was that Mc Hugh was left to do the `dirty work` himself whilst Turnbull drifted further back the longer the game ran. A further example of his underestimation was that he did not have a defender on the bench. Note he had the fit Mbulu and Livingston in Tenerife . Also Donnelly was there but to be fair I can be sure he has fully recovered. As for ATS he may have been available but I cant be sure given his injury record. All in all a miserable Saturday.

Some thoughts; Carson----Season now finished but hopeful he will come back stronger. At 30 he has years left in him. Gillespie---Able replacement but has to be wary about coming off his line too far. Aldred-----Sound. Mc Hugh---Yup, he is erratic but his strengths outweigh his weaknesses. Hartley----I like him but his injury record is becoming a concern Grimmy-----Like Motherwell he is frustratingly inconsistent. Important player though. Check Aberdeen game. Campbell----Invaluable player but needs to avoid burn out. Bigi------I hear he has cleared his flat!! Turnbull---Hopefully he can be advised on the wisdom of furthering his career at FP for 2 or more years. Reminds me increasingly of a young Lambert. Tait---His versatility and honest approach make him invaluable. Main----Needs a break to reboot his `Well career. There is a player there. Johnson. Good signing who will only get better. Ferguson---Will drop down the pecking order once a back up goalie to MG is signed in January. Maguire----Fear he is drifting out of the reckoning. A loan beckons. Mbulu---Raw but the potential is there. Gorrin----Jury is out. Rose----Heading west. Bowman---Has never fully won over Robinson. Remember he was not a Robinson signing.Can see him leaving in January. Sammon---Although never as bad a signing as some have suggested I feel we would not be too difficult to negotiate with if Hearts wanted him back in January. And with their striker crisis.....I wonder. Interesting that a number of Jambos I spoke to recently all spoke favourably about Sammon`s attitude and application. Dunne---Once fully up to speed he will be like a new signing. Frear---Suspect he will be gone in January Cadden-----Saw him earlier this week in full leg brace. Dont expect to see him until spring I feel. Tanner----God , we need him back. He has youth on his side as he recovers from a real sickener. But the longer his absence lasts.....| Donnelly/ATS------Both need a good 2nd half of season to prove doubters wrong. Newall---Just hasnt happened. Will likely go out on loan for remainder of season. Then his taxi will await. Hastie---His Irn Bru performances and form at Alloa could see him as a good replacement for Frear. Maclean---Always impressed me but injuries occured at the wrong time. Get impression his move to Morton has set him back. Prospect of move to Falkirk has look of Forbes/Mc Hugh. Under 20`s ----Scott looks real deal and could get a run perhaps toward season`s end. Brown and Livingston might follow. Not so sure about the others and with Crags going this doesnt help . Of course , new signings will have a big bearing on some of the above guys. As for where we will end up. 6th aint out of the question [ yet] but I will plump for 8th and a run to the quarter final of the cup. An interesting 2nd half of the season awaits.

2-0 to Motherwell.

Came away from FP on Saturday feeling that no player could be faulted for effort. That said it was clear that we offered little up front in the way of ingenuity or guile. Was it just me therefore who felt that a player like Ciftci might have given Hearts a more difficult challenge what with his deft touches and imagination. Thats not to forget of course how he could frustrate us. With no criticism of the club as I feel we didn't have the money to seal a deal with Ciftci , it was and is a pity I feel that we couldn't hold on to him.

I see Highland League Fort William lost 0-10 at home yesterday. This was their 3rd 10 goal deficit in 4 games. Just when they thought they had turned the corner with a " close run" 0-6 defeat in midweek!! Board are asking the increasingly dissatisfied support for more patience. Seemingly the town of Fort William is covered in banners from the more excitable fans depicting the manager in gallows . I tell ye all----------heads will roll!!

Wee bit of encouragement for today`s game. Speaking to a battle hardened Accies fan who tells me that his team are the worst Accies team he can remember in recent times. He says that nearly all the main players from last season are gone and that no bull they have been replaced via Google. He expects Motherwell to hammer them.

Have to agree with the other posters re Murray. Yup he is fit ,direct and hungry. BUT imho having watched him on a number of occasions over last 2 seasons he strikes me as being quite limited and too similar to Bowman. Different style of striker needed. Cue Ciftci.

Re those let go. Plummer. I suspect there is a player there but bad injuries and bad luck did it for him Griffiths. His performances against Killie and Partick away sealed his fate IMO. However we should be thankful for his efforts in the post split period last season. Biggest criticism though must surround the amount of time it took him to dislodge the `fright night` that was Samson. Demi. Looked like a 200 metre sprinter but probably that is what he was. I had difficulty in seeing a footballer. Aldred . Suspect we have not heard the last of him at FP. Ciftci. If he was prepared to take a hefty drop in wages he could be worth another pop. Hendrie. Not as bad as some others say he is but certainly he failed to make a mark. Watt. Probably had long enough to stake a claim and in fairness looked reasonable. Will do a job elsewhere. I suspect lower Championship/upper league 1 . King. Cant comment as I cant really remember him. Best of luck to all the lads in their future careers.

Mabye of no significance whatsoever but FWIW I was up at Fir Park today and I saw what looked like a footballer and partner being shown round the ground by Mr Robinson. As I could only see him from a distance I cant tell you who he is but he looked very tall. For all I know mabye our manager was just showing a family member where he works. Wee resemblance to Gunnar Neilson though!!!

Thanks for clarifying this. Yup I remember this strip now. It has a particular appeal.

Might be wrong but I think Motherwell wore all white in the Summer Cup final against Dundee United. Think it was 1966.

Took in the game last night [ with a number of travelling `Well fans] at the Carbonara/Four Seasons/Spaghetti stadium. Sammon--------NO!NO! Last night showed what a hard pressing team can do against a supposedly more cultured side. By the end of the game Thistle were well and truly strung out and totally demoralised. Could be Saturday`s outcome on a grander scale. BTW what a performance by Motherwell supporting Lee Miller. I know his time has passed but I wonder if we overlooked him in years gone by.

Park up early big man at Kings Park Avenue and enjoy a lovely brief walk in the sunshine and " fwo them to the fwoor" . Believe.

Totally agree. Rose is very much a player`s player doing a lot of unseen work. The club deserve to be applauded.

Reported that he is back in training. Got me wondering if he might [ just might] edge himself onto the bench for the final. His experience would be really helpful considering that our back up defenders currently amount to an inexperienced Maguire, unimpressive Hendrie and an injured Plummer. Is Hammell still registered? Just wondering like!

Neilson played often enough for me to form the opinion that he had the heart of a mouse. Probably regarded as the Faroese Samson.

Louis Laing nets winner tonight against Orient in National League. Ah!! Memories,memories!

Still on the ` Scotland Call Up ` thread [ and unless its previously been mentioned by someone else]I dont think it is unreasonable that Aldred on his current form could be an outside bet for a call up for the upcoming matches in Mexico and Peru. Yup, Mc Kenna and Hendry have done well and Mulgrew is a shoe in. But there is no guarantee Celtic will let Hendry go on tour. As for the others I think Hanley has dropped down the pecking order after the Costa Rica game. Martin meantime may now have missed the boat whilst Berra and Souttar werent called up. Our Tom is a nice age and is proving to be a reliable no nonsense type of centre back. He`s worth a shout in my book.

Would prefer Killie. Mainly because they have a wad of games to play before the semi Inc quarter final replay and may be exhausted. Either way without being complacent I will be hopeful of going through.

Mate of mine just posted that this was an opportunity for getting revenge for the Texaco Cup loss in 1971. Bearing a grudge or what!!!

Yup , I think it its imperative we persevere with Ciftci. Watched footage of his time with United and wow ! What a player. He showed all the qualities we look for in a striker; instinctiveness, intelligence, nose for a goal, unpredictability and an ability to score all types of goals. As this video is hardly ancient history I believe those talents can quickly re emerge with proper support. As fans we must play our part and not become frustrated with him when things dont come off and even more so when he becomes too self indulgent. This becomes all the more important as I do think Ciftci`s nature suggests he needs the proverbial arm round his shoulder. On a separate point Ciftci must show total discipline on Saturday as the Dundee fans almost without exception regard him as the devil incarnate!! By the way Gullane just because you previously gave Mc Hugh, Rose and Dunne a hard time doesn't make you a bad person. Put away the hair shirt!!