Happy Dosser

Spot on: thought it was just me 👽. In recent years with the low quality of fare on offer, I. was really only coming to games out of habit /sentiment and to see old pals. I've had enough of eye-bleeding football thank you and have regained my pride in the team. With their quick interpassing, almost telepathic understanding of each other's position and ability to pick holes through defences by playing in triangles/reverse passing and clever movement, they remind me so much of Bobby Ancell's team (without The Press, of course). If the manager and most of the players stay until next season I think there can be further improvement and fan engagement but once JBA finally leaves us, I trust the board to select someone with the same philosophy, given the positive effect it has had on crowds and therefore revenue. Meanwhile, to infinity and beyond!

Thanks, SteelmaninOZ: what a first-class guy this is, way ahead of most of his managerial rivals. I'm confident we can bounce back from our two recent disappointments, starting on Saturday ✊.

Yes, it's amazing how some laws of the game seem to have fallen into abeyance without anyone being told about it 😈. I see foul shies (apologies, age) regularly nowadays at our matches. Also, the authorities have allowed all these stramashes (God bless Arthur Montford) at corners and free kicks to proliferate to the point where it's almost impossible for a referee to spot all the infringements in the box at dead balls. All supporters of clubs outwith the OF is that the refs apply the laws fairly. We saw several examples of persistent fouls against us at Celtic Park on Saturday go unpunished, some of which should have resulted in a sending off, but didn't. It's interesting to note that some Celtic players do seem to be sent off in European games but rarely in Scotland, like Mr Maeda, IIRC. I have to say that, if the roles had been reversed with Longelo and Maeda, I doubt if we would have been given a penalty and a Celtic player sent off into the bargain at Celtic Park. Similarly, had Fadinger fouled Fernandez in the last minute of our match at Ibrox in December, would that appeal have been so airily and quickly waved away by the match referee? That's the reality of the game in Scotland, and has been for more years than I care to remember.

Hee! Hee! I doubt Mrs Dosser would agree 😈. I'm finding if AI doesn't "know", it just makes stuff up sometimes. Oh, wait.....

My experience of AI too. I'm finding it harder than expected to find the teams for that game but there is a photo here of the players in the bath after the game apparently and Billy is to the left of Davie Whiteford with Willie McCallum left of Billy. He's also in the squad colour foatie for that season: https://x.com/SteelmenHistory/status/1724107481775772032

I was sure wee Billy Campbell (N. Ireland) was on the right wing that night. I've discovered recently AI is not infallible by any means.

Just seen the foul by Chelsea's James on the Newcastle number 12 in tonight's match, which went completely unpunished. The game's in a real mess over penalty box jostling.

Yes, seems to me he's simply assuming the mantle of the likes of Craig Thomson, who really seemed to have it in for us. The OF play referees like violins with their constant complaints and it works. Tough Gove for the rest of us.......

Yes, my failing mind thought either MC or Martin Peters. I think they stayed overnight at the Bruce Hotel in EK and there is a persistent story they signed wee kids' autograph books with silly names. The match itself is one of my happiest memories since 1962: gulp!

Can't quite remember the name of the Spurs player who is reported to have grudgingly said of that night, "Motherwell were all muck and nettles."

Surely the only available option. And I know you're not Shirley......

This is sad news. Did he not have a great game against a very strong Tottenham Hotspur when we beat them at Fir Park in the Texaco Cup? What a night that was (3/11/70)!

Churnalists and presstitutes gotta do what they do.........

Some rare footage of a draw against RFC in the 60s, notable for an offside goal by Colin Stein which was allowed to stand 😱, a petulant booting of the ball into the terracing by John Greig following Jackie McInally's goal, Tom Forsyth in a 'Well jersey, and some commentary by Bob Crampsey: Bob was unequivical when asked, given his huge (pre-WWII) experience of Scottish football, if he felt that the Old Firm had got the benefit of refereeing decisions over the years: "Yes," he simply said. This contrasts with the mealy-mouthed fudging by modern-day pundits who prefer to refer to honest refereeing mistakes/influence of larger and more vocal OF crowds on referees/ lack of experience on the part of match officials, obviously oblivious of the JRP Gordon/Craig Thomson MBE Effect through the ages. Nostalgic to see the hoop with the wee numbers above it, and (controversial, I pure ken) white shorts 🤣😱🤣.

Fortunately, most young folk don't give a flying fruitbat about history 🤣! I don't think Jens cares about previous PL seasons either and he reckons we can do this (if we get a fair shake from the officials, which I admit is a bit of a stretch: the likes of arrogant Beaton really get on my nazzums). Having seen the confidence and commitment on display at St Mirren, which I thought was a real banana skin of a fixture, I think the players BELIEVE too. Let's just enjoy the possibilities.......🙏🙏🙏

Any memorable meltdown remarks?

Brilliant! A meme to break the internet 🤣....... A 0-5 win at The Methadome is very, very, sweet.

Thanks for that: John Arrol it was right enough (more false memory syndrome 😱). I seem to remember reaching Firhill for the replay despite the fog only to find out it had been called off. Apart from Willie Watson's goal, my main memory is getting a blinding headache from the floodlights reflected off the flat mud of the "pitch".

The (probably apocryphal) story about that was Sam saw the ref going for his card and said, "Aw, ref, you're not going to book me this early?" to which the ref replied, "No, Sam: you're off!" So Sam, Sam had to pick up his musket and leave the field of play. Was that not the same game Jim Herriot broke his leg trying to stop Willie P. from scoring?

You summarised pretty much what I have been thinking since last night. Some of the reaction to our defeat has been difficult to believe, given the amazing transformation in our style which had been achieved by both manager and players working in unison this season. Maybe some posters should find something else to do with their Saturdays if they are so disenchanted with and critical of the team they claim to support after a freak result in a game with so many refereeing "inconsistencies" and played on a poor playing surface whose condition should have been taken into account by any sensible referee/VAR team at the first and crucial sending-off. IMO, the last time we played football of such quality was the era of the Ancell Babes. We had (from memory) six full internationals in the team but won nothing because our attacking philosophy neglected the more practical/cynical aspects of the game. People who saw that team still talk about it, whether they supported MFC or not. Frankly, I wouldn't swap watching MFC for St Mirren this season, despite their winning the League Cup. I've had enough of the eye-bleeding football inflicted on us by various recent Motherwell managers, thanks very much. I'll be interested to see how JBA plans our recovery from a disappointed night so I look forward to the rest of the season. Let's get behind the team and management and see where they take us. And smile, we could be Arsenal fans 😱.

Interesting not just for the boss's comments but for the btl comments from various fans> "Mysterious" indeed:

A very fair, even glowing, look at Motherwell last night from a Rangers-minded analyst: Looks like we should change our name to Smotherwell........

Given all the refereeing “inconsistencies” last night, I wouldn’t have been surprised if our equaliser had been chalked off for a brutal shove by Bjørgolfsson on the poor wee Rangers defender before he headed the ball across for Welsh to score. We showed a lot of character to add to our usual skilful game. i hope we have no injury concerns for the game against Aberdeen.

God! I thought I'd memory-holed that image. Doesn't affect me, affect me, affect me............😱