MJC

When Alexander left did we actually make a serious effort to find a replacement from outside the club and it was simply a case of no one being available or interested? Or did we simply take the lazy, easy option and give it to Hammell? And let me be as clear as I possibly can be here, I am not for one second suggesting that Hammell should go and he continues to have my full support and will do for the remainder of this season. He was given an almost impossible task taking this job on.

Tough one as there were no pass marks out there today. Voted for McKinstry because of the way he took his goal and I think there is definitely a player in there, but he is miles off it physically just now.

Totally agree and next Saturday at Tannadice is already ‘must win’ in my opinion or at the very least ‘must not lose’. The same goes for St.Johnstone in Perth. We will get nothing at Tynecastle and an absolute hammering at home by Celtic, probably even more so than we got the other night. The sad thing is you don’t see how we’re going to get points and with us in this horrible run of fixtures and results our confidence is already fragile.

KvV yet again looks a hugely frustrated figure today and totally understandable, because he has absolutely NOTHING in the way of support or service. Dennis Bergkamp would struggle up front in this team. Our scouting and player recruitment is absolutely abysmal.

Alexander is responsible for assembling what is without doubt the worst Motherwell team in years and those above him are responsible for allowing him to do so. What we are left with is a dreadful squad and a rookie manager. As I’ve said more than once now, if this season ends badly then it’s on Burrows and the board.

Pathetic stuff from us.

Fuk a Duk

McKinstrryyyyy!!!!!

Shields on for Tierney.

Another problem is yet again as soon as we go 1-0 down the heads drop and we look as though we have no answer. Barring a miracle this game is done and it’s only a matter of time before Aberdeen score a second imo.

I’m genuinely concerned about us now after that first half. We have offered nothing in attack, our ball use is yet again woeful and we can’t even do the basic stuff right, like actually pass the ball to our own players. McKinstry and Tierney are offering us nothing and look out of their depth. We are a poor, poor side and this group of players would struggle to finish top six in the Championship never mind the top league.

To describe this as dugmeat would be doing a disservice to dugmeat. We’re like a pub team playing with zero confidence and zero quality.

Saved by VAR this time thankfully. Early days but this is looking grim.

No complaints about that, correct decision I’m afraid.

Looking at that line up I just can’t see where the goals are going to come from today. As I said the other day we are going to be relying on a set play or an own goal to get anything today because I’m certain we will concede.

Injured, as he has been for the best part of the last five years sadly. He’s done.

Tierney starts today, Shields on the bench, Moult still not involved.

Yes that’s true but it’s still been the case that games against Rangers especially at Fir Park always seem to follow that frustrating pattern of self inflicted errors, missed chances and zero luck on our part. Indeed we wouldn’t even be talking about going 20 years without beating them if two home games in the 09/10 season had gone our way way which they should have. Jim O’Brien took an awful penalty at 0-0 in the dying minutes of the first one and in the second FP game that season we were 1-0 up, comfortable and then are robbed of a perfectly legitimate second goal by a ridiculously bad offside decision and then Mark Reynolds sold the jerseys with ten minutes to go and it ends 1-1. Even two season ago in the 1-1 draw shortly after Alexander took over their equaliser was offside but it stood. That’s what I mean, nothing seems to go for us in that fixture. (btw the 2012 League Cup debacle finished 2-0, not 3-0 but it was still an embarrassment nonetheless).

That’s what is so frustrating about our record against Rangers in the league in the last 20 years, they have rarely embarrassed us by beating us playing fast flowing football and scoring great goals. There have been the odd exception, especially under McCall, but games against Rangers particularly at Fir Park tend to be tight, scrappy affairs where we shoot ourselves in the foot losing preventable goals, missing good chances, refereeing decisions going against us and every single break of the ball in either box falling for them.

I would give him until the World Cup break. At that point he will have been here over two months and if he is not up to the required fitness levels then we should part ways. We all know he has ability but we also know that he has serious injury issues. We cannot afford to keep pinning our hopes on him suddenly regaining fitness.

Ian Baraclough sacked by Northern Ireland. Can we get him back in just for games against the Old Firm?

You would certainly hope the club would have insisted in some kind of break clause in the deal given the gamble it was to bring him in. And going by Hammell’s comments about Moult seeking medical advice for ongoing injuries then it doesn’t sound too promising. I’m starting to get Ross McCormack vibes about Moult if I’m honest.

I’m not convinced Morris would offer much even at left mid, but I agree that that’s where he should play if he does play. As for Moult, if he can’t get up to the required level of fitness then we should be terminating his loan as all he is doing is taking up space on the treatment table.

Absolutely the first goal is crucial. We get it on Saturday and we’ve got something to work with but if they get it we’re done.

Exactly and if that is the club’s view on games against the OF then they should deduct them from the season ticket prices and save everyone money as well as the time and effort to go to them. This “we’re punching above our weight” mindset goes all the way back to Terry Butcher. He was one of the worst for coming out with self defeating talk before games against either of them, especially Rangers but you never heard him talk like that when he was at ICT.