sinjy

I have watched a few videos on Open Goal where ex pro Simon Ferry interviews mainly Old Firm players. The interviews are a bit more realistic and less bland than the usual tosh. His most recent one is with Scott McDonald. The first episode is about his early career and for the last few minutes he talks about the mental dressing room he entered at Fir Park during his first spell with us. The pattern seems to be to release a series of episodes progressing through the players career so in later versions Scott might talk about us again when he came back to us. This is a link but not being very computer savvy it might not work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTKpmlcTXAA

Will the mods include Robinson in the MoM thread? His decision to change to 3-5-2 at half time and put on Campbell and Bowman for Fisher and Tanner won us the game. Tanner was having a nightmare and Fisher contributed virtually nothing. Campbell got into their faces and won a few tackles and second balls and Bowman ran his guts out. He produced a delicate flick to Moult to put him through for the penalty. Just the sort of link up play you want from the strikers. Bigirimana was poor in the first half but played better when he was pushed further forward in the second half. When he went off he was holding his hamstring. Could be another injury worry. It was a bold move to play Tait at left wing back but it worked a treat. I really like Dunne. He is the key to being able to switch from 4-4-2 to 3-5-2 as he can play left back or centre half. and boy is he quick. Rose will never be a stand out but he covers a lot of ground and chases and harries. Griffiths had one outstanding save after a great County move and one brain fart when he passed the ball straight to their forward. However we seem to have two capable keepers. Louis continues to frustrate. He seems to be trying too hard and his miss in the first minute typified this. Last season he would have taken a couple of touches and scored. Instead he fired it first time well past. Kipre is a beast and could become a cult hero but I thought our best defender was Heneghan who has been good so far this season after a poor game at Hampden. He was my man of the match. On the first half showing we will really struggle this season. On the second half we should be OK but still in the bottom six. Hopefully there will be some new players in before the window shuts and if any of our assets, Moult, Heneghan and Cadden move they go this week so that we have time to get replacements in.

Anyway let's get back to the topic of the thread - anybody think that the penalty would have been awarded had the 'offence' taken place in their box? Clearly it wouldn't. Bowman was pushed by two hands on his back when going up for a header in their box. Surprise surprise -no penalty.

Oh and I'm just glad Sinjy isn't an English scout coming to look at Louis Moult What I wrote was for the benefit of any scout who wasn't at the game. It was irony. I want him to stay and scouts to be put off. Of course his free kick was magic and I know he is somewhere behind on fitness or he would be starting. Relegation will cost the club upwards of a million pounds. There is no doubt we would have been relegated last season without his goals so we have to weigh up whether an offer is worth the risk of increasing the odds of being relegated this season. Like others on hear I have been encouraged by what I have seen so far but the play offs over the last few seasons have shown that there is a gulf between the Premier and the rest. It is only once we have faced a few league games that we will know f the new players are up to it.

First look at the team in the flesh after watching on TV last week Carson had nothing to do but looks like he will come off his line and his distribution is good. Kipre was never stretched but looked good. I hope he can cope with the higher tempo and quick pressing he will get in the league Heneghan was better than last week but still looked the weak link in the back three. Still not up to speed. Dunne Like Kipre never stretched but looked to be really quick Tait got forward well and the attacking role seems to suit him. Thought his crossing was not up to his usual standard. Frear unlike Tait the back three system does not seem to suit him. He has to start his runs from deeper and has at least two men to beat before crossing McHugh outstanding so get that new contract signed now Bigi lots of nice touches and link up play, impressed Cadden very good but needs to learn when to run with the ball and when to pass it. Tanner good link up play and neat touches. Just wonder if he is physical enough for our league Bowman run his guts out and timed his jumps much better so that he won a lot in the air Fisher didn't do much apart from a header he won and the keeper saved. Rose looks a big strong guy Moult Sclaffed a free kick that somehow the Morton keeper let squirm into the net. Missed a one on one with the keeper and miskicked a cross when he should have scored. On this form will be lucky to get in the team and really should be glad to sign that new contract we are offering

That was as bad as it gets. We offered nothing up front and I'm pretty sure Scott McDonald has never have played as badly as he did yesterday. Moult looks unfit and needs Skippy to be on his game. Ainsworth must have put in at least eight good corners but not once did anyone get on the end. I can only recall two shots on target, McDonald's weak shot in the first half and Ainsworth's free kick. When Frear got away on the wing the rest seemed to struggle to keep up with him and there was no one in the box when his crosses came in. The midfield pair of Campbell and Lasley is no use. Both are breakers of the play and offer nothing constructive. They were being over run in the second part of the first half by County's three and so Lionel was pulled inside to help and his effectiveness as a goal threat was lost. I thought Hammell was having a good game and was arguably our best player in the first half. However he is done if he is going to constantly injured. Jules 's decision to keep the ball in play was inexplicable. There was no chance to judge the new goalie as he had only one straight forward save to make from a looping header which pretty much sums up how little County offered in the last third. It had 0-0 all over it until Jules stepped in. However it is the combination of poor going forward and individual errors in defence that usually combine to see a team get relegated and sadly that describes us this season.

I think this backs up my feeling that we are going down. Its not our year. Accies beat Aberdeen when every report suggests they were the luckiest team ever. Then two St Johnstone players fight each other and they score in the last minute against nine men. Its just a feeling I have that its written that we go down. I so hope I am wrong. well sinjay if you read on pie n Bovril the ict fans say the same as you so next week with 2 feckin shite teams and us 4 points in front , expect an ict 1-0 victory just to make things interesting, oh and the only mob on p&b who are confident are the yaccies ??? ( no feckin wonder after stealing points of the sheep n st j then us and ross c so they are the only ones picking up points

I would possibly come into the happy clappers group. I backed McGhee until the Dundee game mainly because I could not see any better alternative out there. However letting Laing go with a lot of games behind him and replacing him with a rookie in Jules was a gamble and sure enough McManus got injured straight away. The disallowed goals at Dundee and Partick, the sendings off that might or might not have been correct that cost us two of our best players for two games and the no goal last Wednesday all add up to a lot of bad luck. Add in three away games at Rangers Celtic and Aberdeen and it seems to me that the gods are against us. Jules, Clay, Bowman and Blyth were gambles that have not come off and as for Pearson he is either injured or scared of getting an injury that scuppers his chances of going back to India as he has been guff. I kept reading that our great forwards would get us out of trouble but in the last four games it has been missed chances that have stopped us winning. Couple that up with a defence that could n't keep hens out of a close and we are in deep shit. We have had a good run 30 years in the top flight but I really fear it is coming to an end.

I came away from that today fearing for the first time that we will be relegated. We were very unlucky . How many shots were blocked by bodies in the first half? I thought McDonald should have had a penalty when Frear skinned them and crossed. Then McDonald and Cadden missed good chances before we equalised. Our defensive frailties are there for everyone to see. McManus and Tait appear to be out long term and only Heneghan is due back. McHugh is doing well at CB but is missed in midfield. Ferguson was exposed, Jules still has the jury out and Hammell is injured and done. When the header hit the post and rolled along the line that was the moment I thought we will go down. We have a defence that will give goals way and an attack that misses chances and we don't seem to have any luck. From McDonald and McHugh out for 21/2 games for tackles that might with another ref have only been yellow cards to disallowed goals at Partick and Dundee and the fixture fiasco that has seen us have three away games at Pittodrie, Ibrox and Parkhead I just think that it is fate and in the stars that we will go down. How I hope I am wrong.

I was not keen on getting rid of McGhee right up until the Dundee debacle, then he was a dead man walking. The main reason for this was that I could not see a good alternative to him. The names bandied about on here were pure fantasy. Coyle Davies and Stubbs have all managed at Championship or Premier in England and wouldn't come her. Valakari from Finland no thanks-Harry Kampmann anyone? As we are skint we could only look at someone who was unemployed. That means he has been sacked or is not wanted by others. We need to get real. Some on here are calling the club amateurish in the way they have gone about filling the job. I think they have been very professional. They have taken their time looked around, interviewed five people(without revealing who they were) and decided on who they want. This is exactly how a senior manager post should be filled. Whether or not it is the correct decision will remain to be seen. But we need to get right behind him and the team. Oh and here is one to get everyone going. How about he brings in Baraclough as his assistant like he did at Oldham!!!!! Seriously there should be a vacancy for an experienced coach to come in as we are one down in the coaching staff since McGhee left.

McGhee confirmed in his post match interview that Robinson is coming back.

Results: Top six last season when we were heading for relegation when he took over. Remit this season is to keep us in the league. So far we are in a pack of sides and are as likely to stay up as we are to get relegated. It all depends on the rest of the games this season. Plan for the future is to blood youngsters so far he has introduced Hall, Cadden, McMillan, Ferguson, MacLean, Hastie and Campbell to the first team. He spent the summer bigging up Johnston and we got a good fee for him. Leadership - Clearly only those at the club are fully aware of his leadership qualities but a top class playing career and over 900 games as a manager must give him some credence and respect with the players. As I said we need to be careful what we wish for. Removing him would be a huge gamble.

13th February 2016, Motherwell 0 Kilmarnock 2 - a toothless demoralising performance. I came away from Fir Park that afternoon convinced we would be relegated. We won 8 and lost 5 of our last thirteen games and ended up in the top six. I'm pretty sure if you trawled back through this forum after that game you would see the same melt down. I did not expect us to recover from that display but we did. I am just as worried one year on. Football is so unpredictable and results can be swayed by very fine margins. We have not had the best of luck this year. With the fixtures we have three away games v Aberdeen Rangers and Celtic. Good goals not given or wrongly chalked off (Partick and Dundee away are two anyway). Two fluke deflected first goals in the home Hearts games. The dubious red cards that not only affect that game but also the next couple when the suspensions kick in. Away draws to the Old Firm in the cups. Yes McGhee makes some strange selections and seems to over think the tactics at times. He appears arrogant but those that think he doesn't care enough are surely shot down by his interviews after the Rangers games and even his antics at Pittodrie the other night. I question peoples reasons for hating him. He went looking for a better job in the wake of the success he had here the first time. So what, football management is his job. I applied for lots of jobs in my time that I thought would be better and pay more. And finally no one ever seems to mention the magnificent job he did in the aftermath of Phil O'Donnell's death. I thought he led the club through that terrible time with dignity. All those wanting him out be careful what you wish for there are a lot of numpties out there wanting to manage football clubs. And if his likely successor is McFadden or Craigan that really gives me the fear.

If the thrower fails to deliver the ball per the required procedure, or delivers it from a point other than where the ball left the field of play, the throw-in is awarded to the opposing team. This is commonly known as a "foul throw",[6] though such throws are not considered fouls. It is a minor point but shows further the incompetence of Dallas on Saturday. Above is an extract from the Laws of the game. Just in front of us on Saturday the Hearts left back took a throw from the wrong place. Dallas blew up sent him back to take the shy again. Pretty worrying when the referee does not know the basic rules.

I thought we were a bit unlucky. The three at the back seemed to be working fine with them being limited to long shots at goal. However playing Ainsworth in the McDonald role did not work. He as incapable of controlling the ball and turning and bringing others into the game. If his shot had not been cleared from the line though the game might have been different. Moult was clearly onside when his header hit the bar and the same linesman allowed their second goal which was marginal. We had a good spell in the last ten minutes of the first half. The sending off and the fluke goal clearly affected the outcome. We are left chasing the game which with 11v11 is going to leave gaps at the back never mind a man down. The players seemed fired up by the decision and we had our best spell after they scored. The rules of football may have changed from when I started watching. Back then the rules were if you took the ball then the man it was good if you took the man then the ball it was a foul.

To me the game turned on McDonalds sending off. Up until then we were the better team and made two or three half chances. Some said that Collum was evening things up. Unfortunately we lost our best player they lost an average player. We created next to nothing after he went off. Kiernan could easily have gone for his two footed tackle but can you imagine the furore in the media about two Rangers players going off in the first twenty minutes. If we lose McDonald back to Australia next week then I fear we will be relegated. He is our only creative player and makes Moult tick. And if we stay up, next season will be an even bigger challenge. Hamilton and say Inverness or Killie replaced by Hibs and Dundee United will see the league much stronger. Without McDonald and Moult and Lasley, Hamell and McManus all a year older and their replacements recruited from lower English leagues things look pretty bleak.

I don't understand those criticising McGhee's post match interview. If he had come out and spun a lot of positives then the critics on here would be slamming him for that. I thought it shows how much he cares about winning. Ok he may want to win for his own super ego but fans need to realise that players and coaches hurt as much and probably more than the average fan. I didn't have a particularly pleasant Saturday evening thinking about the game but I bet I felt better than McManus who would be well aware he had let himself and his mates down and would be going over the mistake he made in his head a thousand times. Lets hope there is a new determination on Saturday to put it right and get three points.

Any defeat after being 1-0 up with ten to go is devastating but to lose to those bastards is beyond devastating. I hate them with a vengeance. On my way home from the pub I was listening to the tam news from other ties and I switched it off. Just can't bear to think we are out and have no interest in the cup now when others have yet to play. Gutted.

I'm old enough and lucky enough to have been there that night. I hasten to add I was there with my dad as I was only 10. Typical Motherwell we lost 1-0 at home to Airdrie in the next round.

I was surprised we did not go for a loan keeper at the start of the season after the success we have with Ruddy Randolph and Ripley. Samson seemed to hold the club to ransom saying he would only resign if he got a guaranteed start at the season beginning. Well he has had his chance and failed. However it will be Brill if there is a change as I'm sure we cannot afford to pay three first team level keepers.

I thought we did alright in the first half. Our midfield of Lucas Lasley and Clay played quite narrow and competed well. I am not Lasley's biggest fan but he was sorely missed in the second half. Bizarre substitution by McGhee to bring on Dom Thomas. It would have been better to have kept the same shape and pushed Cadden inside and played Thomas on the right. He was isolated out on the wing and Clay and Lucas could not cope on their own. The game probably swung on the two penalties, both were soft and Lasley got hurt at ours. However I maintain that ours should have been retaken. The two players Jack and Considine are at least two yards inside the box when it is taken. I would have no issue with this if the goalie had held the kick or turned it for a corner or even if Moult had smashed the rebound over the bar but he sclaffed his shot and the two players got back to clear. They got a clear advantage from their encroachment. Our defending at set pieces is dire. Their big centre half had three free headers and could had them out of site by half time. Moult looked as if he was in the huff after his penalty miss and Ainsworth's confidence must be shot after being passed over for first sub. The goals we lost were poor. Lucas passed the ball back to Samson from the half way line and then it was a complete cock up. There is no excuse for Samson at the second it was not a powerful shot and we have seen him do this often. As for the third it was another poor pass from Lucas. Maybe Tait would have let the ball run out if it had been earlier in the game but we were desperate to get forward so he kept it in and Hayes who tore him a new one all night ran through. A big overhaul is needed in January. When a 37 year old is your main midfielder then you have problems. We need two new players in that area.

Replays have shown that Jack who cleared Moults shot from the rebound was three yards inside the box when the penalty was kicked. The penalty should have been retaken.

Are you watching Mr Mackay? Any plans to reduce our Academy status bin them now!

Well that shut up a few doubters. Read the first page of this thread and it was mostly about McGhee's time being up if we didn't win. If that was the case then seven SPL managers were in the same boat with three points separating 6th from 12th. Give some credit to the manager. He changed the shape of the team today to counteract the opposition and it worked. Imagine the meltdown on here if we had lost. We saw again how important the first goal is. No wonder McGhee went ape shit about the disallowed goal at Dundee last week. Thistle had to come out and attack us and we got a second on the break and in the second half could and should have got a third. A pretty good performance. Samson did nothing wrong but was never tested so the jury is still out. Tait had a potential man of the match performance. He gets better and better. Heneghan had a terrible mistake early then made two crucial blocks when I thought they were going to score . Then he was terrific. Fast becoming one of my favourites. McManus was solid and we do not know what influence he was having on the youngsters on his left. I suspect it was a lot. Ferguson will have learned a lot from that today. The big black guy pushed elbowed and kicked him but he stood up to it all. McMillan looks like a future first team regular even though he is playing on his wrong side. I have never been Lasley's biggest fan. Today was a typical good performance. He made good blocks and interceptions but when it came to constructive forward passes he was as usual lacking. Clay is similar. One of those midfielders who goes about his work breaking up play without creating very much. Cadden is our shining light. His powerful running threatens every time. To become a real sellable asset he needs to work on his final ball. Hopefully that will come. If we are to reach our full potential i.e. the top six our front two Moult and McDonald are key. I thought they were great today. On form they are probably the best pairing outside of the top four teams in the league and if they stay fit and perform as they did today there is every chance we will finish in the top six McDonald is a narky wee shite but he is one of the cleverest and best front players in the SPL and we should cherish him.