Ya Bezzer!

As I remember it Raith Rovers scored direct from a free kick in the last couple of minutes to equalize. I'm pretty sure that was the only time we failed to defeat Raith Rovers when they were a Premier League team!

For a young player that's played at a decent standard his entire career, has excellent pace, good technique, can play in a number of positions, is an U21 international with a good record at that level and has scored double figures in the last three seasons despite generally not playing as an out and out striker - well I don't think it's unreasonable to start the bidding at a minimum of £500,000. Sadly, I think Jamie Murphy will be sold massively under his true worth just to get cash into the club. I understand the club was letting fans know what our financial situation was and is, but perhaps in retrospect it wasn't a smart move to public announce that we have to sell a player in the next window. Automatically from a bargaining position it devalues our player assets.

Maybe this is verging on the conspiracy theory side of things but I couldn't help notice that before Rangers went into administration they sent a lot of players, especially younger players, out on loan. Perhaps a way of saying to administrators, our younger players are out on loan, therefore we need more senior pros to be retained until the end of the season to have a viable playing squad. But I don't know the legal situation in terms of the administrators being able to break loan deal agreements and call back players at other clubs. Just a thought! Rangers currently have 7 players on loan at other clubs.

The whole thing about Fir Park being 'done' is an argument I don't get. Most of the stadium is less than 20 years old. Nothing stays state of the art for long. If we move to a new stadium then what happens 20 years after that? Do we move again? People seem to think a new stadium would remain pristine and modern forever. Actually it would age at exactly the same rate as the Davie Cooper stand or the South Stand or any other stand.

Quoted for truth.

Someone said they'd be amazed if we didn't take three points? I'd never be amazed if we didn't take three points from anywhere but this is one we should still win. They've only kept one clean sheet since Paul Gallacher was injured and I agree Chris Smith is a bombscare although apparently he had a good game at Celtic Park and kept the score down. I think you've under estimated their ability to score, Andy Kirk has 8 goals in the league from only 18 matches, Buchanan has 4 in 8, Cardle 6 from 16 (good for a wide player) but I reckon if you can score twice against them you are probably going to win 95% of the time. Our recent record of scoring away from home isn't great though (1 goal in the last 5 away matches: 0-1, 0-0, 1-1, 0-3, 0-2) although we've generally played teams with better defences than Dunfermline. I said last week I think our run in to the split is tricky so if you are being honest this should be a good opportunity to get 3 points on the board but like I said at the top it won't amaze me if we don't! They have managed two draws in their last three home matches and we ought not to be too over confident.

Me too. When Dougie scored to go 2-1 up, me and the guy sitting next to me (who I didn't know) hugged me and we jumped up and down in delirious celebration! I also remember going close when I think it was Coyne scored and then Shivute put us 2-1 up but we didn't quite hang on and it ended in a draw. My last trip to Ibrox was a heart breaker, when Duncan Ferguson scored very late on to give them a win. We were in the lower tier of the stand and the scumbags above were spitting down on us and throwing coins. I was hit on the head with a coin which drew blood and after that I vowed never to go back - which I never have. We did use to take huge away supports (4,000 at least) to Parkhead back in the terrace days but to be fair a lot of them, and I'm being charitable here in my descriptions, were the type of Motherwell supporter than only turned up for Celtic games! It probably also helped that we had a terrific record against Celtic in those days. I can't remember exactly, but it will be in the correct ballpark, in the late eighties and early ninties we went on a run against Celtic where we only lost 3 out of 11 matches. Something like that anyway. I also remember a 2-0 win against Aberdeen at Fir Park which was a big result in those days and a little further back, a 4-2 win against Dundee United (88/89?), again another huge result comparable to beating the Old Firm nowadays. I traveled to all the away matches back then, I have a 100% record at Pittodrie! Tannadice was a different matter though! And of course the run-for-your-life dash from Easter Road across the wee railway bridge that was necessary in those days (it was worth it to see Mio score)!

Clancy has come in and done well and deserved to keep his place but maybe last night was a bit of a wake up call. With all due respect to the likes of Hearts and St. Mirren they do not have quality strikers in the mold of Griffiths and O'Connor and have struggled to score generally this season. Maybe these teams have made Clancy look a bit better than he is due to their paucity up front. I'm not saying Craigan should or shouldn't come back in for the next match but away from all the hoopla of winning last night conceding three goals at home to the joint bottom team in the league isn't that great and the defence was poor, with Clancy being the poorest. McCall has something to think about for the weekend. Perhaps Clancy deserves the benefit of the doubt but let's remember we won't be up against Obua and Templeton at the weekend, or Thompson and Imrie.

Lots of confidence around here today but I think our upcoming games to the split are quite difficult. First of all we have both the Old Firm. That's always going to be difficult even with Rangers in administration. Secondly we have Kilmarnock who have been a difficult opponent this season for us and we've been perhaps fortunate to get the 2 points off them we have. Aberdeen are also much improved and currently in the 'form' league table are fourth behind us and the Old Firm. Aberdeen have been keeping a lot of clean sheets lately and could be a difficult nut to crack especially if the crowds are getting a bit excitable. Then there is Hibernian and Dunfermline. We've beaten both recently but with the relegation battle getting serious now both teams will be giving their all to stay up, especially in front of their home fans. Definately an opportunity to get away points but I don't think anyone should be counting on wins before we've actually earned them. I agree with Diggle, 8 points from those games would be a decent aggregate.

Apparently there were some managerial changes at Derby and he didn't figure in the new managers plans. According to the Ojamaa interview in the match programme at the weekend Nigel Clough favoured British players and released a lot of the foreign guys. Also sometimes players need to find the right club before they show their true potential. We are a small, friendly club and have a good record of developing players, giving them a chance to play at a good level and then move on to higher levels. We've done it with our own youth players and with players brought in that didn't have impressive backgrounds or had fallen by the wayside (Scott McDonald, Ross McCormack, etc).

If he changed his name to Henrik Ojamaa-Swanson and started talking in a south of England accent I reckon that would do it.

OK, who was the last Motherwell player to score an overhead kick before Higdon got one tonight. Can't remember one off the top of my head.

Even if he hadn't scored a goal I would still have voted for him. Higdon was absolutely immense tonight.

ESPN or BBC reports don't list a booking for Hutchie and I only saw the referee show the yellow to Sproule.

Yeah the Proclaimers one was a shocker but I'm a bit superstitious so while we're on this winning home run I think we should look (or hear) the other way.

Entertaining but crazy match showing the best and worst of supporting Motherwell! Hibs started strongly and Griffiths and O'Connor caused us all sorts of problems, defensively we were very poor tonight. Clancy had a bit of a nightmare, Hutchinson got dragged all over and even Randolph missed a few crosses and looked nervous - although he did make a very important save from Griffiths. Once we got the goal the game was much more open although we always looked like losing goals at the back. That said we were excellent going forward and equally looked like scoring whenever we went forward. Some nervous times in the last ten minutes but another good win, albeit with flaws at the back, with goals at Fir Park.

It would be a mistake to bring in Carswell. Along side Jennings there would be no one to make the runs Lasley has been making. Fine if you are away from home and looking for a point, not so good if you want win on your own patch. It's far too predictable to have everything coming down the sides. You need someone running from midfield to support the forward players. I think it nullifies the offensive threat quite a bit. Forbes is more likely to get into those position and has a decent shot on him from 25 yards in. In any case I think Hateley will go there and Craigan will come back in, that seems to be McCall preferences when these decisions have to be made.

When has Humphrey ever played down the left? Usually when Murphy and Humphrey both played, Murphy played left and Humphrey played right. I'm also not sure about Law in a central position where his form hasn't been great. I'd keep Law on the left and bring in a central midfielder. There is no direct replacement for Lasley but I'd go for Forbes because he is more experienced and seems to have more of an attacking style to his play which is a better match for Lasley than Carswell who seems to be more in the defensive Jennings mold. -----------------RANDOLPH------------- HATELEY--HUTCHINSON---CLANCEY--HAMMELL MURPHY---JENNINGS-----FORBES---LAW---- ---------HIGDON-------OJAMAA---------- I think with that line up you have the minimum of change from the side that has done so well recently.

Don't agree with this. Lasley has been a great player for us throughout his career at Motherwell - Jennings or no Jennings. They have a good partnership and anything good should be greater than the sum of the parts but Lasley has always been a great wee player. He's definitely one of the best midfielders at the club in my time as a supporter and that's based on a career starting back to 2000 or so. As for his more attacking role this season, he played a similar role in his first spell at the club so it's not so much something new to his game, more going back to the old days.

I think its hard to play well on a Saturday and then take that into a midweek game. Doesn't often happen and I'm not sure we'll do as well against Hibs as we did against Hearts. Also the Hibs teams that turn up at Fir Park this season seem to be completely different ones that go everywhere else, they have not been the worst team we've played by a long way. Also, Keith Lasley is a very important player for us and assuming his suspension will mean he is missing it will be a big blow for us. There is no real replacement for him in the squad and not having him in there seriously weakens the midfield. It's one thing playing without him, 2-0 up for 40 minutes, it's another thing going 90 with everything all square. On form we should win this one but I'm tempering my expectations for this one. Wouldn't be unhappy with a draw although a win and a 12 point gap would be magnificent.

Rather than punishing players for gesturing to the opposition crowd we should be encouraging it! Only two things get the crowd going these days - hard tackles and player gestures. We need more of both to get the atmosphere going.

This. Plus the huge and unexpected impact Ojaama has had. And the fact that we have Nicky Law and Jamie Murphy in more comfortable positions. Then there is the fact that once you've scored a few the pressure suddenly lifts and the team gets much more confidence in itself. But the main reason is switching from a 4-2-3-1 to what is basically a 4-4-2.

Murphy has found form again since moving to the right wing and Law went to the left and it's no coincidence we've scored more goals since the change - Law and Murphy of course scoring a few themselves in the past couple of weeks, it's not just been the Ojamaa show. Today was Murphy's 11th goal of the season, not bad for someone that's played most of the season wide midfield. He's had spells where he was off form, usually when the team as a a whole was poor, but I think he's taken some unfair stick this season and today was a nice little reminder of what an important player he is for us. His top tally in a season is 12 so I'm pretty sure with 11 league matches and at least one match and hopefully more in the cup he will post his best goal tally yet in 2011/12.

I'd feel a lot more comfortable about this thread if it had come after a midweek win against Hibs! I think we should concentrate on consolidating our third position first before we look ahead of ourselves. If we can win midweek and go 12 points clear then I think we should feel comfortable enough about finishing 3rd to look ahead of us. If we don't take the points midweek then it only takes a couple of poor result to feel the pressure again. Personally I don't see the administrators getting rid of Rangers better players since they are sellable assets and suspect it will a lot of youth players and maybe poorer fringer players that go so in order to finish second I think it will be more down to the attitude of Rangers as much as anything we do. The Kilmarnock result though gives a hint that perhaps moral is low down Ibrox way. With 11 games to play their is still a lot than can go for or against us. What I think we really need to do is get the heads down, get points out the next few few league matches and if we can do that we have Rangers at our place on the 31st March. Then we will have a better idea of what the situation is.

You could make a case for a lot of the players today. Thought Clancy was solid as a rock and has done really well since coming in. Jennings was excellent in midfield. Law and Murphy caused a lot of problems for Hearts and Higdon did a lot of great if unheralded work as the target man. But I'm afraid I have to give it to Ojaama again for the third time in the last five. I thought he actually had a quiet first half but in the second half he came on to his own. Had Hearts in knots on various occassions, brilliant attitude, chased everything, even put in a hard tackle on a Jambo and got a booking! Good lad! The set up for the third goal was superb - quite simple made something out of nothing.