Ya Bezzer!

This. The standard of player that's being brought in has stunk beyond this manager and even the previous manager. I've said for a while that our transfer policy needs looking at as we have often been linked with a player under one manager and then brought them in under a different manager. I also think our youth system has gone backwards but to be fair a lot of that is beyond Motherwell's control and much of the responsibility for that lies with the clowns that run Scottish football. I think we should still be doing better though.

Four of the team today were signed by Alexander and that's if you include Roberts. And three of the four of them have hardly had any game time - Goss (4 starts), Solholm (3 starts), Roberts (2 starts). There is still a major hang over lingering around this squad from the Robinson era.

There is an expression that you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Alexander inherited a sow's ear. People forget we were genuine relegation candidates when he came in and he's turned us into a mid table side. Has it been pretty? Certainly not but there is only so much you can do with the players we have. The standard of the player in the squad has been very poor for a long, long time and you don't turn that round in one transfer window. We have to play a certain style of football with the players we have. We are never going to play football that's easy on the eye with what's available. It's a totally different situation from when Robinson had class players on the sidelines and then brought them in. Pretty much everyone, especially in midfield, is much of a muchness. Until we improve the quality of player at the club it's not going to be pretty but let's just all remember were we've come from. And just for clarification there are definitely things I'd do differently from Alexander but overall I don't see a huge number of game changing options open to him. Right now we are 9 points clear of the relegation place and we are equalling or bettering Hibs, Aberdeen and St Johnstone's points tally. Let's not throw the baby out with the bath water here.

That happens every week. I think our team selection and set up is more worthy of investigating rather who we are playing.

First 5 matches of the season we conceded 5 goals with (mostly) Mugabi at right back and Carroll at left back. Last 5 matches of the season we conceded 14 goals with O'Donnell at right back and McGinley at left back. What changed?

We've won 4 games this season and O'Donnell missed 3 of them. Coincidence? EDIT - Oh and Mugabi was right back for all of them.

I'm against VAR but I'm under no illusion that eventually it will be adopted. I have absolutely no faith in it to make the game fairer. Just look at English football where it's pretty much been a farce and no doubt we'll make an even bigger hash of it. At the end of the day it still comes down good officiating and we don't have the officials. VAR will simply make bad and controversial decisions even worse than they are already.

The score line alone makes that one of our worst ever defeats to Rangers but the context of the game is actually even worse. Take the lead, have a great chance to make it 2-0 and miss it. Then we only have 5 minutes to defend well and go in at HT 1-0 and what do we do? We leave Rangers most dangerous player completely free to score and assist a goal. The first goal in particular I didn't see any reason why McGinley isn't right on Tavernier but he isn't even looking the right way never mind getting touch tight. McGinley is watching the game instead of doing his job. Might as well come up into the stand and have a seat. So we completely blow a lead with a couple of minutes of madness and then O'Donnell, just bails out and gets sent off. Idiotic. Pathetic. Garbage. He just wanted off and that was his excuse to get out of there. What a captain. Both our full backs today were absolutely atrocious. After that the collapse was inevitable. I left at 5 and there has only been a handful of games that I've left before the final whistle and that was one of them. Full backs and midfield are not fit for purpose. Could be a long, long wait for the next transfer window because we barely have a player than can place a simple pass. That break forward when O'Hara burst up the field absolutely begging to be played in and I think it was Slattery couldn't make the simple pass, that's our season in a nutshell. No doubt Alexander will get a battering today but if you ask me he's worked wonders with a very low standard of player. It's our transfer policy that needs a kick up the backside because the quality of player we've had at this club for far too long just isn't good enough. If you exclude the brief Turnbull renaissance, where we actually had an exceptional player in the heart of the team, we've basic had a squad of players that can't do basics for about 4 seasons. Go and look at Barraclough's relegation play off team and it looks like a world XI in terms of ability compared with what we've watched since.

I dunno. But I don't think you judge a player on 3 matches. And you said you watch him 'every week' like he's been a first choice player for a long time.

Goss has started 3 times this season or to put it any other way he's been in the team since the 16th October. Maybe we need to give the guy a chance.

I'm going to agree and disagree with you here. I don't think Celtic did get joy swinging in crosses. We defended them and Celtic's goals didn't come from crosses. On the other hand Rangers have the joint best record (with us) for headed goals this season and I think they are stronger in the air than Celtic. Morelos gets a lot of headed goals and Goldson is a big danger as well. I think it is less advisable to let as many crosses come in against Rangers, they are stronger than Celtic in that department.

I think some of the criticism of Kelly has been on the harsh side, while accepting he's not been in his best form. He did very well last night, good handling on a slippy night, looked confident, saved the penalty and then got us a point with that magnificent save at the end. However I do think he got it wrong for the 1st goal. Therefore I have to give it to Tony Watt. Did the work of 4 or 5 of his team mates, scored, tucked the penalty away.

On paper we both play 4-3-3 so can match up although in reality Rangers play a 4-2-3 (with Lundstram effectively a man down) while we play a 4-0-3 (nuff said!)

Goss did put in a great cross for the goal. Didn't do anything else right enough but at least it was important. I kind of alluded to it last night but when we were bringing the ball out from the back it was always Tony Watt that was showing for the ball. Not one of the midfielders. I wouldn't be surprised if our midfield in the first half had a record low number of touches.

Exactly. Referee's are making up the result. Within about 5 seconds of kick off Madden blew for a nothing foul. One of those guys where it's ALL about him.

Nick Walsh.

Thought the St Mirren penalty was soft at the time and having seen the highlights has only confirmed that. Penalty retake is just nonsense. Then on top of that we should have had a 2nd penalty. So that's THREE penalty decisions the officials have got wrong. Don't care how bad we've played the officials need to get game changing decisions correct and they have failed, 1, 2 , 3 times tonight. Also not the first time we've suffered from terrible decision making at penalty claims this season. You could make a pretty long list 11 matches into the season.

I think these stats need some kind of context. For instance 23 shots when it's Curtis Main hitting them at that same chair in the south stand that he always did, well, that isn't a big issue. Most of St Mirren's efforts on goal were comfortable for Kelly. There was one swerving effort in the first half and the one he made a great save of at the end and that was about it. I will say thought that while not very good, St Mirren were better than us in possession of the ball. Our midfield was virtually anonymous as usual.

At least there was some excitement in the 2nd half, the 1st half was like pouring Draino in your eyes. Most of the big talking points in the game I didn't get a great view off so I'll probably wait untilI see the highlights. Fantastic save right at the end though by Kelly and you'd worry about us if Watt gets injured cos outside the back 4 and goalkeeper he's pretty much the whole rest of the team.

Listen I'd gaffer tape Grimshaw to a weather balloon and untether faster than you can say 'Jack Robinson' and I've already said tonight that I'd much rather have Carroll in over McGinley but calm down a bit. It'll be disappointing if we lose tonight but if we take 14 points every round of matches we will be absolutely fine this season. It's hysterical to turn this match into some watershed moment.

Prediction - we won't have the sprinklers on during the warm up.

We scored quite a few headers at the start of the season and a lot of that was down to Carroll's delivery from set pieces and crosses. Since McGinley came in that has completely dried up. Putting any defensive merits aside (which may or may not exist), McGinley really gives you nothing going forward. I'd play Carroll over McGinley too.

Like Ross County? Like Dundee? The fact is we don't have the players to play more football. Never mind succeed playing football. We need to be pragmatic about it until we have midfielders worthy of the term.

We need a wee bit perspective. We've 14 points and we just lost away to high flying Hearts, Dundee Utd and Celtic without getting turned over. Obviously we don't want to go on a bad run that could effect confidence and the performances could be better but that's why this is a more important tie. This is one we should be looking to win where, realistically, we were underdogs in the last three. None of our limited midfielders are going to turn into Modric over night so I think it's a bit knee jerk to change a system that's got us where we are right now but I do think for this match St Mirren's system might cos us some problems.

He got ripped apart against Celtic and kept his place.