Lobey_Dosser

At the start of the summer I suspected we’d do all we can to get Hartley and Johnson out the door. One down, one to go.

I’m generally not a fan of 352 but I think that’s a fair shout given the players we currently have at our disposal. It would be a bold move for Robinson to make and admission that he’s got it terribly wrong with his transfer policy for the 2nd summer in a row.

Since watching him get put through his paces at QoS, my hunch with Sloth is that we won’t see him play for months. Robinson has a wee dig on the radio last night saying he has 5/6 players that either can’t get fit, adjust to pace of the game or cope with training. Sloth will be one on them. Regarding Tait, I like the guy but playing at left back is no excuse for constantly pulling out of 50/50s. From what I’ve seen, he was dreadful at right back against QoS and Livi. Couple of bright spots from last night - lovely play from Long for the goal last which follows on from a couple of bright moments early in the Celtic game. I l like his movement but he needs support. Secondly, another bad mistake from Gillespie, that’s him had significant lapses in concentration in the last three games. The case for Carson strengthens.

Appears to be all quiet on the Hastie front, I wonder if a loan back option and/or loan for Murphy may be on the table just now? Wouldn’t be popular with everyone but it offers a possible escape route from the mess we’ve seemingly made of this transfer window.

From all our new wingers being miles out their depth, to a dysfunctional midfield that results in Dunne being our playmaker, there is plenty to be worried about. A further concern for me however is the form of Campbell and Tait, when they are underperforming we are always going to be in trouble.

If Carson is fit, he deserves a chance. He is the better keeper of the two and is far more comfortable with the ball at his feet, which is a key attribute the way we are playing at present. I’d also tweak the shape and bring in Semple for Seedorf. Until the wingers reach the required level of fitness, we should start while one and the other can be an impact sub.

If we are going to stick to our adventurous 433, a proven winger would be most welcome unless Seedorf and Ilic improve dramatically in the next few weeks. If Murphy is relatively fit I wouldn’t be averse to him returning but the way Gerrard is talking, he sounds miles off it. Think I’d rather have Hastie or Ariyibi.

Lafferty has stated his desire to return to Hearts, should he stay in Scotland. Im assuming we have a few irons in the fire and have held back a few quid to bring in an experienced striker at the end of the month. Having said that, Robinson has yet to show he has an eye for a striker and goalscoring forwards that can play upfront alone are difficult to find at this level. Another issue for me at the moment is the wingers. We have invested in Hylton, Seedorf and Illic who all caught the eye in spells against lower league opposition. All exciting prospects, however none of them look ready for this level yet and we are relying on these players to create chances. Hopefully at least one of them can get up to speed soon enough.

I’m not convinced by the balance of our midfield but I thought Polworth was the standout performer today. Gallagher continues to impress but he gave away a stupid foul for the pivotal Griffiths goal.

Will the shape ever tighten up though? We were guilty of the same mistakes at home to Rangers towards the end of last season. I’m all for attractive football but it’s quite striking how far Robinson has stepped away from his defensive roots.

They are just too flipping good. We’ve done well to go almost 6 years without losing heavily to them at Fir Park. Onto Hearts on Friday night, another big test awaits.

I admire the way we are trying to play but we are incredibly naive at times, leaving ourselves wide open at the back. Gillespie poor so far, he had a few moments at Livi too despite pulling off some cracking saves.

Will be interesting to see how Celtic get on in Romania. Regardless of result, a Saturday lunchtime kickoff at Fir Park should play into our hands. I’d expect to see Robinson tweak the shape and personnel on Saturday with a view to our centre forward being less isolated. One other change I’d like is the inclusion of Grimshaw, either to add some steel and mobility to the midfield, or replace Tait who looks well below par to me.

Similar happened in Dumfries. Although he had Johnson, Livingstone and Devine for company that day.

Despite the relatively flat performance and lack of quality in possession, I remain optimistic for the season ahead. Our fortunes however are likely to depend on finding the right mix in midfield. Livi were much better in that department yesterday. At the moment, we don’t have someone that can knit the play together. Presumably Sloth was identified for this role but we’ve yet to see much of him...

Great work from the club and paddy power, fine initiative. I haven’t bought a top for 5 years but I’ll make an exception for the away one.

Very tidy performance which made for an enjoyable Friday night. Gallagher and Polworth look to be slotting in seamlessly and the three wingers are a source of great excitement. Pleased to see Scott get two goals too, he’s got a long way to go but we are seeing more and more glimpses of real quality and he has all the physical attributes to develop into a very good striker. The final piece of the jigsaw for me is finding an experienced striker, capable of knitting the play together, that Scott can deputise and learn from.

Good performances from many but I’ve been very impressed with Hylton since he came off the bench in Dumfries. Lovely touch, great pace, good work ethic and an end product. Remains to be seen if he can handle the physical and mental rigours of premiership football but at the moment you wonder how he was playing at Solihull Moors aged 26.

Yeah, he was poor yesterday and possibly needs time to readjust. If Ilic is going to be a regular fixture in the right, we’re going to need a right back bombing forward as Ilic will always step inside. Both Tait and Grimshaw should compliment him well when they are on top form.

Donnelly is a player I’d persist with and to his credit looks in far better shape this season. However I struggle to see him being a success in midfield. Like McHugh he needs too much time on the ball.

After a sticky first half, today turned out to be a decent performance and good result on a very poor surface. Too early to make judgement on our new recruits although Seedorf and Hylton brought the game alive and showed signs of some raw quality. Interesting that Sloth didn’t make the bench as we were light in midfield with Polworth suspended. Presumably his fitness standards aren’t at the required level yet. Hopefully we can find ourselves an experienced striker with a bit of pedigree that can help link the play, or else the potential of the new wingers is unlikely to be fulfilled. Scott showed some flashes of good play but he clearly needs a run of games at the appropriate level. Johnson failing to make the bench would suggest he’s not in our immediate plans.

Campbell, a class above anyone else on the pitch although I was pleased to see Semple grow into the game. Seedorf and Hylton brought the game to life but you can’t get too carried away given the quality and fitness of the opposition.

Another left back would be most welcome and his reported versatility would be right up Robinson’s street. Also leaves the door open for the return of Gboly.

Interesting, I’d welcome that. Cadden’s injury came at an unfortunate time and it appears to have hindered his options. While his progression has admittedly stagnated, partly due to the rwb role, he has been an excellent servant to Motherwell. An opportunity to sign a 1 or 2 year contract may benefit all parties if he can play in a more advanced role and start notching a few more goals/assists to draw interest.

Seedorf looks like a signing that we can get a wee bit excited about. Fair play to Robinson, he seems to be going down the flair route with talk of another winger (Gboly please) arriving this week. I just hope that in the absence of Turnbull, we have someone to pull the strings in the middle of the park. Casper maybe?