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Celtic are not in crisis. It is media driven hysteria fueled by fans who think that they have a right to win every single game in every competition they play. The actual reality is that they are sitting two points AHEAD of an excellent Motherwell side who have hardly put a foot wrong all season. They have a squad of players that any other team in the league can only dream of and a bank balance that will allow them to buy their way out of any domestic trouble in January. Any half decent manager (JBA included) would take Celtic to the league title this season if given the chance. The rhetoric from the media is genuinely laughable. Of course it sells papers and gets hits on websites so it is a very lucrative perfect storm to manifest. Nancy looked haunted, Luke McCowan is haunted, the players and fans are devastated, it is apparently a crisis the likes of which the history of mankind has never seen etc etc... It is total, made up nonsense!!! Fortunately, I don't think JBA will be exotic enough a name for Celtic but would he do well with Celtic, yes! Would he go if approached, definitely yes!!

This is something I find interesting with JBA. To what extent is he enjoying it here? He tends to play with a poker straight face. There is absolutely no doubt that Scottish Football is driven excessively by emotion. I listened to the OF game today on the radio and there was actually very little commentary on the actual game. It was all about the drama around the Celtic predicament and Nancy in particular. Every adjective is pulled out to describe the emotions of the fans, the players, the horrors of Nancy's predicament. Read Tom English's article this evening on the BBC . It is pure sensationalism. I think 'haunted' is used in the headline to describe Nancy's demeanour. It is straight out of Hollywood. JBA has made a point of cutting through all that noise. At times he has made some of the inane questioning of the press sound ridiculous because he refuses to get drawn in to the emotion, instead concentrating on the very effective job in hand . I do wonder if behind that very pragmatic exterior if the club and maybe even the warts and all of Scottish football itself is actually starting to grow on him. I suspect unfortunately that JBA will look at his own career in much the same way as he forensically builds a competitive Motherwell side but it would be nice to dream that he has grown enough attachment to the club that it will at least raise the bar for any potential suitors offering riches to entice him away.

Looking forward to the next time we play Celtic and their manager (whoever that might be) says, 'we will have to be at our best and Motherwell will have to have an off day if we are to get anything from the game'

Forgetting about budgets and history and the odd dodgy decision, could Motherwell actually win the league this season? They have matched Hearts, Rangers and Celtic in terms of performance this season and have shown they can get results rotating the squad. Based on that performance tonight it must surely be a possibility?

The best bit about it is that the result is not really a surprise. I really do believe that Motherwell are the best team in the league right now.

😂 😂 😂 Weird!! Enjoy your night.

We have been the best team in the league this season. It is a shame the points total does not reflect that I think sometimes the table can lie a little. Just a fantastic result and performance.

Reassuring to know that somebody is taking the level headed pragmatic approach. We may need your calming, unbiased voice of reason if Celtic get a dodgy last minute penalty on Tuesday night to win the game. 😉

Spoken like a true Rangers fan. 😉 I don't see anything being made of yesterday's wrong decision. It is controversial because it was wrong but there is very little to no coverage about it. The one for me that is indefensible was the handball v Livingston at Ibrox. It is a real stretch to say that officials cheat but that is as close to it as I have seen. An absolute stonewall penalty denied because Livingston were playing Rangers at Ibrox.

Their success rate in home cup ties over the last 10 years runs at 80% (4 in every 5 draws) very often against lower league opposition. Motherwell's in the same time period is 50% much more in line with the probability of an evens chance. I find it very difficult to believe that this is fixed because if it is our game is truly corrupt but it is also some coincidence that the most influential and powerful team in Scottish football just happened to have lucked out to such an extent in Cup draws. It would be very interesting to know if there is any other Scottish team that has an 80% success rate in home Cup ties over the last 10 years.

The media have a big part to play in this. If the roles had been reversed and Rangers were denied an injury time penalty this would be a headline story this morning. The story would run for days and the referees name would be in the spotlight to ensure that his personal life would be very uncomfortable for a few weeks. I looked at the BBC sport page this morning and but for a tiny reference in the match report there is nothing. The last example of this was the Trusty head knock on Butland. That story ran for almost two weeks and look at the decisions that have gone Rangers way since. The Livingston non penalty actually did get some press time because it was so blatant but the story disappeared fairly quickly. Rangers know this works for them and there are Rangers minded people in the media that are more than happy to help out. It will never change. Had it been up the other end yesterday it would have been a penalty. I don't think it is a conscious decision by the referee to purposely cheat but in a split second he has to make a decision that will have implications for him personally over the coming days. It is always the safe option to favour Rangers in that situation as the lack of coverage of the incident proves this morning.

I think a reasonable guess as to how the season might now finish would be 1. Celtic 2. Hearts 3. Rangers 4. Motherwell I have been really surprised by Hearts. I thought the wheels would have come off before now and it hasn't so they are genuine title contenders now. I do wonder how the table would look just now if we had held on at Tynecastle for the win. Much as I hate to say it, Chris Sutton is right. Over a full season you need the resources to stay competitive. JBA has played a blinder rotating the squad but Celtic, Rangers and Hearts will be able to strengthen in January in a way that Motherwell can't. 4th place would be a sensational result this season should it happen.

I don't think Nancy is the mug that the Scottish media are making him out to be They dominated Aberdeen yesterday and whilst it is hard to get a true picture given that Aberdeen were down to 10 men, Celtic could have scored 5/6 goals. If Nancy's system starts to click they will give some teams a real going over. I think that our performances this season have matched Hearts and the two teams are very closely matched so if Hearts can beat Rangers we can certainly match Rangers. I can't see them step up their performance levels significantly. We could come away with six points over the next two weeks, we could come away with nothing, but we are quickly establishing ourselves as a genuine top 4 side and even one victory in the two games would be a real statement of intent. The fact that we are even considering these possibilities is dreamland after some fairly barren seasons. Unfortunately the nature of the beast is that if we should come away with all 6 JBA will be on the shopping list for any big UK club struggling over the Christmas period.

I heard Martindale say he would be surprised if we did not finish top 4 this season. I think we are the second best team in the league right now. We possibly should have beaten Hearts twice so that the table would me more reflective of the teams potential. I would imagine Celtic and Rangers will finish the season first and second because of the resources they have. Third must be a realistic possibility. My biggest concern now is keeping the manager. He looks to be the real deal and other bigger clubs will be taking note. In every aspect from squad building to team rotation to style of play JBA has been exceptional.

Did you actually read what I said? You have misunderstood the point? The tactics were perfect and it showed in the performance and result I just think it would be better for JBA to continue to fly under the radar so that those who may have a wish to undermine his achievements have no ammunition to do so.

I thought that JBA's comments about Hanley was possibly the first mistake he has made since arriving at the club. I don't think there is any doubt that some of the Scottish football establishment (out own Stephen Craigan being one of them) will be slightly irked by Motherwell's success. JBA has shown that there is a better way to do things and at this moment in time, he is showing clubs with much bigger resources, the way. DM'S comment that Motherwell are a good team, but the table doesn't lie suggests that the positivity towards Motherwell's style of play is getting to him a bit. I think that JBA has balanced a confidence in his methods with a humility and respect for the other teams. I don't think there was anything wrong with the comment he made about Hanley but for the first time, knowing the game in Scotland, I did think it would be used as a stick to beat him with from those who's noses are out of joint by Motherwell's success. In general, I think the comments from the media have been hugely positive. Radio Scotland were enthusing about the Hibs performance. Michael Stewart has been a fan from the very beginning. Ian McCall and his crones have years of Scottish Football failure to justify under their watch so I can see why JBA is a threat. They will be desperate for him to fail because they want to continue to ply their trade in the Scottish game. I don't think negative press can necessarily derail the project but it would be a distraction that the manager does not need. I hope JBA doesn't give them any ammunition.

I agree about the atmosphere. St Mirren players and fans were more up for the game from the start. When the direct blood and thunder approach of a good Scottish football side works in can certainly stir the emotions and St Mirren did it very well yesterday. You could see the passion in their play. SR had them well up for the game and he had clearly used the negative press about their style to his advantage. I actually thought SR was a great manager for us and I don't think his achievements were ever fully appreciated for the very reason that supporters now believe that they should be watching budget Barcelona's every week.

St Mirren's game plan was successful last night but there is a ceiling to that style of play. That is why Scottish teams are embarrassed every July/ August by European minnows who'd style of play had moved on from the 1980's. Remember that Robinson's / Alexander's/ Kettlewell's style of football was generally rejected on this forum because of it's pragmatic industrial approach. A Motherwell team playing the traditional Scottish way could just as easily have lost that game last night. SR is very good at what he does. I don't doubt that this is an experiment that may not work. Our old Captain Stephen Craigan had already written it off during the League Cup group stage. Kris Boyd predicted us as relegation favourites but I think both of those dinosaurs have already been proved wrong. I think any one of us would have taken this season to date if we had been offered it back in August.

If Slattery was fully fit he would have started today. We have to remember that was his 3 rd game in a week after a return from injury. The manager has to manage those situations carefully. The game is won and lost on fine margins. The first, the referee helped to tee the corner up for Saints. The second, Just was unlucky that the ball hit off him and landed as it did. It was a great finish none the less. The 3rd could just as easily have been a great save but the ball looped into the back of the net For me the first goal set the tone and St Mirren managed the game very well from that point onwards. When I take a step back from the obvious disappointment of the evening, I would still rather be watching our brand of football than St Mirrens and I believe by seasons end we will still finish above them.

Thanks 👍

Thanks for your reply. I hope to do the same. 👍

Apologies if this has been asked several times before but do we have to transfer tickets to the people we are with? I was hoping to just use my phone for m and the three people I am walking in with.

Agreed.

MJC will be happy this afternoon. His first team won, his second team won and Motherwell won as well. I still believe that Hearts position is false despite today's result. I think we showed how vulnerable Hearts can be if a team plays well against them. I expect the season to finish like this despite the OF angst we have been forced fed in recent weeks. 1. Celtic 2. Rangers 3. Hearts We have definitely missed some golden opportunities and have played the OF at their most vulnerable. It has been a frustrating season in some ways but still reasonable for optimism. I think this next week could set the tone for the rest of the season for us.

MJC seals the win for Motherwell!!! Keep talking nonsense!! It works an absolute treat!!! Great result and well deserved. The players were due a win for their efforts!!