David

I have no real reason to believe that the team won't respond to this "old firm mauling" any different than they have done in the past. By basically getting back to business and winning.

With us not due to play Celtic again in the league until 2013 we can hopefully push on and continue our fine league form. Putting the past week to bed, we managed to get a point from Pittodrie last weekend, which isn't too bad. A win against United, who got hammered by Inverness, should put us back on track. I'd be looking to bring Hammell back in if he's fit, and putting Ojamaa up front with Higdon, moving Murphy out to the wing and giving Humphrey a rest. I'm still not overly convinced by Fraser Kerr if I'm honest,and would love to see Hatelely reclaim that full-back slot.

Exactly. If we start losing games against sides we should be competing with and beating, then I'll get worried. As things stand we're still up near the top of the table, which suits me just fine.

I'd personally rather take more points from the next three games.

Indeed. I expected a right pasting after Cummins got sent off.

Hammell? It was Hutch who got the head knock during the week.

McCall said in the press conference that there was a doubt over someone, but he didn't say who. Probably Hammell.

Yet mines did, so by removing the part of my post that you did my view is being taken out of context. The point I'm arguing against is that the club should have, for some reason, released a statement after the game because we lost badly in a game that some fans consider to be more than just a regular cup game. Heard it said by who? The numpties in the Glasgow-based media? Fuck them. We were representing no one but ourselves in this game.

You won't find any disagreement from me on that.

Has anyone watched McCall's press conference on MFCTV yet? I thought there'd have been some chat on here about it by now. He mentions, among other things, that the reason we don't get results against the Old Firm is "probably down to them having better players, bigger squads than us", when asked about the grumblings among the fans regarding the record against the Old Firm he comes back with "obviously we'd all like to win games, but if we could beat Rangers and Celtic now & then but finish 8th, or continue as we have done I knows what I'd rather take". The real corker though is when the reporter asks if, in light of the supporters being unhappy about the performance against the Old Firm is it important that the club get those supporters "onside" for todays game he replies with, and I quote, "If people want to get onside they get onside, and if they don't then that's up to them". After seeing that press conference I can understand why there was no statement or apology from the club. I don't think he's happy with the over-reaction to the game midweek.

I wasn't too impressed by him against Aberdeen either to be honest. I'd prefer Hateley at right back.

And you believe this is reason enough for the club to release a statement addressing the teams performance? Obviously it was a big game in the respect that we were playing Rangers and so on, but look at the post I quoted. The poster was talking about the club releasing a statement because we lost this particular game. It's really quite simple, we played Rangers, we played shite, we got knocked out of the cup. End of story. No statements needed. This whole carry-on is being blown way out of proportion. I don't even want to think what this place will be like if we lose to Celtic today...

I've read this a few times on this forum now. What exactly does it mean? It may have meant more to the fans, or the media more likely, but it was a league cup match. Nothing more, nothing less. For the record, the original statement by the club confused me as well, but two wrongs don't make a right.

I couldn't disagree more. You're starting down a slippery slope the day that the club start putting out statements apologising for the team losing, or the players not being up to par. No other clubs does it, and neither should we.

If we lose a few goals I'll be expecting some bone-crunching tackles and attitude.

With the amount of shite posted on this forum since late Wednesday evening you'll have to forgive me for not knowing when someone is at the windup.

That Rangers victory would have come as part of the meagre 28% victory percentage that he secured as our manager then, eh? Gannon's football was easy on the eye, but he lost more games than he won as Motherwell manager, did he not?

Exactly what I was thinking. Are other clubs in the business of putting out statements when they play badly or lose a game that their fans half-expected to win?

There's an interview up on MFCTV with him. Sounds like he's hoping that the move is extended longer than a month and he can get a run of games. Just my opinion, but it sounds to me as if he's looking to get some gametime and put himself out there for a move when his contract is up. I doubt we'll see him back at Fir Park as a Motherwell player.

Yeah. I consider posts like these to be unreasonable;

Away you go with that kind of chat. We're sitting top of the league with only seven games played. The game on Saturday won't even come close to making or breaking our season.

Whatever blows your hair back I guess. I'm as disappointed as any about us losing the game last night, and the manner in which we did so, but I'm not going to lose the place about it and act unreasonably. We've consistently finished in the upper half of the table despite our record against the Old Firm, so I'm happy enough as far as the big picture goes. I don't even want to think what this place will be like if we lose to Celtic this weekend...

From all acounts thus far we'll get to see how McCall fares in the transfer market next summer. If we lose as many players as it looks like we may he'll need to rebuild the team, and he'll have a fair chunk of wage budget to play with. As I said earlier, I'll judge him after that happens. If we can maintain a challenge for a European spot over the next two or three years and he's at the helm he'll have answered all of his critics in resounding fashion.

As I said, it was a disappointing performance and result, no doubt. The fans have every right to be critical of the team & the manager. What I refuse to accept is the usual suspects, who have pretty much just been waiting in the wings for something like this, going to town on McCall, talking as if the guy secretly sets out to give Rangers the win and suchlike. That's absolute nonsense, and anyone with half a brain should know that.