MelvinBragg

Pretty much everything I was going to say has been covered. Poor game on an awful pitch, a game we would have lost last season. We didn't play well but managed to get the win, sign of a team with a bit of character. What I would say is that were I a Partick Thistle fan, I wouldn't be too worried. As bad as Thistle were at Fir Park a fortnight ago, that Accies team was a different level of shite. I know they're missing players but that looks an abysmal team. We only won 2-1 but we missed a few good chances to put that game to bed...

Expecting us to win today which is never a feeling that sits well with me. Gives me a bit of fear truth be told. Were we away yo Ross County or Dundee today I would expect us to lose with one eye on Hampden (must be in the back of the players' minds, no matter what they say). Fact that it's Accies should hopefully help focus them. Pretty sure the likes of Lasley, Hammell and Cadden have made it clear that this means a lot...

I'm reliably informed that Gillespie, Devlin, Woods and Sarris are weeks away, recovering from longer term injuries...

In what respect has he hung them out to dry. The Scotland U21s look like a team that has had to pick Hamilton's third choice keeper in goals and has players playing in the championship in Scotland, not England. The England U21s contains guys that have started games for Spurs, Liverpool and Everton this season. There should be a gulf in class...

Not a chance any of these players get promoted any time soon...

Not really bothered by the results of any of the Scottish national teams but ideally looking for Cadden and Campbell to have good games on Friday night for Scotland U21s against England. Would certainly attract the attention of scouts down South if they could compete well in that game...

Campbell should be all the evidence any of the U20s need. This summer we signed Rose, Bigirmana, Tanner and Grimshaw. Campbell is still playing because he's worked hard in training and maintained his performances. Tanner is another that has fought his way back in. Under Robinson, it seems there are no favourites and if you work hard then you'll get a chance...

Since the start of the season when he's had his own signings in. Played 14 Won 10 Drawn 1 Lost 3 Goals For 31 Goals Against 14 Aye, Robinson is doing okay so far...

Had almost forgotten about that turn at the Bowman goal. Struggling to think of another centre half in this league that would have the nerve and the ability to try that...

Let's hope not, don't want to suffer the curse...

There may have been more technically gifted Motherwell sides but I struggle to remember one as well drilled. Everyone seems to know their job. I remember on at least one or two occasions last season the question being asked our loud "what are they doing during the week?". Some change this season. As others have said, totally professional performance today even if we've played better. No poor performances really. Some criticism of Dunne at the game mainly in terms of his passing. But defensively pretty solid. Hard to pick a standout player but some of the interplay between Cadden and Campbell was outstanding in the second half...

Club's official twitter has him in the Cooper today for the signing zone so I'd imagine so...

Called up to the Scotland U21s...

It looked like we missed the physical presence of Andy Rose today. We simply weren't in Aberdeen's faces enough. Bigirmana has looked good coming on later in games when it's stretched. Maybe Grimshaw was the option today? Fisher, I feel sorry for. When he came on, any football we had been trying to play was abandoned. Kind of reminded me of whenever Duncan Ferguson played for Scotland. Let's just launch the ball at the big man...

While there's no arguing McHugh was poor, I lost count of the number of times Bigirmana gave him the ball in ridiculously tight spots...

Kind of expecting to lose today as their motivation may be slightly stronger than ours (not questioning our guys' attitude, just a fact that revenge is a strong motivator) but hoping that we can sneak something. Bowman and Rose looked like the men running on empty on Thursday so might be those two who are rested. Frear at left wing back and Cadden in to the middle would be my preferred option for replacing Rose. Not sure about who I'd bring in for Bowman...

Struggling to keep a lid on it at the minute...

I could cheerfully write pages on last night's game. Every single player performed. We never gave Aberdeen a minute, created more chances than them and kept our discipline better than them. After the league cup group games, it looked like our midfield three was set as Cadden, McHugh and Bigirmana. Campbell and Rose have clearly had other ideas. Fair play to Tait as well. Out of position, the fact that we didn't need to rush Frear back last night is testament to the job he's doing. The back three were pretty solid as well. Aberdeen created a few chances but over 90 minutes any team will have one or two. To pocket cash for Heneghan and the back three be no weaker (possibly stronger?) is some bit of business. Special word for Stevie Hammell. Some were concerned (I was probably one of them) that at his age, his lack of match sharpness might cost us. Aberdeen clearly thought so as they seemed to be targeting him early on. What we actually saw was his best performance in years. Really pleased for a guy that has earned legend status at Motherwell. In the summer I said I didn't think Moult and Bowman would work as a partnership. Don't I look like a fucking idiot? Bowman stretching his foot out to poke the ball to Moult was as big a part of the first goal as Lewis's fuck up. Bowman being knackered but willing to keep going even helped lead to our third. Fact he was chasing Considine down but that he was clearly running on empty made Considine switch off and he didn't see Moult coming. Outstanding team performance, great atmosphere. I still can't stop smiling twelve hours later...

I know Robinson mentioned the international clearance ahead of the Hibs game but might it be a case of him not being able to get in the squad the way we are playing? Ross MacLean scored the winner in the last round of the cup and can't even make the bench...

Agreed. Early on it looked like Aberdeen were targeting him at set pieces and trying to get May on him. Apart from one early header, they got nothing out of Hammell all night. Outstanding. He may be 35, but he didn't play like it tonight. As regards man of the match, I have no clue. You could make a case for pretty much any of them...

Assuming 352 with Hammell at centre half. There are a few mad 442 with a diamond midfield options you could make out of it or potentially 352 with McHugh at centre half and the lunacy of Hammell at wing back. You can see why Aberdeen are favourites looking at their lineup. Any team that can leave Adam Rooney and Greg Stewart on the bench is pretty strong...

If they've sold 1700 tickets, they'll probably bring well over 2000 given you can also pay at the gate...

I actually thought Rose had a good game on Saturday. It was him that crossed for the shot that Moult hit off the crossbar. McHugh, while not performing as well as last season, has not been as bad as some have made out. A few misplaced passes stick in the mind but he's also won the ball back a few times having done so. Bigirmana in the last couple of games and Tanner on Saturday have looked good when they have come on but I wonder if that's partly down to coming on later in the game when the game is stretched and there is slightly more space for them to find behind the strikers. When Frear is available, our midfield choices become even more difficult. You have to have Cadden in the team for his power, pace and physical presence. Do you drop Tait? Leave Frear on the bench? Play Cadden more centrally? Tough decisions for Robinson to make. The channels between our wing backs and centre backs have been targeted a fair bit and it is probably the weakness in the system we play. Flipside is that it allows us to play three in central midfield without playing one up front which none of our strikers are cut out for. Never been a massive fan of 352 but given the personnel we have and the fact that no one plays two in central midfield anymore, it may be the best option we have. Every formation has its pros and cons...

Indeed. Is there a name that people would be happy seeing? It seems every referee we get is greeted with "Aw naw, no him!" these days. Let's just hope that whoever it is, we don't give him too many decisions to make in and around our box...

Robinson is doing well so far. However I think after eleven games when we've played every other team once, we'll have a better idea how things are going. What I would say, in terms of squad building, evidence so far seems to show that we look a lot stronger. Bearing in mind that we had Cadden playing wing back on Saturday, our midfield options are an embarrassment of riches compared to last season. Towards the end of last season, with McHugh playing centre back, our midfield options were Lasley, Clay, Cadden and Campbell with Lucas and Pearson permanently injured. On Saturday we had Bigirimama, Tanner and Grimshaw available from the bench and that's with MacLean, Gordon and Frear not even in the squad. Night and day doesn't cover it. Irrespective of what you think of their individual abilities, if you'd been told at the start of last season that having lost Johnson, Ainsworth, Lasley, Pearson, McDonald, McManus and Heneghan (seven players most people would have had in their first eleven or in Ainsworth's case as best option from the bench) that we'd be on a four game unbeaten run including Hearts and Hibs, you'd have been astounded. Upcoming games against Dundee, Partick Thistle and Accies are going to be a real barometer of where we're at. If like the Ross County and Kilmarnock games, we pick up points we 'should' then I think we'll be fine this season. Thus far, I'd call it a good start. Cautious optimism hasn't been increased or decimated yet...