couttsy

Hope I’m wrong but a team with only 2 genuine midfield players away from home doesn’t normally end well.

Not sure we can say whether a draw tonight is a good result or not without considering Saturday. Despite the situation we’re in I still think a point tonight is a good result, however only if we do what is expect of us (bookies will have us as favourites) and win on Saturday. 4 points out of these 2 games would see us going to Paisley unbeaten in 4. I’d take that!

Have to be honest I’m very surprised at so many votes for Bevis. Maybe I need to see the goals again on TV, but thought he played his part in some very poor defending for the goals we conceded!

At least we got a point, that’s the positives out the way! In fairness I thought SK picked the right team, however it was apparent half way through the first half that Dundee were being afforded far too much space (number 10 in particular) Didnt make it to Celtic park last week but Butcher in Midfield was horrible today, he sat too deep, didn’t pick up runners and was generally too slow. That position is a big problem with young Miller out. We deffo have more problems than solutions after today! Fair play to Wilkinson for keeping his composure and winning us a point. Particularly given he’d been terrible up until then!

Interesting to say the least that we appear to have changed nothing at half time.

Have been firmly in the Kettlewell in camp, but that first half was tactically horrific. So so obvious even at 1-0 that it was just a matter of time before we lost goals. Giving up far too much possession at home against Dundee. Worrying times.

A bit of Biereth magic apart, they look a league above us in terms of their passing and creativity.

Wish I was playing 10 for Dundee today, freedom of fir park every time they come forward.

Butcher I suspect!

Nope, Kettlewell deffo said in his interview that Slattery is suspended for tomorrow.

Suspect the team picks itself tomorrow with Slattery out. Kelly Casey Mugabi Blaney SOD Paton Butcher Spittal Spencer Biereth Obika Suppose the only concern would be is if Obika is fit enough to start.

No doubt the bar was low yesterday, has to be Spittal for me, did well in an unusual position in the 1st half, ran himself into the ground trying to create in the 2nd half, and then took a very good penalty for our goal.

Yeh, agree, the team selection was horrible and completely ruined the first half for us. No surprise that we improved after the break with Spittal further forward and Spencer at full back. Kettlewell has to get back to doing the obvious/sensible things. For the first 6/7 months of his tenure I thought he was great, finally we had a manager that didn’t try to over think and played players in position and in a system that worked for them. We have to get back to that. The Dundee game at FP is now huge, I’m assuming (even if we play well) we’ll lose at Parkhead, that’ll be 2 points from 30, lose to Dundee and the pressure on the club/manager for change maybe too much to resist. 3-5-2 Kelly, Casey, Butcher, Blaney Spencer, Slattery, Paton, Spittal, Gent (might not be great but gives us balance) Obika, Bierth I think we’ve all now seen enough of Bair and Wilkinson for the time being, and O’Donnell looks finished at this level I’m afraid. Could make a case for Mugabi at CH and Butcher in the holding midfielder role instead of Paton, but I fear the time playing at the back and his recent injury would render him too slow. Oh, and I think Sibbicks yellow card was for time wasting, not even sure the ref noticed the stolen yards!

3 forwards and no left back. Hmmm…. Spittal left wing back? Blaney left back in a back 4? Who knows but I can’t say I’m a fan.

I’m hopeful we’ll see a starting line up of Kelly, Spencer, Casey, Butcher, Blaney, Gent, Paton, Spittal, Slattery, Bair & Biereth. Think a 3-5-2 suits us best at the moment and to have left footed players on the left (Blaney, Gent) gives us much better balance. Would have dropped Slattery as he’s been poor of late, but not sure we have any better options, and he played very well against Hearts at Tynecastle earlier in the season, so fingers crossed he can replicate that.

Zero chance of a Motherwell manager being sacked with a record of 31 played, 15 won, 7 drawn and 9 lost (presuming those stats are correct), and nor should he be in my opinion. He’s earned the right to the time to turn it around. No doubt we’re going through a tough spell, however unless we’re marooned at the bottom of the table Kettlewell will be with us until at least the end of year.

Yeh, I agree wellsince75, we know that we have a core that are good enough for this league Kelly, Butcher, Casey, McGinn, Spencer, Spittal, Slattery, Paton, Biereth, and whilst some of them have been playing poorly recently, I think we have to persevere with them. Just need to work out who the other 2 should be. I’d go Gent and Bair. Gent as he’ll give us better balance and allow us to get Spencer on the right where I think he’ll be more effective, and Bair as he’s probably the best foil for Biereth. If McGinn and/or Butcher are missing then Blaney followed by Mugabi to come in.

Think we might need to agree to disagree there! Whilst Kelly is not in the Randolph/Ruddy class, maybe not even Gillespie, but he’s a million miles from the duds in my original list.

Haha remember him well unfortunately! Although in my opinion Stevie Woods is the all time worst in my lifetime! Hadnt thought about it before but it seems like we’ve either had really good or really bad goalkeepers over the last 30/40 years, not much in between! Good = Goram, Ruddy, Randolph, Gillespie, Carson and Kelly. Bad = Woods, Gardner, Howie, Dubourdeau, Marshall and the others I mentioned earlier.

Completely agree with the watch what you wish for comment. Kelly is going through a poor patch of form, although arguably from my perspective only the 4th goal on Wed night should sit at his door in terms of a bad mistake. Those of us who’ve sat through the Samson’s, Hollis’s, Twardzik’s and Nielsen’s of the world know only too well that it’s not always easy to find a decent keeper! Kelly is far from our biggest issue right now.

I agree, but with our collection of poor strikers picking 2 instead of 1 doesn’t seem sensible to me. Think the main aim tomorrow will be to keep it tight, be solid and hopefully take one of the couple of opportunities that are bound to come our way. its far from ideal but I’d have Spittal a lot closer to the loan striker, sit Slattery on the bench and have Spencer on the right with more license to get forward.

Yip, a definite possibility, although on that pitch it might not be the worst idea in the world as long as we get some support to him. Shaw and Wilkinson have been so poor, and Biereth won’t be allowed to start, so I see it as the best of a bad bunch of options.

Very tough decisions to be made on Saturday. I think I’d go with a 3-5-1-1. McGinn, Butcher, Casey Spencer, Davor, Miller, Paton, Odonnell Spittal Bair (we’d all have Biereth but that’s not happening, particularly on that pitch) Spencer on the right, O’Donnell reluctantly on the left (don’t think we have anyone else). Deffo do not want to see Slattery or Wilkinson starting. Reluctantly going for Bair up front as he’s at least got a presence and works hard, not sure we’d get that from Wilkinson or Shaw. Biereth to come on last 20 mins and get the winner!

For the first time since getting the job Kettlewell has a lot to think about in terms of formation, tactics and personnel for Saturday, as that was completed unacceptable tonight. We’ve lost 7 goals in the last 2 home games, so clearly something’s wrong at the back. Then despite scoring 5 goals, remarkably all of them have come with Biereth on the pitch even though he only played 60 mins across the 2 games! Starting Biereth and Butcher would go a long way to helping these issues, however I assume Biereth still won’t be allowed to start, particularly on the plastic, I also wonder if we’d be concerned about starting Butcher on the plastic as well. Sadly I can only see another defeat 😞

Thank god Slattery’s off. Don’t think I could have taken another 45 mins of watching his efforts to win fouls (ignoring the ball)