bobbybingo

You'd struggle to get a fag paper between the opinions of our Facebook supporters club regarding Alexander. Pretty much of one mind now.

Aye, a wee cup run. 2 wins. I think everybody would agree most other teams have been shite, but 'we're shite too' isn't the strongest defence I've ever heard for a manager. He saved us last season and we had a good first half of the season, results wise. Since then, utter garbage, in every respect. We can moan about our luck yesterday, but in all honesty, other results have kept us where we are more than anything we've done this year. I'm interested in next season now - Alexander's team selections and tactics don't convince me he's planning on changing our style of play. Ok. But if the spectacle doesn't matter, just the results, our current run can't just be written off as meaningless.

I can see the box he's ticked, but not the boxes (unless we make Europe). Other than making the top 6, what do you consider his successes to be?

I don't see it either. For the sake of the club, someone has to be looking not only at what's been achieved, but how it's been achieved, and more importantly, where we're headed next. If they're happy everything's going according to plan, fair enough, but it's clearly not an opinion shared by most fans at the moment.

So we've been playing appalling, inconsistent football, and won a single league game this year (picking up 9 points from 45) against equally appalling teams, but Alexander's more than earned another go?

If they've lumbered us with a manager we can't afford to get rid of - no matter what - their hands should be cuffed, not tied. But I don't believe that can actually be the case. To casual observers, Alexander getting us into the top 6 makes it look like they've absolutely no decision to make, but anyone watching this stuff, week in/week out, knows that shouldn't be the case. I'm sure it's already been decided, though.

The board may feel getting us into the top 6 has earned Alexander the chance to improve the squad in the summer, but does anyone on here really believe he can be trusted to do that, given he doesn't seem to have a problem with this current mob?

Possession, chances & shots on target don't matter, it's all about winning. Wasn't that the defence for Alexander up until the New Year?

"It's a disappointing result but I was so happy with the players today because I thought they were excellent all the way through." I believe him.

Nah, that's plenty.

9 points out of 42 this year, not including today. Who else survives that?

One goal in the SPL, and we lost it.

Chris Porter released by Crewe. 38, but he plans to keep playing. Long scored for them today.

How much more do those cost?

'International full back' is O'Donnell's biggest problem at Fir Park, but I'm happy he's here. It's Alexander's choice of replacement and the other side of the park that concern me.

Giving a new contract to McGinley neither helped our financial position, nor solved our left back problem.

If we can't find a decent full back in our budget, god help us when it comes to finding midfielders and strikers in the summer.

I think we've all overdosed on reality this season. I'm unconvinced he wants to play any other way, but we'll see soon enough. If his summer signings don't work, he can't get another go in January.

You can't blame Alexander for his tactics, because the players he signed and coaches are hopeless? I wouldn't mock anyone else for their logic if I was coming out with that.

I can't see anything that suggests Alexander will improve our style of play, or alter his tactics in the long term. He got us into the top 6, despite this horrendous run of results, so they won't sack him for now. Fair enough. But if things don't improve in the last 4 games, he shouldn't be afforded very long next season.

His nose nearly scoring a late equaliser at Parkhead. And the fantastic partnership he struck up with Eddie Nolan.

I think, on balance, he should, and will. I don't want to see us sacking managers every couple of years - I just wish the football was a wee bit easier on the eye. But any reasonable person acknowledges it's a problem that runs right through the SPL.

Absolutely. But wishing/hoping for better is a huge part of what keeps fans going to places like Fir Park.

It just seems to me, you kinda know what you're getting with Alexander, it's just a question of whether that floats your boat or not. I don't see him getting us relegated, which has to be the first consideration when we appoint a manager. Cup win? Who knows, but if that's the measurement of success at Motherwell, god help anyone coming in. We're obviously dealing in bargain basement players (whether that's through financial necessity or boardroom choice) so signings are bound to be hit and miss. Style of play/tactics is the big issue. He's shown no real sign of trying to change the way he goes about getting results - will that change if he stays long enough? He's only spent 2 or 3 years everywhere else, which makes it difficult to know, although that's an eternity for most managers these days. Stick or twist?

Alexander does pretty well at all his clubs, then hits a bad run and gets sacked. There's a recurring theme of fans/boards talking about negative tactics and style of play, but they also seem to think his dismissals were a bit unfair and possibly a mistake. This wee bit regarding his time at Scunthorpe (5th in League One when he got the bullet, all but lost their Football League status yesterday) sounds familiar. "Once again, the campaign started off looking good as they played like a confident team who would be promotion favourites, from the beginning of the season up until the New Year. And once again, his side hit a poor run of form at an almost identical time – is there something to that, or is it just coincidence? Who knows?"