Motherwell v Hearts 29/11/2025

[mio]

It’s just as well that every team we’ve played against this season have saved their most dismal performance for us!!! Every fkn week I’m listening to the same nonsense online and via the media. Sitting listening to this sky sports stuff and it’s how hibs were rotten against us, hearts were rotten against us, earlier in the season Rangers were rotten, Celtic were rotten….. thank god they didn’t perform against us…. Or are we actually ok?

[cambo97]

2 hours ago, Kmcalpin said:

Unlucky to be denied an early goal by VAR again. A shoulder offside? I ask you. Neither clear nor obvious. 

Offside is one of those decision that clear and obvious is irrelevant. It totally objective your either offside or your not, no maybes ayes, maybes naw.

[wellsince75]

1 hour ago, mio said:

It’s just as well that every team we’ve played against this season have saved their most dismal performance for us!!! Every fkn week I’m listening to the same nonsense online and via the media. Sitting listening to this sky sports stuff and it’s how hibs were rotten against us, hearts were rotten against us, earlier in the season Rangers were rotten, Celtic were rotten….. thank god they didn’t perform against us…. Or are we actually ok?

Long may every club who plays against us have an off day !!

Completely with you Mio. It simply wouldn't suit the broader narrative that a small club with a foreign manager could ever be the reason to stop the boys of Scottish Football. 

We have had lots of plaudits re style but it's always tainted with a 'but'.  We play attractive football but 'cant defend' , we 'can't finish' . ' 0-0 was a damp squib'

Facts are we're 3rd, we're 3rd top scorers and have the 5th best goals conceded. 

Add to that we've all got eyes and can how good we are  
 

[Happy Dosser]

7 minutes ago, wellsince75 said:

Long may every club who plays against us have an off day !!

Completely with you Mio. It simply wouldn't suit the broader narrative that a small club with a foreign manager could ever be the reason to stop the boys of Scottish Football. 

We have had lots of plaudits re style but it's always tainted with a 'but'.  We play attractive football but 'cant defend' , we 'can't finish' . ' 0-0 was a damp squib'

Facts are we're 3rd, we're 3rd top scorers and have the 5th best goals conceded. 

Add to that we've all got eyes and can how good we are  
 

Quite right: Sportscene last night was another example of faint praise for us  and Radio Scotland before the match  yesterday took a swipe at J-B Askou for allegedly "dispespectful" comments about Hibs' Hanley on Tuesday night. Wee McCall was in his element.

Don't think he likes us very much.....

[weeyin]

2 hours ago, cambo97 said:

Offside is one of those decision that clear and obvious is irrelevant. It totally objective your either offside or your not, no maybes ayes, maybes naw.

Based on the number of available cameras, the available camera angles, the inability of the video to capture the exact point in time the ball left the passers foot, the resolution of the video, the ability of the VAR officials to draw the appropriate lines of a consistent width and the ability of the officials to correctly determine the part of the arm that was offside is a part if the arm that can't play the ball - I agree, totally objective.

As I have said before, the spirit of the original offside law was to prevent strikers hanging around the penalty box for 90 minutes. It has evolved over the years, but it was never the spirit of the law to rule out goals because of the width of the leather wrapped around a player's big toe. 

I think the rule needs adjusted to catch up with the technology. 

[mio]

9 minutes ago, Happy Dosser said:

Quite right: Sportscene last night was another example of faint praise for us  and Radio Scotland before the match  yesterday took a swipe at J-B Askou for allegedly "dispespectful" comments about Hibs' Hanley on Tuesday night. Wee McCall was in his element.

Don't think he likes us very much.....

He can’t stand Motherwell, I think he was knocked back for our managers post years ago and has never gotten over it.

its always the same group of people and ex players and ex managers that have a pop at us. You know them a mile off, hoof ball ex managers (and current ones such as Robinson who made derisory comments) ex players who had little technical ability, Dodds, Craigan etc etc and the press who are best mates with the haddy Scottish managers, who have failed us for years. 
I think we are getting good general press by current players and players who have maybe recently retired who are aware that football needs to change in this country.

We can’t run about headless elbowing folk and sliding into tackles anymore at the top level, that’s what junior football is for.

[Stuwell2]

5 minutes ago, weeyin said:

As I have said before, the spirit of the original offside law was to prevent strikers hanging around the penalty box for 90 minutes. It has evolved over the years, but it was never the spirit of the law to rule out goals because of the width of the leather wrapped around a player's big toe. 

I think the rule needs adjusted to catch up with the technology. 

Though I can see and agree with your point, the offside part of VAR is the only part that the guys in the VAR control room can’t easily fuck up - although they have managed it at times - any attempt to change it would be a disaster. 

[weeyin]

9 minutes ago, Stuwell2 said:

Though I can see and agree with your point, the offside part of VAR is the only part that the guys in the VAR control room can’t easily fuck up - although they have managed it at times - any attempt to change it would be a disaster. 

Well, it would be easier and cheaper (and better) just to scrap VAR, but with a few more cameras and some AI, we could get rid of the officials making the offiside decisions, and tweak the rule.

 

[joewarkfanclub]

28 minutes ago, weeyin said:

Based on the number of available cameras, the available camera angles, the inability of the video to capture the exact point in time the ball left the passers foot, the resolution of the video, the ability of the VAR officials to draw the appropriate lines of a consistent width and the ability of the officials to correctly determine the part of the arm that was offside is a part if the arm that can't play the ball - I agree, totally objective.

As I have said before, the spirit of the original offside law was to prevent strikers hanging around the penalty box for 90 minutes. It has evolved over the years, but it was never the spirit of the law to rule out goals because of the width of the leather wrapped around a player's big toe. 

I think the rule needs adjusted to catch up with the technology. 

I agree.

Clear light / distance whatever you want to call it.

No more of this "bawhair" stuff.

[texanwellfan]

22 minutes ago, mio said:

He can’t stand Motherwell, I think he was knocked back for our managers post years ago and has never gotten over it.

its always the same group of people and ex players and ex managers that have a pop at us. You know them a mile off, hoof ball ex managers (and current ones such as Robinson who made derisory comments) ex players who had little technical ability, Dodds, Craigan etc etc and the press who are best mates with the haddy Scottish managers, who have failed us for years. 
I think we are getting good general press by current players and players who have maybe recently retired who are aware that football needs to change in this country.

We can’t run about headless elbowing folk and sliding into tackles anymore at the top level, that’s what junior football is for.

I’m more than happy not to get media attention or praise. The longer we stay under the radar or are unappreciated for the way we are playing, the better. We know what we are watching every week now amd the league table will be the test of how good we are. 

[MJC]

We were pretty decent yesterday i thought but again lacked the cutting edge. With the exception of the opening period of the 2nd half we matched up with and at times nullified a strong Hearts side. Eli Just was brilliant again.

We’ve definitely shown improvements in our game management over the last month and credit to JbA for learning lessons from the LCSF debacle.

[texanwellfan]

Although the pundits may be slow to praise our style of play, I’d say almost every game we have played has seen comments from opposition fans acknowledging the type of football we play. 
  So while the there maybe voices saying this is not Scottish fitba, it’s obviously the kind of football that a lot of fans are dying to see.  

[mio]

I’ve just watched that hibs v Celtic game and I’m half way through the Falkirk v rangers game and no one can tell me otherwise that we don’t play better football than this lot. 
Trying hard to keep my claret and amber specs off here but if it wasn’t for Celtic having Maeda and Hatate (when he fancies it) we could really challenge if we get a bit of luck and stay injury free.

[texanwellfan]

2 minutes ago, mio said:

I’ve just watched that hibs v Celtic game and I’m half way through the Falkirk v rangers game and no one can tell me otherwise that we don’t play better football than this lot. 
Trying hard to keep my claret and amber specs off here but if it wasn’t for Celtic having Maeda and Hatate (when he fancies it) we could really challenge if we get a bit of luck and stay injury free.

How’s the Falkirk game going? I’d be ok with it ending in a draw amd Falkirk picking up a few injuries 

[well_said]

1 hour ago, Happy Dosser said:

Quite right: Sportscene last night was another example of faint praise for us  and Radio Scotland before the match  yesterday took a swipe at J-B Askou for allegedly "dispespectful" comments about Hibs' Hanley on Tuesday night. Wee McCall was in his element.

Don't think he likes us very much.....

Mc call is an ex football manager and will continue to be an ex football manager , dinosaur is the best description for that fud.

[mio]

Falkirk aren’t playing very well which is good with our game coming up and rangers are huffing and puffing. As you say a draw would be ideal 

[mio]

Take that back actually…. Falkirk in the final 30mins have been excellent. Can’t believe they haven’t won that game.

a draw is good for us though, can’t complain.

[FirParkCornerExile]

11 minutes ago, mio said:

Take that back actually…. Falkirk in the final 30mins have been excellent. Can’t believe they haven’t won that game.

a draw is good for us though, can’t complain.

Good results for us today. Celtic were mince we must stand a good chance against them at home. Just need Livi to beat Aberdeen (they've been the better team in this game) put St Mirren bottom. 

[well_said]

1 minute ago, FirParkCornerExile said:

Good results for us today. Celtic were mince we must stand a good chance against them at home. Just need Livi to beat Aberdeen (they've been the better team in this game) put St Mirren bottom. 

Also puts bellend second bottom.

[star sail]

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. 

 

 

[weeyin]

In context, I don't think JBA was in any way having a go at Hanley. He was just trying to explain his approach during a live interview, while grasping for a few exact words using his second language.

If you listen to any of his interviews, including his pre-match against Hibs, he never has anything but praise and respect for all our opponents.

What I took from this interview, was that our tactic was to target the defenders with pace and a high press, and close down their usual outlets. Meaning Hanley (and the other defenders) were having to bring it out rather than being able to pass it to their regular ball carriers like Cadden.

The fabricated fuss is a bit ironic given the experts in the media make a living telling everyone how terrible certain players and mangers are on a weekly basis. And they have English as their native language (allegedly).

 

[Spiderpig]

43 minutes ago, star sail said:

I thought that JBA's comments about Hanley was possibly the first mistake he has made since arriving at the club.

Nonsense. Hanley is brutal and JBA knew that so he set us up to nullify the rest of the Hibs back line and put pressure on thd weak link in the Hibs defence.

Anytime Hibs had the ball our pressing meant that Hanley was left alone and as such he was their only outball, JBA,s tactics were spot on and eventually won us the game.