Aberdeen v Motherwell 18/02/2026 Cup 🏆

[texanwellfan]

1 hour ago, star sail said:

I find it difficult to know where to start when reading the comments of the last 24 hours.

One thing is for certain, all the good will that has been built up over the last 6 months seems to have been tested very quickly. We can talk about a special bond between manager, players and supporters all we like but when all it takes is an accidental slip on a slick Pittodrie surface to show the cracks in the supports patience then it is clear that there is no special bond. We are not any different from any other support in the country.

Nobody knows if the team selection would have worked last night. Going down to 10 men after 3 minutes changes the game completely. 

We played with a man short for 3/4 of the game and probably still looked like the better team. The attitude of the players was fantastic. 

We cannot expect that the same starting 11 play ever game. Watt is coming back from injury. Slattery has looked tired in recent games. I find the energy that Just manages to put in game after game quite remarkable . The modern game requires some squad rotation. JBA has always been clear about that.

Anybody expecting that we just turn up to a Scottish Cup tie away to Aberdeen and walk away with a simple victory are displaying OF levels of delusion.

We can talk all we like about building a platform for the future, building a playing style and identity, a new way of looking at the game in Scotland. What the last 24 hours has shown however, is all that really matters is the result and that even an exceptional manager like JBA has very little wriggle room to manoeuvre. 

It is disappointing but not surprising. 

The result will dictate if it is all sunshine or all shite after Saturday night. It's the way it always was and the way it always will be.

 

 

I hear what you’re saying but I think you are doing a disservice to a lot of the fans. Certainly some are quick to go back to old ways but I think there are more who are still 100% right behind JBA and the team. 

[Yabba's Turd]

We didn't go up there and capitulate, they took their chances we could have taken ours.

[wellon]

1 hour ago, MJC said:

Maybe on paper it isn’t, if you look at the difference in budgets and size of both clubs as I know is something of a favourite go-to for us and some of our fans.

But that Aberdeen team really aren’t anything special. They are nine points and thirteen goals behind us in the league and we have a game in hand. We have beaten them in three out of the last four meetings before last night and they are also managerless. 
 

As for the mentality side of things. When Motherwell FC start showing that they can win big games in Cup ties (and let me be as clear as I possibly can here, I am not talking about us actually going the distance and winning the competitions, just not losing to poor sides in the early rounds four years in a row) then I might change my position on our mentality.

Unless you've changed, haven't been on as much lately,  you pretty much always predict a defeat and don't get embarrassed when it doesn't happen...but like I say, maybe it's changed 

[wellsince75]

Shows how accustomed to winning we’ve become . 
 

24hrs on and I’m still gutted , simply not used to seeing a poor performance or losing . 
 

if someone told me we’d have lost 4 games in all competitions by the time valentines days had passed I’d have never believed it .

 

Lady Luck wasn’t there in the cup and sure a loss had to come at some point . 
 

be great to see us get back on it on Saturday , put my lucky well hat back on and cheer us on to victory. 

 

 

[thewelllfan]

4 hours ago, star sail said:

Nobody knows if the team selection would have worked last night. Going down to 10 men after 3 minutes changes the game completely. 

We cannot expect that the same starting 11 play ever game. Watt is coming back from injury. Slattery has looked tired in recent games. I find the energy that Just manages to put in game after game quite remarkable . The modern game requires some squad rotation. JBA has always been clear about that.

Your points are all vaild and well made but the frustration comes from the feeling we are watching other clubs our size win things while we don't despite having some very good teams over the same period. If starting Xi had been Ward, Sparrow, SOD, Mcginn, Longelo, Preistman, Fadinger, Just, Slattery, RCC, Maswanhise,  (That's what 3 changes from the side that actually started) and we'd went out I don't think there would have been the same level of discontent at the result. Even if it was Ward and SOD making the mistakes Connolly and Gordon made they'd have been easier to take as those players have been performing well for us this season. I think the point of nobody knowing if the team selection would have worked is also a bit silly considering we've played the same opponent 4 times already this season with a similar team each time and won 3 drew 1 before that and the team he selected caused the issue that saw us down to 10 after 3 mins. 

[steelman1991]

12 hours ago, Kmcalpin said:

Oscar Priestman's red card last night wasn't our earliest. Remember Bevis' one in 2022, when he was sent off in the first minute. This is becoming a habit and an unwanted one at that!

I reckon Sam Goodwin’s against Thistle in the early 70’s was even quicker. It was almost in the “warm up” 🤣

[Kmcalpin]

34 minutes ago, steelman1991 said:

I reckon Sam Goodwin’s against Thistle in the early 70’s was even quicker. It was almost in the “warm up” 🤣

Well done for the research sir. That might have been the earliest in Scottish Cup history! I wonder if other teams have comparable records? 

[Kmcalpin]

3 hours ago, grizzlyg said:

I don't think things will go back to bad old days. I think last night was just at lot of frustration at a missed opportunity and a questionable starting line up. 

The voice of reason Grizzly. 

Last night was a very eventful and traumatic cup exit and its not surprising that folk got a bit emotional and let off steam. I have no problem whatsoever with posters venting their frustration on here as long as they don't get abusive or personal. 

I do think though that expectations pre match were overly optimistic.  Last Saturday I'd have put our chances of winning at 50/50, but by Sunday evening I'd estimated they'd dropped to 40/60.  The Aberdeen we saw last Sunday was a very different outfit to the one we'd seen earlier in the season. Thats not to say they were world beaters as they're not. Had we lost, with a stronger team and no red cards then I reckon that there would not have been half as much  frustration. To put matters in perspective there was a considerable meltdown on P & B as well. That frustration was also mirrored on socials too. Its football fans being football fans. 

Maybe double standards on my part, but I sincerely hope that the management team didn't get worked up or angry but rather are taking a cold, analytical and dispassionate view of the debacle to ensure lessons are learned and consequential changes made to ensure continuous improvement.  We've achieved a lot under JBA but still have a lot to play for this season and improvements need to be made, especially in terms of away form which has been solid, but unspectacular.  

[Onthefringes]

9 hours ago, thewelllfan said:

I've listened to the manager talk about load management doesn't mean I need to agree with him. Had he rotated the team on Sunday I wouldn't have been bothered in fact if you look at other posts that was what I had expected him to do. 'Questioning Connolly's involvement' obviously he quite literally had killed the game plan within a minute and a half I'm not seeing a load management argument there. 

Disagree with Jens all you like, there’s a reason he’s in post and you’re offering opinion on a forum.

[Yabba's Turd]

2 hours ago, Onthefringes said:

Disagree with Jens all you like, there’s a reason he’s in post and you’re offering opinion on a forum.

Jens' interview post match should show you what he's about

[Happy Dosser]

8 hours ago, steelman1991 said:

I reckon Sam Goodwin’s against Thistle in the early 70’s was even quicker. It was almost in the “warm up” 🤣

The (probably apocryphal) story about that was Sam saw the ref going for his card and said, "Aw, ref, you're not going to book me this early?" to which the ref replied, "No, Sam: you're off!"

So Sam, Sam had to pick up his musket and leave the field of play.

Was that not the same game Jim Herriot broke his leg trying to stop Willie P. from scoring?

[brainier]

25 minutes ago, Happy Dosser said:

Was that not the same game Jim Herriot broke his leg trying to stop Willie P. from scoring?

Close, I had to look this up. It was John Arrol in goals for Thistle. Herriot joined them later that year.

I think the replay got postponed a few times before Wilie Watson's late goal sent us through. 

[Happy Dosser]

1 hour ago, brainier said:

Close, I had to look this up. It was John Arrol in goals for Thistle. Herriot joined them later that year.

I think the replay got postponed a few times before Wilie Watson's late goal sent us through. 

Thanks for that: John Arrol it was right enough (more false memory syndrome 😱). I seem to remember reaching Firhill   for the replay despite the fog only to find out it had been called off.

Apart from Willie Watson's goal, my main memory is getting a blinding headache from the floodlights reflected off the flat mud of the "pitch".