St Johnstone v Motherwell 28/10/2026

[MJC]

4 minutes ago, grizzlyg said:

AJ Just looks so fed up now, sad to see

Because he knows it’s not working. Even when we play better we still end up losing or at the least kicking ourselves in the stones right at the death. He is out of his depth and doesn’t have what it takes to change things for the better.

It’s a matter of time before we part company.

[stv]

Some arses need kicked hard in that defence .

[Bart Verheul]

5 minutes ago, MJC said:

Because he knows it’s not working. Even when we play better we still end up losing or at the least kicking ourselves in the stones right at the death. He is out of his depth and doesn’t have what it takes to change things for the better.

It’s a matter of time before we part company.

I think the fact we have been playing better and still not winning is actually what will end up being the final nail in the coffin.

When a team looks absolutely hopeless theres almost a feeling that nobody will be able to get a tune out them but this team dont look absolutely hopeless they just look like they need to be better organised and it'll turn but unfortunately it doesnt look like Alfred is the guy to do that

[Kmcalpin]

3 minutes ago, Bart Verheul said:

When a team looks absolutely hopeless theres almost a feeling that nobody will be able to get a tune out them but this team dont look absolutely hopeless they just look like they need to be better organised and it'll turn but unfortunately it doesnt look like Alfred is the guy to do that

Thats it for me. We have some decent players but they are poorly coached and organised. They are also low on confidence. You have to ask though what have Max Rogers and the coaching staff been doing?

[MJC]

9 minutes ago, Bart Verheul said:

I think the fact we have been playing better and still not winning is actually what will end up being the final nail in the coffin.

When a team looks absolutely hopeless theres almost a feeling that nobody will be able to get a tune out them but this team dont look absolutely hopeless they just look like they need to be better organised and it'll turn but unfortunately it doesnt look like Alfred is the guy to do that

That’s it I’m afraid. Even when we have been better we have failed to capitalise and poor management decisions have contributed to that.

No harm whatsoever to Alfred Johansson on a personal level. He seems a decent well meaning man and probably is a good coach. But being a coach and being a manager/head coach are two very different things that require very different skill sets.

[Lobey_Dosser]

32 minutes ago, grizzlyg said:

AJ Just looks so fed up now, sad to see

Sad to see? He’ll be getting paid handsomely for a job he knows he’s not cut out for. No sympathy from me. 

[robsterwood]

Same shit fest defending.  My son is 14, plays CB and LB for his local club and I guarantee he would do better than sod. 

[robsterwood]

Forget last season now. We are in relegation fight. Other sides have cough up and we have regressed. 

[wellfan]

How anyone can take positives from that overall performance is beyond me. The regression from last season is staggering. The fact we resorted to the hoofball tactic even while winning should be the final nail in the coffin for Alfred.

[FirParkCornerExile]

if we are finally going to get this season up and running this is the game that could turn the tide.

We are close enough to those above that this can close the small gap and get the confidence going again and by god we need it.

Last night we went into panic mode after we went ahead. All the signs of a team under pressure.To me the manager panicked too and tried to defend the game out with boot and rush. Imagine trying to defend a game out with the defence we have, poor judgement. Had we the confidence and composure  of the early part of the season St Johnstone would not have equaslised as we'd have kept the ball more and caused them more problems than they caused us. However with the managers substitutions and change of formation caused us to give St Johnstone the ball time and time again.

This St Mirren game comes down to "can we handle the pressure ?" I'm not so sure we can and the fact we look like we need to score 3 goals to stand a chance of winning any game it becomes all the harder.

The manager and players need to try and focus and build on the positives of the 1st half against Killie, the efforts against Hearts and the efforts for much of last night. There are signs we can get it together in most of the team, without reaching last seasons standards, with the one big exception the "Defence" or lack of . We are rank rotten at the back and teams can play pish and easily get two goals off us.

Its for that reason I see a point at best and would not be at all surprised if we gift St Mirren all 3 

[Great Balls of Shire]

5 hours ago, wellfan said:

How anyone can take positives from that overall performance is beyond me. The regression from last season is staggering. The fact we resorted to the hoofball tactic even while winning should be the final nail in the coffin for Alfred.

There were plenty positives to take from last night ...think i will give up posting on this though.

When we are going well ( last year) its " this wont last" , when its not going well its sack the boss, lose money and all that goes with it...nae long term thinking, Lanarkshire people just dont know how to be happy.

[Kmcalpin]

8 minutes ago, Great Balls of Shire said:

There were plenty positives to take from last night ...think i will give up posting on this though.

When we are going well ( last year) its " this wont last" , when its not going well its sack the boss, lose money and all that goes with it...nae long term thinking, Lanarkshire people just dont know how to be happy.

I hope you can understand why many fans are brassed off and have run out of patience with AJ.

He's a decent guy by all accounts and has moved his young family here to take up the manager's job. I get all of that, as there's a human side to this story.  However, the future health of our club is at stake, and with it the careers of other employees.  

Can I ask you, if this run continues, how long would you wait before taking action? Would you give him the season for example?  

[FirParkCornerExile]

11 hours ago, MJC said:

Because he knows it’s not working. Even when we play better we still end up losing or at the least kicking ourselves in the stones right at the death. He is out of his depth and doesn’t have what it takes to change things for the better.

It’s a matter of time before we part company.

I'm not so sure, I start by saying he leaves me unconvinced but there has without doubt been a lift in our performances, 1st Half versus Killie, Hearts game and last night. We are not far away from getting a result if we can sort out our utterly honking defence. The return of McGinn and Priestman will be big for us. That said if we lose our next two games he could be a dead man walking. Saturday is huge for him and the team. 

[wellfan]

18 minutes ago, Great Balls of Shire said:

There were plenty positives to take from last night ...think i will give up posting on this though.

When we are going well ( last year) its " this wont last" , when its not going well its sack the boss, lose money and all that goes with it...nae long term thinking, Lanarkshire people just dont know how to be happy.

You’re clutching at straws here. Nobody is asking for or expecting JBA mk2, but that doesn’t mean we should accept this level of regression. We’ve gone from being one of the best teams in the league to scrabbling around for the tiniest iotas of improvement amid the general shite just to justify keeping calm and carrying on. I’m sure we’d all be happy with a middle ground, but we’re so far away from that it’s unreal. It’s killing the increased attendances and souring the fan base. It’s shite.

[FirParkCornerExile]

1 minute ago, wellfan said:

You’re clutching at straws here. Nobody is asking for or expecting JBA mk2, but that doesn’t mean we should accept this level of regression. We’ve gone from being one of the best teams in the league to scrabbling around for the tiniest iotas of improvement amid the general shite just to justify keeping calm and carrying on. I’m sure we’d all be happy with a middle ground, but we’re so far away from that it’s unreal. It’s killing the increased attendances and souring the fan base. It’s shite.

I don't see it quite as black as you but the regression in the defence is off the scale. 

[wellfan]

2 minutes ago, FirParkCornerExile said:

I don't see it quite as black as you but the regression in the defence is off the scale. 

You defend as a team, and that starts with an effective press or block and a functioning system from the middle to the front. Of course the defenders then have their part to play, but so does the rest of the team. We should also be capable of retaining possession rather than passing it around the back before launching it aimlessly over the top, only to surrender possession. The defence is rightly taking criticism, but our defensive problems are evident all over the park. Ultimately, we’re a poorly coached team.

[Kmcalpin]

10 minutes ago, FirParkCornerExile said:

The return of McGinn and Priestman will be big for us. 

I agree about Priestman but am not so sure about McGinn. He'll be a year older, missed pre season and has been out with a lengthy and serious injury. What McGinn will we see? Are we expecting too much of him? 

[joewarkfanclub]

I didnt see the whole game last night, only the highlights. So I wont comment on the overall performance or where that leaves us/Alfred.

But, feck me. The defending for both their goals!

The majority of goals we have conceded this season are so similar. Lots of Motherwell players in good positions to defend, but nobody taking the responsibility to go and engage an opponent, impact the ball or throw their body on the line to stop the goal.

Thats not down to coaching. Thats just naked desire to win a football match. Its a mentality thing.

Quite how the manager changes that I dont know.

Obviously team selection and substitutions play a part, and Alfred has certainly made mistakes in that regard over the last few weeks.

From what Im reading, it appears some are of the opinion he made similar mistakes last night, and thats fair enough 

But at some point you just have to trust the players when they cross that white line, that they understand whats required to win a football match.

Right now our players are failing.

Good to hear there were harsh words exchanged between the players last night after the game. Some plain speaking is definitely required.

[joewarkfanclub]

3 minutes ago, wellfan said:

You defend as a team, and that starts with an effective press or block and a functioning system from the middle to the front. Of course the defenders then have their part to play, but so does the rest of the team. We should also be capable of retaining possession rather than passing it around the back before launching it aimlessly over the top, only to surrender possession. The defence is rightly taking criticism, but our defensive problems are evident all over the park. Ultimately, we’re a poorly coached team.

Are we though?

Or are we a team thats failing to take on instruction?

The 2 can look the same.

[Prestwickwell]

It is slightly scary that a few posters are relying on it being sorted by 36 year old injured Paul mcginn ( I like mcginn by the way )

maybe he does come back & fix it but on a the flip side we’re seeing a season to far for O’Donnell 

think how we’re defending as a team needs looked at ( previously said I think we need physicality in midfield ), no doubt the defence isn’t good enough as well though 

[FirParkCornerExile]

12 minutes ago, wellfan said:

You defend as a team, and that starts with an effective press or block and a functioning system from the middle to the front. Of course the defenders then have their part to play, but so does the rest of the team. We should also be capable of retaining possession rather than passing it around the back before launching it aimlessly over the top, only to surrender possession. The defence is rightly taking criticism, but our defensive problems are evident all over the park. Ultimately, we’re a poorly coached team.

Tactically you are not wrong. As I said in an earlier post and last night we went into panic mode after we scored. A sure sign of a team under pressure. We abandoned our very effective 1st half play to try and defend the game out which was criminal. We resorted to the kind of tactics that Kettlewell would have been proud of after we went ahead. Yes I get the defend as a team angle but equally you do actually need a defence to be competent too and we just don't have it. St Johnstone literally had 3 efforts on our goal and scored with two because the defence is pish. 

[FirParkCornerExile]

3 minutes ago, Kmcalpin said:

I agree about Priestman but am not so sure about McGinn. He'll be a year older, missed pre season and has been out with a lengthy and serious injury. What McGinn will we see? Are we expecting too much of him? 

McGinn with one leg is streets ahead of Girwood-Reich and Moornan. 

[Prestwickwell]

2 minutes ago, joewarkfanclub said:

Are we though?

Or are we a team thats failing to take on instruction?

The 2 can look the same.

Either way that’s down to the manager?

[FirParkCornerExile]

1 minute ago, Prestwickwell said:

It is slightly scary that a few posters are relying on it being sorted by 36 year old injured Paul mcginn ( I like mcginn by the way )

maybe he does come back & fix it but on a the flip side we’re seeing a season to far for O’Donnell 

think how we’re defending as a team needs looked at ( previously said I think we need physicality in midfield ), no doubt the defence isn’t good enough as well though 

I rely on him because even at his age he's streets ahead of the dross in the centre of the defence right now. I'm not saying McGinn is our future but short term he's will be an improvement to get us to the January window where sadly we need to spend again to compensate for the poor recruitment in that area. Fuck me I'd bet my mortgage on 35 year old McGinn leaving Girwood-Reich standing in a flat chase to cover back. 

[joewarkfanclub]

1 minute ago, Prestwickwell said:

Either way that’s down to the manager?

Ultimately, yes.

But one can be fixed and requires more patience and understanding than the other.

We are nearly at the natural break of the Nations League fixtures.

What happens in the next 2 games will go a long way to deciding Alfreds future.