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would be rather ironic if we did seeing as Liverpool paid for the current Main Stand with the sale of Ian St John to them in the 1960s

That's roughly 5 million civilians killed by bombing. Sounds like a great guy.

Whilst I agree with you regards financial limitations impacting the quality of the players we can recruit (that also applies to most teams in the League), it's not just about poor entertainment. When results are not good that poor entertainment becomes unbearable and other factors become a frustration. Match day is again suggesting a Manager reluctant to try anything different, be it formation or personnel. A Manager that seems incapable of a fresh approach. A new approach that admittedly may not work, but at least would provide hope and indicate a willingness to adapt. And it is not just about the past two losses. There have been matches all season that have raised the same issues, Underperforming players making the same errors week on week are starting no matter what, substitutions are like for like until such time as the game is lost and we are chasing a miracle. Then it's full panic mode and irrational. That's what did for Alexander and unless SK is willing to adapt then I see exactly the same outcome for him. And that would be sad. I certainly don't see him again getting away with a terrible run like he took us through last season. And on the past two performances allied to the semi final a similar period is a possibility. The next three games could be pivotal. And if those three games go against us, I very much doubt we will be able to point to a top six placing as the end justifying the means. Looking at the squad list in yesterday's programme, we have 27 players in our first team squad and that excludes a few additional players that have featured this season or have sat on the bench. So let's call it a squad of 30. And yet yesterday we could not get a functioning eleven on the park. They are his players now, many were recruited by him, several had a history of serious injury prior to signing. It was no secret that Spittal and Bair would be moving on. If the quality of those available players and injuries mean we have no option but to stick with the current set up, then SK carries much of the responsibility for that limitation. No excuses. No mitigation. He has been allowed to recruit. I defended SK last season because I felt he deserved leeway and was going through a learning process, with a squad that was partially inherited. He needed time to build his squad and implement his ideas. The past few games have made me question that reasoning and dig deeper. As for driving fans away. It is not the lack of entertainment causing me to give Dundee a miss on Wednesday. If it was about lack of entertainment I have had plenty of opportunities to walk away since I first started attending games. I even survived the Malpas years. I am avoiding Dundee because I truly believe that I would be watching the same players as Saturday, squeezed into the exact same formation that restricts the quality players in the team, trying to kill the game for 70 minutes in the hope of sneaking a goal late on. And I'm fed up, scunnered with it all. Watching your team should not be a chore, whether they entertain or not.

I'm a happy clapper, mind? My hands are rid raw.

Wasn't sure where to post this but I was at calendar signing tonight getting one signed for our best pals son. I know we give them pelters at times but what a great bunch of lads we have. All so pleasant and took time to speak to everyone. I even got a few selfies but avoided saying I was grizzly just incase...🤣

Being honest, I thought we played well and were the better side up until we lost the 2nd goal...really unsure why that wasn't stopped for a head knock?? After that we fell to bits...having a wee boy as captain is mental, because at times like that we need someone to grip the whole team and get them re-focussed.

Spot on again shagger

#Justice4Steelboy

No idea what Steelboy said to start off this line of discussion but I don't think his post is any weirder than the one boasting about their FiL fighting in Vietnam? It's only been widely considered a catastrophic waste of time for about 60 years.

A word to the wise, my Mrs served 30 years and retired as a general, father in law flew in Korea and Vietnam, I've volunteered at the VA when I can, I'd be mindful of posting anything derogatory to those who've served.

Why the mod team to approve ?? i dont recall them saying anything untoward, someone says steel boy said something about the minutes silance or something and i think yodas was maybe after the St j game when he said something about the managers tactics being rubbish and the manager having to up his game. Surely not ! Free speech and everybody has an opinion and all that , Dont get me wrong they talk some shite but its its there opinion and we can just argue with them there is a few rockets on here with there own slant on things ( me included ) but i liked the banter with them being monitored on what you say is surely schoolboy stuff ?

The responsibility for letting off flares is on those that let of flares. No one else. Can we just stop making excuses?

Ox Kaleta Gordon Casey Seddon Paton Miller Halliday Watt Stama Maswanhise

Subs should have been at 60 mins. Starting Watt was right call but Maswanhise and sparrow should have been on at 60 mins. one of the worst refereeing displays I’ve seen for a long long time but we should have taken care of business long before we got into that position.

That was a thoroughly entertaining game. My main takeaway was that I really enjoyed a game of football for the first time in a while and I left the stadium smiling. The tactic of continuing to surrender possession to then feed off second balls and scraps was pretty annoying to watch, however, but it worked today as we scored one more goal than we conceded. It’s a basic tactic that won’t work against other better teams and managers, but fair play to Frail and Kettlewell for getting more right than wrong. It was an approach that ultimately led to end-to-end entertainment for both sides, with seven goals scored. An obvious positive was seeing Stama played in his best position and with the team setup accordingly to provide him with appropriate service, finally. A worrying negative was seeing Wilson brought on as a left-sided midfielder and looking completely lost in a role that he really hasn’t been developed for. He needs to be managed better and deployed as a LB/LWB. He’s no Georgie Gent, unfortunately, who could also play as an inside left forward and rip through teams. A home win on Friday night against Killie will see us on a minimum of 3 wins from 6 games for December, which is about what I expect from a Motherwell team.

Stama's second goal was precisely the type of goal his highlight reel was full of.

I hope that just with the clapping. 🥴🥴🥴

The opposite of when Jim McLean was Utd manager. They'd let you have the ball for 70% of the game and you'd leave with a 4 - 0 defeat.

I don't post much, but just wanted to check that every cunt is ok? Viva Motherwell

he's certainly a decent player - personal view is we need a good balance of hard working type s(which we have lots of) together with a few who can actually play football. Guys like Nicholson, Miller, Slattery, Watt all have decent skill - I'd like to see a team with all of them fit.

To be fair he probably plays better on grass than recycled plastic bottles.

Kaleta for Tavares Paton for Halliday Maswanhise for Watt ( not dropped, he is unavailable as its parent club) COYW

"We won" "Who scored?" "Watt" "I SAID WHO SCORED?" Once you've stopped laughing uncontrollaby, take your pick...

It’s on The Horror Chanel… 666

I think what is telling is that folk who strongly supported SK through thick and thin last season are now expressing valid concerns. Not just on here but also in the stands at games. it is not just those that were against him from the outset that are speaking up. Far from it.

I thinks that’s because the comedy channel already had a full quota of programs for that evening.

I think the difference is that he has now less credit in the bank than he had last season. Last year, he came in and rescued us from the mess that Stevie Hammell left. He didn't have time to overhaul the squad. This season, although he has taken us to a semi final, we are now playing with his squad, which he himself has built. For those reasons, if things go badly wrong then the fans won't be as forgiving. I can thole his brand of football, as long as we are picking up points and doing well. I suspect that many fans are in the same boat.

Seeing as Kettlewell had Balmer seriously injured then why not substitute him? Really getting fed up with the "everyone's fault bar me attitude" Kettlewell has adopted. I am not one who wants him sacked at any opportunity and I am not a happy clapper, I have given him both praise and criticism but I seriously now have doubts, he is nearly 2 ywrs in job so the "he's still learning" doesn't wash anymore. This all started after bottling it against gers in semi final. We are easy to play against as everyone knows the formation and also he has signed a lot and had cash to spend so budget excuses don't wash either. But hey it's OK as he will just play the " I signed Theo Bair" card. Not even in mood for telling a joke so heyyyyy.....every cloud 🤣🤣

So if we are pish what are the teams below us? 🤔 Shit? Some things/people don’t change. Recall same comments (same people?) on here going on about how pish/lucky we were to finish 5th under Alexander. And under Robinson. And under McCall. And…….🥱

Obviously we've been shite lately but we are still 5 points ahead of last season. Nothing against criticising the team and manager as long as there is a wider perspective on where we are. But you'd think it was -5 points for a loss sometimes with some of the comments. We've won 6 and lost 7 this season. Yet the criticism seems to vastly outweigh the praise.

Precisely this. Scunnered. I’m a season ticket holder and I cannot recall voluntarily missing as many home games as I have done this season and last. Unglamorous football will never drive Motherwell fans away, but predictable, amateurish and negative shite will.

Took a little time out last night to not think about football and digest what I saw yesterday. For the first time this season I am genuinely worried. We have had some poor performances this season, but they have generally all had some form of mitigation and we have generally bounced back with a win. Wasnt too enamoured with the starting 11 as Davor and Halliday together generally never goes well, albeit the change from a box to a diamond should have helped. But with Maswanhise being asked to play through the middle we really needed our wingbacks to push high and support the front 2 and this never happened causing us to get deeper and deeper until our defence and midfield were camped in our penalty area. We could have gone ahead if Balmer had converted but it was absolutely no surprise whatsoever when we conceded, and even more annoying that Hibs didnt have to do anything to work for either goal. The half time subs for me were all wrong. Stama wasnt having any impact, but he had been left so isolated he deserved at least a chance to show what he could do with Watt alongside him and Maswanhise out wide. He must be really evaluating his decision to join us now. We did get marginally better in the second half, but it was such a low bar it would have been impossible not to. Going 3-4-3 did improve our attacking impetus a little but it left us wide open at the back so was no surprise when we lost the 3rd and putting the game beyond us. My main bug bear from yesterday is that SK is back to picking the wrong starting formations and making baffling substitutions. We never seem to play to our strengths. Kaleta is an absolute flying machine and has proved he can deliver a good cross. But we dont have any patterns of play to get him on the ball in positions he can take on the defender. Miller has absolutely no support in midfield. It was telling that he started to look more effective when Paton came on as he at least seemed to be able to carry the ball and pass it to a team mate! Our defenders are all too similar. Casey, Gordon and Balmer all like a header and a wrestling match but none of them are great with the ball at their feet. Seddon really needs brought back in there until SOD or McGinn get back. With Davor and Halliday in front of that 3, its no surprise we cant keep the ball or build any passages of play. SK has some big questions ahead of Wednesday. He needs to find the right answers before this bump in the road turns into another malaise. I wont be able to defend another winless streak if he hasnt learned anything from last years.

Can we play you in your bed up front?

Aw well at least we will hear from yoda and steelboy shortly 🤣🤣

I’ve never met the guy and I understand folks view from interviews he’s done but about 15 years ago my brother had a hospitality table at Parkhead and took a few of our mates and my dad. TB came over to the table and sat with them for more than 15 minutes talking about his time at Motherwell and talking to my dad about ex players who were about the club doing hospitality when he was there which made my dads day. My brother says he was a good guy who showed real affection for Motherwell and what we did for his career. He also says they were all having a good laugh until a Celtic employee came over and told TB that there were plenty of tables of Celtic supporters wanting to talk with him and as he got up he said awe well back to work then, it was a pleasure talking to you guys. So for that I give him a lot of leeway.

What's that? Folk commenting on how absolutely pish we've been and how negative our tactics are?

It may seem tedious but the bottom line is that the failure to award a penalty and the officials then admitting they made a James Hunt of it , probably cost Rangers a cup win, how would you feel if that had been against us? The clubs should be demanding change from the SFA, as they have no accountability VAR should be scrapped until it is fit for purpose. Watch the VAR review show on YouTube, every time it's on Willie Colum is admitting his team got it wrong on at least 1 or 2 occasions and yet the same people are still in a job.

Your wish is my command. "Let’s be clear, United lost this game because of how they defended, not because of decisions made by the officials. But VAR is really starting to infuriate me. United games have seen VAR intervene on penalty decisions in each of the last three games. Each decision has been argued over plenty. Kevin Holt indicates a pull on his shirt to referee Nick Walsh at the end of Saturday’s clash. Image: Craig Foy/SNS My main gripe with it is how the new technology affects the way defenders defend inside the area. I noticed this quite clearly in Saturday’s game. Incidents where a few years ago a defender would have no hesitation in sticking a foot in to win the ball now see defenders sit off. It does impact the way teams defend because players aren’t thinking so much about how to defend but more about not giving away a spot-kick. I dread to think if I was playing how I’d be treated these days! It doesn’t take much for a penalty to be given. And I do feel sorry for defenders, sometimes there really isn’t much they can do. That goes for the penalty United won on Saturday. It can be difficult to say in the moment but I’m not convinced Liam Gordon did enough to send Louis Moult to the ground. Moult is clever in these situations and has shown that in recent weeks. Then there’s the one Motherwell didn’t get from a Luca Stephenson challenge on the edge of the area. And United were adamant there was a handball by Apostolos Stamatelopoulos before Motherwell’s fourth goal. Add that to the decisions against Kilmarnock and St Mirren and it feels like Dundee United are becoming a magnet for debatable VAR calls." (source Courier) Clearly there is confusion about the handball rule even with in the game. Not sure I agree with him about Louis Moult and the penalty though.

Maswanhise was absolutely raging when he got hooked yesterday. That hunger from him, and Watt putting himself in the shop window, will see them in healthy competition to be the main foil for Stama. Both are different and have their uses depending on the opposition and/or how a game is panning out. Robinson being injured and Moses being the wildcard has probably forced Kettlewell to simplify his attack options and abandon the one up top crap, thankfully. We’re so much better when we try to play football in the final third. Nicholson and Vale (next year) returning throw further positive attacking dimensions into the mix. I can imagine the pair of them feeding Stama countless chances. We don’t really play with attacking out-and-out wingers, so who knows what’ll happen with Tavares, particularly with SOD coming back and Koutroumbis getting closer to match fitness, meaning he’ll no longer be required as the crazy RWB option. Likely back to Hibs unless they pay us to keep him. Robinson’s injury aside, which is awful, these attacking problems/options are all good to have. It’s all feeling a bit more positive now.

Scoring goals in the first half - who is this team Really pleasing to see energy, attacking football. Lots of chances for both teams. Much prefer this approach , got to give the fans something to cheer about during and as @wellfan mentioned - thoroughly entertaining game. Win lose or daw, entertainment and excitement is good for the game.

I don't have a problem with Dundee Utd being awarded a penalty for that as long as we get ours. Just basic inconsistency yet again.

4-3, why does this feel familiar

Liverpool paid £4.2m for Calvin Ramsay, based on not very much.

I would expect DU would be keen to get him off their wage bill. Question is, will Tony see sense and sign for us or revert to previous and end up in the Khazakstan Premier Leage on 10K a week ?

When the stars align for Tony, he’s easily one of our best and most important footballers. He brings something to the team that nobody else in our squad can. He drags the team up the park with his wily approach to the game. He brings so much more than the occasional goal. A relatively meek and talentless squad like ours needs a player like Tony to make things happen. I’m glad that he not only got the goal, but that he also got 90 minutes under his belt. He should be the difference for us, again, this season.

I heard that when somebody tells you something in confidence they don't expect it to be plastered over a public message board.

It's when Balmer went down, the Dundee player was all over him, an arm round Balmers neck at one point, stonewall pen, but once again VAR did not want to know, what's the point of it if they miss stuff like that. Play never stopped either, so in 30 seconds we went from a chance to go 2-1 up to being 2-1 down, utter nonsense.

Back to Back defeats by the looks of it but what is more alarming is the football we are playing it's utterly dreadful properly just nothing to it Kettlewells doesn't have a plan b or c to this. Just fling on some fucking forwards and go for it FFS he lines up against Ross County and Hibs like we are playing prime Real Madrid. It's just negative pish!

I’m on the A9 near Dunkeld on a bus right now. Everything is moving but slowly, although my advice to others would be turn back and go home.

Police are now advising people not to travel over the weekend, I think the game will be off https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvged5y8qn2o