dennyc

That's what gets me. Given how agitated SK was getting and the heated discussions he was having with SF, I think he was concerned. And he must have felt the growing anxiety in the Stands. But despite being the only person with the real power to alter things, he did nothing until Killie scored and the referee also took a hand. An earlier change might not have worked, but had he acted earlier at least we would not have been relying on lady luck or Killie misses. And Killie might have had to change their half time game plan which was working a treat.

The momentum against Killie had clearly changed but it was not just an immediate reaction to us scoring. We were comfortable for the 30 minutes after the goal up to half time. In the second half everyone in the ground could sense the equalising goal coming and the Killie players certainly did. My issue is that, despite that momentum switch, SK did nothing to alter the flow of the match until after Killie got the goal they deserved. Had he acted earlier maybe we could have regained control and gone on to win the match. Evidenced by the impact Maswanhise had when he came on and gave Killie something different to think about. Even with us a man down. As you say, we are well placed in the League and SK deserves credit for that. But, how much better placed could we be if he was a bit more pro active. If he is not happy with the way momentum has switched or the fact we are falling deeper and deeper against his instructions, he has the power to try and change things. But he appears reluctant to do so until the inevitable happens.

There is a huge difference between (a) Fans speculating on a forum about a random player maybe signing up and (b) Someone with insider knowledge stating as a fact that a specific player has agreed a deal before he is allowed to per league rules.

Sounds like a player or his agent has verbally agreed a deal with us without yet telling his parent club. For players out of contract in the summer, when are they officially allowed to talk to other clubs? I think January is the first time a player is able to sign a pre contract but don't know if that also applies to when Clubs can make contact? So perhaps revealing his name at this time would attract unwanted attention from the powers that be? Or maybe he is such a good signing that other Clubs (St Mirren, Kilmarnock, Dundee) would outbid us if it was known he wanted a change. I'll speculate on Newell from Hibs. The type of thug we could do with. Unlikely though.

As you say. The VAR did his job correctly last night. The red card was all about the referee. You would think any appeal would be successful. But given how the referee team will now circle the wagons, I would not be surprised if they uphold the decision and then fine SK for his comments. Very interesting to see if Collum is as vocal about last night as he was on Sunday. I think he will avoid criticism of the match official and say his VAR team followed procedures correctly, but the match referee made the decision as he saw it. VAR not having the final say as it was down to the referee's interpretation rather than a factual overrule. On a broader scale, we have seen 4 recent examples involving Motherwell where it has been acknowledged the officials got it badly wrong. Given how we really only focus on Motherwell, I wonder how many such errors fans of other teams could cite. It all points to the terrible state of refereeing in this country. For me that is the real issue that needs addressed. But then I would happily ditch VAR as well.

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.

Uncollected tickets can now be picked up outside the away gate tomorrow. And additional tickets available for purchase from 10am Saturday. Details on official site. Well done Motherwell.

Oh I agree the host Club has the responsibility and is the reason Motherwell fans might miss out. Even Montrose were more efficient and more in touch with the modern world than so called top teams like St Mirren and Aberdeen. Which should be a source of embarrassment to those two Clubs. Fans deserve better. But at the end of the day I don't suppose either of those two give a toss about away fans. So sadly it falls to Motherwell to find a workable solution.

It's Motherwell fans that are disadvantaged, so Motherwell could easily sort something out. As I said, they have done so in the past. It's not difficult. Aberdeen even had a wee stall in place outside the away entrance signposted as 'Ticket Collection'. Would have been easy enough to have someone from the travelling party set up there from around 2PM. I was told there was nobody available. How about a wee bit of interaction with our fans and have a travelling reserve do it? Or maybe a Society Board Member.

And what about fans that don't live in the Motherwell area? Exact same situation as happened with the game at Aberdeen this season. Apparently it's too much hassle for the club to accept payment over the phone/online and then outside the away ground have a Member of Staff hand out those tickets that cannot be collected. As they have done in previous seasons at Hearts, Hibs and Killie away games. Seemed easy enough and worked fine. Following that Aberdeen game we were advised that Society and Club were in discussion to come up with a solution. But here we are again.

According to the Greenock press, Stuparevic pulled up in training in the lead up to the cup tie. He was due to play. Early diagnosis was a hamstring tear but no word since then. I assume this is yet another long term injury that will blamed on Kettlewell, our coaches and our training methods. Perhaps we should also send a coach to oversee the training our loanees are put through by other Clubs........just in case it's not up to scratch 😀. All Clubs suffer from injuries and although we are going through a particularly bad run, I don't believe it is down to anything other than bad luck and timing. And I certainly don't advocate bringing players back before they are ready just to limit the number that are out 'long term'. In seasons past we tried that with Donnelly and O'Hara. How did that work out? McGinn this season possibly is another. Questions are quite rightly being asked of SK and certain players given our performances in recent weeks. I fear tonight will raise more concern But, frustrating as the regularity of these injuries is, apportioning blame so Kettlewell etc reeks of a few folk being desperate to find fault no matter what.

The amount of injuries does seem unreal. And questions deserve to be asked regards signing players with a history of injury. But please explain how you avoid an injury such as this. A 22 year old player, mid season, fit and with no injury record. No hint of any achilles issue. Should we just avoid any contact or running at training? I had the same injury a few years ago. Tendon snapped when I bent down to pick something up. No warning signs just happened. Surgeon told I was just unlucky and it could have happened anytime and there was nothing I could have done to avoid it. Just suggested I was fortunate it did not happen when I was driving. Six months to recover, followed by physio and a warning to be careful on stairs etc for a good few months. Not so sure the Robinson injury is one where the Club can be held to account.

Watt might not be the player we once had but he has guile and is a nuisance which might just unsettle Dundee. Anything that better suits Stama and Maswanhise than a back three launching the ball over their heads is worth a try. So yes, give Watt a run from the start, play the ball to his feet and let’s see if that helps those around him. Give Dundee something different to cope with. That said, I fear SK will stick to his guns and set up exactly as usual and as Dundee will anticipate. A 3-5-2 formation which suited them just fine in their last game at Fir Park.

My view is that now is the time to change our set up. Teams have sussed us out. We are too predictable and opponents know how to cope with our only genuine attacking open play option under the wing back system. Opponents now push wide players further up the pitch, forcing Kaleta/ Wilson or who ever takes up our wing back role deep into their own half with little opportunity to push forward. Given our lack of numbers/ mobility/creativity in midfield the result is that our three centre backs end up hoofing the ball as far downfield as they can in the hope that one of our two strikers gets the break of the ball. In reality, as seen on Saturday, they both end up chasing lost causes 90% of the time. A thankless task. Kaleta and Wilson nullified. Game over with a poor Hibs side strolling to a win. Our only other tactic seemed to be launching throw ins deep into the Hib's box where their under fire centre backs had a field day. I agree with 'wellfan' that it's worth testing whether going four at the back might just improve all areas of the team. Surely it's worth a try. Make us more solid and joined up. If that means one of the giants sits on the bench then so be it. Even allowing for injuries, if we cannot come up with a midfield four or an attacking three from a squad of 30 then questions should be asked. And let's not come up with a solution that involves square pegs in round holes. Like Wilson as a creative midfielder. That experiment failed. At the very least, let's make it harder for our opponents to stick to their initial gameplan.

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.