MJC

Correct and had we not fluked our way into the top six he would have been gone at the end of that season. As it was we weren’t going to sack a manager who’d got us top since and Europe and he wasn’t going to walk unless a better offer came in. We then had the Sligo shambles and a parting of the ways was the only reasonable outcome for both parties. Stephen Robinson wasn’t without his faults and some of his teams played dreadful stuff too but I’d take him over Graham Alexander any day of the week.

He missed a penalty against St.Mirren in the shootout after that 4-4 horror night just before lockdown in early 2020. I genuinely don’t think any Motherwell player can be trusted to score a penalty in a shootout when it really matters*. But even then, is he absolutely clear to play in this game? I’m not so sure. *I know Colin O’Neill scored a crucial match winning penalty against Morton before they were even called ‘Greenock Morton’ 33 years ago

Regarding the respect aspect and the manner of Watts departure, we have seen worse behaviour in the past from certain individuals and those same individuals have been brought back, with varying levels of success. The most obvious example is Mark McGhee. A man who treated the club and the fans with contempt with his comments and behaviour in the second season of his first spell, held out as long as possible the summer he left to see if he could get the Celtic job before eventually settling for Aberdeen when we were in desperate need of a rebuild. He was brought back and in fairness did achieve top six but again disrespected the club and the support before overseeing a complete collapse of squad morale to end his second stint. Whatever Tony Watt did or didn’t go, said or didn’t say, nothing compares to that walloper and his behaviour towards us.

I posted the other day that there was no scenario where I could see us winning this tie. Well there’s one. We actually play well, win the tie in 90 minutes reasonably comfortably, bring on Tony Watt as an 88th minute sub and are subsequently disqualified for fielding an ineligible player.

If and it is a big IF Watt can recreate his form and application from his previous spell then he will be the best striker at the club. He has ability and can score goals and that’s what we need. However if he can’t and more especially if he gets injured or can’t get fit the way Moult didn’t two years ago then this signing will be another black mark against Kettlewell. This signing has to work for both us and the manager. And unlike Moult he’s not coming back on the pedestal and a lot of fans still harbour a lot of resentment towards Watt over the way he left so he will get little leeway.

Welcome back Tony. And good luck with your impending speedy recovery.

Finished 3-0 to St.Johnstone against Killie. They will bounce back next Sunday against us, nothing surer.

Kilmarnock aren’t any great shakes themselves. They are currently 0-2 down against St.Johnstone at home and have a European game on Thursday night. I can see us running them close and drawing with them but ultimately losing on penalties to them.

1-1 then beat on penalties. Misery, Misery, Misery

It was the police’s fault. And the stewards. Overhanded policing/stewarding is to blame here. The Well Bois are just normal football going supporters there to support their team and are thoroughly opposed to heavy handed policing/stewarding. “And this party political broadcast was brought to you by the Well Bois standing shoulder to shoulder with the Green Brigade”. #itsnotourfault #nopyronoparty # #jointprotest# #heavyhandsyadayada

He should have been, no arguments there. I like SK and want to get behind him as he talks a good game and seems a good guy, but he’s just not delivering for us. His recruitment has been/is awful and that is what is choking us right now. That we have signed so many injury prone players over his tenure that have (not surprisingly) ended up injured long term and players who have picked up long term injuries in training alone has to sound alarm bells. And that’s before you start on his lineups and tactics.

“Speedy……..” ach that’s wearing thin already. Something is seriously wrong at Fir Park.

But we’ve not seen any better in the LCGs games or against Ross County last week. We lack a goal scoring threat and have next to nothing in the middle of the park. I can’t see any scenario where we beat Kilmarnock in the Cup next week. They’re coming off a European game and fatigue might be a factor but I don’t see anything in our team that can do them any damage. As I said I can see a low scoring draw followed by a penalty loss.

No one can seriously argue against any of that. Regardless of budget restrictions his recruitment policy has been absolutely horrific and serious questions need asked about why he has signed several of the players he has.

Both are comfortably better than us. We won’t win against either of them. My prediction right now is that we’ll draw with Kilmarnock, either 0-0 or 1-1 then lose on penalties and lose by at least two against Hearts the following week.

Poor stuff against a poor Rangers side. It’s hard to see where a win is going to come from.

If it was two or three at a time and hadn’t been an issue for over a year now then I’d maybe accept that. But as I say it’s happened too many times to too many players for bad luck to just be a factor. Something is clearly wrong.

As I said the other day it can’t merely be put down to bad luck. To have 8/9/10 players out injured at one time and most of them out for lengthy periods has to point to something fundamentally wrong with our signing policy and our training methods, or both. ie. we are signing players who we know are not fit and/or we are pushing them too hard in training or putting them into games before they are anywhere near ready for it. This season already has disaster of all disasters written all over it, even at this early stage.

From Gent and Spittal to Seddon and Halliday. Massive downgrade in both positions.

Great finish by their centre half

“Speedy recovery”

Miller makes it. Ap Stam starts too.

“The PO’D stand will be out of action for several months due to age related decay and being generally unfit for purpose in this day and age. Speedy recovery PO’D Stand”

“Speedy recovery” is fast becoming the most common post from our media team. Our injury record is nothing short of ridiculous.

We’re a parody of ourselves with these ridiculous amounts of injuries and the length of time they are out for. As I said yesterday there has to be serious questions over either our recruitment or our training. Or both. For us to have had so many players out with lengthy injuries over the past year or so cannot simply be put down to a coincidence or bad luck. We are a total shambles.