Tweed

If you'd told me this morning we would ship three and the goalie wouldn't have been to blame for any of them I'd have struggled to believe you. I think we maybe paid the cost to a degree for players being a bit rusty and some of them clearly not quite 100% fit (Vigurs, McManus and Carswell). But for guts, determination and will to win you have to doff your cap to them tonight. If you want to achieve anything in a league competition that is the kind of game you have to ground out a win in and that is what we did. I thought at the time Archibald taking Higginbotham off was a mistake because he was able to run with the ball and relieve some pressure from them and he has a goal in him, had he not done that I'm not convinced we'd have won it. Reminds me a bit of the 3-2 game with Hibs when Fenlon took Doyle and Griffiths off and handed us the impetus. But that said we had to dig in and dig in we did.

Thinking about it on b), cup Saturday would make sense since they were equally good at being papped out by Aberdeen as we were earlier in the season!

As of now, looks like rain could be clearing about 9am Saturday morning, given proximity of Glasgow to us hope we can defer making a decision until 1230pm.

I'm thinking Mark Reynolds.

It could help if the clubs utilised it to engage with a new audience but they don't. It seems just to have been used as a pawn to give BT Sport and Sky another place to shove us where they don't want or have the buy in from the EPL. Last minute game changes (I mean within eight weeks of the game) mean people already have other plans in place so won't go. As I said on the Well Society Facebook page, even moving the game by 2 hours on a Saturday at this notice could render the train tickets you'd bought worthless as they get you there after kick off. Aberdeen's trip to Paisley on February 15th moved today. In England, they made all their amendments for March yesterday. Football needs to realise that people have other things in their life and we can't all shoehorn our lives round them when they change things so late. I have no objection to FNF in principal but this change was just too late. Also for us I think we should try and be utilising it with St Mirren, Kilmarnock and Partick as you can return from them on public transport and at a push the Edinburgh teams if you come the long way. Dundee is too far away.

Absolutely agree he wasn't the only one to fail to react. Also when Langfield did react, our strikers didn't.

I think you can see the difference in confidence between him and Langfield on Saturday. In the first half, Langfield parried a shot from McFadden and was out like a rat up a drain to get it before one of our forwards could. When Neilson did the same he stood and watched Rooney head it in. You can argue he should have caught it or parried it the other way but for me the total lack of reaction is a goalkeeper playing without confidence. Are we allowed to play him as a ringer for the U20s? If we are we should do it and try and build his confidence up at a competitive but lower level for a couple of weeks.

Another game where a lot of players did well but nobody for me stood head and shoulders above the rest to become an obvious MoTM. However Lasley and Sutton probably were a nod ahead of most of the rest and on balance I'll go for Lasley but tough one.

The goalkeeper is really beginning to concern me. Every corner yesterday was some sort of crisis and whilst Aberdeen are maybe the biggest team we need to play for a bit we can't go on like this because that sort of defending will cost us so much. Throw in the ability to parry at will to strikers of the opposing team and it is a concern. It is the same mistakes that are happening and in any other position you can rejig the team to take him out the firing line for a bit but when your only deputy is injured it is a problem. I'd love him to turn it around but there is only so long this is a confidence thing and not that he isn't good enough. I'm beginning to really believe it is the latter. If we want to cement third and compete for second we are going to have to invest. It is no coincidence that Twardzik has been in goal for just over a third of our victories this season yet has only played in just over one fifth of the games. It may not be him that comes but someone better needs to or it is going to be costly to our ambitions.

All in we deserved no more than a point. The only part of the game we were in the ascendancy was the first ten minutes of the second half. However it is an absolute sickener the way it happened. First half was scrappy. I hear McInnes thinks Hutchinson should have been sent off for the tackle on Jack - I didn't even think it was a foul. Lasley booked, possibly correctly and then Flood commits an identical offence and isn't. McFadden's chance after Angol's run down the left was the best chance in the half but it was a tough one and I don't think we could have expected a goal. Second half and Aberdeen concede a cheap corner and then didn't mark McManus and boom we led 1-0. We then buzzed about for ten minutes and really had we nicked a 2nd in that spell I think we could have kicked on and won comfortably. But Aberdeen grew and grew and the leveller they got was no more than they deserved. Kerr going off put us under a lot of pressure as Carswell v McGinn was a total mismatch. Lots of mistakes in the first goal and whilst Neilsen's will get the headlines he should never have had to make a save in the first place. Then when I feared it would be 25 minutes of hanging on for a draw, we scored again and what a goal it was. Still not sure if it was Angol or Sutton but the work that went before it was outstanding. Aberdeen pushed on again and inevitably equalised. I thought Steven McLean was south of useless today but I think the handball was hard to spot as there were seventeen players within ten yards and in keeping his distance to let the game play he looks like he was unsighted and Neilsen was blocking the assistant's view. Shit break but I actually don't blame him for it. Doesn't make it any less of a kick in the stones though. However, they won two uncontested headers in that goal as well as goalie grappling fresh air, think there is more than enough we could have done better without concerning ourselves about Steven McLean's inadequacies of which there were many. I said before this one that I thought the most crucial thing was not to lose and although it feels sore just now we have a game in hand on them and no Celtic to deal with between now and the split. We're still in a damn good place and a big home game v Thistle next.

Unless the rain turns Biblical I don't think there should be a problem. Last time we had a day of torrential rain after a week of three days where it rained the whole day. This last week has had some showery days and some dry days so the drainage should be able to cope with all but an incessant downpour and while it is raining just now it isn't that heavy. Of course this is just an educated guess but I'm not concerned. Given the distance Aberdeen are travelling I also would have thought if there was any risk noises would have been made by now.

I think the most important thing from this game is we do not lose. We're only one behind them and after next Saturday we have the nine weakest teams in the league left to the split plus a game in hand and they still have Celtic to deal with. We're both good teams if we play as we can but problem is that both Motherwell and Aberdeen's biggest strength is hitting on the counter and suits the away team better. Mitigating Flood could be the key as in the cup game he was absolutely immense at spraying the ball out after every attack broke down. Not been at the football since New Years Day since I was away last weekend and working yesterday so suffering withdrawal symptoms a bit. Hoping we can find the performance to turn them over. On Aberdeen targeting the goalie, they made a complete mess of targeting Twardzik. His one weakness against St Mirren had been coming for balls on the six yard line so Aberdeen decided he was duff at crosses so put every corner right on him and he dealt with that no bother. So McInnes clearly saw a weakness and then didn't quite get the tactic right as Twardzik's issue was with tempters rather than ones right on him. Only thing is Neilson has so many weaknesses could be a sitting duck.

Last twice we've had a penalty and won against Celtic, Euan Norris gave it. One in April 2013 and one in February 2011. Only time O'Reilly refereed a Motherwell v Celtic game was a post split game at Fir Park in 2012 and they beat us 3-0 which from memory was our fault. Of course in this thread we haven't mentioned John Gilmour the linesman against Rangers in Craig Brown's tenure disallowing that goal against Rangers.

Just seen the goals, penalty and red card on Sky Sports News and it looks live every goal has come from us being in possession and the defence being caught short by being too up the pitch. Clearly I cannot judge our tactics and formation on that but the goals we lost suggest we were trying to play it higher up the pitch. On the one showing I got it looked like the referee was bang on the money with both the penalty and the red card. Looked like Neilson clipped him and the Celtic player tried to stay on his feet and then realised he wasn't getting it and went down like a sack of spuds. Doesn't change that there was an infringement. Seemed a bit strange that Madden and Carswell seemed to be having a race to reach Stokes first. Spoke with one of them on the train back from work and they said we played OK but our final ball was generally poor. Thing is our chance of being lucky against them is to keep it tight and hope to catch them when they go for it later on. I think McCall's tactics are spot on but they keep getting blown out the water by individual errors.

He was injured for ages but since he came back he has never been let loose on the top flight. He did referee the play off semi final between Dunfermline and Forfar last season when Forfar got three players, their manager and a coach sent off. It wasn't harsh at all. It was a shocking misplaced passback that because it was so inaccurate Smith had to pick up. O'Reilly in that Hibs game is the worst I have ever seen.

This is true. Of course it is not just the increasing cost of football that stops the away support, it is also the cost of getting there. The cost of fuel and trains and bus hire are all increasing. I always think there is something that the clubs could do and say if you produce a match ticket you get 50% off the train and that would maybe provide an increase of revenue to both Scotrail and the club. If we can't so that when the fixtures come out next season we could pick a couple of clubs, lets for example say Inverness and Dundee Utd who we should have two home games with each and say to fans of both clubs that if you come to both fixtures between the clubs you can get into the 2nd one for a fiver. It would maybe encourage fans to come to the first one so they can get a cheap day out the 2nd time. The time has come to be creative.

Part of the reason, and a big part of the reason is that away crowds are diminishing. I remember when all the city clubs at least filled the bottom tier of the away stand and that hasn't happened for ages, outwith Aberdeen and Celtic. We should be marketing ourselves as the attractive away day to away fans so if, for example, your cash strapped St Johnstone fan had to choose between us and Ross County last week that the vast majority would come to us. Of course we need to focus on our own fans but we have worked hard there and maybe the strategy needs to be changed but I have no ideas but I have no doubt we could do more to bring away punters in, something different from everyone else.

Both United games were called off last season. Power cut in October and waterlogged pitch in January on a Tuesday night.

We lost the 2nd game at home to United last season due to a waterlogged pitch; was then rearranged for about a month later and Faddy made his debut.

Just looked back at this and after the five games we have won you can suddenly see a difference. 1. Other than Hollis, Erwin and Kerr (only Hollis is a possible first pick) suddenly we have had a good run on the injuries front. 2. Ainsworth and Anier both playing and that problem is away. 3. Vigurs, Faddy and Lawson (at Aberdeen) suddenly playing as they can. 4. Much improved at Aberdeen - Ramsden, Hutchinson and Lasley all excellent. 5. Suddenly the team is picked on ability and opposition rather than shoe horning 11 fit ones in. 6. Goalie playing well, central defence superb, Carswell and Lasley upped it a bit and Sutton, Anier and Faddy all playing well up top. Not saying these are all the things that have turned it round but certainly made a huge difference.

About ten years ago we had lost a ton of games on the spin while Hearts were tucked in just behind the Old Firm. We played them at FIr Park, banker away win. We all know the rest as we will talk about it every week. Problem with kids is inconsistency, lack of a leader, lack of discipline but we all know there is a day when everything can click. It may be next Saturday, it may not be but they have managed two wins against Aberdeen this season.

Can't say I'm surprised. Rained all day Monday, rained most of the day Wednesday, rained on and off most of the day Thursday and rained all day yesterday. No matter how good the drains are it takes time to get rid of water and that amount is just mental.

That was actually a very good game of football. We played really well and thoroughly deserved our 1-0 half time lead. That being said St Johnstone were crisp with the ball as well and looked lively going forward and at half time, although we were playing well it was a game that could easily have slid from our grasp. Second half started as a good game as well and Vigurs' goal helped ease the nerves a bit. Half an hour to go and St Johnstone started to make changes to try and get back into the game but that cost them any foothold on the midfield and from that moment we were only going to rack up the goals and we really went for the jugular. Thought every Motherwell player did well today and the result they deservedly managed against a team that played well for long spells was a fantastic credit to each and every one of them.

Lawson and Twardzik both had their best games for us and the two defenders were magnificent but I think Carswell shades it.

Outstanding result and a very good away performance. Goalkeeper was excellent. Interesting that Aberdeen put every set play right on him and he coped fine with that. St Mirren came closer to forcing an error out of him by trying to lure him off the line. The two centre halfs (Ramsden and Hutchinson) were outstanding. The two full backs (Kerr and Hammell) did most of what was asked of them but did give away more fouls than would be ideal. In the midfield Lawson had by far his best game for us and Carswell was back at his best. Lasley started well but he tired towards the end. Ainsworth, Sutton and Anier were all fine on the counter too. Sutton should have scored in the first half. Angol did excellently when he came on though I thought Moore was disappointing, didn't really impose himself on the game and frequently gave the ball away, The referee was a total bombscare. Hutchinson should have had a penalty in the first half and they looked like they should have had two in the second. Throw in some baffling foul decisions it wasn't a surprise it threatened to bubble over at times. The goal had a fair bit of fortune in about how we won the ball but once we got it we were clinical. For all they were trailing 0-1, Aberdeen never really screwed the nut in the 2nd half and although they had chances to square it we never were under really the cosh. I think we went for a 0-0 and got lucky but we defended stoutly and deserved the bit of luck we got. Journey home was not as long as it could have been!