Tweed

Fully appreciate the technique in most of these goals was outstanding and has beenrightly lauded. However I always prefer a team goal so I'm voting for JOB v Killie.

He won a fair few crosses, something he wasn't doing. He still makes me nervous but he did a good job yesterday, early mistake apart.

We throw the game and Hearts win the derby and we're needing them to beat Celtic for them not to finish 2nd - thats them got six points. Not beyond the realms they could beat United to and we don't beat Hibs. Not very likely but plausible. We go there, do our best, if we get anything it heightens our chances of 4th but we;ll probably lose anyway.

I thought Black was booked for a foul on O'Brien. not the other way round.

Was tempted to null vote seeing as they all did well but think Giles Coke just by a bawhair ahead of Hammell, Craigan, O'Brien and Jennings

Don't think he booked him - just a talking to. Which I think was for the reaction rather than the handball. As for the game we were immense today. Not one player didn't perform. I criticised Coke last week because I felt he was not up for it. Today he was possibly our best performer. You could see we wanted that game more. And we thoroughly deserved to win. Apart from one scare Fraser was assured and the defenders reacted well. Great days work.

We've had 19 actually as we got a cup tie. I imagine there will be little change.

I wrote a letter last week to ask if they could keep a macaroni pie just in case, as a ST holder, I wanted one yesterday and not to sell one to anyone who cannot produce a ST. THe fact I didn't want one and they had to bin it doesn't bother me as an important fan I knew it was there if I wanted and none of these PATG minions prevented me from getting it and giving the club the 50p profits. Seriously though, the club moan about the loss as a result of losing a fixture and an OF fixture yet they can afford to turn away people from a half full bar. However if they made that decision then surely to goodness it should have been communicated beforehand.

THeir height and power up top worries me minur ruddy and maybe craigan. However we are due a result and they are due a loss and our need is greater than theirs. CLose one but have a feeling we might squeak it.

I was out on Friday night and was chatting about the amount of money we spend on our pastimes. So I worked out what I have spent following Motherwell this season (just for the sake of simplicity I have taken petrol costs for games I have driven to and ones I have been driven to I have ignored) Season ticket - £250 3 x European games - £45 St Johnstone (a) - £20 entry about £10 petrol Aberdeen (a) - didn't go Dundee Utd (a) - £19 and about £12 petrol Celtic (a) - didn't go St Mirren (a) - £20 for ticket, £3 for train St Mirren (a) - £15 ticket, £5 bus Hamilton (a) - £22 ticket Hibs (a) - £21 ticket and £8 train Rangers (a) - jammied a comp and zone card covered travel Hearts (a) - £10 ticket (I think) and £12 train Killie (a) - didn't go ICT (a) - didn't go Falkirk (a) - £21 ticket and £8 petrol Aberdeen (a) - jammied another comp and was driven Hamilton (a) - £22 ticket St Johnstone (a) - £20 ticket and £10 petrol St Mirren (a) - £20 ticket Dundee United (a) - £10 ticket (Long story) and £12 petrol Celtic (a) - didn't go So thats £585 just for the games and getting there and have benefitted from a couple of comps. Add in what I eat and drink before and after and the three away games not on the telly to come so when you look at that its probably £800. Then you add in the fact that I follow Scotland a well (only at home this season) and any replica tops I buy this hobby costs me £1000 p/a. I should actually be sectioned.

Last night is the first time this season I have made the conscious decision not to go to a domestic game. The previous games I have missed were due to work or health (only four all season). However for all the tea in china I will not pay £25 to watch a game I can watch for free in my own living room. The fact its Celtic doesn't bother me, the fact it was Tuesday night doesn't bother me. Do the team deserve a better support than that? Well actually they are professionals and whether there are 5000 or 5 of us they should be doing the same job. Support is a bonus and any right minded individual can understand why that did not happen last evening.

Sometimes you go to Celtic Park, they play well and skelp you 4-0 and whilst annoying you live with it. But games like that are hellish. We played well for most of the game yet we are kicking ourselves because we cannot defend a simple corner into the box TWICE. We missed Craigan's leadership in there as the game wore on and we ended up deeper and deeper. Reynolds and Saunders showed they lack the experience to lead the defence and decide about holding the line as we got far too deep (especially for a team that was losing). frustrating though - beaten by our own deficiencies.

THe clubs cannot afford to swallow a loss of revenue to that degree. And there is not a single league I've seen where you only play 30 games.

If the club propose that before we have qualified I think that would be on every team's dressing room noticeboard before we played them!

I can't imagine Rangers are thrilled at having three games at Tannadice tempered only because they are home and hosed, only last year one of them was moaning at going to Tynecastle three times when chasing the league while the other one got three home games with Hearts. Us getting a third home game with Hibs as the team we directly competing with for fourth I am sure is compensation for losing a home game. And given we are competing with them for a position that is a bigger flip for us than Celtic who we cannot catch and if they play like they can would beat us either home and away. Given someone had to have two extra away games the SPL having decided it was us have tried to help us by giving our direct competitors at home and that to me is fair enough. The split has abnormalities but for the size of league we have and, in my opinion, is the right size we have to put up with these.

Brilliant

We could: release a statement about the ineptitude of Neil Doncaster to the BBC from an unnamed source. complain that the grounds at Tynecaste, Celtic Park and Ibrox are too green for us to play on and ask that the SPL do something about it boycott all away games because the SPL's decision is clearly the fault of Hearts, Rangers and Celtic Just some initial thoughts.

For all Celtic are total mince they do not often lose at home. We will do well to get a draw but we have done it once this season so we can go there with a bit of belief and all the pressure is on them. Just hope we put in a performance that brings back some of the belief because next week is the huge game.

No - its someone in the bottom half. In the top half four teams had played 17 away before the split and in the bottom half four of them had played 17 home games.

My initial reaction was one of rage. Someone in the top six was going to get 20 away games as four of the teams (celtic, united, us and Hearts) had played 17 away and 16 home before the split. So given it was us them turning the games with Hibs and Celtic is probably a favour to us as nine times out of ten we will take more points from Hibs (h) and Celtic (a). We also have a free game in Glasgow on Tuesday night. Assuming we lose that we have a four point lead with five to play. If we can beat United on the Sunday it is pretty likely the Glasgow teams will beat the Edinburgh ones in Glasgow. Therefore we seven ahead of Hearts with four to play and level with Hibs. Assuming Celtic come 2nd and United win the cup that should be too much of a gap for Hearts to catch and Europe is guaranteed. Given we have a home game with Hibs and they also have a shitty run in its heads and tails for fourth. The split has its abnormalities and its annoying that our season ticket has been devalued by losing a home game but I think these fixtures give us a chance to get the points on the board early before we go into Glasgow to get us our aim. Its still very much in our hands.

If Hearts win every game we need to pick up 12 to guarantee 5th. For every point they drop its one less we need. What we need to do is win our home games after the split against whoever we get that are not the Old Firm and not lose to Hearts. that would be a cast iron guarantee. Are we good enough? Yes Are we up for it? Yes Will we do it? Probably As I said before we were in a similar place two years ago, in the lead and wobbling and we went to Parkhead and won and that win was the springboard to finishing third. We two places further down the league this time but we are still in pole position for our target. But all that said next Tuesday is a free game.

Craig Brown has done lots of good stuff for us. His St Mirren selection was vindicated because we then beat Hearts with the first 11 in the more important game and we still got a draw in Paisley. However after the red card last week - WRONG After the Lasley injury yesterday - WRONG And whilst the tactics were wrong the players added petrol to that fire by underperforming for whatever reason. Disappointing two games. However CB has got us more than he has cost us for now. However he now needs to arrest the slide. We were on a wee blip two years ago and went to Parkhead before the split and won 1-0 which really was the win that got us third. Hoping for a bit of deja vu now.

I just wonder if the Llanelli games and playing since July is coming back to haunt us a wee bit now. We looked tired and jaded yesterday with only Fraser doing anything that was any good. THe defenders were all right but middle to front we had no creativity, could not even ply desparation tactics and in the end we were desparate. Not convinced that the week off training was the issue to be honest. Fell well below the standards they have set themselves this year though and they need a wee shake up. As an aside Falkirk were miles better than anything I have seen from St Mirren, Hamilton or Killie.

Remember the last time we were in a battle for third with Hibs and United Hibs were incensed that they had to go to Tannadice three times. Last twice us and United have been in bottom six one of us had three home games. There are no guarantees except that the Glasgow derby will be at Parkhead and the Edinburgh one at Easter Road.

The pic of Stevie Kirk on the official and the pitch looks no bad in the background,