Tweed

Whilst in no way condoning secretarian singing nobody's going to get hurt. Imagine a Killie player trips over a some rotten bit of pitch on Saturday and breaks his neck - they could sue the ass of the SPL for making them play on it. Nobody will be suing them because the Rangers fans decided they fancied a rendition of the Billy Boys. Reading the above Doncaster seems more interested in ensuring the safety of players and finding a short term solution than hammering us. He'll know the SPL cannot punish us for the condition of our pitch when we have consulted them every step of the way and they have OK'd what we have done. Oh and while we maybe did the right thing in the summer lets not forget if we had done this the summer before like we should have this pitch would have bedded in last year during a much less harsh winter and we could have one of the best pitches in Scotland now. However whats done is done and I feel both the club and the SPL are working together to sort this.

I suspect the SPL are carrying out an investigation to be seen to be doing something and will find that we have done all we can. Especially as we apparently were told and they were told that a harsh winter this year would cause us problems - IN JULY! However as our pitch is brought up every Saturday, Sunday and Monday in the press it is an issue of interest so the SPL will feel they need to do something. Not worried at all. And if the SPL were as involved as documented even if they find against us we would win an independent appeal. Unless we have been told a lot of bullshit in which case we could be in bother but I have no reason to believe that to be the case and if it were I don't see why the SPL didn't refute the story as garbage in August rather than risk losing credibility now.

His passback decision was a shocker. Having seen it again the red card should have been a yellow. There was a penalty claim on Murphy but a pillar denied me a view of it so won't judge him on that. Then there was the physical contests between Bamba and Sutton. Some refs would have been blowing all afternoon for these fouls both ways but he just gave one each way I think - to be fair he was pretty consistent but lenient. Seen him have better games but taking out the red card/passback he was all right.

Just seen it on SSN and I think the red card for Miller was harsh. The tackle was late and it was hard and not especially friendly but I don't think it was especially dangerous. O'Brien gave the referee the opportunity to send him off and whilst it may have been harsh on another day with another referee he could have walked. We plugged away valiantly today and we got our reward with the goal (which having seen again was an excellent finish). We have played better but we did play some nice stuff in patches so all in pretty pleased.

So watching Hibs on Alba just now they look uncomfortable on the Perth pitch. I could see it going either way to be honest. We have been steady at the back but our record against this team is shocking. However I have had a wee feeling we'd beat them until tonight but now they have more reason to bounce back. Got to be honest I haven't a clue what will happen.

Just numbered them for right of reply: 1. McLean should have been booked - refereeing error however referee in our game got a really hard time in the press. He followed the rules of the game perfectly. 2. Don't remember the McDonald tackle however sending Malcolm off was correct call. 3. Don't think they are like for like. Boyd's was calculated to be an elbow and should have been a red - however in fairness I can understand why the linesman thought he just blocked him off and the ref did not see it. But they were wrong. Clarkson was pulled and tried to shake Caddis off. That was a poor decision as well. However don't think those two are comparable. Whilst I agree video evidence could be used there are issues. I have watched Bamba's foul on Miller about nine times now on Sunday and I'm still not sure if its a pen or not. How do you deal with that? Maybe you just make video evidence available for offside and goalline incidents or you leave it to the ref to use at his discretion. I do think something that would help our refs and assistants is if they team up and work together every week so they get to form a relationship with each other. And while the press have a duty to report errors they also have a duty not to sensationalise and make the referee the villain - because it means they lose respect. For example today Hugh Dallas said something along the lines of there have been some disappointing decisions and The Sun's headline - 'Dallas Slams Rotten Refs'. Not for a second saying they should be immune for criticism but lets make it measured and constructive.

We've had him a couple of times and won both (v ICT when Malcolm scored and earlier this season v Falkirk). Had no complaints either time.

Motherwell proceed in cup after routine win against <insert shitey first division team of your choosing here>

Well hope tomorrow is a success but I doubt many will want a reenaction of today's game!

Ruddy, did just about all that was asked of him. None of the outfield players played anywhere near their level of Wednesday night.

Derek Ferguson was talking about the inability of the players in that game to pass, Jim Gannon bemoaned that some of our players could not pass the most basic passes to each other and they are both so right. Apart from a ten minute spell when the Accies had a succession of corners and Reynolds did something mental (don't worry son, Frazzle wisnae there) by passing across our six yard box I had no doubt that game was finishing 0-0 and there was not a fat lot in it. No quality at all and £22 and 90 minutes I'll never get back. Should have stayed in the pub.

I'm with you this time for a few reasons. I think we'll be tired as we spent the last thirty minutes on Wednesday chasing the ball a lot. They'll be confident after a rare win. Think it could be a case of after the Lord Mayor's show for us performance wise. Reid has stoked up a sense of injustice amongst their players and fans that they never got a pen last week. Think we'll lose 3-0 but I'll be there and praying I'm wrong.

I remember we got a penalty from Willie Young for a handball by Ricksen which was a joke. David Kelly scored it and we 2-2 if my memory is correct.

All well and good saying its the establishment and he is protecting his mates but the SFA have no right of censor on him because they made him resign from the SFA before taking up his media commitments. Can only assume Kenny Clark is the same. Agree that Forbes had to make sure. As much as it is clear from the TV pics that the ball was going in from most other angles it was only a probability. Stuck it in, made sure, three points. So to criticise him is well out of order. I think the decision the linesman thought he was going to have to make was 'if this goes over by line is it a goal kick or corner' and as such forgot to watch the runner and then had to guess. I don't think Dougal should have had a go at Forbes, I think his assessment of the linesman is probably fair and to criticise Brown for having a go on field is maybe fair enough but lets remember football is emotional. Craig Levein would still have been asking for him to be beheaded today.

To me it was a two horse race between Craigan and O'Brien. And its an unfair race because O'Brien does more entertaining stuff because of his position and is more of a crowd pleased than a centre half. But trying to take that out of it Craigan edges it. I felt O'Brien, along with some of the other forward players started making tired decisons towards the end of the game, whereas Craigan kept his level throughout. And thats four games in a row I've voted for a defender or the goalie! Must be the Brown affect.

Interesting discussion. Is he one of the top five defenders in the SPL? Maybe. We have kept more clean sheets than anyone else and the only two guys who have been in the defensive five consistently through that run are Ruddy and Reynolds. There was an argument about his poor reading of the game. Jim Paterson reads a game excellently and that made up for his pace, Reynolds on the whole part is the flip side of that coin. However too many errors that cost us goals. Last night if he had tried to kick the ball to fuck and it ended up in our net that to me would be more acceptable because he made the right decision. I can't understand how a prfessional team would not make an effort to whack that ball. But there is a Reynolds love fest on here. I remember many games when a suicidal error has been made by Reynolds and he gets five or six votes on the MoTM thread. Support the boy, he has improved lots (especially his understanding with Craigan) but he must have had more than 100 SPL games now and some of the goal costing errors he makes are not really on. And we should have sold him when we got the offer - he is an asset but never worth what we were reportedly offered.

I think being in the top six at split time will give everyone in the top six a shot at aiming for fourth - make sure we get there and we have nothing to lose in the last five games.

Still raging about the goal. Even if ref thought he was on he didn't have a straight line view and would be mad to overrule the linesman who was in a much better place to make the call. However had that decision gone for us and also the one when Lasley was flagged v United we'd be fourth now. Thing that pisses me off is managers like Gannon who lambast referees when their errors are minor and have no impact in the outcome of the game dilute the times that the grievance is game changing.

It is a foul - you can't make an unclear or ambigious shout claiming the ball or a shout using someone's name however until such times as refs are miked up to the players I doubt they could ever know who shouted what especially at professional level when there is a crowd in. But whoever said if in doubt fuck it out nailed it.

Rant about linesmane is on the thread about the offside goal so I'll keep this to what we could control. First half played some lovely stuff especially down the right hand side, had most of the game and thoroughly deserved our 1-0 lead. Free kick was outstandingly brilliant - I could watch that goal all night. Second half we started well but it was obvious that we were making more and more tired decisions as the game wore on. Reynolds made a hash of the goal, Hateley was totally out of position when the cross came in which meant Craigan had to be sacrificed to cover for him and you never know he may have dealt with it better. But lazt decisions meant we ended up deeper and deeper. I think the thing that has improved Motherwell most under Brown is he seems to understand the value of the second ball and we frequently sacrifice the first one to win it. As such we see more of the ball in the midfield. Also Rangers tactic at corners was interesting tonight. Walter Smith obviously realised we would bring everyone back so had four or so just on a line at the D to whack a shot in becuase he knew they would win a half clearance. One to watch I think. Overall delighted with our lads, disappointed at the mistake we made at the back and raging at the linesman. Ref made lots of wee mistakes but nothing that looked like changing the game or any needless cards so would give him a six but got no help from Baldy who I'd give one for minding his flag when he came out the dressing room. Dick.

What makes it more galling is that he had a big fuck off white line that our player was behind, the player with the ball was on and the Rangers defender is in front of. Short of a 900 inch plasma in the O'Donnell stand saying 'He is fucking onside ya tit' I don't know how easier a decision it could be. Cold light of tomorrow its a good point but right now its a gutter because we were robbed.

The development of Forbes, Hutchinson, Saunders et al in the Gannon era is something that pleased me. Now that Gannon has gone I am eqully pleased they are not playing as I felt they were being rushed a bit and the expectations were being raised too fast and there were clear questions developing over stamina. I think Forbes produced a very tired display at Falkirk and Brown is going to nurture him gently over a number of months and not rush him. I think his long term first team prospects at Motherwell are high.

Players work up to playing in the biggest games by doing well consistently, referees should have the same motivation. What I think is unfair that people such as Stevie O'Reilly Euan Norris and Crawford Allan never seem to get games between anyone and the Old Firm when the Old Firm are away as they have shown themselves to be good referees and need to be building up to getting the real big games such as the Edinburgh teams v Glasgow teams, United or Aberdeen v Glasgow teams. Yep but its a two way thing so players can only expect that if they stop crowding them and abusing them. Talking after the game was tried with Whistleblower but when they admitted they made a mistake the tabloid press demonised them, if they came out straight after the game and defended an error their credibility would be questioned even more by said press. If we had grown up journalism it could work. The 10 yard thing is good in principal and was tried in the Premiership but the attacking team did not always like it as it moved them in too close and the free kick became less effective. I remember Beckham doing his dinger at a ref because of that. However it is something that should be worked on. The change I would implement is that if a player goes down and grabs the ball before the whistle goes I would book them regardless if the fk went for them or not. Forcing the referee to make a decision to me is unacceptable.

which to be fair would have been a much better ending to said sentence

Actually Hammell probably did more good things in that game than anyone else. However he also passed the ball straight to the Accies a couple of times and took a throw in to nobody and was lucky they were so defensively shaped that he didn't play us into deep bother. And his decision to let a ball bounce on that pitch late in the second half was probably the worst decision since someone decided to tell Paul Hegarty he knew about football. I am amazed at the number of people voting for Jennings, a player whom I like, but I didn't think he offered much on Saturday and got very little change out of the six zillion men they had in midfield. My vote is for Reynolds this time as he was steady at the back and his run in the first half. Not perfect but never had me worried. Craigan did well too but I voted him a couple of games ago when it was close so taking the other one this time.