Tweed

That was funny. But I preferred Jack Leitch starting to celebrate the winner before Marvin Johnson even touched the ball (watch the replay on the BBC)

Doesn't matter if they win the league. If they come 2nd and win the cup they'll still get the cup place for the Europa League and the 3rd and 4th team get in through their league position. So we can happily do Skippy Sunday mark 2.

I know that I just called it out because although Lasley > Leitch, I think Leitch > Lasley minus a yard and once it was clear in a match environment that he was a yard of the pace we should have made the change which in turn may have prevented the penalty.

We're asking a lot. There is the width of a fag packet between the teams not yet confirmed in the top six so we would have to hope that as well as being the form team in the back end of February and March that this continues into April and May. It might do but how the season has panned out up and down the league suggests it won't. However as Mitch said considering at about 19:45 on 16 February we hadn't won in weeks, were sitting 11th and our last game was an absolute shocker against Kilmarnock so us even discussing this is just surreal.

I think McManus and Kennedy were excellent yesterday but McManus as well as being commanding read the game well, so he gets it for me.

Was at the game yesterday, this is the first time I've had the chance to share my thoughts. The first half was very flat from both us and Inverness. There were a lot of misplaced passes but neither side seemed to be playing with the urgency to capitalise. We looked dangerous from a few set plays and Inverness managed a couple of moves but we defended well and the few times they won the ball one of McManus or Kennedy were close enough that they couldn't get any purchase on shot or header. What was clear was that Lasley looked a yard off his normal pace, especially in the opening 30 minutes and it seemed clear to me that bringing Leitch on would have been the thing to do but McGhee persevered and his stiffness seemed to wear off as we neared half time. What was really impressive was the way we pressed yesterday. There were a couple of times Inverness were nearly at our D and we were able to force them to pass it back to Fon Williams. The start of the second half wasn't much better but Gomis was on the receiving end of a heavy tackle and for all he looked OK, like Lasley he didn't seem to be able to reach top gear and Leitch replaced him. Bringing Ainsworth on for Cadden seemed to stretch their defence a bit when we did attack and for all Cadden hadn't done much wrong this was the change that gave us a bit of space to play in. Less said about our first goal the better. Possibly the weirdest I've ever seen. Likewise the less said about Lasley's tackle the better too. I think that forced McGhee's hand into removing him as he was a bit slow and Fletcher deputising saw the unusually quiet McDonald into midfield. As we closed in on full time Inverness were really going at us but McManus and Kennedy were excellent and we got the breakaway as they over-committed. I think Inverness shaded the game but probably didn't do enough to deserve to win it but I can see why John Hughes was sore to lose. But at the end of the day, other than the penalty we generally defended properly and they didn't and that is why we took three points. Thought Hammell really struggled yesterday and apart from fleeting moments we really struggled to get Moult and McDonald into the game, but three excellent points and really good to see us looking a threat from set plays and also defending them a lot better. Ainsworth is so frustrating, bringing him on probably won us the game but so lazy when the ball is with his direct opponent. McGhee certainly has made us harder to beat and he has us believing and in this league confidence is worth a goal of a start just about and that is what saw us home. Onwards to the Celtic game.

Not sure but I think a win guarantees us top six because of the teams who are chasing us all have to play each other (County have to play Thistle and Dundee) which means they all can't catch us and us beating Inverness kills them stone dead. Could be wrong, I've tried working this out countless times.

Well as someone who very often goes to these events, the Thursday night aspect of this put me right off. By the end of the week having driven to Edinburgh and back four times I'm just knackered. Also the Well Society quiz was an excellent night (not just saying that because we won) but even then I didn't get home till well past 11pm. Which maybe doesn't seem late but when you get up at 545am it is. I doubt I would do that again as I was friar tucked for the rest of that week. However hit the weekends and you are clashing with other things so your in a kind of rock and a hard place scenario.

You should call it off then

Louis Moult for me. Absolutely outstanding.

Yep, first half we maybe gave them a bit more room than we should have but as an attacking force we could not get the forward three ticking with any regularity. That was purely because the midfield three were too far back. By bring Ainsworth on for Cadden, we had a better shape and that made a difference to the way the second half panned out so for all the Aberdeen defending was rank rotten, the changes we made allowed us to get into the positions to ask them questions. However as well as McGhee making the changes, Aberdeen sat deeper and deeper when it was 1-0 and invited us on, to be honest, they haven't done that in other games I have seen them this season which for all I don't think either Johnson or Ainsworth had their best games yesterday, they were clearly shitting it about their pace. I thought McGhee read the game well yesterday and made the changes that turned it. But if you are Aberdeen you have to look at those two goals and ask a lot of questions, they let the air out their own balloon big time. Shame, eh?

Like you, at the time, I thought the 'foul' on Johnston should have had the game stopped but having watched the highlights it is just a bit of a nothing one and certainly nothing sinister. It is a contact sport and if the referee makes a bar during a game and then sticks to it for the 90 minutes, as long as he isn't allowing GBH a la Crawford Allan, I'll stick up for him. He allowed Gomis away with several tackles similar to that one throughout and in my view the referee was excellent. Again, like you, I thought the penalty was never a penalty at the time but having seen it back he clearly played through the man to get the ball and as Spiderpig said we can count ourselves fortunate he didn't deem it to be 'DOGSO' - I think that is something you could argue reasonably either way and again I would always credit a referee for, where possible, making the decision to keep 11 players on the park. Anyway I will try and find this out later when I have a bit more time, but when was the last time we came back from 1-0 down to win twice in a row in general or twice in a row at Fir Park. We don't do it often ever so twice in eight days is fantastic and shows that we have built a much more resilient streak. Last year we only won from behind once all season and when we conceded first we tended to fold like a pack of cards so you can see McGhee has got this team believing.

I thought we defended effectively today. Given how well some of their offensive players have been playing this season, we did really well to keep them so quiet. I don't think Hammell and Law did much brilliant but they both kept one of Scotland's form players living on scraps which suggests their performance was much more effective than it looked to the naked eye. Strange game in that the goals never really felt like they were coming. I'd concur with Mark McGhee that Aberdeen were the better team in the first half but for all that we defended stoutly and they didn't get in that often. I'd agree that most referees would have given the foul on Marvin Johnston. All afternoon Don Robertson attempted to not give free kicks and allow the two teams to play on and for the mostpart both teams responded to that and it made for a better game. So I'd find it a bit hypocritical to be too critical of him waving play on (especially having seen it back). As for the penalty, in the East Stand I thought it was a perfect tackle. Would like another look of that one. In the second half, Cadden being forced off forced our hand a bit and I felt the shape we then had created more space in the Aberdeen back 45 yards. And Aberdeen receded big style. For all they looked comfortable at 0-1 they never put us away and as time lapsed you could see the belief risen. Two intuitive goals and a great three points for us. Barry Robson has always been a bell-end but that today sealed a muppetry certificate. If I was McInnes he wouldn't be getting paid for a fortnight after that.

I predict we'll have close to a full strength team tomorrow (minus the injuries).

Most TV and radio people are journalists and in turn want a story. Mark my word, if they have footage of someone of any club committing an act of violent conduct you can bet your bottom dollar they'll produce it.

Not sure what to think. So I just decided to listen to some Johnny Nash while chewing it over. Recommend you do the same.

Could also be because they were off the ball and therefore off camera. I wasn't at Fir Park on Friday night and I remember a sly kick by Anier and a few particularly rough tackles (esp by Morris) but not the off the ball things you mention though I did watch the 1st half later and flicked through bits of it. FIFA prohibit a game from being 're-refereed' which means players can only be punished for things that the referee did not see (however common sense dictates it also limits to what has been caught of film). I think the compliance officer punishing players for diving pushes this to the limit but because the charge is 'causing a match official to make a key error' then it is not re-refereeing it. Therefore I entirely believe that Tony McGlennan will have said 'Crawford, did you see McDonald's elbow striking DOnaldson's face' and he'll have said 'Yes, I believed it was being used for leverage and was not violent conduct and decided not to award a free kick'. As soon as he says that, no matter what Tony McGlennan thinks he can take no further action. Don't buy this biased nonsense at all and no matter the provocation we should keep our own house in order and as much as he is a wonderful player for our level, both McDonald individually and us as a team have been lucky here. Violent conduct was questionable but it was certainly dangerous play.

Aye and given McDonald's importance to us, I would expect said Motherwell employee to be defending him rather than creating a further noose to hang him. If I publicly questioned what one of my colleagues did or a decision they'd made, I'd expect to be in my boss's office the next morning. For all I agree with Craigan's opinion, I hope Mr McGhee has had a word.

I remember a few years back we played Aberdeen with none of our recognised centre halfs round about this time of the season and we beat them 1-0. Here's hoping Saturday is a bit like that. Since we have gotten ourselves into a decent position I think bringing someone in who can't have kicked a ball in earnest for more than six weeks is something we don't need to risk and we should do the best with what we have.

The one thing that has been very noticeable is how many goals we have scored from set pieces in the last few months, not just Josh Law's.

Paton should have been red carded but as he was booked that can't be looked at. Morris could have been off but I think he was let off with a couple of yellows rather than a red card offence. Anier's wee sly kick out is the one they may pick up on but to be honest I would expect a referee to book for that as I think it was cynical rather than violent. For that reason I think McDonald is the only one they will summon.

Inverness are on a right shite run just now. Also they have the Motherwell opening day curse: 2013-14 - Motherwell beat Hibs 1-0 in the first game, Hibs relegated 2014-15 - Motherwell beat St Mirren 1-0 in the first game, St Mirren relegated 2015-16 - Motherwell beat Inverness 1-0 in the first game, ....... Seriously though, with all the teams below us still to play each other as long as our performances between now and the end of the season are adequate (i.e. we don't lose every week) we'll be fine. Hamilton aint catching us before the split so I think on balance Inverness getting beat is fine.

I think the midfielders available in our camp will be the determining factor here. Aberdeen are going to be at least a couple light. However East Fife are the only team we've beaten minus Lasley this season and if Pearson out too that is a big ask. I fully expect McDonald to be out too and in the last two home games he has been the difference threading in defence splitters to give us space to play. I just feel Aberdeen have a bit more depth to cope with players missing and I think they may edge it.

Crawford Allan didn't even give a foul for Randolph's challenge on Paterson never mind a yellow card.

I think you could argue it was a foul due to the force, for me I'd rather it wasn't, but hey ho I'll go with that. But for the same referee to give that and then not penalise Morris on Lasley which was much more forceful is plain baffling. With my football fan hat on rather than my Motherwell fan hat, I'd rather both were not given. I won't be enjoying Anier's goal or any other goal against us especially when we have four defenders doing an impression of a wind turbine claiming for offside