milo

I skimmed through the full thread earlier (at work, obviously). People are saying what they see in front of them whilst others are saying they are over reacting and we'll be fine. Basically the same discussions as we're having just now!! It'll give me no pleasure to say "I told you so" when it comes to pass, whilst others will be in denial to the reality of the situation even when there's a team in claret and amber running out at Pamerston.

Good point.

Technically this season.... And we extended the loan of Mark O'Brien because?......

Another nail in the coffin. Even if Ross County had lost tonight I'm still convinced we were heading for a play off as we wouldn't have been able to take advantage of their slip.

There's not a chance in hell we're winning the last 5 games. Saturday was the last chance to give ourselves a fighting chance and we bottled it. The damage was done at earlier points in the season, although we might have been ok if Partick and Ross County hadn't picked up so many points recently.

To discuss the reality we are facing and the repercussions for the club and it's future. Yep. This is high on my list of concerns also.

Time to bump this thread.....

Good points Ya Bezzer.

1600 motherwell fans yesterday cheering their team on doing everything they could to inspire the players to victory to get the club out possibly the most precarious position we've been in since administration would suggest the fans haven't thrown the towel in. We need to be realistic though and some folk seem to believe that a group of players with major flaws as a team are somehow going to win 5 games on the bounce and keep us up. Or somehow get results in a ultra pressure environment of the play offs! Maybe we should throw the towel in when we see that the players/management appear to freeze/not perform/not mark/stick with a formation that isn't working when the chips are down? It's not the fans we need to worry about I might be moaning on here but I'm still going to be at every game supporting my team. That's my job. That's all I can do.

Sutton may well have scored 4 goals in 2 games but they were 3 tap ins and a penalty when both games were essentially won. Benching him and putting McDonald and Erwin upfront was the catalyst for out recent good run. We've done nothing all season with Sutton starting. Bringing him on as an impact sub was actually a master stroke by Barrsclough. Our focus on this issue has taken almost all of the focus of the fact that one of the single worst players in Straker seems to be a first pick every week now. Barring a miracle win for St Mirren tomorrow we're effectively down before the split. That takes some doing. Bravo Motherwell.

We're going to the play offs. No 2 ways about it. Only question is now, how do we prepare for them? Play our strongest team every week? Wrap the key players in cotton wool? Johnson is clearly key, but is he injury prone? What's up with Grant? Has Barraclough learned his lesson not to play Sutton from the start and stick Erwin out wide?

When did Johnson and Grant get injured by the way and it didn't appear to be on Tuesday night?

Just watched the highlights. Defending for the goals was fucking pathetic. 2 free headers for the first one. No one even close to them. You don't even get that much space in amateur games at times. Guilty of ball watching rather than staying with your man at 2nd. This is basic basic stuff.

If we don't have the fight, desire, bottle, tactics for a must not lose game at Firhill, how do you think we're going to fare at Ibrox in the play offs?!?! If Johnson and Grant are injured for that game do you think we'll break up McDonald ane Erwin and just shell long balls at Sutton? Chances are we will, even although it never fucking works. Dom Thomas might get 5 minutes at the end of the second leg though....

Fucking criminal that Dom Thomas didn't start instead of Johnson.

We could have Ronaldo and Messi in for the last 5 games and it wouldn't make a difference to where we're finishing. Folk need to be realistic about our situation now.

It was madness to break up McDonald and Erwin and losing today HAS all but relegated us. That said, we find ourselves in this mess not because of today but everything that happened up until the recent Inverness game. Today was the last chance saloon though.

There may well be 15 points to play for but unless Ross County spectacularly shite in the nest on Monday night the way we did today then we're 6 points behind. Can anyone really see us over turning that? Make no mistake we're heading down via the play offs because of the pepetual rankness shown up until the recent Inverness game. We've put a few great results and performances together recently but we'd given ourselves too much to do. Oh and pumping long balls up to Sutton never works.

Game over, season over. We have to face up to the facts we're finishing 11th and going down via the playoffs. Bar the last few games, it's the worst Motherwell team anyone has seen for 50 years and we have been utterly hopeless up until the last few games. Absolutely sick.

Could be a major blunder starting him today.

I would've replaced Johnson with Dom Thomas also. It's worked really well bringing on Sutton as a sub in the last few games. What do I know though?!

That's what I was thinking.

Disappointing Johnson is out. I hope he doesn't turn out to be injury prone. No sign of Grant?!?!

I'm afraid I can see us losing this one and Ross County winning at a canter on Monday. As soon as McCall took over at Sevco I knew we were destined to meet them (and lose) in the play offs. Hope I'm wrong, and I have been before, but we need to win every game AND hope others slip up and I just can't see that happening.

Missing this cos my boss is a dick and I have to work. RAGING!!! Like every other game at the moment it's a must win. Ross County are pretty much guranteed 3 points on Monday. We all know the best and worst case scenarios from our own and other results so I won't bother listing them. Hope Pearo is fit.