Andy_P

I honestly don't know how far Shug has to go to regain full match sharpness but from what I saw of him he seemed similar to the player that left a couple of seasons ago. A player with talent certainly but one that to get the best from I think you have to make the central focus of your team and work the rest of your side around. He's given us some cover for a few weeks for what would appear to have been buttons, he's got himself fit and put himself back in the shop window so both player and club have had a return of sorts. Arguably the only ones to suffer are Forbes and Carswell although I'm hoping (not holding my breath mind) that with their lack of game time they may almost be like having new players on board for the second half of the season.

You know exactly what he means! If it's not Jamie Murphy its Michael Higdon. Deflect! Deflect!! Deflect!!!

I thought the team selection was a bit of a mish-mash of ideas that ended up with McCall trying to hedge his bets as much as possible. Seemed obvious that we needed an extra midfielder in alongside Lasley to retain the regular midfield shape so for me that was always going to be either Carswell or if he wanted to go for the experienced option, Hateley into midfield and Clancy to right back. That much was fair enough. I didn't foresee the inclusion of Hughes however. I could only really put the withdrawal of both Humphrey and Daley and the extra central midfielder down to hoping to try to retain possession as much as possible, keep it tight for as long as possible in the hope that the home support turn. And then still have the option of utilising some more attacking options from the bench if required. I can see his dilemma in that if he starts with an attacking formation, we leave ourselves more exposed as were in the second half, and that if we do concede more than one he's got little or no chance of rectifying the situation and the only changes he can make are likely to be damage limitation. But aye, you reach the point where you wonder, we're third place, a defeat is expected anyway, why not just go and stick it to them from the off and see if you can really get them panicking.

Scottish Cup 4th round day! And really looking forward to it too!! I'm a bit torn on what kind of side I'd like to see out. It seems the kind of game to give the likes of Page, McHugh, Carswell and Forbes an opportunity. Could be useful to give Ojamaa a debut to settle himself in, if he has in fact signed and the papers are sorted. There's the chance to coax the likes of Murph and Hump into the kind of form they are capable of and for perhaps Lasley and Craggs to rest up for what could be a busy few weeks ahead. Of course that all has to be weighed up against the possibility, however slight, that we might find it a bit of a struggle. After Alloa and to a lesser extent Forfar I'm not going to be arrogantly dismissive of Queen's Park - they did beat Aberdeen a couple of years back too remember - but it should be a game we should comfortably win if we are up for it and on our game. Hoping it will be one to enjoy with a Motherwell win with a few goals to spare.

We'll see how it pans out but as I said after the Hearts game. The teams we have lost to in the league thus far this season sit in 1st place, 2nd place, 4th place and 5th place. No lower than that. Not the time for panic just yet I think.

Your thoughts and votes please folks...

Going slightly off topic with the strips chat but I have vague memories of both trips to Tannadice despite only being about six or seven. I remember being in the Main Stand for the League Cup game and it seemed like it was the middle of the night when we got back home. The other, possibly based on those League Cup games, my old man reminds there were hundreds of buses of Motherwell fans up for the Scottish Cup game. What was it? Something like 4-0 down after 10 minutes!! Apparently I'm to be found on Sportscene highlights waving my flag after our consolation goal!

Can't offer an argument either way as to when we have the signing sesh but if we're offering up some constructive criticism/petty and trivial observations (delete as applicable) I wonder if we need to give the placement of the players in the calender a wee bit more thought. Tim Clancy, short term deal until to the end of the season - December 2012 for example?

I'm not dismissing anybody as far down as St Mirren/Dundee Utd at this stage. As Finlay says there isn't a huge amount between sides and who knows what lies ahead in terms of the January window, injuries and suspensions. I think with a fit Sandaza in their side its possibly foolish to dismiss Saints so readily. There is much to be said for having a 10-15 goal striker in your armoury for gaining that subte advantage over your rivals and its arguably that which has served us so well in recent seasons. Hearts clearly have strength in depth but who knows what that situation is going to be like come the end of January. I'm not sure I would go as far as saying they will challenge for third but St Mirren have put together some decent spells of point garnering and seem to have a bit of fight and doggedness about them given their comebacks against Aberdeen, ourselves and Rangers recently. Dundee Utd I think have still to hit a bit consistency but again they might themselves vulnerable in January in the transfer window. The two of them will have a say certainly. As for us. Great that we have the points in the bag that we currently do. I think we've shown a great ability to dig out results when perhaps we've arguably not merrited them and pleasingly we've managed to quickly recover from any iffy results we have had and not drifted into a run of poor form. We're going to be need that to continue in the second half of the season. Still ours to lose though!

I remember that game at Fir Park. I was only a nipper and whilst I only recollect being told sometime later it was actually Dundee Utd's change kit we were wearing, I do remember us playing in black and white. Thing is I can't quite remember the season as we played them I'm sure in both the 1980'81 and 1981'82 League Cup. I think it may be 1981'82 as for some reason I seem to remember pictures in our Championship Winning Brochure but that I think was only ever produced in black and white. Another question then, if we didn't have an away kit. Presumably when we played Thistle in the 81'82 League Cup - it was they who changed on both occasions? Or did they just get on with it?

I'm disappointed the MJC Rickoza battle of minds appears to have fizzled out so quickly. One who will spontaneously combust if he predicts a Motherwell win over any of the Old Firm the other who will see he'll freeze over before he concedes Motherwell may lose. Come on guys resume hostilities!! In all seriousness, things remain as they always have. We HAVE the ability to get a result. Whether we have the tactical plan or the mental toughness to get over that ever growing hill....that remains to be seen Some context though. Is it not something like 50 years since Killie have beaten Celtic away and a decade plus since Aberdeen won at Ibrox? Painful as it is runs such as the one we are on with Rangers aren't exclusive to MFC. Can't be done? I'll seek solace from a previous Monday afternoon Bank Holiday fixture at Ibrox where we weren't given any chance either!!

Come on. Somebody say we'll never have a better chance of chance beating Rangers and that it's the worst Rangers team they can remember so we can get MJC's finger wagging lecture out of the way early doors.

Casagolda. Fuck, here we go again

And yet over-rated or otherwise two out of the three still managed to secure lucrative moves to the English Championship with Murphy expected to do likewise sooner or later.

Typo Ricky? I seem to remember us beating them 3-0 at Fir Park with the ground covered in a smattering of the green, black and yellow of GKS Katowice whom we'd played in the midweek. That would have been 1991.

Some interesting talk of formations and the implications of the changes. I think it's still possible for us to replicate the 4-4-2 changing to a 4--2-4 when flying on the attack that we employed to good effect in certain games last season (thinking the two 3-0 Scottish Cup wins over Dundee Utd and St Johnstone in particular) without a Law v Murphy decision requiring to be made. Murphy could be employed in the Jeffers role, Hateley in for Jennings, and Law doing the Murphy stuff on the left. Murphy and Law did actually interact really well in pre-season and it looked like it would be a key feature of our play going by those early friendlies. I have a little sympathy with Stuart McCall in how to get the best from Jamie. He has shown himself capable of tearing full-backs apart and cutting inside and scoring, finishing from close range inside the box and scoring from distance outside the box. I think McCall must be faced with the dilemma of knowing that sticking him to a single role be it as a winger or out-and-out-striker might actually inhibit what he can do when you know just what he is capable of doing. Ofcourse if Murphy doesn't deliver from that "free role" McCall stands accused of choosing the wrong option and Murph looks like he's wandering all over the place appearing to have had no tactical guidance given. But will McCall decide to persevere with this season's norm or will he be go with an alternative, that's the question? As for Dunfermline, we bounced back against them from a defeat earlier in the season and I would hope we can do similar again on Wednesday. A win will do, by one or by however many for me.

Disappointing to lose of course and compounded by the fact that Dundee Utd, St Mirren, St Johnstone and obviously Hearts have all moved three points closer. Hardly a day to offer us much Christmas cheer eh?!! Not having been at the game I realise the disappointment is always that bit more sharpened for those who attended when we lose but there is still much to be consoled about. Difficult not be chuffed to bits at being third place at Christmas and five points clear at that - and with a game in hand to boot. It's a shame the away run had to end but its still pretty impressive that only sides to have beaten us are those in 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th place in the league. It will be much more of a concern if we start losing to those much further down the table. Bad day today. Great opportunity to get on track on Wednesday though! Mon the 'Well!!!

Thoughts and votes pleas folks....

I think he's completely surpassed my hopes never mind expectations. Given the listless team he took over from Gordon Young first and foremost he did well to prevent things from slipping further. Whilst there were some pretty harrowing away displays and heavy defeats in there securing a top half finish was at the least very satisfactory. That we had a great Scottish Cup run that the final aside (the memories of which have been obliterated to excited pre-match drinks with mates and that card display) took things up a good few notches. The summer was handled pretty well too given the fears that two or three others were likely to join John Sutton on the way out and the signings of Nicky Law and Michael Higdon have proven to be very astute. And ofcourse there's this season which when you think that some iffy home form is about the most we can really grumble about then that illustrates just how well things have gone. I think "second chance" gaffers, if you can call them that are an awkward proposition. They can either do a Malpas, go somewhere now and continue on exactly the same path that saw them struggle in their first job, or like say a Paul Lambert type where they clearly demonstrate an ability to harness the experience of that first job and use it positively to ensure there isn't a repeat in their next job. McCall has certainly been the latter or those two types. All I can say is keep up the good work!!

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Yes and no. There are a couple of posters who have quoted from the rulebook in the past who may know what the actual number is but there was one specifically mentioned on Radio Scotland the other night. The actual wording of the rule however was so vague and generic that it wasn't clear what the offence was and MFC trying to get clarification on what the complaint actually referred to before deciding to press ahead with their appeal. Perhaps it was a Red Dwarf style SFA directive 20347134: Though shalt not pick the nose of bald Irishmen in the month of the December within a 5 metre zone of a ginger referee. Penalty shall be a two game ban and £2000 for Craig Levein to spunk away on canvas images of Mark de Vries

You thinking wee bit like the Shed at Cappielow these days?

Indeed! To the point that Chic Young, would have happily re-written history on Sportsound earlier this evening had he been left unchecked. Completely ignoring that said challenge he tried to imply that it was in fact Jennings who had sparked the altercation, he should have been given a straight red, his "beloved" Saints would faced 10 men for the next 80 minutes and poor Jim Goodwin wouldn't have needed to get involved. Incredible! When the debate about the topic between him, Billy Dodds and Richard Gordon began at the start of the programme, Gordon had requested comment and feedback and fortunately enough happened to read out my text almost immediately after Young had spouted the above nonsense. So there was at least some balance offered and it was pointed out that had Calum Murray not let the original challenge on Jennings go unpunished then things would likely have gone differently to how they ended up. Better still, well in terms of Young making himself look stupid at least, having earlier claimed that St Mirren were reluctantly accepting the punishment, they read out a statement which fully endorsed the SFA's ban for Goodwin and apologised for his conduct. Dodds even asked him, without a hint of irony, had he personally inserted the word reluctantly. It is bad enough that the SFA have raised a complaint about Jennings in the first place without a fool like Chic Young, muddying the waters with his own agenda and putting his own slant on things.

Really surprised at the Jennings complaint. Entirely in keeping mind you of how Saturday's game was handled where several times Saints committed the original foul but we were the ones ultimately penalised. I would like to think the club will appeal. We've been punished enough by virtue of the fact that Goodwin scored and cleared one off the line when he should have been off the park.

You can query the £23 starting price, in fact many would query the £20 discounted price but in fairness to Hearts, they don't need to do anything for us. Motherwell don't need to do anything for us travel wise. But they have. So I'd say take advantage of the incentives on offer while they are going and credit to both clubs for combining to make an away day that little bit more affordable for many, and potentially bring it into reach for those who might not ordinarily have been able to go. Shame I made the decision to go to Ibrox on 2nd January instead now though isn't it.....