Andy_P

The just under 3000 figure was mentioned in a tweet by Alan Burrows.

Your thoughts and votes please...

Definitely won't be Adam Livingstone, he's on loan at East Fife.

Up getting my ticket for tomorrow and whilst waiting the chat was the New Century have some spaces left on a bus going to Dens if anyone is looking for transport.

Your thoughts and votes please...

It's funny how your habits change. When I couldn't get to a game in my youth it was listening in hope for the scoreflashes on the radio whilst they invariably commentated on the Old Firm. I suppose you did it as there was little other option. Even as recent as the Billy Davies era when Radio Scotland did online commentaries from each top flight game I would listen on my PC if I couldn't go. By then I had long since come to the conclusion it's an awful way to follow a game your team is involved in. The oohs and aahs, wails of excitement that set your heart racing only to discover it's a fucking throw in on the half-way line and then almost missing goals because the commentator of the day has so underplayed the fact you've just scored. As for Motherwell's own offering I have barely given Mixlr a listen for a first-team game. I actually really enjoyed the low key general chit-chat approach employed when in the early days they covered some of the U20 games but my long since reached conclusion that most audio commentary is ulcer inducing listening when your team is involved hasn't changed. As aside seeing "Dangerous Attack" for the opposition on Bet365's wee pitch graphic with the game at 94+03 minutes and you're hanging on has managed to surpass that level of gut wrenching tension if you particularly enjoy your masochism. All that said, and given my lack of custom as it were I'm perhaps not best placed to comment, but I've often felt Graham seemed to get a bit of a hard time. If this change has given listeners what they want with a different voice and allowed Graham to return to watching games with family and friends then that seems like a happy outcome for all, but on the face of it, it appeared to me that the fact he was giving of his time for what presumably was little or no personal gain and for the benefit of fellow fans seemed to be overlooked.

Maybe all our players should have stopped and ran to the linesman and done a little girly hissy fit stamping our feet and waving our arms until he changed his mind like Cerny did in the corresponding fixture. Or maybe not,

I've got no issue with Boyd's place in Motherwell's history for what he did during his time with us, after he moved on is a different matter, but the thing about him and the left-back position for me is that he really only played there for about two, two-and-a-half seasons tops. Having played in central-defence and even in midfield he almost accidently stumbled into the position when John Philliben fell out of favour. He also reverted back to centre half when he returned to Scotland with Celtic. Good as he was he never had quite the longevity in the position that the others had and he also had the considerable benefit of a rejuvenated Davie Cooper putting the ball on a plate for him for two of those seasons. His defending was rarely in question but the attacking element to his game came largely through Cooper telling him to "run here".

I'm left with a mixture of relief and delight at getting something but at the same time a little bit underwhelmed. It seemed a positive looking line up and we started quite brightly but our performance very quickly dipped and it became grim viewing. I thought we always had the edge but as Thistle illustrated with the headed opportunity that seemed easier to head in, than head over, an accident was always waiting to happen. If Main had been to put in that chip over Cerny (whom I seem to dislike more and more with each game I see him in) towards the end of the first half it might have injected us with some confidence and belief but sadly it wasn't quite high enough out of Cerny's reach. A very disappointing goal to lose. Carson seemed in two minds and nobody in the defence seemed to go for the ball with any conviction at all. Again you would have to credit the team for digging their way back into it. There's a question to be asked as why it took us so long to show the intensity we did in the last half an hour or so but there was absolutely no question the equaliser was the very least we deserved from the game. Pleased to see Nadir get off the mark. Credit to Dunne for his part in the goal but the finish was trademark Cifti. That kind of finish was everything you hoped you would get when we signed him. Hopefully it will be the first of many. Unfortunately we couldn't go on and get the winner but obviously one point is better than none.

Your thoughts and votes please...

I think MacLean is far more comfortable on the right hand side than left so I don't really feel that Frear's absence has genuinely seen him missed out on opportunities that were due to him. When Cadden was missing on the other side however, there's more an argument could be made of that.

I don’t think I am. Nowhere have I said that I think folk don’t want Motherwell to win and similarly nor am I saying anyone is wrong in highlighting deficiencies, remarking upon the abilities of a player, manager or performance. Plenty articulate such views each week - myself included. But I have little doubt that whenever things begin to go awry, or in some cases even the prospect of them going awry, is enough for some to try to reinforce entrenched negative opinions. When the positives fail to be acknowledged or if they are, they are done so almost grudgingly, whereas the negatives are seized upon as evidence to back up the oft stated view that A,B, or C won’t cut it, I'm left with the view that it doesn't really matter what the afflicted individual does, they are never really going to get a fair crack of the whip. If I could draw your attention to a couple of posts earlier in the thread for example about how we got our goals and secured our wins/points in the games after the break. That’s the kind of post I would expect to read on an opposition forum attempting to justify a defeat. It would seem from those remarks that it’s no longer sufficient just to win. We need to win by playing well and we need to score from open play. Goals in injury time it seems don’t have the same merit as those in the regulation ninety minutes. Given that only a few days earlier the same poster was attempting to have us believe Robinson was 90 minutes away from losing his job and had already done his sums to work out how close to the play-off place we’d be after losing to Ross County, Hearts and Hibs you might think the positive results since the split might have been well received. Doesn’t really look like it does it? And there’s Andy Rose. The Andy Rose who it was being slaughtered after the Hamilton cup game for offering nothing in an attacking sense yet provided the cross for the opener against Ross County (which most likely would have been headed in anyway had their centre-half not gone for it) and was involved in the equaliser on Saturday. I’ve yet to read much of an acknowledgement of the positive contributions Rose made in those instances. I have however noted the latest criticism, which didn’t take long to be aired during last night’s game. All in all you’re left with the impression that anything bad that happens is fault of the manager and the players he’s playing. But anything good that happens will always be in spite of the manager and the players he’s playing. So aye, by all means anyone is fully entitled to air their views on how poor you think a player, the manager, a performance or the team are. But if you routinely focusing on the negatives, appear to downplay the positives and appear reluctant to give credit when it’s due, I wouldn't be too surprised when folk grow weary of it and you’re called out to justify your stance.

Your thoughts and votes please...

The swiftness with which some almost gleefully seize upon when things doesn't go our way can at times lead you wonder if the criticism is genuine or simply the continual manifestation of a deep-rooted dislike or lack of belief in players or management that really isn't going to change, come good times or bad. Seems there's a fair bit of the latter in evidence tonight. Ultimately we've lost but from what I saw of it we weren't a million miles away at all. Nothing much in it in the first half and totally dominated the second. What we didn't do was defend as we could have and were as clinical as Hibs were in front of goal. Hibs dominated possession in the first half. I would expect no less them being at home but Carson was hardly faced with a barrage of efforts. I have a little sympathy for the team for the first. It appeared to be something of a miss-hit shot and was partially cleared by a stumbling defender. No question about the vociferious finish though. The second was poor though. Boyle was able to amble up the wing and take his pick from two or three Hibs players waiting to have an effort on goal. I thought we responded pretty well after conceding the second. Arguably we could have made the positive changes more quickly than we did but whilst Hibs, of course, had no reason to chase things further, there was only one team in it thereafter. Good anticipation and finish from Main and he continues to impress not only with his strike rate, but work-rate and link up play too. It was a pity he just wasn't able to snatch a point with the effort tipped over at the death. An opportunity lost to pick up a point certainly, but nowhere near as bad as some of the stuff I've read earlier in thread would have you believe.

For me it just suggests a team carrying a number of players that for varying reasons aren't 100% fit and are being managed back to the point where they are. Robinson I'll grant you is far from the most expansive gaffer who overloads his teams with attackers but I just see this as a compromise between managing the squad whilst putting out a team that has the potential of returning with a point (with attacking options awaiting as and when required).

Going by a tweet from Graham Barnstaple the "but but the ball didn't hit the back of the net" slevvering gibberish came from Jimmy Sandison. This only adds to my delight.

Your thoughts and votes please...

I share your mixed feelings on Fisher's transfer. I suppose we should take into account that Robinson has been in charge for less than a year and this is only his second transfer window. I suppose your question on how it reflects upon him will only become clear if the practice is replicated over several other longer term signings (by that I mean those signed on longer than a one year contract). Who knows. Perhaps it's simply a case of timing. It may just be it's mutually beneficial for all parties concerned with the not insignificant factor that another team wanted him.

A good three points, if not a good game of football itself. The opening goal was fortuitous of course but I'm certainly not going to feel guilty at that. Plenty has gone against us with no little sympathy. It did raise a hint of a smile that it was Rose who crossed the ball, when only a few days earlier he was being absolutely caned by some for a lack of crossing and attacking ability. The second was however very good. From the work done to win the ball back, the perfectly placed pass and the deft finish. Throw in Carson's (weekly) jaw-dropping save and Main's clearance off the line and that's about your whack really. I'm fairly excited about the potential the Cifti-Main partnership offers. Considering that they've only played twice together and are still building up an understanding; and that neither of them are 100% fit that they've already combined twice to win the penalty on Saturday and again for the second goal last is pretty encouraging. I read of some who said you couldn't attribute December's results down to the absence of Moult alone and whilst I couldn't disagree with that at all the significance of a finisher or at least a striking partnership that delivers goals between cannot be understated. Moult was the difference that raised us above the likes of Hamilton, Ross County and Dundee. If we can get a similar return from these two I would hope that at worst we can maintain a double figure gap between us and any relegation concerns. On the style of play I don't actually object much at all to the apparent vision of getting the ball to wingers who send in inviting crosses for our strikers to attack. I've seen those aims labeled as pre-historic or inferred to be backward anti-football. I don't know about that. I had no qualms enjoying John Gahagan firing over balls for Willie Irvine, Davie Cooper for Nick Cusack or Chris Humphrey for Michael Higdon; and I sure as hell won't be upset at seeing Tait, Cadden, Frear or whoever pinging them in for Main or Cifti to work with in the box. I despair as much as the next punter when the plan falls down due to lack of ability to pass or cross or the easy option is taken just to launch the ball forward as was often the case last night the principle of getting the ball wide to deliver into the box, particularly at pace as perhaps was evidenced with the goal against Hamilton in the 3-1 loss isn't just as bad an idea as is sometimes made out.

Steelboy and The African seeing as you ask. Public poll, there for all to see.

Your thoughts and votes please...

Heard the same before the game too. Smashed eye socket it was claimed.

A good and very welcome win. And well deserved too. I thought it followed a fairly similar pattern to the recent league game with Motherwell getting ahead early and looking completely in control. The deviation of course was that rather them coming into the game from nowhere with a penalty it was us who got the all important second goal. There were a number of pleasing aspects. Back to front, great to see Carson get a clean sheet. He pulled off a couple of excellent saves. Perhaps significant most tended to be from distance and one of them was when we were momentarily down to ten men and were somewhat disorganised at the back at the time. Aldred looked a similar no-nonsense style type. Ironically that "old style" mentality of thinking nothing about steaming in probably lead in part to his injury. Thought Dunne looked pretty decent in the middle. Definitely helps when there's less onus on him to be involved in attacking sense and less passing is involved in his game. Rose for me today gave a pretty good illustration of why he seems to be favoured by Robinson. His task was purely and simply to keep Imrie in check, to limit his involvement and his potential to spark his team and their fans to life. He had the wee shite in his pocket all day. Up front I liked the look of both new forwards. Different styles but both played their part. A whole lot of Moult style all-over-the-park involvement from Main with a number of clever flicks and knock-ons. I'd like to see a little more of what he does in the box (winning penalties aside) but hopefully that'll come. Cifti had some lovely touches and hold up play and again I'd hope to see a bit more penalty box activity will come in time, but both certainly had decent debuts. A good feeling to have righted some wrongs from last time out against them. Wonder how many videos their fans will be posting online this evening! In the bigger picture I'm delighted we got the much needed result to push the doubts back into the background, even if briefly. Let's make sure we keep it going and continue to rebuild our confidence in midweek.

Your thoughts and votes please...

I'm in the same boat in that beyond the couple of cameos towards the death of games in the final couple of games last season, and U20 highlights, I can't speak with any authority whatsoever on the capabilities of Adam. What I would say though it is can often the case that through more accident than design that players emerge and stake their claim. Stevie Hammell for example when he deputised for the suspended Stephen McMillan all those years ago would not have been expected to play pretty much every week if fit for the next half a dozen years. Mark Reynolds is another example, a perhaps more jaw dropping example when you think that Bobby Donnelly was initially selected ahead of him. Sometimes a player just needs that opportunity regardless of how it comes about.