Andy_P

My recollection of PK too Melvin. Another to add to the list of Utd rejects - Derek Murray.

I'm sure I will have seen Reilly on many occasions but his performances aren't ones that linger in the mind. I do recollect him being fairly unpopular however and having to retire through injury. I would guess you wouldn't be far off a full team of former Dundee Utd players who came to Fir Park whilst the McLeans were in charge of both sides. Not all of them were to our benefit that's for sure.

Are you maybe getting your Jamie Fairlie's and Dave McCabe's mixed up there? McCabe was prolific at points in the First Division with Airdrie and McLean took a punt on him. His only real moment of notoriety was scoring against Rangers in the Dickie Gough OG game, only to see it chopped off. He moved on to Morton and played against us in the Scottish Cup. Fairlie came to us a little beforehand from Clydebank I think - perhaps even in a swap deal or as part of the deal that took your windmill fella to Kilbowie. He wasn't actually that bad at Motherwell, seem to remember him scoring once or twice in the three months or so he was with us. But he certainly didn't see eye to eye with McLean and you're right, first time we played Accies the following season he scored the winner and certainly made sure he enjoyed the moment.

Gardiner is defined by the Scottish Cup Quarter Final replay in 1987 against Hearts. It wasn't quite 'Names on the Cup' stuff but there was a really strong feeling this was going to be our year. We'd beaten Partick, Hamilton at Douglas Park (who had beaten Rangers at Ibrox) and had seemingly done the hard bit by getting Hearts (who had knocked out Celtic) back to Fir Park after drawing with them at Tynecastle. So no Old Firm, no Aberdeen, if we'd got through no Hearts or HIbs. Unfortunately for Gardiner he was at fault for the late loss in the replay. It was a defeat that really hurt and he was never really forgiven for it by either the support or Tommy McLean.

Apologies for digressing slightly from the MOTM award vote for today but that's exactly the kind of thing I felt Gordon needed last week. They are different types of players of course but sometimes I think when youngsters are introduced into the team, particularly when there's a fair bit at stake, they need something to make them feel like the genuinely belong in the team. Campbell got similarly beasted in within the opening minutes at NDP on his previous start at Hamilton and whilst it took him a little longer today he'll be all the more confident and assured in his own mind that he is deserving of his inclusion next time around. It's was lovely he got a goal but it was heartening to see the doggedness with him. The effort put in to win headers against a guy clearly some way bigger in stature than him, the number of times his persistence paid off with getting a block in, a touch or tackle in when the odds looked against him was really encouraging. I really enjoyed watching his display today.

It's the white Josh Magennis isn't it.....

A very topsy-turvy afternoon but all's well that ends well. We couldn't have asked for a better start. Two up inside minutes and coasting. If Bowman had put his chance then we really could have made some serious in-roads into the other sides goal difference advantage but we seriously lost our way. Between Samson's saves and missed chances they could have probably added another two or three easily to the goal they pulled back. But I thought we regained the initiative around 5-10 minutes before half-time and never really let it slide after that. We were unfortunate with the double save before the break and yes the equaliser was shambolic but I thought we'd started the half the better of the sides. Really pleasing to see the character evident in the team when Caley equalised and as Tweed has rightly observed in the New Manager thread Robinson didn't mess around in shuffling his pack. Again as has also been said I certainly won't be losing any sleep if it is indeed proved our third didn't cross the line. The fourth so soon after was vital as it pretty much knocked the stuffing out them and it also removed the sceptre of having to hang on to a single goal for an agonising last few minutes. Great to have Moult back and to see both he and McDonald score. Many have pinned our survival hopes on our two strikers abilities in front of goal. And this goals from midfield malarky! It'll never catch on.... Nice to be out of the play-off spot and to have edged further away from Caley as we head into the split. Having Dundee next at home gives us a fantastic opportunity to put some daylight between us and them. You can make an argument both for and against having a break between that game. Having broken one hoodoo by registering our first win at home of 2017, can we now go on and win two games on the bounce for the first time since however when?

Your thoughts and votes please..

I really don't know what to think about this one. So many conflicting arguments as to how it might go. I think something like the last half a dozen have been won by the away team, so you'd think...fuck! But obviously that run has to end sooner or later. You think back how they won on their last visit here and how we've generally been awful at home. But again that has to change sometime. You don't know how either side is going to react to the pressure but how they handle it will have a bearing. It's not quite last chance saloon for Caley but it's close. And I remember a couple of seasons ago when we were going to places like Firhill, NDP and Paisley looking for the team to be completely up for it but they looked they were strangled by nerves and they shat in the nest every time. So they could be absolutely flying or bottle it. But leaving all that aside, the woeful first forty-five aside at Firhill I don't think we've been a million miles away. If we can get Moult back up front and Tait in defence then I'm hopeful if we get the effort we have had since Robinson took over it will enough to get the win today. Tough one to call but hopeful of the win.

I had been thoroughly enjoying watching St Mirren marooned at the foot of the Championship but in a worst case scenario context of an easy accessible away day for next season a train day to Paisley isn't the worst thing in the world....

You weren't ignored the first time. The that lots of different threads haven't cropped up suggest that folk are happy enough that all Well Society posts are generally all together in the one thread regardless of whatever stage of the process we've been at.

Had a rare listen to Radio Scotland there whilst cutting the grass. They said the SPFL would have them out "early next week".

That's a ludicrous notion Lobey! November...

I think there's a player there from the little I've seen of the U20's but I thought he looked a little inhibited myself. He looked to me like he wasn't totally convinced he belonged in the first team yet. I was really hoping for a coming of age moment, if you want to call it that, where he would win a tough tackle, make a cutting edge pass or produce a bit of trickery that would give him the confidence to play. No question though its a very difficult time to chuck a youngster in and as you say there were plenty below his level. Just not quite MOTM stuff for me though.

I'm not convinced Robinson would go even if we were to be relegated. Look back at some of the quotes from Flow on his appointment where he refers to him as being the outstanding candidate given the outlook he presented for the short, medium and long-term. Thus far, and I repeat thus far, it hasn't been great but it hasn't been so woefully bad results wise that you would think they wouldn't give him a chance to get us back up and undertake whatever the rebuilding job he has in mind.

There is the former player element but I really couldn't give a fuck about getting one over Laing or Vigurs or Forgan given the current predicament to be honest. I'd be surprised if any in the ICT camp make any attempt to cast up anything about their time at Motherwell as it would show a lack of focus on their part given they are in an even more desperate place than ourselves. Equally our focus should all be getting the win that would go some way to at least ensuring we don't finish bottom.

Starting off on the positive. I like the fact in his short while in charge Robinson has been thoughtful with his formations and has tried to work something around the players at his disposal. I've been impressed at him being bold enough to give players who hadn't featured previously a shot at a vital stage of the season whilst leaving out some of the untouchables. I like his willingness to address the personnel and tactics early in a game if it doesn't appear to be working. But some of that poses as many questions as answers and brought other problems as a consequence. Why have we got the initial tactics wrong and had to change so early? Why have we had to be bold and gamble making double substitutions so early? Why the hell have we resorted in recent games an utterly awful and ineffective hoofball style? I said prior to SR's appointment I would be intrigued to see how he handled the job and I remain so. Yet the words of a few fellow posters who stated the person we would want to build something may not necessarily be the best person to help us avoid relegation is a nagging increasingly repetitive voice in mind. These challenges are all great for Robinson to work through to learn about his players and their capabilities. But it's fucking agonising stuff looking on in seeing them work at it, in the midst of the plight we currently find ourselves in. The first half yesterday was as bad as its been for a good while. Defensively weak. Offering absolutely nothing going forward and very lucky not to be at least a couple down. The second half was much improved and we dominated if not exactly carving out chance after chance. There was a response though, we got effort, we got urgency and we looked like a team that wanted to win rather than one in the first half that just looked sorry for themselves and had no belief. I think it's been so unfortunate that in two of the most important games we've been without Moult. You would think between midweek and yesterday he would surely have been able to make something out of the pressure and dominance we had in spells over Accies and Thistle. Yet perhaps Tait's return is arguably just as important given the ability to return to a 4-4-2 that actually has a proper right back in it. The wing-back roles for Frear and Cadden have increased their defensive duties and in many cases left them deeper than where would have liked. Albeit Cadds could have been put under pressure defensively yesterday when he played as a right-back in the second half it was refreshing that the formation change at half-time allowed us to put in some half decent crosses, or at least semi-decent crosses, rather than the utterly awful and ineffective hoof up the middle aimed at Bowman. The single goal losses to top half teams perhaps suggest that we're not that far away, although we simply cannot afford to write off forty-five minutes in the manner we did in the first half yesterday. We'll be a better team for Tait and Moult's return and hopefully the breather that Lasley has had over the last few weeks will see it's benefit in the final weeks of the season. Horrible as the table currently looks I remain hopeful that we still have enough about us to finish at least tenth.

Your thoughts and votes please..

Quoting myself here but having followed the link on the latest 'Well Society email to the points discussed at the last board meeting I was interested the note the remarks about £120,000 being transferred from the 'Well Society to the club. Now I've consistently backed such transfers (even if fan ownership hadn't come to fruition the very fact the WS were able to help the club in this manner made it hugely worthwhile)so I've no grumbles with the cash transfer but it is a little intruiging/bordering on the slightly concerning as to why it is required based on the remarks made in December. Perhaps the failure to reach top six? Smaller than anticipated attendances? McGhee pay off? Further restructuring of the commercial side? Interesting one.

Are you really going to miss a game because of who the referee is? Surely not?

Jeez oh. Well spotted! I'm clearly watching far too much rugby when I'm sticking the Italian rugby coach on our bench. Actually he's Conor O'Shea but evidently close enough to have seeped into my heid. I'm off to stand in the corner red faced and think about what I've done...

I think the importance of the point gained or two points dropped is not going to be fully known for a few weeks yet but right now it certainly feels like two points dropped and a big opportunity missed. I don't think you can fault the team for effort but we certainly lacked that bit of quality and imagination to break Hamilton down. It became soul destroying to see the same long diagonal ball being routinely mopped up by the Accies defence the more the game went on. We weren't without our chances but despite dominating possession Accies probably created as many clear cut chances in that wee ten minute spell in the first half as we did in the ninety. Of course we had the "goal" which could have made things completely different, the effort spectacularly hooked off the line and the a couple of other decent opportunities too. It's another game down. Four clear of Inverness and a point closer to Dundee and we had those rarest of beasts a clean sheet, so it's far from being completely doom and gloom. But my over-riding feeling tonight is disappointment that we couldn't put them away with a lingering hint that if we can't put them away, and with only 10 men for the last twenty minutes, who are we going to put away. Hmmm....

Your thoughts and votes please...

If Cadden and Frear can continue to create as they have in recent games I'm confident we will still have enough about us. Not just as confident as I would have been with Louis in of course but still confident.

That's quite an incentive we have for tomorrow night. A win and you go six clear of Inverness, four clear of Hamilton and you jump a place. It's there for us!! EDIT: What Dezz said!