Andy_P

I don't see that it makes much odds in all honesty, if anything it creates doubt about his selection on Accies part that might not have been there - although that said taking off your top scorer when a game is poised at 1-1 going into the final stages generally doesn't happen without good reason so I'm sure they would have had an inkling. But given he's already scored against them in both games this season it would be pretty stupid of Accies not to target him if he plays fully fit or otherwise. Now though they have to hedge their bets a little as to whether it's Moult and/or Bowman they'll be facing.

Doesn't matter if it's 1-0 or 10-0, our best or worst performance of the season. Just need to win.

Delighted with the point yet at the same time a touch rueful that it wasn't all three. We couldn't have asked for a better start and pleasingly didn't sat back but looked to build on it when we could. We were well deserving of the lead at half-time and whilst they had one effort that whistled past the post I don't think Samson had a save to make in the first half. The second was more of a contest and, now I the aftermath when I think on it, turned into a cracking game of football. Their new manager (he of the media's hilarious fawning over him scouting the opposition - fucking revolutionary stuff indeed) has been quoted as saying it was down to fitness and illness but he also appeared to change their formation to match our own which I thought was a nod to Robinson's tactics. They certainly upped it in the second half as you would expect but it was all about who would get the first goal in the half. For all they had loads of pressure and a stack of corners we looked excellent coming forward but just couldn't get the final ball right, or the effort was weak. A fine response to them levelling but absolutely gutting to have the goal disallowed. I haven't seen it again so I don't know what it was disallowed for. I'm also quite intrigued to see again when the linesman disallowed it. Maybe he had his flag in the air earlier and I just missed it in the celebrations but it seemed to take quite a few seconds - the length of time it took for Rangers keeper to get up off his arse and run within a couple of feet of him - before he put his flag up. That definitely left the impression he had been pressured and perhaps had a bearing on the comments Robinson is quoted as having said. But it was a good point, and the very least we deserved for a fine afternoon's work. The Accies result was a frustration, particularly the timing and manner in which it came but I'm sure a few of their fans (and Caley's too) will have come out of their games and cursed when they saw we'd got an unexpected result too. Lots of really good performances today. Our recent and sometimes maligned English non-league signings all looked good. Frear and Bowman look they are growing in confidence with each passing game and their contributions are becoming important with that. Elliot is going to an asset for his deliveries and trickery on the ball and I was really impressed with Bowman in particular. He looked stronger and was able to bring a good deal of physicality to his game. Interesting that Robinson managed to find a way of getting Bowman, McDonald and Moult into team in a way that they complemented one another and not just three fowards doing their own thing. Not suitable for every game perhaps but useful to know it can work when the occasion arises. I think it's worth bearing in mind that we've had two weeks to prepare for that game today whereas we've now got three days to prepare for a team who will play in a different style entirely but if we can maintain the intensity of the performance from today in midweek I'd be confident we can get three points.

Your thoughts and votes please folks...

Were those events perhaps in different seasons? I remember we lost a midweeker in Perth in 93'94 (they really had the measure of us that season with 3 wins which was all the more painful given I think they eventually went down) but my recollection was that Burley had only just returned to Motherwell as a player coach not long after being given the bullet by Ayr. He moved on before McLeish arrived in 1994. I can't mind if McLeish played against the Bankies in the League Cup at Fir Park but that was certainly one of, if not his first matches in charge. Again I can't remember if that came before or after the Havnar UEFA Cup game but it's entirely possible he made an appearance that evening. I do recollect it was nice to see Davie Cooper back at Fir Park that same evening. Anyway apologies for a few posts of mine that have taken the thread off topic.

That Utd game is one of those games I've never had the inclination to see again given the implications of the result and I don't remember too much other than perhaps Sieb Dijkstra perhaps being culpable for one of the Utd goals, that was certainly in 1993'94. Anything involving Andy Roddie would have been 1994'95 or onwards, he was one of McLeish's early signings in 1994. As regards the Cooper Stand that started being developed at the end of the 1993'94 season. I think the terracing was still in use the night I was referring to (93'94) and a large number of 'Well fans took the opportunity to stand for the last time at Fir Park in the final game of the season against St Johnstone a week or two later.

Where might we have gone had he stayed? As was evidenced under McLeish "his" team still had a bit of life in them before McLeish began to try to put his own stamp on things. Could it have got better still or was that it at its peak? We can only speculate/dream. It is worth remembering though McLean's team took a genuine challenge for the league title until the 3rd last game of a 44 game season. That's an incredible achievement when set against the millions that Rangers spent to build the squad they won the league with that year.

I actually don't think it would take a huge amount of "upping" of the performance, concentration and organisational levels to leave us in with a chance of something on Saturday. We could and should have had them buried by half-time in the League Cup game and have thrown away leads in the previous games at Ibrox. The last encounter at Fir Park was certainly our weakest display against them of the four but we've been far from uncompetitive in each of the four games thus far this season. Sometimes, when you very least expect it...

I must admit yesterday's game left me fairly deflated. I'm generally fairly positive and try to take what good you can from a game whatever the outcome but not getting anything from yesterday was really sore. We lost a poor goal and were fortunate not to be out of it completely but battled our way back into it. It was pretty raw and basic stuff but we had sufficient fight about us to build a sustained spell of pressure that culminated in our equaliser. That should have of course have come a good earlier with the missed opportunities from Cadden and McDonald but there was no question by the time we levelled we deserved it. I thought we started the second well pretty well too but were lacking a bit of guile and quality. Again though we had chances. Their winning goal though just seemed to completely deflate us for a good 15 minutes. And no wonder. It was about their first foray up the park and to culpable in our downfall again was pretty dis-spiriting. That header in injury time though? Jeez oh. I haven't seen the highlights back yet but I think I'd been celebrating a good few seconds before the disbelief that we hadn't actually scored kicked in. From my vantage point in the East Stand you saw Bowman connect, the header go over the keeper and heading right for the goal. Everyone seemed to celebrate and then.... Injury time last week and this will certainly be a test of our mental character. When stuff like that happens it would be easy to allow thoughts that things are fated to begin to drift in. The break will be useful for recovery time and getting players fit but its an absolute pain in the arse going into an international break on the back of a defeat knowing there's nothing you can do any time soon to try improve the league position.

Your thoughts and votes please...

Yeah, not disagreeing on the form of McMillan or his defensive colleagues in recent U20 games. But it would present that age old argument about whether it is better to play players in their natural positions or make formation changes or shuffling several around. Not an easy decision in light of our predicament and it being his first game.

Still have options if he wishes to utilise Cadden further forward. Jersey filling perhaps but options nonetheless if Hammell or Hammell and Jules don't make it. McMillan McHugh Ferguson Jules or McMillan McHugh Ferguson Chalmers(I know)

That would certainly tie in with a story I was told previously about Paul Lambert, also at Blackburn funnily enough, when he was linked with but wasn't appointed to a couple of other jobs after leaving Ewood Park. Same kind of thing. If he was to take the position it would impact on the compensation which in his case was said to be worth more than the salary at the proposed new employer. It was said that when you see managers go off the radar for a time often it isn't so much recharging the batteries as is suggested but more that their pay-off terms change if they take a new job.

Crikey. That's some achievement!

Amended. It does play funny buggers with capitals when entering a title. Annoying. But now amended.

I think the phrase that COF, I think it was, used further up the thread "open-minded" best sums up my feelings about Robinson's appointment. I saw enough in the Killie and Aberdeen games to be intrigued about what he do in the longer term. I think has been forgotten by some that Robinson has already looked to address some of the many grievances (and many justified I hasten to add) aired about the team in those two games. For example the bold change of tactics at HT at Rugby Park when McGhee was often criticised for a failure to change. I've read claims this appointment has in someway been a deference to our senior pros - yet our captain for example was hooked in the aforementioned game at Kilmarnock and spent last Saturday picking skelfs out his arse for ninety-minutes at Aberdeen. And I think the organization and discipline shown by our defence and midfield, when they've been slated all season for being weak, was encouraging also - unfortunate as it was not to go the full distance (and ironically now suffer claims of a lack of potency whilst our top scorer was sat in the stands). It's not an earth shattering appointment. I can totally appreciate why many feel underwhelmed by it. But in those two games I saw small changes that hint at an appreciation of where failings lie and attempts to address them so yeah open-minded as to what he might be able to achieve. Contract length I'm unsure of. At first glance it doesn't appear to afford the opportunity of a long-term plan to be put in place which I think many had hoped for nor does it appear to demonstrate a total faith in Robinson either. That said many will suggest it is sensible that if it goes horribly wrong the cost of remedying it won't be sufficiently huge if the contract length isn't long-term. All in all it has a hedge-our-bets feel. I personally don't see that the fan ownership would have any great bearing on the attractiveness of the position. The club will run as a business looking to break even and make profit regardless of whether there is a single owner or whether fan owned. There will be board members, chief-execs, secretaries and staff charged with that task whether there's a single owner or whether we're fan owned. The support that the Well Society gives is just that support. The funds they accrue are what £10k-£12k a month. That level of finance taken in was always intended to be there as a lever of help for the club - such as previous loans - but never for the day-to-day running.

Mystery fifth interviewee revealed.

Reputation? How relevant is that in the selection process, and if you do take it in account whose view do you take into account and to what extent? It's an interesting question. weeyin has listed the reputation as perceived by Motherwell fans at the point of departure. We've read about the reputation of Coyle from the Blackburn fan, Robinson from an Oldham and anecdotal evidence from friends and acquaintances of Inverness fans and so on. But that reputation held by fans might be somewhat different from those who worked with him, managed against him or depending upon what spin is used by those influence in the media. For example the ex 'Well managers reputations could just as easily be. David Hay - Took Motherwell back into the top flight at the first attempt after two years of failure previously. Tommy McLean - First Motherwell manager to win the Scottish Cup in 39 years. First Motherwell manager to take his team into Europe Terry Butcher - Galvanised a team in administration. Brought through a crop of youngsters that would earn the club close to £3m and recover its financial position. Craig Brown - Took a team into Europe and left them sitting in the top six when he moved on. Stuart McCall - Three successive top three finishes and a Scottish Cup Final. I suppose all it confirms for me that reputation only goes so far, there is a huge amount that has to be considered when any managerial appointment is made and reputation is just one small part of that consideration.

They're damned if they do, damned if they don't to an extent. Make a quick appointment and some will be slating them for having rushed into it. Be perceived to have taken too long and they'll get slated for having dallied and not knowing what they want. We're in relatively safe hands with those in the caretaker position currently. They should take as long as it takes until they feel they've got the best person for the job.

Nonsense Dave! Everybody knows you'll be casting admiring glances down at Tommy Wright and looking on lovingly as your midfield dream-teamers Paul Paton and Murray Davidson kick, scratch and bite their way through another slow weak Motherwell midfield for ninety minutes I jest of course, well mostly. As you've rightly pointed out it is difficult to call with the uncertainties over who will be in charge and available for selection but what I don't think will be lost on the team, whoever is involved, is the importance of the fixture. That alone should be the incentive to take the game to a St Johnstone team who are fast veering towards "nothing to play for" territory. If a similar attitude, endeavour and desire is there that has been shown in the past couple of fixtures I'm confident of a win.

For me the key line there is "sounded out" that's a leap away from offering someone a job. We could have "sounded out" a hundred and one managers. In fact if we weren't sounding out potential candidates you'd be wondering what they're at. Still glad it won't be him mind!

Freedman had his chance when he knocked back Tommy McLean about 20 years ago.....

It is big. The weekend has the potential for us to be six clear of 11th not to mention the hoped for tanking to their goal difference that Accies will suffer.

Your thoughts and votes please...

We are allowed to credit our team after a good performance you know. Which it very much was. At times I think some of our fans give the impression they aren't happy unless they are twisting the knife into themselves little further. Very unfortunate not to have earned a point. Sure Aberdeen were dominant. I would have expected no less. But our organisation, our desire, commitment and work rate was tremendous. Heneghan put in as good a display in a Motherwell jersey as he's ever done. McHugh organised the back line largely very well. Samson made some terrific stops but they had to work hard to carve out those opportunities. We got very little from the referee. Some of the bookings were a joke. It was laughable to see him stand six feet away from Aberdeen players pissing about after they had the lead after we were getting booked for hesitating at a throw in. We werent up in there box too many times sure but that wasn't through a lack of trying. An unfortunate result but a very creditable performance in my mind and lots of positives to take even in a gutting loss. I hadn't actually really considered Robinson as a possibility as manager but on the back of the last couple of games I'm becoming more intrigued to see what he can do with the team, at least in the short term.