weeyin

Playing some good stuff considering the opposition and conditions. Hope Fergie is enjoying it.

Now, of course, JT should be in Gogic's face for the rest of the game.

Nah, Fadinger's was fast, high and late. It was the high that did him.

As much as I hate Gogic, I think it should be a yellow.

Gogic doing to Slattery what he did to Just a Fir Park.

Just is on fire this half.

Not sure what JT did to Gogic, but well played.

So it's his right foot that's his shooting foot. Explains a lot.

Not the Hollywood ending he was hoping for (5 - 3 defeat). Turnbull's Cardiff City also on the wrong end of a 5 -2 .

I'd say we were about 40/60 to finish top 3. All depends on our away form.

The thing that annoys me most about the Champions League is teams that win their domestic title but have to enter the competition at qualifying rounds. Meanwhile, other teams that finish 2nd or 3rd enter later in the competition. I know the competition has been dead an buried as a proper Cup since the big teams ganged up and decided getting knocked out in a early round wasn't fair to them (or their bank balance), but they could at least have all the Champions qualify automatically and enter at the same stage. I used to really enjoy the European Cup when it was 2-leg straight knock out. as it felt like a genuine competition. Now it's just yet another league that's manufactured to ensure the big teams win and are further enriched. I barely watch any of the games these days.

"Team news?" "At least Oscar is fresh"

This all depends on having competent people wanting to be referees. I'm not sure how many sane individuals would want to make that career move. Worth a try though.

I'm surprised he wasn't one of the ones out the door in the summer or January. Didn't have much confidence in him in the old system, never mind the new one. I don't think he'll start, but I imagine Eythor might get some extended game time in this one to give his regards to the St Mirren defence..

Sorry about that; fixed it now - think of it as MOTM load balancing.

It all goes back to competence of referees and their ability to understand the game and the context of the game. IFAB have tried remove the need for referees to figure out intent, which is why we ended up with the ridiculous handball rules. The same goes for the situation for Priestman where the rules have tried to create absolutes rather than taking context into account. If the refs could be trusted to understand and appreciate footballing situations, we could let them apply common sense. Sadly, I don't see that changing any time soon. On a slightly different note, regarding "ruining games for the paying public", I completely agree with that. I've often wondered if it wouldn't be better to allow a red-carded player to be replaced with, perhaps, harsher punishments for those that are red carded. In a sport that has tried many things to be more entertaining, a team going down to 10 men early in a game can spoil the spectacle for both sets of fans. I know things like sin-bins have been trialled, but maybe that would another option for the Priestman situation. 15 minutes off the pitch. Or instead of a red card, always book the player and award a penalty even if it wasn't inside the box. There must be a better option, even if it's not perfect.

One shuffle too far Take your pick...

He is part of our strongest team. And it's not like we are just throwing in him cold. He's had 14 starts this season.

Connelly is the designated Scottish Cup keeper. I'm OK with that. Interesting lineup as always. One part load balance, one part freshen things up, one part address the issues from the weekend. Not a bad bench either.

We have improved in the 2nd half of the season though. And we've only lost 2 away games in the league - both to the OF.

100% this

None of the best Motherwell teams I have watched in the past have won anything. I'll be delighted if this one is the exception, but I never pin my hopes on cup success. Even more so now when games are played to conclusion rather than sorting things out in a replay. Really looking forward to tonight's game though. Hope none of my customers need me if we go into extra time - already have my calendar blocked out for that possibility.

I'd also add that never once during our 91 Cup success did I feel this was our "best chance ever". The narrow wins, replays and penalty shootouts backed up how fine the margins are.

While we are playing well, I don't feel that being drawn away from home on a dodgy surface against the current holders who will be hell-bent on defending their trophy in front of their own fans constitutes a "great chance". We are playing well, and I think we have a good chance of winning, but I wouldn't be shocked if we lose. One bad decision, one piece of bad luck, and you can be out. It's certainly not Spartans at home. I don't have the fear though. It's amazing the progress we have made this year to get us in the mindset that we have a great chance, and if things go to plan, we should be in an equal or stronger position next season. That's the great thing about what has happened under JBA. It's not just about the performances, it's about the foundation that has been laid. We need to be sure we take advantage of it in future seasons too.

They were playing at a cricket ground - the Leichhardt Oval.