weeyin

It's a common problem for newly promoted teams to find goals hard to come by. Defences are better, time to shoot is less and, typically, chances are fewer. If you crack that problem, you have a great chance of staying up in your rookie season. Hopefully, we can keep things tight at the back and give them another bad day at the office. I don't think it will be an easy game, but I think if we play at the same level as our last couple of matches, we can win this one. However, based on the result in the 1929/30 season (when they beat us 6 - 1), I'd be happy with a point. Also, Lawless hasn't scored since August, so based on that fact he is world beater that we should never have let go, he could well get a hat trick in this one.

Hmmm. So applying that same logic, and given that we hadn't lost at Pittodrie in our previous 7 visits, I imagine you predicted at least a draw for us in the Boxing Day game? Damn.

Seems like there are a few Motherwell haters on here some weeks.

You know the roof on the East Stand was there before they put the seats in? Why would you choose to stand in the rain when there was plenty of shelter available?

I think, if he has a decent 2nd half of the season, Ainsworth might end up signing for us. Like you say, Anier is a more complicated situation, but at least we have Moore to take his place if he goes.

Who knows, but given they have been training and playing with the team for half a season it's more likely they will find consistency than any new loan signings. If we do lose either or both of them we need to replace them for the sake of squad depth. Even if we decide to blood a couple of youngsters in their place, we still need players on the bench capable of playing in the first team.

The seats in the East Stand are fairly typical. Quickly installed on exisitng terracing, no leg room and overfriendly with your neighbours. The plastic is also very uncomfortable. I'd definitely prefer standing over that option. It's also easier to keep warm in the winter when you are standing and can move around a bit. If you don't think standing improves atmosphere, go to a concert where everyone is standing and compare it to one where everyone is sitting and see which one is louder.

For all the 'bombscare' talk, how many goals/points has Hollis cost us this season?

Closer to nonsense, than insightful. Someone posturing as an expert analyst, but not really going into any more depth than a Sportscene pundit. If you are into full blown, geek depth analysis of formations, tactics, evolution of the game etc. Jonathan Wilson is the man to read. As well as his regular columns he has written a few books on the subject (he is also a guru on the game in Eastern Europe). Here is one of his more recent articles which, by his standards, is fairly superficial.

Selective memory - we all suffer from it! That's how stories like "We always lose to teams with a new manager" and "Any team on a losing streak always breaks it against us" become 'fact'. One of the one's that I fell victim to is that Wille McVie was sent off for handball in our famous 5-4 victory against Kilmarnock (coming back from 2-0 and 3-2 down). I was at the game and swear it was true. However, it turns out McVie was booked for handball and sent off later for a 2nd bookable tackle. What is they say? "When legend becomes fact, print the legend"!

I'm all in favour of giving our youngsters a run out in the first team, but a young keeper is a bit of a special case. Not many SPFL teams would be putting an 18 year old between the sticks, especially in a game that we had to win. Can you imagine the outcry if he had made one mistake that led to a loss?

Absolutely. Even at home I'd expect the opposition to be using the "kitchen sink" approach if they are a goal down in the closing stages.

I think so. Although I imagine keeper is the most difficult position to hold onto through the ranks. Sooner or later, they are going to want to play competitive games every week and young keepers generally don't get in the first team of top flight teams.

Saw him come on as sub the other week against Ipswich and he turned the game for Barnsley almost single-handed. Only time I have seen him since he left though, so pretty small sample size. Apparently he is 2nd choice to Paddy McCourt.

It may well be true. On the other hand he has said that a few times and soon after brought in a player e.g. Ojamaa and Faddy. I hope this is more of the same.

You'd break them all if you knew you wouldn't get caught.

We played some great stuff under McCall too as recently as last season. The problem right now is we don't have Brown's team or McCall's team from last year. The thread is about how do we move forward, not if you remember how good we have been in the past.

In Murphy's last season, this place was full of posts moaning about him being too lightweight, too streaky, not being able to play out wide, not looking interested. Far too many unable to appreciate what we have until it's gone.

It's the US 2nd Division containing an impressive 8 teams.

When I was a season ticket holder (which was during some of the worst periods in our history), the sequence for events for me was typically: - Watch a bad game on a Saturday afternoon - Saturday evening, vow I'm never going back - Sunday, revisit the horror in the Sunday papers - Monday, get the last of the reports out my system in the dailies - Tuesday, mostly over it - Wednesday, can't wait for Saturday to come around I understand why some people will stay away - especially these days with the cost involved. I never managed to get out of the "what if today's the day and I miss it" mentality.

I agree we lack balance, but I think that's down to players not performing rather than the makeup of the players we signed. Ainsworth was brought in for pace out wide. Vigurs was, presumably supposed to add some guile to the midfield as a ball player, and Faddy was presumed to continue his form from last season. 0 / 3 happening has definitely left us struggling. Sutton has been a decent replacement for Higgy (and would have prospered with equal service) and Anier filled a need at the start of the season - one which I can see Moore moving on to fill in the 2nd half of the campaign. We didn't have the budget to replace the players we lost, so are depending on cheaper alternatives. That usually means lower quality or less experience. Either one brings it's own problems. For all that, I honestly don't think any team can suffer so many changes in key personnel in key positions and not see a significant drop in performance. I wish it was different, but in all the years I've been watching football I can't remember any counterexamples. McCall definitely needs to earn his wages over the next few weeks and work out some sort of system to keep picking up the points (which to be fair we have been doing at home at least). But the key to what's left of this season is what we do in January. We need at least one body in the midfield that has some creativity and equally, if not more importantly for me, we desperately need someone from midfield who can contribute some goals. Our goal return from the current midfielders is woeful. If I was an opposition manager I'd focus on nullifying our front two and feel safe goals wouldn't be arriving from anywhere else.

I played this as a Game of the Week on FIFA 14 last night. Lasley had a stinker - could barely find a man with his passing - and Faddy was non-existant. However, Vigurs scored a peach from 25 yards and 'Well ran out 1 - 0 winners. So obviously I expect the actual match to be a repeat.

The only manager in recent memory who might have been able to rebuild the squad better was Gannon. And even he may have struggled to replace as many first team regulars as we lost given the fact we had a smaller budget this season than last (and much smaller than when Gannon was boss).

See from Official Twitter that Lee Erwin requires surgery and likely out for the remainder of the season.

Ross McCormack (I know, he falls into the 5 years and a few months category)