Ya Bezzer!

Never mind Motherwell, professional football will be offloading some of these guys if they don't pull their stocks up quick smart. Sadly this is what has happened to Hibs last season. They had a squad full of unmotivated out of contracts that knew they weren't going to be at the club in the next season and we have something similar with 15+ out of contracts from a squad of 24, most of whom will be on their way. We have a small squad but there is hardly any competition for places because 8, 9, 10 of those players are completely out of the picture and shuffling around waiting to be freed. In the past we've had a good dressing room but it's obvious there is a big big downer behind the scenes at Motherwell right now. Next season can't come soon enough.

Congratulations to Dom Thomas for his first man of the match award. Only his second sub apperance and he's the big man in that dressing room. Hopefully the first of many.

I'm amazed we were as high as 42. Probably a good portion of that was pass backs.

If Baraclough thinks we weren't outplayed today then he's gone into denial mode already. The contrast between us and Accies isn't just a top six team versus and bottom six teams it's more akin to a top league team versus amateurs. The gulf between us and them is absolutely humiliating.

SEASON 2014/15 AGGREGATE SCORE MOTHERWELL 0 HAMILTON ACCIES 9 You could count on one hand that number of matches I've left my seat before the final whistle, I just never leave before time is up no matter what the score is but today I left at 4-0 and before I'd got out the stadium it was 5-0. An absolutely shambolic performance from start to, well I can't quite say finish because I didn't see the last 5 minutes or so but that team should be absolutely ashamed of themselves after that. From the first whistle we looked like a team about to get a thrashing and I mean literally from the first whistle. Accies could have scored three times in the first 2 minutes when we failed to defend three three crosses into the box and that pretty much set the pattern for the match. Our first half performance wasn't worthy of the term 'professional football' and for that every one of those players should be utterly embarrassed to lift a wage for being out there today. It wasn't even worthy of the term 'school football'. We had no confidence, no shape, no organisation, no determination, no work ethic, no pride and that's not even addressing our footballing deficiencies that's just addressing the characters of the players. Footballing wise we couldn't even do the basics. The entire performance was a conglomerate of shocking technique and ability allied with laziness and defeatism. Accies, who lets remember operate on a far smaller budget than we do, over the two matches I've seen are on a completely different footballing planet from us. They have team spirit, aggression, an attacking mentality, good organisation, pace, passing, they find space everything we don't do. Why is it that someone the size of Dougie Imrie can bully someone like Stephen McManus? Just about everyone of the guys out on the field today needs to have a good hard look at themselves in the mirror tonight. Not a pair of balls between the lot of them on that evidence. There was one faint glimmer of hope today. Dom Thomas came on and played more football in a couple of minutes than the other 10 had managed over the entire match. There was no public transport today so I walked to the match from Motherwell in the wind and rain and that's what I got as a reward. I literally put more physical effort in to get to the game than these imposters did over the match. An absolutely black mark, one of the all time lows in my time of as a supporter and when you add it together with the match at Fir Park, the League Cup match and the Albion Rovers game is there even any point in going over to New Douglas Park when the team is that fucking shite? Even if it was one match you could write it off but it's not, it's a series of some of the most dismal football I've ever seen from Motherwell teams. Utterly deplorable, utterly unprofessional and a complete insult our support.

True. Thought he might have had 1 or 2 sneaky sub appearances earlier in the season when we were struggling for bodies.

Cummins is just back from Ayr Utd is he not? If Ojamaa can only play for us or Legia then surely the same applies to Cummins, he can only play for Ayr Utd or Motherwell. I don't think O'Brien is earth shattering by any means but unlike you I don't have confidence in Ramsden, Kerr or Reid to play at centre back. I would bring O'Brien back.

Also we only have a 24 man squad as it is, with something like 15 out of contract players. Even if we paid a quarter of them off that would cost a fair bit of money and we'd have to bring in replacements which would be a further cost.

Honestly I'd be surprised if we have anyone comes in other than O'Brien/Ojamaa extending their loans or replacements if they don't. Not one of the players that are out of the picture that are going to go on to a better club or contract so they will sit tight and pick up the last 6 months of their contract here. The ones that might do and we want to keep, will hold tight until the summer looking for a better deal as out of contract players. To be honest, I don't think we should be throwing money at the squad anyway, as far as I'm concerned we have more than enough already to survive in the league and shouldn't even be in this position. Getting the team to perform to previous standards will add much more than bringing in January window players who will more than likely not have been playing this season either having been sidelined by their clubs or being free agents.

Walk and burn off some of that Christmas excess! That's what I'm doing.

Or use deflated rugby balls to master the 'bounce'.

Good examples in McCulloch and McDonald although I think McCulloch is the better one in regard to Erwin. I remember writing somewhere, perhaps here if it existed back then, that McDonald was a very good player but he'd never score goals! As regards Ojamaa, I thought he was poor yesterday and I wouldn't let 6 or 7 minutes of highlights change that opinion. Of course he has something extra in him that most of the rest don't have and that will show but he needs to work harder and have a better attitude than he did yesterday. I don't know if he had an off day as players do or if he was upset at playing on the left but if it was the latter then the manager has to have a word with him because I think he should be playing there regularly for the benefit of the team. He's quick, has skill and has a left foot so for me its a no brainer that he plays wide left with our lack of options in the squad. Ojamaa - Vigurs - Ainsworth behind Sutton is surely our most effective attacking line up. There's no reason that I can see why Ojamaa can't do what Jamie Murphy used to do on the right wing, play wide but come inside and get 10 goals a season.

I don't think anyone is saying any more than he will need to improve in front of goal if he wants to make it as a striker. No one is running him out of town on a rail. The last player I remember being in a similar position to Erwin today was McFadden against Celtic and he missed too. It happens but when you are trying to make your name as a young striker then I think you need to be more composed than Erwin has been so far. I'm sure Erwin will be sitting at home tonight kicking himself regardless of any supporter chat because he'll know as well as anyone.

Didn't exactly set the heather on fire at QoS. In fact they have a young striker, Gavin Reilly, coming through who they clearly though were better than our guy. I've always felt a bit sorry for McHugh because he never really got a chance but all that time on the sidelines has not been good for his career in terms of progressing as a footballer.

When a striker misses a glaring chance it's going to be commented on so if Erwin has a future in the game he better get used to it because football isn't a game for the psychologically weak, especially the striker position where it is all about goals. He also missed a sitter against Celtic and has made a fool of himself diving around in the box so he needs to pull his socks up and try and live up to his potential. I'm all for youngsters getting their chance but when you are in with the big boys you have to take it on the chin just like everyone else. Also we weren't poor for the previous 75 minutes, we played very well for 45 of them.

A few candidates. Ainsworth was good on the ball but we didn't get it to him enough in the second half. Hammell came back and did well. I thought O'Brien had a pretty good match and made some important challenges. However I'd give it to Lasley. Excellent first half, back to his best, second half mucked in with everyone else.

We only lost on penalties last time.

A win would put us right back in there with Partick, Dundee and Kilmarnock. St. Mirren play Kilmarnock so someone, or both, drop points in that one and Partick have Celtic. Ross County have Inverness and Dundee have Dundee Utd. Next week is a big opportunity for us.

We were definitely pressing the opposition much higher up the pitch which was pretty successful for us. Contrast with the Celtic match where time and time again we allowed Ambrose and van Dijk to bring the ball out from the back. Unfortunately in the second half we just stopped doing that. I'm sure the manager will have pointed that out. Law has been a lot better in recent matches but for me he lacks the level of technique you need to play at a higher level. Erwin has been poor lately. With striker sometimes they just need a goal and they find their confidence again but he's not going to get many better chances than he had today.

Partick fans on P&B were complaining because he didn't start today.

I think it's Higginbotham we hate. On the second half, we've hardly had any possession but at the end of the day its two clean sheets and hardly any dangerous moments. Not brilliant football by any means but right now we need points and that's what we've got.

Every points a prisoner for us this season. Wouldn't be too disappointed with a point because Thistle are no push overs, especially on recent form. Another win would be great. What we don't want to do is lose this because a 10 point gap* is going to take a pretty major change in form, one way or the other, to claw back. *effectively with goal difference.

We filled the Spice of Life stand last time for a midweek League Cup tie so I wouldn't risk it. I reckon we will sell out the tickets.

I think this is pretty much the sensible thing to do here. Should benefit all parties.

Everybody played everywhere under Gannon. He did play in front of the defence and played very well there but he also played at right back under Gannon. In fact I'm pretty sure his debut was at right back after Steven Saunders got injured close to kick off.