Ya Bezzer!

Just as in a individual match, luck plays a big part. We have been very lucky on several occasions regarding relegation and I think it's fair to say if we had gone done we could easily be a Morton or an Airdrie right now. Probably the most crucial stroke of luck was not going down during the administration season. Just look at Dundee to see how things could have happened. A bigger club than us but a playing tiny squad, bottom of the first division, barely struggling to stay alive, if they go down this season you would seriously worry that they would ever regain their status as Scotlands 6th club and they might even go under. A lot of credit goes to Terry Butcher and John Boyle post administration. They rebuilt the club and laid the foundations for one of the most successful periods in the clubs post war history. It's just a shame that guys who I think deserve to lift silver wear haven't done so yet despite various opportunities, but who knows....maybe this season will be the one.

The 'Archie McPherson' coat will be coming out the cupboard tomorrow, I think!

Daft fud website, daft fuds in the video. Looks like west central Scotland is full of daft fuds but we knew that.

Stevie Hammell is 6 matches away from having the SPL appearance record (348, currently held by Scott Severin with 347). Jim Fowler is only one behind Stevie so it could be an exciting dash for the record!

Anyone with an iPod will know there is a stopwatch function. Think I might use mine to time the first "Higdon get tae fuck!!!" (or variant) shout from the East Stand. Anyone fancy a sweep stake?

1993/94 was a 12 team top division but we were still operating under the 2 points for a win system. Celtic.......D..H..2-2 Dundee.......W..A..2-1 Kilmarnock...W..A..1-0 Raith Rov....W..H..4-1 St.Johnstone.L..A..0-3 Hearts.......W..H..2-0 Partick......L..A..0-1 Dundee Utd...D..A..0-0 Aberdeen.....D..H..0-0 Rangers......W..A..2-1 Hibs.........L..H..0-2 Adjusted to the current points system that gives us 18 points or 1.63 points per game. 1994/95 was a 10 team top division but switched to the 3 points for a win system. Rangers......L..A..1-2 Hearts.......D..H..1-1 Kilmarnock...W..A..1-0 Dundee Utd...D..A..1-1 Hibs.........D..H..1-1 Partick......D..A..2-2 Celtic.......D..H..1-1 Falkirk......W..H..5-3 Aberdeen.....W..A..3-1 That gives us 14 points or 1.55 points per game. We only lost one match in this opening quarter but played and won fewer matches. 2007/08 was, as you probably remember, by the current system of 12 team league and 3 points for a win. St.Mirre.....W..A..1-0 Inverness....W..H..2-1 Kilmarnock...L..H..1-2 Gretna.......W..A..2-1 Hearts.......L..H..0-2 Aberdeen.....W..A..2-1 Falkirk......L..A..0-1 Rangers......D..H..1-1 Dundee Utd...L..A..0-1 Hibernian....W..H..2-1 Celtic.......L..A..0-3 That gives us 16 points or 1.45 points per game. We were positioned 5th in the league at the end of the first quarter (I don't have weekly league position stats for the 90's seasons). 2011/12. This season we have 22 points or 2.00 points per game. Therefore... BEST STARTS IN SPL/SCOTTISH PREMIER DIVISION AFTER FIRST QUARTER. 2011/12 - 2.00 points per game (23 points/11 matches) ///Final league pos. ? 1993/94 - 1.63 points per game (18 points/11 matches)* ///Final league pos. 3rd. 1994/95 - 1.55 points per game (14 points/9 matches) /// Final league pos. 2nd. 2007/08 - 1.45 points per game (16 points/11 matches) /// Final league pos. 3rd. * By current points system, not actual number of official points.

I'll contribute my bottle of coppers.

If you want to get sent off I'm guessing its not so easy to go OTT on another player since you must know you could put the guy out of the game for months/a season/for good. To do that with forethought you'd have to be pretty brutal, especially if it was just some random guy that you had nothing against for a wee back hander. Also disagree its easier for a referee to send someone off than a player to get sent off. Touching a referee, acting aggressively towards him, using offensive language will do it prettily easily. Not saying Jennings is guilty but I just don't quite follow your argument there.

Obviously I hope these allegations aren't true. We'll just have to wait and see what happens but until we know more about what is going on it's difficult to comment. As regards the actual sending off, I'm sure I heard a referee saying that touching a referee is an instant red card offense, so although there wasn't much in it and it was probably an over reaction by the ref, it seems like it was technically correct decision. As for Jennings continuing to play, I suppose it depends information that the club has. If they believe he is innocent, play him. If they have information which looks bad for Jennings, then don't.

Hateley didn't play in the European campaign during the Gannon season because he was ineligible but apart from that he's played in every match, starting all but 2 sub appearances. Pretty amazing record - touch wood!

So did McLeish. Just couldn't win against anyone else! Ying-Yang.

McCall has definitely encouraged Lasley to go forward more often, although I think that has caused as many problems as its solved on occasions. However Las has been a great player for us down the years going back as far as the Butcher years. I don't think he'd quite make it into my all time Motherwell XI but he'd definitely be very close, if not actually in, my 22 man squad. Great attitude and an under-rated footballer.

It's good we have a manager that goes to these lengths to communicate with the fans and explain decisions. However one thing, you can point to the 'bigger picture' which is fine but when fans are paying £20+ to go to a game it's not about the 'bigger picture' it's about the match you just spent quite a lot of money to attend. Three times in the last month or so we didn't show up. That's probably £80+ just for admission, never mind other costs. Motherwell players aren't especially well paid compared to the top stars but I'm guessing they earn more than most of the support and in many cases £10's of thousands of pounds more. I'm unemployed right now but I spent £60+ paying into Fir Park just last week alone. I don't expect miracles but I do expect the players to give decent effort and that's not happened on a number of occassions in the last few weeks. I know I am spending money I can't really afford right now to follow my team and I'm sure others are as well and I think its only right that we have expectations that the team will actually make an effort to win the match and against Rangers, Celtic and St. Johnstone they didn't show that will to win. So is it any wonder people get angry? I don't condone the behaviour of some of our support and I've spoke out against it on these forums. Some of them are just arseholes but I also understand why some supporters can lose the rag when they see players under performing. So the bigger picture is pretty good but it is also true that three times fans shelled out to support the team in the past couple of weeks and they hardly saw the team make a pass or have a shot at goal. Dougie Arnott said in one of the recent programmes that all Motherwell supporters wanted was to see players trying their hardest. I think this is generally true and certainly mirrors my feelings. Hopefully we will see better effort from the team in the coming month.

So is Daly - 7 goals in 8 starts.

I think it's pretty obvious now that the only changes are going to come due to injuries. No home game for a whole month so I might go to one of these away games but I think I'm more inclined to go to the Hibs match although I seem to remember Hibs having obscene admission prices unless I'm getting confused.

Lot of pish. Last time I told someone to shut up he's down out his seat giving it all the hard man aggro, see you after the match at the gates shite. I'm there with a 6 year old and a 4 year old. Why should they be exposed to crap like that? Even if I wasn't there with kids why should I risk either getting chucked out the ground or lifted or being on an assault charge because other people can't behave?

Went for Las. He's the driving force in the team.

Not exactly a vintage match or performance but it was one we absolutely had to win and we did so I'm pretty happy. Definitely deserved the three points and should have won by more - how Clancy's header didn't go in I don't know and Humphrey has obviously been taking notes from Fernando Torres! Aberdeen actually defended reasonably well and were a tough nut to crack but going forward they were absolutely hopeless. We weren't helped by a referee who was allowing Aberdeen to foul at will. Some decent performances, McHugh was excellent when he came on and showed some real bite and will to win. The goal came from a nothing area that a lot of other players wouldn't have bothered to chase the ball into but Bob did and he got his first league goal out of it. I thought Clancy actually did quite well today and made some good tackles and blocks and Hammell was solid again. Lasley worked his socks off as well. I have to say though I thought some of the abuse that Higdon was getting from a section of the crowd was ridiculous. He wasn't brilliant today but some of the stuff coming out the East Stand was way over the top. Another 3 points and a clean sheet. Hopefully we can regain some confidence from this result and although we didn't exactly set the heather on fire it's something to build on and hopefully that's what we'll do.

As a non season ticket holder I just want a win under any circumstances having put about £80 into the club this week!

He didn't play a blinder but I don't think Murphy was that bad last night. I think people are judging Murphy as a striker when in recent games he's been playing a different role but I accept he's not been at his best. However, for me, he is still one of our most naturally gifted players and one of the few players in the side that has a goal in him. For that reason I'd persevere with him because it's goals that win games. Take the Hearts game, Murphy wasn't at his best but he scored the goal that won it and I think he can do the same against Aberdeen, or anyone else for that matter.

And I don't know lots about football management - taking training, dealing with agents and the press, signing players, man management, but I have watched 25 years worth of football at Fir Park, some fans been going even longer than me, and I think if you watch 25+ years worth of football out on the green stuff that gives you at least the knowledge to have and make an opinion on the football played. I think a lot of fans are ignorant of what goes on behind the scenes and I usually give staff the benefit of the doubt in those cases (signing players, finances etc.) but as for the football out on the park, I think fans can have opinions that are just as knowledgeable as professionals. Also, I think because managers are in the thick of it, choosing the tactics, picking the team, they sometimes lose their critical faculties. It's much harder for anyone to admit they are wrong or spot their own mistakes, that it is to look at someone elses work and spot errors, that's just human nature. It's no bad thing to have a second pair of eyes go over your work, its just in the case of a football club, it's a couple of thousand eyes.

It's for balance. I think we really need someone between the defence and the midfield two. When we played Kilmarnock earlier in the season Mani Pascali played that position perfectly and shut us down for most of the match, I think we only had two real chances. Hateley played that position well under Gannon and again I think Forbes played his best stuff under Gannon and I think that set up really suits him. I'd drop Humphrey because based on last night Daley is just as good going forward and a lot better tracking back. I'd also move Craigan back to right centre half where I think he is much more comfortable and put in Johnny Page at left. Page played there against Clyde and while it was against lower league opposition he looked fairly assured there.

I think it would be harsh to blame McCall for last night. We were winning, having come back from 0-1 down, with only minutes remaining. But I think you can realistically look at the tactics and say 'we could be making things easier for ourselves'. Back when we lost to Rangers I said that we were far too open in midfield and they were exposing the defence badly meaning we conceded more goals than we should have. At the time I thought it was only going to be a problem against the Old Firm with their higher quality players. It's obvious from the last two matches it's now a problem against any team in the SPL. Some of our defenders have made bad personal mistakes that they shouldn't have but you also have to except that we have a pretty ramshackle defensive line up at the moment. You have Craigan on the left side, which isn't his strongest position, and Clancy, who you can tell by watching him doesn't know the position. You have to help them out a bit, you have to protect them. Teams are running straight down the middle of us and to me that's not good enough, even the worst sides with a little organisation can force teams to go wide to get any joy. In midfield Lasley hasn't been in good form, although he came good last night, Jennings, the major problem in the side right now, has been stinking all season, he is just not doing his job game after game after game. Humphrey does not track back, but we all knew that before. Murphy on the other side is being played out of position and isn't as effective but probably has to play there while Hutchinson is out. Law, also, is defensively weak. We need to beef up the midfield to protect the back line and McCall hasn't done this and has remained far too loyal to one or two players in particular. I also think his reluctance to bring players off the bench while is a negative and will be a bigger one in the long run. Firstly, if things clearly aren't working like on Saturday there is nothing to lose bring players off the bench. You might get lucky, but if you just leave it and nothing happens you open yourself up to criticism. Secondly, over the season our 'first team' players in a small squad are going to have to play more football, meaning more fatigue over the season, more chance of injury (both are linked surely?), more chance of cards etc. Thirdly, there will almost certainly come a time, probably during mid winter, when we have to play guys like Page, Lawless, Forbes etc, because there will no one else due to injuries and suspensions. When that time comes, it looks like they will be thrust into the team at a very important stage of the season, in bad weather and pitches with hardly any game time. Forbes has some experience now, but the others have very little experience in the first team and as they say 'make hay when the sun shines'. If you are 3-0 up against Dunfermline, put some of the kids on. If you are gubbing Inverness, put some of the kids on. There is a time and place to do it but so far McCall hasn't done it when he had the chance and I really think he has to re-think that part of his decision making.

I think I have more chance of becoming manager than there is of McCall actually playing this line up but I would go like this ................Randolph................. Clancy....Craigan........Page.....Hammell .................Hateley................. ..........Forbes.........Lasley.......... Daley.............................Murphy. .................Higdon.................. And I know that is tough on Nicky Law but I think in terms of balancing the team up sometimes a good player has to sit out.

Got to say I didn't think it was offside and I was more or less in line with the assistant referee. He had a couple of other shockers as well.