Lobey_Dosser

Young Celtic players breaking through have a habit of scoring against us. Two more added to a list that includes Hay, Beattie, Watt, Forrest etc. Really disappointed in Robinson’s approach tonight. I understand the need to rotate but we’ve effectively written off the points against a fragile Celtic under a rare bit of pressure. Shame, as one of Robinson’s refreshing characteristics at the outset was to fear nobody.

Brilliant result. I strangely fancied us today despite going 5 years without a win in Perth. Credit to Robinson and the team, we tend to dig out a result when we really need it. Was pleased to see Mbulu and Dunne both start today, having a bit of pace either side of Alfred makes all the difference,

We don’t play the style of football I like to see but given the circumstances, it was a relatively good performance imo.

Delighted. We dug in to snatch a much needed point. A fine achievent after losing two centre halves early on. Thats good performances at home to Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen. Players need to start producing on a more regular basis in order to keep an improving St Mirren and Dundee at arms length.

Johnson will rightly grab the headlines but Grimshaw was the best player on the park. He’s been instrumental in our improved form.

I fancied us going into today but my confidence drifted when I saw us lining up with a back three. There was no need to worry though as we were right on it today, with Main getting back to his best and Campbell looking to have benefited from the rest. Delighted to see Johnson, an obvious natural goalscorer, take his chances. Special mention to Grimshaw who is at the top of his game. When he plays well, the team tends to play well. I wouldn’t be surprised if we beat Celtic on 5 Dec.

In recent years, we’ve kept McCall, Baraclough and McGhee longer than we should have, leading to more embarrassing defeats than necessary. Same is happening with Robinson. I’m somewhat conflicted on the issue as I don’t think a manager should be sacked on the back of yesterday due to the pivotal nature of the questionable red card. However, the writing has been on the wall for some time, he’s barely got a tune out the players since the league cup final 12 months ago and in my eyes, his signing policy in the summer eliminated any ‘goodwill’. Unfortunately, Burrows and the Board are now in a horrible predicament as any new manager is going to get a baptism of fire with the run of games in December.

At 1-1 I actually thought we were in with a decent shout of getting a result. Will need to see the pen back but the red card killed the game. Difficult to draw too many conclusions given the circumstances.

Think I’m going to get a ticket for this. i hope we don’t stray too far from last week’s team but I’d be inclined to bring in Campbell at the expense of one of our misfiring strikers. 2-1 Motherwell. McHugh and Sammon.

Like most Motherwell fans of my generation, I absolutely adore Lasley. However, I’d be surprised and disappointed if he’s in the running. He’s been too involved in a setup that has seen us churn out some of the worst football we’ll ever see. The only man in Fir Park who potentially has the credentials to take over the reins at present, is Craigan. And unless he is willing to take the plunge, it’s time to look left field. Burrows and the Board need to be on the lookout for someone that values quality over quantity and places faith in youth.

Not surprised Tait dropped, he’s looked off the pace this season. Hopefully ATS is ready to make a positive contribution as the lack of balance has hindered us for a long time. Good luck to young Turnbull.

Gutted I couldn’t go today and see a Motherwell team play proper football. Our style of play has been excellent since Craigan took charge and we clearly have some real talent that should be closer to the first team. We’ve been talking about Hastie, Livingstone and Turnbull for years now, give them a chance. Wonder if today puts Robinson under a wee bit more pressure.

Not at all imo. These are potentially two big games for Scotland with qualification still possible. It’s a fine opportunity for both players, giving them the chance to play with and against superior players. A different style of training and fresh environment may even lift their confidence. Furthermore, given Motherwell’s investment in youth development through Project Brave, Cadden and Campbell’s international recognition should be celebrated. Playing in a potentially high profile game against England sets a marker for the youngsters coming through. If the players are suffering from burnout the blame lies closer to home. Maybe they should have been given more time off in the summer? Maybe Robinson should rotate his squad more?

We find a manager who values technical ability and opts for quality over quantity. Obviously a squad rebuild can’t be fully addressed until this summer and his transfer policy is going to hinder the aspirations of his successor. However, Robinson shouldn’t remain in post just because he’s blown a sizeable budget on unworkable dross. Burrows and the board need to take the hit for such blind faith over the summer. If we can find a manager that i) understands Tait and Cadden must play on the right together ii) knows a left back and iii) gives youth a chance, we’ll be alright.

Not one player was close to passmarks.

Utterly appalling style of football. This can’t go on for much longer. If Burrows and the Board don’t take action soon, we deserve to be relegated. It’s really sad to see how poorly Cadden and Campbell are playing at the moment. The pair of them look to have been mismanaged. Hopefully they can regain a wee bit of confidence on international duty.

The end is near. We’ve ran out of steam with the hard graft approach and the squad doesn’t possess the required quality to turn it around. When you consider the cost of a Robinson payoff and the inevitable clearout that will follow, I hate to think how much of the cup money has been thrown down the drain.

Odds on ATS and Grimshaw being subbed at ht?

To be fair, there have been some excellent televised games at Rugby Park since the arrival of Steve Clarke. The visits of Hibs, Rangers and Celtic spring to mind.

Lasley may have a say in the odd signing but he isn’t in a position to influence the transfer policy. When the club appointed Robinson and then extended his contract, they knew what they were investing in. Robinson is a manager who signs players with ‘character’ that are willing to work their balls off every day in training. For such a philosophy to prosper, Robinson believes in creating a competitive environment via a big squad. This has clearly worked to an extent delivering some memorable nights that were unimaginable under the McGhee malaise. Unfortunately however, many supporters find the quantity over quality approach a real turn off, particularly when it prevents a decent crop of young prospects getting anywhere near the first team. In some respects, Robinson’s personal traits are a fantastic fit for any provincial club but his transfer strategy doesnt fit so well, particularly for a club that is serious about attracting and retaining young talent.

Listening to the enthusiastic Hartley on mixlr, I got the impression we had a right good go. Maybe not. This was always going to be a tough season given the lack of quality recruited in the summer. Focus now has to steer away from a relegation battle.

This was always going to be a tough week but should the trips to Tynecastle and Rugby Park go to form, the Livi game could prove to a crunch game for Robinson. He rightly deserve lots of credit for turning round our cup form but he’s managed to build a team that doesn’t score goals.

A testing week in prospect where we may well see the benefits of the 12-18 transfer strategy, particularly when we have concerns over Carson, Rose and Main. From a tactical perspective, I’d like to see us return to a back 4 with Tait and Cadden on the same side of the park. The pair of them are being wasted at present. The downside to a back 4 is that we appear to have entered yet another season without a fit and competent left back. Upfront, I’d throw Sammon in given how poor the other 3 strikers were against Hearts. Bit of pressure on Aberdeen so hopefully we can test their nerve. Having said that, I’d be quite content with a draw ahead of the trip to Tynecastle.

McHugh despite his costly mistake, that’s how mediocre the rest were.

My first league game of the season, proved to be a tough watch after starting fairly brightly. The lack of touch and technique from our front players is alarming. Feel for McHugh as he was our best defender but that was a helluva costly lapse in concentration given the injury to one of our biggest assets. On a positive note from a Scotland perspective, John Souttar is starting to look a bit special. Having seen him up close 3 times in 8 days, he looks destined for the big stage.