star sail

We will beat St Johnstone next week. What today showed for me is that the gap between 2nd and 3rd is massive. 3rd to 12th in the SPL have little between them. It literally is two leagues in one. That was a training match for Celtic today and they won at a canter. For this season anyway though I think we will be best of the rest. It is a slightly hollow feeling though this eve.

Why would you make space for Hateley in that team?

Yip. Someone made the pt today that should well lose tomorrow united are in control of there own destiny given that they still have to play us and have a Superior goal difference. A draw tomorrow delays that for the time being.

There would be two things of note should Motherwell not finish in 3rd place this season. Firstly it would have meant an outstanding end to the season for United and secondly an almost Malpas like end to the season for Motherwell. The comparison would be a little unfair as we are playing top 6 instead of bottom six but the point is that it would be a massive turn around. Dundee Utd were miles behind not so long ago and have had a superb run in (Aberdeen apart). It would be somewhat ironic if in the final analysis wee broony's team save us. If Motherwell don't finish third this season I would see the Kilmarnock game as being the turning point. That was the one game Well should have won. Kilmarnock had nothing to play for and a win would have taken the wind out of the United challenge. Killie winning that day is the reason why I don't take any comfort from the Celtic have nothing to play for argument. Rangers had nothing to play for today and beat Hearts at Tynecastle. I have been very confident for weeks that we will finish 3rd but tonight is the first time in a little while that I have a slight doubt. Having said that I still think we will make it beating St Johnstone and Utd themselves to clinch a nervy last day Champions League spot. Losing tomorrow almost guarantees a final day shoot out I feel so we better get the valium ready.

Fair comment. Let's just hope the players can show us that they do have the mentality this sun because a win wld be massive. Cheers.

In the last five Motherwell v Celtic fixtures the cumulative score is 14-1 in celtics favour. The record against rangers in that same time frame is as bad if not worse. Are the OF really that much better than the team sitting 3rd in the SPL?

I can understand that train of thought but performances and results would suggest that what is said in the dressing roomto counterbalance McCall's public words has not been working. Take the last two OF games alone, both lost from an inability to defend throw in's. That suggests a nervousness in the last quarter of the game that stems from a lack of belief.

They don't have the belief and I think we have to lie the blame for that at McCall's door. Quotes about results against the OF not mattering and a refusal to voice ambition in the fight for second in the league (even when we were level on points with Rangers) result in a team that give the OF far to much respect. It was summed up for me in the last Celtic game at FP when Motherwell totally dominated for the first 10-15 mins, scored then within a minute of the re-start gifted Celtic a corner that they duly scored from. They simply panicked when they got there noses in front. The Cup Final as well, one of my saddest days as a Well fan when it should have been a celebration. Keep telling a team that the OF are superior and they will start to believe it. Can't see any change on Sunday. Celtic win, Well will still finish the season in third place though.

28000 at Hampden today and not an Old Firm team in sight. Shows what happens when there is a trophy up for grabs. Some would have it that Scottish football would crumble if Rangers were not there. A Hearts, Hibs, Aberdeen and Dundee Utd that thought they had a chance at winning an SPL title would keep Scottish football ticking over no problem. The biggest problem with Scottish Football is that we have an uncompetitive league. A league where 10 of the 12 teams know before a ball is kicked that they will finish no higher than 3rd. Rangers and Celtic are the problem and yet we are been told that they are the saviours of the game in this country. Too many people (many of them journalists) with a vested interest in seeing Rangers stay in the SPL are feeding us a lot of shite. The other SPL teams have got to call the OF's bluff. It's the only way for the game in this country to progress.

The last three wks have shown that well don't have to do much to keep there noses in front. One pt in 9 and we are still 5 PT clear. United, hearts and st j will take points off each other. I think the Games against the OF become important for all the teams To answer the question though will we finish 3rd, yes I think we will and before the last game of the season too.

The best thing to do is to take the moral high ground and clap them on to the pitch. The Celtic fans will hate that as it gives them nothing to moan about. I happen to think it is the right thing to do anyway. It is by not being small minded that we stand apart from the OF. Nothing to do with sympathising either.

4 wins and a draw required now and we have not picked up a point in two wks. Neither united or st j will finish with a perfect record so we will prob need less than this . Victory against these two wld leave us needing at the very most a point. Still much rather be us than them.

I sat in the Main Stand at the last Motherwell v Rangers match at it was all relatively calm and civilised to be honest. My opinion of the Rangers support as a whole is pretty poor and I have seen some really scummy things over the years from Rangers fans so I don't have any sympathy or leaning towards them. The game did go in their favour right enough so I am not sure if the atmosphere would have changed had they lost. On a week when the 10 rebel clubs are making a case for standing up to the big two however it seems ironic to me that there will most probably be more red, white and blue than claret and amber in FP tomorrow. Not a good advertisment for the rebel 10's s argument.

Don't worry. Utd and Saints will start to stutter when they get close. It's easy enough playing catch up, it's harder to see it through once you get there. Well will be at least 3rd this season even if they lose on Saturday.

I agree with almost everything you say but the bit in bold concerns me. It is how Motherwell should go about it but it is almost impossible to do so without possible sending's off. I don't buy the conspiracy theories but I do buy the argument that it is easier for a Scottish referee to make a decision against a non Old Firm team than for them. I believe that Lasley and Jennings have now, wrongly, been labelled as ones for the watching. A slight prejudice on the ref's part against those two players and a 4000+ vocal, emotional away support makes it very easy for a referee to justify in his own mind yellow and possible red cards. I think Jennings and Lasley in particular have a really hard task ahead of them on saturday. Taking control of the midfield without giving the ref even a hint of a reason to book them is going to be a really tough task. Given to that McCulloch will charge about like a bull in a china shop commiting foul after foul without so much as a warning will add to a difficult midfield to play in. It is for this reason that i think that Motherwell have no chance on Sat.

Nothing has changed since last week in the sense that Motherwell can still seal third place with 5 wins and a draw. Results at the weekend could not have been worse but I don't think we need panic yet. I am confident that Rangers will beat Motherwell but I am also confident that Celtic will beat St J so we can still come out of this weekend requiring one fewer win to ensure 3rd place. Remember this is worst case scenario. Should Dundee Utd win every game from now untill the end of the season they would deserve third place. They could do that however and Motherwell could still beat them to third. That's how strong our position is at the moment. Well are still in the driving seat. Simple as that. Lots of twists and turns to come. I think third will be ours regardless of what happens this weekend A St J win at Celtic would be the only thing that would worry me a bit.

I think that one or two people may be doing Jennings a disservice. I think he will be one of those players that we willlook back upon and realise just how good he was when he is gone. A bit like Paul Lambert. I am not saying that Jennings is as good as Lambert was but Steve Jennings performs his role as a holding midfield player very well. We have not had a poor season since Jennings arrived at the club. There will be other factors but his presence is a contributing factor.

From a mathematical perspective, worst case scenario would be that St J win there game in hand and go on to win there remaining 8 fixtures. Given that the gap would be 8 points then (8x3-8= 16pts) would bring about = 2/3rd with St J. So 5 wins and a draw would be the absolute most that we would have to do in the remaining 8 fixtures. Given that it is highly unlikely that St J will win all of there remaining fixtures I would think that something short of this will be enough. If D Utd turn out to be the main challengers again winning all of there remaining fixtures then it is 4 wins and a draw. Remember this is worst case scenario. I would suspect that 5 wins and a draw would be enough for 2nd given the current form of Rangers. Those figures will only get better with ever pt St J and Utd drop.

Was I the only one how felt that OJ did not look interested in the 2nd half. Seemed to let his head go down for some reason. Injury possibly?

Is Saunders training again? If he is I would like to see him play.He is a young lad so should have the residual fitness for 90 mins. The question would be how far through a rehabilitaion process is he? If his ankle is strong enough he should play. Saunders/ Page, Saunders/ Craigen, Craigan/ Page. These boys are all paid salaries to be defenders so any one of these combinations should work fine.

'I hesitate to say it but Stuart had a maintenance job rather than a rebuilding one. But that can be harder because they were at a level and if you don’t maintain it, you’re a failure.' Craig Brown You should have hesitated a few seconds more Brown. Jim Gannon did the Motherwell rebuild not you!!!!!!

First game I have really enjoyed at FP since the Dundee Utd Scottish Cup QF victory. Competitve , physical, some cracking goals and no shortness of skill on display from both teams. I was as impressed by St Johnstone as I have been of any team coming to the Ark this season. Yes they were physical but they also played football and I don't think the physical aspect over their game was ever cynical. Nothing wrong with letting the opposition know you are there. Las, Ojamaa (what a finish for his second), Jenno, Hutch, Randolph were outstanding and the rest were not far behind. If there was a negative it would be that I worry about Murphy's form. He was ok yesterday but just not where he was. Physically not strong enough for the really hard challenges and he was not quite on the same wavelength as the others. Would love to see him show us what he can do now that the pressure is off the team a little bit again. Morris's and Lasley's goals had a real similarity about them. Both started the moves in their own half (Las with a superb tackle), were involved in the build up and both finished them really well. If this was what we watched every week there would be no crisis in Scottish football.

Get Jim Gannon back. He'd play Forbes and McHugh and we'd all be happy.

I think that the problem for both McCall and Higdon is that McCall has built his whole team around Higdon and Higdon simply is not good enough to have a team built round about him. That is not to say that he is a poor player. Law, Daley, Murphy and McHugh have all had to change position or make way for the 4-5-1 formation that see's Higdon start every week in the lone striker role. If Higdon is knocking balls into empty space each week, it shows a lack of awareness, if McCall is telling him to knock balls into empty space it's poor management but I don't think either of these two scenario's is the case, I think McCall is relying upon a who;e team system that simply is not working. In the context of this thread, is time up for McCall, ofcourse not but he does need to get his thinking cap on and come up with a plan B. Murphy and Higdon as a front two, McHugh and Higdon as a front two, it has to be worth a go.

Results wise McCall has had an excellent season, the Scottish Cup run being the highlight and the replay home game against Utd being Well's best performance of the year for me. He has been able to get crucial results at crucial times and that can't all be down to luck but I have a feeling that there is a bit of McLeish's first season about McCall's year. Why do I say that? First of all he inherited a small but very decent squad of players, a squad of players that are above average in the SPL. He has a midfield player in Steve Jennings who I think we will look back in years to come and think, what a player he was (Paul Lambert springs to mind). He has been able to pick a very settled team and has for the most part played the same formation throughout (remember McLeish's first half season). For me however there are some concerns. The home performances of late have been poor. We dodged a bullet with the Hibs game and I don't think I have really enjoyed a home game this season. I think of McGhee's first season as a comparison. I don't get a sense that there is a long term plan. Forbes has been sidelined. Jamie Murphy is going backwards, McHugh has had little chance and Carswell has been pushed back by a midfield player that is only signed up to the NY. Higdon continues to knock balls down to nobody with little sign of that problem being addressed and up front Well are currently toothless. I have been anticipating the slide for a little while and it has not yet materialised but I think that 2012 may be a must more challenging year for SM. I think 5th place could be Well's finishing position this season. I appreciate these views will not be popular but I have tried to give some reasons as to my thoughts. It is a results driven business however and results wise you can't argue with Well's years so 8/10 for 2011 (would have been higher if they had turned up against the OF this season).