star sail

I thought he played well. Not at fault for the goal and coasted through the rest of the game. Even managed to match Humphries for pace a few times. He always looks like a decent, tidy player to me. Still feel slightly sad that it did not work out ofor him at Motherwell.

Was looking at the stats for the SPL finishes since it's introduction in 98. We have a 3rd and 4th place to our name and are the 7th best team overall in that time. All the usual suspects are above us with Kilmarnock being the surprise. If we were to finish 3rd this season you would have to say that we are a team punching above our weight particularly given that our attendances seem to be in free fall (less than 5000 on Sat). The common denominator is John Boyle who despite some howlers has done really well. This does not include of course the stats of the early 90's when for a couple of seasons we were arguably the 3rd force in Scotland. The point is that top six is always an excellent achievement and I think we will be doing well to get that this season.

This may be a sweeping generalisation but I think that it is the older members of our support that don't tolerate the passing about at the back. From what I hear round about me some of the old boys think that route one is the way forward (retro football). Having said that although I know that patience and passing is the way forward it can be frustrating to watch. It's probably because as a team we don't have it right yet in the sense that when eventually the opening comes we are not quick enough to spot it particularly in relation to defenders running with the ball into space that opens up in front of them. On occasion the defender in space is playing it to the other defender who is actually more tightly marked, just for the sake of the pass. I think that is what Gannon is talking about when he says the players have to improve their decision making on the park. It is the way forward and as fans we have to cut the players some slack and foster an environment that allows them to learn this way of playing (is that asking to much from the Well support?). Hats off to Craigan yesterday btw. I think he more than most in fighting the temptation to launch it and he is actually doing it well. He played a couple of beautiful pinpoint cross field balls yesterday. He is obviously trying very hard to stay in the team which is great to see.

I think that one of the most disappointing aspects about the league at the moment is that Rangers, despite being really poor are still sitting joint third with a game in hand. Nobody has taken advantage of their poor form and it shows how incosistant all the teams in the SPL are at the moment. Our result against Rangers is actually now not looking that great given the draws other teams have managed against them. For me Hibs have the personnel to finish third. It comes down to whether or not Yogi can get the most out of them. Despite Rangers poor start they will finish in the top two. I think 5th is our best chance at the moment.

I suppose it all depends on why you go to football matches, to be entertained or simply to see your team win. Ideally it would be both. I did not enjoy the game today. That's not a complaint, just a fact. For 25 mins we looked good but after the goal there seemed a lack of desire about the team. One effort on goal against a team that are struggling is not a good return. Falkirk deserved a point and but for poor finishing would have had it. I think the positive is that we have managed to gain 12 points without really getting going. It's strange because the way things have gone we could be sitting clear at the moment in second on 14 pts but could just as easily be half a dozen pts worse of than we are. Maybe it is going to be a season of fine margins.

I remember when Aberdeen, Utd and Motherwell were fighting it out for top 3 a few seasons back he commented that it was between Aberdeen and Utd for 3rd. He got that wrong. I am sure (though I can't find it anywhere) that he tipped us for the drop this year. I am very confident that he's got that wrong. Daryl Broadfoot also tipped us for the drop. I have no idea how they come to that conclusion given that these predictions were made after the Euro games. I don't think that there is any hidden agenda with the wee man, I just don't think he rates Motherwell as much of a team which happens to be a bit off the mark given that Falkirk, Killie, Hamilton, St Mirren share a league with us.. On another note, I listened to the Well v Rangers game on the radio. The wee fella was so insistant that it was not a pen that I actually believed him. When I saw the highlights, it was a penalty. We also listened to the Killie v Gers game on the way up to Dundee and again he was bewildered at the Mendes sending off. So insistent was he that once again we believed him. Once again we saw the highlights and it was a sending off. For a guy who gets paid money to be a pundit, he gets a good few things wrong. Before anybody accuses me of anti Rangers bias, on Tuesday night it was definetly a penalty. That one he got right. I am sure that he is a lovely man all the same.

Listening to that I would say he may be looking to make changes up front but not at the back. When asked about changes for the weekend he talked about Humphries, McHugh etc as options but no mention of Craigan. I thought Coke and Forbes looked very tired last weekend so one of them may be rested. Ruddy Moutakil-- Reynolds-Saunders-Hammell ----------------Jennings------------- Humphries---Coke------ Hateley--O'Brien -----------------Sutton-------------- Notice Doddsy going for a draw again. One of these days he will predict a Well victory.

I agree that we don't have a leg to stand on with this. I am a pasionate Motherwell supporter and on occasion (Nancy and Wales) I have been a proud supporter as well but I have been getting more and more disillusioned by our own support for a while now. The Motherwell goal apart, the Zemama incident was the most animated the Well fans became throughout the whole 90 mins on Saturday. Take the Hamilton game last season, Aberdeen this, the general lack of support for our young players when things are going badly, the lack of atmosphere at Fir Park, incidents of racism that we don't police ourselves ( include myself for not standing up against some of the bile I hear), etc Then as soon as the Old Firm come to town or a player celebrates in front of us we are morally offended and take the outraged citizen stance. It's a joke. Fair play, were having a laugh!

I would be surprised if O'Brien decides to go, after all he has already experienced what it feels like to be shut out at a big club. For all he is an exciting player I don't think he has proved enough yet. I'm being critical now but his finishing is not good and he is a bit light weight. I am picking holes but I think that another couple of years with Motherwell could turn him into a top notch player. The Slane situation is frustrating. Small clubs should be protected in some way to avoid them doing all the hard work with a young player just for a big club to come in and reap the rewards. As an aside Murray Park must be one of the poorest value for money initiatives in World Football. How many good players have they produced? Celtics record for producing young players is not much better. I suppose ultimately they don't have to as clubs like Motherwell, Hibs etc are effectively the Old Firms youth policy.

I noticed a quote from JG during the week saying that we did not have a squad big enough to allow for rotation. While I agree with this to a point, I think that there is a couple players that could have been rested on Tuesday. Laslay, Jennings and Craigan are surely good enough to perform against a First Division side. It would have allowed him to rest Coke, Forbes and possibly one of the Central Defenders. I think the fact they did not play shows how far down the pecking order they have fallen. We won the game on Tue so can't complain but the lack of energy and tiredness has been evident since last weekend, infact Forbes was out on his feet after 60 mins of the Aberdeen game. I thought we lost the game yesterday rather than Hibs winning it. They only started to play when they went 3-1 up. Coke in particular was disappointing and that must go down to tiredness. I think Yass may have to be curbed a bit when going forward but he is a very tidy football player who can kill the ball with a single touch. As others have said it will come good again. 9 points in the grand scheme of things is ok.

Most definetly the Match of the Day and the winners taking a clear 3rd place league spot (possibly even 2nd). As others have said, I think it depends on which Hibs side turns up. If they are up for it I think they may just have enough to edge it given the threat up front. Assuming Reynolds and Saunders start, this could be a big test for them and it will let us see how good the partnership is. I have been impressed so far but we did lose two soft goals on Tuesday. Hoping that was just complacency. If JH has done his homework I would expect them to play balls down the left hand side to exploit the space Yass leaves when he comes forward. No idea what the score will be but expecting a really good game.

He is a £1 million striker signed with Everton so I think that brings some expectation. After all David Moyes is no mug.

Don't think it is brutal to say that he has not impressed so far. He has not lived up to expectation, thats a fact. I don't think anybody is writing him off just yet though. Apart from the turn and shot at Tannadice I was not impressed on Saturday either but I am hoping that shot is a glimpse of what he can do. The worry for me is that there must be a reason why he has not played a competitive 90 mins in two and a half years. I could understand it if that time had been spent at Everton but he seems to have been out on loan at lesser teams during this time. Chris Porter did not have the best of starts either so I am hoping that it's just a little case of history repeating.

That just doesn't sound right.

That looks good to me. I think Forbes needs a rest so will be surprised if he plays. I think Craigan will get a chance at the back, though he may partner Hutchison to give Reynolds a rest also. I think Laslay may start as well tomorrow but not sure who will make way in the middle. The good news is that it's not really a risk bringing these players in and they should still be able to do the job.

Ruddy for me. Made McGregors 'World class' save last week look very ordinary and caught everything in the air. Mention also to Reynolds and Saunders. They look very strong togther.Don't think Craigan is going to be getting his place back next weekend.

Great result today. Many is the time teams have come to Fir Park and stolen three points. Think we did that today but not complaining. Ruddy's saves really were World class and I am really looking forward to seeing them again on the TV. For me the ref ruined the game a bit today. Surprised he was not wearing a t shirt saying 'look at me'. He was equally poor with both teams so no complaints about the balance of decisions but he ruined any chance of a flowing game. As other have said, felt sorry for Jennings but it was the right decision. Anybody on a yellow card today was going to be in real danger of getting sent off.

No Reynolds? I think Reynolds may be in at left back again. Up front I think it will be Sutton. I think the interesting thing is that you can disagree on one or two positions and the team still looks strong and that is without Laslay, Humphries etc in the starting 11. Good times. Somebody mentioned Billy Dodd's predictions earlier. I have noticed over the last few seasons that he goes for Motherwell defeats very regularly so not overly concerned with his prediction of a Well defeat. I think he actually predicted Well for the drop this year.

Hard to believe that we suddenly have four capable players to pick from in the centre of defense. I cannot make up my mind about the best partnership at the back so thought I would ask for peoples thoughts from Reynolds, Craigan, Hutchison and Saunders. I have been really impressed by Saunders over the last few games (Aberdeen, Rangers). For me any combination of the four would be ok. I think Hutchison/Saunders may be too much of a gamble because of a lack of experience but then I would have said the same about Reynolds/Saunders before I saw them cope so well on Saturday. For me Reynolds is the most versatile so could be played elsewhere but I think CD is his best position. Can Craigan be left out given his experience and captaincy? Could we even switch to a back three? Seems like a bit of a headache for JG albeit a good one to have.

I don't think as a support we have a leg to stand on given some of our various chants over the last few seasons. Its why I am so disappointed when we start out own brand of bile because it brings us down to their level. If a large minority of our fans think that the Aberdeen singing a few weeks back was fine then they have no reason to complain when the Old Firm come to town. It's a shame because I would like to think that we cld take the moral high ground.

I just hope that we have a real go at them. They have a pensioner in defense so a bit of pace will cause them problems. No reason why we cant win. Looking at the team posted above, it looks fairly decent.

I don't doubt that this is what the journalist heard and what probably Mark McGhee heard as well but it does not mean that was what was sung. Says more about the sub conscious of the listener than it does about the beliefs of the Well support. The chanting that did take place was out of order but I think this shows how deep into some peoples psyche the sectarian issue is. Glasgow journalism. Canny beat it for paranoia and narrow mindedness.

This is from an Aberdeen fan? Speaks a lot of sense.

I find it amazing that over a third of the votes have landed on the side of this being ok. Can dress this up any way we like but if this is considered ok by a significiant minority of our support then we are no better than the Old Firm. I have heard a few suggesting that what the Old Firm sing is different, suggesting that what they sing about is worse but I would say that singing songs about child rapists is pretty bad. I always pretend that as a support we are better than the Old Firm but it is getting harder for me to believe my own dillusions. I sat at the Nancy game and listened for 90 mins to some disgusting racist comments from some neds behind me. Nobody (including myself) told them to be quiet. It actually takes a lot of courage to stand up in a situation like and if normally you try to live your life in a non violent, non confrontational way. The point is that saturday was not an isolated incident. The question I would like to ask is, as a group of supporters what do we actually stand for? Are we just the Old Firm scum in disguise? I am struggling at the moment to feel a sense of togetherness with my fellow Well fans. At Pittodrie on Saturday I remember saying to my Dad that it was kind of funny that we should pay money to sit in that environment on a Saturday afternoon. Is was a long way to drive for the priviledge as well.

As I say I hope not. Would be very disappointing if it was. Maybe the players themselves decided to stretch their legs.