CoF

Starting Sutton wasn't a major concern for me. The problems came from how we were using him (first half constantly pinging balls into the corners for him to chase ????) and also - he just wasn't very good today. Also, the fact that the rest of the team were shite and the fact that Partick weren't played a bigger role here than Sutton's selection.

ByTheMin Motherwell ‏@ByTheMinMFC 3h3 hours ago Just had word that Marvin Johnson will miss tomorrow's game with a groin injury. Massive loss if this is the case. Doesn't look definite but if Johnson is out - Sutton to start and Erwin out wide?

Misplaced expectations in my opinion. We have been excellent recently but I'm nervous about this game. Partick will give us a tougher game than Killie and I wouldn't say we beat them with ease.

Just reflecting on our fight to avoid the play-off's and wondering how folk feel about them now. Would you trade this run in for a series of meaningless games but guaranteed safety? I might be slightly skewed in my thoughts because I think we're now looking like a good footballing team. but despite the potential for it to relegate us this season, I'm still in favour. 1. My main reason is that it's exciting and created so many meaningful games. I remember post split 2008 2009 as being one of the dullest periods of football in memory because we were pretty much safe from the first kick of the ball. Honking crowds reflected the apathy. Now we are potentially looking at good / bumper crowds both home and away until the end of the season. I'd even go as far as to say I'm more excited about this run in than I was for last years fight to second, simply because the stakes are so high. If we do end up in the play-off's, even though its for all the wrong reasons, it'll feel like some of the biggest games 2. One up one down almost seemed like a death sentence so relegation now has a glimmer of hope that there are a couple of ways to come back up. Thoughts?

Despite our huge turn around and fantastic run of results I'm going on Saturday in hope rather than expectation. Before tonight they had conceded one in 5 and taken 11 from 15 and, to play devils advocate - in terms of current form we've just played three of the worst teams in the league. What does give me hope is the manner of those results - we're playing with real swagger and are digging deep every single game. Even at 5-0 up on Tuesday and 4-0 against Hamilton, guys were chucking everything at it to keep a clean sheet and the win against Killie could have easily been a sore one but we showed spirit and character to get the points. It's going to be a cracking game. Canny wait!

Special menshy's to Las, Law, Mcmanus and Erwin but Mcdonald shades it for me.

I seriously thought Partick and County would be picking up nothing this weekend. You are right about the head to heads - they will be absolutely massive for us and yep, I'm excited about them already. Maybe even more so than the run in at the end of last season (not counting Aberdeen game).

As enjoyable game as I've been to in a while. I felt there was a bit of buzz before the game, almost an expectation that it would be the night that things finally click for us. And they certainly did. What was particularly pleasing, and Barraclough pointed this out, was that despite being 4 up with only minutes go we continued to absolutely fight for every ball and make use of every inch of grass on the pitch. That takes a certain type of team spirit and it'll be the kind of mentality could see us safe this season.

Good research and worrying reading for us. However, I've got use a cliche here and say that form will go out the window for half of these fixtures. The fixtures after the split will be a complete free for all. In many ways it'll be as exciting a run in as we've had for years.

This board can be a pot of negativity at times but even at that, some of these reactions have really surprised me. Some thoughts - 1. Considering that very few had predicted us to pick up anything, the league table looks no different today than what most realistically expected. 2. No-one was complaining about the performance up to the first goal. We were playing with confidence and making a good Aberdeen team look very ordinary. That confidence will go into Friday's game. 3. Aberdeen have the second best defensive record in the country. It's no surprise we struggled to break them down. 4. Very few had concerns about Long's ability prior to last night. The first was unfortunate - watched in real time the ball is slowly rolling towards the goal hence his hasty reaction. 5. Forget about Ross County. Partick play Celtic, Aberdeen, ICT, St Johnstone and Motherwell before the split. The gap will close.

Yep and yep. Considering they apparently aren't even footballers, they did very well. Josh Law looks like a strong right back who wins a surprising amount in the air. Hopefully confidence continues to build in the two of them.

Fuck sake, it's hardly the most controversial interview is it?

Has Hammell been training?

Can only reiterate what's already been said. That was absolutely massive in terms of significance for us yesterday and the positives go way beyond just earning 3 points. We defended from the front and the desire to win the ball (often at any cost) was obvious. Confident knocking it about on the deck often in tight spaces. Best performances of the season from Lasley and Mcmanus. Law (mistake aside) was immense. I was surprised how much he won in the air. Skippy. Full stop. Erwin knocking his pan in. Movement off the ball from every player. Ainsworth doing what we know he can. Moore looking entirely composed, linked very well with Erwin when he came on. I could go on.. If we continue to put that effort from now until the end of the season we'll win more than we'll lose.

I thought it looked more 532, particularly first half. With laing mcmanus and ramsden in the centre, law and johnson full backs changing to 352 in attack.

Could potentially be a fantastic signing however an average goal ratio of one in ten at Millwall could be telling. He still needs players to feed him and that's exactly where we are lacking. If we had effective suppliers Sutton would be banging them in, but we don't. Hope I'm completely wrong, but we don't know how to create chances, we don't get balls in the box and we generally don't know how to play in the final 3rd. That said, he does have the potential to be the creative spark we're lacking. Saturday will be interesting.

If X isn't working, then Y must have been the answer. The argument to everything.

I've seen him three times now and he does look completely out of his depth however the strange thing is that in the 2nd half against St Jonhnstone he actually looked like a pretty decent player - incredibly calm and composed on the ball in some tight situations, occasional bits of skill, sharp passing. Can't say I've seen signs of pace and strength though. Got a feeling Barraclough rates him so despite a shakey start I've no doubt we'll see him again.

Speaking solely about the new signings, I actually agree with this (apart from the BPA chat - it's hardly worth shouting about when they have an average attendance of three hundred odd). Any new player deserves more time and for most of them to be written off so quickly is just plain daft. Straker was poor yesterday but he didn't deserve the pelters he was getting. Folk do need to remember that these guys aren't responsible in any way for our current position. Here's the problem though - time isn't on our side and it's just unfortunate that they've come in at a point when fan patience is in very very short supply. Additional negativity will also come from the fact that Baraclough has yet to prove we have any reason to believe in his ability as a manager. If he can't get the players showing some fight and spirit, and doing the absolute basics like closing down crosses or simple passing and moving, then why should we put faith in his eye for a player?

Here's a question to the forum - Would we be sitting bottom if Mccall had stayed?

I do wonder how crowds would react to an exciting 1st division title challenge. Given that many fans claimed to be bored of European Football, the general lethargy to finishing 2nd in the league last year (apparently we didn't play the right kind of football last year, aye ... okay) and the ever-declining crowds, I've got a fear that that same section of our support wouldn't embrace a title challenge with the sort of positivity it deserves.

We've had fantastic on-pitch success for 7 or 8 years yet crowds are down and we've made no financial gains. What factors have inhibited the club capitalising on this period of success?

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/north-lanarkshire-leisure-pursue-harassment-2578647

There is something quite sad about that. It's been a great window, but make no mistake these guys could have been working just as hard under far tighter financial circumstances and landed absolutely no-one because we are otherwise rooked. Would the club then have got the usual barrage of abuse they've been getting so far? Individually I don't know if anyone on here has done a complete u-turn, but it highlights how fickle fans as a whole must seem.

A few previous comments suggest she's in the know.