MelvinBragg

It looked like we missed the physical presence of Andy Rose today. We simply weren't in Aberdeen's faces enough. Bigirmana has looked good coming on later in games when it's stretched. Maybe Grimshaw was the option today? Fisher, I feel sorry for. When he came on, any football we had been trying to play was abandoned. Kind of reminded me of whenever Duncan Ferguson played for Scotland. Let's just launch the ball at the big man...

While there's no arguing McHugh was poor, I lost count of the number of times Bigirmana gave him the ball in ridiculously tight spots...

Kind of expecting to lose today as their motivation may be slightly stronger than ours (not questioning our guys' attitude, just a fact that revenge is a strong motivator) but hoping that we can sneak something. Bowman and Rose looked like the men running on empty on Thursday so might be those two who are rested. Frear at left wing back and Cadden in to the middle would be my preferred option for replacing Rose. Not sure about who I'd bring in for Bowman...

Struggling to keep a lid on it at the minute...

I could cheerfully write pages on last night's game. Every single player performed. We never gave Aberdeen a minute, created more chances than them and kept our discipline better than them. After the league cup group games, it looked like our midfield three was set as Cadden, McHugh and Bigirmana. Campbell and Rose have clearly had other ideas. Fair play to Tait as well. Out of position, the fact that we didn't need to rush Frear back last night is testament to the job he's doing. The back three were pretty solid as well. Aberdeen created a few chances but over 90 minutes any team will have one or two. To pocket cash for Heneghan and the back three be no weaker (possibly stronger?) is some bit of business. Special word for Stevie Hammell. Some were concerned (I was probably one of them) that at his age, his lack of match sharpness might cost us. Aberdeen clearly thought so as they seemed to be targeting him early on. What we actually saw was his best performance in years. Really pleased for a guy that has earned legend status at Motherwell. In the summer I said I didn't think Moult and Bowman would work as a partnership. Don't I look like a fucking idiot? Bowman stretching his foot out to poke the ball to Moult was as big a part of the first goal as Lewis's fuck up. Bowman being knackered but willing to keep going even helped lead to our third. Fact he was chasing Considine down but that he was clearly running on empty made Considine switch off and he didn't see Moult coming. Outstanding team performance, great atmosphere. I still can't stop smiling twelve hours later...

I know Robinson mentioned the international clearance ahead of the Hibs game but might it be a case of him not being able to get in the squad the way we are playing? Ross MacLean scored the winner in the last round of the cup and can't even make the bench...

Agreed. Early on it looked like Aberdeen were targeting him at set pieces and trying to get May on him. Apart from one early header, they got nothing out of Hammell all night. Outstanding. He may be 35, but he didn't play like it tonight. As regards man of the match, I have no clue. You could make a case for pretty much any of them...

Assuming 352 with Hammell at centre half. There are a few mad 442 with a diamond midfield options you could make out of it or potentially 352 with McHugh at centre half and the lunacy of Hammell at wing back. You can see why Aberdeen are favourites looking at their lineup. Any team that can leave Adam Rooney and Greg Stewart on the bench is pretty strong...

If they've sold 1700 tickets, they'll probably bring well over 2000 given you can also pay at the gate...

I actually thought Rose had a good game on Saturday. It was him that crossed for the shot that Moult hit off the crossbar. McHugh, while not performing as well as last season, has not been as bad as some have made out. A few misplaced passes stick in the mind but he's also won the ball back a few times having done so. Bigirmana in the last couple of games and Tanner on Saturday have looked good when they have come on but I wonder if that's partly down to coming on later in the game when the game is stretched and there is slightly more space for them to find behind the strikers. When Frear is available, our midfield choices become even more difficult. You have to have Cadden in the team for his power, pace and physical presence. Do you drop Tait? Leave Frear on the bench? Play Cadden more centrally? Tough decisions for Robinson to make. The channels between our wing backs and centre backs have been targeted a fair bit and it is probably the weakness in the system we play. Flipside is that it allows us to play three in central midfield without playing one up front which none of our strikers are cut out for. Never been a massive fan of 352 but given the personnel we have and the fact that no one plays two in central midfield anymore, it may be the best option we have. Every formation has its pros and cons...

Indeed. Is there a name that people would be happy seeing? It seems every referee we get is greeted with "Aw naw, no him!" these days. Let's just hope that whoever it is, we don't give him too many decisions to make in and around our box...

Robinson is doing well so far. However I think after eleven games when we've played every other team once, we'll have a better idea how things are going. What I would say, in terms of squad building, evidence so far seems to show that we look a lot stronger. Bearing in mind that we had Cadden playing wing back on Saturday, our midfield options are an embarrassment of riches compared to last season. Towards the end of last season, with McHugh playing centre back, our midfield options were Lasley, Clay, Cadden and Campbell with Lucas and Pearson permanently injured. On Saturday we had Bigirimama, Tanner and Grimshaw available from the bench and that's with MacLean, Gordon and Frear not even in the squad. Night and day doesn't cover it. Irrespective of what you think of their individual abilities, if you'd been told at the start of last season that having lost Johnson, Ainsworth, Lasley, Pearson, McDonald, McManus and Heneghan (seven players most people would have had in their first eleven or in Ainsworth's case as best option from the bench) that we'd be on a four game unbeaten run including Hearts and Hibs, you'd have been astounded. Upcoming games against Dundee, Partick Thistle and Accies are going to be a real barometer of where we're at. If like the Ross County and Kilmarnock games, we pick up points we 'should' then I think we'll be fine this season. Thus far, I'd call it a good start. Cautious optimism hasn't been increased or decimated yet...

While the small area they gave us clearly caused problems (stewards early in the game having to try and get people off the stairs and into seats), in some respects it did us a favour. The fact that the Motherwell support was concentrated in a small area made it easier for us to generate noise and atmosphere. Notice on the highlights how clearly you can hear the sarcastic cheering as we win the free kick that led to our first goal. Would we have generated as much noise if our support had been spread across the full bottom tier? I'm not so sure...

Voted for Tanner. Moult and Campbell were probably better but feel as if Tanner deserves some recognition for the difference he made when he came on...

Cheers. I won't be back in time for that. Excellent second half performance. Campbell and Cadden again look like experienced players. Good to see subs again make a difference. Thought both Dunne and Kipré had their poorest games for us (albeit big Cedric's dribbling at the end was worth the admission fee alone). Character, fitness (we were running a lot stronger than them at the end) and subs that make a difference. All the same positives that have been there most of the season. Some of the same negatives as well. Shaky first half, defensive errors, giving away penalties. A draw after being 2-0 down with half an hour to go? I'll take that...

What time is it on Alba..?

A few problems with that. Dunne is not a left back. Tait is more suited to wing back as he's better going forward than defensively. Moult finds it difficult playing up front himself. For me, we don't have the players for 451. And not really for 442 either...

I think that while we're only two points ahead of where we 'should' be, there are reasons why people are much happier with how things look this season compared to last. Fitness. It's early in the season but we seem to be conpeting longer in games rather than holding on and looking shattered with 20 minutes to go. Add to that we look at lot more physically imposing than previous seasons. I feel that in the past that the Hearts team would have physically bullied us out of the game. Substitutions. Our manager makes some. When we're not losing. Who would have thought it? And generally they seem to improve us. Again this seems new. Team selection. Seems to be mostly on merit. Robinson signed Tanner, Bigirmana and Fisher but Campbell and Bowman have performed so they start. No apparent playing of favourites with 'his' signings (for what it's worth, I think the three guys I mentioned that aren't in the team will contribute over the season). The only one that seems to baffle fans is Rose but given results, and the fact he's been keeping his place in the team, have to figure that Rose is doing exactly what his manager asks of him. Team spirit. There seems to be a genuine good feeling around the squad (absence of a short fat Australian helping?) but I suppose the real test will be when results aren't going our way. I think these are some of the reasons that people's optimism seems disproportionate to actual results. Compared to the start of last season when McGhee seemed to not know his best team and was signing people on loan he knew nothing about, there at least seems to be a plan. Will that plan work? Who knows but having one is a start...

Was he playing up front or on the wing..?

Hearts at home isn't a should win game for us. It's a game that ideally we'd win but a draw wouldn't be a disaster in real terms...

I'd agree that it's best not to get carried away. We should be beating the likes of Killie and Ross County at home if we want to not be in a relegation battle. Hearts were in a bit of disarray when we played them. Having said that, given the number of changes made to the squad, do we have any right to expect to be beating teams of a comparable size at this stage of the season? Robinson should be commended for getting players in early enough and getting them to gel. As for your assessment of individual players, like others I don't think Tanner, Rose and Dunne have done much wrong other than maybe not start as strongly as some of the others...

Good three points but the lack of an alternative to Elliott Frear is starting to concern me. We finished the game with Cadden at right back and our first choice right back at left midfield. It says a lot for Tait that he goes out there and gives it everything and he contributes but several times today the fact that he wasn't on his natural side cost us opportunities. I mean no slight on Tait here. His attitude and workrate are excellent, never gives anything less than 100%. As others have said, poor first half and an improved second. Bowman looks a new man with some confidence, Kipré is as good a centre half as we've had in a long time and Campbell was simply outstanding. Cautiously optimistic, going forward...

We haven't been playing Dunne as a left back. I'll be interested to see who we play at left wing back if Frear is unavailable. Maybe Plummer with a back three of Dunne, Hartley and Kipré? I would like to think that Hartley will be ready to start given he had a preseason at Blackpool and is not coming in like Plummer or Petravicius having not had a preseason. I suspect that the team will be Carson Kipré Hartley Dunne Cadden Bigirmana McHugh Rose Tait Moult Bowman Not saying that's how I'd set up, but I reckon that's how we'll go...

Question from a 10 year old in my house that didn't occur to me. What happens in the Betfred Cup when everyone is pretty much paying cash?

Robinson stated that it was a good move both just now and potentially in the future so certainly sounds as if there's an add on of some sort...