ONeils40yarder

I'm just going to vote for Allan Campbell every week whether I'm at the game or not. The wee lad is simply fantastic, and while he isn't a flashy type of player, i could literally watch him playing football all day. He just gets wired in, and how often does he give the ball away...

That would mean a change in formation though surely?? Tait is much-maligned defensively on here (which I think is a bit unfair), and although I wasn't at Easter Road I've been impressed by Cadden anytime he has played at right wing-back. I've seen plenty of criticism of a few of our defenders recently, with Dunne and Tait being the two getting it most in the neck. I genuinely believe that the 3-5-2 leaves huge gaps all over the place but particularly in between the left/right centre backs and left/right wing backs will always be a concern...any manager worth their salt will try to punish us in these areas, but I suppose thats got to be weighed up against the pros of that formation as well. We look much more assured in the middle of defence, and it allows us to play with three in midfield, without playing 1 striker. In short, its just one of those things...every formation has its weaknesses and it doesnt need to be the players fault.

in what way? Attacking sense? Defensively? Or the full package?

Lennon is an arsehole, always has been, always will be...there is no justification for any death threats though

As I've said before, I didn't want Robinson in full-time control of the Club, his association with Baraclough and his Oldham record put me right off. However, the powers that be clearly something in him....right now he is proving them right, and long may it continue.

There was a real positivity in the air at Fir Park on Saturday, something thats been sadly lacking for the last few years. Maybe its the slight increase in crowds, I say slight but this fixture last season would have been doing well to attract 3600, never mind 4600 of which I can only guess maybe 400 or 500 were from Killie? While I get that we are virtually giving kids season tickets away, which will have a huge impact on that increase, the fact that we are getting bums on seats can be nothing other than a good thing. Maybe its the Well Society-factor, much like when a business is up for sale, things go on the back burner, standards slip, money isn't invested etc etc, and for the past however many years, we've had the shadow of instability hanging over the Club, between Boyle, Hutchinson and the Well Society. Things seem to be progressing off the park, the people in control of the reins actually want to be there (unlike Boyle and Hutchinson), and there is clear evidence of investment on and off the field. Would we have folded and sold Moult to Aberdeen in years gone past for example? Maybe its the new manager, I was far from convinced that he was the man to takeover (his reputation for me was completely sullied by his association with Baraclough), however he started to win me over in a few of the games near the end of last season when he showed a willingness to make changes at stages of the game, where other managers would attempt to persevere. When he was appointed, I said that he talked a good game but so did Baraclough, but right now hes actually impressing me more and more each week, he says the right things, he has rid us of our dross and dead wood, in one transfer window, and he has managed to put a squad together that on paper is as strong as I can remember us having in recent years. In McCalls time in charge, when we were competing at the top of the league, we had a strong 13 or 14 players, backed up by folk like Craig Reid. On Saturday we had the strongest bench I can remember, and we had guys like McLean, Plummer and the Lithuanian fella not even stripped and 3 or 4 youngsters out on loan at various clubs. Maybe its a combination of everything, and that for once everyone is pulling in the same direction. The board have backed the manager financially (the squad size proves that) and the support seems to be responding to what we are seeing on the park. I'm not going to get carried away by a 2-0 home win against a very mediocre Kilmarnock side, but one thing is for sure I think we can sleep easy knowing that we won't be involved in a relegation battle this season. We were better than them all over the park, Carson is an absolute find, comfortable in the air, commanding, he takes the heat out of situations that Samson poured petrol on last year, hes an organiser and is comfortable with the ball at his feet. We all know what Kipre has to offer, he is a fucking machine and I've no qualms about saying that I'd shite out of a 50/50 with the big fella, again though he is composed on the ball, its not all physical...at 20 years old, hes just going to get better and better. Hartley on first glimpse, may well be an upgrade on Heneghan (which is downright good squad and budgeting management if that turns out to be the case), again much like Carson he was vocal, he was organising, he looked comfortable on the air and on the deck, I just wonder what the Blackpool situation is all about, and whether or not we have the ability to make the short-term deal, long-term. Dunne had a poor 1st half, but we've got to take Robinsons word on his illness situation. If I have one concern about the squad, its our lack of cover for Frear. Tait is a good footballer, he gives 100% every week, and he definitely contributed at the weekend, but we miss the balance of having a left-sided player there. Someone suggested that Cadden isn't as effective playing right wing-back as he is further forward, or tucked in the middle. For me, its his best position, he has the energy and drive to get up and down the park, while I dont believe that he has the football-brain for central midfield. How often did Killie get any sort of joy down their left hand side on Saturday? Not much, and thats why I like Cadden in there, defensively he is sound and his energy allows him to impact further up the park when the chance arises. We are absolutely spoilt for choice in the middle of the park...McHugh, Rose, Bigirimana, McLean, Tanner, Cadden and Campbell all fighting for three spaces in there, so I'm not suprised to hear that we were trying to get young Turnbull out on loan, because he has virtually no chance of any meaningful game time this season, which I suppose is a bit of a concern going forward, as these young lads need to have that 1st team carrot dangled in front of them. I thought Rose had a decent game, he keeps eveything simple...sometimes too simple though, the ball is like the proverbial hot tattie with him most of the time, he looks to get rid of the ball as soon as he can. McHugh and particularly Campbell were superb and on Saturdays evidence have 2 out of the 3 spaces tied down, with Bigirimana coming on and looking busy and effective going forward. Up front, is it just me or is anyone else slightly pissed off with Moults constant griping at referees and falling down at the slightest touch? Hes also doing too much drifting for my liking, ending up behind the midfield or out wide. Bowman is getting better by the week, and looks like he is shaking the Jacob Blyth-touch off. He was unfairly dealt with last season and I've a feeling that he'll contribute a lot this time around...a hard worker, physically strong, decent touch, decent burst of pace and decent in the air, an all rounder that will compliment Louis over the course of the year. On the whole, the squad looks competitive from a numbers point of view, there are only a handful of players guaranteed a starting berth, which is positive. We are physically imposing, the number of players who are 6 feet plus is unprecedented, and while height isnt the be-all-and-end-all, its certainly a good characteristic to have. We have a reasonable blend of youth and experience, while the team is made up guys who appear to want to be here and are putting the effort in like they do. Last word on Killie...before the game I thought they looked strong on paper. Decent goalkeeper, with Greer and Findlay at the back, Wilson who I like the look of in the middle of the park, Smith, Thomas and Erwin. On the bench they had a guy in Jordan Jones who took us to the cleaners last season as well. But, my God they were very poor, that poor that you'd be worried if you supported them even at this early stage of the campaign.

Bowman?

Its not very often that its so easy to pick a man of the match award in a match where we thoroughly deserved a win, and there were 6,7,8 players who had very good games...but young Campbells performance on Saturday was sensational. On that performance, he should never be out of the starting line-up, his work-rate, his tackling ability (how many times did he break up Kilmarnock attacks with perfectly executed, ball-winning tackles?) and his energy. I see someone said elsewhere that he is reminiscent of a young Keith Lasley, but for me, as someone who never really took to Lasley as a player, a comparison between the two is doing the kid a bit of a dis-service. Unlike Lasley, he looks like he has genuine footballing ability, to go along with the work-rate that Lasley undoubtedly had, he plays with his head up and is always looking forward. He had a similar stand-out match against Accies last season, and was hardly seen again for the rest of the season, hopefully the gaffer can see what he has to offer...its not often that I get so excited about a young player coming through the ranks, but Campbell might just be our next big thing, and I won't be surprised if he ends up at International level.

As said above...there are absolutely no rules on what can be negotiated between two clubs

£1,000,000 for Cadden isnt as far-fetched as some of the more outlandish claims I've seen over the past couple of years with regards to our players. Cadden is young, very experienced for his age (I'd actually have given him the captains armband at the weekend just past), strong, quick and appears to be a 'good type' in so much that he looks like a grafter, looks like he enjoys what he does, doesn't whinge when moved position and actively looks to encourage his team-mates. He's got a lot going for him, and I'm not surprised that he is attracting more attention at a Championship level, than Moult and Heneghan combined, because in Cadden there is probably a lot more to work with for the future given his age in comparison to Ben and Louis. However, of the three, I think he'd be the easiest to replace, which sounds strange on the face of it. If we can get Moult back to the player he was just a few months ago, hes nigh on impossible to replace, his goals and his work-rate were a joy to watch, thats fallen off a cliff recently but once the window closes I think he may well just knuckle down and relax back into the player we know is there. Heneghan has impressed me a wee bit more recently, and when he went to the central defender in the back 3 on Saturday he strolled it, whereas when he went to the right-side of a back 3 at times last season he was like a fish out of water. Heneghan, will be difficult to replace in so much that he is now the 'old head' in the defence since Mick retired and to get someone with his experience will be difficult. If we continue to play a 3-5-2, which I think looks likely, I only see one position for Cadden in the team and this is right wing-back. I know he has played in the middle at various age groups and for the 1st team this season, but I don't see it in there, I think he looks much more confident and composed on the right hand-side. If we sell Cadden for £600,000 plus I think we'd be able to utilise that money for other areas of the side (probably left-midfield, and striker) while not massively weakening the side by playing Tait in that right-wing back role.

That would explain that one then

I've not seen a helluva lot of McLean but did see him up at Stirling Albion and he was the stand-out player on the park for me, playing at centre-mid. The Louis Moult saga rumbling on is a really strange one. The Club are saying all the right things, while the player looks absolutely scunnered on the park. We probably do want to sell him, and therefore need to keep playing him, but any scout watching him scowl, foul and fall his way through 90mins won't be interested. Its going to be interesting how this plays out

First half was utter, turgid shite, verging on the embarrassing in my opinion. We looked miles off the pace, Moult was isolated, we had the old 'square pegs, round holes' scenario that I will never ever understand, we had 'star' signings like Bigirimana who genuinely looked lost and out his depth. I'm not going to be overly critical of the players, because I think that Robinson got the balance of his team all wrong. As he has done before though, he had the balls to make the changes at half-time both in personnel and in formation, my only worry about that though is we could easily have been a goal or two down before he managed to make the changes. Tait at left-wing back, was a strange decision but he done well, while Cadden again proved to me that wide on the right is his best position, he performed really well there in the 2nd half of our game against killie towards the end of the season and again on Saturday. He has the legs, the power, the drive and only really needs to face one direction. I feel that he really struggles in the middle of the park, but not out wide. Campbell and Bowman also made a massive difference, but I feel that Fisher can feel a little bit aggrieved at being hooked considering he had been fired out on the left touchline for the 1st 45mins. Regardless, Campbells tenacity and work-rate were fantastic, while Bowman is just a big honest guy, who will burst his arse for the cause. By the end of the 90mins it really could and should have been more than 2-0.

Thats up to the board to decide I suppose. Will he score the goals that keep us up? Do we have someone in mind to replace him? Are we under pressure to sell from Boyle/Hutchinson? Are there any clubs willing to pay more than Aberdeen offered? I don't know, but what I do know is that the sooner we pay our debts to our two most recent owners, it will be a million times easier to keep the Club on an even keel

What everyone seems to be forgetting is that while, we're not in financial dire straits at the moment, we aren't exactly flush either. While its all well and good to state that we'd be due a minimum of £600k if we allow his contract to run down, it may well be that we'd be delighted to take that type of money just now, given the obvious lack of offers for the likes of Moult and Heneghan, both of whom I'd imagine would have been high up on our 'auction-off-to-the-highest-bidder' list. Honestly, I'm convinced that any of our players is (and probably should be made) available at anything over £500k. Thats a huge amount of money to our club, and an amount that can allow us to progress, if we use it wisely.

Aye, we're back to plucking figures out of thin air again and running with it. £2,000,000 ffs

Referees are in general, just very poor at what they do, and I mean at every level of the game. I watch a lot of youth football, and junior football, when I'm not attending a Motherwell game and at every level I've witnessed complete incompetence. I realise its extremely difficult at times, and they really are on a hiding to nothing, you've just got to take a look at our own debate on the Carson red card incident to realise that it isn't easy, and it isn't always clear cut. However, some of the things that go on are completely infuriating. As KMcalpine alludes to above, there is no doubt in my mind that the larger teams get the benefit, the rub of the green, much more than smaller sides, purely because of the numerical advantage they have. 2 questions I have asked Rangers and Celtic fans recently are; 1) would Celtic have been given a penalty in the dying moments of a match at Firhill if they were 1-0 down to Thistle, in the circumstances where we seen Thistle denied an absolute stone-waller? 2) would Rangers have conceded a penalty, in the fashion that Motherwell did when we recently met? I think we all know the answer to both questions, and while I'm not saying its a conspiracy (although Bobby Madmans performance a week past Sunday is as close as I've ever been to sticking the tinfoil hat on), I'm saying they are definitely influenced by their surroundings AND the potential consequences. I wonder if Andrew Dallas can remember his windows being panned in by Celtic fans after his father gave a debatable decision against their team for example? Are they influenced by the potential hours and hours of debate on radio stations, Sportscene and a weeks worth of being public enemy number one in the tabloids? I'm almost certain that they are, and I think that is human nature unfortunately. At my sons game (I help coach) on Saturday, we were 1-0 up in a pretty important match, as far as under 14s kids football goes. The opponents are pressing high up the park, chasing the game, we break their offside trap and send our striker one on one with the keeper...25yards out, and the referee blows for full-time. Now, we aren't overly concerned about missing the opportunity to score as we have won the match. That is until the referee, is pulled up by the opposition coaches for stopping the game 5mins early!! We had to retake the field and contest a bounce ball from where out striker was....this isnt a conspiracy against our wee boys club, its just absolutely shite officiating. Thankfully, we managed to get another one in the added on 5mins, more for the refs sake than ours, as there were a team worth of parents looking to have a go at him. I've came across a few good referees at the lowest end of the scale, guys (and lassies) who genuinely seem to enjoy what they do, they have a good way about them, talk to the kids and coaches with a bit of respect and explain decisions and apologise for things they have got wrong, which is the way I believe it should be at that level, but for some reason I don't imagine these guys will get very far in their profession as I get the feeling that the SFA want a level of aloofness amongst their officials for whatever reason. I've also come across many an arrogant arsehole though, with the 'I'll decide' patter, which does nothing but gets peoples backs up and generally doesnt end particularly well. I don't think the controversy over refereeing decisions will ever go away, as we will never be able to take the human element away from the game (and I'm not sure that I'd want to even if we could). This whole post of mine probably comes across as a mix between defending and criticising referees and thats probably exactly where I am with it, they have an incredibly difficult job at all levels, but by fuck some of the stuff they do makes it difficult to defend them.

If we are right in our belief that we 'sell' the Club to incoming players on the agreement that they'll be given a platform to perform before being sold to the highest bidder, then we're pretty much singing from the same hymn-sheet as the likes of Marvin Johnson, and that the 2year and 3year deals, are only put in place to maximise the profit when a potential buyer starts sniffing around. With us Marvin, bought into what we sold him, and I'm presuming the likes of Heneghan and Moult were no different, even McHugh and Bigirimana etc etc. The contract only works so long as both parties are happy with their lot, and effectively we could have held onto Marvin if we really wanted to, but evidently we were more than happy to take the cash...and sell-on fee to rip up his contract.

C'mon not that patter already? We are two games in to the season so far, TWO GAMES, there are another 3 clubs on exactly the same points as us (fuck all) and to be fair we've had two relatively difficult matches. This upcoming match isnt a 'must win', or a 'must-not-lose', its an early season encounter, where our new goalkeeper, and potentially 6 new outfield players continue to get to know each other and understand the managers system. If we lose on Saturday, it won't wreck my Saturday night, because there is loads of time to start worrying about relegation.

I think we've also got to be realistic on 2 points here; a) in my opinion, all players should look out for number 1, first and foremost. Its a cliche, but its an incredibly short career, and one that if driven in the right direction can be extremely lucrative*. If it were me, and Hull were sniffing about, knowing what they will be paying as a weekly package, I'd be inclined to be rocking the Oxford boat as well if i'm honest. Injuries or poor form can kick in at anytime, and I fully understand why a player would jump at the 1st chance of a better deal. b) we've got to understand where we, in particular, but Scottish Football in general lies in the food chain, particularly in comparison to England (even at their lower levels). I was scoffed at when i suggested we should accept £500k for Johnson, and I was scoffed at when I said Moult wouldnt go for much more than that either. But, my thinking is that if we accept these relatively decent offers, and fire in a healthy sell-on clause, then if the player goes down-by and enhances his reputation further, then more cash will flow in at a later date. Meanwhile, we are using the money wisely to a) pick up our next asset and b) make decent inroads to paying off our Hutchison/Boyle debts. Clubs in England, just wont offer millions of £s to a club like Motherwell because we are unfancied, we aren't glamorous, we have been poor on the park for a good few years now, we pay relatively poor wages etc etc. Oxford asking for (and hopefully holding out for) £3,000,000 enhances our business model as far as I'm concerned. * Last week I heard a story concerning Lee Erwin, the gist is that he was allegedly on £7k a week at Leeds, with one year remaining on his contract. He was offered 80% of that 7k per week x 52 (or thereabouts, depending on when it was agreed) to tear up the contract. He then goes and gets a 2-year contract with Killie on a couple of grand a week, and circa £200k from Leeds to fuck off. Anyone that thinks a player should pass up that type of cash, and that ability to set yourself up for life is off their nut.

The only thing he needs to be convinced of is, did the goalkeeper pick the ball up outside or inside the box, with an attacker bearing down on him. I've not watched the highlights other than our 3 sendings off, so can't comment on any other aspects of the match

The only reason our keeper picked the ball up before it got into the box was because he feared that, the St Johnstone player was going to nick the ball ahead of him/Kipre and have a free shot on goal...he deliberately stopped him doing that by picking up the ball, outside the box.

An undervalued player by many in our support in my opinion...I often thought people expected far too much of him, purely because of his career history/background. I'm not sure what his new role entails, but best of luck to him in that.

Take a look at a few of these goalkeepers sent off in very similar circumstances to Carson.

Its not often I agree with you Stu... ...I've seen folk suggesting it was arc'd over the 18 yard line like we see at corner kicks, and I've seen suggestions that it wasn't a clear goalscoring opportunity that he prevented with his hands outside the box...we will make a fool of ourselves, by running with either line of defence. It was a red all day long