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ICT -V- Motherwell


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Woken up this morning still chuffed to bits with that result.  I have a question or two.  Why was Tudor-Jones left out?  Did he have a niggling injury, or was it purely tactical?

 

Why was Hogg allowed to play after being sent off mid week in under 20s?  And what a return to first team football he had by all accounts.  Good on him.  I hope we extend his contract again.

 

Just listened to McCall's post match interview. Really gracious in defeat and no whining about the penalty or red card. Top man.

 

Hope we can play like that again next week, and who knows, it could be an even bigger celebration then if other results help us out.

 

But, its good to know that Europe is in our own hands.  I'm sure we will not let it slip away.

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Why was Tudor-Jones left out?  Did he have a niggling injury, or was it purely tactical?

I don't know the answer to this, but I think it had some significance in the performance. No slight on OTJ, who has had some excellent performances this season, but it allowed Draper to be moved back to the middle, and he is infinitely more influential there than he is stuck out on the right. He was one of a number of players who were superb yesterday.

Oh me of little faith. That's a couple times this season when I've allowed myself to start believing that the team had lost its edge, that the season was just going to peter out, and then they've proved me utterly wrong. The way they took the game to Motherwell throughout the first half was superb, and in a footballing sense it was one of our finest performances in months. Andrew Shinnie was back to his best, and when he plays like that, Billy Mackay gets chances. The two full backs also had fine games - what a player Meekings has become this season - and Chris Hogg was composed and dominant at the back, despite the penalty decision. Having to go up against a player the size of Michael Higdon, in such good form, after being out for 18 months or however long it was, must have been a hell of an ask, and he coped tremendously.

Should also pass on my appreciation to the club for the welcoming and attentive way Red Card and I were treated in boardroom hospitality. I could get used to drinking Guinness out of crystal glasses. It also allowed us prime seats right in front of Neale Cooper, Steven Ferguson and Derek Adams, and the privilege of witnessing the colossal levels of (admittedly quite good humoured) seethe coming off Adams when Billy Mackay won his penalty.

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You could justify charging £20+ for a ticket for every game if they were all as good as this one.  It really did have everything - goals, missed penalties, red cards, a late winner.  If there's been a more exciting SPL game than this during the 2012/13 season, I'll be surprised.  I needed to go home and have a rest after that!

 

Our early goal opened things up completely.  Amusingly, it only came about because we @rsed up a free kick on the edge of the box, but when the ball was dinked back in, Meekings had wandered in at the far side, and his square ball was turned in by McKay from about a yard out. 

 

Motherwell had a shout for a pen when Ojamaa went round the keeper and slid on his knees theatrically (there's a theme here), while Foran hit the outside of the near post from an acute angle.  Andy Shinnie steered a left footed shot into the bottom corner to double our advantage though, and then took advantage of the worst attempt to play offside I've ever seen (thanks, Keith Lasley!) to race clear on the break down the right, and his centre gave McKay another tap in.

 

It's a marker of how dangerous Motherwell are that I don't think anyone felt comfortable even at 3-0...though we could, and should, have been further ahead when Doran went clear, but he dithered in front of the keeper and the chance was lost.  Then McFadden fired a lovely long range effort into the bottom corner to reduce the deficit, and at half-time the visitors were well on top.

 

Higdon nearly bundled in a goal at the back post just seconds after the break, but soon got his goal, converting a penalty after Ojamaa went down incredibly easily (there's a theme here) under pressure from Hogg in the box.  Within a minute the Estonian had got himself booked for diving after going down on the edge of the box, and Willie Collum evened things up by giving us a spot kick after Nick Ross was given a nudge in the back...only for McKay's uncharacteristically poor penalty to be saved by Randolph.  Our heads dropped a bit, and it was no surprise that McFadden levelled after beating our offside trap, smacking a shot in off the post.  McKay had another chance for his hat-trick but was denied in a one-on-one, while Nicky Law blazed over a golden chance at the other end.

 

At that point, you'd have bet your mortgage on Motherwell winning - until Ojamaa picked up a daft second yellow for a late challenge on Andy Shinnie.  The momentum turned again, as we went for the winner and the visitors stuck everyone but Higdon behind the ball.  I didn't think we were going to nick it, but a speculative effort from Meekings was only parried by Randolph straight to McKay, who buried it to spark a bit of pandemonium.  And, this time, we hung on.

 

Pleased to see Graeme Shinnie get MOTM today, as he kept Humphrey very quiet.  Good performances all round, really, and I'd be loathe even to criticize the defence despite the loss of three goals.  And, if I'm being honest, it was a joy to see James McFadden in the mood as well, even against us!

 

As for Willie Gollum...sorry, Collum and his standside assistant - good god.  Horrendous, the pair of them.

 

Two games left, and the Europa League place is still in our hands...

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Why was Tudor-Jones left out?  Did he have a niggling injury, or was it purely tactical?

I don't know the answer to this, but I think it had some significance in the performance. No slight on OTJ, who has had some excellent performances this season, but it allowed Draper to be moved back to the middle, and he is infinitely more influential there than he is stuck out on the right. He was one of a number of players who were superb yesterday.

Oh me of little faith. That's a couple times this season when I've allowed myself to start believing that the team had lost its edge, that the season was just going to peter out, and then they've proved me utterly wrong. The way they took the game to Motherwell throughout the first half was superb, and in a footballing sense it was one of our finest performances in months. Andrew Shinnie was back to his best, and when he plays like that, Billy Mackay gets chances. The two full backs also had fine games - what a player Meekings has become this season - and Chris Hogg was composed and dominant at the back, despite the penalty decision. Having to go up against a player the size of Michael Higdon, in such good form, after being out for 18 months or however long it was, must have been a hell of an ask, and he coped tremendously.

Should also pass on my appreciation to the club for the welcoming and attentive way Red Card and I were treated in boardroom hospitality. I could get used to drinking Guinness out of crystal glasses. It also allowed us prime seats right in front of Neale Cooper, Steven Ferguson and Derek Adams, and the privilege of witnessing the colossal levels of (admittedly quite good humoured) seethe coming off Adams when Billy Mackay won his penalty.

 

LOL

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Wonderfully entertaining game, between two attacking teams. at 3-0 we should've buried it as we had a few chances for a 4th, but we let them back into it. The sending off really changed the game, and you'd have thought we'd won the league when Billy slotted in the winner. As dull as games against St. J are, games against Motherwell always seem to be great entertainment.

 

I know I'll get my head bit off here but just a few points.

 

When has Billy ever scored when through one on one with a keeper?? He seems to turn into the proverbial rabbit in the headlights and always ends up fluffing it. He should get down the park with his mates during the summer and practice...and practice more!! In saying that, as long as he keeps scoring it doesnt matter how he puts them away.

 

Doran...never been sure about him. He gets himself into good positions but his crossing is really terrible at times.

 

Also, I'm not sure where the Hogg love in has come from, but I thought he looked really suspect yesterday. Fair enough, he's been out a long time, but he was like this before he got injured. He has a few major errors in him every game, which usually end up costing us. He got himself the wrong side of their player for the penalty, and whether he dived or not, Hogg shouldn't have let him into that position. He sloppily gave the ball away a few times after that as well, which nearly proved costly. A bit harsh maybe, but I've never been overly impressed with him, even when he was at Hibs.

 

Anyway, that win sets us up nicely for next week, and hopefully we'll clinch that European spot before we head to Dingwall.

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Also, I'm not sure where the Hogg love in has come from, but I thought he looked really suspect yesterday. Fair enough, he's been out a long time, but he was like this before he got injured. He has a few major errors in him every game, which usually end up costing us. He got himself the wrong side of their player for the penalty, and whether he dived or not, Hogg shouldn't have let him into that position. He sloppily gave the ball away a few times after that as well, which nearly proved costly. A bit harsh maybe, but I've never been overly impressed with him, even when he was at Hibs.

 

Anyway, that win sets us up nicely for next week, and hopefully we'll clinch that European spot before we head to Dingwall.

 

oooft, give the man a break. Just back from a career threatening injury and the sniping begins.

He was good enough to captain Hibs and his balls were big enough to get on the park yesterday and fill a hole in our defence.

 

Big plus from me.

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Also, I'm not sure where the Hogg love in has come from, but I thought he looked really suspect yesterday. Fair enough, he's been out a long time, but he was like this before he got injured. He has a few major errors in him every game, which usually end up costing us. He got himself the wrong side of their player for the penalty, and whether he dived or not, Hogg shouldn't have let him into that position. He sloppily gave the ball away a few times after that as well, which nearly proved costly. A bit harsh maybe, but I've never been overly impressed with him, even when he was at Hibs.

Maybe its just me but i thought Hogg was one of our best players yesterday. Remember Higdon's goal yesterday was a penalty. The way Hogg handled him yesterday definitely deserves more credit
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Davie's points are interesting.  I was not able to get to the game and therefore can only comment on what others have said and not on what I saw, but it has been fascinating reading the comments of who played well in the game and comparing that with the match report.  We are being told that Hogg was superb, Meekings was on top form and that Shinnie was MOTM for the way he managed to contain Humphries.  Reguero was apparently great and it made a great difference having Draper back in the middle.  I wonder, then, why we conceded 3 goals and Motherwell had 2 or 3 other glorious chances which they squandered.

 

It seems obvious to me that the key to our win was the ability to create and convert chances.  This is something which has been somewhat lacking in recent weeks.  Had Billy not tucked away the chances that came his way we could have been on the receiving of another doing by Motherwell.  Had that been the case, I rather doubt that the praise for the defensive element of the team would have been quite so glowing.  Of course we should be absolutely delighted by the result and celebrate good performances but we should still try and be objective in identifying where there is room for improvement

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Davie's points are interesting.  I was not able to get to the game and therefore can only comment on what others have said and not on what I saw, but it has been fascinating reading the comments of who played well in the game and comparing that with the match report.  We are being told that Hogg was superb, Meekings was on top form and that Shinnie was MOTM for the way he managed to contain Humphries.  Reguero was apparently great and it made a great difference having Draper back in the middle.  I wonder, then, why we conceded 3 goals and Motherwell had 2 or 3 other glorious chances which they squandered.

I see your point. I think, though, that Motherwell had so many good chances simply because they are, by SPL standards, a very good side, easily deserving of their position. Until I see the highlights I won't know for sure, but individual errors may well have played a part in the Motherwell goals - I'm terrible at processing these things first time round. What impressed me so much about Hogg, though, was the way he used the ball so intelligently out of defence - there was no long ball stuff yesterday, it was calm and composed building from the back. The praise for Shinnie is to some extent relative as he coped with Humphrey so much better than he has done in any of our other games against Motherwell this season. As for Meekings, not only was he switching back into a position that he hasn't played for most of the season, but he was up against the best Scotland player of his generation, who has been coming back into some of his old form recently. McFadden did score two, of course, but otherwise he didn't influence that much of the game, and this was partly down to how Meekings played him.

So yeah, I think that while probably none of these players was flawless, they do all deserve praise for their performances yesterday.

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Great game, some excellent play and everyone showed real guts towards the and for the winner. Good to see billy back in the goals and to those who question shinniesta and his commitment - doubt you can say that today.

3rd v 2nd chasing Europe, 2nd last home game this season but a crap crowd. Disappointed not to see more reward for the players effort this year.

that was quite a stunning game of footie. Just had a night out with a couple of gers fans who were telling me how poor the SPL was this year. Destroyed, so they were. Crowd could have been better, but crap, nah. There was little or nothing to be dosappointed about today but if you want to (potentially) be part of history, it might be a good idea to get your erse to Caley Park next week. Tell them davie sent you. Would get my erse down to 'Caley Park' next week but I really don't need any electrical goods. Think I'll go down the Longman instead to watch a game of football which may be of historical significance. Edited by Kingsmills
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Great game, some excellent play and everyone showed real guts towards the and for the winner. Good to see billy back in the goals and to those who question shinniesta and his commitment - doubt you can say that today.

3rd v 2nd chasing Europe, 2nd last home game this season but a crap crowd. Disappointed not to see more reward for the players effort this year.

that was quite a stunning game of footie. Just had a night out with a couple of gers fans who were telling me how poor the SPL was this year. Destroyed, so they were. Crowd could have been better, but crap, nah. There was little or nothing to be dosappointed about today but if you want to (potentially) be part of history, it might be a good idea to get your erse to Caley Park next week. Tell them davie sent you.Would get my erse down to 'Caley Park' next week but I really don't need any electrical goods. Think I'll go down the Longman instead to watch a game of football which may be of historical significance. Last time I looked the park was called the Tulloch Caledonian (Caley) Stadium much as you kingsmills folk don't like it.

This is a tongue in cheek comment (no icons on iPad) ....lol

Edited by old caley girl
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Have to agree with the positive comments on Chris Hogg, some guys never come back from the injury he took and over the game he worked really well with the rest of the defence and he helped with a key element which was the better release of the ball forward from all the defensive and midfield guys. Ojamaa is quick and he was looking to go down for any contact all day so the penalty could have happened to any of the guys. The quick and accurate ball forward has been a key part of our sucess and allows Andy Shinnie and Billy Mackay to run at defences and create the chances. Its been missing recently but was back with a vengeance on Saturday.  Agree with tm4tj we could had six against a really good side.

 

I have had my say about midfield recently and I'm not going to name players or diss anyone but suffice to say I was delighted with this line up, which gets the best out of Ritchie and Ross Draper. 

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Great game, some excellent play and everyone showed real guts towards the and for the winner. Good to see billy back in the goals and to those who question shinniesta and his commitment - doubt you can say that today.

3rd v 2nd chasing Europe, 2nd last home game this season but a crap crowd. Disappointed not to see more reward for the players effort this year.

that was quite a stunning game of footie. Just had a night out with a couple of gers fans who were telling me how poor the SPL was this year. Destroyed, so they were. Crowd could have been better, but crap, nah. There was little or nothing to be dosappointed about today but if you want to (potentially) be part of history, it might be a good idea to get your erse to Caley Park next week. Tell them davie sent you. Would get my erse down to 'Caley Park' next week but I really don't need any electrical goods. Think I'll go down the Longman instead to watch a game of football which may be of historical significance. Last time I looked the park was called the Tulloch Caledonian (Caley) Stadium much as you kingsmills folk don't like it.

This is a tongue in cheek comment (no icons on iPad) ....lol

 

Ach, you know what I mean. The inappropriate abbreviated term was caused purely by beer and ok, lots of gin.I get the feeling that, call it what you like, we'll both be in the same place next week.

Edited by davie
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IMO both penalty decisions were wrong.  The Motherwell one was a blatant dive, while Ross just falls over his own feet.  The first Motherwell goal should never have happened either - it came from them winning a free kick that was never a foul.  Another poor poor game from Willie Collum and it's not the first time that's happened.

 

I actually thought as well, that we were almost contributing to our own downfall in the second half.  The all-out-attack system from the first half seemed to have been stopped and the defence was sat far deeper than before.  As we've seen in the past (the Challenge Cup Final for example) that can be suicidal and could have cost us.

 

A great, exciting game though, and our first half tactic, of taking the game by the horns and playing with far more gay abandon rather than the recent tentative safety-first football that we've seen in the previous weeks, is the way to go, till the end of this season and next.

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IMO both penalty decisions were wrong.  The Motherwell one was a blatant dive, while Ross just falls over his own feet.  The first Motherwell goal should never have happened either - it came from them winning a free kick that was never a foul.  Another poor poor game from Willie Collum and it's not the first time that's happened.

 

I actually thought as well, that we were almost contributing to our own downfall in the second half.  The all-out-attack system from the first half seemed to have been stopped and the defence was sat far deeper than before.  As we've seen in the past (the Challenge Cup Final for example) that can be suicidal and could have cost us.

 

A great, exciting game though, and our first half tactic, of taking the game by the horns and playing with far more gay abandon rather than the recent tentative safety-first football that we've seen in the previous weeks, is the way to go, till the end of this season and next.

A classic case of Gollum evening things up after he realsied he had made a mistake for the Motherwell penalty perhaps?

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I think you're all doing Nick Ross an injustice here! Ok it's not the most blatant penalty I've ever seen but there's one angle that's been shown that clearly shows him being pushed in the back before going over.

As for Ojama I'm not sure that Hogg touched him at all!

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IMO both penalty decisions were wrong.  The Motherwell one was a blatant dive, while Ross just falls over his own feet.  The first Motherwell goal should never have happened either - it came from them winning a free kick that was never a foul.  Another poor poor game from Willie Collum and it's not the first time that's happened.

 

 

Nick was pushed (thought not the hardest push ever seen). Whilst it can be seen from the highlights it was more obvious from the angle at the match.

 

Interestingly the TV angle shows why the ref didn't think we should have got a second penalty when McKay was through on goal. From the main stand it was clear that the tackle never got near the ball and stopped Billy from shooting and possibly would have been a red card also. From behind it looked innocuous.

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