1pm

The Official Site reports that injured pair David Partridge and Steven Craig are unlikely to be fit for Saturday's match at Tynecastle.  However, long-term casualty David Cowan could be back in full training within a couple of months.  Terry Butcher is quoted as saying:
"He has got the all clear to progress to light jogging, which has allowed him to up his tempo. The scans have shown that it looks as though the bones have healed and it could be as early as February when he is back in full training but its hard to say when he will be back playing to the level that he can."

The Official Site also reports that Phil O'Donnell will play another Under 21 game against Hearts this Monday at Fir Park (kick-off 2pm), but TB insists there are still no moves to sign him in January.

With Stephen Pearson again being tipped for a £300,000 move to Celtic next month, and possibly a loan player from Parkhead moving in the opposite direction, 'Well midfielder Keith Lasley insisted today that life will go on even if the Scotland midfielder leaves Fir Park:
"When James McFadden left us earlier this season everybody predicted we would finish up on the bottom of the league.   Now, don't get me wrong, James was an excellent player and a good friend. But our success at Motherwell is down to team effort. Even James said that.   So if Stephen does leave then I am sure we will have another young player who will come in from the sidelines and grab their chance with both hands.

"Paul Quinn, who played against Celtic at full back on Sunday, is a good young player who could step into Stephen's shoes if he goes.   There are also guys like Kenny Wright and Jason Dair who deserve a chance in the team and are always pushing hard for selection. There is quality there.  I think it is the case all over Scottish football in fact. With the financial situation of the game clubs are looking at promoting young players.   They are getting their chance all over the country. Just look at the number of young players who are doing so well at Hibs at the moment.   Players come and go in football. It is part and parcel of the game and Motherwell will definitely survive if Stephen does move on somewhere else."

Looking back to the defeat by Celtic at the weekend, Lasley added:
"We created chances and restricted the number of opportunities Celtic had as well and I think we can be pleased that it was quite an even game.   Sure, we ended up losing 2-0 at the end. But Celtic are a strong team, eight points clear at the top of the SPL, and they take a bit of beating.   I think we can take heart from the fact that our performance on Sunday was better. In some of our games before that in the last few weeks we just didn't produce the goods.   With the game still quite close at 1-0 to them, Rab Douglas pulled off a magnificent save from a Derek Adams penalty in the first half.   If that had gone in then it would have changed the whole complexion of the match and who knows what would then have happened.  Motherwell have proved we can compete with the Old Firm in the last couple of seasons and we would have been confident of giving them a run for their money.

"Our bad run started when we lost 2-0 to Kilmarnock at Rugby Park. We didn't play well for whatever reason and that has been the way in our matches since then.   But we will go into an extremely difficult game against Hearts at Tynecastle on Saturday expecting to build on the Celtic display and give them a good game.   They are sitting in third place in the league and have good international players in their side. But we fancy ourselves away this season and will give it our best shot."

On a personal note, Keith said:
"I have been quite pleased with how consistent I have been this season. But I would have liked to have got a few more goals than I have done. However, having said that, I am enjoying my football and have been pretty happy with how I have been doing in most of my games." 

Merry Christmas to all 'Well fans!

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