7.50pm

Just in from the game, and what can I say (apart perhaps from "jammy b*stards")?  Celtic won 2-1 courtesy of a hotly disputed penalty with only 2 mins to go after Motherwell had matched them every inch of the way.  I thought the least we deserved from the match was a point, and the way we lost it after dominating for long periods of the second half was heartbreaking.  Celtic went 1-0 up early on after a Mark Brown appeared to misjudge a Moravcik free-kick, but we battled back and deservedly equalised through Greg Strong after 68 mins.  Midway through the second half we had what appeared to be a stonewall penalty turned down, and the sense of injustice was intensified when Celtic were then awarded a late spot-kick of their own which could at best be described as soft.  I suppose we shouldn't really be too disappointed at tonight's result, as we played superbly well and probably not many 'Well fans thought we would take anything from the game anyway.  But the way we lost it at the death was very hard to take.  No wonder we hate that mob so much!

Quick update on the managerial situation.  Pat Nevin said on SKY tonight that there are five names on the shortlist: two who are currently out of work (Eric Black and Colin Lee), two who are currently in a job (Ian McCall and A.N. Other), and of course Softie/Mio.  He also said that an announcement might not be made until late next week.

NEW POLL!!! Which of the candidates on the shortlist should get the job?

5.20pm

Pat Nevin has confirmed that he WAS talking to Colin Lee today and he IS on the shortlist to become the new manager.  Pat also revealed that Win van Hanegem will NOT be our new manager, and there is one name on the shortlist that no-one has mentioned yet.  Also, Terry Butcher is at Fir Park for tonight's game...

5.10pm

Two changes to the team for tonight's game against Celtic.  Kevin Twaddle is injured and Martyn Corrigan drops to the bench, to be replaced by Greg Strong and Stevie Nicholas respectively.

Radio Clyde is reporting that Colin Lee (and his wife) were being shown around Fir Park today by Pat Nevin...

10.45am

Today's Sun reports our new manager will be Eric Black, with former England international Terry Butcher as his No 2.  Apparently the pair could be unveiled early next week.  It is reported that Black has pulled out of appearing on tonight's Sportscene programme on BBC1 as the speculation surrounding him mounts.

Pat Nevin admitted last week that Eric Black was on his shortlist, but the appointment of Butcher as his No 2 would be complete shock.  The 42-year-old, who won 77 caps for England, had disastrous spells in charge of both Coventry City and Sunderland, and has been out of football since quitting a backroom post with Dundee United two years ago.  Black himself is little more than a managerial novice, having been sacked as assistant manager at Celtic after only 9 months.

Unofficial Motherwell Homepage comment: I can only hope that this isn't true.  When BD was sacked, all 'Well fans were unanimous in their calls for an experienced manager to be appointed.  Eric Black clearly does not fall into that category, having spent less than a year as assistant to John Barnes at Celtic Park before being sacked.  And while Terry Butcher DOES have managerial experience, the less said about his time in charge of Coventry and Sunderland the better.  If Black and Butcher are appointed they will get my full support, but they certainly would not have been my first choice from the shortlist of candidates.  Pat Nevin should be only too aware of the problems we have had with inexperienced managers in the past.

Looking back to the recent victory over St Johnstone, Davie Kelly said:
"The game against St Johnstone was massive for both clubs because of the dire situation the teams found themselves in.  I didn't think our performance was very good, but the result was all that really mattered. We had to soldier on and it's just a pity these wins happened after the gaffer had gone.  But at least the confidence is a lot higher in the wake of these results and it will need to be because Celtic are the best team in Scotland by a long way.  But players relish these games, which are character-building for the younger ones. To be honest, I don't think games like this affect youngsters all that much because when you're a kid you don't feel the pressure the same.  We are quite a young team on the whole - it's just that I increase the average age by about seven years."

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