IF you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothin' at all.
Given that nugget of wisdom was once uttered by a cartoon rabbit in the 1940s, you'd not think it would carry much weight in the unforgiving world of the Ladbrokes Premiership.
You'd be wrong, and it’s probably around about now this perplexed scribe should stop writing.
However, bound by a contract of employment and a generous word count, it’s only right that we try and pick the bones out of a pretty brutal 0-0 slugfest between Motherwell and Kilmarnock.
Here goes.
To say it wasn’t great would be an understatement. Perhaps expectations had been raised given the utterly stunning spectacle seen here between Motherwell and Celtic a week earlier, the 4-3 scoreline barely hinting at the drama that unfolded throughout 90 enthralling minutes.
Then there was this.
“The game itself was fairly mediocre,” said Motherwell manager Mark McGhee, putting the most positive of spins on what we had all just witnessed.
“We had people missing while [Louis] Moult and [Scott] McDonald nearly never started. They were last minute declarations.
“[Chris] Cadden, who has been influential lately, was missing and [Stevie] Hammell was also out.
“We were a wee bit out of sorts although we still made enough clear cut chances to win the game.
“There is no extra frustration because Kilmarnock are near us in the league. We have until March before we start to worry where we are in the league.
“Then we can decide whether we need to panic or start getting excited about making the top six. “
McGhee was probably merited in thinking his team should have taken more from the game than they did. Sitting from a lofty perch in the stand as he served the first of two touchline bans, he witnessed his team go through on goal three times during the 90 minutes only to spurn each chance.
Perhaps missing the energy and drive from Chris Cadden in midfield or the steadfast presence with left-back Stevie Hammell ruled out, the intensity seen in Motherwell’s play last week against the Premiership leaders never materialised here.
Young forward Ross MacLean fired straight at Jamie MacDonald on 45 minutes before Lionel Ainsworth blasted high and wide from eight yards seconds later, while Moult was thwarted by the recovering Scott Boyd after the break when he broke clear of the Kilmarnock defence. McDonald dragged a shot wide at the edge of the box late on from a Richard Tait cutback when he should have done better.
Kilmarnock’s closest effort arguably came in the first half when a Keith Lasley clearance cannoned back off Stevie Smith to trundle just wide, while Rory McKenzie had trickled a shot straight at Craig Samson.
“It was a tight game. We started brightly and had some good opportunities,” said Kilmarnock manager Lee Clark, who revealed defender Miles Addison will be out through injury until after the winter break. “Motherwell came in to the game and caused us one or two problems.
“It was a result that’s indictive of what the league is all about. It is so tight and you could see the results today with only Rangers winning.
“Usually you’re happy to go away from home, get a point and keep a clean sheet. But I just felt we could have turned the screw a little more.
“The defence did well and Jamie MacDonald has made a few good saves so all in all we’re pleased with the point.”
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