Manager Pre Motherwell

25/08/11: JM - "All we are thinking about is trying to win a game of football, when you start thinking about going top that's just ridiculous. The bottom line is, we won't be top of the league at the end of the season."

Jim McIntyre was not interested in speculation that he could take his side to the top of the Premier League, well for at least 22 hours, should they beat Motherwell on Saturday:-

"We are just looking forward to having a game again quickly after Tuesday (night's cup defeat),  It is out of our system; it is gone and we are looking forward. We have been excellent in the league so far; it has been a great start and we want to continue that. If you have to win your fifth game of the season to go top, you have had a good start to the league but we are not thinking along these lines. All we are thinking about is trying to win a game of football, when you start thinking about going top that's just ridiculous. The bottom line is, we won't be top of the league at the end of the season." 

The Scottish Communities League Cup cannot be ignored and Dunfermline need to make sure that they learn from the match against East Fife:-

"There is a fine balance; they have been excellent but had an off night - they all did - and we were punished. I don't think that they didn't have their feet on the ground, sometimes, for whatever reasons, it just doesn't happen on a football park. We have been through the video and we know where we went wrong and we will try and learn from that.

Macca felt that it wasn't just one or two players who failed to start on Tuesday and not necessarily the four who came into the side who were to blame for the embarrassing defeat to their lower division Fife rivals.

"Collectively we were poor so we take it on the chin. East Fife were excellent; there's no taking away from them. I gave a lot of praise after the game to East Fife that was richly deserved. They did very well."

Injuries still include Nick Phinn who warmed up at Tannadice. Nick trained this week but lack of of match sharpness will keep him out of consideration for Saturday's match against Motherwell. Other than that there's just the long term injury to Steven Bell. 

The Pars boss feels that Motherwell have continued from where they left off last season:-

"They have had a great start and played some really attractive football as well. They have good players in their side, good experience and good width, good pace and a good mix upfront as well. It will be a tough tough test for us."

Motherwell won convincingly over Clyde on Wednesday night but they will want to get their SPL form back on track after losing to Rangers last Sunday, Macca continued:-

"To take anything out of Old Firm games is a bonus. The rest of us look at the league differently."

Nevertheless for Dunfermline to have taken eight points from their first four games registering two clean sheets is a good start:. He was pleased to add-

"It has been exceptional but we have had a wee bit of luck along the way; a couple of crucial penalty saves and big moments in games that can change the face of a result. As I said last week, and I know that you will all think that I am just playing it down, you just take it a game at a time."