Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons

[JamesP_81]

To lose a title on the last day of the season understandably must leave a mark that would last a lifetime , but the fact that most of his saltiness is about us celebrating winning is absolutely magnificent. He must see our players celebrating every night when he closes his eyes .

[Allroy for Prez]

That was a great read.
Always absolutely detested Thompson so it’s wonderful he’s still spewing about that lolfest.

[capt_oats]

1 hour ago, Swello said:

After 16 games, I'm still not sure what to make of us TBH.

We score plenty of goals, which is great and something that Alexander deserves credit for IMO. I think that Watt, KVV & Woolery are a great mix up front and although Tony doesn't like being out of the centre, I think the setup that we saw last night is our best one. KVV is the one that I'd like to see more consistency from - as both Watt and Woolery are performing well now - but he needs to play in the central role every week. The no-nonsense punting of the staunchest wee man in the squad  improved the forward line instantly.

At the other end of the park, we seem to either keep clean sheets or get pumped. In other seasons, the number of injuries and suspensions in defence would have utterly killed us - we'd be down to playing a half fit Liam Donnelly and a pale, skinny boy out the reserves by this stage - but the fact our squad is good enough to handle  playing different combinations every single week and still perform creditably is a reason why we are in the top half at this point. The most unlikely thing is that SOD is (justifiably) being kept out the team by Bevis Mugabe, who IMO would be on the shortlist for our POTY if it were being judged now. I'd still like to see Ojala and Sol play some games together as I think they are clearly our first choice pairing, but that may never happen at this rate - so thank f**k for Lamie 2021.

Midfield is where it gets messy. In a good summer's recruitment - this is the one that feels like we didn't get it right. Slattery is great - for a guy with not much first team experience, being dropped into a new league and having to carry the midfield has been harsh on him - but he's one of the best shithousers going and can really play a bit too. As a replacement for Wee Alan, we couldn't have asked for much more although it's obvious that he's got a bit to learn yet. Other than that - it's taken until the Hearts game for us to have a combination that looks like it can compete properly. I didn't want us to sign Goss - but he's improved hugely with a run of games and I now get the fear when we don't have his set piece delivery to rely on. Given the number of long term deals we've chucked about elsewhere - I'd imagine midfield will be the main focus in the next 2 windows.

Overall, I'm quite enjoying the season - I don't get so worried about Murderball and I honestly don't have a clue about formations and things with a lower case "x" before them. There's no reason we can't finish in the top half this season.

Aye, I get that Alexander is probably not for everyone and for some his face just doesn't fit for whatever reason but when you consider the rebuild over the summer and what actually needed done it was a lot. To that point it was always going to be a work in progress or transitional season - and barring the midfield (which tbf feels almost incomplete by choice unlike the defence and forward areas) the way things have gone I'd say has probably been better than expected.

He currently has a win % of 47.6% over his Motherwell career (43.7% in the league this season) and at the moment after 16 games we're averaging 1.5 ppg. Even allowing for that run of 5 without a win over the course of the season to the split that sort of average puts us on 49.5 points - which in most seasons is a Top 6 sort of number.

You can use Airdrie, Rangers and Dundee x2 as sticks to beat with but broadly at the start of the season if you'd said that on December 1st we'd be clear in 5th, double digits above the play-off spot and 8 points clear of 7th with Tony Watt top scorer in the league most would have taken it (and Joel Sked would have had an aneurysm on The Terrace preview pod).

Alexander made a comment in his post-match last night that piqued my interest (around 3 min 17s):

Quote

"We looked at ourselves harshly four weeks, four games ago and we decided to go a different way how we played and we wanted to be on the front foot and we wanted to take control of our games. We might not always win but we want to take control of how we perform and the players have done that in 75% of the games so far."

Spoiler

In our last 2 home games we've had 20 shots on goal in each of them (against the teams directly above us in the league in 3rd and 4th). I don't know if that's a result of the change he's talking about but given the criticism that was coming his way about sitting back and trying to contain teams that feels like a positive change of sorts.

Edited December 1, 2021 by capt_oats

[Casagolda]

I clocked that from Alexander as well.

The last two games at Fir Park have been great fun imho and even despite the conditions I felt we played some decent stuff again last night. If KVV had his shooting boots on or the ball hadn't died in a puddle in front of SODS we could/should have won that far more comfortably. 

We've been aggressive, on front foot, creating chances and actually taking the game to the opposition. All the while still retaining a solidity and structure that makes us difficult to beat. It's like Alexander-ball meets football and it feels like we've found a nice blend between the two.

Guys like Woolery and Goss seem to be getting fitter now which is massively helping the whole playing football thing. Having Goss as well as Slattery in the middle makes retaining possession much easier(Maguire too tbf). Woolery's ability to drive with the ball at speed makes us dangerous in transition as well and his last few performances have surely been his best since he arrived.

Tony's goal was worthy of winning any game, him knocking his pan in flying through puddles up front on his own for the last 10 mins makes you think you're watching a different player to the 'lazy waster' type we were promised when he signed. Even despite his performances last season I can't imagine anyone would've believed he'd top the League scoring charts come December. He seems to love it here and I'd love for him to stay but it'd be also be hard to begrudge the guy a big pay given his efforts since he's been here.

[Al B]

I enjoyed SODs looking over at the linesman as if he was claiming for a penalty against a puddle.

[dezz]

I picked up on that comment from GA last night as well and found it interesting.

I was on a stag for the Dundee game so can't comment on that, but our approach in the Hearts game and then again last night was noticeably different from games a few months ago when it came to pressing from the front and our ball retention in midfield. Clearly we had to play the conditions for the last 30 mins or so last night but prior to that there were far fewer 'playing the percentages' type balls into channels etc than we saw back in Sept/Oct. 

I've said on here previously that I quite like Alexander and the way he comes across, and I think the few pumpings we've taken make it easier to forget the total shitshow he inherited when he joined last year. As @capt_oats says, I think most of us would have bitten your hand off at the start of the season to be comfortable top half going into December.

No doubt the midfield needs work as right now there's a huge onus on the front 3 to set the tempo for the press as well as create and score goals without much support from other areas of the team (Goss looks like he will help this) but after only 1 transfer window I'm overall pretty content with how GA is going about building our team for the next 2-3 seasons.  

[Doctor Manhattan]

1 hour ago, well fan for life said:

This is even better than when Scott McDonald gets publicly upset every time the SPFL account posts those two goals on his birthday. 

That may be funniest thing I've ever seen! (Except maybe for Frankie Boyle's bit about Benjamin Button.)

[ropy]

The 3 year deals told me that this was a transition year and the fruits would be seen next season when we would start with a largely settled squad.  If we are top six this year I await with relish the coming season. 

[well fan for life]

I was quite interested to hear him say he doesn't think anyone should think about leaving when you see us play like that. I wonder who he is alluding to. 

 

[KnightswoodBear]

2 hours ago, Busta Nut said:

This is fucking great. "The way Motherwell celebrated was an absolute disgrace. There was no respect."

Is this cúnt thick? Respect? what the fúck is he on about?

I'd love to see him cry about it on telly.

Alan Thompson is a broken jake, constantly having drunken meltdowns on Twitter.

If this contributed in some way to that, then fucking great. 

My memory of that day, other than the obvious, was that the Motherwell ends were full of Celtic fans, that had managed to get tickets.  My mate is a Well fan and said he was surrounded by them.  You can see in the clips of McDonald's goals that huge sections of the Motherwell end don't celebrate when the goals go in. Fucking right I'd be celebrating the way they did after winning that game in the manner that they did.

I don't for one minute think the Motherwell fans gave a solitary f**k which way the title went that day.

[well fan for life]

14 minutes ago, KnightswoodVanBear said:

I don't for one minute think the Motherwell fans gave a solitary f**k which way the title went that day.

Did I care who won the league? No. Was it a great big fucking laugh watching the opposition make a c**t of themselves in injury time? Absolutely. 

[capt_oats]

44 minutes ago, well fan for life said:

I was quite interested to hear him say he doesn't think anyone should think about leaving when you see us play like that. I wonder who he is alluding to. 

I thought that was a weird thing to say in the context of his spiel.

Quote

"That's the bedrock of what we've done in those games and I'd be very, very disappointed if any individual or any group of players decided to go somewhere else or try to do something different because they've seen how good a team they are."

I took at it as a clumsy phrasing and he was meaning he'd be disappointed if any players went off on their own tangent and were playing for themselves rather than for the team.

"Go somewhere else" essentially being go off message and do their own thing on the park to the detriment of the team.

Like, don't get me wrong I'm sure there a couple who either aren't especially happy or are unsettled but in context I'm not sure that's actually what he meant.

Edited December 1, 2021 by capt_oats

[Archie McSquackle]

I was at the 3-0 game in 1991 and the supposed 9 in a row party at Ibrox when we won 2-0. Both those games could have seen Rangers win the league - I'll need to check with Alan Thompson if it was ok for me to celebrate our victories or if it showed a lack of respect.

[KnightswoodBear]

5 minutes ago, Archie McSquackle said:

I was at the 3-0 game in 1991 and the supposed 9 in a row party at Ibrox when we won 2-0. Both those games could have seen Rangers win the league - I'll need to check with Alan Thompson if it was ok for me to celebrate our victories or if it showed a lack of respect.

I was at that game too, c*nt

[Doctor Manhattan]

13 minutes ago, Archie McSquackle said:

I was at the 3-0 game in 1991 and the supposed 9 in a row party at Ibrox when we won 2-0. Both those games could have seen Rangers win the league - I'll need to check with Alan Thompson if it was ok for me to celebrate our victories or if it showed a lack of respect.

I was at both games over the festive period in 1983-84 when we beat Rangers 3-0 and then Celtic 2-1 with a very late winner, Brian McClair scoring all five. There was nothing particularly riding on these results, but it's fair to say that I celebrated both victories as if we'd just won the European Cup. What a diddy, eh? 

[Swello]

25 minutes ago, Archie McSquackle said:

I was at the 3-0 game in 1991 and the supposed 9 in a row party at Ibrox when we won 2-0. Both those games could have seen Rangers win the league - I'll need to check with Alan Thompson if it was ok for me to celebrate our victories or if it showed a lack of respect.

Skippy Sunday, Owen Coyle Day, the aforementioned 3-0-er to set up Aberdeen for a shot at the title, The Playoff games, Winning on Fergus McCann's first game at parkhead after the big takeover - fucking loved every minute of it. <heads off to Youtube>

[ropy]

Does anyone else think that this Parker boy is winning Thunderdome at training every week and eventually there will be no one left and he will have to get a game before his contract runs out.

[steelmen]

Did I care who won the league? No. Was it a great big fucking laugh watching the opposition make a c**t of themselves in injury time? Absolutely. 

I didn’t care who won the league but all the crap in the run up to the game about well fans having to leave so they could present the trophy, Boyle wanting them to have all the stands, people saying it’ll be great to see the trophy at Fir Park etc. all these things made me not want Celtic to win it. Granted if we were playing Rangers, I wouldn’t have wanted Rangers to win it.

I was proud of Motherwell that day, as we did what we were supposed to do, turn up and try to win the game.

[Swello]

1 minute ago, steelmen said:

I didn’t care who won the league but all the crap in the run up to the game about well fans having to leave so they could present the trophy, Boyle wanting them to have all the stands, people saying it’ll be great to see the trophy at Fir Park etc. all these things made me not want Celtic to win it. Granted if we were playing Rangers, I wouldn’t have wanted Rangers to win it.

I was proud of Motherwell that day, as we did what we were supposed to do, turn up and try to win the game.

The wee presentation plinth being dismantled from its half-built state was a small highlight

[thisGRAEME]

1 hour ago, KnightswoodVanBear said:

I don't for one minute think the Motherwell fans gave a solitary f**k which way the title went that day.

If we don't win it (lol) I just want to stop someone else winning it, couldn't care less who it was.