Motherwell FC v Aberdeen FC Sat 19th Feb

[tonicg]

On 16/02/2022 at 16:40, tonicg said:

If weather reports are accurate then I think there is a fair chance this doesn't go ahead on Saturday. Heavy snow due to fall for most of Friday. Considering distance for away fans to travel then they might make an early decision to call it off. 

Update: Weather reports are not accurate (in Motherwell at least).

KVV to body Aberdeen as planned. 

[ropy]

1 hour ago, welldaft said:

I will not argue with the style of football. I can count on one hand this season the games where I felt Motherwell actually played football or looked like they wanted too. 

But I was all in favour of him joining the club over Tommy Wright. He succeeded in us avoiding relegation which was a distinct possibility at the point he joined. He has also one 2 or 3 Manager of the month awards the only non old firm Manager to achieve that feat. He also garnered more points than anyone outside the Old Firm last year. Granted playing in bottom 6 skews that a little. 

My simple point is that by any measure he has been a big success. 

Results do matter. We could play all the nice football in the world and lose games. And the posts on here would be about how we should try and shit fest our way to winning a game, any game. 

I also don’t think we can afford a squad of footballers that can continually play attractive football and win game after game. The Premiership is a very competitive and quite brutal league. We need players that can look after themselves and can try to outmuscle the opposition. You do that and you have a chance of winning any game. 

Going by budgets and squads we would have little expectation to beat Aberdeen, let alone 3 times in one season. It may go against us tomorrow, but I fully expect a similar performance to the cup. Even Barry Robson has been saying the Dons need to win tomorrow. Does not need to be pretty. Just find a way to win.

Alexander on the whole has been quite good at that since he became our Manager

 

I am no connoisseur of styles of play, I suspect that what matters to me is effort.  Two games I have specifically enjoyed this season have been the Hibs league opener (we lost) and Saturday’s game against Aberdeen.  I feel I could have said I was entertained even if we had gone on to lose the game.

[Swello]

The last league game against Aberdeen at Fir Park - Aberdeen played most of the silky soccer that people seem to fixate on - we won 2-0 with about 35% possession and I found it one of the most enjoyable games of the season. Beating Hearts 2-0 was all about us working harder than them and stopping them playing it their way - again, one of the best games of the season for me. Winning games and league position is the main thing I care about - perceived style of play is a distant 3rd TBH.

In my time watching Motherwell, we've had about 4 teams that were good at pretty football (McLean x 2, McGhee x 1 and McCall x1) - and two of those teams were in loss making seasons despite high finishes, so we were over budget and couldn't actually afford them, a luxury we don't have now. I absolutely loved those seasons but they simply aren't the norm. 

Glass attempted to have Aberdeen playing a really nice brand of football, Jack and Maloney at Hibs the same but they have been more dismal than us judging by their supporters on here  and they've done it at a significantly higher cost. Hearts probably have the best balance of being a decent team to watch and hard to beat but at probably 3 times+ our budget level.

[betting competition]

1 hour ago, tonicg said:

Update: Weather reports are not accurate (in Motherwell at least).

KVV to body Aberdeen as planned. 

If this game was today fans from Aberdeen would have struggled to get to the game.  

[Handsome_Devil]

22 minutes ago, Swello said:

The last league game against Aberdeen at Fir Park - Aberdeen played most of the silky soccer that people seem to fixate on - we won 2-0 with about 35% possession and I found it one of the most enjoyable games of the season. Beating Hearts 2-0 was all about us working harder than them and stopping them playing it their way - again, one of the best games of the season for me. Winning games and league position is the main thing I care about - perceived style of play is a distant 3rd TBH.

Those performances were indeed excellent. When I talk about style of play being an issue, it's not that I want to see us look like 93-95, McGhee mark I or McCall but with something worth watching beyond passively getting men behind the ball* - pressing aggressively when we can and hitting with pace and direction is absolutely fine. But we frequently don't attempt that and you can only do it effectively against a team willing to play possession to begin with. 

* unless it works. The result absolutely justifies the means, my point is that I doubt we'll have an outcome at the end of the season where people will say 'yeah, that approach was worth it'.

[Swami]

I’m a proper Graham Alexander fan-boy, but even I drew the line at sticking on 8 defenders while we were 1-0 up at a 10-man Accies last year. 
 

Think it’ll be a draw tomorrow, probably 1-1. 

[Allroy for Prez]

One team in a double header rarely wins both of them (although with Aberdeen playing midweek, does it really count as a “double header”?)

Really need to win this. We’re rock bottom of the form guide and 1 win in 7 is nae use if that comes to pass. 

Hopefully last week can act as a springboard to a wee run and not be a “papering over the cracks” number. 

[kingjoey]

I only hope that the big, bad Aberdeen players aren’t nasty to the shrinking violet that is Van Veen tomorrow.

[Jacksgranda]

I've no reason to change my original prediction. 3-0

[welldaft]

1 hour ago, kingjoey said:

I only hope that the big, bad Aberdeen players aren’t nasty to the shrinking violet that is Van Veen tomorrow.

Thanks Kingjoey. Good to see opposition fans noticing when a player is a bit of an introvert and easily intimidated. 

I just wish Van Veen would come out of his shell sometimes. It is not good bottling all up.

Kind of glad this game comes too soon for Jim Goodwin. Always hate being the team that plays 1st game v new Manager. 
 

[ropy]

Have Aberdeen got a manager for this one?

[ken es]

Weather might do us a favour and get this called off .fingers crossed.

Routine win for Motherwell whenever it's played 2-0 .

[superwell87]

2-1 to the 'Well. 

[kingjoey]

3 minutes ago, superwell87 said:

2-1 to the 'Well. 

I can never understand why fans predict their own team are going win on a match thread on here.

[D-Fens Foster]

3-3. Ramirez hat-trick and Van Veen hat-trick followed by a Van Veen red card for smashing the full away end for invading the pitch after 2 mins last week #makeyourownbet

[Dons_1988]

5 minutes ago, kingjoey said:

I can never understand why fans predict their own team are going win on a match thread on here.

In fairness, I think he’s fine here.

[superwell87]

4 minutes ago, kingjoey said:

I can never understand why fans predict their own team are going win on a match thread on here.

MJC certainly never did.... 

[kingjoey]

6 minutes ago, Dons_1988 said:

In fairness, I think he’s fine here.

You’re certainly never going to fall into that trap.

[Dons_1988]

Just now, kingjoey said:

You’re certainly never going to fall into that trap.

Not my first rodeo 

[welldaft]

16 hours ago, welldaft said:

Kind of glad this game comes too soon for Jim Goodwin. Always hate being the team that plays 1st game v new Manager. 

Well that aged well. Clearly they are desperate and/or know the importance of this game. You get Managers taking over days before and still sit out 1st game as not enough time to prepare. Appointed officially at 8am and in charge and on the team bus at 11am

It would be funny to inflict his 1st defeat in his 1st game. But no doubt this game got a little bit tougher as the Aberdeen players will clearly want to impress their new Manager.