Motherwell v ICT - Scottish Cup 5th round

[RiG]

Might not have been the best game but I think we deserved that. I felt we created the better chances overall and whilst Motherwell edged the first half we were the better side in the second. Great play by Tremarco to make the first goal. Not seen hi show that kind of speed, well, ever! Perhaps an error by the Well defence thinking they had more time or another man over but credit Tremarco for getting to it and then playing in such a good ball to Storey. So it went in off McManus but we'll take it. Disappointing goal to concede. Devine didn't cover himself in glory with a rash challenge when Motherwell broke which led to the corner from which they scored but we really need to defend set pieces better.

After their goal I thought we continued to look the better side. It was only after we took Storey off and played Williams up front we started to struggle as he was unable to hold the ball up as well as Storey had been doing. As a result Motherwell were able to counter our attacks with a lot more ease than they had done in the game previously. However I think our overall performance (just) merited the win and what a goal to win it. I thought it was going well over but delighted to see it rifle into the net. Some scenes in the ICT end. There might have been less than 300 of us there but there were bodies and fists flying all over the place in a twisted mess of celebration and 'Round ya!' gestures to the Motherwell Bois.

I thought Tremarco was perhaps our best player. He was good defensively and offered a good bit of support going forward. Devine had a game that encapsulated his season. Some heroic defending one minute and then he was losing his man which nearly saw us concede. Mutumbo started well but faded quite a lot. Didn't give Raven much help defensively and, like Williams on the left, had a habit of coming inside a lot meaning we weren't playing with a lot of width for most of the game. Jordan Roberts showed some very nice touches when he came on and hopefully we'll see him starting in games in the near future. Looks a good one.

[MJC]

Inverness certainly deserved it over the piece as they were everything we weren't. The defended as a team, protected their back line and created chances. We did none of that, instead shelled high balls to an isolated front man under 6ft and our defending was desperate. It was yet again another baffling set up from the man who 'could have been Liverpool' manager and yesterday was just another in the long line of reasons why he isn't and has never been near a job at that level. Make that five games and the best part of a month now since he uttered that claptrap and we haven't won once. If he was in charge of any other team I'd find it hilarious and very satisfying seeing such an arrogant, self important p***k bigging himself up like that then falling flat on his face.

Yesterday was a sore one as it always is when you are knocked out of the Cup, but it was no surprise. Apart from our recent awful league form, when you make such a pigs ear of it against a Highland league side as we did against Cove - I know we won 5-0 but that only tells half the story - and struggle to retain possession and only keep a clean sheet due to the sheer weakness of the opposition then you know you've got problems. I said at the time that we were murder that day and as soon as we were paired with a competent side then we would be out on our arses and I've been proved to be correct.

[The Mantis]

ICT are really missing Meekings at the back alongside Warren. Devine just can't cut it and was a bit of a liability even yesterday when Well were pretty inept. We're used to going to FP and withstanding an absolute pummelling. When we play a team that gives our defence a sterner test we'll be out. Many folk thought that day might be yesterday.

I never felt at any time yesterday we'd lose that. Even after the equaliser the expected siege never happened.

The Well fans yesterday were brand new, I feel for them being landed with such an unlikeable arrogant p***k as McGhee.

[mjw]

You say that every week of course you'll be correct more times than you are incorrect.

[thisGRAEME]

All I have to add here is that if you applauded Vigurs off you're an absolute mile oot.

[The Mantis]

I've decided to write my latest blog piece about some of my memories of Fir Park so you can find it HERE.

[Stephen Malkmus]

Motherwell should pump them

Enjoy your pumping

[MJC]

All I have to add here is that if you applauded Vigurs off you're an absolute mile oot.

Hear, Hear.

[weirdcal]

You'd think some folk would be happy to make our prematch montage at this year's final...

[Swello]

I wisely avoided the tear-stained post on Saturday night - but I was gutted to see us go out in such a meek, gutless way - an opportunity missed and leaves us with a grim battle to avoid the playoffs again.

I don't pretend to have a clue about football tactics and never have but all I do know is that I don't want to pay to watch us play with one up front and no support for him - it was one of the most boring cup games I've ever sat through. No disrespect to ICT but we shouldn't be making huge changes to our own way of playing to accommodate a team that are only three points above us in the league FFS. We had a good way of playing before Grimshaw left - we now have Gomis in place - can we not just revert to that? Any Motherwell fan fancy watching a system again that involves dropping your top scorer, neutralising your best winger and still can't make us look remotely solid at the back?

The winner was an absolute topper BTW - but given the number of similar goals we have lost - is there a case to say that we're giving people enough space and time to pick their spot?

Some of the booing was over the top - but to bring on your first sub after 80 mins and then give your 2nd sub 3 minutes was laughably stubborn stuff from McGhee.

[Desp]

Pretty much summed up my feelings Swello - particularly about avoiding the tear-stained rant on Saturday night. Been a fair while since I've been that gutted about losing a game.

I don't think the team selection, or tactics, were particularly bad in itself. I understood what McGhee was thinking going into the game. However, what pissed me off was his complete failure to notice that it simply wasn't working. Cadden played well, but it felt he tired in the 2nd half. Would have brought Ainsworth on around the hour mark. Or even after we scored, Ainsworth and Moult for Lasley and Cadden.

I was happy when McGhee returned, and I still believe he'll the man to get us comfortably to safety. However, he doesn't half make it difficult for himself. I don't think he's as smart as he thinks he is.

It wasn't a classic tie by any means, but what a strike from the boy to win it. I was sitting in the Cooper stand for a change and was right behind it. As soon as it left his foot I knew it was in. All the best to Inverness for the rest of the competition.

[MJC]

If McGhee was half as smart as he thinks he is then maybe he'd have got that elusive Liverpool job by now instead of having a managerial CV which shows utter failure at both Aberdeen and Bristol Rovers, being involved in the set up of the only home National side to fail to qualify for the easiest European Championships in history and returning to a club he had decided he was too big for six and a half years earlier where he is now struggling to keep that club in the top flight.

McGhee's downfall always has been his own self importance and his over inflated ego and Saturday was just another example of that with that line up, his substitutes and his mouthing off to the fans who'd paid their money.

Bringing him back to the club was a horrendous appointment, as someone like that is the last thing that we need at the club right now.

[Desp]

Bringing him back to the club was a horrendous appointment, as someone like that is the last thing that we need at the club right now.

We'll agree to disagree on that one, MJC. It's less than two months since we got a point at Pittodrie, won at Parkhead and comfortably beat St. Johnstone at home - three of the best teams in this league.

What we do agree on is McGhee is the architect of his own downfall by overthinking things, as we saw on Saturday. Just let the players play.

I think we'll be absolutely fine this season, and it'll be interesting to see if what stamp he'll put on the side in the summer. From my point of view, the "senior players" that are out of contract in the summer would be told to move on (Hammell, Lasley, McManus). The dressing room needs a shake up. I'd only try and retain McDonald, and Pearson has another year on his deal.

As for past achievements/failures, I don't take any account of that when looking at a Motherwell manager in the here and now.

Stuart McCall was a disaster at Bradford City (with one of the highest budgets in League 2), but could now be counted as the most successful Motherwell manager in years. Whereas Ian Baraclough rolled in as a league and cup winner in Ireland, and was utterly shite.

[MJC]

That's three games out of how many? In the main under MCGhee we have continued to be poor all season. Not quite as bad as we were under Baraclough mind you, but poor nonetheless. The same mistakes continue to happen game in, game out, ie. in defence, slack midfield which is forever overrun and can't retain possession and when we do create chances we struggle to take them. Now we've got a manager who is refusing to accept any blame whatsoever despite the fact we are on a horrendous run, instead puts it down to luck, referees, individual players, the fans etc. That is very worrying for me.

[Desp]

If we're not as bad as we were under Baraclough, we've improved then.

Yes, the same mistakes are happening, because the same shit players are making them. Hence why I said it'll be interesting to see what he does in the summer when he has the time and the chance to get his own men in.

I didn't like he way he handled the Ainsworth situation on Tuesday, but other than that, are you expecting any manager to come out and say he's made an arse of it, or made bad choices? Of course they won't, because their job is on the line. That's why we get the cliched "referees or bad luck".

It's a sad situation to be in, this. No matter what good things McGhee does in the job, he'll not the credit from a large section of our support. Anything bad will be jumped on with what appears to some sort of weird delight that they're somehow being proved right.

All because they're still in a cream puff about how he left the club nearly seven years ago.

[MJC]

I can't stand the guy, I'll not deny that for one minute and unless he wins a cup for us or something then I don't see that changing.

I gave him and the team credit for a decent spell in December but overall there hasn't been much to shout about since he's been back and although I try to tolerate him being here, when he comes out in the national press and states that a result going against him when he was Wolves manager twenty years ago is the reason he is managing Motherwell now and not Livepool, whilst asking not to be misinterpreted in saying that then it's very difficult to take to him, especially when you take into account the way he conducted himself in his previous spell.

I wouldn't expect him to come out and say that he made an arse of it and that he's a poor manager, even though I might respect him if he did once in a while, but I what I don't expect is for him to throw one player under the bus after a dreadful performance by the entire team AND himself, (which he has previous for) and start mouthing off and getting involved with fans who - rightly - were calling for changes to be made in a match we were struggling in. (Again, he has previous for this)

I questioned at the time and still do as to why he was brought back to the club. I don't believe that he has shown anything since 07/08 with us to suggest that he was the man to keep us out of trouble this season and my concern was that his huge ego would be counterproductive within the club at a time when we needed a 'steady hand on the tiller', if you pardon the cliché. My suspicion is that him still having very good relations with people in power at Fir Park had a great deal to do with his re-appointment, as we as a club seem hell bent on recruiting ex players rather than looking to the future by developing our own youth and moving forward with fresh ideas.

I wonder if the board are already looking into the possibility of a Jim Gannon & Yassin Moutouakil Dream team if and when McGhee moves on.

[ICTChris]

I saw the post-match interview by McGhee before the highlights. I couldn't remember the challenge he was raging about (you know how it is at a game) but I couldn't believe how innocuous it was. Imagine screaming blue murder for that.