Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons

[Kapowzer]

So when @dezz posted this in the match thread:

Quote

Kelly

SOD - Mugabi - Ojala - Carroll

Donnelly - Shaw - O'Hara

Woollery - Roberts - Shields

My initial thought was nah they're be at least 4 changes from that, but I tempered it and suggested two in my following post. I did make a quip about Steve Jennings surfacing. Obviously dripping in hyperbole, but here's the rub ..... if Grimmy was in the starting line up today, would anyone have been overly surprised? As it turned out that reasonable line up did have 4 changes.

Since boxing day we've faced the third round of fixtures plus Ross County from the 2nd. 4 points from 27, a scraped cup win and a decent cup win. I was fully expecting something like that after the League Cup group stages. As it turned out we were sitting a modicum above average in a decidedly average league this season. If we started with 4 points from 27, we're in Baraclough/Mutley territory and bullets would be getting loaded. Normally this would raise alarm but anyone can see 4th to 10th, this league is a shitshow of the highest order.

The main difference I see it is, other than Hibs on the opening day the first run of games was as eye gouging to watch as this but we had Tony to drop deep and add that little something that made a loss or a draw a win from 30% possession and 2 shots on target. I said back then it would come back to haunt us and some on here reminded me to "look at the results" and "you know we won right?"

A lot has been made of Sunday's game, if it finished 6-0 based on the selections and subs would anyone been surprised? I'm even more inclined to think it was a fluke than a masterstoke.

While I don't have my pitchfork looked out for Grezza and still pretty far away from that, the Slattery issue, persevering with some players, ditching tinkering for wholesale head scratching changes, repeated murmerings of disquiet in the camp and horrible to watch games is ebbing away my enthusiasm.

[Kapowzer]

I'd also add:

When the only success you're having is via Woolery, it should not take to 60 mins to bring on Efford on the opposite wing (if we negate him not starting).

KVV was disinterested ... Tuesday night in March with 97 away fans, no telly, no Big Dec, not enough to get him fired up.

Shields can only go knocking on the gaffers door once he learns to hit a cow's arse with a banjo from one pace away, otherwise he needs to button it.

O'Hara and Goss were bypassed tonight but they also didn't really present and demand it. There was no link from defence to the forwards so it was launched and easy pickings.

Donnelly, sadly I think he is another player who'd early promise has been curtailed by a long injury. I'm sorry to say I don't see a future at this level. I can see him wanting to make things happen but he no longer has the tools he had to do so.

SOD .... Jesus, where to start, hard to imagine at national level his counterpart on the opposite side whips in danger crosses 9/10 and at full pelt. Does he not see this, does it not inspire him, no interest in emulating this. Collecting the ball on halfway, going forward 10 yards and clipping a diagonal ball that's a centre defenders bread and butter is chronic.

There was no drive, oomph or hutzpah from that team tonight, not helped by the captain appearing nervous and wanting to offload as quickly as possible every time he got the ball.

[Aldonis]

Penalty!!

[YassinMoutaouakil]

sounds like I missed a cracker tonight 

[AdamMFC]

Well that was absolutely fucking woeful tonight. It had to have been one of the worst games I've seen/been to in a long time. No urgency, interest or team shape whatsoever. Woolery was the only one to get pass marks and it was good to see Slattery finally get some game time again but he should have started. Along with Shaw and Tierney he must be wondering what he has to do to get a start. More so when you've got Goss starting most games regardless of how little he contributes. Something that really infuriated me to no end was how often not one single player would come short to get the ball which then caused so many passes to just be picked up by County players. Then again what can we really expect when apart from Kelly no one has a clue who will start. Does anyone actually know when the last time we started with the same XI in back to back games was? Like a few others on here and many around where I sit, I'm done with Alexander. I, not so eagerly, await to see what 8 changes he makes for the Dundee game, none of which will matter anyway because it'll still be the same turgid bypass the midfield make your eyes bleed hoofball we've seen for so long now. I have zero confidence in our ability to get a result, especially if it's the Dundee side that gave Celtic a game the other week.

[AmericanFan]

1 hour ago, AdamMFC said:

Like a few others on here and many around where I sit, I'm done with Alexander. I, not so eagerly, await to see what 8 changes he makes for the Dundee game, none of which will matter anyway because it'll still be the same turgid bypass the midfield make your eyes bleed hoofball we've seen for so long now. I have zero confidence in our ability to get a result, especially if it's the Dundee side that gave Celtic a game the other week.

This is a weird season. Alexander has you three points away from a spot in Europe, but also three points away from 10th place.

[Desp]

5 hours ago, Aldonis said:

Penalty!!

If he stopped fouling him at this stage, you might have a point. 

From my view, he started fouling there but kept going as they got into the box.

[AdamMFC]

3 minutes ago, Desp said:

If he stopped fouling him at this stage, you might have a point. 

From my view, he started fouling there but kept going as they got into the box.

That was my view as well. Could see it clearly from where I sit, Carroll got done for pace and made a daft decision to pull him and then continue pulling him back as he got into the box. I thought it was a penalty at the time and nothing has changed my mind. I'm more pissed at Carrolls stupidity in pulling him back and giving the ref a decision to make.

[thisGRAEME]

Most expensive Motherwell side assembled in decades and it is garbage.

The amount of passes we zing in at shin height to players to put them in danger is incredible. 

4 at the back lumping it, 3 in midfield chasing second balls, 3 options across the front line about 3 postcodes away from one another. Brutal.

3 performers from the weekend binned for 3 guys who have generally been miles aff it, also brutal.

Edited March 3, 2022 by thisGRAEME

[Allroy for Prez]

Failed to take the lead now in 11 straight games. It’s impossible to paint 2022 in anything other than the worst terms, and that’s before you start to pick apart starting 11’s and the actual tactics on display.

Alexander isn’t going anywhere right now but I fully expect him not to be here by the end of the year after going on a similar run at the start of next season.

No doubt with Donnelly and O’Donnell on extended deals and Slatterly being sold to Utd.

[Ron Aldo]

Having had the chance to sleep on it, I've calmed down a bit since last night.

Lose to Dundee (Mark Mcghee's Dundee, no less) and I'll firmly be in the Alexander out camp.

[ropy]

Watched Sportscene this morning.

The Shields miss looked worse on the TV and it looked bad in the ground.

The penalty looked a penalty to me last night (I have a thing about players using their arms to pull folk back) and it looked a penalty on the TV. There was a tug on Carroll but that being missed doesn’t provide a license to pull the County player back.

Carroll wasn’t booked.

[Busta Nut]

SOD, Carroll, Goss, Donnelly, Grimshaw and the mad French defender/striker guy can all go the mora.

Unlikey I know but I think these guys offer us nothing. Others are serviceable.

Alexander is not far off that list.

[Handsome_Devil]

With the exception of Gannon I can't remember us binning a manager when we weren't in serious danger of relegation. Kampman arguably also had circumstances. But anyway, there's no point in going mental calling for GA to go because it's a waste of breath. It's just not going to happen.

Should we lose - or even not win - on Saturday though, I think he'll have reached a tipping point from which it is highly unlikely he'll recover even when he turns round the current form. He will need a minor miracle to win the fans back.

In autumn I predicted he would survive our bad run but another was inevitable and that'd cost him his job. That's obviously wrong because our pre-Xmas form was so solid it built a buffer and extended his contract so I'll revise by one crisis. We'll just about emerge from this crisis but I don't think the players are behind the constant chopping and changes, the reactive style, hoofball etc. And without that the chance of us edging enough 50-50s, as Alexander's whole philosophy is based on, to be successful is slim. 

He'll last to September/October and will jump or be pushed then.

[Allroy for Prez]

50 minutes ago, Ron Aldo said:

Having had the chance to sleep on it, I've calmed down a bit since last night.

Lose to Dundee (Mark Mcghee's Dundee, no less) and I'll firmly be in the Alexander out camp.

100%

[well fan for life]

2 hours ago, thisGRAEME said:

The amount of passes we zing in at shin height to players to put them in danger is incredible. 

The B-side to my favourite which is the clipped balls down the touch line that arrive at waist height as someone runs full pelt towards the touch line.

[Swello]

The last few weeks have certainly shown why Mcginley never gets dropped - Carroll can leave as soon as he likes - a stupid, shite penalty to give away due to lack of concentration on his part - and one that put us on the back foot yet again.

On our squad - I think it's just too big (or at least has too many "senior" pro's in it). We don't have a core starting 11 where we can tweak things based on form, injury or the opponent - we have a huge group who are seemingly picked from with a degree of randomness last seen when we did the half time draw out an asda bag. It doesn't feel like any player is developing as they are in and out the team, sometimes for weeks at a time.

I'll use Ojala as an example - he put in a faultless display against Aberdeen (league game) and looked to be getting back to form - dropped unceremoniously. We never play the same forward line twice, so no chance to get any sort of understanding going. 

It feels like the plot has been well and truly lost at the moment - not sure how that gets fixed.

[Lobby Dossar]

8 hours ago, Kapowzer said:

Shields can only go knocking on the gaffers door once he learns to hit a cow's arse with a banjo from one pace away, otherwise he needs to button it.

Donnelly, sadly I think he is another player who'd early promise has been curtailed by a long injury. I'm sorry to say I don't see a future at this level. I can see him wanting to make things happen but he no longer has the tools he had to do so.

 

Shields scored goals for fun in the Championship lasts season ……playing through the middle alongside a big centre forward ……not out on the left wing trying to control balls fired above his head at 100mph. 
 

Donnelly is a defender who had a 6 game purple patch in midfield and everyone thought he was Messi. To slow in thought and action to be any good in there at this level.

 

[Kapowzer]

Shields was in prime poacher territory last night and not the first time he’s botched a gilt edged chance within the 6 yard box.

Edited March 3, 2022 by Kapowzer

[Handsome_Devil]

I don't object in principle to us shelling it up the park but in that case why not have Woolery and Shields close to Van Veen and actually commit some midfielders to chasing the seconds balls? I - like everyone else - just don't get what we were trying to do last night. It wasn't only that we barely played football but even that limited approach wasn't done with any conviction. The combination of our tactics with the team selection was, yet again, inexplicable.

Having McGinley/Carroll as left back in March having seen them all season is a borderline sacking offence. Committing to both of them going into next season should absolutely be a sacking offence...

And how any professional squad can have literally one genuine central striker in it for the 4-3-3 of choice remains utterly mind-boggling.

But for all the squad balance criticism, I genuinely don't think the players are the biggest problem right now. We're obviously not brilliant but nor is this a four points from 27 squad as hopeless as it currently looks.