Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons

[Ill Ray]

9 minutes ago, KirkySuperSub said:

Clicked on here by default after game...currently in Lapland on holiday, minus 13, searching for Santa with the wee man - fucked if I'm gonna ruin these family Christmas, not to mention €10 pint, vibes reading the last three pages on here that I've missed...

 

Carry on...️️

More chance finding Santa than we do finding 3 points. 

[well again]

54 minutes ago, Quatermass said:

A few things from that video. He knows he is not getting sacked. I think he has had assurances he will be in the post for a while. He thought we played St Mirren. Kelly is undroppable. 

That was actually next week's after match interview. They are all the same.

[ropy]

11 minutes ago, 'WellDel said:

Personally, I think apathy has a lot to do with it. Whereas in seasons gone by where we've been in trouble, some were in isolation or book ended by ones where we've performed relatively well. Now, however, we've basically been dugshite for 3 years in a row with no respite. It's just become the norm and folk have just become accustomed to that. The feeling of excitement and expectation in the stands just isn't there and the Chasni pies are probably as big a draw these days as the actual fitba.

I know a fair few folk who, in the past, would have stayed til the bitter end of every shite game baying for blood then been round at the main entrance demanding action. Now, when it goes tits up? It's just a quick shout of displeasure when leaving early to head over and beat the queue for the bar in Club 100.

As a few folk are agreeing, this is arguably a worse position to be in than the angry crowds with the pitchforks out, as that apathy becomes dangerously close to changing from leaving early, to not bothering your hole in the first place.

I think you are saying we are getting old.

[MurrayWell]

Wasn't our worst performance today, but once again a late goal papers over the cracks. Don't think this can continue for much longer. 

Positives? No many but, I thought Gent was really good and to be honest the whole of the defence looked calmer. That being said, St Johnstone didn't really test them too often. Mika never stopped and what a baw from big Thelonius for the goal. 

Liam Kelly must be thankful Christmas football blooper dvds are a thing of the past, he could star in a one-man extended directors cut the way he's playing. 

[CoF]

Im not convinced it’s apathy. The seethe towards the end of Alexander’s tenure just 18 months ago confirms that. I’m absolutely convinced it’s these fucking last minute goals, it takes the edge off the discontent every time - just enough to make most people probably feel like they’d be a bit foolish to go round to the main stand foaming at the mouth.

[Allroy for Prez]

You can’t ever think that a Motherwell goal is ever a bad thing, especially a meaningful 92nd minute one but today with regards to the bigger picture certainly could be the exception. 

For me in the grander scheme of things it changes nothing. It’s the worst run since ‘95/‘96. No wins in 13, 5 points from 39, no wins in over 3 months of football, no clean sheets, only taken the lead once and chuck in some laughably bad defending and goalkeeping and very few if any players who can hold their heads up and/or worth getting excited about. There’s also been zero excitement and worrying still, we’ve not even looked like at the end of these 13 games that were any closer to figuring out how to win a game!

No manager in any league in the world should expect to still be in post after a run like this.

Even if we beat St Mirren, which we won’t, it’s 1 win in 14, or Rangers (lol) by this point it’s too far gone. The Livi game is now beyond huge but the decision should be made long before then. 

My biggest worry is he’s still here after the Livi game and gets the January window to fix things……

[Swello]

20 minutes ago, MurrayWell said:

Wasn't our worst performance today, but once again a late goal papers over the cracks

I know we are in *very* low expectation territory at this point - but I actually thought we were fine today. Compared to Dundee and County, the team had a recognisable shape and everyone was sort of playing in their actual position, SODs aside. As expected, the sky didn't fall in after playing both Gent and Davor from the start, which calls the manager's judgement into more question. We were poor going forward until all the forwards were chucked on as is now traditional.

The cracks are still mainly defensive and aren't going away and a better team that St Johnstone would probably have made more of the chances they got. That Kelly remains undroppable despite being in dreadful form is bad enough but having a team that simply can't defend over the course of so many games is the main reason that I think things are still looking unredeemable. 

[Gianfranco]

Queens Park with one win in 14 have sacked their manager today.

 

That would be a nice gig for Kettlewell to fall in to.

[Munoz]

1 hour ago, ropy said:

I have sat through a lot of poorer performances than that today, not a lot of quality and the late goal changes the mind set a little.

Where do we go from here?  The changes we made were largely successful, will Gent hold his place if McGinn is back, does Davor stay in the team now that Paton is available?  Today he had few choices to make but players returning may confuse him.

I didn’t think Obika was effective today and I’m not sure what our best pairing up front is.

Oxborough got a couple of League Cup games and conceded 3 to QOS with Ricki Lamie in defence, he looked ok but not great.

I said the manager’s position would be reviewed if we were in the bottom 2 for a few weeks, well it is only goal difference keeping us out of there now.

We need a win. St Mirren have edged us twice but we were the better team at Fir Park.  Payback time?

We don't do losing at home.

[ropy]

14 minutes ago, Munoz said:

We don't do losing at home.

Challenge accepted 

[YassinMoutaouakil]

15 minutes ago, ropy said:

Challenge accepted 

the good Liam Kelly usually turns up in Paisley 

[Handsome_Devil]

Interesting comments re the apathy. Personally I'm definitely getting old, it doesn't mean less than it used to during the 90 minutes but I've definitely implemented a one pint rule in the sense I no longer let it ruin my day/weekend/life like it used to. Not only do I have too much shit to deal with but ultimately if we get relegated what'll change? I'll still support the team, enjoy time with mates when back home and we'll return sooner or later.

There's also a clash between the long and short term perspective. A relatively solid top-flight run of 40 years including a cup, finals and Europe eventually ending is still objectively excellent. Nothing lasts forever.

On the other hand the shrug that it's being greeted with (not saying we'll go down this year but we're clearly circling the drain) makes you wonder just where we'll find the brilliant, determined people to join the club/society to improve matters.

[Doctor Manhattan]

11 minutes ago, Handsome_Devil said:

Interesting comments re the apathy. Personally I'm definitely getting old, it doesn't mean less than it used to during the 90 minutes but I've definitely implemented a one pint rule in the sense I no longer let it ruin my day/weekend/life like it used to. Not only do I have too much shit to deal with but ultimately if we get relegated what'll change? I'll still support the team, enjoy time with mates when back home and we'll return sooner or later.

There's also a clash between the long and short term perspective. A relatively solid top-flight run of 40 years including a cup, finals and Europe eventually ending is still objectively excellent. Nothing lasts forever.

On the other hand the shrug that it's being greeted with (not saying we'll go down this year but we're clearly circling the drain) makes you wonder just where we'll find the brilliant, determined people to join the club/society to improve matters.

Excellent post. No matter how hard I tell myself it doesn't matter, though, it still fucks up my entire weekend.

It wasn't so bad when there was the occasional win to counter that, but at my age it's hard to remember that far back.

[ropy]

24 minutes ago, Doctor Manhattan said:

Excellent post. No matter how hard I tell myself it doesn't matter, though, it still fucks up my entire weekend.

It wasn't so bad when there was the occasional win to counter that, but at my age it's hard to remember that far back.

I get disappointed and frustrated but let it go by the time I get home.  I was staying over in Dingwall on Tuesday (£34 bed and breakfast at the National) and as I walked from the ground I couldn’t face a final pint in the Mallard or the hotel bar - that was a low.

[ropy]

On 02/12/2023 at 22:01, YassinMoutaouakil said:

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/scottish-premiership/tabellenachminuten/wettbewerb/SC1?saison_id=2023&range=90'%3BFull+Time&time_start=91&time_end=AB

We would have opened up a gap at the top of this, the only league that counts but they don’t seem to have added today’s result when I look for it.

[Phillips455]

Now we are getting posts like this. It's just deflating right now.

[crazylegsjoe_mfc]

6 hours ago, ropy said:

I didn’t think Obika was effective today and I’m not sure what our best pairing up front is.

I don't think anyone does to be honest, Kettlewell included. 

Mika is obviously in a different league but even then I don't think we've got the best out of him since he's been starting games.

Obika is probably proven himself to be a reasonably good player at this level when fit, which none of the others have, but he's still a 33 year old with dodgy hamstrings.

Wilkinson has scored three big goals at big moments in the league and has switched between looking very capable and being anonymous. 

Bair provided a great cross for the goal today and is the one you get the best shift out of, despite his lack of quality, which in these times can count for a lot.

No one is going to bang on Shaw's drum, but even he set up the equaliser last week.

The main problem with it, for me, is that every other area of the team has a shortage, where here we have a surplus. When we go another week without winning and this is the only area of the pitch we can change, then we're going to find it changed.

Is change for change's sake worth it?

The options to partner Mika are so same-ish, that you are asking yourself, is there a small enough change that it's worth the tinkering? Or is the fact that we keep changing it stopping any of them building up any kind of partnership?

Edited December 10, 2023 by crazylegsjoe_mfc

[2426255]

3 hours ago, Handsome_Devil said:

On the other hand the shrug that it's being greeted with (not saying we'll go down this year but we're clearly circling the drain) makes you wonder just where we'll find the brilliant, determined people to join the club/society to improve matters.

It's easy to be pessimistic and let negative emotions grip you when the chips are down. Is this the bleakest the general outlook has been for Motherwell FC in the last 40 years? I'd have thought not. I'm guessing there are two points concerning supporters. The poor results this season and the overall outlook for the future, as in the direction the club is heading.

[well fan for life]

7 hours ago, 2426255 said:

It's easy to be pessimistic and let negative emotions grip you when the chips are down. Is this the bleakest the general outlook has been for Motherwell FC in the last 40 years? I'd have thought not. I'm guessing there are two points concerning supporters. The poor results this season and the overall outlook for the future, as in the direction the club is heading.

I mean I'd argue going in to administration and nearly going bust was slightly worse but I agree with the general point here.

[capt_oats]

Just stopping by this morning to give Big Mika his flowers.

This is, genuinely, an outstanding header (and a very well worked goal tbf).