Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons

[well fan for life]

Not content with the usual amount of Monday morning misery I just watched the highlights there. Carroll's absolutely hoaching for the first and third goals. He's literally marking Abada for the third then just casually jogs back. Donnelly was like a man short all over the place. I don't think he ever got within about 10 yards of Rogic or Hatate. 

I think what annoys me is that we have, in the not too distant past, taken points off the Old Firm with teams that are not as talented but work like f**k. That yesterday and the Rangers game a few months ago were both completely gutless performances. I said in the match thread that playing with a high press is fine but only if you're willing to press all over the pitch and not just chuck it as soon as they've got through the midfield. It does somewhat feel like the tactics yesterday hung us right out to dry. 

For Wednesday I hope Ojala's fit, get Donnelly emptied to start Tierney further forward and just look like a semi-competent set of football players. 

[Allroy for Prez]

Ojala has been on the bench the past 4/5 games? Surely he’s fit to start by now?

[eliphas]

1 hour ago, well fan for life said:

Not content with the usual amount of Monday morning misery I just watched the highlights there. Carroll's absolutely hoaching for the first and third goals. He's literally marking Abada for the third then just casually jogs back. Donnelly was like a man short all over the place. I don't think he ever got within about 10 yards of Rogic or Hatate. 

I think what annoys me is that we have, in the not too distant past, taken points off the Old Firm with teams that are not as talented but work like f**k. That yesterday and the Rangers game a few months ago were both completely gutless performances. I said in the match thread that playing with a high press is fine but only if you're willing to press all over the pitch and not just chuck it as soon as they've got through the midfield. It does somewhat feel like the tactics yesterday hung us right out to dry. 

For Wednesday I hope Ojala's fit, get Donnelly emptied to start Tierney further forward and just look like a semi-competent set of football players. 

Aye I did the same and came to the exact same conclusions. I do think the setup, asking Carroll and SOD to push high, really didn't help at all.  But, Carrol for both goals there you mention does have to do better. As do Donnelly and Mcginley though. That whole section of the pitch was so weak.

I feel a bit for Carrol to be honest. Frozen out from left back while McGinley was terrible every week. Then played at centre back by Alexander and heralded by Alexander as well due to his performances there. The  changed out for a big game against Celtic to play wing back for the first time in months and makes mistakes that lead to goals. 

Hopefully we can get a run in defence of the same players for a good number of weeks now. That's been the over arching issue for me tbh.

 

 

 

[crazylegsjoe_mfc]

1 hour ago, Allroy for Prez said:

Ojala has been on the bench the past 4/5 games? Surely he’s fit to start by now?

I've been curious about this too. 

When fit, he's proven enough to me to show he is our best centre-back. Obviously his injury problems and history speak for themselves. I wonder if Alexander is trying to get a settled centre-back pairing in Sol and Mugabi and fears putting Ojala in will only last 2 or 3 games before he's out again.

As for McGinley yesterday, there's been a lot of hyperbole at both ends of the spectrum regarding his performance - but for me, he certainly looked more comfortable and natural as a left-sided central defender, instead of a left-back.

Maybe yesterday showed that we were doing things the opposite way as when Carroll plays centre-back he is more disciplined by default and when McGinley is playing at wing-back, he's more likely to be in shape defensively when we've not got the ball.

[YassinMoutaouakil]

I generally like Carroll but yesterday has really fucked me off. How can you watch Barisic for Abada's goal on Wednesday then contrive to switch off even more?

[beesher]

 

Thoughts?

[YassinMoutaouakil]

4 minutes ago, beesher said:

 

Thoughts?

Funny

[thisGRAEME]

6 minutes ago, beesher said:

 

Thoughts?

no.

[Desp]

8 minutes ago, beesher said:

 

Thoughts?

Aye awrite John Boyle.

[beesher]

I thought so. Was great to see Burrows getting them telt on twitter.

[Desp]

I did notice an interesting reply from 'Flow on Twitter, which confirmed my thoughts from yesterday that the Hunter & Cooper Stands was less busy than usual.

He mentioned the "last one" against Celtic/Rangers (not sure if he was meaning yesterday's game or the Rangers 1-6 game) only 60% of season ticket holders turned up.  

Not surprising to be fair.  I don't take my child to those games and I'd assume a fair few other parents will be in the same boat.  You have to take into consideration the change of day & time for these games as well, along with being on TV, but I wonder how many just don't bother considering are awful performances against them.  

[well fan for life]

35 minutes ago, beesher said:

 

Thoughts?

[YassinMoutaouakil]

@AlanBurrows, why are the seats at Fir Park claret and amber, instead of green? 

[capt_oats]

1 hour ago, crazylegsjoe_mfc said:

I've been curious about this too. 

When fit, he's proven enough to me to show he is our best centre-back. Obviously his injury problems and history speak for themselves. I wonder if Alexander is trying to get a settled centre-back pairing in Sol and Mugabi and fears putting Ojala in will only last 2 or 3 games before he's out again.

As for McGinley yesterday, there's been a lot of hyperbole at both ends of the spectrum regarding his performance - but for me, he certainly looked more comfortable and natural as a left-sided central defender, instead of a left-back.

Maybe yesterday showed that we were doing things the opposite way as when Carroll plays centre-back he is more disciplined by default and when McGinley is playing at wing-back, he's more likely to be in shape defensively when we've not got the ball.

I've no idea if this is the case or not but it's felt to me like it's been a mix of giving Ojala proper recovery time and being fair to Carroll, who'd been out the picture since August after his sending off and had by and large done alright until yesterday.

I think @eliphas makes a good point in saying that this season feels like it's a learning curve for Alexander in terms of the players he's signed/inherited, their mentality and the like. Even the change in shape feels like it's been an experiment of sorts.

[KirkySuperSub]

31 minutes ago, Desp said:

I did notice an interesting reply from 'Flow on Twitter, which confirmed my thoughts from yesterday that the Hunter & Cooper Stands was less busy than usual.

He mentioned the "last one" against Celtic/Rangers (not sure if he was meaning yesterday's game or the Rangers 1-6 game) only 60% of season ticket holders turned up.  

Not surprising to be fair.  I don't take my child to those games and I'd assume a fair few other parents will be in the same boat.  You have to take into consideration the change of day & time for these games as well, along with being on TV, but I wonder how many just don't bother considering are awful performances against them.  

I have to admit, having not being a regular attendee at Fir Park for quite some time now, but also as someone who is itching to return as soon as the wee boy is an age more suitable to bringing him along regularly, I can totally relate to that comment above.

When I last had a season ticket - (Christ, I'm going back to the McCall era here!) - it took me all my time to come along on the days we played either side of the OF at home.

Not because of the expectancy of getting royally humped, but more because I really couldn't be doing with all the shite that comes along with large swathes of OF fans being in town.

That's not a #snowflake comment btw, just a general preference that I tended to avoid these games more than others.

[well fan for life]

Always tickles me the sheer level of entitlement these goons have about going to an away ground and assuming that all clubs should just huckle their season ticket holders out the seats they've paid for because they've got a hugely over inflated opinion of the blue/green pound.

[Kapowzer]

5 hours ago, Casagolda said:

I’m not really sure what our best team is at the minute but I’m almost certain that Ojala should be in it. 

Chuck him in there and I wouldn’t be upset to see that team start at Tannadice. 

Yeah that was a bit unfair for me, he's in the injury and can't get back in the team thing but not as if performances are keeping him out.

Bevis to right back and boost the captain out the team.

Goss doesn't "midfield" which is a shame for a midfielder, McGinley flitting between a bombscare and Amoruso (minus the donkey dick).

Come the summer we're needing a first name on the teamsheet midfielder, 50% or higher improvements to the defence and forward options to compliment what we have signed on until 2023. I guess the business plan had Kelly and Slattery attracting offers this summer and holding on to them until next year opens up the possibility of us not realising any return for them. Could be a bigger summer than we envisaged.

When you play ugly but walk away with the points you get let of the hook, when you play ugly and don't, the benefit of the doubt erodes quicker.

[Mr. Brightside]

Similar attitude to the Rangers fans yesterday saying we were lying down to Celtic (again) for losing 4-0, if only it had been 3-0 if would've been respectable, clearly.

[Archie McSquackle]

Did we lie down to them as well when they won 6-1 recently?

[Allroy for Prez]

Our home attendances always go off a cliff v the Old Firm as most fans after a while can’t be arsed with the nonsense before and after the game and also because we’re now guaranteed to turn in the meekest most pathetic capitulation to the point of it being a genuine forgone conclusion.

After missing next to no home games v Celtic since the early ‘90’s, yesterday was my first since the 2018 cup final after I swore never to share the same space as them again.