Motherwell v Spittal & Co

[Cerberus]

Archie's been well backed this season with a decent budget and yet we're kicking about the bottom of the league looking shite.

Even for Archie, that's a prime sacking situation.

[Highlandmagyar 2nd String]

The board won't sack Archie. I think that if we go the first third without a victory the Archie himself would think of quitting.

['WellDel]

Don't think there will be much in this one. 

Not sure how Thistle will line up, but if Sammon and Storey are on the field at the same time it will be a big physical test for our back line. Neither are particularly technically gifted but are a handful with their direct style. Kipre had a few wee wobbles against Aberdeen last Sunday and will have to be back on the ball to match their physicality. 

With height also in  Thistles back line, Sunday's hoofball is unlikely to bear fruit so a start for Tanner or more likely Frear to get beyond and supply Moult and Bowman is probably our best bet. 

The most likely change therefore could be Tait dropping out to make way. 

McHugh has been a shadow of himself the past few weeks, caught in possession time after time, with his pass completion horrendous. Although captain, could be considered for dropping out. Robinson hasn't been scared to make bold decisions, but not sure he will make this one just yet. 

This game could be won and lost in the midfield battle, so I would be tempted to let Bigi retain his place for creativity and have Rose and Campbell in the middle alongside him for the spadework. 

A team along the lines of this would be fine with me. 

Carson 

Kipre Hartley Dunne

Cadden Rose Campbell Bigirimana Frear 

Bowman Moult 

[jagfox]

This grainy footage shows the last time we won at Fir Park. Apparently it lifted us up from second bottom place in the top flight . A similar result on Saturday would be very welcome.

 

[Knightswood Jag]

The only things I have against Archie are the late goals and the s**te starts to seasons but other than that he’s fine.  Just a talking point but who would we go for if Archie wasn’t there? Alex Neil? (highly unrealistic)

[capt_oats]

1 minute ago, Knightswood Jag said:

The only things I have against Archie are the late goals and the s**te starts to seasons but other than that he’s fine.  Just a talking point but who would we go for if Archie wasn’t there? Alex Neil? (highly unrealistic)

His Preston side are currently 5th in the EFL Championship so probably not.

[Knightswood Jag]

Just now, capt_oats said:

His Preston side are currently 5th in the EFL Championship so probably not.

Never knew he’d gotten a new job, so, yeah it’s not happening 

[jagfox]

While the result on Saturday won't be pivotal in itself I feel it could be indicative of how the season pans out. A win and I'd be quietly confident of having another nibble at a top six place. A draw and we'll probably be looking at around 7th to 9th and a defeat would possibly see us flounder about the bottom three, hopefully just keeping our heads above water. 

[professor challenger]

The team will be fine irrespective of Saturday's result.

First three home games....Celtic, Aberdeen and Sevco.       Not one refereeing decisions went out way.

Our last three ganes.      Unbeaten against Ross (away) Hearts and Sevco.

This is the strongest squad we've had in decades.    Eventually well start killing games off and eventually a match official will give a decision in our favour

[capt_oats]

42 minutes ago, jagfox99 said:

While the result on Saturday won't be pivotal in itself I feel it could be indicative of how the season pans out. A win and I'd be quietly confident of having another nibble at a top six place. A draw and we'll probably be looking at around 7th to 9th and a defeat would possibly see us flounder about the bottom three, hopefully just keeping our heads above water. 

I'd have thought Cerny's fitness (or lack of it) would have a bearing on that as well. *watches Scully turn into Buffon on Saturday*

[Rednyella]

The team will be fine irrespective of Saturday's result.
First three home games....Celtic, Aberdeen and Sevco.       Not one refereeing decisions went out way.
Our last three ganes.      Unbeaten against Ross (away) Hearts and Sevco.
This is the strongest squad we've had in decades.    Eventually well start killing games off and eventually a match official will give a decision in our favour

A good perspective and analysis. I think what is frustrating folk and a tad confusing is being a goal up in all three matches and yet we couldn't hold on in any of them to snag 3 points.

Schalke for county 86' min.
Dorrans for Rangers 77' min. Tbf we held on with 10 men. If Erskine had stayed on I'm confident we'd have won.
Callahan 80' min.

We never learn and so either we stop these goals which it seems we can't or we score more and get a 2/3 goal lead. For me we don't score enough and put games to bed when we should.

The last three games have been tough and we're unbeaten. Let's hope tomorrow we remain so.

I also think we will take points from Killie, Accies and Dundee, not to mention we get to exact revenge on St Johnstone soon also.

[Swello]

7 hours ago, jagfox99 said:

This grainy footage shows the last time we won at Fir Park. Apparently it lifted us up from second bottom place in the top flight . A similar result on Saturday would be very welcome.

 

Was at that one - although we finished 2nd that season, that was the point where the best Motherwell team I've ever seen was being McLeished into the dross we had to watch for the next few seasons....

Oh - and the game Vs Thistle at Fir Park  a year or two before that where they came from 2 down to win 3-2 still annoys me - and it came up on the suggested videos after the one above and re-opened all the old wounds....

[jagfox]

35 minutes ago, Swello said:

Was at that one - although we finished 2nd that season, that was the point where the best Motherwell team I've ever seen was being McLeished into the dross we had to watch for the next few seasons....

Oh - and the game Vs Thistle at Fir Park  a year or two before that where they came from 2 down to win 3-2 still annoys me - and it came up on the suggested videos after the one above and re-opened all the old wounds....

I think that was the 'Tell him he's Pele and get him back on again' game? Healthy Jags support back in those days too. 

Sorry*, but here's the game in question.

 

*not sorry  

[Swello]

Never handed out a reddy - but sorely tempted at the moment.

I'll see your sickening defeat and raise you a brazil-like goal finished by Billy Davies from the next season - one of my favourite goals ever. 

 

[Nightmare]

Size of the crowds when we used to play Well and Killie. Must be easily double what those fixtures get now.

[Crilly]

Saturday will tell us how well the team  will bounce back from adversity.   No doubt Partick will have learnt from Aberdeen's narrow win last Sunday and will prove hard and tough opponents.  However they're not sitting second bottom on 3 points because of bad luck or biased referees.   It will be useful if we have Andy Rose fit as his work rate could be crucial.  Some personnel changes are required from last weekend's line up.     

[professor challenger]

12 minutes ago, Crilly said:

Saturday will tell us how well the team  will bounce back from adversity.   No doubt Partick will have learnt from Aberdeen's narrow win last Sunday and will prove hard and tough opponents.  However they're not sitting second bottom on 3 points because of bad luck or biased referees.   It will be useful if we have Andy Rose fit as his work rate could be crucial.  Some personnel changes are required from last weekend's line up.     

No, we're sitting second bottom of the table because of bad luck, biased referees and the fact that the only team we've played who won't finish top six are Ross County away from home and they needed a dodgy late penalty to take a point from us.

[oneteaminglasgow]

3 minutes ago, professor challenger said:

No, we're sitting second bottom of the table because of bad luck, biased referees and the fact that the only team we've played who won't finish top six are Ross County away from home and they needed a dodgy late penalty to take a point from us.  we're massive shitebags.

FTFY

[capt_oats]

1 hour ago, Swello said:

Was at that one - although we finished 2nd that season, that was the point where the best Motherwell team I've ever seen was being McLeished into the dross we had to watch for the next few seasons....

Agreed. It's still the best Motherwell side I've ever seen. What McLeish did to it was absolutely criminal. 

I actually found myself killing a couple of enjoyable hours the other week watching the highlights of from that era and the side McLean built as with the current team playing 3 at the back it'd occurred to me that that was probably the last era where 3 at the back with wing-backs was our default system or at the very least the point at which it worked effectively.

There are also similarities in terms of how we were getting the ball up to Coyne and Arnott. Like the Davies goal you quoted below we could play with the ball on the deck but weren't afraid to go direct either. I wouldn't go as far as to say Moult's on a par with Coyne but with the variety of goals he scores there are echoes there.

1 hour ago, Swello said:

Never handed out a reddy - but sorely tempted at the moment.

I'll see your sickening defeat and raise you a brazil-like goal finished by Billy Davies from the next season - one of my favourite goals ever.

I was at that one at that one too. Easily one of the best goals I've seen at FP. Tiki-taka, born in Lanarkshire. What a team.

[Swello]

6 minutes ago, capt_oats said:

Agreed. It's still the best Motherwell side I've ever seen. What McLeish did to it was absolutely criminal. 

I actually found myself killing a couple of enjoyable hours the other week watching the highlights of from that era and the side McLean built as with the current team playing 3 at the back it'd occurred to me that that was probably the last era where 3 at the back with wing-backs was our default system or at the very least the point at which it worked effectively.

There are also similarities in terms of how we were getting the ball up to Coyne and Arnott. Like the Davies goal you quoted below we could play with the ball on the deck but weren't afraid to go direct either. I wouldn't go as far as to say Moult's on a par with Coyne but with the variety of goals he scores there are echoes there.

I was at that one at that one too. Easily one of the best goals I've seen at FP. Tiki-taka, born in Lanarkshire. What a team.

This occurred to me a couple of weeks back - that team is almost a template for the one we have now, although that's a coincidence obviously.  Rab McKinnon in that team was basically an extra attacker rather than a defender - and even Shannon on the other side got forward a lot. No matter how much I like watching our current team - that 90's effort was much more of a footballing side and had a near perfect mix of players (which was Tommy McLean's main strength).